Echo of Truth Cult

In the basement, the dim firelight cast flickering, indistinct shadows.

Ansu stared at the hideously ugly Elder Hall. "Eyes?"

"That's right, eyes!" Elder Hall looked behind him and waved away all the cultists, including Mary.

Once only the two of them remained in the basement room, he continued:

"Since you have already joined our Echo of Truth, you should be clear about our origins and our sacred mission, right?"

Ansu hadn't expected him to start lecturing on dogma right off the bat.

To be honest, this was the first time he truly felt... that these guys were indeed authentic, bona fide cultists.

Because the Witch of World Destruction, Cecilia, really wasn't such a typical cultist.

"I don't know."

Ansu feigned ignorance and shook his head; after all, Cecilia had never mentioned any of this to him.

"You don't know?" Elder Hall was stunned for a moment, then his expression turned annoyed.

"That mad witch! She recruits members for the cult, yet she doesn't even mention our doctrine?"

"How incredibly willful! Does she even know what she's doing? Is she trying to apostatize??"

Ansu thought to himself that she would indeed "apostatize" in the future.

Oh wait, it would be more accurate to say that she became the "cult" herself, since she slaughtered every single elder who opposed her...

Cecilia was even more "extreme" than the cultists.

"That scoundrel! She's become so arrogant; if I had known, I should have strangled her growth in the cradle!" Elder Hall didn't know what he was thinking, but the more he thought, the angrier he became. He glared at Ansu again.

"Fine! Since she hasn't told you, then I shall convey our sacred mission to you myself!"

"Listen well." His tone softened slightly. "We are the successors of the great Magic Empire of the Second Era, and our mission is to restore the brilliance and glory of the ancient magical age!"

Elder Hall truly seemed to have received some kind of "divine calling"; both his tone and expression were extremely sincere and focused. Of course, to Ansu, it also perfectly fit the stereotype of a cultist.

"We have always been dedicated to researching the ultimate mysteries of magic, exploring the truths of the world, and returning this filthy, fallen world to the beautiful and pure pastoral age of humanity! It is a pity, however..."

Elder Hall sighed with regret. "The world today has been stolen by false gods and their minions, and that beautiful age is gone forever..."

Ansu watched this self-moved Great Elder in silence, thinking that if he hadn't played the game, he might have actually fallen for this nonsense.

These cultists spoke beautifully, yet they merely committed acts of terror in the name of truth. Everywhere they went, they always brought death, pollution, and panic...

"So..." After finishing his high-sounding speech, Elder Hall finally returned to the main topic.

"Since you have joined the cult, you have a responsibility to strive for its future. I have a very important matter here that requires your assistance."

"Since you are the one chosen by Cecilia, you must surely be able to feel just how dangerous she is." Elder Hall revealed a cold sneer.

"Before you, not a single person the organization sent to her survived. You will surely meet the same end. Don't think that just because she keeps you by her side, she has taken a liking to you! Hehehe, she has simply found a new toy. You have no idea how truly wicked that mad witch is..."

"So, Elder Hall, what you mean is..." Ansu frowned.

"Only I can save your life." Elder Hall put on an air of valuing Ansu and patted him on the shoulder. "But the condition is that while you work for her, you must also work for me."

"For example?" Ansu looked hesitant.

"It's not as difficult as you imagine. You just need to let me know when we need you to..." Elder Hall narrowed his eyes. "Where she is and what she is doing. That is all."

"Oh..." Ansu fell into deep thought.

Cecilia wants me to be her eyes and ears to investigate at the school, while Elder Hall wants me to secretly monitor Cecilia...

What is this, a spy-versus-spy game?

It seems the Echo of Truth is far from the monolithic entity he imagined. Since Hall mentioned "we," it means there are others behind him. Perhaps this is a power struggle between Cecilia's teacher and another faction...

"Elder Hall, this matter is a bit difficult to handle..." Ansu wore a hesitant expression. "If Lady Cecilia discovers that I am acting abnormally, she will definitely kill me..."

Elder Hall suddenly shifted from his previous demeanor, his gaze turning sinister. "Do you think you have a choice?"

Ansu cursed inwardly. Then why did you say all that stuff to me just now? Was that just a cutscene?

"Don't worry, when that day comes, you won't have to do anything..." Elder Hall gave a grim laugh. He spread out his withered palm and extended a slowly wriggling insect toward Ansu's mouth.

"What the hell is that!?" Ansu stared fixedly at the worm inches away.

The worm seemed to receive an order from Elder Hall; the closer it got to Ansu's mouth, the more vigorously it wriggled, eventually becoming impatient to crawl into his throat.

"It will merge into your body to transmit information to me; no one will ever discover it..." Elder Hall stared at the tense Ansu.

"But if you dare to defy my orders, it will slowly crawl into your internal organs and gnaw on your heart, causing you to die in excruciating pain..."

Although Ansu wasn't afraid of bugs, he couldn't stand the thought of one crawling into his mouth.

Just imagining that thing wriggling inside his body made his skin crawl...

He struggled hard, pulling against the ropes to distance himself from Elder Hall's large hand.

"Wait! Hold on a second!!"

"Can't we skip this part? Elder Hall! I promise I can handle being your spy, really! I'm already a pro at this kind of thing!"

Elder Hall sneered and pinched the worm, shoving it forward again. "If promises were useful, there would be no wars in this world! Stop talking nonsense! Swallow it, now!"

Damn it! Ansu really couldn't take it anymore.

[Magic Immunity]

He wasn't going to pretend anymore!

He had seen Magic Insect Magic in the game before; this ability, which appeared to be physical, actually fell under the category of magic, and as long as it was magic, he could defend against it!

With a sizzling sound.

The insect in Elder Hall's hand instantly dissipated as if it were melting, and he seemed to feel it too, letting out a pained hiss.

"You, what did you do, brat!" He was immediately shocked, never expecting that the guy in front of him could actually use magic?

Furthermore, he couldn't even tell what kind of magic this counter-force was!

Ansu struggled fiercely against the sturdy ropes.

Crisis makes one's mind highly focused, and in his desperation, he even broke through three progress bars at once!

[Mage Hand (Mastered) (Learning Progress: 50/50)]

An invisible hand appeared behind Ansu, assisting him in untying the ropes.

"Mage Hand?"

Taking advantage of the moment the opponent was on guard, Ansu lunged toward a nearby torch and gripped it tightly in his palm.

According to the game mechanics, the best way to counter Magic Insect Magic was fire.

Of course, his little bit of fire probably wouldn't be of much use, but it was better than nothing.

Ansu didn't want to play along anymore; it was a dead end anyway, so he might as well get it over with. He would rather have these cultists hack him to death than swallow those insects.

"You..." Elder Hall stared intently at Ansu, who was holding the torch. "You really are full of surprises... You have so many issues, how did that Cecilia let you sneak into the Echo of Truth?"

He immediately reached out a hand, that half-human, half-insect limb surging toward Ansu.

"I'll have to drag you back and study you carefully..."

Ansu was forced to block with the torch, but the moment he swung it—

A powerful surge of magic appeared in the dim basement.

"Who?" Elder Hall's expression shifted.

"Why is it you ugly thing again? Didn't I already beat you up once? Why can't you learn your lesson?"

Cecilia's crisp, melodic, yet slightly mocking voice echoed from somewhere in the darkness.

The next second.

Elder Hall clutched his arm, which had been severed in half, in agony.

"Aaaaaah—!"

Large swaths of insects, scorched by black magic flames, fell to the ground, and the air was suddenly filled with a scent one would only find at a barbecue stand.

This grilled aroma actually made Ansu's aversion to these insects diminish slightly.

Ansu immediately looked toward the direction of the voice as Cecilia slowly stepped out from the darkness.

She glanced at Ansu with an expressionless face.

"Hmph."

"What a troublesome guy..."