The Note's Aftermath: Had It Been Exposed?

The next morning, Ansu showed up in class with dark circles under his eyes, yawning.

"Ansu, why do you look like you haven't slept?"

A female classmate asked, full of curiosity and concern, "Did you stay up studying?"

"Something like that..." Ansu thought to himself that learning magic counted as studying.

He'd spent the whole night grinding away at his skills. First, he'd maxed out his [Meditation Technique], then he'd gotten a third of the way through [Mage Hand].

At this rate, even Cecilia would probably have called him a genius.

Other people needed ages just to make sense of such profound, abstruse magical texts. Ansu, on the other hand, had jumped straight into learning them.

He couldn't help it. He was being forced into it.

Just like the person he pretended to be, Ansu now craved power. If he could beat Cecilia, would he have to be so careful about everything...?

Once class was over, he'd find somewhere secluded and keep grinding away at his skills...

Hearing Ansu's answer, his classmates couldn't help murmuring among themselves.

"He's already doing well in class, and he's still working himself to the bone. Is he trying to make the rest of us look bad...?"

"Why don't you go work yourself to death!"

Ansu took his seat. Kevin, his deskmate, looked at him with a troubled expression.

"This is bad, this is bad... I think things have gotten out of hand!"

"I've been worried sick! Where did you go yesterday?"

Ansu told him to calm down and explain everything slowly. Then he learned what had happened after he left the day before.

After Bishop Paul visited the school yesterday, the academy's administrators had assumed he'd come to discuss something important.

But he'd spent the entire afternoon in the vice-principal's office without doing anything at all. He'd just chatted away the whole time...

The administrators, however, didn't dare assume it was all so simple.

The bishop's visit might have sent a powerful "political signal."

How could someone of his standing really spend the afternoon making small talk with them? He must have been dropping a hint that the Church's higher-ups were unhappy with how the principal had handled the academy's "theology program"...

Ansu hadn't expected his thoughtless attempt to save his own skin to cause such a huge stir.

There was no need to read so much into it...

Bishop Paul had only come to cover for the Saintess. Her status in the Church was extraordinary, but she couldn't just go out whenever she wanted, so she'd pretended to be a bishop and paid the academy a visit...

But that wasn't what had Kevin so nervous.

The Saintess had summoned him in person, all because of the note Ansu had given him.

"I never expected the person dressed like a nun to be the Saintess herself..."

"She's so young and beautiful! She's practically radiant with holiness!"

Ansu cut short his fond recollections and asked outright, "Did she ask who wrote the note?"

"She did! That's exactly why she called me over." Kevin glanced around and lowered his voice.

"But I didn't rat you out! I told her this... I said some bad guy from outside the school gave me the note and threatened to kill me unless I delivered it to the Church. I said I only did it because I was forced to..."

"And then?"

"That was it." Kevin looked puzzled. "After the Saintess asked what the person looked like, she let me go. And even though I made the Church come all this way for nothing, she didn't report it to the school administration. She didn't even notify my parents..."

"You're a real friend! Thanks!" Ansu patted Kevin on the shoulder gratefully. "I'll take care of your final exams too. Just wait—your dad will reward you this semester!"

"Really?" Kevin's face lit up.

His father was most concerned about his studies these days, and he'd often put Kevin down in front of his older brothers because of them.

"Of course!"

"Then..." Kevin asked, "What should we do about the Saintess? What if she figures it out later and starts investigating me again? Or even uses the Church's power to make trouble for my family..."

"Don't worry. She wouldn't dare." Ansu knew the Saintess well enough to be sure she wouldn't want anyone else finding out about her demi-human blood. She'd only dare investigate on her own.

Even if she traced the note back to him through Kevin, Ansu wasn't worried, because... he knew the Saintess's personality very well.

Ansu was the one who threatened her. There was no way she'd turn around and threaten him.

"Okay..." Kevin didn't know what else to say. He felt like he'd really let the promise of "good grades" go to his head.

By afternoon, the sun was sinking in the west, and golden rays filtered through the library windows, falling across the quiet room.

Since Ansu was only a first-year student, he didn't have many major courses. He'd spent the entire afternoon in the academy library.

He'd tucked the faculty and student roster inside a book and was poring over it, frowning as he read.

To anyone else, Ansu looked like he was studying hard. In reality, he was racking his brain over the task of "finding the Chosen One."

How could he...

Avoid finding himself, without making it look like no progress had been made?

Find a scapegoat?

Hand in some unlucky person's name and insist they were the Chosen One...

No! Ansu shook his head firmly. With their organization's resources, they'd uncover everything about that person in no time.

Maybe he could pin the "Chosen One" label on some important figure and throw the investigation off course?

Ansu remembered that some of the old emperor's sons and daughters studied at this school. As heirs to the Empire, they were sure to have countless powerful people protecting them.

Even the Echo of Truth Cult probably wouldn't dare lay a hand on them. The cultists were a little crazy, but they weren't stupid.

Picking a fight with the Empire, that colossus, would be suicide.

It wasn't a bad idea, though it came with plenty of risks...

As he continued to mull it over, footsteps suddenly approached.

"Ansu."

Ansu closed the book and turned around. It was Mary.

"Ms. Mary? I thought you'd taken leave."

He looked her over with some confusion. She clearly hadn't come to talk about his studies. It had to be about the task.

Ms. Mary lowered her voice and asked, "Has Lady Cecilia given you the roster yet?"

Ansu nodded.

"Then you already know about the Chosen One..." Mary glanced around. "This isn't a good place to talk. Come with me."

Ansu followed her to an office on the third floor of the teaching building.

When she opened the door, he saw Kevin inside, looking awkward.

Ansu immediately turned to Mary.

Mary dropped her act and let out a mocking smile.

Ansu frowned. With Kevin here too, there was only one possibility...

They'd found out he'd secretly contacted the Church through the note.

"What are you waiting for? Get in!"

Ms. Mary gave a cold laugh and shoved Ansu inside, then shut the office door behind them.

"We're done for, bro. It's got to be about that note..." Kevin whispered anxiously to Ansu. "What do we do?"

Ansu gave him a reassuring look, then turned to Mary with a puzzled expression. "Ms. Mary, did you need something from the two of us?"

"Why are you playing dumb?" Mary stared at Ansu with a cold, brooding look. "I heard you had Kevin deliver a note to the Church, and then Bishop Paul came rushing over?"

Her voice was icy. "Tell me what you wrote in that note. And how were you able to summon a bishop all the way here?"