Although Julius held the noble position of Pontiff of the “peace-loving” Church of Holy Light, his words were dripping with murderous intent.
“Let's turn their world completely upside down with slaughter!”
“We should have done this a long time ago!” a gray-robed old man said, his tone equally firm. “They've sent assassins after Master Hoffman time and time again, even daring to strike inside the academy! We can no longer tolerate this!”
“Agreed!” another white-bearded mage immediately chimed in. “If they use assassination, we'll use assassination!”
At this moment, a black-robed mage sitting in the corner spoke slowly, “Everyone, let's not be too radical.”
Everyone turned to look at him.
“The Divine faction holds the majority in the Senate. Aside from their overt supporters, the vast majority of people have actually accepted the God-Making Project. After all, no one is willing to give up a powerful weapon that has already been proven successful.”
“As for the risk of it losing control... that is a problem for future generations to worry about.”
Meeting everyone's gaze, the black-robed mage continued calmly, “My point is, do you really intend to kill everyone?”
“In a game where even the referee is on their side, if we confine ourselves to maneuvering within the rules they've set, we cannot win from the very beginning.”
Someone hesitated and said, “Could it be... we must leave the Norn Empire? But Norn is the builder of the magic academy and the center of magic research on the continent. If we leave here, which nation could we rely on?”
“There is no power greater than Norn,” another shook their head. “And if we flee to other nations, their academic standards are far inferior to Norn's, and it won't solve the problem of the false god.”
Ansu mused in his heart that in the future, there indeed would be a power far greater than Norn.
Judging by the Demon Calamity War at the end of the era, the demon empire that worshipped Ersos, the God of Slaughter, possessed strength far exceeding that of the Norn Empire.
The history between the decline of the Norn Empire and the rise of the demon empire was actually missing.
Looking at it now... it was highly likely related to the “God of Magic” completely losing control. Norn had raised a monster with its own hands, ultimately leading to its own destruction.
By the time the demons truly rose, the Norn Empire had long since become just another small, declining nation by the wayside.
Julius said in a deep voice, “Rather than fleeing, we should forge a new order with our own hands—a human world that can truly carry out our ideals.”
The room fell silent for a moment.
Ansu thought to himself that this first Pontiff was quite chuunibyou.
Hoffman suddenly spoke, interrupting everyone's discussion. “I also wish to pull those fools up by their roots, but for now, we need a more pragmatic plan.”
“We still have seats and connections in the Senate. We should do something as early as possible while we still hold authority. Once the Divine faction kicks us out completely, it will be too late for everything.”
His steady tone quieted the entire room.
“The God of Clamor and Filth has already shown signs of losing control. I am certain that it will completely lose control, bringing an absolute catastrophe upon the entire world.”
Having said that, Hoffman instinctively glanced sideways at Ansu.
“At least for the people of the future, for our homes, and for our descendants... we must find a way to remedy this.”
Julius nodded and said, “The war has just come to a temporary close, and the God of Magic won't be deployed on the battlefield again in the short term. This might be our only window of opportunity.”
In the hours that followed, Ansu quietly listened to everyone's discussion, gradually piecing together the core plan of the Rationalist faction.
Their faction had been trying to guide the “God of Magic” to retain its rationality, attempting to stabilize its state through high-frequency communication and constraints, though with very little success.
During this discussion, Ansu caught a crucial piece of information: the core authority of the “God of Magic” included 【Rationality】 and 【Knowledge】.
The reason the God of Clamor and Filth eventually lost control was likely because these two parts of its authority were gradually devoured by filth, causing it to lose its capacity for self-restraint and completely strip away its divinity, reducing it to an incommunicable evil god.
The current truce was the perfect opportunity for the Rationalist faction to intervene.
Hoffman hoped to penetrate deep into the core base of the God-Making Project once more, trying to find a way to reawaken the suppressed authorities of 【Rationality】 and 【Knowledge】.
After hearing their plan, Ansu fell into deep thought...
...
On the way back, Hoffman, sensing the spiritual body that kept a constant distance behind him, suddenly spoke.
“You seem to have been paying extra attention to Julius?”
Ansu was startled. Hoffman had actually noticed this.
After all, this was the first Pontiff of the Church of Holy Light. He really couldn't help but steal a few extra glances. The 【Saint Julius the Pious】 praised by later generations had a personality that was vastly different from the man himself.
“Yes... indeed,” Ansu didn't deny it, asking as the opportunity arose, “I'm a bit curious, how is the Holy Light faith developing within the Empire right now?”
Hoffman shook his head. “Not very well. Its spread is very limited, with only a few believers in remote little cities like this one.”
“The God of Holy Light was never valued by the Empire to begin with, and there is already an alternative to a similar faith—the God of Light, a powerful ancient deity who has existed since the First Era. Its doctrines are also similar to the Holy Light faith, so Julius's church is actually having a hard time growing.”
Ansu nodded slightly. “I see...”
Seeing him ask this, Hoffman became curious instead.
“What, is it possible that this sect will grow strong in the future?”
Ansu couldn't answer. It was far more than just growing strong...
He had never even heard of the “God of Light” Hoffman mentioned, which probably meant it had long been completely erased by the Church of Holy Light over the long passage of time.
Upon returning to the City of a Thousand Stars, only Falco was present in Hoffman's private alchemy lab.
Ansu had a lot on his mind, so he didn't initiate a conversation, instead continuing to focus silently on training his spiritual power.
Invisible, sharp blades sliced through the air one after another, their soft whooshing sounds echoing rhythmically in the room.
Midway through his practice, Falco suddenly shuffled over, his tone uncharacteristically hesitant.
“Hey! Su... can you take a look at this gift I prepared and tell me what you think?”
“A gift? Who is it for?”
Ansu looked over. In Falco's palm rested an exquisite small hammer. Its patterns were delicate and fine, and the craftsmanship was comparable to a work of art—clearly the work of an elven craftsman.
“Never mind that for now,” Falco said, pushing it forward a bit more. “Just tell me if it looks good or not.”
Ansu stared blankly for a moment, then it suddenly clicked. “Are you... giving this to Talier?”
“I just want to apologize...” Falco didn't deny it, only sighing. “In the past, whenever I made a joke, she'd get angry but cool off quickly. I didn't expect her to keep it bottled up for several days this time... Su! She's actually giving me the silent treatment!”
He looked at the gift, his voice carrying a rare trace of uncertainty.
“Do you think... if I wrap it up nicely and slip it into her room, that should do it?”
Ansu smiled and said, “If you truly want to apologize, you should give it to her in person.”
“In person? Am I crazy?” Falco's voice instantly spiked, but he quickly lowered it again. “Apologize to a stupid, rude, and ugly female dwarf? She isn't even fit to be my servant!”
Watching him ramble on, Ansu felt a bit of a headache coming on and cut him off directly:
“Falco, are you done with your work? Didn't the master ask you to organize today's lab records and send them over?”
“Oh... right.” Falco deflated instantly, returning to his desk with a sullen expression.
“How boring. I thought you were someone as cool, witty, and humorous as me.”
Ansu was speechless.
This Falco was truly incredibly narcissistic...
...
As the night deepened, the entire magic academy sank into silence.
Ansu silently floated onto the balcony.
Unlike the closed and twisted City of a Thousand Stars of later generations, the city now sat atop a mountain range where the air was thin, making it the best stargazing spot on the entire continent with the clearest view.
He looked up at the night sky. The galaxy was brilliant, and the starlight stretched out boundlessly across the heavens.
It was just as beautiful as the starry sky two thousand five hundred years in the future.
When would he be able to go home...
When would he be able to see her, and see them?
Holding onto these thoughts, Ansu sank into meditation, treating it as rest and sleep.
As a spiritual body, he didn't actually need sleep. Yet past midnight, his consciousness grew hazy, and he actually felt the illusion of drifting off into dreamland.
No, wait...
How could I fall asleep?
Suddenly, a pure, flawless spiritual space slowly unfolded within his consciousness.
A voice echoed in the depths of his heart, gentle and compassionate, carrying a warmth that penetrated his soul.
“My Chosen Agent, my chosen one...”
Ansu was suddenly startled.
A dream revelation from the Goddess of Holy Light?
...
Rate on N.U.
