Win or Lose?

Ansu gazed silently at Freya.

After she spoke those words, those pale gold eyes watched him without wavering, her entire face filled with persistence, or perhaps... stubbornness.

"Freya..." Ansu was truly taken aback.

Was this still that kind, soft little Holy Maiden? Why was she being so assertive today... It was as if someone else was playing her character.

"Lord Ansu will agree, won't he?" Freya said softly. "You said it yourself; I've helped you so many times, yet you've never been able to help me with anything..."

"Ansu... aren't we good friends?" Freya lowered her head slightly, letting out a disappointed sigh. "But good friends should help each other and give to one another... If you refuse, I'll be very, very disappointed..."

Ansu watched the pink-haired girl before him with a complicated expression. If Freya encountered any trouble, he would help her no matter how difficult it was, but this request...

He was truly a bit resistant to any promise that involved the word "forever."

The atmosphere grew quiet once more.

Even though Ansu hadn't said anything yet, Freya could feel the hesitation in his heart.

A flash of cunning flickered in her downcast eyes.

She would use Lord Ansu's sense of guilt toward her to achieve her goal!

Freya knew deep down that she might never be able to demand things from Lord Ansu as forcefully as the Ash Witch... nor could she demand his indulgence and love as naturally as Vera did for her brother... But! That was no reason to give up!

All she could do was persist... and stay by his side.

Time was the most wondrous magic; even the coldest, most solid glacier would be melted by the sun... One day, Lord Ansu would become accustomed to her presence by his side, and he would gradually realize that his life could not be without her!

At this thought, Freya hardened her resolve.

She looked up, gazing at Ansu with anticipation, her smile turning bright once more. "I believe that as the Chosen of God, as someone so righteous and kind, you wouldn't refuse such a small request of mine, both logically and emotionally!"

"Lord Ansu! Please, just agree!" Freya suddenly gripped Ansu's hand, pressing it against her chest along with her own, closing her eyes in prayer just as she always did.

"Your appearance before me was an arrangement of the gods. To live up to their trust, you should grant my request, Lord Ansu... All of this is fated. Let me stay by your side forever and witness every moment to come with you!"

The moonlight spilled over her cheeks like liquid silver, and her porcelain skin seemed to emit a faint, holy glow. Freya's eyelashes trembled slightly, her gaze burning like fire.

"Uh... alright, alright, I didn't say I wouldn't agree!" Ansu struggled to pull his hand away from that surging softness, wondering if the little Holy Maiden was starting to use her feminine charms again...

He kept observing the excited Freya. After talking this long, he had noticed something was off...

Freya's words were coming out in a perfectly prepared script; she had definitely come ready!

But unfortunately, he was the type of person who responded to the soft approach rather than the hard one...

Glancing at the little Holy Maiden's happy, "scheme-succeeded" smile, Ansu rolled his eyes at her in exasperation.

What kind of top-tier psychological battle was this... She actually managed to play me.

"Really? Really?" Freya was so overjoyed she nearly jumped. "That's wonderful! Lord Ansu! You finally agreed!!"

Ansu's expression gradually turned serious, and he spoke with an air of righteous dignity. "As my chief confidant, there are indeed some core secrets I can allow you to participate in, however—!"

"The great cause of salvation is a long and difficult road. I can let you stay by my side and assist me, but if you want deep involvement, you must have the ability for it!"

Freya nodded repeatedly. "Don't underestimate my resolve! I will be helpful! As long as Lord Ansu takes me along whenever you do anything!"

Her greatest worry before was that Ansu always seemed to keep things from her, as if he didn't want her to know... It felt as though she could never enter his heart, and she feared that once he accomplished his goals, he wouldn't need her anymore and would drift away...

Although Freya hadn't guessed Ansu's original plan to run away with Vera, her sharp intuition had indeed detected his escapist mentality, bringing her very close to the truth...

"Mhm..." Ansu believed in Freya's potential, especially after she mentioned she was close to mastering God-Descent. "Regarding my future plans for the Echoes of Truth and the Church of Holy Light, I will explain everything to you without reservation when we have time. But before that... there is one more thing you must do!"

"What is it?" Freya asked quickly.

Ansu instinctively looked around, then warned her with a solemn expression:

"First! Do not offend Celia."

...

Deep into the night, Maplewood Town was shrouded in silence.

The night wind blew through the quiet streets. Freya unconsciously wrapped her cloak tighter around her. Although the temperature was dropping, her steps were exceptionally light, her heart filled with a warmth that radiated from within.

Walking back to her room and pushing open the door, Vera immediately rushed over.

"Sister Freya! How did it go?"

Freya quietly closed the door. When she turned back, her face was full of victorious joy, and she happily gave a thumbs-up.

"Vera! You're amazing! It was all thanks to your encouragement just now!"

As soon as Vera saw that happy expression, she knew the scheme had worked. She flashed a confident smile. "See! I told you! To change my brother's mind, that blockhead, you have to be proactive! Force him to make a choice!"

Freya couldn't help but giggle foolishly as she recalled how Lord Ansu had opened up to her for so long.

"Family really does know each other best! Vera, Lord Ansu has never been so sincere with me... From now on, our relationship will definitely become closer and more honest..."

Freya gently held Vera's hand, looking up at the ceiling with dreamy longing in her voice.

"Do you think... we'll be like the previous generation's hero party in the legends... where the Chosen One and the Holy Maiden start as comrades and eventually become a couple whose hearts are connected? After all, that's the most natural ending..."

Vera watched Freya, who was now lost in a gentle, beautiful fantasy. After hearing this, she felt an inexplicable tightness in her chest.

But in the end, she managed to force a smile. "Mhm... maybe, perhaps it will be like that."

"Right? Right!" Freya became even happier.

"But... I'm still a bit curious. What exactly did you say to him?" Vera looked at her with curiosity.

Even though she had encouraged Sister Freya to "attack proactively," be brave, and not fall behind that bad woman...

She felt like the results were a bit too good. Was her brother really that easy to move?

Freya then recounted her soft-soaping and even the guilt-tripping words she had used. As she spoke, Vera's expression gradually turned to surprise.

"Sister Freya..." Vera let out a helpless laugh. "The proactive attack you understood seems a bit different from what I had in mind."

"Did I do something wrong?" Freya became inexplicably nervous. Should she not have said those things?

"Not really..." Vera sighed inwardly. Freya hadn't actually done anything wrong; in fact, it worked even better.

By permanently binding both sides through a "mission," her brother would likely never be able to shake off this eternal chief confidant...

And in this regard, Sister Freya's role was much larger than her own. There were some things her brother wasn't even willing to tell her, and she had to find out by asking Freya indirectly...

"Sister Freya, you did a great job..." Vera looked at her with a complicated gaze, realizing she was much smarter than she had imagined.

Suddenly, she felt like her own plan... was starting to feel a bit out of control.

"Huh? Really!" Hearing Vera say that, Freya finally breathed a sigh of relief. She excitedly hugged her. "Vera! Thank you for planning this for me! Thank you so much!"

Vera was smothered by Freya's enthusiastic embrace, struggling for a long time before she could poke her head out from that soft chest.

"No need for thanks! Sister Freya is so good to me, I just gave a little suggestion. My brother's matter mainly depends on you..."

As she said this, Vera caught sight of the dreamy, sweet look in the other girl's eyes again and quietly lowered her head, her heart a mess of emotions.

Those chaotic thoughts spread through her mind like wild weeds.

Vera let out a deep sigh in her heart.

For the first time, she felt a sense of regret for being Ansu's sister.

She couldn't help but feel...

That after all that scheming, was she the one who lost in the end?