At This Moment, Ansu Chooses to Read

"Ansu, come here."

Ansu felt surprised.

Did she still have something for him to do?

He looked up, his gaze falling on Luojia.

Today she was wearing a snow-white spun yarn dress, its hem light and delicate. A pure white Cecilia Flower was pinned to it, and white silk ribbons were tied around her smooth calves.

The warm sunlight shone through her eyes, making them appear as clear and transparent as amber.

At this moment, those amber eyes were fixed on him.

He felt a sense of impending danger.

"What is it?" he replied, "Venerable Saintess?"

Ansu felt inexplicably guilty.

It was as if those eyes were too clean and transparent, reflecting everything within them, leaving nothing hidden.

Could it be that she had discovered him secretly sacrificing?

"Where did you go last night?"

"I slept soundly yesterday."

"I waited for you..."

"What?"

"...In short, come out--" she pursed her thin lips and said softly, "Come out for a moment."

Her tone was more like a command than a request.

Ansu didn't like the feeling. He tilted his head, "Instead of me, perhaps you should deal with this gentleman beside you first. His smile is about to cramp."

Calvin was caught between them, listening to their conversation. The smile on his face was stiff and unpleasant. The hand he had half-extended now awkwardly retracted.

"..."

Luojia paused. Perhaps she felt Ansu had a point, and realized her rudeness. She cleared her throat softly and turned her head, her gaze falling on Calvin.

"Hello." She politely lifted the edge of her skirt and performed a lady's curtsy. "Your Excellency Calvin."

Calvin's mouth twitched slightly.

He used "Your Excellency" for him, but "you" for Ansu. Calvin clearly sensed the difference in their closeness.

Why? Ansu Morningstar was just a lowly Child of Curse!

A bumpkin from a nouveau riche family.

His expression darkened further. "Hello, Venerable Saintess."

What made Calvin's face even more awkward was that the surrounding crowd of believers was gradually noticing him. Someone shouted, "Calvin has returned victorious!" and the scene became a bit chaotic.

They stood on tiptoe, their faces flushed with excitement. The crowd surged together, and some shy, hopeful young girls held bouquets, scattering petals towards him.

"It's Your Excellency Calvin."

"Your Excellency Calvin has returned—how glorious!"

"Look, it's the Venerable Saintess. Your Excellency Calvin is here to fulfill his knight's promise."

"'Tonight's glory belongs to you'—how sacred and romantic."

Calvin was hoisted onto a high, high platform by the crowd.

The common people adored him, the girls admired him, and the believers saw him as the future of the Border Holy See.

Everyone placed high hopes on him.

In fact, he had no one to blame, because this fervor was something he had created himself, for political showmanship, and more importantly, for next year's votes.

If the newspapers hadn't extensively reported his leading role in the Red Moon Witch Hunt, so many unrelated people wouldn't have flocked here. If he hadn't made such a grand show of kneeling and vowing in the Holy See, the situation wouldn't have escalated to this point.

The higher they were praised, the harder they would fall.

But Calvin wouldn't consider it his fault.

It was that person's fault.

It was the fault of the person who stole the prey that rightfully belonged to him. That person's fault.

It was all that person's fault!

Calvin clenched his fists, his fingernails digging into his flesh.

Luojia had clearly heard the crowd's cheers. She tilted her head and blinked her eyes, thinking that since the atmosphere had reached this point, she had to go along with it. She said:

"I am looking forward to your performance in the witch hunt last night."

Calvin's face turned beet red. He mumbled, but couldn't speak.

Everyone held their breath, watching him expectantly and quietly, waiting for his next words.

"One." Calvin bit his lip tightly, finally forcing the words out from the depths of his throat, "...Not a single one."

Time suddenly felt long and silent at this moment. The warm sunlight shone on his body, yet it carried a deathly chill.

The clamoring, noisy crowd around them suddenly quieted down.

"Huh?" Luojia blinked her eyes again, suspecting she had misheard.

The Holy See held a Red Moon Witch Hunt every year. The Holy Knights assembled each year would always achieve some harvest, even if not a full haul.

A situation where none were caught had never happened in the sixty years since the Border Holy See was established.

"Are you joking?"

Luojia felt she should probably smile, to seem humorous and keep up with this cold joke. She calmly let out a light laugh, "Heh, you're so funny."

But this well-intentioned laugh fell harshly and sharply on Calvin's ears.

Calvin only felt a burning pain on his cheeks.

Was she mocking him too?

Everyone was mocking him.

Those believers, those commoners. He looked around, feeling that everyone was mocking him.

"None."

"He said none?"

"What a joke."

"Is this the Radiant One?"

"Twenty Paladins. Didn't catch a single one."

Calvin could seemingly hear the crowd whispering amongst themselves, hear their low murmurs, hear their hushed discussions.

A bunch of sycophantic, low-class vermin.

And that Child of Curse, that Ansu Morningstar.

He's mocking too. Wait, what is he doing?

He didn't know when he had pulled out a copy of Druidic Biology Compulsory I from his backpack. This guy was actually reading a book and doing practice problems out of boredom—in the middle of this crap!

Calvin stared at Ansu in shock, feeling his entire worldview was about to collapse.

It seemed that in Ansu's eyes, everything happening before him, whether it was his triumphant witch hunt or his failure to catch anyone, was insignificant. Ansu Morningstar, whom he considered his lifelong enemy—

In this person's heart, his own status was even lower than a gender-bent pea grown by a Druid!

Calvin had never been so utterly insulted!

But this really couldn't be blamed on Ansu.

He was just like that. As a Speedrun Player, he always prioritized efficiency above all else.

This guy had waited for a long time, and seeing that this wouldn't end anytime soon, and knowing Luojia had things to discuss with him later, he couldn't just leave.

So he figured, since he had to wait anyway, the efficiency fanatic decided to read a book and do some problems to avoid wasting time.

This Druidic Compulsory book recommended by the maid was actually quite interesting, containing a lot of practical knowledge.

This was the mark of a true academic prodigy; they could even do practice problems from Five-Three while getting an IV drip at the hospital.

However, Ansu really hadn't paid much attention to Calvin.

After all, this guy didn't even have a single entry in the game's glossary.

It was less interesting than reading a book.

The people around were still waiting for Calvin's answer.

Father Danny, standing beside him, saw that the situation was not good. He swallowed silently, forcing a smile, and asked with his last shred of hope, "Your Excellency Calvin, you're joking, right?"

"Not a single one!"

Calvin finally broke. He could no longer maintain the perfect knight image he had cultivated for years. He roared, "I didn't find a single one!"

"Someone got there first! All six strongholds were taken before me!"

Calvin argued resentfully, "Someone despicable got there first, they stole my prey, but I swear, I will find him. The Red Moon is still two days away, I swear, I will wash away this shame, I will catch him."

"Then may I ask—"

From the crowd, a girl holding a bouquet suddenly asked, "Then may I ask who that hero is? And where is he?"

"Hero?" Calvin was stunned.

He suspected he had misheard. "You said he's a hero?"

"Yes."

Then, other girls chimed in matter-of-factly, "That mysterious hero cleared out the Esoteric Cultists beforehand so the Paladins wouldn't get hurt, right? You should be happy."

"A powerful and gentle soul who protected everyone without leaving a name. Such a noble knight naturally deserves to be called a hero."

"Indeed."

"That's true."

"Makes perfect sense."

More and more people agreed, and the calls for the mysterious hero grew louder.

The common folk didn't understand these complexities. They didn't know the unwritten rules of witch hunts or what Faith Points were.

To them, simple and honest, a cat is good if it catches mice, regardless of its color.

Whoever protects them is their hero.

Calvin felt the world was utterly absurd.

He felt like he was bleeding from all seven orifices.

Were all his efforts to build momentum – hiring media, performing staged prayers, attracting so much attention – ultimately just paving the way for someone else?!

And at this very moment, Ansu was still engrossed in his book.

He had reached the chapter on 'Biodiversity'.