Ansu looked at Freya with confusion. "I did have something to ask you... but, a plan? What plan?"
How did he not know he had a plan?
"The plan to purge the entire Church of Holy Light, of course!" Freya knew Ansu was always reluctant to reveal too much to her, but she had already guessed it! Lord Ansu couldn't hide it from her!
His first mission for her was to root out Bishop Terry as a traitor. As soon as Lord Ansu took action, he shook the entire corrupt Church to its core, making those profit-driven bishops and clergy members afraid to continue their reckless behavior.
It seemed Lord Ansu intended to achieve exactly that effect.
Next, he would surely continue to purge the Church of Holy Light and set it back on the right track, making it truly represent the will of the gods, light, and justice... just like the doctrines of a thousand years ago.
The more Freya thought about it, the more excited she became.
She gazed at the man before her with fanatical eyes. This version of Ansu was the ideal Chosen One in her heart!
Freya's fanatical gaze was honestly getting to be a bit much for Ansu, so he immediately signaled her to stop.
"Wait, just wait a second..."
"Freya, I'm afraid I'm going to have to disappoint you. I have no intention of purging the Church right now, nor do I have the ability to do so."
Ansu looked at the surprised Freya and spoke truthfully. "I don't think I've ever actually admitted to being the Chosen One, so you shouldn't always hold such high expectations for me."
The greater the expectation, the greater the disappointment.
He really didn't want to see the little Holy Maiden's face when her ideals shattered, or at least, he didn't want her to direct that at him...
Dealing with Celia and her obsessive possessiveness was already hard enough.
If he added a pathological Holy Maiden who 'hated' him because of her broken ideals, he really would want to restart his life.
After hearing this, Freya let out a soft sigh.
The expression on her face wasn't one of disappointment; she simply felt regret for Ansu.
"The gods sent you to me as a revelation. Whether you admit it or not, I have decided that you are the Chosen One."
She lightly stroked her chest again, causing her full curves to sway slightly. "I understand you. I know you are very dissatisfied with the current state of the Church of Holy Light, and even I feel powerless regarding the current state of our faith."
"But it doesn't matter!" She stepped forward, suddenly grabbing Ansu's hand and pressing it against her chest with the piety of a prayer.
"I am willing to change the status quo with you! No matter how difficult the road ahead is, I will not give up!"
"Uh..." Although Ansu tried his best to keep his 'auto-aim' from activating, it was a losing battle because the sensation was simply too soft.
Can you stop grabbing my hand to pray every chance you get... You're making even a non-believer like me want to join the faith.
"Freya..." Ansu felt like he was riding a tiger and couldn't get off.
Since she had said all that, it wouldn't be good to reject her too harshly if he still wanted to get information out of her.
He could only try to be as tactful as possible. "The corruption within the Church of Holy Light is deep-seated. It's not something one person can change overnight, so I suggest you..."
"Lord Ansu!" Freya blinked. "Do you not have any further ambitions?"
"Further ambitions?" Ansu was stunned for a moment.
"Yes!" Freya nodded vigorously. "I do not wish for Lord Ansu to remain in the shadows. I believe you should become the true leader of the Church of Holy Light!!"
Ansu stared silently at the determined Freya, thinking to himself, why does this sound so familiar?
Aren't these my lines?
Except he was the one who had said them to Celia...
"I'll pass." Ansu struggled to pull his hand back, saying casually, "The weather is quite hot; I have no need to add a yellow robe to my wardrobe..."
Freya, please don't get me into trouble!
"A yellow robe?" Freya naturally didn't know the historical allusion. She looked at Ansu in confusion. "What do you mean by that?"
"Nothing, nothing..." Ansu waved his hand. "Since you've come all this way, let's get down to business. Tell me your side first. Report the Church's movements over the past week to me."
"Understood." Freya nodded slightly and began her report. "Lord Ansu, the results of Bishop Terry's trial have been released."
"By the unanimous decision of the Council of Bishops, Bishop Terry has been found guilty. His crimes include blasphemy, collusion with heresy, leaking sacred secrets, abuse of power, dereliction of duty, breach of oath, misleading believers, and apostasy..."
Ansu listened to Freya list the crimes for a full two minutes. By the end, Freya's cheeks were slightly flushed, and she was almost out of breath.
"It seems Bishop Terry really was a target of universal condemnation... Every possible crime they could think of was pinned on him."
"But he deserved it!" Freya furrowed her delicate brows, her face full of indignation. "If Bishop Terry's conspiracy had succeeded, who knows how many people would have died at the Royal Academy, and what a massive blow it would have dealt to the people's faith in the Holy Light!"
"I heard he died in prison?" Ansu asked.
Freya nodded. "To keep Terry alive for the trial, the capital urgently dispatched a squad of the strongest healing priests to treat and pray for him non-stop. However, due to the severity of his injuries, he didn't even last until the Council of Bishops convened..."
"Good that he's dead," Ansu said with a smile.
He was a man who held grudges. He could finally cross one name off the list of Bishop Terry, Archbishop Leonard, and Samantha in his little notebook.
After chatting with Freya about Church affairs for a while longer, Freya suddenly asked:
"By the way, Lord Ansu, you said you had something to ask me when you arrived. Do you have a new plan?"
"Yes, that's right." Ansu spoke of his intentions. "Freya, I need you to look into something for me within the Church. I need information regarding the whereabouts of the remnants of the demon army from a thousand years ago, as well as any information related to the treasure they buried."
Ansu felt that the Church would be much better informed about this than the cultists.
After all, the Church of Holy Light was a religious organization that had existed for a thousand years. In comparison, the Empire was only about three hundred years old. An ancient organization that traced its heritage back to before the Demon Calamity War naturally possessed a vast ocean of historical data and documents.
"The demon army's... treasure?" Freya looked at Ansu in confusion. She hadn't expected him to want to know about that. "Why are you looking into this?"
"You don't need to know that for now." Ansu gave a mysterious smile. "It's all part of the plan."
Since the little Holy Maiden was so willing to fill in the blanks herself, he might as well let her.
"Oh, I see..." Freya nodded blankly. "Alright, I will report back to you as soon as possible."
Since Lord Ansu said so, he must have a reason.
Looking at the Holy Maiden who was already lost in her own thoughts, Ansu nodded with satisfaction and waved goodbye.
"If there's nothing else, I'll be heading back."
"Ah! Lord Ansu, wait!" Freya remembered something and quickly called out to him. "Please come with me to the Holy Dome Cathedral tomorrow. The Council of Bishops wants to commend you for your heroic deeds!"
Ansu paused. That's right! He almost forgot to ask; the Church was supposed to give him money.
"Freya, how many pounds is the Church of Holy Light planning to reward me with?"
"Huh?" Freya stared blankly at Ansu. "Lord Ansu, you seem to be very short on money..."
She had thought that as the great Chosen One, living in such a poor district was just an act for others to see.
"Of course." Ansu gave a dry laugh. After all, his original plan was simply to make money and enjoy life.
It was just that after meeting that vile witch, things had taken a slight detour...
Rate on N.U.
