The Note's Aftermath, Exposed?

The next morning, Ansu arrived in the classroom with dark circles under his eyes, stifling a yawn.

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

A female classmate asked with eager curiosity, "Did you stay up late studying?"

"You could say that..." Ansu thought to himself that learning magic was indeed studying.

Last night, he had been grinding his skills the entire time, first maxing out the progress of Meditation, then pushing the progress of Mage Hand to one-third.

At this rate of learning, even Cecilia would likely call him a genius if she saw it.

For others, simply understanding such profound and obscure magical texts would take a long time, yet Ansu dived straight into learning them.

He had no choice; he was forced into it.

Ansu now craved power just as much as the version of himself in his lies did. If he were strong enough to beat Cecilia, would he really need to be this cautious?

Once class ended, he would have to find a secluded spot to keep grinding his skills...

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

"He's already good at studying and still works this hard? Does he want us to live or not..."

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

Ansu arrived at his seat, and his deskmate Kevin looked at him with a depressed expression.

"It's over, it's over... things seem to have blown up!"

"You're killing me with anxiety, where did you run off to yesterday?"

Ansu told him not to get excited and to speak slowly, and then he learned what had happened after he left yesterday.

After Archbishop Paul visited the school yesterday, the academy leaders had assumed the man came to discuss something of great importance.

As it turned out, he spent the entire afternoon in the vice-principal's office doing absolutely nothing, just chatting away the afternoon...

However, the academy leaders didn't dare to think of it so simply.

The visit of an archbishop might have conveyed a very strong "political signal."

How could someone of that level really just accompany them for small talk? Therefore, it was highly likely that he was "hinting" at them, and the principal's handling of the academy's "Theology Major" must have caused dissatisfaction among the church's upper echelons...

Ansu hadn't expected that his unintentional act for the sake of survival could cause such a stir.

There wasn't that much complexity to it...

Archbishop Paul had actually only come to provide cover for the Saintess. The Saintess held a transcendent status in the church but could not leave easily, so she had visited the academy under the name of a bishop...

What made Kevin so nervous was something else entirely.

He had been summoned by the Saintess, the reason being, of course, the note Ansu had given him.

"I really didn't expect that the person dressed as a nun was the Saintess herself..."

"She was so young, so beautiful! She was as holy as light itself!!"

Ansu interrupted his fond recollection and asked directly, "Did she ask you who wrote that note?"

"She did! That's exactly why she called me over." Kevin glanced left and right, lowering his voice.

"But I didn't sell you out! I told her... a bad person from outside the school gave me the note and threatened to kill me if I didn't deliver it to the church! I was forced to do it..."

"And then?"

"There was no 'and then'." Kevin said, looking puzzled. "After the Saintess asked for the person's physical description, she just let me go. And even though I made the church waste a trip, she didn't report it to the academic affairs office, nor did she even notify my parents..."

"Good brother! Thanks a lot!" Ansu patted Kevin's shoulder gratefully. "I'll handle your final exams too. Just wait for your old man to reward you this semester!"

"Really?" Kevin's expression turned to one of surprise.

His father was currently obsessed with his studies, and because of that, he had belittled him many times in front of his other brothers.

"Of course!"

"Then..." Kevin asked again, "What about the Saintess? If she realizes what happened later and comes back to investigate me, or even uses the church's power to cause trouble for our family..."

"Don't worry, she wouldn't dare." Based on Ansu's understanding of that Saintess, she certainly wouldn't want more people to know about her demi-human bloodline; she would only dare to investigate alone.

Even if she tracked him down through Kevin, Ansu wasn't worried, because... he understood this Saintess's personality very well.

Only Ansu could threaten her; there was no way she could threaten him back.

"Alright then..." Kevin didn't know what else to say. He felt he had truly been blinded by the temptation of 'good grades.'

Time reached the afternoon.

The sun gradually slanted westward, and the golden sunlight spilled through the glass windows into the quiet library.

Since he was still a freshman, Ansu didn't have many major courses, so he had spent the entire afternoon soaking in the academy library.

He tucked the student and faculty roster inside a book, flipping through it repeatedly, frowning as he read.

To outsiders, Ansu looked like he was studying hard, but in reality, he had racked his brains over the "Find the Chosen One" mission.

How could he manage it...

To avoid having the investigation lead back to him, while also ensuring there was at least some progress to report?

Find a scapegoat?

Submit the name of some unlucky soul at random and insist that he was the Chosen One...

No! Ansu shook his head repeatedly in his mind; with the capabilities of their organization, they could uncover the background of such a person in no time.

Or perhaps, force the label of "Chosen One" onto some high-profile figure? To mislead the investigation?

Ansu remembered that among the old Emperor's princes and princesses, some were studying at this school, and as the imperial heirs, they were surely surrounded by experts.

Even the Echo of Truth Cult shouldn't dare to lay a hand on them; the cultists might be crazy, but they weren't stupid.

To go up against a behemoth like the Empire right now would be nothing short of suicide.

This was certainly a line of thought, though the risks were also immense...

Just as he was deep in thought, a series of footsteps suddenly approached from afar.

"Ansu."

Ansu closed his book and turned his head, discovering it was Teacher Mary.

"Teacher Mary? Didn't you already take leave?"

He examined Teacher Mary with slight confusion; she definitely hadn't come to chat about his studies, so it must be related to the mission.

Teacher Mary lowered her voice and asked, "Has Lady Cecilia handed the roster to you yet?"

Ansu nodded.

"It seems you already know about the Chosen One..." Teacher Mary glanced around. "It's not convenient to talk here; come with me."

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

When the door opened, he saw Kevin, who was wearing an awkward expression.

Ansu immediately looked toward Mary.

Mary stopped pretending, a mocking smile appearing on her face.

Ansu furrowed his brows; since Kevin was here too, there was only one possibility...

The matter of secretly contacting the church via a note had been exposed.

"What are you standing there for? Get in!"

Teacher Mary sneered as she shoved Ansu into the room and then slammed the office door shut.

"We're done for, brother, it must be about that note..." Kevin muttered nervously to Ansu. "What do we do?"

Ansu gave him a calm look, then asked Mary with a confused expression, "Teacher Mary, do you need something from the two of us?"

"Why are you playing dumb?" Mary's eyes stared gloomily at Ansu. "I heard that you had Kevin deliver a note to the church? And then Bishop Paul came rushing over?"

Her voice was icy cold. "Tell me, what did you write on that note? And why were you able to order an archbishop to make a special trip here?"