As expected, William Johnson thought he had made a mistake with his spell, causing Wayne Baker to be cursed. He was flustered, stumbling over his words: “Don’t panic, you’re not a mage, you won’t have your magic sealed by a curse… Wait, how do you feel, is there any change in your body?”

　　As he spoke, he started feeling around Wayne Baker, who refused and jumped away in a flash.

　　Where are you touching? That’s not somewhere you should be touching another guy!

　　“There are indeed some changes in my body.”

　　Wayne Baker pursed his lips, his gaze wandering with a hint of confusion, half-truthfully said, “I’m really hungry, I want to eat something, hiss, the more I think about it, the hungrier I get.”

　　As he spoke, his eyes stared straight at Veronica Smith, only to receive a fierce glare, so he sensibly shifted his gaze to William Johnson.

　　“Wayne Baker, you’re not thinking about eating people, are you?” William Johnson instinctively took a step back.

　　“Of course not, it’s just normal hunger, as long as it’s food that can fill my stomach, except potatoes. And… there’s another kind of hunger.”

　　Wayne Baker took a deep breath: “It’s not physical, but something I can’t quite describe, let’s call it the soul. My soul craves magic, uh, I guess it’s magical energy… I’m not a professional, I don’t know how to put it.”

　　“Mana?” William Johnson interjected.

　　“Yes, yes, that’s it, I’m craving mana.”

　　Wayne Baker nodded repeatedly, affirming, “My soul longs for mana. If I don’t get a supply of mana, my soul will soon starve to death. That’s exactly it!”

　　At this, he glanced at Veronica Smith again, and as expected, received another fierce glare.

　　“The Judicator’s curse is extremely perverse and unpredictable. Feeding on mana isn’t impossible, but he’s just an ordinary person, with no mana to satisfy his soul’s hunger. Even if he had some, it would be sealed by the curse just now. If nothing is done…”

　　A little science lecture came from the corner. Wayne Baker looked down toward the source of the voice and saw the black cat Monica Harris walking toward him with feline grace.

　　“The cat… the cat just talked.” Wayne Baker stared wide-eyed.

　　Monica Harris leapt onto William Johnson’s head and continued, “William Johnson, because of your mistake, an ordinary person has been cursed. He’ll die. You have to take responsibility for your mistake.”

　　“What can I do? All my mana has been sealed by the curse. The little I have left is what I save up every day through meditation. I can’t help him.” William Johnson said aggrievedly, blinking his thick eyebrows and big eyes at Veronica Smith.

　　“Vi—”

　　“Hmph!”

　　All he got was the back of her head.

　　William Johnson had no choice. He lifted Monica Harris high above his head, grinning cheekily: “You’re lucky your mana wasn’t sealed. How about this, you’re responsible for feeding him. I’ll owe you one, and from now on, I’ll cook you anything you want.”

　　Monica Harris was easy to talk to. A thoughtful expression appeared on her feline face: “That’s fine, but I can’t keep satisfying him forever. Unless he gains mana himself through meditation.”

　　“But that’s too hard. He’ll starve to death soon.” William Johnson shook his head.

　　“Exactly.”

　　Monica Harris nodded. After a moment, she broke free from William Johnson’s hold, lightly jumped onto Wayne Baker’s shoulder, and pressed her soft paw against Wayne Baker’s face.

　　Wow, what a cute little paw!

　　Wayne Baker turned his face, meeting Monica Harris’s golden cat eyes. She rasped, “I can plant a seed of mana in you, guide and help you become a mage in the shortest time possible. But there’s no such thing as a free lunch. I’ll be your guide, and from now on, you must worship the Moon Goddess like I do. Any problem with that?”

　　“No problem.”

　　Wayne Baker was overjoyed. He’d managed to become a mage with a made-up excuse—truly a blessing in disguise.

　　But, a magical girl and a talking, mana-granting cute pet… he felt like he’d seen this combo somewhere before…

Chapter 8: The Pale Moon

　　The black cat’s little paw left him, and Wayne Baker was drawn to the white speck of light appearing inside his body. He closed his eyes to sense it, finding a glimmer of light in endless darkness.

　　A bright moon.

　　Moonlight like water, a halo like silk.

　　The pure, gentle moonlight flowed like clear water, its rippling glow elegant and tranquil, softly bathing everything in a silvery radiance.

　　Everything was so comfortable it brought peace to his heart. Wayne Baker was lost in it, unable to pull himself away, feeling as if he were being embraced by the goddess. A fair hand brushed his cheek, making him want nothing more than to leave the world behind and sleep forever in the goddess’s warm, soft embrace, far from endless darkness.

　　No doubt about it, big is justice—the Moon Goddess is clearly a proper goddess.

　　As Wayne Baker gazed at the seed of mana, the bizarre, greedy Book of Desire also looked over. The giant eyeball at the center of its cover spun chaotically, drawing Wayne Baker’s gaze along with it.

　　From this new perspective, the scene suddenly blurred, shrouded in a layer of grayish-white mist.

　　The Pale Moon.

　　A pale moon replaced the bright one, the terrible resolution like a pirated camcorder video, everything covered by a grayish-white filter. The elegance and tranquility were gone. Looking closer, the pale moon was pitted and scarred, covered in dense black and gray spots.

　　The pale, decadent lonely moon looked withered, filled with death and decay. The more he stared, the more uneasy he felt, and the more uneasy, the more he teetered on the edge of madness.

　　Wayne Baker: (一`′一;)

　　Stupid book, look what you’ve done—hurry up and turn the goddess’s beauty filter back on!