Duncan watched Ansu, who was unable to put down the silver revolver, and began to explain.
"This gun was an old project of mine, originally intended for the military, but I was so preoccupied with the 'high firepower' they mentioned that I ended up using materials that are hard to find, and the production of alchemical bullets is incredibly slow..."
Professor Duncan shrugged helplessly.
"In the end, they weren't interested, so I just left it here. If you like it, take it."
"Thank you, Professor!" Ansu smiled happily, packing up those precious alchemical bullets as well.
This trip was definitely worth it! He hadn't expected to get a powerful weapon for free.
Freya remained confused, as in her stereotypical view, a mage shouldn't need firearms...
"Don't look at me like that. What's wrong with a mage using a gun?"
Ansu raised his gun and gestured with it.
"Believe it or not, this thing is more useful than magic. If I bring this along, ordinary magic duels will be a breeze!"
The alchemical bullets developed by Professor Duncan were far more sophisticated than those of the demon hunter organization because Duncan was exceptionally good at the miniaturization of magic runes.
His alchemical bullets weren't the type enchanted with a single attribute; Ansu's shot could deliver an overkill output of combined magical effects. He roughly calculated that it could easily break through an ordinary mage's 【Shield spell】.
And since the vast majority of mages in the Echoes of Truth only mastered low-level magic, this gun was practically an anti-cultist treasure, as two shots would definitely take one down!
Ansu picked up the recipe and suddenly asked, "Professor, I'm taking this recipe too. Those few bullets won't be enough, so I'll go back and study it to see if I can replicate some..."
"Replicate them?" Professor Duncan frowned.
"Forget it. Even I find those alchemical bullets hard to manage, and they tend to explode in the chamber. You think you can replicate them?"
"Don't worry, Professor!" Ansu gave a confident smile.
"A mere alchemical bullet won't stop me."
After all, he had the 【Alchemy System】.
He hadn't had a chance to use it since receiving it as a reward, so this was the perfect time to practice with alchemical bullets.
"Well... alright then." Professor Duncan waved his hand helplessly.
"If you insist on trying, I can't stop you. Just remember to reduce the powder charge a bit."
"Got it." Ansu nodded, privately deciding to increase the powder charge a bit more.
...
In the afternoon, as the bell rang, Freya looked longingly at Ansu as he packed his shoulder bag.
After spending three precious open classes with Lord Ansu, no matter how reluctant she was, she had to leave...
Freya rested her chin on her hand, watching the teacher organize books on the podium, wondering why he couldn't teach a few more classes.
If there were more classes, she could spend a little more time with Lord Ansu...
Leaving the classroom, Freya followed behind Ansu the whole way.
The surrounding students were all staring, so Ansu helplessly came to a halt.
"Freya, are you planning to follow me back to the Alchemy Department? If you don't have any more classes, you should go back and rest."
"Mm... okay." Freya gave a soft smile.
She really loved this day, as it was her first day of returning to freedom, and she had been accompanied by Lord Ansu, whom she admired most...
Seeing Ansu's figure about to leave, Freya hesitated for a moment before suddenly chasing after him.
"Wait!!"
"What is it now?" Ansu turned back to see the little Holy Maiden acting fidgety, looking like she had something to say.
Freya suddenly gathered her courage: "Lord Ansu, let's take this chance to elope!"
"Huh?" Ansu blinked, looking at Freya in shock. "What did you say?"
The Holy Maiden's startling words always managed to give him a fright...
"Ah! No..." Freya thought to herself, how did she accidentally say what she was thinking?
Her cheeks flushed red as she lowered her head.
"What I meant was... I have to go with the Inquisition's expedition squad anyway, so... let's use this business trip as an excuse and not be in such a hurry to return to Benalu City!"
Freya didn't dare look at Ansu's expression, whispering with her head down: "They've all promised me that I can go see the wide world outside... Ansu, let's go further away, and then..."
She clenched her small fists.
"We'll travel the world, gather like-minded companions, punish evil and promote good! Save those in distress! We'll change the world according to our ideals!"
Ansu looked helplessly at the idealistic Holy Maiden, thinking to himself that while the villains had conspired three years early, the protagonist's hero party was also being formed early by her...
The Chosen One with the best sword from the starting village, the runaway Holy Maiden, and then meeting the classic half-baked mage, the assassin with a blood feud, the decadent paladin uncle, the cold elf archer... a standard hero party would be complete.
Freya seemed to be immersed in her fantasies of the future...
Just thinking about going out with Lord Ansu to travel to distant places was exciting!
"However, I refuse." Ansu shook his head.
He looked at the suddenly dejected Freya. Although he felt a bit soft-hearted, he still laid out the pros and cons for her.
"What about Archbishop Paul? Are you going to leave him here alone? Archbishop Leonard would probably toy him to death."
"Also, my sister can't live without me." Ansu sighed.
If that little girl found out her brother wasn't coming back because he'd been kidnapped by the Holy Maiden, wouldn't she immediately transform into 【Hunter of the Darkness】?
No, this time it would probably be 【Hunter of the Light】...
Finally, not to mention Celia.
Ansu didn't even dare to imagine the scene if the vile witch found out he had "eloped" with Freya behind her back...
"I'm sorry, Lord Ansu..." Freya's eyes were full of apology. "I guess I didn't think it through..."
"It's fine." Ansu smiled gently. "I understand. You've probably been cooped up for too long."
If it were him, being locked up by the Church for over ten years without being allowed anywhere, he'd also want to run around the world and make up for it if given the chance.
The two continued to walk side by side along the shaded path.
Ansu could feel those pale gold eyes stealing glances at him from time to time, as she seemed very conflicted.
He couldn't help but ask, "Freya, why are you acting so strange today?"
"Ansu... the reason you're unwilling to leave this place, is it because of that Ms. Hailey?" Freya suddenly asked.
Hailey naturally referred to Celia. Ansu curled his lip and said subconsciously, "Of course not!"
"How could I possibly be so cautious because of her? Who do you think I am!"
"That's good..." Freya felt a sense of relief in her heart.
She gave a soft smile and suggested again, "Student Ansu, I've already thought of a way to help you get rid of that bad woman."
"Hmm? What way?" Ansu felt his heart race for some reason, and his expression became very serious.
"If Student Ansu isn't in a hurry to get back, let's go to that small chapel to talk!" Freya blinked and gave a confident smile.
Ansu's brow twitched. He had a very bad premonition...
He didn't take the "getting rid of Celia" part seriously, but what he cared about more was...
The last time Freya came up with a wild idea and gave a confident smile, both of them ended up in terrible luck!
"I think, for now, we shouldn't..."
Just as Ansu was about to advise her not to pursue such ideas, he saw Freya's expression suddenly turn to shock. Her pale gold eyes stared fixedly ahead as if she had seen an enemy.
Ansu also suddenly felt a prickling sensation on his back.
Wait! Killing intent!
He quickly turned his head and saw...
In the middle of the shaded path stood Celia, staring at him expressionlessly.
"Uh... Lady Witch?"
Ansu tried to keep his smile from becoming too stiff. "Weren't you not coming today? Did something suddenly come up?"
"Can't I come to the academy to find you even if nothing's up?"
Celia coldly glanced at Freya beside Ansu. When her gaze fell on Ansu's face, a strange smile played across her lips.
"If I hadn't come, how could I have seen such a harmonious scene? Hmm? The Holy Maiden and her rumored boyfriend, Ansu?"
Rate on N.U.
