Am I Also a Part of Your Play?

Stepping off the steam bus, the sky grew increasingly dark as Ansu walked home alone.

Just as his figure turned into a narrow alley...

Deep in the darkness behind him, countless insects crawled out from under the sewer grate, gradually converging into the shape of a man.

Elder Hall narrowed his eyes, his gaze fixed gloomily on Ansu's back.

The mere thought of having crouched outside the school all day left Elder Hall feeling depressed; why had those two stayed in the library for so long?

Damn it, those two really love to study...

But fortunately, it was impossible for them to stick together forever, and now he had finally waited for his chance!

Cecilia values this brat so much, so this is truly a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity...

Elder Hall pondered secretly.

Everyone had been waiting for so many years, and that old hag Samantha was finally on the verge of death; his Reformist Faction was on the cusp of taking control of the entire The Order...

But no one expected that, on the brink of death, Samantha would actually take on such a formidable apprentice.

If it weren't for that heaven-defying madwoman Cecilia, Samantha would never have lived until now!

Those bookworm idiots in the Truth Faction who only cared about studying magic had long since failed to adapt to the times! Therefore, to prevent this millennium-old order from going astray, and for the sake of their true, sacred mission...

Cecilia must be eliminated! Samantha's right-hand woman must be severed!

Walking through the alley, Ansu suddenly heard a strange, rustling movement.

He stopped in his tracks and turned around...

Immediately, he saw countless insects surging toward him from the darkness.

This guy had finally shown himself...

A withered, ugly figure coalesced not far in front of Ansu.

"Ansu Morris."

Elder Hall perhaps thought this was their first meeting, as his mouth curled into a deliberately mysterious smile.

"Allow me to introduce myself. I am Elder Hall of the Council of Elders."

"I believe you should know what the Council of Elders means to The Order."

"Since you have already joined our Echo of Truth, it is necessary for me to convey our sacred mission to you..."

Elder Hall's opening lines were much the same as last time, sounding like mystical gibberish.

However, Ansu gave him absolutely no face.

"Sacred my ass! Are you ever going to finish?"

An Illumination Spell, already trained to LV.3, was smashed right into his face.

Hall was stunned as a blinding white light suddenly erupted.

He let out a miserable, caught-off-guard scream.

"What, what the hell is that!"

Few people would ever raise such a 0-ring utility spell to this level, so Ansu's move was essentially like throwing a flashbang directly at his face.

"Damn it! Are you crazy, kid? How dare you!!"

Elder Hall was stung by the scorching light, and the swarm of insects surrounding Ansu instinctively recoiled.

Ansu turned and ran.

Behind him, Elder Hall cursed under his breath. Once the brief Illumination Spell dissipated, the swarm finally reacted, surging like a tidal wave in the direction of Ansu's escape.

"Damn it! Truly worthy of being the one chosen by that madwoman..."

Just like her, he didn't play by the rules!

Elder Hall narrowed his eyes in discomfort, staring intently at Ansu's retreating back.

Since the brat was so uncooperative, he couldn't be blamed for what came next...

He would make this kid wish he were dead! He would make him regret his actions today!

The entire ground trembled slightly; the gathered swarm was like a terrifying monster, catching up to Ansu's pace in mere seconds.

Elder Hall let out a sinister laugh and reached out to grab Ansu's neck.

But just as the giant hand formed by the swarm was about to touch him—

A powerful magical aura condensed instantly, and the dark, oppressive swarm seemed to slam into a wall, sending disgusting insect fluids splattering everywhere.

Elder Hall looked around in surprise, "Who's there?"

"You old, immortal piece of filth, you really don't have a long memory, do you?" Cecilia's mocking voice drifted slowly from the darkness.

Ansu turned his head to see that Cecilia had appeared beside him at some point.

Her purple eyes landed on him as she asked in a low voice, "Are you alright?"

"Can you be okay? You were almost eaten by bugs..." Ansu saw Cecilia appear and teased, "My lady witch, it seems you couldn't help but follow me after all~"

"I didn't follow you!"

Cecilia crossed her arms and let out a cold snort, "And I didn't come all this way just to protect you, either!"

Ansu watched silently as Cecilia tried to distance herself.

So you were just out for a late-night stroll and happened to run into me?

Tsundere is so out of fashion, Miss Witch...

Cecilia seemed to realize her explanation didn't hold much water. Her cheeks flushed slightly, and she immediately clarified:

"I... actually knew Hall was following you, so I deliberately lurked in the shadows for so long. My goal was to lure him out and eliminate this hidden threat once and for all!"

"Oh, I see!" Ansu nodded, not pressing the matter further.

If you say so, then it must be true...

"But that move you used just now wasn't bad~" Cecilia suddenly changed the subject, a smile returning to her face.

"And what pleases me even more is that your understanding of magic is far superior to those old fossils in The Order."

Cecilia felt that Ansu was truly a talent worth molding, so she began to explain her philosophy to him, "Basic life-related magic like the Illumination Spell has always been overlooked, but I believe every spell has its own research value. There is no such thing as useless magic in this world."

She cast a mocking glance at Hall, who was already trapped by several invisible walls.

"This guy is a textbook example of what not to do. He became obsessed with magic to the point of madness. He thought that by specializing in a single high-level spell, he would be invincible—he even transformed his own body into a swarm of insects... it's simply idiotic."

Ansu thought to himself, it's not like I want to specialize in high-end magic, I just only know these two tricks...

But he still nodded supportively, "The witch is right."

"Are you two actually chatting?" Elder Hall let out an annoyed roar. The swarm he controlled kept slamming against the invisible walls, splashing black insect fluid everywhere.

"Let me go! Cecilia, do you have any idea who I am?"

"If something happens to me, my colleagues in the Council of Elders will never let you off!!"

However, Cecilia didn't pay him the slightest bit of attention; Elder Hall's shouting became nothing more than background noise to their conversation.

"But come to think of it... you actually managed to read and understand that tome so quickly?"

She looked Ansu over, her eyes filled with a hint of surprise, "It seems I really underestimated you!"

Ansu's speed at learning magic far exceeded her expectations. Could this guy really be a magic genius?

Cecilia felt more and more that keeping Ansu around was the right choice, and she suddenly had higher expectations for him...

"You must have already read through that General Magic book by now." Cecilia thought for a moment, "How about this... starting tomorrow, come to my place every night..."

"Go to your place?" Ansu blinked.

"Yes, my place is quite large, you can practice magic there without worry." Cecilia nodded.

"Then... can the witch personally tutor me every night?" Ansu couldn't help but feel expectant.

"My time is very valuable." Cecilia shook her head, "I mean, my current residence houses many books related to magic. You can borrow and read them as you please, but as for whether you can actually learn them, that depends on your own ability."

"Great!" That was exactly what Ansu needed.

It didn't matter if he lacked a master's guidance; as long as he could unlock the magic skill, with the progress bar, learning any spell was just a matter of time.

He had observed her place when he visited last time, and her collection was like a treasure trove!

"Then tomorrow..." Cecilia began slowly.

"Enough!" Elder Hall interrupted their conversation, consumed by rage.

They had been chatting and laughing this whole time! Were they completely ignoring his existence?

Are you two on a date? Can you be serious? Am I just a part of your little game?

"What an annoying guy..." Cecilia muttered impatiently.

She turned and walked slowly toward the trapped Elder Hall.

"Hall, when you go back, pass this on to everyone."

"If you trouble me again, the only outcome will be death!"

Elder Hall froze. Was she actually planning to let him go?

"Fine! I will pass it on! Cecilia, let me go first!"

He shouted, surprised and eager.

"Mm, sure." Cecilia replied with a smile, "I'll send you home right now..."

A faint smile hung on the corners of her lips, but after the words left her mouth—

A destructive aura that incinerated everything instantly enveloped the entire swarm.

Elder Hall went from surprise to despair in a single heartbeat. He cursed in agony:

"Cecilia! You... lunatic!!"

"You lowly demi-human! Beast! Devil!!"

Ansu listened to the roaring and cursing of Elder Hall, thinking to himself how even this line of dialogue was a carbon copy.

Elder Hall's linguistic repertoire was truly lacking...

After a long while, the alley finally fell silent.

Where Elder Hall had been standing just moments ago, only a patch of pale ash remained.

Cecilia waved her hand, and the breeze swept the ashes into the sewer, leaving not even a trace behind.

She chuckled softly, "What I meant was, I'm sending you to hell to deliver the message to them."

If you can't find the book title, try searching for the author; perhaps the name has simply been changed!