It was already dusk by the time they left the academy.
As they walked down the street, Ansu noticed that the atmosphere on several main roads in Benalu City was unusually quiet today.
In the past, the street beneath his feet was usually bustling with pedestrians, but today there were very few people, and many of the shops along the way were closed.
Celia clearly noticed these changes as well, her gaze suddenly shifting toward one of the shops.
"I sense it... the annoying scent of holy light."
Ansu looked over as well and saw several armed personnel from the Church of Holy Light emerging from that shop, escorting a panicked-looking citizen into a carriage fitted with metal bars.
This wasn't an isolated incident. As they walked, the two of them noticed many church guards and police patrolling the area.
Every house had its doors tightly shut, and Benalu City suddenly felt as if it were on edge.
"Is the Church planning some kind of operation?"
Ansu instinctively thought of something, his gaze scanning the few remaining pedestrians, trying to find the two followers among them.
"That man and woman are still following us, in the coffee shop on the corner," Celia reminded him with a cold sneer.
Ansu walked to the side of the road and bent down to tie his shoelaces, using the movement to casually glance back.
Sure enough, through the glass window of the coffee shop, Ansu saw a man reading a newspaper and a woman drinking coffee.
The two didn't spare him a single glance and their behavior seemed perfectly normal. No one would ever suspect they had been following him the entire time.
But Ansu remembered the faces of these two demon hunters.
"Lady Witch, I think it's best if we head home separately..." Ansu whispered. "I suspect the Church is searching for suspicious individuals in the city."
For a cult organization to operate so brazenly within the city and even collude with an archbishop, the Church of Holy Light would certainly want to take the opportunity to purge them and strike hard against cults and heretics once the initial chaos settled.
"I figured as much, but my teacher is already prepared." Celia looked at Ansu, suddenly offering a playful, tempting smile. "So, does this mean... you won't be coming to my house to study magic tonight?"
Ansu looked at her helplessly. In truth, he really wanted to...
He glanced again at Celia in her academy uniform, feeling quite a bit of anticipation at the thought of her 'punishing' him while wearing those clothes...
Ultimately, however, common sense won out over his baser instincts.
"Lady Witch, I know you aren't afraid of being followed, but if they find out you aren't actually a member of the Craig family..."
"That doesn't matter," Celia explained with a smile. "Because I really have been adopted under Count Lawrence's name. My teacher has been working on that connection with Count Lawrence in secret for many years."
Ansu nodded. It seemed the guise of an Imperial noble was quite useful, enough that even the 'Ash Witch' could walk openly through Benalu City without needing a disguise.
But just then, Celia's expression suddenly changed, and she lightly touched her handbag.
"It's a magic communication..."
That pendant-like 【Communication Amulet】 could transmit very simple messages. Celia looked at Ansu with a hint of surprise. "Teacher only uses this to contact me in emergencies."
The two stepped into a small alley. Once she had finished reading the message, Ansu quickly asked, "What happened?"
"Something seems to have happened to the cult!" Celia's brow furrowed. "Teacher is calling me over for urgent support. I have to head to the Black Harbor District immediately."
As she spoke, she looked toward a hired carriage on the roadside. "I can't talk more, I have to go now."
"I'm coming with you!" Ansu immediately followed.
"No!" Celia's eyes were full of disapproval as she hurriedly said, "For her to call me for backup, the scale of the conflict must be significant. For safety's sake, do not follow me!"
Ansu was about to say more, but Celia turned back and watched him with a cold expression.
"I said, don't follow me."
"Be good!"
Ansu could only stop in his tracks, helpless.
He watched as she hailed a carriage, paid the fare, and the vehicle quickly sped away from the block.
Ansu scanned the desolate street. The two demon hunters were sitting on a roadside bench chatting, maintaining a steady distance from him.
An ominous feeling suddenly rose in his heart...
Ansu still remembered the clues he had obtained after his last simulation.
'You perceive something unusual behind the calm surface of life, as if a new conspiracy is brewing...'
Regardless, he had to follow. He felt that something might happen to Celia this time.
Of course, he would follow her within the simulation.
Since he wanted to use a ten-hour simulation, Ansu went into a bookstore, borrowed a book, and sat in a corner to flip through it.
He quietly pulled out his 《Future Diary》.
Opening the planner, Ansu quickly wrote several paragraphs in Chinese characters on a blank page.
"Next, I will hail a hired carriage and follow Celia to the Black Harbor District to see the specific situation."
"Record every unusual occurrence! Even if the behavior is just strange, write it down!"
After repeatedly reinforcing the psychological suggestion in his mind, Ansu put away the planner and decisively started the simulation.
【10 hours later (May 5, 03:35), cost 50 points】
【Start simulation?】
【Simulation starting...】
Everything around him paused, and darkness quickly enveloped his vision.
When the ornate text of the countdown faded, the scene before Ansu's eyes had undergone a massive change.
The quiet bookstore at dusk had turned into a rocky beach by the sea, where a dilapidated seaside winery was engulfed in a raging fire.
This place was... the headquarters of the cult in Benalu City. Instead of going to the Black Harbor District, how did I end up following her here?
Ansu immediately looked around. He felt as if he had only just arrived at the seaside winery, as several curious fishermen were gathered nearby, all looking toward the burning manor in the distance just like him.
"What's going on? Why are there so many Church and military personnel... Did the owner of that winery do something wrong?"
"The winery owner seemed like a decent person. My son even worked in that manor once..."
Ansu noticed that on the outskirts of the winery, there were many armed church personnel and fully equipped Empire soldiers. This was clearly a large-scale siege operation.
Looking further out, he saw that they had even brought in cannons...
"Excuse me, can I borrow your torch for a second?"
Ansu borrowed a torch from a fisherman and then crouched on the ground, using the light to read through his diary.
Lines of distorted text gradually became clear, and various memories flashed through Ansu's mind.
"I wanted to take a carriage to the Black Harbor District immediately, but those two demon hunters suddenly came out and stopped me, saying I needed to go to the Church of Holy Light for investigation."
"It took a lot of effort, and I even managed to kill that male demon hunter named Ken. After running a distance, I finally managed to hail a carriage. Dammit, what a waste of time!"
Ansu gradually recalled the scene of piercing that male demon hunter with a Shadow Bolt on the street...
A repeat performance... is this move just your hard counter?
"I had only just arrived at the Black Harbor District when I saw several criminals being captured on the street. I don't know if they were cult members, but I was already too late."
"Using my status as a Friend of the Church, I went forward to strike up a conversation and heard that they had an even larger operation in the outskirts."
"Isn't that place the headquarters of the Echoes of Truth in the Benalu region? Celia might have rushed there instead."
"There are a lot of Empire soldiers on the road. It seems this is a joint operation between the Church and the Imperial Army."
"After four hours of jolting on the road, the carriage couldn't go any further before reaching the abandoned fishing port because the road to the winery was blocked."
"Sounds of explosions are coming from the winery. The army is using cannons, and the light from the holy divine arts hasn't stopped once. It seems both sides are very determined about this siege. I must move faster..."
The record ended there, and Ansu's memories were finally complete.
Frustratingly, because the distance was so great, most of his time had been wasted on the road, which made him resent those two time-wasting demon hunters even more.
Putting away the planner, Ansu took the torch and ran quickly toward the winery.
Along the way, there were corpses almost everywhere. Most belonged to Empire soldiers, with a few being clergy and cultists. As Ansu ran, he was stopped by several soldiers on guard.
"Who are you? Military operation in progress, no further entry allowed!!"
The dark muzzles of the guns were all pointed at Ansu.
But Ansu had no time to worry about that, because he had already spotted the figure of the witch.
Rate on N.U.
