Hope to Get More...

Cecilia knew that Ansu admired and looked up to her.

He had already confessed all those little thoughts without reservation under the effects of Hypnosis. There was no doubt about that.

He liked her appearance, admired her strength, and approved of her ambition...

But...

Cecilia also knew that none of those things had anything to do with "love."

Of course, the reason she thought that way definitely wasn't because she'd fallen for Ansu... She would never fall for the person standing before her!

Something as absurd as love would never happen to Cecilia, the Ash Witch.

She just...

Cecilia gazed at Ansu's vacant stare, and her thoughts suddenly became a muddle. She didn't even know why she'd suddenly become so sentimental.

Perhaps it was because she was greedy. She, too, hoped she could get more...

At last, under Cecilia's slightly expectant gaze, Ansu slowly spoke.

"My heart holds only the image of Miss Witch. I will never betray you."

"I know, but..." Cecilia wasn't satisfied with Ansu's answer this time.

But for the Ansu standing before her, thinking that way seemed only natural.

A forcibly implanted suggestion, a "brand" like this, did indeed seem to have nothing to do with "love"...

Cecilia let out a soft sigh, and the blood-red eyes that resembled whirlpools slowly faded.

Forget it...

Even so, wasn't having someone who would remain forever loyal to her a good thing?

What was she even hoping for?

Ansu's expression gradually returned to normal. He looked at Cecilia and blinked, somewhat confused.

"Lady Witch?"

"Nothing..." Cecilia avoided his gaze, turning her face aside as she said impatiently:

"What were you going to say earlier?"

"Oh, I wanted to borrow some of your magical texts, Lady Witch. Ideally, you'd let me take them home to read."

"Do whatever you want." Cecilia turned and walked toward her alchemy table, seemingly no longer interested in continuing the conversation.

As Ansu watched Cecilia immerse herself in her magical research, with no interest in paying him any mind, he felt increasingly strange.

He'd heard the question she'd asked just now, of course.

Do you really have no other feelings at all?

What did she mean by that? Had she fallen for him? Why else would she suddenly ask something like that?

But after thinking it over again and again, Ansu still tried to dismiss the absurd notion. How could the Scum Witch possibly have genuine feelings for him? She was probably teasing him—or her possessiveness had flared up again...

That was why he'd given a proper, moderate answer. At least "loyalty" was beyond reproach.

To be honest, when he returned to reality and faced Cecilia again, Ansu felt conflicted.

On the one hand, she really had come to the Church to save him, even risking half her life...

She hadn't broken her promise. She wouldn't abandon him, even when faced with a powerful enemy like the Church. As a "leader," Cecilia was more than good enough.

But on the other hand, the consequences of touching Cecilia's taboo about "betrayal" were severe.

Only excessive concern could give rise to such intense hatred... This left Ansu feeling powerless, as if his fate had been choked off at the throat. Cecilia's possessiveness made it hard for him to breathe...

Sigh, forget it. No point thinking about it...

Resolving Fated Death was his main task.

Ansu slowly made his way to the rows of wooden bookshelves and patiently searched through the magical texts.

Cecilia's home was like a treasure trove. Ansu made a big circuit of the place and collected a great many dusty skill icons. He couldn't use them for now, but it still gave him the thrill of browsing a mall and adding things to his cart.

But despite the sheer number of magical skills, Ansu noticed a problem: the skills he could collect were all low-level spells of Third Circle or below.

This was probably related to the worldbuilding of Eternal Night Sword. The current Third Era was known as the "Human Era," but it was also an age of magical decline, the end of an era.

After the world-shattering war a thousand years ago, the entire system of magic seemed to have been "cursed." The higher a spell above the Third Circle, the more dangerous it became. Spellcasters often suffered from uncontrollable Corruption and backlash. Some even heard Clamorous Whispers that never stopped in their ears, until they suffered a mental breakdown and went down the path of self-destruction.

Nowadays, the Empire officially classified more dangerous spells as "black magic" or "forbidden magic." The spells that could legally be used had nearly regressed to little more than parlor tricks.

Cecilia, however, was an exception. In the story, she was rarely shown going mad from Corruption.

This was related to her demon bloodline. Demons were born with exceptional magical talent, and a thousand years ago they were considered a noble race born for magic.

Looks like I'll need some other kind of opportunity if I want to learn more profound and powerful magic. Ansu wasn't in a hurry. After all, he was a Chosen One with an "aura" around him.

With that day drawing ever nearer, he needed magic that could give him a significant boost in a short time and had broader applications.

Ansu's gaze slowly settled on two of the skills.

[Shadow Bolt (First-Circle Spell)]

[Shadow Stealth (First-Circle Spell)]

Both shadow spells required a proficiency of over 300. No wonder they were so powerful—the progress bar was ridiculously long. He had no idea how many days it would take to learn them...

He'd better master them before the Open Day. At least then he'd have a little ability to protect himself.

For the next three days, Ansu showed up in class with dark circles under his eyes.

His "study maniac" look once again became the subject of his classmates' chatter. Kevin stared in amazement as Ansu sat down. "No way. We don't even have many classes lately, and exams are still a long way off. How'd you get so exhausted?"

"Studying. What else would I be doing?" Ansu replied helplessly. First-Circle spells were on a whole different level from zero-circle spells. He felt that if he kept studying like this, he'd start hearing Clamorous Whispers before he even mastered one.

"I'm impressed, I'm impressed..." Kevin knew he was a good-for-nothing wastrel, but he still genuinely admired people like Ansu who worked hard at their studies.

"Oh, right. That Saintess from the Church seems to be hanging around our school and refusing to leave?" Kevin looked suspicious.

"It's strange. Every time Bishop Paul comes to give a lecture, she comes along. Do you think... she's here for me?"

The students around them immediately burst out laughing. Kevin's comment sounded a little delusional.

"Hahaha! You're imagining things again, you goblin! Why would a beautiful, noble Saintess be here for you?"

"Hey! Stop dreaming and wake up!"

"Who's got a lot of piss? Hurry up and wake him up!"

"No!" Kevin glared at them. "How am I a goblin? Even if I were one, I'd be a rich goblin prince! Besides..."

Kevin couldn't take the laughter anymore. He turned and lowered his voice, speaking to Ansu in a conspiratorial tone:

"I feel like that Saintess has walked past our classroom several times. She kept looking around like she was searching for someone..."

"Could it be because of that note?"

"Oh no, oh no. She must be here for me now..."

Ansu silently watched Kevin looking both nervous and expectant, thinking he was reading too much into it.

As Kevin whispered, Ansu unconsciously glanced outside. For the past few days, he really had felt as if someone were "watching him in secret"...

The eerie feeling of being monitored made him completely uneasy. It reminded him of when Mary was secretly observing him back in S1...

No, this was even worse than that.

Ansu scanned the area, his gaze slowly moving from the classroom's front and back doors to the garden outside the window.

Freya's figure hurriedly ducked behind a bush...

Ansu was speechless.

Seriously... Is this how you're keeping your distance from me?