The moment the demon hunter’s muzzle shifted, Ansu instantly cast a Shield spell. The alchemical bullets slammed into the thick magical barrier, their kinetic energy completely absorbed.
The opponent pulled the trigger repeatedly, yet Ansu remained unmoved. The bullets failed to stir even a single ripple, and a series of crisp metallic clinks echoed as the spent slugs hit the ground.
Ken’s eyes narrowed. He realized he was facing an opponent whose magical prowess far exceeded his own.
"Mr. Ken..." Ansu’s smile was meaningful. "You might not know this, but you already owe me two lives."
The demon hunter before him was indeed an 'old friend.' Not long ago in Benalu City, Ansu had already taken him out twice in the simulations.
But there would be no third time.
"What?"
Ken furrowed his brows. Though he couldn't understand what Ansu was talking about, the undisguised killing intent radiating from the young man made him instinctively take a large step back.
Ansu’s smile didn't waver as he pulled out an alchemical revolver significantly larger and bulkier than his opponent’s.
The body of the Mage Killer glinted with a dull metallic luster under the firelight. Intricate magic circuits were carved into its long barrel, and combined with its intimidating large-caliber design, this masterpiece truly embodied a sense of violence aesthetics.
Bigger was definitely better.
Feeling a brief moment of satisfaction, Ansu instantly raised the muzzle.
As a practitioner of the most 'pragmatic' combat style, the demon hunter sensed something was wrong with that sidearm. His figure flickered like a ghost as he lunged into the shadows of the street corner.
"Heh, trying to run?"
Ansu’s sharp gaze locked onto the retreating figure attempting to merge with the darkness. Even with Shadow Stealth, Ken was a tier below him.
Boom—
With just one shot, the opponent let out a muffled groan. His entire body was slammed against a wall like it had been hit by a heavy sledgehammer, the sound of breaking bones exceptionally clear.
Ken’s expression was one of sheer horror. He clutched his broken ribs in agony and scrambled to his feet, but to his despair... Ansu’s second shot had already erupted with a lethal flash of fire.
The alchemical bullet tore through the air. A second later, a mist of blood filled the air, leaving behind only a mangled corpse.
This trusted confidant of Archbishop Leonard, a veteran demon hunter, had gone from starting a fight to being scattered in pieces in less than ten seconds.
"Lord Hermit!" Ryan and the others, who had been pinned down by Ken for a long time, crowded around excitedly, their eyes gleaming with reverence. "What should we do next?"
Ansu’s cold gaze swept the area. The three remaining guards, witnessing the demon hunter’s gruesome end, lost their final shred of will to fight and fled in terror toward the end of the street.
Ryan and the others instantly understood Lord Hermit’s look. Using the cover of night, they quickly gave chase to the escaping guards.
Before long, three still-warm bodies were dragged back to the fire. Ryan led his men to pile all the corpses together. "Lord Hermit, do you need us to handle the evidence?"
"I’ll do it." Ansu used Mage's Hand to lift the bodies one by one, refining them into nothingness in an instant.
Freya watched this scene silently, her eyes flickering slightly.
Tonight, she had seen another side of Lord Ansu...
...
"Let’s go." When Ansu turned back, the coldness in his eyes had turned into warmth. "Vera is still waiting for us."
Freya nodded gently. "Okay."
The carriage sped through the night-shrouded Benalu City. Freya watched the city and the chaotic crowds receding outside the window, unconsciously pulling the hood over her head to hide her ears.
From now on... she was no longer Freya, the Holy Maiden of the Church.
"What are you thinking about?" Ansu asked softly.
Freya paused, shaking her head with a bitter smile. "Nothing..."
She didn't regret losing her status as the Holy Maiden. She was just... not quite used to her familiar life being suddenly overturned.
Her pale gold eyes instinctively drifted toward Ansu sitting opposite her.
Realizing that he would be accompanying her, the anxiety and confusion in her heart finally began to fade.
At least... I still have him.
Ansu watched Freya quietly. Although she said nothing, he could still sense the subtle shifts in her emotions.
This solitary little Holy Maiden must be very lost. Even though he had given her the direction of 'going North,' the distance was still full of unknowns for someone who had never truly controlled her own life.
Ansu didn't continue the heavy topic. Instead, he stared at the hood she was wearing and asked teasingly, "Freya, you haven't been able to retract your ears, have you?"
"Ah..." Freya lightly touched her hood, instinctively trying to pull it tighter.
"Y-Yes. Ever since I met that demihuman priest, it’s as if my lineage was triggered. Even though I try very hard to retract them every day, I just can't do it..."
Such an appearance would surely attract attention on the road. Freya knew she couldn't cause trouble for Lord Ansu, so she had prepared this hood long ago, intending to wear it indefinitely.
Seeing her working so hard to hide her fuzzy ears, Ansu’s gaze couldn't help but show a hint of disappointment.
"Oh, I see..."
"But since you don't want people to see them, once we reach the North, I’ll find an expert to look into it..."
Freya noticed that fleeting look of disappointment. She froze for a moment, then belatedly recalled that he seemed to have a special preference for demihuman girls...
But...
A contradictory and complex feeling suddenly welled up. Freya truly didn't want to be seen by others, but she also wanted to please Lord Ansu...
"H-How about this..." Freya’s cheeks flushed red as she took off her hood, and her fuzzy, cat-like ears instantly popped out. "Since Lord Ansu likes them, I’ll only show them to you from now on... is that okay?"
"Sure, sure..." Ansu stared unblinkingly at the pair of cat ears, reaching out his large hand to rub them. "Why hide them? They're so cute, Freya! You have to learn to be your true self!"
"Oh..." Freya buried her face even lower, clutching the hem of her clothes tightly, her heart filled with an embarrassing sense of shame.
Ansu suppressed a smile and stopped teasing her, his gaze slowly drifting toward the window as they left Benalu City behind.
...
The night grew deeper. When the carriage finally arrived at Maplewood Town, Vera, who had been pacing anxiously outside a courtyard, opened her eyes in delight.
"Brother! And Sister Freya!"
Vera ran over. Ansu and Freya stepped forward, all three of them wearing smiles of relief after their reunion.
"Didn't you say you'd be here right away..." Vera looked at her brother helplessly. "I ended up waiting so long, I was worried sick!"
"Ran into a little trouble on the way." Ansu smiled as he took her hand and led Freya into the private residence that David had already arranged.
"Brother, are these all your subordinates?" Vera looked at the cult executors who were bowing to Ansu along the way, her face full of wonder. "You're really amazing now! You're as cool as some big villain from a mysterious dark organization!"
Freya looked at the ever-energetic sister and couldn't help but chuckle. She knew Lord Ansu’s other identity as the deacon general of the Echoes of Truth. In a sense, he really was a 'villain' in a dark organization...
Of course, she wouldn't forget that this was merely a temporary measure for Lord Ansu. He would eventually leave that evil organization.
Ansu, like her, would always belong to the faction of light, and light and darkness were naturally incompatible.
Rate on N.U.
