"Huh?" Freya's face flushed red, and she lowered her head uneasily. "Do you really have to see?"
"Of course." Ansu nodded as if it were only natural. "Didn't you say that you'd do anything I asked?"
Back when he played Eternal Night Sword, [Heart of Holy Radiance—Freya] had been a popular female character, largely thanks to her righteous, kind personality and adorable beast-eared-girl appearance.
Unfortunately, Freya rarely showed that side of herself, much to the players' disappointment.
Ansu certainly wasn't going to pass up this opportunity.
"But..."
Freya lowered her head even further. She really couldn't understand why the Chosen One insisted on seeing the other side of her demi-human nature.
It was a filthy bloodline, a sign of "impurity, depravity, and savage animalistic instincts"—or so the Church often said...
But in the end, she could only sigh helplessly.
"All right. If it's you, Lord Chosen One..."
"I suppose it's not impossible."
Freya raised her head ever so slightly and said cautiously, "But you must promise not to tell anyone!"
"Of course—"
Before Ansu could finish, he saw the pink hair on either side of Freya's head begin to rise.
Then, as if by magic, a pair of fluffy, adorable cat ears sprang out.
"My mother's family came from the Staya tribe in the north of the continent. They migrated to the Tallin Region over a hundred years ago..." Freya softly recounted the story of the previous generation.
"My father was a young nobleman from a fallen family. He was wandering around Elvin Village when he met my mother. He fell in love with her at first sight, and even left his family and gave up everything just to be with her..."
Ansu thought, Looks like your father was a demi-human girl enthusiast too...
He had good taste.
He smiled as he watched Freya.
The girl stood there timidly, her soft pink hair cascading down to her waist. From between the strands at the top of her head, a pair of fluffy, pointed ears gave a sensitive little twitch, as if they'd caught some nearby sound. They really were just like a real cat's ears.
He just wasn't sure where her absurd sense of smell came from. That trait should have belonged to dogs...
"Are you, are you done looking?" Freya blushed with embarrassment, wishing she could crawl into a crack in the ground. "If you are, then I'll change back!"
"I haven't shown this form in a long time, so I'm a little rusty. I'm afraid I won't be able to change back..."
"Mm." Ansu nodded.
Freya hurriedly changed back to her original appearance, and he couldn't help feeling a little disappointed...
Freya really did resent her demi-human identity.
"Freya." Ansu tried to comfort her. "I know you've always been afraid that people would discover you're a demi-human, so you've been living cautiously among humans. But I don't think you need to feel ashamed of your bloodline."
Freya raised her head and stared at Ansu in a daze.
"Honestly, isn't it adorable?" Ansu pursed his lips. "The Church really has no taste. Those old men don't know anything about beauty."
Though, that made sense. The old fogies in the Church probably preferred cute little boys...
For some reason, Ansu thought of that dark joke.
"D-Do you think it's cute?" Freya looked confused.
Ever since she was little, her mother had told her to conceal her identity to avoid unnecessary trouble. This was the first time anyone had ever described her demi-human appearance that way...
But from Ansu's expression, it seemed the Chosen One was serious...
She was utterly bewildered.
"Freya." Ansu suddenly asked her a question.
"The people in the Church always claim that only the Church can save the world from all its suffering and bring it eternal light and happiness."
"So I want to ask you: does saving the world include demi-humans?"
"Of course..." Freya replied instinctively, but soon hesitated.
"Well... according to our doctrine and the Church's scriptures, demi-humans have never been mentioned. But I think they should be included..."
Ansu smiled faintly. He said nothing, simply watching Freya in silence.
Even the Saintess had to be so cautious. The truth seemed obvious...
"The Goddess wouldn't be so narrow-minded..." Freya would never doubt the gods. "After all, She existed before humanity and all living things were born. Her holy light blesses every living being in the world..."
"The gods are the gods, and the Church is the Church." Ansu cut straight to the point. "Freya, don't confuse the two."
"Ah!" Freya's eyes widened. "You mean..."
Ansu didn't continue the subject. He'd made his point.
For one thing, what he'd said was the truth. The Church these days was nowhere near "saving all living beings"; even its own leadership was hopelessly corrupt. And for another...
He'd surely have plenty of occasions to rely on Freya in the future, and he didn't want her torn between him and the Church.
After all, he really was the genuine Chosen One. There was no need for the Church to act as a "middleman" between them...
Seeing how troubled Freya looked, Ansu didn't press the matter. He arranged a time and place to meet again, then left the little chapel.
After Ansu left, Freya remained frowning, all sorts of strange thoughts surfacing in her mind.
The things the Chosen One had said today had shaken the worldview she'd always held so firmly.
They had also planted the first seeds of doubt in her mind about the self-contradictory Church...
"I really want to join the Church..."
"The theology students have it so good! They get to see the beautiful Saintess walking around right in front of them every day..."
"Is that really why you want to join the Church? You're just pent-up!" Kevin finally got his chance to fire back. He looked at those classmates with a mocking grin. "You called me a fantasist! You're all daydreaming just as much!"
The classroom grew even noisier.
Ansu couldn't help thinking that Saintess Freya's permanent presence at the academy had certainly caused quite a stir. Of the students attending Bishop Paul's lectures, probably seven out of ten were there for Freya...
But who would have guessed that the Saintess, so pure and beautiful and so quiet, had such an unknown side to her in private...
Seeing the argument get louder and louder, Ansu pulled Kevin back.
"By the way, you have a performance on Open Day, right?"
"Yeah." Kevin nodded. "Our drama club is definitely putting on a show for the guests. Why?"
"Who from the Church will be there?" Ansu asked, watching Kevin. As the campus "know-it-all," Kevin was always an important source of information for him.
"Besides Saintess Freya and Bishop Paul, Bishop Terry and Bishop Leonard will be there too..."
Those three again...
Ansu frowned slightly, growing even more suspicious of them.
There were only four days left until Open Day. If he wanted to stop the tragedy that involved him, he had to hurry...
He would uncover the mastermind with Cecilia and take him out.
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