Celia: Who Is the Problem?

The carriage traveled along the coastline before finally coming to a halt at the entrance of a secluded seaside manor.

Several cultist guards, disguised as attendants, froze in surprise when they saw Ansu appear.

"Are the elders holding their meeting inside?" Ansu inquired calmly.

"Uh, Hermit... deacon general?" Seeing Ansu approaching, the cultists grew tense and hurriedly drew various weapons.

"Don't be nervous; I'm here for the meeting as well." Ansu smiled and waved his hand, walking straight into the winery.

The cultist guards looked at each other, unsure if they should stop him.

This was the traitor of the cult!

The massive traitor who had slaughtered Elder John and over eighty others!

"Wait! Stop right there!" Several cultists steeled themselves and lunged at Ansu's back.

In the next instant, a surge of dense mana gathered.

Ansu cast 【Mage's Hand】, and invisible strikes of mana punched each of them squarely in the jaw.

Even without accounting for his ancient magic inheritance, Ansu was a mid-tier mage proficient in 4th Circle magic. His magical prowess was considered high even within the cult, making these guards no match for him.

He stepped casually over the groaning guards on the ground and pushed open the heavy oak doors.

David's face had been filled with tension and worry, but seeing Lord Hermit charge into the winery so calmly without looking back once, his heart settled significantly, and he hurried to follow.

"Lord Hermit, your mask." Before they reached the underground wine cellar, David handed him a silver mask.

"I don't need it." Ansu wore an indifferent expression.

He had come here today specifically to make an impression. Wearing a mask would lessen the effect and fail to achieve the level of intimidation he and Celia had discussed.

Pushing open the doors to the underground wine cellar, numerous cult members wearing silver and gold masks turned their gaze toward Ansu, and the entire venue fell silent.

Through those masks, Ansu could clearly feel a variety of gazes—surprise, confusion, wariness, and, of course, undisguised murderous intent...

"Oh, everyone's here?"

Ansu smiled as he surveyed the room, walking toward the high platform of the meeting hall with a composed stride.

Under everyone's watchful eyes, hushed whispers began to spread through the hall.

"Hermit? Why is he here?"

"He came at the perfect time! Watch me capture him and present him to the cult leader..."

"Don't go! Are you crazy? Have you forgotten how John and his group died?"

"But..." a cultist stared at the Hermit's figure in confusion, "no matter how I look at it... he's just a low-ranking clergyman?"

"Doesn't that just prove his mana control is unfathomable?" another cultist's voice carried deep apprehension.

"Would a true master let you see through their depths so easily? I suggest you keep a low profile and don't stick your neck out. Something about today isn't right..."

...

Ansu turned a deaf ear to the surrounding discussions and looked toward a Gold Mask Elder. All the other elders were clustered around him; it seemed he was the organizer of this secret meeting.

"May I ask how to address this elder?" Ansu asked politely.

"Barnes."

The man didn't show obvious hostility. His deep gaze behind the gold mask simply kept scrutinizing the 'cult traitor' before him.

Ansu thought about the name Barnes. He remembered that the man was an elder from the Restorationist faction who usually kept a low profile and remained inconspicuous. He hadn't expected him to step up at a time like this to organize a Council of Elders meeting that excluded Samantha.

"Very well, Elder Barnes." Ansu maintained a respectful tone but asked as if he weren't an outsider, "Who else is attending today's meeting?"

Elder Barnes replied, "Aside from those two reckless fools hiding in the mountains to cultivate, the remaining members of the Council of Elders are all here. Additionally, there are mid-level members from various strongholds."

Ansu nodded in understanding.

"So everyone is here. That's good."

Excluding outer members, the core structure of the Echoes of Truth was as follows: executors, deacon generals, chief inquisitors, and elders. The people present were essentially the core members who could decide the cult's fate.

Elder Barnes stared at the calm Ansu with eyes full of wariness. He suddenly asked, "Hermit, may I ask if Celia... has also come?"

"She's not here." Ansu waved his hand dismissively. "Celia is busy."

After he said this, Ansu could feel some of the elders breathe a sigh of relief. Subsequently, the gazes fixed on him became even more unfriendly.

"However..." Ansu's tone shifted as he smiled again, "doesn't this winery have a teleportation node she set up? She can rush over at any time. Do you have business with her? I can call her for you if you'd like."

The elders suddenly became tense again.

"Never mind..." Elder Barnes's smile was somewhat awkward. "Let Celia focus on her own business..."

"Alright then." Ansu enjoyed the elders' rapidly changing reactions, laughing inwardly.

The Council of Elders was truly terrified of Celia.

This was the beauty of pure strength.

Elder Barnes composed himself, his voice behind the gold mask carrying a hint of probing. "Then I wonder what brings you here, Hermit? Or perhaps... is this on Celia's instructions?"

"My intention is simple!" Ansu shrugged, having no time to play riddles with him. "Aren't you all nominating a new cult leader? I have the best candidate, so I came to participate."

"The best candidate..." Elder Barnes subconsciously looked toward the other elders. "You mean... Celia."

A buzz of discussion erupted throughout the hall. One elder immediately spoke up, "But Celia holds no office! She isn't even a member of the Council of Elders!"

"That's easy." Ansu looked at that elder and sneered, "Either you induct her into the Council of Elders, or you die first, and Celia can take your place."

The objecting elder went silent immediately.

Ansu's gaze moved back to Elder Barnes as he smiled, seemingly trying to ease his worries. "Originally, the Council of Elders was quite bloated, which is why Samantha established the rule forbidding the addition of more elders. But things are different now."

"Ten elders followed Samantha to their deaths in the Royal Capital, and another dozen died in the demon ruins of the Eastern Wasteland. Only a third of you are left."

Ansu continued, "Now that the cult's elite have suffered such heavy losses, isn't this the perfect time to bring in fresh blood? Besides, while Celia may lack your age and seniority, her strength certainly meets the requirements. None of you combined could beat her alone, could you?"

It was the truth, and many elders wore expressions of helplessness.

Forget the cult; even looking at the entire continent, the top master of the Echoes of Truth and the sharpest blade in Samantha's hand was at the pinnacle of all contemporary transcendents.

One could even say she was the most brilliant genius in the field of magic since the Great Magic Collapse a thousand years ago.

But...

"Celia is strong, I admit that." Another elder stood up, looking at his colleagues with a furrowed brow. "But don't forget, she is a demihuman! She is even a demon!"

Many conservative elders who adhered to 'human pure-bloodism' had never even considered the possibility of Celia being a candidate for the cult leader's seat.

They whispered among themselves, nodding one after another. Even letting a rival take the position would be better than having a demon standing above them and giving orders.

That was a demon! The mortal enemy of humanity from a thousand years ago, the culprit behind the Great Magic Collapse, the most filthy and lowly of existences!

If it weren't for the fact that demons and mages now shared a common enemy in the Church of Holy Light, the Council of Elders would have long since marched to the north to slaughter every demon descendant they could find, along with every inferior demihuman with long ears...

"If we truly let her become the cult leader, outsiders would think the Echoes of Truth has become a branch for the remnants of the demon army..."

An elder scoffed, then inappropriately told a few 'demihuman jokes', drawing low snickers from several elderly members.

Ansu smiled as he watched this scene, not stopping their discussion.

He simply reached out quietly for his Communication Amulet.

In the next second, a faint blue magical glow slowly condensed, and Celia's sleepy, yawning voice suddenly filled the meeting hall.

"What is it, Ansu?"

"I'm sorry for disturbing your rest." Ansu winked at her with a smile. "There's a small problem with the meeting here."

"Oh, I see..." Celia rubbed her bleary eyes, her gaze lazily scanning the hall.

"Who is the problem?"

Though her tone was incredibly nonchalant, the murderous intent surging behind it...

Instantly plunged the entire hall into a deathly silence.