When the bell rang, Archbishop Paul finally began his lecture from the podium at the front of the lecture hall.
Even though he was preaching the same old clichés of the Church, such as the creation of the world by the gods, faith, and salvation...
Surprisingly, the elderly archbishop spoke with humor and wit, and many of his modern ideas were quite novel, which actually managed to pique everyone's interest.
Many of the gazes that had been fixed on Ansu gradually shifted back to the stage, drawn in by Archbishop Paul.
However, even though Archbishop Paul was giving a great lecture, Ansu couldn't listen to a single word; he spent the entire class sitting on pins and needles...
The reason, of course, was Freya, who sat beside him and would steal glances at him whenever she had the chance.
She clearly didn't come with good intentions!
Since she had called out his name, she must have come because of that note...
Ansu quietly turned his head to observe Freya.
Her face looked a bit haggard, and she had an air of exhausted sleepiness about her, as if she had been secretly investigating for several days and nights without sleep just to find him...
"Um..." Ansu decided to get straight to the point. "Lady Holy Maiden, may I ask what you want with me?"
Her pale gold eyes slowly drifted over, and Freya stared at Ansu without blinking.
Ansu couldn't see a hint of hostility in those eyes; instead, there was a sense of curiosity and observation, as if she had been sizing him up ever since they met...
Strange.
Is this how someone should react after being threatened?
"If what you want to ask about is what happened that day..."
Ansu didn't explicitly mention the note, but continued tentatively, "Then I can give you an explanation."
"Good," Freya nodded gently. "Follow me after class."
"No outsiders can be present," Ansu glanced left and right.
His biggest worry was Celia; if she caught him on a 'date' with the Holy Maiden, he would definitely be dead!
"Of course there won't be any outsiders," Freya said softly. "This is a matter between you and me."
Finally, after class ended...
The lecture hall filled with the noise of students leaving, and Ansu immediately looked at Freya.
Freya nodded. "The Royal Academy also has one of our chapels. Follow me."
The two of them stood up at the same time, and many students' eyes instinctively turned toward them.
"Lady Freya," Ansu looked down at her hand, which was tightly gripping his. "I know where the chapel is, so you can let go of me now..."
"I will lead you there," Freya said sincerely.
Ansu looked at her speechlessly. "Have you forgotten that I'm the student of this academy?"
"But..." Freya's expression was hesitant, as if she were afraid Ansu would run away the moment she let go.
As the two of them remained at a standstill, even more students gathered to watch.
As the Holy Maiden of the Church, combined with her young and beautiful appearance, Freya naturally had a massive following, and her every move was highly scrutinized.
Seeing her actually holding a boy's hand naturally sparked wave after wave of discussion, and the flames of gossip were instantly ignited...
Even Archbishop Paul on the podium was a bit surprised; he glanced at Freya's flustered expression and finally fixed his gaze on Ansu, observing him with curiosity.
"I definitely won't run away, I promise!" Ansu looked around and whispered to her, "So many people are watching, let go of me first!"
"Um... okay." Freya's cheeks were bright red, and she lowered her head, her voice shrinking to a mere whisper.
...
Benalu Royal Academy covered a vast area, almost equivalent to a small city.
Ansu walked in front while Freya followed closely behind; twenty minutes later, the two finally arrived at a small chapel located in a remote corner of the academy.
Freya took out a ring of keys and opened the door; the small chapel was currently empty.
"The clergy of the chapel have already left, and no one knows we're here." Freya gently closed the door. "Don't worry, it's safe here."
"Just say what you have to say!" Ansu didn't want to continue playing riddles with her. "If it's about the note, I can tell you clearly that I wasn't the mastermind behind it..."
He planned to stick to a consistent story, telling the same lie he told Kevin.
But to his surprise...
"I don't care about the note at all..."
Freya's pale gold eyes stared intently at Ansu, and her face, which usually appeared peaceful and serene, became unusually excited as she stepped forward and grabbed Ansu's hand.
"Are you my destined Chosen One!?"
"Huh?" Ansu froze for a moment.
Then, a stormy wave of shock rose in his heart.
How does she know I'm the Chosen One? She hasn't even met me before, right?
"I'm not. What Chosen One? You've got the wrong person." Ansu, of course, denied it decisively.
Was she joking? If this identity were exposed, not to mention the constant trouble it would bring, he would immediately be at the top of the Echoes of Truth's assassination list. Even several simulations wouldn't be enough to save him...
"No! You are!"
Freya didn't seem to be asking Ansu at all, but rather confirming a result.
She continued to move closer, gradually forcing Ansu into a corner.
Then...
Freya lightly twitched her small nose and actually started sniffing Ansu's neck.
"Uh... Lady Holy Maiden, what are you doing?"
Ansu looked in shock at Freya, who was leaning over him and sniffing incessantly.
This was far too different from the image of a Holy Maiden; if someone didn't know better, they would think she was some kind of female pervert...
"Yes, yes, yes! This scent... it's this scent!"
"I found it, I finally found it!!" Freya looked up with a fervent gaze. "You are my Chosen One! You are the one in the prophecy who will change the world!"
Ansu's face was now filled with question marks. Who the hell looks for the Chosen One by smelling them?
"Lady Holy Maiden, I feel like your mental state is a bit concerning. I think I should head back..."
Ansu speechlessly tried to push her away, but Freya wouldn't be shaken off and leaned in again.
"Lord Chosen One, why won't you admit it?" Freya blinked, asking in confusion. "Is it because you're facing some difficulties? Please don't worry, if you have any trouble... I will definitely resolve it for you!"
"Wait!" Ansu knew she wouldn't give up until he said something, so he spoke up.
"Setting aside whether or not I'm the Chosen One you're talking about, tell me first, why do you think I am? I came here today thinking it was because of that note..."
"I know, because you've been in my dreams." Freya gently closed her eyes and placed a hand over her chest.
Ansu glanced down at Freya's chest; her casual movement caused those impressively majestic curves to tremble slightly.
He had to admit, a large chest, a great figure, and a gentle personality... these were practically the standard features of a holy female protagonist...
"In your dreams?"
"Yes!" Freya kept her eyes closed, wearing a devout expression. "I've been able to hear divine decrees since I was very young. The gods give me some kind of revelation in my dreams, and because of that, I was brought to the capital and became the Holy Maiden in the hearts of thousands of believers..."
She opened her eyes and looked at Ansu again. "After I happened to come to this city from the capital, the divine revelations became more frequent and clearer. I seemed to... faintly see a face..."
Ansu frowned. The Holy Maiden's 'dream revelations' were actually part of the original plot, but they were supposed to happen three years later when the game officially began.
The 'Chosen One' she dreamed of was naturally the player, but things were different now because he was the player...
So the person she dreamed of was definitely me!
Rate on N.U.
