After an unknown amount of time, Ansu groggily opened his eyes.
"Hmph, the brat's finally awake!"
Hearing Ms. Mary's cold voice, Ansu snapped awake and quickly scanned his surroundings.
Drawn curtains, dim lighting, and himself, tightly bound...
This wasn't the storage room from the simulation, but the environment was more or less the same; he had still been tied up by these two in a dark, cramped room...
Ansu was speechless. Could he really not get past this hurdle?
He had spent the day in a repetitive cycle of being knocked out, waking up, being drugged, and waking up again until he felt completely numb...
More importantly... this wasn't a simulation.
This was reality!
"Mary, you've disappointed me a little..."
Celia, sitting on the desk, had already reverted to her original appearance.
That exquisite face now wore an inscrutable smile. Her legs were crossed, her long, slender legs wrapped in black stockings slightly tilted as she looked down at the newly awakened Ansu.
Although the World Ending Witch - Celia was still young, she already exuded the aura of that enchanting and beautiful demon lord she would become in the future.
"If I hadn't been more alert, he might have slipped right out of our grasp."
Though the words were calm and rippleless, the underlying reproach made Mary break out in a cold sweat.
"I am truly sorry, Lady Celia..."
Knowing she had almost ruined everything, Mary glared at Ansu with irritation.
"You brat, I told you to come to the office. Why did you run toward the park as soon as class ended? Who were you rushing to meet? And you call yourself a good student?"
"Ms. Mary?" Ansu feigned a confused and frightened expression. "Didn't I say I'd go to your office right away? Are you really tying me up just for that?"
It seemed they didn't know he had secretly contacted the church yet. Otherwise, they wouldn't still be here, and their attitude toward him would be very different...
That was the only good news.
Ansu's mind raced for a countermeasure; he had to stall for as much time as possible.
He realized that the only chance for change might lie in the moment of Celia's hesitation...
"Lady Celia, it must have been a coincidence. He doesn't know about our plan yet." Mary breathed a sigh of relief when she heard Ansu's question.
As a cult executor who had been undercover within the empire for years, Mary had always been cautious. How could such a major plan be easily discovered by a student? She had that much confidence.
Unless he could predict the future, but that was impossible.
Celia scanned the bewildered Ansu and cast a cold glance at Mary. "I won't punish you this time, but remember, there won't be a next time."
Mary wiped the cold sweat from her forehead and nodded repeatedly.
Next, the conversation between the two was not much different from Ansu's simulation.
Mary first reported Ansu's family background, which Celia found relatively satisfactory.
"Alright, it's about time~"
Celia hopped lightly off the desk.
"Time to get down to business."
As she walked toward Ansu step by step, that uncomfortable, foul magical power spread with her. Mary, fearing the mental pollution brought by the magic, excused herself once again...
In the quiet room, only Ansu and Celia remained.
Just as Celia was about to cast the forbidden black magic known as 【Soul Dominion】.
"Huh?"
Revealing her menacing demonic features, Celia suddenly stopped, just as she had in the simulation.
She was confused because Ansu wasn't showing any negative effects at all.
"Aren't you afraid of me?" That exquisitely beautiful face leaned close to Ansu, studying him with curiosity.
"In the past, whenever I used forbidden magic, you humans would almost always have a mental breakdown from fear, but you..."
"I..." Ansu stared into those dark red eyes observing him, and the plan in his heart slowly surfaced.
In the last simulation, he had shown his utility, which piqued Celia's interest enough to delay her move.
But in the end, he was exposed by her hypnosis.
And then he was brutally brainwashed...
But this time was different. He still had a card in his hand: the system reward skill, 【Magic Immunity】.
【The scope of immunity includes any magical damage, magic item bonuses, and negative or positive effects. The duration is the entire turn (from the beginning of the magical effect to the end). Cooldown: 24 hours.】
By that logic, the entire process of hypnosis should be negated by his immunity.
Perhaps he could beat her at her own game, pretending to be hypnotized to stall for even more time...
This was his only chance!
Thinking of this, Ansu fought to suppress all his chaotic thoughts and calmly looked up.
"I'm not afraid."
"Not afraid?" Celia raised an eyebrow in surprise.
She spread her 'ugly demonic claws' that emitted a gloomy aura and said with a smile:
"In this day and age where magic is so stigmatized, everyone avoids this power like the plague, let alone the 'foul magic' strictly forbidden by the church."
"The church has taught you since childhood that magic brings madness and destruction, and that black magic is a legendary bridge for communicating with evil gods."
Celia's smile carried a hint of suspicion. "And yet you tell me you're not afraid?"
Under Ansu's gaze, a tuft of black flame suddenly sprouted from the center of her palm. The atmosphere in the room changed abruptly as the flame faintly emitted a destructive aura capable of 'burning everything to ash.'
This was the 'Black Flame that burns the world.'
As the magic flame slowly approached Ansu's cheek, Celia's smile gradually faded. "Is there something wrong with the education the church gave you, or... are you feigning compliance, saying things just to please me?"
"Witch, Lady Witch!" Ansu stared at the magic flame right in front of him, feeling like she might roast him to death in the next second.
But while his expression was tense, he timely allowed a hint of wonder to surface.
"Wait, is... is this the legendary transcendent power?"
At this moment, Ansu delivered the greatest performance of his two lives.
He had no choice; he was being forced into it.
While he had been tied up just now, Ansu hadn't spent a single moment idle. He had recalled the plot involving the World Ending Witch - Celia several times.
He forced himself to understand Celia's logic, her personality, and everything about her...
In the end, he even felt like he might know her better than she knew herself.
The World Ending Witch - Celia had the tragic childhood common to 'beautiful, powerful, and miserable' villains. Her childhood experiences had shaped her sensitive, insecure, self-deprecating yet arrogant, and twisted personality.
Because of this, she had a nearly insane obsession with power.
What did it matter if she had no family or friends, and was neither understood nor trusted by anyone? Only power truly belonged to her. As long as she became strong, the world would find reasons to justify her.
Coincidentally, her magical talent was so immense that even the Echoes of Truth was somewhat afraid of it.
Therefore, Ansu had to express his approval of, and even... desire for, forbidden magic in front of Celia.
In fact, this line of thinking had a precedent. In the original plot, when Celia recruited other villains, it was mostly because they were 'birds of a feather,' gathering a group of ambitious people who thirsted for power.
"Oh?" Celia looked at Ansu with some surprise. Not only was this guy not afraid at all, but there was actually a look of longing in his eyes?
"What do you think of black magic, or so-called forbidden magic?"
She really wanted to hear his thoughts on the matter now.
"It's cool! Very cool!" Ansu said without hesitation and with full anticipation. "If only I could possess such powerful transcendent strength..."
"But this is power polluted by evil gods~" Celia interrupted. "At least, that's what the church says."
Ansu immediately shook his head. "So what? It's not like the church hasn't lied before. To support the rising magic-driven industry, His Majesty has long wanted to kick theology majors out of the academies! Who among the good people believes in that stuff nowadays?"
"That's true." Celia nodded in deep agreement.
"Besides!" Ansu stared into Celia's eyes and said sincerely, "I've always believed that power itself is innocent. The key lies in the person using it!"
Celia was stunned for a moment, and then her eyes lit up.
"You really think so?"
Ansu nodded. "Of course!"
Although the statement was a bit of a 'sophistry,' Celia loved hearing it. It felt like those words had struck a chord deep within her heart.
"Interesting..." Celia retracted the magic flame in her palm and kept sizing the person in front of her up. She was becoming more and more interested in Ansu now.
"Whether you're lying or not, those words truly satisfy me..." She curled her lips into a pleasant smile and suddenly cast a spell.
The familiar sense of dizziness hit him, and Ansu's thoughts instantly became dazed.
It was hypnosis!
What incredible casting speed!
Although Ansu had been on guard against her move, he still almost reacted a beat too late.
Just as the hypnosis magic took effect.
【Magic Immunity】
Activate!
"Tell me your true thoughts from just now," Celia asked softly.
Ansu pretended to be successfully under 【Hypnosis】, answering with a dull gaze, "I long for transcendent power... black magic... is cool and powerful."
"Why do you long for transcendent power?" Celia pressed.
"If I had transcendent power, I wouldn't have been bullied when I was little..."
"People wouldn't look down on me..."
"I want to make those who looked down on me, those who plotted against my father, and those who bullied me and my sister get what they deserve..."
After answering these, Ansu stared blankly ahead and stopped speaking.
Celia suddenly fell silent.
She gazed at the boy she had under 【Hypnosis】. Her dark red eyes flickered for a moment, and many thoughts and emotions seemed to surge up at once.
But in the end, she said nothing.
"Oh, I see..."
He was a boy very much like her...
"Then, do you want to take revenge?" Celia smiled.
"Yes," Ansu answered stiffly.
"If you join us—no, if you join me—you can gain power." Celia asked in a tempting tone, "Tell me the truth in your heart. Are you willing?"
"I am willing."
"Then what if... you will have to make an enemy of the powerful church in the future, or even... go against the entire world? Are you still willing?"
"I am willing."
Celia revealed a satisfied smile, even feeling that this trip had been worthwhile.
Initially, she just wanted Mary to pick someone from the academy to complete the mission, but she hadn't expected Mary to find such a moldable talent in the vast sea of people. Even her slight dissatisfaction with Mary from earlier vanished.
To turn such a talent, who shared her ideals and even had some potential, into a 【Puppet】 would be a waste of a good resource. Celia began to think about nurturing him instead.
While Celia was delighted, Ansu's heart was filled with bitterness.
It was over.
Not only had he failed to escape this scummy witch, but their relationship was actually getting closer...
Ansu sighed helplessly in his heart. His plan was beginning to gallop wildly toward an 'unpredictable stage of fate'...
But looking on the bright side, he had at least succeeded in stalling for time.
Everything he was doing now was just a temporary measure...
But then, something Ansu hadn't expected happened.
"What do you... think of me?"
Celia dropped her high-and-mighty act, stared into Ansu's eyes, and asked this question out of the blue.
"What... is your opinion of me?"
Ansu almost couldn't keep up the act.
What kind of play was this now? Was this something the World Ending Witch - Celia would actually ask?
He tried his best to look like he was under mental control, his eyes staring blankly ahead.
But Celia's pursed lips and slightly nervous expression were still hard to ignore.
"Heh heh... what am I doing..." Celia seemed to find it strange herself. She touched her fair cheek and began to mutter to herself uncomfortably.
"Is it because I finally found someone I can talk to honestly, so I want to hear him praise me... Honestly, I kidnapped him. How could he possibly have anything good to say about me..."
But to her surprise, after only a moment of silence, Ansu spoke.
"You're cute."
"......" Celia was silent for a long time.
"Huh?"
Rate on N.U.
