Hoping to Obtain More...

Cecilia knew of Ansu's reverence and admiration for her.

These innermost thoughts had been laid bare under the influence of Hypnosis, leaving no room for falsehood.

He loved her appearance, admired her strength, and acknowledged her ambition...

But...

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

Of course, the fact that she was thinking this way certainly didn't mean she had fallen for Ansu... She would never fall for the person standing right in front of her!

Love, such an absurd thing, would never manifest in the Ash Witch Cecilia.

She was just...

Cecilia looked at the vacant-eyed Ansu, her mind suddenly becoming a jumble. She didn't even know why she had suddenly become so sentimental.

Perhaps it was greed; she was also looking forward to obtaining more...

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

"In my heart, there is only the figure of the Witch, and I will never betray the Witch."

"I know, but..." This time, Cecilia was not satisfied with Ansu's answer.

Yet, to the Ansu before her, this seemed like the only logical conclusion.

A forcibly imposed psychological suggestion—such a "brand"—truly seemed to have nothing to do with "love"...

Cecilia let out a faint sigh, and the whirlpool-like blood-red pupils slowly faded.

Forget it...

Even so, wasn't it good enough to have someone who would be loyal to her forever?

What exactly was she hoping for?

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

"My Lady Witch?"

"It's nothing..." Cecilia did not meet his gaze. She turned her face away and said impatiently:

"What was it you wanted to say earlier?"

"Oh, I wanted to borrow some of your magic tomes, My Lady Witch. It would be best if I could take them home to read."

"Do as you please." Cecilia turned and walked toward her alchemy station, seemingly having lost the desire to continue the conversation.

Watching Cecilia, who had returned to her immersion in magical research and had no intention of paying him any more mind, Ansu felt increasingly strange.

He had, of course, heard the question she asked just a moment ago.

'Is there really nothing else on your mind?'

What did that mean? Had she developed feelings for him? Otherwise, why would she ask such a thing out of the blue?

But after pondering it repeatedly, Ansu tried his best to dismiss this absurd notion. How could the Scum Witch possibly have genuine feelings? She was likely either teasing him or her possessiveness had flared up again...

That was why he had given a correct, moderate answer; at the very least, "loyalty" was beyond reproach.

To be honest, returning to reality and facing Cecilia again, Ansu's feelings were quite complex.

On one hand, she had indeed stormed The Church to save him, even risking half her life in the process...

She had not broken her word; she would not abandon him because of a formidable enemy like The Church. As a "boss," Cecilia was more than qualified.

But on the other hand, the consequences of touching Cecilia's reverse scale regarding "betrayal" were equally severe.

Only excessive care could produce extreme hatred... This left Ansu with a sense of powerlessness, as if his fate were being throttled. Cecilia's possessiveness made him unable to breathe...

Sigh, forget it, don't think about it...

Solving the Fated Death was his primary mission.

If you like this book, remember to add it to your bookshelf so you don't lose it next time.

Ansu walked slowly toward the rows of wooden bookshelves, patiently searching through the magic tomes.

Cecilia's home was like a treasure vault. Ansu wandered around for a long time, collecting many grayed-out skill icons. Although he couldn't use them yet, he felt the same excitement as browsing a store and adding items to a shopping cart.

However, despite the abundance of magical skills, Ansu discovered a problem: the skills he could collect were all low-tier magic of the 3rd Circle or below.

This likely had to do with the worldview of the Eternal Night Sword. The current Third Era was known as the Human Era, but it was also a decadent age of declining magic.

After the cataclysmic war a thousand years ago, the entire magical system seemed to be "cursed." The higher the level of magic above the 3rd Circle, the more dangerous it became. Spellcasters often suffered from unstoppable corruption and backlash. Worse still, some would hear the never-ending Clamorous Whispers in their ears, leading to mental collapse and self-destruction.

Nowadays, the official authorities of The Empire had classified dangerous magic as "black magic" or "forbidden magic." The magic legally permitted for use had regressed to the point of being little more than parlor tricks.

But Cecilia was an exception. In the story, one rarely saw Cecilia go mad from corruption.

This was related to her demon lineage. The demon race was born with powerful magical talent; a thousand years ago, they were considered a noble race born for magic.

'It seems that if I want to learn more profound and powerful magic, I will need other opportunities.' Ansu was not in a hurry; after all, he was the Chosen One blessed with an "aura."

Given that that day was drawing ever closer, he needed magic that could provide him with a massive boost in a short time and possessed greater versatility.

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

[Shadow Bolt (1st-circle magic)]

[Shadow Stealth (1st-circle magic)]

Both of these shadow spells required a proficiency of over 300. As expected, the power level had increased; the long progress bars left Ansu clicking his tongue in dismay. He had no idea how many days it would take to finish learning them...

It would be best to finish before the open house, so that at least he would have some ability to protect himself.

Over the next three days, Ansu arrived at the classroom sporting heavy dark circles under his eyes.

His appearance as a "grind-master" once again sparked discussion among his classmates. Kevin looked at Ansu, who had just sat down, with a face full of surprise. "No way, the coursework hasn't been heavy lately, right? The exams are still far off, so why are you so exhausted?"

"Studying, what else..." Ansu said helplessly. The difficulty of 1st-circle magic was not on the same level as 0-circle magic. He felt that if he kept studying like this, he might start hearing Clamorous Whispers even from 1st-circle spells...

"I admire you, I really do..." Although Kevin knew he was a good-for-nothing spendthrift, he still admired people like Ansu who studied hard from the bottom of his heart.

"Oh, right, that Saintess from The Church, she seems to be lingering at our school and won't leave?" Kevin wore a suspicious expression.

"It's really strange. Every time Bishop Paul comes to lecture, she follows him. Do you think she... is coming for me?"

The surrounding classmates burst into laughter. Kevin's remark was bordering on delusional.

"Hahaha, you goblin, you're starting to fantasize again! How could the beautiful and noble Saintess possibly be coming for you?"

"Hey! Stop dreaming, wake up!"

"Who has a full bladder? Hurry up and splash him awake!"

"It's not like that!" Kevin glared at the others. "Why am I a goblin? Even if I am a goblin, I'm a wealthy goblin prince! Besides..."

Kevin really couldn't stand the mockery, so he turned back, lowered his head, and whispered mysteriously to Ansu:

"I feel like that Saintess has passed by our classroom several times. The way her eyes keep scanning around, it's like she's looking for someone..."

"It couldn't be because of that note incident, could it!"

"It's over, it's over. She must be coming for me this time..."

Ansu silently watched Kevin's nervous yet expectant expression, thinking to himself that he was really overthinking things.

While Kevin was whispering, Ansu subconsciously glanced outside. For the past few days, he had indeed felt like he was being "watched from the shadows"...

This eerie sense of surveillance made him feel completely uneasy, reminiscent of the time he was being secretly observed by Mary in S1...

No, it was even more intense than that time.

Ansu's gaze swept around the room, moving slowly from the front and back doors of the classroom to the garden outside the window.

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

Ansu was speechless, his forehead covered in black lines.

No... is this how you keep your distance from me?