So Cute!

"You... what did you just say?"

Cecilia thought she had misheard. "You just said I was..."

"So cute." Ansu replied with a vacant gaze, yet with complete sincerity.

The atmosphere turned eerily quiet.

Cecilia stared silently at the hypnotized Ansu for a long while.

In truth, no matter what he said—even if it were something offensive—it would have been within her expectations.

But a simple "so cute" had completely caught her off guard...

Was there something wrong with his aesthetic sense?

Was there really such a freak?

"C-cute?" Cecilia looked at him, feeling somewhat awkward yet amused. "I am an evil witch wanted by the entire world. Beyond that, I am also a..."

Her dark red pupils flickered slightly as she raised her hand, gazing at the features she considered symbols of an "ominous lineage."

"Demi-human."

"To use the terminology here, I carry a sinful bloodline. I am a descendant of the Demon Race that nearly brought about the extinction of humanity..."

If other races were disparagingly called "demi-humans" by mankind, then descendants of the Demon Race were the most hated and loathed of all demi-humans.

Cecilia stared at her "demon claws." The fine, pitch-black patterns were so ugly, and the black aura they emitted was repulsive. When she was young, she didn't know how many times she had wanted to hack off her demonic features...

She grew up in the human world and had known about that history from a thousand years ago since she was very small.

It was a war of races and civilizations, a catastrophe. Almost every power on the continent had been destroyed by the Demon Army, leaving the entire world in ruins.

But everything is relative; that war was also a massive reshuffling. The surviving humans rebuilt from the ruins and rose rapidly, expanding to every corner of the world...

Therefore, the hatred for the Demon Race had been rooted in human society for a thousand years, right up to the present...

She just hadn't expected it.

Among humans, there would actually be someone who liked her looking like this?

"Do you really think, uh..." Cecilia embarrassedly changed her wording, "think I am beautiful?"

"Yes." Ansu replied.

Cecilia felt a bit helpless as she watched the motionless Ansu on the chair.

The spell she had cast was a profound magic inherited from the ancient era; any human under her hypnosis could not speak a lie.

This was beyond doubt.

So... this was the first time in her life she had heard someone praise her with genuine sincerity.

This feeling was a bit strange...

But she didn't hate it.

Ansu stared blankly at the conflicted Cecilia before him.

He could understand her current reaction; because of her appearance, she had suffered discrimination since she was a child.

But this discrimination was primarily based on a certain social atmosphere; it didn't mean she was actually "ugly."

Anyone with eyes wouldn't think [World-Ending Witch - Cecilia] was unattractive. At the very least, among players, she wasn't just not ugly—she was in the top tier of beauty.

Back then, who knew how many players controlled by their "lower heads" had clamored to defect to her side, though it was a pity there was no romance route for her in the game...

What's more...

She had white hair and red eyes!

If she changed back, Ansu would actually feel it was a pity. This was exactly what he wanted, alright!

Wait... no!

I am not a man controlled by his lower head.

Ansu hurriedly cast aside those stray thoughts, silently chanting in his heart, "I am not a monster-girl lover," "I am not a white-hair lover"...

He must not be deceived by this wicked woman's appearance. He had to remember his mission and remain firm!!

"Sigh... forget it."

After an unknown amount of time, Cecilia finally stopped struggling, and a sharp glint returned to her eyes.

"Remember! You are not allowed to praise me like that ever again!"

She snorted coldly, leaned in close to Ansu, and said in a threatening tone, "I still need you to do things for me. Be serious, do you understand?"

Ansu replied stiffly, "Yes."

Cecilia nodded with satisfaction. "Very good."

He was nothing more than a "tool."

She, Cecilia, was not someone who could be moved so easily.

Do you think a few compliments will make me happy? Hah, no one will ever enter my heart!

"So, next..."

Cecilia curled her lips, "To ensure your loyalty, I am going to implant a thought into you."

Her words sent a jolt of alarm through Ansu.

Implant a thought? Is this another brainwashing routine to turn me into a puppet?

Although Ansu was protected by Magic Immunity, he couldn't help but feel nervous, because according to the skill description, he could only immunize against one spell...

Based on his gaming experience, Hypnosis and Brainwashing were definitely not the same set of magical skills!

Ansu watched Cecilia's every move with vigilance.

But next, Cecilia did not cast the magic circle on the ground; instead, that foul, forbidden magical aura gradually dissipated.

"This is a psychological suggestion. You must remember every word I say next..."

Cecilia smiled as she gazed into Ansu's vacant eyes.

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

"You are now my possession. You are a thing that belongs to me."

"You shall never betray me!"

In the dim storage room, the atmosphere fell silent once again.

So that's the kind of "implanted thought" this is...

Ansu understood a little. By using Hypnosis to brand this belief deep within his heart, it was something dark mages had done in the game as well.

However, this method was far more difficult than brainwashing. Human thoughts are extremely complex, and a hypnotized person could wake up at any moment, so it required day after day of persistent, constant hypnosis to deepen the "brand."

Since she wanted to keep him by her side using this method, he would likely have to deal with her quite a bit in the future...

Ansu felt helpless, but he still had to put on an act.

He nodded stiffly, "Yes."

"I will never betray you..."

Cecilia immediately wore a pleased smile. She reached her hand out in front of Ansu and snapped her fingers lightly.

"You can wake up now~"

A moment later.

Ansu looked around in a daze, his eyes gradually widening.

"I..."

"What just happened to me?"

He opened his eyes wide, looking in surprise at Cecilia not far away. As the power of the forbidden magic faded, she had returned to her original appearance with black hair and purple eyes.

"Lady Witch, what did you just... do to me? Why can't I remember anything?"

"It was just a test," Cecilia said indifferently. "Testing your talent to see if you meet the requirements to join us."

"Then... did I pass?" Ansu looked at her, appearing slightly nervous. "Can I learn such powerful magic now?"

"Average, I suppose!" Cecilia had completely shed the emotional display from just a moment ago. She crossed her arms and let out a disdainful scoff.

"You're still far from our standards for joining, but considering you have a tiny bit of talent, I'll reluctantly accept you!"

"That's great!" Ansu was genuinely happy.

Not because he was happy to join a cult, but because this hurdle was finally, thank God, coming to an end...

He could barely keep up the act anymore; heaven knows how hard it was to pretend to be a mindless fool for so long.

"But remember, you are not joining the Echo of Truth Cult, and you are not one of our peripheral members."

Cecilia glanced toward the door and whispered a warning to him, "You only need to be responsible to me."

Just as Ansu was about to say yes, the door to the storage room was pushed open, and Mary, whom he hadn't seen in a long time, hurried in.

"Lady Cecilia, someone from the Church is coming!"

"Oh?" Cecilia raised an eyebrow, subconsciously glancing at Ansu.

Ansu's expression remained unchanged.

"Through our informants, we learned that the Church suddenly made a move, saying a high-ranking official is coming to inspect the academy," Mary frowned.

"But it's unclear exactly who is coming. It's all very mysterious, and why now of all times?"

Ansu immediately thought of the note he had sent out. It seemed highly likely that this so-called high-ranking official was the Saintess of the Church.

Therefore, he dared not show the slightest abnormality.

"Is that so? I wanted to take him back to the cult..." Cecilia felt a bit annoyed.

She hated people from the Church, and since she had just accepted Ansu, she had intended to take him back to the cult's stronghold to give him further instructions...

"Forget it, he can't run away anyway." Cecilia gave Ansu a meaningful look, then ordered coldly, "Let's leave for now."

"Withdraw all our eyes near the academy. After I leave, for the sake of safety, you should also lay low."

"Understood." Mary nodded immediately, "I plan to resign from the academy afterward."

Cecilia continued, "The subsequent missions will be carried out by Ansu instead. Alright, untie his ropes first."

Mary pulled out a dagger and walked toward Ansu.

"Hey! Be careful..."

The sharp blade nearly grazed Ansu's skin. He glanced at Mary helplessly, "Are you cutting the ropes, or are you trying to silence me?"

Mary looked Ansu over with great surprise.

Seeing him speak so sharply and even complain, she couldn't help but feel a bit suspicious.

"Lady Cecilia, have you... already completed that magic ritual?"

"No." Cecilia glanced at her, "Why?"

"Ah? But..." Mary looked at Ansu hesitantly.

Although she had known for a long time that this kid would act as the cult's executor to replace her, Lady Cecilia was originally going to brainwash him. This was different from the initial plan.

"This is my decision." Cecilia said dismissively, "I need his ability to adapt to circumstances and his intelligence, not just someone to act as a pair of eyes."

"But... can we trust him?" Mary wore an expression of astonishment. What was Lady Cecilia playing at?

Cecilia's expression turned slightly cold, and those deep, violet eyes stared at Mary without a trace of emotion.

"Since when did you dare to question my decisions?"

The atmosphere in the room seemed to turn icy along with her tone. Mary's heart tightened, and she lowered her head in panic, "This subordinate wouldn't dare, this subordinate wouldn't dare..."

She had almost forgotten that the person before her was someone no one in the cult dared to provoke.

If she displeased her, she would truly die.

Cecilia let out a cold snort and walked toward the door.

Ansu watched her departure with eager anticipation.

But just as she was about to leave the storage room, she suddenly turned her head back.

Her tense expression softened just a little.

"Then... let's choose your home for our next meeting."