As his consciousness returned...
The cold, murderous basement disappeared, and Ansu was back in Mary's bright office.
[Reality] [Light Calendar, April 13, 625, 16:02] [Comment: Congratulations! You've been brainwashed by the Witch of World Destruction again and earned the achievement "King of Brainwashing Resistance"!] [Compared to the first simulation, the host's ability to gather information improved significantly during the second simulation, and he learned a new spell in a moment of crisis...] [Rating: D+] [Reward: 12 points, "Charm Boost Lv. 1"] [Remaining points: 50]
This time, the reward was indeed a little better than the first time. Ansu quickly checked the new ability he had just obtained.
[Talent: Charm Boost Lv. 1] [Your charm has increased significantly. When interacting with others, showing your good side at the right moments will make it easier to earn their favor.] [This is a passive talent and cannot be forcibly activated.]
After reading the description, Ansu wondered if this system was starting to feel like a life coach...
What he really wanted was a powerful skill—or, failing that, something that could save his life.
But when he thought about it, this ability might actually save his life...
Would he turn into a succubus or something...?
Also.
[Mage Hand (Mastered) (Learning Progress: 50/50)]
It seemed that the spells he learned in the simulations really could carry over. Ansu was delighted; that made his plan much more reliable.
In the office, Mary stood with her arms folded, watching Ansu, who had been silent for a long time.
"Are you going to say something or not?"
She sneered. "Don't tell me you're making up a lie on the spot. Have you nearly cracked your head trying to think of one?"
"Of course not." Ansu's gaze quietly shifted to the solid-wood desk nearby.
The second drawer held the chemical that would knock him out: ether.
"Ms. Mary, the truth is... this isn't something I can easily talk about. It's all for my younger sister."
"Your sister?" Mary frowned. "What does your sister have to do with you looking for people from the Church?"
"You know what things are like for my family..." Ansu gave her a helpless yet sincere smile. "We're so poor we can't even afford school, but my sister is so clever. It would be such a waste if she couldn't go..."
Ansu's smile was utterly sincere. Mary stared at it and paused for a moment.
"A Church school?"
Following his explanation, that was the first thing that came to her mind.
"Exactly!" Ansu nodded. "A Church school. If my sister could attend one, the tuition would be cut in half, so I thought I could pull some strings..."
A faint gathering of Magic Power took shape, and Mage Hand quietly appeared behind Mary.
"Pull some strings?" Mary eyed Ansu suspiciously. "I know your family situation very well. How come I didn't know you had connections with the Church?"
"Ms. Mary." Ansu gave her a meaningful smile. "There may be a lot of things you don't know about me..."
Mary's frown deepened. A strange feeling suddenly came over her.
"What are you even talking about?"
Ansu only smiled.
"Looks like I'll have to use a little force..." She started toward him, but suddenly noticed Ansu inexplicably covering his mouth and nose.
"You..."
Behind Mary, the drawer slid open with a faint sound.
She realized what was happening and whipped around.
But it was too late. The bottle filled with ether shattered right in front of her.
"Crack!"
Mary's eyes widened. It had all happened so suddenly.
The pungent chemical fumes evaporated quickly. The dose in the bottle was so large that Mary soon collapsed limply to the floor.
"How did you know...?"
Her consciousness grew hazy, and she slowly closed her eyes.
Of course I knew. You were the one who told me.
The tables had really turned!
Holding his breath, Ansu opened the door and hurried out of Mary's office.
It took nearly forty seconds before Ansu, out in the hallway, dared open his mouth and gulp down fresh air.
With Mary taken care of, he had a lot more time—but Ansu didn't dare waste any. After leaving the school, he took a horse-drawn cab bound for the Riverside District.
In the simulation, Ansu remembered Cecilia mentioning that she usually studied magic at a secret estate in the Riverside District.
It was probably a secret base for the Echo of Truth Cult.
Even though he really didn't want to admit it, the only person who could save him now was that Scum Witch who had brainwashed him into a Puppet twice...
Just thinking that he might have to deal with her for a long time to come gave Ansu a headache...
What a cursed connection...
After getting out of the carriage, Ansu looked around at the elegant surroundings of the wealthy district and felt a little lost.
The problem was, how was he supposed to find where she was?
Compared to where Ansu lived, the Riverside District might as well have been another world. Its streets were wide and clean, with neatly kept lawns and grand estates. Several maids trimming a garden glanced curiously in Ansu's direction.
Ansu wandered around aimlessly for a while, feeling as if the servants were watching him like he was a thief...
After a moment's thought, he came up with a good idea.
Ansu sat on a bench by the road and closed his eyes to begin meditating.
Meditation was a required lesson for all mages. By focusing their attention on perceiving the world, they could enter an immersive state of Spiritual Experience, slowly restore their Magic Power, and achieve the best possible state for training.
Mary wasn't powerful enough to sense such faint, steady currents of Magic Power, but Cecilia was a peerless genius in the field of magic.
If someone dared to use magic right on her "doorstep," she'd surely come out to see what was going on.
Some time later...
Ansu opened his eyes and saw Cecilia studying him with suspicion.
She wore an elegant long dress of the kind commonly worn by ladies of the Empire's upper class. She looked like a noble young lady.
"How did you find me?"
"Ms. Mary told me," Ansu replied.
Cecilia furrowed her brows slightly. "Why aren't you at school? What are you doing here?"
Ansu quickly glanced around, deliberately putting on a nervous expression. "Your Excellency, Witch! I escaped from school. Mary is up to something! She's trying to kill me!"
Cecilia looked somewhat surprised. "Why would she want to kill you?"
Ansu lowered his voice and said a name. "Elder Hall."
Cecilia's gaze changed at once, turning far more dangerous.
"Mary came to see me in the library today. She said that Elder Hall, one of the organization's leaders, wanted to meet me. Something seemed off about her eyes, and she looked like she wouldn't let me leave. So I fought back desperately, knocked her out with her own bottle of medicine, and then..."
"I understand." Cecilia interrupted him. "This isn't the place to talk. Come with me."
Dusk fell, and the sky grew dark.
Cecilia took Ansu to her home.
Cecilia's "home"—or rather, her secret hideout in Benalu City—was a rather secluded estate. After entering the mansion, Ansu glanced around the lavish living room. His gaze fell on several expressionless maids who were cleaning.
"Welcome home, Miss Cecilia."
The maids stopped what they were doing and bowed respectfully.
Cecilia ignored them and went straight up the stairs.
Ansu followed behind Cecilia, curiously studying the maids. Their voices had no inflection, and there was not a trace of warmth in their eyes. They gave him a subtle feeling of stiffness.
Cecilia had probably used Soul Domination on all of them. They had clearly lost their own wills.
"Are you very curious about my maids?"
Cecilia suddenly stopped, and Ansu nearly bumped into her.
"Hm?" Ansu paused. "Not really!"
"They were all assistants assigned to me by the Echo of Truth. I found them troublesome, so I turned them all into toys~" Cecilia gazed at Ansu with a beaming smile. "You almost joined them, you know!"
"..."
What could Ansu say? He could only make a face that said he was "grateful."
"Thank you, Your Excellency, Witch, for not turning me into a toy too..."
"You're welcome!" Cecilia smiled. "You're much more useful than they are. I couldn't bear to turn you into a toy."
Ansu was about to thank her again when Cecilia suddenly let her smile fade.
"But if I find out you've betrayed me or lied to me..."
"Then being turned into a toy will be the least of your worries."
Cecilia gave a wicked grin. "I have an even more interesting game in mind. Want to know what it is?"
Ansu's heart tightened. "What kind of game?"
"Hmm..." Cecilia rubbed her smooth chin and looked up, pretending to ponder.
"Among the many schools of magic, there's an obscure and highly forbidden kind that deals with life, the body, and reshaping it. Well... let me put it this way!"
"Have you heard of modular toys?" she asked with a giggle. "The kind where you can take off their limbs and attach them in different places. In the end, you can assemble them into all sorts of weird shapes. It's so much fun!"
They make toys that bizarre...? Ansu silently muttered to himself. Parents in this era were really easygoing, letting their children play with something so morbid...
Here, have some character art.
Witch of World Destruction—Cecilia
Witch of World Destruction—Cecilia
(More characters will be posted later~)
Before you continue