"Wait... Lord Ansu!"
Freya gazed at the sky in thought for a moment, then suddenly seemed to realize something.
Her expression turned to one of shock as she spoke.
"The first time I saw her, I had a sense of déjà vu. Is it possible I've met that bad woman before?"
"Hmm? You've met her?" Ansu was even more surprised than she was, thinking that aside from the time she lost her head in the simulation, the ambush on Archbishop Terry should have been their first meeting.
"Let me think, let me think..." Freya pondered incessantly.
Then, her pale gold eyes gradually widened.
"Since she is a high-ranking member of the Echoes of Truth and possesses such immense strength that she could easily help you deal with an archbishop, she definitely isn't a nobody! This superior of yours, Hailey Lawrence... could she be..."
Freya seemed to have grasped the truth.
"The legendary, elusive Ash Witch, who is third on the Empire's most-wanted list and whom the Church can never catch!"
Ansu blinked, looking at the little Holy Maiden who seemed to have suddenly had an epiphany.
How did you get so smart today?
At this point in time, the name Celia had not yet appeared in the public eye. Moreover, she was still wearing the noble identity of 'Hailey Lawrence'. Even Archbishop Leonard hadn't linked her to the Ash Witch...
And yet Freya had guessed it all at once?
"Freya... are you cheating again?" Ansu couldn't help but recall the scene where she had blurted out that he was the Chosen One.
"What... cheating?" Freya looked at him in confusion. Why did Lord Ansu always come out with words she couldn't understand?
"Nothing." Ansu shook his head and dismissed her association. "She isn't the Ash Witch. And Freya, I advise you not to look into this any further."
But how could Freya let it go? Although Lord Ansu didn't admit it, the more she thought about it, the more she felt it was true. That wicked, bad woman must be the Ash Witch!
For some reason... perhaps because it concerned Lord Ansu's safety, she was extremely keen on this matter!
"Lord Ansu is actually working under the Ash Witch..." Freya raised her head again in anxiety. "No! This won't do! Lord Ansu, I must help you escape that bad woman!"
"Ah? Don't!" Ansu rejected her again. "At least, not right now."
"Why?" Freya looked at him in confusion. Did Lord Ansu still have some secret plan that wasn't finished?
That was the first thing she thought of, after all...
It was impossible for Lord Ansu to be reluctant to leave that wicked witch, right?
"Because I have a hidden plan here. I need to remain undercover by this cult leader's side to gather more intelligence." Ansu gave her a 'you know how it is' look.
"So, it's the same as before. For the sake of the Holy Light and the safety of the entire world! You must never reveal this to anyone. This is between you and me..."
"Oh..."
Freya nodded dejectedly. "Alright..."
For the sake of the Holy Light and the safety of the world, how could she selfishly disrupt Lord Ansu's plan?
But this time, Freya was only downcast for a moment.
Wait... Lord Ansu also said, at least not right now...
However!
Not right now did not mean not in the future.
Freya tried her best to suppress her various emotions and began to mull it over in her heart.
Lord Ansu will still have a day when he escapes that bad woman. At the very least, I should start thinking of a way for him in advance...
...
The next morning, as soon as Ansu woke up, he began to pay attention to the news.
The most direct source was today's front-page headlines. Ansu walked to the street corner and bought several newspapers from a newsboy, all of which were carrying news about the demihuman terrorist organization, the Squirrel Party.
【The Church, acting on a tip from a concerned citizen who wishes to remain anonymous, decisively struck and captured a major stronghold of the terrorist organization. They seized three tons of black powder, preventing an attempted bombing.】
"Three tons..." Ansu couldn't help but mutter as he read the paper at home. With the Squirrel Party making such a big move, he wondered what their target actually was...
He quietly recalled the original plot. The exploits of the bombing-obsessed Squirrel Party were supposed to happen much later. But whether it was Professor Duncan or the Squirrel Party, many plot points had moved up significantly.
It seemed his presence had already caused the original timeline to shift quite a bit...
Ansu did feel a sense of crisis regarding the uncertain future, but such changes were inevitable. As he actively intervened more, the world's direction would only become increasingly unfamiliar.
While the accuracy of major 'foreknowledge' might decline, fortunately, the minor 'simulations' remained reliable. Just as Ansu was reading the paper, a system prompt popped up.
【System rewards generating...】
【Thanks to the report from a concerned citizen, you have prevented an imminent tragedy】
【Evaluation: Whether it's the cult or the Church of Holy Light, your contributions are irreproachable. You've truly mastered the art of playing both sides and exploiting information gaps...】
【Reward: 20 points】
【Reward: spiritual experience Lv1】
【Remaining Points: 118】
Every system evaluation was quite humorous. Ansu ignored the useless banter and directly clicked on the new skill reward.
【Talent: spiritual experience Lv1】
【Primal mana is violent and chaotic, leading one toward madness. Increasing the level of spiritual experience helps magic practitioners significantly stabilize their mental strength and soul's will, thereby opening the mysterious door to high-tier magic.】
After reading the description, Ansu was overjoyed. Although he hadn't been studying magic for long, he had indeed been troubled by his inability to learn high-tier magic.
His Lv3 flashbang was useful, even producing unexpected results several times, but relying on these low-tier spells forever wasn't an option.
Ansu didn't want to be fighting people in the future with an Illumination spell in one hand and a one-handed sword in the other. He wasn't some battle mage Gandalf who had put points in the wrong stats...
With this 【spiritual experience Lv1】, he could practice mid-to-high-tier magic above the 3rd Circle, and his combat strength would surely increase by a large margin.
"Brother, is today's news really that funny?"
Vera, who had just woken up, was wandering into the living room in her pajamas while yawning.
She saw her brother reading the newspaper with a smile in his eyes and thought he was reading the daily joke submission section in the corner of the 《Benalu Daily》...
"Of course not... but the newspaper today is indeed full of good news." Ansu put down the paper and looked at his sister, who clearly wasn't fully awake yet.
With sleepy eyes, Vera leaned in close to Ansu and scanned the newspaper.
"Hmm? Terrorist organization... attempted bombing?"
Vera's eyes finally opened a bit wider. She read the paper carefully and murmured:
"What a terrifying news story... these demihumans and cult organizations... they really are wicked to the core!"
"Yeah." Ansu nodded. "They really are wicked to the core."
"Thank goodness for this concerned citizen..." Vera patted her small chest in relief.
"If he hadn't reported it, with so many explosives! Who knows how many people would have died! I wonder who this mysterious citizen... actually is?"
"Yeah..." Ansu stroked his chin in thought. "I wonder who such a concerned, righteous, kind, smart, and handsome citizen could possibly be?"
"Hmm?" Vera looked at her brother suspiciously.
Ansu returned her gaze with a mysterious, unfathomable smile.
Vera blinked in surprise and said thoughtfully, "Could it be..."
Rate on N.U.
