Saintess? More Like a Stalker!

When the bell rang, Bishop Paul finally began his lecture at the podium at the bottom of the tiered classroom.

He was still going on about the same old Church doctrines, things like the creation of the world, faith, and salvation...

But to everyone's surprise, the elderly bishop was witty and humorous, and many of his modern ideas were so novel that they managed to pique the students' interest.

The many gazes that had been fixed on Ansu gradually shifted away, drawn instead to Bishop Paul.

Still, even though Bishop Paul was giving a pretty good lecture, Ansu couldn't listen to a single word. He spent the entire class sitting on pins and needles...

The reason, of course, was Freya, seated beside him and sneaking glances at him whenever she got the chance.

She had obviously come with bad intentions!

Since she had called him by name, she must have come because of that note...

Ansu quietly turned his head to study Freya.

She looked somewhat haggard, her whole body radiating a weary exhaustion. Perhaps she had been secretly investigating for days and nights without sleep, all just to find him...

"Um..." Ansu decided to get straight to the point. "Saintess, may I ask what you want with me?"

Freya's pale golden eyes slowly turned toward him. She stared at Ansu without blinking.

There wasn't a trace of hostility in her gaze. Instead, she seemed curious, as if she were observing him. It was as though she had been sizing him up ever since they first met...

Strange.

Was this how someone was supposed to react after being threatened?

"If you're asking about what happened that day..."

Ansu didn't mention the "note" outright, but continued cautiously, "Then I can explain."

"All right." Freya nodded gently. "Come with me after class."

"No outsiders," Ansu said, glancing around.

His biggest concern was Cecilia, of course. If she caught him "meeting in secret" with the Saintess, he'd be done for!

"Of course there won't be any outsiders," Freya said softly. "This is between you and me."

At last, class ended...

The tiered classroom erupted in chatter, and Ansu immediately looked toward Freya.

Freya nodded. "There's a church on campus, too. Come with me."

The two stood up at the same time, and many students turned to look at them in unison.

"Miss Freya." Ansu looked down at her hand, which was gripping his tightly. "I know where the church is. You can let go of me..."

"I'll take you there," Freya said earnestly.

Ansu stared at her speechlessly. "Have you forgotten that I'm the student here?"

"But..." Freya hesitated, looking as though she were afraid Ansu would run off the moment she let go.

As the two stood there in a standoff, even more students gathered to watch.

As the Saintess of the Church, Freya was popular, especially given her youthful, beautiful appearance. Everything she did drew plenty of attention.

Seeing her holding a boy's hand naturally sparked wave after wave of gossip, fanning the flames of curiosity in an instant...

Even Bishop Paul at the podium looked a little surprised. He glanced at Freya's flustered expression, then fixed his gaze on Ansu, studying him curiously.

"I definitely won't run away, I promise!" Ansu glanced around and lowered his voice. "Everyone's watching. Let go of me first!"

"Mm... all right." Freya's cheeks turned red. She lowered her head, her voice barely louder than a mosquito's buzz.

Benalu Royal Academy covered a vast area, almost the size of a small city.

Ansu walked ahead, with Freya close behind him. Twenty minutes later, they finally arrived at a small church in a secluded corner of the academy.

Freya pulled out a set of keys and unlocked the door. The little church was empty.

"The church staff have already left. No one knows we're coming here." Freya gently closed the door. "Don't worry. We're safe here."

"Just say what you have to say!" Ansu didn't want to keep playing guessing games with her. "If this is about the note, I can tell you plainly that I wasn't behind it..."

He planned to stick to the same story he'd told Kevin.

But, to his surprise...

"I don't care about the note at all..."

Freya's pale golden eyes were fixed on Ansu. Her usually peaceful, serene face had grown unusually animated as she moved closer and grabbed his hands.

"Are you the Chosen One I'm destined to meet!?"

"Huh?" Ansu froze for a moment.

Then a storm of shock erupted in his heart.

How did she know he was the Chosen One? She hadn't even met him before, had she?

"I'm not. What Chosen One? You've got the wrong person." Ansu naturally denied it at once.

As if. If this identity got out, not only would he be saddled with endless trouble, but he'd also end up at the top of the Echo of Truth's assassination list. Even several rounds of simulations wouldn't be enough to keep him alive...

"No! You are!"

Freya didn't sound as though she were asking Ansu. She sounded as though she were confirming something she already knew.

She moved closer, gradually backing Ansu into a corner.

Then...

Freya gave a delicate sniff and actually started smelling his neck.

"Um... Saintess, what are you doing?"

Ansu stared in shock as Freya leaned against him, sniffing him over and over.

This was such a departure from a Saintess's image. Anyone who didn't know better would think she was some kind of stalker...

"Y-yes, yes! This scent... this is the one!"

"I found you! I finally found you!!" Freya looked up, eyes shining with excitement. "You are my Chosen One! You're the one from the prophecy, the person who will change the world!"

Ansu's face was full of question marks. Who on earth found the Chosen One by smelling them?

"Saintess, I'm starting to worry about your mental state. I think I'll head back..."

Ansu pushed her away speechlessly, but Freya immediately came right back, as if she couldn't be shaken off.

"Chosen One, why won't you admit it?" Freya blinked, puzzled. "Is there something holding you back? Don't worry. If you're facing some difficulty... I'll solve it for you!"

"Wait!" Ansu knew she wouldn't give up unless he said something, so he continued:

"Before we even get to whether I'm the Chosen One you're talking about, tell me why you think I am. I came here today thinking you wanted to talk about the note..."

"Of course I know. You were in my dream." Freya gently closed her eyes and placed a hand over her chest.

Ansu glanced down at Freya's chest. Her casual gesture made those impressively ample, rounded peaks tremble slightly.

He had to admit, a generous bust, a great figure, and a gentle personality were practically standard features for a saintly heroine...

"In your dream?"

"Yes!" Freya closed her eyes, her expression devout. "I've been able to hear divine revelations since I was very young. The gods would give me signs in my dreams, and that was how I was brought to the royal capital and became the Saintess in the hearts of countless believers..."

She opened her eyes and looked at Ansu again. "After I happened to come here from the royal capital, the gods' revelations became more and more frequent, and clearer, too. I seemed to... faintly see a face..."

Ansu frowned. The Saintess's "visions in her dreams" had appeared in the original story, too, but not until three years later, when the game officially began.

The "Chosen One" she dreamed of was naturally the player. But things were different now, because he was the player...

So the person she dreamed about had to be me!