Bishop Visits, and... Saintess Freya?

After dealing with Elder Hall, Ansu bid farewell to Cecilia.

"My Lady Witch, if there is nothing else, I shall take my leave..."

"Go on then." Cecilia nodded slightly and added a word of caution: "Although we have dealt with that old worm, there are still many among the elders who harbor malice toward me. If you encounter anyone else from the Cult in the future, be careful."

Ansu nodded, feeling a sense of lament in his heart.

At least at this point in time, Cecilia had not yet turned dark; there was still a great deal of humanity within her...

If one were to ignore the Cecilia who had turned him into a Puppet in the [Simulation], then at the very least, she was genuinely worried about him right now.

If only she could stay this way forever...

Generous to her subordinates, providing both money and magic, and beautiful to boot—where else could one find a boss like this?

Ansu sighed inwardly. For some reason, after spending the day with Cecilia, he felt a very complex set of emotions...

If he didn't know for a fact that she had no ulterior motives, he would have thought this trashy witch had cast some kind of charm spell on him...

"Aren't you going home? Why aren't you leaving?"

Cecilia looked at Ansu, who was staring at her, and laughed teasingly. "What, can't bear to part with me?"

Ansu said nothing; he simply offered Cecilia a sincere smile.

"Regardless, thank you once again, My Lady Witch."

It was a smile devoid of any ulterior motives. At this moment, at least, Ansu was truly grateful to her.

The dim light of the streetlamp fell upon Ansu's cheek, casting a soft halo over his smile. Cecilia gazed at the young man's expression, momentarily dazed.

A moment later, she turned her head away unnaturally, breaking eye contact with him.

"If you want to go home, then hurry up and go! Why are you still standing there babbling?"

She suddenly lifted her face with a cold expression, her tone becoming incredibly menacing. "It's been so many days, have you found the Chosen One for me yet? Hmm? Don't think that just because we've gotten familiar, you can slack off on this task! Otherwise..."

"Hmph!" Cecilia sneered. "You know the consequences!"

"Uh..." Ansu's smile became increasingly awkward. "I'm looking, I'm looking..."

This trashy witch!

He really had thought too highly of her just a moment ago!

Cecilia turned away and waved her hand dismissively. "I'm... leaving! See you tomorrow!"

"See you tomorrow..."

Benalu Royal Academy, Alchemy and Chemistry Class A classroom.

During the break, Ansu was tidying up his textbooks at his desk when he suddenly heard a flurry of discussion behind him. His deskmate, Kevin, was chatting with them about something.

Ansu caught the words "Church" and "Theology," so he nudged Kevin and asked him in confusion.

"Ah, it's like this. Remember Bishop Paul, who visited us the other day? He's here to give a lecture today. I heard he's also coming for the Academy Open Day; they say there's going to be a large-scale seminar."

Of course Ansu remembered; he had been led on a wild goose chase by him last time because of that note.

"Bishop Paul... what kind of lecture is he giving?"

"All that mystical nonsense from the Theology department, of course!" Kevin had never been interested in such things. "The usual old-fashioned drivel about how God loves the world and only the pious can be saved. Nowadays, who still believes that stuff besides the poor? I heard quite a few people are going to listen, but I'm not interested in joining the crowd..."

"Where is he lecturing? When does it start?" Ansu asked again.

"In the South Campus lecture hall, probably starting next period." Kevin glanced at him, looking strange. "Why are you suddenly interested in this?"

Ansu was certainly interested, though he wasn't interested in any "Theology course," but rather in Bishop Paul himself.

He was actually going to visit on Open Day as well?

The Echo of Truth Cult, plus the Church of Holy Light—that day was going to be far too lively...

Ansu would not give up on the possibility of investigating any lead. Once the class ended, he hurried toward the South Campus.

Passing through rows of modern teaching buildings, Ansu arrived at a cluster of relatively retro, old-style buildings that resembled a Gothic cathedral.

Benalu Royal Academy had been providing excellent talent for the magitech industrial system for years, so "Magitech Engineering" and Ansu's own "Alchemy and Chemistry" were naturally regarded as their flagship majors. However, as a comprehensive and prestigious institution, the Royal Academy also had traditional departments like History, Law, Medicine... and even Theology.

The Theology department should have been very quiet, but when Ansu arrived at the lecture hall, he found that quite a few students had come to join the fun.

His gaze immediately landed on the old man on the stage who was organizing his books. The elderly man, dressed in a simple white robe with a kind face, was Bishop Paul.

As the time for Bishop Paul's lecture drew near, more and more students filled the seats in the lecture hall.

Ansu found a seat in the very back, staring at Paul while secretly pondering what kind of tricks the Church was up to.

Just then, the murmurs around him suddenly grew louder.

Ansu noticed that many people were turning their heads to look in his direction...

"Look! Look, she's finally here!"

"Is that the Saintess of the Church? She's so beautiful, so elegant! She's as holy as light itself, so beautiful..."

"Your major is just too amazing. Is it too late for me to convert to your religion now?"

Ansu was stunned for a moment.

Wait a second? Who?

He followed the gaze of the crowd and slowly looked toward...

Beside himself.

A young girl wearing a white dress with a church emblem on her chest, possessing soft pink hair and pale golden eyes like sunlight, had sat down in the empty seat next to him.

The Saint of the church, [Heart of Holy Radiance - Freya]?

Ansu's eyes widened abruptly. He stared at the girl beside him, and those pale golden eyes of hers were staring back at him as well.

Anyone gazed upon by those eyes would feel a sense of serenity and peace, as if they were truly being comforted by a deity.

"Excuse me, is this seat taken?" Freya asked in a soft, gentle voice.

"Um... no, it isn't." Ansu slowly stood up, his face showing a hint of apology. "Sorry, let me get out for a moment. I forgot to bring some textbooks."

No matter how holy and beautiful she looked, Ansu was in no mood to appreciate it right now.

After all, he had been trying to avoid this Saint, and he never expected her to coincidentally sit right next to him...

"Oh..." Freya nodded, but she remained in her seat, clearly having no intention of moving aside.

Ansu frowned, having no choice but to turn and squeeze out toward the other side.

However, Freya suddenly reached out and grabbed Ansu tightly.

Ansu looked at that fair, delicate hand that was gripping him firmly, then looked at Freya in surprise.

"Student Ansu..." Her voice was very soft, but her tone was firm. "Bishop Paul is about to begin his lecture. It wouldn't be very good for you to leave at this time..."

"You...?" Ansu said in astonishment. "How do you know me?"

"Of course I know you." Freya let out a faint sigh, her face revealing a deep sense of exhaustion.

"Ansu, these past few days, I have been searching for you so hard..."