Am I Just a Prop in Your Little Game?

After getting off the steam bus, the sky had grown increasingly dark, and Ansu walked home alone.

Just as his figure turned into a narrow alley...

From the depths of the darkness behind him, countless insects crawled out from beneath the sewer grates, gradually converging into the shape of a man.

Elder Hall narrowed his eyes, his gaze dark and sinister as he watched Ansu's retreating back.

Just thinking about crouching outside the school all day made Elder Hall feel a wave of frustration; how could those two stay in the library for so long?

But fortunately, they couldn't stay glued together forever, and now he finally had his chance!

Elder Hall thought to himself.

Everyone had been waiting for so many years, and that old hag Elder Samantha was finally about to die, with their Restorationist faction on the verge of dominating the entire cult...

But what no one expected was that Samantha would actually take in such a formidable apprentice before her death.

If not for Celia, that mad witch with her world-defying strength, Samantha definitely wouldn't have lived until now!

Those nerdy fools in the Truth faction, who only focused on researching magic, were long out of touch with the times! Therefore, to prevent this thousand year old cult from going astray, and for their true sacred mission...

Celia must be eliminated! Samantha's right hand must be severed!

...

Walking through the alley, Ansu suddenly heard a strange rustling sound.

He stopped in his tracks and looked back...

He immediately saw countless insects surging toward him from the darkness.

This guy finally showed himself...

A withered and ugly figure coalesced not far in front of Ansu.

"Ansu Morris."

Elder Hall likely thought this was their first meeting; his lips curled into a smile that was meant to be mysterious.

"Allow me to introduce myself. I am Elder Hall of the Council of Elders."

"I believe you should know what the Council of Elders means to the cult."

"Since you have already joined our Echoes of Truth, it is necessary for me to convey our sacred mission to you..."

Elder Hall's opening lines were similar to the last time, sounding quite fanatical.

However, Ansu did not give him any face at all.

"Sacred mission my foot! Will you ever give it a rest?"

A bolt of 【Illumination】 that had already been trained to LV.3 was hurled straight at him.

Hall was stunned as a blinding white light suddenly flared up.

Caught off guard, he immediately let out a miserable scream.

"What, what is this!"

Few people would ever raise such a utility level 0 spell to this level, so Ansu's move was essentially like throwing a flashbang directly at his face.

"Damn it! Are you crazy, kid? How dare you!!"

Elder Hall was stung by the scorching light, and the swarm of insects surrounding Ansu instinctively recoiled.

Ansu turned and ran.

Elder Hall cursed under his breath. After the brief 【Illumination】 faded, the insect swarm finally reacted, surging like a tide toward the direction Ansu had fled.

"Damn it! Truly worthy of being the one chosen by that mad witch..."

Just like her, he didn't play by the rules!

Elder Hall narrowed his eyes painfully, staring intently at Ansu's fleeing back.

Since this kid was being so uncooperative, he couldn't be blamed for what happened next...

He would make this boy wish he were dead! He would make him regret his actions!

The entire ground trembled slightly as the gathered swarm of insects turned into a terrifying monster, catching up to Ansu in just a few seconds.

Elder Hall gave a cruel laugh and reached out to grab Ansu's neck.

But at the very moment the giant hand made of insects was about to touch him—

A powerful surge of magic condensed instantly, and the dark swarm of insects slammed into it as if hitting a wall, sending disgusting insect juices splashing everywhere.

Elder Hall looked around in surprise. "Who is it?"

"You ugly old thing, you really have a short memory, don't you?" Celia's mocking voice drifted slowly from the darkness.

Ansu turned his head to find Celia appearing beside him at some unknown time.

Her purple eyes fell upon him, and she asked in a low voice, "Are you alright?"

"How could I be alright? I was almost eaten by bugs..." Seeing Celia appear, Ansu joked, "Lady Witch, it seems you followed me anyway because you were worried~"

"I did not follow you!"

Celia crossed her arms and gave a cold snort. "And I didn't come here specifically to protect you either!"

Ansu silently watched Celia as she tried to distance herself from the situation.

So you just happened to be out for a stroll in the middle of the night and accidentally ran into me?

Tsunderes are out of fashion, Miss Witch...

Celia also seemed to realize her excuse was a bit flimsy. Her cheeks flushed slightly as she immediately explained:

"I... I actually knew Hall was following you, so I intentionally lay in ambush for this long just to lure him out and eliminate this threat once and for all!"

"Oh, so that's how it is!" Ansu nodded, not pressing her further.

Whatever you say...

"But that move just now wasn't bad~" Celia suddenly changed the subject, a smile reappearing on her face.

"And what makes me even more pleased is that your understanding of magic is much stronger than those old fossils in the cult."

Celia felt that Ansu was indeed a talent worth molding, so she began to share her philosophy with him. "Basic utility spells like Illumination are always neglected by others, but I believe every spell has its research value. There are no useless spells in this world."

She glanced mockingly at Hall, who was now trapped by several invisible walls.

"This guy is a perfect negative example. He's gone mad from studying magic. He thinks that by specializing in a single high level spell, he'll be invincible. He even went as far as transforming his body into a swarm of insects... it's simply beyond stupid."

Ansu thought to himself that it wasn't like he didn't want to specialize in high end magic, he just didn't have any other options since he only knew these two moves...

But he still nodded supportively. "The Lady Witch is right."

"Are you two seriously chatting right now?" Elder Hall let out an infuriated voice. The insect swarm he controlled kept slamming against the invisible walls, sending black insect fluids flying everywhere.

"Let me go! Celia, do you not know who I am?"

"If anything happens to me, my other colleagues in the Council of Elders will never let you off!!"

However, Celia had no intention of paying him any attention. Elder Hall's shouting became nothing more than background noise to their conversation.

"But speaking of which... you actually understood that ancient text so quickly?"

She studied Ansu, her eyes reflecting a hint of surprise. "It seems I really underestimated you!"

Ansu's magic learning speed far exceeded her expectations. Could this guy really be a magic genius?

Celia felt more and more that keeping Ansu around had been an incredibly correct choice, and she suddenly had higher expectations for him...

"You must have already thoroughly read through that 《General Magic Knowledge》 by now." Celia thought for a moment. "How about this... starting tomorrow, come to my house every evening..."

"Go to your house?" Ansu blinked.

"Yes, my place is quite spacious. You can practice magic there without worry." Celia nodded.

"Then... will the Lady Witch personally tutor me every night?" Ansu couldn't help but feel expectant.

"My time is very valuable." Celia shook her head. "What I mean is, my current residence houses many ancient texts related to magic. You can borrow and read them as you please. As for whether you can learn them, that will depend on your own ability."

"That's great!" This was exactly what Ansu lacked right now.

It didn't matter if there was no famous teacher to guide him; as long as he could unlock the magic skills, with the progress bar there, learning any spell was just a matter of time.

He had observed the last time he went to Celia's house that her collection of books was like a treasure trove!

"Then tomorrow..." Celia began slowly.

"Enough!" Elder Hall interrupted their conversation, unable to contain his rage.

They had been chatting casually since the beginning, even laughing and smiling! Were they completely acting as if he didn't exist?

Are you two flirting here? Can you be serious for a second? Am I just a prop in your little game?

"What an annoying fellow..." Celia muttered impatiently.

She turned around and walked slowly toward the trapped Elder Hall.

"Hall, after you go back, convey this to everyone for me."

"If anyone troubles me again, the only outcome is death!"

Elder Hall was stunned for a moment. Was she planning to let him go?

"Fine! I will definitely convey it! Celia, let me go first!"

He shouted with a mix of surprise and urgency.

"Mm, alright." Celia replied with a smile. "I'll send you home right now..."

A faint smile hung on the corners of her mouth, but as soon as the words left her lips—

A destructive aura that could incinerate everything instantly enveloped the entire swarm of insects.

Elder Hall's surprise turned to despair in an instant as he cursed in agony:

"Celia! You... lunatic!!"

"Lowly demihuman! Beast! Demon!!"

Listening to Elder Hall's screams and curses, Ansu thought about how even this line of dialogue was a perfect replica.

Elder Hall's vocabulary was a bit lacking...

After a long while, the alley finally fell silent.

In the spot where Elder Hall had just been, nothing remained but a pile of pale white ashes.

Celia waved her hand, and the ashes were blown into the sewer by a gentle breeze, leaving not a single trace behind.

She gave a light chuckle. "What I meant was, I'm sending you to hell to convey it to them."