[Reality]
[Light Calendar, April 17, 625, 18:05]
[Comment: Congratulations! You've unlocked a brand-new title—"King of Modification"!]
[You actually learned to exploit a system loophole? Your spirit of exploration and experimentation is commendable, Host. You spent a long time in this simulation and gathered a great deal of information...]
[Score: B]
[Reward: 60 points]
[Remaining points: 60]
[Skill unlocked: Magic Immunity Lv. 2]
[You may select one of your opponent's magic skills. Once selected, you will be permanently immune to that magic effect.]
[Note: You may change your selection at any time. Selecting another magic skill will clear the previous immunity—in other words, you can only be immune to one magic skill at a time.]
When the familiar system notification appeared, Ansu's mind reeled.
He gently pressed a hand to his forehead and took a while to recover.
"Lord Ansu..." Freya gazed at him with concern. "What's wrong? Does your head hurt?"
Ansu studied Freya, who was still alive before him. He stared for so long that she began to feel uncomfortable.
"Lord Ansu, why are you looking at me like that?" Freya asked, puzzled. She touched her cheek, thinking there might be something on it.
"Nothing." Ansu shook his head.
"I was just distracted. Go on..."
Returning from the simulation left him with a strange, dreamlike feeling. Only after seeing Freya before him and the little church around them did he realize that the simulation was over and he was back in reality.
He couldn't help it. That crazed, terrifying Cecilia had left an "indelible impression" on him, and it had taken him a long time to come back to himself...
"Mm." Once Freya was sure he was really all right, she nodded and continued, "Lord Ansu, you don't need to worry anymore. As long as you come back to the Church with me, those three powerful bishops will protect you. No one will be able to hurt you! You can rest easy!"
She finished with a confident smile, waiting expectantly for Ansu's answer.
Looking at the little Saintess's confident smile, Ansu felt a pang of unease.
Rest easy? As if I could!
He'd seen Bishop Paul's battered corpse on that rocky shore. For all he knew, the other two had died there as well...
You think being "three against one" gives you the advantage...
Ansu couldn't imagine how terrifying Cecilia would be if pushed to unleash her full strength. The Church's three bishops and Saintess Freya together wouldn't be enough to stop her—and that didn't even count the other clergy...
What's more, Cecilia hadn't yet encountered her "turning point." After she went dark, she'd become the complete [Witch of World Destruction].
Truly terrifying...
"I think..." Ansu cut Freya's fantasy short. "We should leave it. I won't go back with you."
"Why?" Freya asked, looking at him with disappointment. "Don't you trust me, Lord Ansu? Don't you trust the Church of Holy Light?"
"I do, but this isn't as simple as you think." Ansu looked at Freya, whose head had been "put back in place." "Besides, I'm doing this for your sake."
The lively little Saintess is so adorable. If I go back with you, you'll never be able to "get your head around it" again...
"Oh..." Freya sighed and lowered her head. "All right. If that's your decision, Lord Ansu, then you must have thought it through carefully..."
Ansu gathered his thoughts. Joining forces with the Church had only been an attempt, but the information he'd obtained in the simulation made him realize that investigating through the Church might lead to unexpected discoveries.
"Of the three bishops you mentioned, are Bishop Paul and Bishop Terry on very bad terms?"
Freya blinked in surprise. "Lord Ansu, how did you know..."
"Please add this book to your bookshelf so you don't lose track of it!"
"Don't ask too many questions." Ansu smiled mysteriously. "Don't underestimate me. I have my own intelligence network."
Freya didn't give it another thought.
She nodded blankly. After all, it wasn't beyond her imagination that the Chosen One might have an intelligence network of his own...
"Bishop Paul and Bishop Terry really are on very bad terms." Freya furrowed her delicate brows as she recalled. "Bishop Paul is very open-minded. He doesn't want the Church to keep following outdated rules from hundreds or even thousands of years ago. He wants it to be more open and help more people..."
"Bishop Terry, on the other hand, is very conservative. He believes the doctrine cannot be changed, and he has many followers. Their ideas are completely opposed."
"They even disagree about the Chosen One. Since Bishop Terry is a little hostile toward me, he doesn't believe the 'divine revelation' is real."
"After arriving in Benalu City, he complained impatiently several times that there was no such thing as a Chosen One. The Church had a few show up at its door every two years. If they were all real, the Church would have united the whole world by now..."
"Oh, is that so..." Ansu caught a hint of something amiss in Freya's words.
This Bishop Terry clearly didn't care about the Chosen One, and didn't believe the cultists would cause trouble or hold some kind of sacrificial ritual. Yet he'd tried to get me to tell him something?
That didn't quite add up.
It meant he only pretended not to care. Deep down, he was still very concerned about the Echo of Truth Cult.
I'd believe it if someone told me he was a spy the cult had planted in the Church...
After talking a little more about the Church's internal affairs, Ansu checked the time.
"Here's what we'll do, Freya. Go back to the Church first. If I need anything, I'll find a way to contact you."
Freya gave a quiet hum. She hadn't managed to bring the Chosen One back, but finding him today was already a remarkable success.
"One more thing." Ansu's expression turned serious. "Did you remember what I told you earlier?"
"I did!" Freya's little face instantly grew solemn as she answered. "I won't reveal your identity to anyone, and I'll keep my distance from you. Don't worry!"
Ansu nodded. Next, he had to go to Cecilia's house...
To be honest, after everything that had happened, the thought of seeing Cecilia again made him nervous...
But he had no choice.
Luckily, this time's reward gave him some confidence.
[Magic Immunity Lv. 2]
The upgraded skill was a complete game changer. Ansu wouldn't have to worry about the Scum Witch suddenly getting worked up and testing him with [Hypnosis] anymore.
If he selected her [Hypnosis Technique], he'd be free to put on as convincing an act as he liked.
And the skill had plenty of other uses. It would be very helpful against other magic users, too.
After saying goodbye to Freya, the little Saintess reluctantly watched Ansu leave the church.
Ansu pretended nothing had happened and left the Royal Academy with the students who had just finished classes.
He took a carriage to Cecilia's mansion in the Riverside District. The expressionless head maid escorted him inside.
After gently knocking on Cecilia's door, he found that she wasn't surprised he'd come.
"Not bad. You're right on time~"
Cecilia opened the door almost immediately. Her tone was as usual, but the sparkle in her eyes gave away how she really felt. She was clearly happy Ansu had come.
"Come on in!"
She cheerfully led Ansu into the room. "If there are any magic books you want to read, just find them yourself. Oh, right—I've been working on something new today. You have to see it! It's really interesting!"
Looking at the excited, spirited Cecilia, Ansu sighed inwardly.
Which side of her was the real one—the angel or the demon?
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