Enya: Are You Asking Me to Elope with You?

The morning market in Border City was unlike those elsewhere. Situated beside the sea, it boasted abundant goods, and with the Sai Empire to the south, it served as the crossroads for merchants traveling north and south. Dawn had only just broken, and the sea breeze still carried a faint fishy tang, yet the streets were already crowded with stalls.

"Fresh sea bass! Only three copper coins per pound!"

"Roasted gooseberries, roasted gooseberries~"

"Extra, extra! Seaside City Herald! Only three Sullers a copy!"

The wind from the harbor swept through the streets, setting wind chimes jingling. Newspaper boys rode bicycles, dropping the latest issues of the "Seaside Morning Post" into the sea-blue mailboxes outside every home.

"Please give me a copy." A graceful, clear voice.

The newspaper boy stopped his bicycle. As he took out a paper, he discreetly sized up this young lady customer. She had a pair of lovely amber eyes and wore an elegant dress in black and white, patterned with scattered stars. She stood poised and slender in the street.

Which family does such a beautiful young lady belong to? the newspaper boy thought to himself.

Enya gracefully accepted the newspaper, then turned and walked toward a young man. "Your newspaper."

Calling him a young man was a stretch—he was at most thirteen or fourteen. Walking beside Enya, he looked more like a younger brother being escorted by his sister, and the sight was rather heartwarming.

"Is there anything else you need me to buy for you, Master?"

Enya leaned close to Ansu's ear and whispered, "The usual? Medicine for preparing for pregnancy?"

"Please don't harass a minor."

Ansu did not want to pay attention to his maid. He took the newspaper. The front page was filled with boring gossip and scandalous stories, things like #The Untold Story of the Naraku Prince and Three Princesses#, #The Forbidden Love Between a Legendary Hero and a Young Lady#, and #The Female Knight's Extraordinary Adventure with Seven Goblins#.

Only when he turned to the second page did he see the article: #The Goddess Misjudged: Child of Curse Receives God-Bestowed Title#

The newspaper gave a detailed account of how Ansu Morningstar, the Child of Curse from the Morningstar Family, had received the God-Bestowed Title "The Newborn" during his very first prayer and become an Acolyte Saint.

"'The evil Child of Curse is wantonly defiling the sanctity of the Church. This is the darkest day in Border City's history,'" the reporter indignantly emphasized in the paper.

A journalism major.

Ansu studied the newspaper, a thoughtful look appearing on his face. "Enya, help me contact this newspaper's editor-in-chief."

"Young Master, I understand what you're thinking."

Enya had clearly seen the report as well. She was a maid skilled at reading people, and she instantly understood her master's thoughts. "Do you need me to deal with the editor-in-chief of that paper?"

"They need to learn what they shouldn't say," Enya said calmly.

Ansu turned around and stared at his somewhat extreme Miss Maid.

As the personal attendant of the Morningstar Family's sole heir, Miss Maid was three years older than Ansu. Yet at only seventeen, she was already a fourth-rank assassin. On the surface, she was an elegant, quiet young lady, but deep down, she was rather terrible.

If Ansu truly ordered her to kill someone, she would not hesitate, nor would she ask why they had to die.

"No." Ansu shook his head. "I mean we should throw money at them and have them go even harder! It'd be best if the nearby city-states all found out."

"...?"

Enya tilted her head. "So being insulted is the sort of thing you enjoy? I can do that too."

"...I'm building momentum."

Ansu said, "Think about it. A Child of Curse with outrageously high dark talent, yet also an Acolyte Saint blessed by the goddess, born into immense wealth, and on top of that, Ansu Morningstar—what kind of people would find a character setting like that the most appealing?"

Enya thought for a moment, then gave up. "Naturally, I find it the most appealing."

Ansu ignored her teasing. He put away the newspaper and headed toward the library. The shimmering sea hung halfway across the azure horizon, and as the sea breeze drifted past, sky and ocean alike glinted with the light of waves.

Over the past week, Ansu's life had been very regimented.

First came the Church library.

He set out while the sky was still dim.

The first stage of the Saint Trial was a written examination.

It primarily tested Church history and political essay questions.

He had drawn up designs and had a tailor make him an outfit with an excellent feel: a blue shirt paired with hazy gray trousers. Whenever Father asked why he wore such clothes, he would answer that studying felt more natural in them.

Because it was the school uniform from his high school life in his previous world.

And Ansu had thoroughly let the residents of the Naraku World experience what the Chinese Miracle was.

He left in the morning and returned at night. He went jogging at dawn, attended evening self-study at church at night, pulled strings to buy exam papers from the past dozen or so years, and completed a full three sets every single day. Every day, all he did was study.

He studied late into the night by lamplight and rose at the crow of the rooster, leaving Father terrified. Father repeatedly cried, "Stop studying! You only need to know how to count to inherit the gold mine!"

Such a diligent and hardworking youth truly seemed like a rising star of the Church.

His period of quiet dedication also caught the Church's attention. Many deacons who had been dissatisfied with the Child of Curse changed their opinions of him considerably, though quite a few Acolyte Saints had their complaints.

The reason was that Ansu's performance had also caught the attention of their parents, who then began demanding the same standards from them. Recently, the words Sanctuary Scholars preparing for the exams heard most often were:

"Look at how the Morningstar Family's child studies!"

Entertainment was banned, going out was banned, dating was banned. The examinees were driven dizzy by the competition, and though they suffered in silence because of Ansu, the chief culprit, they all cursed inwardly: What a bastard!

But in truth, for Ansu, cramming at the last minute this one time was nowhere near enough to place among the best in the written examination.

Ansu did not set high standards for himself. Combined with the original owner's knowledge base and this month's Defy Fate, all he needed was a passing score.

As long as he did not drag down his overall grade, it would count as a success.

Even so, this round of studying had brought Ansu considerable gains. He had familiarized himself once more with the Naraku Empire's political ideology, historical makeup, and the rise and fall of its civilization.

This vivid, clear knowledge had never been mentioned in the game from his previous life. As he continued studying, his understanding of this world gradually deepened as well.

Meanwhile, after the Seaside Morning Post's staff writer took Ansu's money, he got to work.

These journalism students knew how to stir up hype, so the morning paper's daily headlines became: #The Child of Curse and the Three Princesses' Untold Story#, #The Forbidden Romance Between the Child of Curse and the Young Lady#, and #The Child of Curse's Strange Adventure with Seven Goblins#.

There was also #The Abusive Love Legend of the Child of Curse and Miss Maid#.

The last one seemed to have been forced in by Miss Enya.

Whatever the process, Ansu's exploits gradually became famous throughout several nearby city-states.

It was dusk again on another day.

Ansu finished a full day of studying.

He was already confident that he could pass the written exam.

Moreover, the news had fermented enough.

Next came the next phase of the plan.

Ansu put down his book and walked out of the library. Enya leaned against the entrance, reading the latest edition of the newspaper as she quietly waited for him.

"Let's run away from home." That was the first thing Ansu said.

"Are you asking me to elope with you?" Miss Enya lowered the newspaper and asked calmly.

"...What a turnoff."