After class, Ansu left the classroom and began searching the garden with a look of utter exasperation.
It didn't take long for him to find the sneaky Freya.
She was currently hiding behind a decorative shrub. Before she even heard Ansu's footsteps, her small nose twitched, and as if catching a scent... she instinctively turned toward Ansu.
"Lord Ansu!" Freya was startled at first, but then her expression turned to one of delight.
She hurriedly patted her clothes and trotted over to him. "You're finally willing to see me!"
Ansu looked at Freya, who still had a leaf caught in her pink hair, feeling even more speechless.
"If I didn't come to see you, were you going to follow me all the way home? You're the dignified Holy Maiden of the Church; can you please stop following me around like a female pervert every day?"
"Ah..." Freya lowered her head in embarrassment, her voice becoming a bit fidgety. "I'm not... I just happened to be passing by today and wanted to see if Lord Ansu was here..."
Passing by my door "accidentally" every single day? Ansu muttered to himself. You really don't even know how to pretend...
He glanced around. There was a couple on a garden bench nearby, so he sighed. "There are too many people here. Let's find somewhere else to talk."
"Okay..." Freya nodded softly.
The two of them arrived at the small chapel where they had met before.
Watching Freya carefully close the door, Ansu couldn't help but ask, "Why are you always at our school? Don't you have any work to do?"
"Oh, that..." Freya explained with a smile. "Actually, I'm usually not allowed to leave the Church. But Archbishop Paul's lectures at the Royal Academy have been very well-received, so I suggested he come to the school more often. That way, I can sneak out for a stroll and see Lord Ansu again!"
Seeing Ansu's constant look of exasperation, she quickly added:
"And don't think I'm just idling about! Serving the Chosen One is my job now! I finally found you, so how could I ever let you out of my sight?"
Ansu's expression immediately turned serious. "I told you, don't call me that in public."
Freya nodded. "Of course, Lord Ansu!"
Ansu glanced at her again.
Freya gave an awkward laugh. "An... Ansu."
"I need your help with something," Ansu said, cutting straight to the point.
"As you know, I am secretly investigating a secret organization. I can tell you now that this evil cult is very likely to endanger the entire world in the future. For the safety of the world, I have no choice but to go undercover within them..."
Ansu didn't mention the name Echoes of Truth, but even though his description of the organization was quite vague, Freya's eyes widened, and she couldn't help but fill in the blanks in her mind...
Lord Chosen One really does have a secret mission! No wonder he didn't want to admit it to me before...
The more Freya thought about it, the more she felt it was true. At the same time, she couldn't help but feel worried.
An evil cult that would endanger the whole world... It must be incredibly dangerous for Lord Chosen One to be undercover there! She really wanted to share some of his burden.
"What do you need me to do?" Freya asked urgently. "I will do my best to help you!"
"You were the one who pushed the three archbishops to come to Benalu City to find the Chosen One, right?" Ansu wanted to confirm once more.
"Yes, that's right," Freya nodded.
"So now... who is in charge of finding the Chosen One?" Ansu knew Freya's status within the Church. Although she was the noble Holy Maiden, it was essentially an honorary position similar to a saint, without much actual power.
"It's all decided in private meetings between me and the three archbishops. There isn't actually a specific person in charge," Freya answered.
"Aside from the four of us, no one else knows about this. If you're asking about specific deployments within the Church, the three archbishops handle those."
Ansu fell into deep thought. If his "Church setup" theory was true, then the mastermind had to be one of these four people.
First, he ruled out Freya.
On one hand, he knew her role in the future plot. He was absolutely certain this airheaded Holy Maiden didn't have the brains for such secret machinations.
On the other hand...
Ansu silently studied the Freya before him.
At this moment, those large almond eyes were staring blankly at him, clearly not understanding the situation. Seeing him study her, she thought she had said something wrong and blinked nervously.
She's too dim-witted...
If she's the mastermind, I'll eat shit! A whole ton of it!
Of course, there was another important reason Ansu dared to trust her so much—in the simulations, she had always tried her best to help him.
She had even lost her life for it.
She had quite literally lost her head...
Ansu cleared his throat, bringing the daydreaming Freya back to her senses.
"Listen, I have a mission for you."
He lowered his voice. "I need you to pay close attention to these three archbishops. Figure out their daily routines and report their movements to me every day. If they do anything unusual, report it to me immediately."
As Freya listened, her expression gradually became confused.
Lord Chosen One wanted her to secretly monitor the three archbishops?
"What do you mean? Could those three archbishops..." Freya gasped in surprise. "Is there something wrong with them?"
"It's just a suspicion, but I need you to help me prove it." Ansu, fearing Freya might be reluctant to take the mission, stared at her with a feigned air of mystery.
"This is a very important task! I believe there is a god-defying heretic within the Church of Holy Light! If that person is allowed to lead the Church in the future, they might lead us all to destruction!"
"Is it that serious?!" Freya's eyes widened. "But... how do you know?"
"Do you think you're the only one who can receive divine revelations?" Ansu snorted. "Don't forget who I am! I am even closer to the Goddess's revelations than you are. Everything I do is according to the instructions of the divine decree!"
Freya stared blankly at Ansu, her expression suddenly turning to one of shock.
That's right, the person before her was the Chosen One. His very purpose for existing was to carry out the Goddess's will and save the world!
"I understand!" Freya looked as if she had received a divine decree herself, her small face becoming extremely serious. "Leave this mission to me. You can count on it!"
"I'm not so sure..." Ansu sighed helplessly, thinking of the past three days she had spent stalking him. "If you follow them the way you've been following me, you'll be caught on the very first day..."
"That won't happen this time!" Freya gave an embarrassed laugh. "I... I was probably just too worried about you, Lord Ansu, which is why I was so careless."
"When I go back this time, I won't follow them so openly! Besides, they usually stay in the Church. If they go out anywhere, it'll be easy for me to find out..."
"I hope so..." Ansu muttered.
Freya saw Ansu's expression and suddenly felt a bit underestimated.
She puffed out her cheeks and said moodily, "Don't look down on me like that... Have you forgotten? I have a talent that's perfect for tracking!"
Ansu frowned. "Your sense of smell?"
"Mhm! Mhm!" Freya nodded vigorously. "No one can escape my nose!"
Ansu chuckled, feeling like this Holy Maiden really was like a dog.
"Though, I am actually quite curious now..."
"Curious about what?" Freya blinked.
Ansu looked Freya up and down, a sudden, expectant smile appearing on his face. "That talent of yours is related to your lineage, right? Freya, could you show me... your demihuman form?"
"Huh?" Freya was stunned.
Then she shook her head decisively. "No! Absolutely not!"
"Why not? Can't even I see it?" Ansu said with a smile. "I am your Chosen One, after all."
"Even so... no!" Freya lowered her head, her cheeks flushed. "I don't want anyone to see my other side. I don't want Lord Ansu to see that part of me..."
Seeing her strong reaction, Ansu felt a bit of doubt.
Why did that sound so strange? It almost felt suggestive...
It's just a beast-eared saintess, what's the big deal?
"But what if I really want to see it?" Ansu looked at her dazed yet cute appearance and couldn't help but want to tease her a bit.
"Freya, you wouldn't want... your Chosen One to not trust you in the future, would you?"
Rate on N.U.
