While chatting with his sister, Ansu suddenly noticed a change in the status of the 【Communication Amulet】 stored in his warehouse.
He took out the small amulet, and a faint string of ghostly blue light flickered.
【Lawrence Manor, come quickly!】
Lawrence Manor was Celia's residence in the Riverside District. Ansu hurriedly tucked away the amulet and looked at Vera. "Eat breakfast on your own, Brother has some business to take care of!"
Vera, busy in the kitchen wearing an apron, poked her head out and watched Ansu as he hurriedly changed his clothes.
Whenever it concerned that female boss, Brother always acted like he was on fire. Honestly...
"Mm... Brother, come back early."
Ansu smiled and waved his hand, gently closing the front door behind him.
Vera silently gazed at the fried eggs and the hearty breakfast she had prepared, letting out a helpless sigh.
Although their lives had indeed improved, for some reason, Vera actually preferred the impoverished days of the past.
Because back then, her brother was always by her side. Unlike now, their time alone together was becoming scarcer and scarcer...
Vera turned off the stove and sat on the sofa, no longer in the mood for breakfast.
Her mind suddenly became a mess.
Her brother had changed so much during this period, and more and more outstanding girls were appearing around him...
Vera always felt as if she were about to lose something.
It was somewhat laughable...
For so many years, Vera thought she had perfectly controlled her brother's social circle, making him focus on his studies so he wouldn't have any idle thoughts about those foolish and enthusiastic female students...
In the end, despite all her precautions...
Whether it was the kind and gentle Sister Freya or that impossibly beautiful, wicked female boss, neither of them were from her brother's school!
On the sofa, Vera clenched her fists indignantly.
It can't go on like this!!
...
After leaving home, Ansu was in no hurry to head to the Riverside District.
He walked down the street at a leisurely pace, keeping a constant eye on his surroundings, but the two tailers seemed to have vanished completely.
Whether it was the result of Paul and Freya working behind the scenes or Archbishop Leonard not daring to target him too openly anymore, the demon hunter organization seemed to have withdrawn their surveillance.
Only after confirming his safety did Ansu finally hail a hired carriage.
Upon arriving at Celia's mansion, the head maid led him all the way to the second-floor drawing room. Opening the doors, Ansu found that quite a few people had already arrived.
Aside from Celia, who was watching him with a deep gaze, there was also Samantha, a tall and thin middle-aged man, and five very familiar cult elders.
"Our Deacon General has finally arrived."
Seeing Ansu appear, Samantha smiled and introduced him to the others. "As for this new member with the code name Hermit, I don't need to introduce him further, do I?"
The middle-aged man observed Ansu for a moment, and a friendly smile soon appeared on his face. "Oh? It turns out Mr. Hermit is actually so young?"
Under everyone's gaze, Ansu calmly walked to Celia's side.
Celia teased him in a low voice, "You performed another great service for the cult yesterday~"
"Not at all..." Ansu could only put on a humble expression. "I am a member of the cult as well. Contributing to the cult is my bounden duty!"
"Mr. Hermit is far too modest!" the middle-aged man complimented with a smile. "The Empire and the Church suddenly launched a suppression campaign against the Squirrel Party. If it weren't for Hermit's quick thinking yesterday, taking advantage of the chaos to lead away three of our cult executors, the consequences would have been unimaginable."
Several elders nodded in agreement, their eyes filled with expectations for this rising star of the cult.
If Samantha's promotion of this newcomer to the position of Deacon General of the Benalu District had previously caused some murmurs, then after yesterday's incident, no one would likely question his abilities ever again.
Being praised like this, Ansu immediately feigned an expression of being overwhelmed by the honor.
Celia introduced the man to Ansu in a whisper, "He is 'Scholar'. He was recently promoted to chief inquisitor. The position you took over was originally his. I heard he has good talent, and the teacher appreciates him very much."
"As for the others, they are all elders from the Truth faction. Their names are..."
Ansu nodded. Three of the elders were familiar faces—they were the three Gold Mask Elders who had been slow to open the teleportation circle. In the end of the simulation, they had all been forced to reveal their true faces. It seemed that everyone present was one of Samantha's most trusted confidants.
He hadn't expected to be allowed to participate in such a secret meeting. The old witch truly treated him as one of her own worth nurturing.
After the pleasantries, the cult high-rankers continued their discussion. Ansu discovered they were debating whether to end their cooperation with the Squirrel Party.
"I heard even the high-ranking members of the Squirrel Party were captured..." an elder said with a furrowed brow.
"Setting aside how poor their intelligence system is, they didn't even notify us immediately after such a thing happened! This is enough to show how disorganized their organization is. I suggest we stop cooperating with those fellows in the future to avoid being dragged down by them!"
"That's just how demihumans are." another elder sneered. "I heard their leader is a demon descendant who fled to the northern borders years ago. The intelligence of these half-humans is practically the same as the yaks on the northern snow plains. Is this what they call convergent evolution?"
Most members of the Council of Elders looked down on demihumans. Following a few 'demihuman jokes', bursts of sneering laughter echoed one after another.
Ansu instinctively glanced at Celia's expression.
Her eyelids were lowered, making it impossible to see any emotion at all.
"Cooperation can be suspended for now." Samantha suddenly spoke. "But do not forget, we are natural allies on many fronts. If the demihuman resistance organizations are completely wiped out by the Empire, it will be very unfavorable for our situation as well."
Having become the rightful cult leader, Samantha naturally had to consider the 'big picture'.
Although the elders had some complaints, they ultimately agreed with Samantha's view. The cult would continue to maintain a 'friendly attitude' toward the Squirrel Party.
After concluding these matters, Samantha shifted her gaze toward Ansu, who had remained silent, and suddenly asked:
"Hermit, how is your search for that Chosen One going?"
"My apologies, Cult Leader Samantha." Ansu lowered his head. "The Church has been conducting strict inspections lately, so I could only keep a low profile. Therefore, I haven't..."
"I understand." A flash of disappointment crossed Samantha's eyes. She interrupted Ansu and reminded him again, "Once this storm passes, the mission to find the Chosen One must be prioritized!"
Ansu, of course, nodded repeatedly.
"If you need anything during the mission, everyone here will cooperate with you." Samantha approached and lowered her voice. "Hermit, you must remember! This matter is extremely important to me and to the cult. I have performed divination magic once again, and time is running out..."
Celia sensed a hint of urgency from the other's expression. "Teacher, what did you divine this time?"
"The result of the divination is..." Samantha narrowed her eyes gloomily. "This Chosen One is already getting closer and closer to me..."
Ansu stared at Samantha as she approached, thinking to himself, Am I not just getting closer and closer to you...
A sense of crisis also rose in his heart.
The old witch's divination magic really was something. If she tested it a couple more times, she might actually find him out...
Rate on N.U.
