Celia knew of Ansu's respect and admiration for her.
Under the influence of 【Hypnosis】, he had already confessed these small thoughts without reservation, so there was no lie in it.
He liked her appearance, admired her strength, and acknowledged her ambition...
But...
Celia also knew that none of these things had anything to do with "love."
Of course, her thinking this way certainly did not mean she had fallen in love with Ansu... she would never fall for the person before her!
Such a ridiculous thing as love would never happen to Celia, the Ash Witch.
She was just...
Celia looked at the dull-eyed Ansu, her mind suddenly becoming a mess. She did not know why she was suddenly becoming so sentimental.
Perhaps out of greed, she also hoped to receive more...
Finally, under Celia's slightly expectant gaze, Ansu slowly spoke.
"In my heart, there is only the image of Miss Witch. I will never betray Miss Witch."
"I know, but..." Celia was not satisfied with Ansu's answer this time.
But for the Ansu before her, thinking this way seemed only natural.
A forcibly imposed psychological suggestion, such a "brand," indeed seemed to have nothing to do with "love."
Celia let out a soft sigh, and those blood-red eyes that looked like swirling vortexes slowly faded away.
Forget it...
Even so, is it not good enough to have someone who will be forever loyal to her?
What exactly was she asking for?
...
Ansu's expression gradually recovered. He looked at Celia before him and blinked in confusion.
"Your Excellency?"
"It is nothing..." Celia did not meet his gaze. She turned her face away and said impatiently,
"What were you trying to say earlier?"
"Oh, I would like to borrow some of Your Excellency's magic texts. It would be best if I could take them home to read."
"As you wish." Celia turned and walked toward her alchemy table, seemingly having no intention of continuing the conversation.
Watching Celia, who was once again immersed in magic research and completely ignored him, Ansu's heart felt increasingly strange.
He had, of course, heard the question she just asked.
"Besides loyalty and admiration, do you really not have any other thoughts at all?"
What did that mean? Was she developing feelings for him? Why else would she suddenly ask that?
But after thinking it over, Ansu tried his best to dismiss this absurd notion. How could the vile witch truly feel anything? If she was not teasing him, her possessiveness was likely acting up again...
That was why he had given a correct and moderate answer. At the very least, "loyalty" was a safe bet.
To be honest, Ansu's feelings were quite complicated when facing Celia again in reality.
On one hand, she had indeed fought her way into the Church to save him, even risking half her life in the process...
She had not broken her word. She would not abandon him because of a powerful enemy like the Church. As a "boss," Celia was quite qualified.
But on the other hand, the consequences of provoking Celia's sensitive spot regarding "betrayal" were also quite severe.
Only excessive care could produce such extreme hatred... This gave Ansu a sense of powerlessness, as if the throat of his fate were being strangled. Celia's possessiveness made him feel suffocated...
Sigh, forget it, do not think about it...
Resolving his "destined death" was his primary task.
Ansu slowly walked toward the rows of wooden bookshelves and began to search patiently through the magic texts.
Celia's home was like a treasure trove. Ansu walked around in a large circle, collecting many grayed-out skill icons. Although he could not use them yet, he felt the excitement of browsing a mall and adding items to a shopping cart.
However, despite the abundance of magic skills, Ansu discovered a problem. All the skills he could collect were low-level magic below the 3rd Circle.
This likely had to do with the world-building of the Sword of Evernight. The current Third Era was known as the "Era of Humanity," but it was also a Deterioration Era where magic was in great decline.
After the world-shattering war a thousand years ago, the entire magic system seemed to have been "cursed." For magic above the 3rd Circle, the higher the level, the more dangerous it became. Magic casters would often suffer from unstoppable pollution and mana backlash. Some would even hear non-stop whispers in their ears, leading to mental collapse and self-destruction.
Nowadays, the Empire's authorities regarded dangerous magic as "black magic" or "forbidden magic." The magic that was legally permitted had devolved to the point where it was almost no different from stage tricks.
But Celia was an exception. In the plot, one rarely saw Celia going mad due to pollution.
This was related to her demon lineage. Demons were born with great magical talent. A thousand years ago, they were seen as a noble race born for magic.
"It seems if I want to learn more profound and powerful magic, I will need some other opportunities." Ansu was not in a hurry. After all, he was the Chosen One blessed with a "halo."
Given that the day was drawing closer, he needed magic that could provide a significant boost in a short time and had greater versatility.
Ansu's gaze slowly fell on two of the skills.
【Shadow Bolt (1st Circle magic)】
【Shadow Stealth (1st Circle magic)】
The proficiency requirements for these two shadow magic spells were both over 300. As expected of higher intensity spells, this long progress bar made Ansu click his tongue. He did not know how many days it would take to finish learning them...
It would be best if he could finish before the Academy Open Day. That way, he would at least have some ability to protect himself.
...
Over the next three days, Ansu arrived at the classroom with deep dark circles under his eyes.
His appearance as an overachiever once again sparked discussion among his classmates. Kevin looked at Ansu as he sat down with a surprised expression. "No way, there are not many classes lately, right? The exams are still far off. Why are you so exhausted?"
"Just studying... what else can I do?" Ansu said helplessly. The difficulty of 1st Circle magic was not on the same level as 0-Circle magic. He felt that if he continued studying like this, he might start hearing whispers even from 1st Circle magic...
"I admire you, I really do..." Although Kevin knew he was an unpromising scion of a wealthy family, he still sincerely admired people who studied as hard as Ansu.
"Oh, by the way, that Holy Maiden from the Church seems to be staying at our school and refuses to leave?" Kevin showed a suspicious expression.
"It is strange. Every time Archbishop Paul comes to give a lecture, she follows him. Do you think she... is here for me?"
The surrounding students immediately burst into laughter. Kevin's words were somewhat delusional.
"Hahaha, you goblin, you are hallucinating again! How could a beautiful and noble Holy Maiden be here for you?"
"Hey! Stop dreaming and wake up!"
"Who has a full bladder? Hurry up and piss him awake!"
"No!" Kevin glared at the student across from him. "How am I a goblin? Even if I am a goblin, I am a rich goblin prince! Besides..."
Kevin could not stand the laughter. He turned around, lowered his head, and said to Ansu in a mysterious tone:
"I feel like that Holy Maiden has passed by our class several times. The way her eyes keep scanning around, it looks like she is looking for someone..."
"It could not be because of that note, could it?"
"I am doomed. She must be here for me this time..."
Ansu silently watched Kevin's nervous yet expectant expression, thinking that he was indeed overthinking things.
While Kevin was whispering, Ansu subconsciously glanced outside. Over the past few days, he had indeed felt a sense of being "secretly watched"...
This eerie feeling of being monitored made him feel uneasy, as if he had returned to the days of being secretly observed by Ms. Mary...
No, it was even more serious than that time.
Ansu's gaze swept around, moving from the front and back doors of the classroom slowly toward the garden outside the window.
Freya's figure frantically hid behind the bushes...
Ansu's forehead was covered in black lines.
Wait... is this how you "keep your distance" from me?
Rate on N.U.
