After making all the necessary preparations, Ansu decisively activated the 【Simulation】.
Darkness gradually shrouded his vision, and the ornate countdown appeared before his eyes once again...
【Future: 10 hours later】
【Radiant Calendar Year 625, April 18, 04:05】
【Starting simulation...】
When he opened his eyes again, the surroundings had changed drastically.
Ansu found himself in an unfamiliar, dilapidated wooden shack where the air was cold and damp, and the sound of crashing waves echoed in his ears.
Looking out the window, the morning sun had not yet risen, and a thick mist clung to the coast, making everything outside appear hazy and indistinct.
How did I end up by the sea?
Benalu City was a port city, and this place was likely in the outskirts, far from the commercial harbor. The air was thick with the scent of fish, suggesting it was probably a nearby fishing village or a pier...
Ansu continued to observe his surroundings, and along with the fishy smell, he caught something else...
A faint scent of blood.
Ansu hurried to the window and immediately noticed signs of battle around the shack; not far away, several corpses of monks in white robes were even lying on the ground...
This...
Needless to say, if nothing unexpected happened, then something unexpected had definitely happened...
Right! Ansu suddenly remembered something and quickly pulled out the notebook tucked in his pocket.
Opening it to the page where he had made his notes, Ansu’s expression froze instantly.
Wait, what the hell is this?
On the paper, besides the few lines of Chinese characters he had recorded at the start, the rest were strange characters—distorted block symbols like AI-generated gibberish...
It looked like an Ancient God language; he couldn't understand a single word!
Damn it! Did my attempt to exploit a system loophole fail?
But that shouldn't be right. After all, the system had said this was the top-tier simulation engine capable of perfectly simulating the future. His past actions should have an impact on the future...
For example, if he were drinking milk before the simulation, then after the simulation started, that milk should either be in his stomach or spilled; it should have a continuous existence...
But as he pondered this, something miraculous happened.
As Ansu kept staring at these distorted symbols, they seemed to clear up in his senses. The simulation system was gradually correcting the "changes" he was supposed to have caused.
Ansu vaguely remembered the events associated with each entry, and memories began to flash through his mind like a slideshow.
That's more like it...
These were still my memories; it seemed the system was reliable after all.
Ansu breathed a sigh of relief. Taking advantage of the current calm, he read the distorted script as it became legible while quickly recalling the events.
"About an hour later, I followed Freya to the Holy Dome Cathedral. To avoid attention, I wore simple clergy robes and disguised myself as a clergyman."
"The three candidates for the papacy Freya mentioned—Archbishop Paul, Archbishop Leonard, and Archbishop Terry—were all present. Freya held a secret meeting with them."
"I couldn't learn the contents of their meeting, but they must have had a fierce argument, as Archbishop Terry stormed out."
Images of the three archbishops arguing vaguely surfaced in Ansu's mind. This turn of events was unexpected, especially since Freya had sounded so confident earlier. It seemed the three of them couldn't reach a consensus at all.
"The kind Archbishop Paul and the short-tempered Archbishop Terry seem to have a major conflict. Like Freya, Paul is certain that I am the Chosen One; he told me the Church would become my solid backing. However, Archbishop Terry believes I am a fraud, a blasphemer, and a user of sorcery who should be immediately detained and sent to the Inquisition of Heresy."
"Finally, under the mediation of the other archbishop, Leonard, their dispute was put to rest."
"That little fool Freya didn't seem to expect things to turn out this way and was full of apologies toward me. She said that no matter what happens, she will stand by my side."
Recalling this, Ansu didn't even know how to begin criticizing Freya; the little Holy Maiden had made things out to be far too simple.
Where there are people, there is politics. When a "Chosen One" appeared—someone below the gods but above the entire Church—would the believers listen to the Pope, the archbishops, or the Chosen One? The situation was far more complicated than it seemed.
Since the original page was full, Ansu flipped to the next one.
"Archbishop Paul whispered to me that he and Archbishop Terry have irreconcilable differences in their ideologies. He told me not to worry and that he would do his best to protect the Chosen One."
"Archbishop Terry’s attitude toward me was terrible. Even though I had already warned them that a cult organization was planning an evil sacrificial ritual at the academy, he still didn't believe me, thinking that I, a fraud, was just spreading inflammatory lies."
"He believes that after the last extermination operation, those lingering pagan rats are all under control. He was certain they couldn't possibly pull off something like that at the academy, and his expression was quite firm."
Ansu’s expression gradually turned suspicious.
This was very strange. Cultists felt like they were everywhere to him, yet Terry, a high-ranking Church official, was lying through his teeth. Did he really not know, or was he just pretending?
"Freya was confused by how I kept holding my notebook and recording things. I couldn't make it too obvious, so I could only record briefly after that."
"Archbishop Paul also didn't quite believe the cultists could pull off such a major move. After I told him and Freya about Celia, Archbishop Paul finally believed me. Freya told me not to worry, saying that with the Church's help, even the Ash Witch couldn't harm me."
The next few notes were very chaotic and brief, clearly recorded in a rush.
"I stayed at the cathedral until the early hours of the morning."
"Before leaving, Archbishop Terry came to speak with me alone. Freya was very nervous."
"Archbishop Terry actually guessed that I am currently deep within the Echoes of Truth? He wanted to know about that notorious cult and demanded I tell him all the intelligence I have."
"He used this to threaten me, promising that he wouldn't cause me any more trouble in the future."
"I casually mentioned some trivial information. Archbishop Terry didn't seem satisfied, but he had no choice but to let me leave."
Recalling this, Ansu felt that this Archbishop Terry was very suspicious...
As he pondered, he flipped to the next page.
To his surprise, the originally detailed records suddenly cut off. The next page had only one sentence written in messy handwriting...
"Holy crap! Celia is attacking!"
"......"
Ansu silently closed the notebook and put it away.
With that witch around, there was certainly no way to keep recording. At the same time, he understood what was going on with the corpses outside...
Ansu left the dilapidated shack. The mist had cleared slightly, and with his vision opened up, he saw an abandoned fishing pier in the distance.
He walked forward slowly, and the number of corpses around him grew.
The bodies of these clergymen were mostly mangled and incomplete; an entire thicket of bushes had even been stained a deep scarlet...
Just how many people did she kill...
Suddenly, Ansu felt a violent surge of magical aura approaching.
"An... su!"
Celia's low voice, devoid of even a hint of warmth, appeared behind him.
Ansu spun around.
Celia had clearly gone through a difficult battle. She was covered in blood, her body riddled with wounds of all sizes, one on her shoulder even deep enough to see the bone.
A black aura symbolizing foul magic continuously spread from her body. Celia's demon traits were fully revealed, and her terrifying blood-red eyes were currently fixed on him.
"I thought... you had been captured by the Church."
"Heh..."
Ansu had never seen such an expression on Celia's face. She was trembling all over as if suppressing extreme rage.
At the same time, the black, foul aura grew heavier. Black cracks gradually appeared on her skin, making her look like a white porcelain vase on the verge of shattering.
These were signs of mana backlash.
Even Ansu, with his Chosen One constitution, was severely affected.
The aura of foul magic made his body stiffen and his brain shiver with fear, even causing him to hallucinate Celia as some kind of incomprehensible entity...
"You betrayed me! You betrayed me!!"
Celia’s face was horribly distorted as she questioned him in a rage, "You clearly promised... you clearly promised you would never betray me! But you still did it! Why? Why did you join the Church?"
"I..." Ansu found it difficult to face such a furious Celia and didn't even know how to explain himself.
"Is it because of her? Is it because of her?!" Celia suddenly lifted a dark object from behind her and tossed it at Ansu's feet.
A pungent smell of blood wafted over. When Ansu saw the round object rolling to his feet clearly, his pupils shrank instantly.
It was a head.
The head of Holy Maiden Freya.
Her bloodshot eyes were currently staring right at him, filled with a trace of despair and resentment.
No matter how rational a person was, seeing a beautiful girl who had just been laughing and talking with them end up like this—a blood-stained head tossed casually on the ground—they wouldn't be able to remain calm.
Ansu covered his mouth, a sudden urge to gag washing over him.
This sickening scene made his stomach churn, and Celia's madness filled him with heartfelt fear and repulsion.
Seeing Ansu’s body go limp and start trembling uncontrollably, Celia finally smiled.
She broke into a twisted laugh.
Rate on N.U.
