While Ansu was busy wondering just how terrifying the wicked witch's "new way to play" would be...
He had already followed Celia into her room.
Ansu set aside his thoughts and looked around.
Celia’s disguise in Benalu City was that of a noble young lady, but her room held no trace of feminine grace; it was filled with piles of books, potions, and an alchemy table for research, looking more like a magic laboratory.
"Tell me," Celia said as she sat in a chair, crossing her long, smooth legs, "what happened at school just now?"
Ansu shifted his gaze away from Celia's legs and recounted the events, piecing together Ms. Mary’s interrogation in the office with the simulation's information about Elder Hall’s secret contact and the plot to kidnap him.
To be safe, he did not mention Elder Hall's plan to use him to spy on Celia.
Saying too much would be counterproductive; he only needed to lead Celia toward suspicion.
"Elder Hall... that eyesore again," Celia sneered with disdain. "I should have finished him off last time."
"Do those old fogies think I have a good temper?"
Ansu felt a thick surge of killing intent in Celia's gaze.
He silently wondered if the plot point where Celia slaughters the Council of Elders was about to happen ahead of schedule.
Just then, a soft knock came from the door.
A maid reported, "Miss Celia, Ms. Mary is waiting outside."
Ansu quietly approached the window and indeed saw Ms. Mary standing anxiously outside the manor gate.
He didn't expect her to wake up so quickly...
She really was a master of drug resistance.
"Let her wait!" Celia said, sounding rather impatient.
"Yes, Miss."
The maid outside slowly departed.
"That Mary... she was an assistant the Council of Elders forced on me. I suspected something was wrong with her from the start."
"I thought she could control herself, but I didn't expect her to dare pull tricks right under my nose. How bold!"
Celia narrowed her eyes slightly, a cruel smile curling at the corners of her mouth.
"It seems I've found a suitable subject for that obscure magic experiment..."
Ansu thought to himself that it looked like Ms. Mary was about to be extensively overhauled.
After a moment of silence, Celia looked up and gazed at Ansu with satisfaction.
"You did well in this matter. How should I reward you?"
"That..." Ansu thought that her not bothering him would be the greatest reward.
"Actually, there's no need for a reward. It's only what I should have done..."
But before he could finish his polite refusal, he keenly noticed a sudden change in Celia's expression.
A pair of crimson demon blood pupils suddenly appeared!
Damn! This wicked witch really flips her mood in an instant!
Fortunately, his reaction was fast.
【Magic Immunity】
Just as Ansu played his trump card, Celia’s dark red eyes turned into magical vortices, instantly casting a hypnosis spell on him.
Ansu’s expression gradually became dull, and he stood rigidly in place.
"Tell me, is what you just said the truth?"
Ansu nodded in a daze.
"It is the truth."
"Oh..." Celia's expression softened slightly. "It seems I was overthinking. You wouldn't be brave enough to lie to me about such things..."
"Then how do you want me to reward you?" Celia continued to ask with a smile, returning to the previous topic.
She knew that with Ansu’s cautious personality, he wouldn't dare ask for anything out loud, so she was quite curious to hear his true thoughts.
"I do not dare seek a reward from Lady Celia. I only hope..."
"Hope for what?" Celia became even more curious.
"Please do not kill me."
"Kill you?" Celia blinked. "Why would I kill you?"
"Because I deceived you," Ansu answered honestly.
This response clearly surprised Celia, and she raised an eyebrow. "Oh? Deceived me? Tell me exactly how you deceived me."
"I was the one who brought the church people here. I had a classmate deliver a note to the church..."
Celia's expression turned serious instantly.
"What was your goal?"
"I wanted to threaten the Holy Maiden of the church to let my sister attend school. I know the Holy Maiden has demihuman lineage, and she definitely wouldn't want her identity exposed..."
Ansu's half-truth finally found its use.
Celia was different from Ms. Mary; even if there were holes in the lie, she would believe what he said while under hypnosis.
Celia was too confident, even conceited; she would never imagine that her black magic was completely ineffective against him.
Ansu knew that secrets couldn't be kept forever, and the matter of the note and the Holy Maiden would eventually come to light.
So, he decided to take the risk and burst the bubble himself.
Under Celia's strange gaze, Ansu recounted his plan in detail, such as how he investigated the Holy Maiden’s demihuman lineage, how talented his sister was, how much his family lacked money, and even played the sympathy card...
After he "honestly" confessed everything, as expected, Celia did not show any signs of anger.
"To dare threaten a high-ranking figure for the sake of your sister?"
"How interesting." Celia’s lips curled upward. "It seems you aren't a good student after all! Just like me, you're a villain without a bottom line~"
She didn't seem to care much about Ansu threatening the Holy Maiden; instead, she was more interested in why Ansu thought he could pull it off.
"Weren't you afraid that after you lured her out, she would just kill you and bury you somewhere?"
"After all, she is the famous Holy Maiden of the church, and you are just a poor student. Where did you get the confidence to think you could manipulate her?"
"Because she is a weak-willed person," Ansu replied.
He was telling the truth this time; as a player, he was very familiar with every character in the protagonist's party.
【Heart of Radiant Radiance - Freya】 was initially designed as a bit of a naive girl, the type who was very easy to trust others.
Because she was so simple and kind, she always gave players the feeling that one could trick this poor girl into a room with any random excuse...
Fortunately, this was a proper game; if it were one of those illicit adult games, she would be the quintessential protagonist—the kind who gets tricked into a goblin cave...
However, after Freya joined the protagonist's group on the difficult path to save the world, she grew quite a bit, though that was a story from another parallel world...
"Oh..."
"I didn't expect you to know her so well."
Celia suddenly didn't know how to deal with this guy.
If it were her, she would also use any means to profit herself; what did Freya’s reputation have to do with her? In terms of selfishness, Ansu was very similar to her...
Thinking of this, Celia frowned slightly. It was rare for her to think from someone else's perspective.
Could it be that I really can't bear to kill him? Is that why I'm making excuses for him?
"Hmph!"
Celia suddenly felt a bit awkward. She stiffened her face and snorted at Ansu.
"I'll let you off this time, but remember, there won't be a next time! I don't want you contacting anyone from the church!"
Ansu nodded blankly. "Yes."
"And another thing!"
Celia suddenly leaned closer to Ansu. "How do you know that Holy Maiden so well? Secretly investigating her birthplace, secretly stalking her, knowing her personality inside out... Why are you acting like such a pervert?"
"Could it be..."
Celia's expression became somewhat strange.
She remembered their first meeting when Ansu expressed his liking for her appearance, and combined with his stalking of the Holy Maiden...
This guy didn't seem interested in humans at all, but specifically liked demihuman girls??
This subordinate of hers really had quite a unique taste...
For some reason, staring at the blank-faced Ansu, Celia suddenly felt an urge to tease him.
"The world believes that the current Holy Maiden is holy and beautiful, like a goddess descended to the world..."
"Ansu," she asked with a playful smile, "in your heart, who is more beautiful between the two of us?"
Rate on N.U.
