Vera's Death, and the Truth?

Ansu stared at the corpse of Vera, an indescribable rage sweeping through his entire body.

He clenched his fists, trying to force his body to stop trembling.

Calm down, stay calm...

This is merely a simulation; the tragedy has not yet occurred...

I still have a chance to change it.

With a grim face, Ansu gently picked up his sister and laid her on a cleaner bench nearby.

He pulled out his notebook; he needed to know what had transpired over these past ten hours.

Just like last time, the text in the diary was twisted and bizarre, looking like fake AI-generated gibberish that was completely illegible.

But as Ansu flipped through the entries, he vaguely recalled the events associated with each record.

"Kept watch with Freya until the second half of the night; Bishop Terry still made no moves."

"Communicated with Cecilia; she also found nothing unusual, so we could only wait for the Academy Open Day the next day."

"Returned home; because I didn't sleep all night, I was physically and mentally exhausted. Vera was very worried, but I couldn't explain it to her. I have to catch some sleep; I have to leave for school in two hours."

Recalling this, Ansu sighed inwardly. Vera had come to the school to visit him during the Open Day precisely because she was worried about him.

He lowered his head, gazing at the floral dress Vera was wearing. This dress had been bought for her by their foster father, and it was the most expensive item in her wardrobe.

Perhaps she didn't want her classmates at school to look down on her, so Vera had dressed up specifically, even wearing cute little accessories on the hair tie for her ponytail...

Ansu stroked his sister's pale blonde hair, a frigid killing intent rising in his eyes.

He would not let the mastermind behind this go; he would overturn everything.

He continued to flip through the subsequent records, and new memories flashed back into his mind one after another.

"After dawn, I forced myself to go to school. Kevin was preparing a program in the auditorium. He told me that several archbishops from The Church, as well as some socialites, would be attending to watch."

"It's almost nine o'clock; there are more and more people at the school."

"The program is about to begin. I saw the 'noble' Cecilia among the guests. Her expression was a bit strange; she seemed to have something she wanted to tell me."

"But then, a sudden change occurred."

What happened next was indeed within Ansu's expectations; this was a trap set by The Church.

"The armed forces of The Church suddenly took control of the academy, claiming that cultists were hiding among us, and that no one was allowed to leave until they had been screened."

"The scene was in total chaos."

"Aside from Cecilia, there were indeed cultists lurking in the auditorium. A great battle broke out between the two sides, affecting many innocent people. Kevin died a miserable death."

"I haven't finished my investigation yet; I cannot die here!"

The diary ended there, and in Ansu's mind, a vague image surfaced of himself escaping the battle between the two sides by the skin of his teeth.

It seemed this was the reason he had appeared on this tree-lined path, though his original intention had been to flee outward rather than head toward the auditorium.

Ansu put away his notebook and hurried toward the auditorium; he had to go back regardless of the cost.

By now, the battle had already been decided. Around the auditorium, many cultists wearing silver masks were cleaning up the aftermath, executing the surviving clergy members one by one.

A cultist not far from the entrance grabbed a priest from The Church by the hair, ignored his pleas and struggles, and swiftly slit his throat with a sharp dagger, spraying bright red blood everywhere.

When he saw Ansu walking toward him, the gaze beneath the mask turned instantly vigilant. Moments later, four cultists appeared around Ansu as if teleporting, surrounding him.

"Friendly fire, we're on the same side!"

Ansu hurriedly raised a French military salute, his gaze passing over these cultists to land on Cecilia.

Cecilia's noble dress was covered in blood. She was currently supporting a middle-aged woman, and many cultists were clustered around them.

That middle-aged woman was Cecilia's mentor, Elder Samantha. Although she didn't look very old, she had actually lived for three hundred years.

"Ansu?" Cecilia noticed Ansu outside the door, her expression one of surprise.

After handing her mentor over to other cultists, she arrived in front of Ansu in an instant.

Elder Samantha watched Cecilia's movements, curiously sizing up the student-like youth.

"Lady Witch, what happened just now?"

Cecilia ordered the cultists surrounding Ansu to stand down, then grabbed him and started walking outside. "Didn't I tell you to leave? Why did you come back? It's dangerous here right now!"

Ansu certainly knew it was dangerous, but he had come for the sake of his investigation. "My apologies, Lady Witch!"

"I need to know what exactly happened here, and how Elder Samantha suddenly arrived. Only then can I analyze who the mastermind is."

"Why are you so stubborn?" Cecilia glared at Ansu. "The event has already occurred; even if you find him, what can you do? With the colleagues from The Order and my mentor here, you don't need to worry about this. The most important thing now is to escape; reinforcements from The Church are on their way..."

Cecilia gripped Ansu's hand tightly, trying to blend him in with the students outside. "Hurry back while The Church hasn't noticed you! I'll contact you once the heat dies down."

But Ansu's next sentence made Cecilia stop in her tracks.

"Vera is dead."

"What?" Cecilia froze for a moment, then realized that Vera was Ansu's foster sister.

She knew the two siblings were very close, and she could read the suppressed rage on Ansu's face.

It seemed that no matter what happened, nothing could stop him from continuing his investigation...

"Your Excellency Witch, please tell me!"

"Fine..." Cecilia could only let out a sigh, quickly recounting everything that had happened that morning to Ansu.

Elder Samantha had come over today because someone had told her that the Chosen One had been found, which was why she had stopped her cultivation and immediately set off for the Royal Academy.

But she hadn't expected that after she arrived, the encirclement by the Church of Holy Light would follow in quick succession.

Ansu knew that Samantha valued the matter of the Chosen One above all else, as that 'prophecy' had always been a thorn in her side; Samantha believed that the faction of the Chosen One would cause The Order to perish in the future and would completely destroy their grand cause of restoration.

It had to be said that, judging from the original plot, Elder Samantha was indeed correct.

But just as the 'Demon King' could never manage to kill the 'Hero', all of her efforts were destined to be in vain.

"There is a mole within The Order, and this mole lured Elder Samantha here in this way so that the Church of Holy Light would kill her." Ansu quickly saw through the entire conspiracy.

"That is what I think as well." Cecilia narrowed her eyes. "It seems most likely that it was someone from the Reformist Faction, but I still haven't found out which guy is the confidant who notified my teacher..."

Just as the two were whispering to each other, the others in The Order were observing them with surprise.

Since when had this Witch ever been so good to her subordinates? She was even insisting on taking him away without explanation, as if she were afraid he might encounter even the slightest danger...

Samantha's expression was even more surprised; after all, she had always been familiar with Cecilia, and with Cecilia's personality, she didn't seem like the type to care about others...

Consequently, Samantha took a few extra looks at Ansu.

"Who is he?"

A cultist nearby immediately replied, "He is the student chosen by Lady Cecilia, responsible for being the eyes and ears investigating the Chosen One at the academy."

"Oh?"

Elder Samantha gazed at Ansu's figure, lost in thought. "Have him come over here."