Maplewood Town was exceptionally quiet deep into the night, with only the rustling of the night wind through the trees and the sound of two pairs of footsteps on the empty streets.
The cold moonlight spilled onto the flagstone path, stretching their shadows long as they walked side by side.
Ansu looked at Freya, who had been walking with her head down in silence, and finally couldn't help but break the silence.
"Freya, what... what exactly do you want to talk about?"
She clearly looked like she had something to say, but after asking him out, she had just been wandering aimlessly, leading them in circle after circle around the outskirts of Maplewood Town...
Because they kept walking in circles, even the cult executor quietly hiding in the shadows on duty was starting to yawn.
Freya raised her head, her cheeks slightly flushed, not quite daring to meet Ansu's exasperated gaze.
"I don't know..."
"Huh?"
"Oh, no!" Freya quickly shook her head. "Lord Ansu, I have so many, many things I want to talk about!"
Ansu looked at her with even more helplessness, wondering why she had gone back to that formal address.
Freya cautiously raised her eyes; ever since she learned that Lord Ansu had been chatting with that Ash Witch, her heart had been in a mess for some reason...
And when she saw that warm, soft smile on his face after he finished the chat, she felt even more irritated. Without thinking, she had instinctively asked him to walk and talk with her.
As a result, they had been wandering in silence until now...
"Lord Ansu." Freya took a deep breath and asked softly, "Your relationship with that... Ash Witch in your cult... it must be... quite good, right?"
"Yeah." Ansu nodded, then thought to himself that 'quite good' might not even be enough to describe it anymore...
Freya's heart sank when she saw the flicker of emotion in Ansu's eyes.
Just as she thought...
She suddenly realized a completely ridiculous thought she'd had before.
'Lord Ansu refuses to leave the cult... could it be because he's reluctant to leave that bad witch?'
Now, it seemed like everything was truly heading toward such an ending...
This was a result she didn't want to see no matter what.
Freya lowered her head again, her smile becoming incredibly bitter. "If only I had found Lord Ansu sooner..."
She sighed softly. "If that were the case, you wouldn't be deep within the Echoes of Truth, and you wouldn't have established such a relationship with that witch... If only I had met you sooner..."
If she had met Lord Ansu earlier, the position of the person he shared everything with, the one most intimate with him, would have been hers!
Instead of that rotten, evil witch!!
Besides, if things continued like this... wouldn't she be standing by and watching Lord Ansu fall into darkness? Abandoning the light??
Thinking of this, Freya's chest felt inexplicably tight, and her pale gold eyes suddenly fixed intently on Ansu.
Perhaps due to a loss of emotional control, her tone became low and suppressed, and for the first time, she questioned the Lord Ansu she respected most, "Have you... already been bewitched by that witch? Do you no longer yearn for the light, and will you no longer walk the path of salvation?"
Ansu looked at the little Holy Maiden who had suddenly become agitated and persistent. Did she think his 'original intentions' were wavering, so she was starting to appeal to his values?
Thus, he also retracted the faint smile from his face.
"It wasn't bewitchment."
"Eh?"
"There is no existence in this world that can bewitch me!" Ansu's tone carried a hint of confidence and pride.
"So you don't need to worry. Every decision I've made so far has come from my own heart. Rest assured, everything is proceeding according to the original plan!"
Freya was stunned for a moment, instinctively following his answer. "So..."
"I'm telling you, the Echoes of Truth is truly rotten to the core!" Ansu glanced around, then suddenly leaned close to Freya mysteriously and said seriously, "I've been undercover for so long, and I know the evil of this organization far better than you. The ultimate goal of their teachings is to make the world regress! Back to the ancient era where black wizards could do whatever they wanted, like gods among men!"
"And the goal I want to achieve is to secretly seize the cult's power! I will completely transform this evil organization, which is incredibly dangerous to humanity, into a moderate, or even positive and progressive legal organization!"
This was the first time Ansu had revealed his true purpose to Freya.
He wasn't lying; this was indeed what he thought.
"Lord Ansu, you..." Freya opened her mouth in surprise. She had always thought his actions were just a temporary measure, but she never expected...
That he harbored such a grand vision and ambition?
After saying all this, Ansu gave a mysterious and profound smile.
No one understood how to 'appeal to higher values' better than he did.
The night wind grew colder. Freya looked at Ansu walking beside her and suddenly handed him the clothes she was holding.
"I almost forgot, Lord Ansu... You must be freezing after walking so far with me..."
Ansu took the coat and put it on. It was indeed a bit warmer. "Thank you."
"If all of this is truly as you say, a part of the plan..." Freya realized that if she truly destroyed his 'special relationship' with the Ash Witch, she would instead become an obstacle on his path to salvation. This left her in a bit of a dilemma.
Under the moonlight, her delicate face was filled with hesitation and conflict.
Freya remained silent for a long time before finally letting out a deep, yielding sigh. "I won't sabotage Lord Ansu's plan, and I will never become a stumbling block on your path to salvation. However, you must promise me one thing..."
"What is it?" Ansu looked at her.
"Even though Lord Ansu has planned everything out, this path is truly filled with unpredictable dangers... I don't want you to carry it all alone anymore." Freya's voice was soft, but her tone was full of resolve. "I want you to stop keeping your plans and schemes from me. I want to join in too!"
"Join?" Ansu was taken aback. "Haven't you always been part of it? You've already helped me a lot."
"No! I want to be involved more deeply!" Freya's eyes were determined. "I want to be a deep participant!"
Ansu silently observed the little Holy Maiden draped in her cloak and smiled helplessly. "A deep participant? Freya... it's not that I'm looking down on you, but if you get dragged into the mess of the Echoes of Truth, especially if you're constantly fluttering around in front of her, I'm afraid you'll meet a very miserable end..."
"I won't provoke her." Freya had already heard from Vera about the Ash Witch's previous visit, so she had some understanding of her moody and paranoid personality.
"Lord Ansu, please do not underestimate my resolve, nor my ability to adapt! I will make her realize... that I am useful, very useful! I am an indispensable... good chess piece for achieving your goals."
Freya saying this truly surprised Ansu.
He quietly gazed at the pink-haired girl before him, who seemed fragile yet displayed such startling courage at this moment. She was always able to anticipate his thoughts, even considering the thing he worried about most...
What he worried about, of course, was the ultimate field of carnage—the kind where heads might roll.
Ansu didn't want Freya to die; he wanted the little Holy Maiden to be well.
This kind and gentle girl, who was like the most beautiful sunlight, deserved a good ending.
"I won't become a burden to you. I have the ability to protect myself now!" Freya lowered her head, a hint of cunning flashing in her eyes as she chuckled. "I didn't just set things up for you during this trip to the Royal Capital. I also learned a little something..."
"What did you learn?" Ansu asked curiously.
"God-Descent." Freya gave a faint smile. "This strongest divine art of the Church of Holy Light shouldn't need much explanation, right? After Mr. Seance taught me how to perform it, I've gradually touched upon the secret to success. I've already felt... the unprecedented true power of the Holy Light."
Ansu looked at her in surprise. He certainly knew the fame of God-Descent; he had even witnessed it once.
During that battle at the academy, the entire blood sacrifice ritual of the Echoes of Truth couldn't compete with it. Samantha had fled with her tail between her legs, and even Celia had quickly escaped with him while he was severely burned...
After all, that was borrowing the great power of a deity. It was the true trump card that had kept the decaying Church of Holy Light from falling even now...
Has the little Holy Maiden suddenly powered up? Has she become a 'Super-sized' version of herself??
Ansu truly felt a sense of newfound respect for her. Freya was also growing in secret...
"Now you can finally rest easy!" Freya looked at Ansu's surprised expression, her heart full of secret laughter because she felt the pride of a small scheme succeeding.
She was responding perfectly to Lord Ansu's line of thinking!
She was very useful; Lord Ansu shouldn't even think about shaking her off~
"First, I won't be a soft target that can be easily bullied in front of the Ash Witch! I have the ability to protect myself now!" Freya smiled with full confidence. "My potential and value are completely equal to hers!"
"Secondly!" Freya continued, "I will become a powerful aid to Lord Ansu! I will let you see my irreplaceable role!"
"I suspect Lord Ansu also has some ideas regarding the Church of Holy Light, right? Otherwise, you wouldn't have let me go to the North. I know what you want to do now!"
Freya smiled and blinked. "You want Archbishop Paul and me to start anew! To stand as a rival to the conservative bishops in the Royal Capital! Therefore, the potential believers in the vast Northern lands might all become our supporters in the future!"
"Freya..." Ansu looked at her silently. "You've become so smart lately..."
"Being with Lord Ansu, if I didn't become smart, I'd be forced to become smart..." Freya pursed her lips, her heart becoming gloomy again.
She used to be too stupid!
If she had been smarter, if she could have seen through all this earlier, Lord Ansu wouldn't have been snatched away by that bad woman, to the point where she had to catch up so desperately...
"Finally..."
Freya gazed deeply at Ansu and said softly, "Lord Ansu, let me be selfish just this once... Now, I want you to repay me."
"Repay...?"
Freya gave a radiant smile, one that seemed like a pure white flower blooming quietly under the moonlight. "That's right, repay! I've already helped you so much. This time, I want you to listen to me, to repay everything I've done for you for so long. I want you to return my kindness."
The night wind blew past, making the stray hairs by her ears sway gently.
"I want you to allow me to always stand by your side, to witness everything with you until this world is completely saved!"
Rate on N.U.
