"Lies... which ones were lies?"
Celia questioned him, her voice filled with agitation and resentment.
The cracks on her cheeks had spread to the corners of her eyes, looking like black tears trickling down. "Tell me! Tell me right now!!"
"The matter with the note was a lie," Ansu said coldly. "I didn't actually want to threaten Freya. I just wanted her to come and save me because I knew who you were from the very beginning."
"What thirst for transcendent power? What nonsense about people looking down on me or wanting to avenge my father... it was all to deceive you! My goal was to evoke your sympathy, to make you think we were the same kind of people..."
Her dark red eyes flickered violently, and Celia's trembling hand tightened its grip.
"The information from the Church of Holy Light... Freya told me all of it voluntarily..." Ansu's breathing became difficult, but he continued without hesitation. "Because she trusted me... she was certain I was her Lord Chosen One."
"I used your trust in me to deal with Archbishop Terry... and to stop the cult's plots at the Benalu Royal Academy that would have endangered me..."
"After that, I used the fact that both organizations recognized me to play both sides... and profit from it. Samantha, the archbishops, Freya... and you! Every single one of you was played for a fool!"
Ansu felt a strong sense of suffocation. "And also..."
"Enough... don't say another word!" Celia didn't want to hear any more. She gripped Ansu's throat tightly, her voice raspy with despair. "Shut up! Shut up right now!!"
"From the moment we first met... I've been lying." Ansu's vision grew darker, and his consciousness began to fade, yet he kept speaking.
"There was never any 'never betraying you.' Not a single day went by where I didn't want to escape from you..."
"Celia, you're a woman with... a terrible personality. You're moody, you have no moral values... you just do whatever you want..." Ansu's face contorted into a difficult, mocking smile.
"You never cared about my life or my dignity, so how could I ever truly trust you? Be loyal to you? Those promises... don't you find them ridiculous yourself?"
"Ansu!!!" Celia's anger and disappointment reached their peak, and her arm suddenly exerted force.
In the next second...
Ansu was lifted and then slammed heavily onto the ground.
He clutched his throat, gasping for air, his entire body curled up like a shrimp.
Celia crouched down and grabbed Ansu's hair, her face twisted and hideous like a vengeful spirit.
"I'm going to kill you! I'm definitely going to kill you!!"
Ansu closed his eyes, resigning himself to his fate.
Go ahead, kill me! That way, I won't have to deal with this conflict and hesitation anymore!
This life of mutual torment and constant testing...
It should have ended long ago!
...
One second.
Two seconds...
Ten seconds.
Celia never made a move.
Ansu looked up in surprise. By the sunlight streaming through the cave entrance, he saw Celia slumped on the ground, looking as dejected as a broken puppet.
"Fake."
"It's all fake..."
She laughed bitterly. "I'm so pathetic. I thought... I actually had something... I thought you at least felt a sliver of... sincerity toward me."
'There was never any never betraying you...'
Those words were like a cold awl stabbing into her heart. Ansu had ruthlessly shattered all her fantasies...
Since meeting Ansu, this period had been the happiest time of her boring life.
From initial curiosity to trust...
And finally, to dependence.
She was always looking forward to the next day, hoping Ansu would bring her even more surprises. She loved the way he would talk endlessly in front of her or crack jokes. Gradually... she had reached a point where she couldn't stand not having Ansu by her side...
Celia liked Ansu's intelligence and composure; she admired him.
He was clearly so weak, yet he could navigate between the dangerous cult and a behemoth like the Church of Holy Light. It was as if Ansu could predict the future; every decision he made always resulted in the most favorable outcome for himself and her...
Ansu had also unashamedly expressed his admiration and affection for her...
He acknowledged her strength and ambition... He even used to sneak glances at her legs. Her appearance, the makeup she carefully applied for him—all of it would make him show that stunned and greedy look...
But unfortunately...
It was all a lie.
From beginning to end, it was all a lie!
...
Ansu watched Celia as the light faded from her eyes. She sat slumped on the ground as if her soul had been hollowed out.
He had never seen her like this.
He had seen the arrogant witch, the cold witch, and even the angry, mad witch...
But never a version of Celia who looked as though her heart had turned to ash, her eyes devoid of their usual vitality and color...
Ansu sighed inwardly.
Was his heartless confession... perhaps a bit too much of a shock?
"Celia..."
Ansu leaned against the cave wall and struggled to stand up, his gaze returning to her.
"I've finished saying the harshest things. I don't know if you still want to hear the rest..."
Celia looked up, her mind in a daze.
"Lies... well, there were a lot of them. They made up the vast majority, actually. But some of the things I said were true."
Ansu wanted to be honest; he wanted to see the witch's final choice.
So, he had to confess everything.
"The time I complimented you when we first met..." Ansu recalled the scene and suddenly felt a bit embarrassed. "That was true."
He really did think she was 'cute.' After all, that was just his type...
A white-haired, red-eyed demihuman girl... who wouldn't be smitten?
Celia's body gave a stiff shudder.
Her dark red eyes slowly moved toward Ansu's face.
"Are you saying..."
"Yeah, cute. Very cute..." Ansu was so embarrassed he felt like curling his toes into the ground. "From the first moment I saw you, at least regarding the compliments on your beauty... I don't think you needed hypnosis at all, because my answers were were the honest truth."
Celia blinked, a hint of surprise appearing on her face.
"Go on."
Ansu continued, "Actually, if you weren't so domineering, and if your moral values were a bit more human... if you didn't treat me like some kind of toy, I'd actually be quite willing to follow you..."
He had thought this since he first started interacting with Celia. After all, who wouldn't want to follow a boss who was good-looking, generous, and very protective of their subordinates? He'd go through fire and water for her!
It was just that her personality was truly hard to stomach. Her jealousy and possessiveness were off the charts, and she was terrifying to the extreme whenever she entered her witch-like state...
Thinking of this, Ansu subconsciously glanced at Freya's corpse behind him...
With just one look, he turned his gaze away. Freya's tragic state was truly hard for him to accept.
The little Holy Maiden always seemed to be missing a few parts... He really hoped there wouldn't be a next time...
"You... you really think so?" Celia's eyes flickered slightly as she stared at Ansu. Many of her emotions seemed to suddenly flare back to life.
Ansu continued, "Also, my willingness to help and support you was real too."
Celia's gaze was filled with wonder. "But weren't you afraid of me..."
Ansu shook his head. "After a certain incident, I did change my mind because you moved me."
In that simulation, when the Church of Holy Light's 'God-Descent' came down, the scene of the witch risking her life to save him was burned into his memory.
His destined death had been changed because of her help, so Ansu wanted to return the favor and help her change the tragic ending in the story.
"Something like that happened? Why don't I know about it?"
Celia was puzzled. She frowned and thought for a long time. "Which incident exactly made you acknowledge me? The time I helped you kill Elder Hall? Or... when we dealt with Archbishop Terry?"
"Well..." Ansu gave a faint smile. "I can't say. In any case, you'll never guess which incident it was."
To the real Celia, that great battle at the academy in the simulation had never happened.
Celia was quite dissatisfied with Ansu's 'riddler' behavior. She snorted, stood up, and approached him again.
"What else don't I know? If there's anything else you want to confess, say it now!"
"Hurry up!!"
Her face was written all over with impatience.
Ansu looked at Celia, who seemed to have suddenly come back to life, and silently grumbled to himself.
I'm practically a miracle worker...
Rate on N.U.
