Chapter 208: Freya's 'Bookshelf' and Intelligence

In the prison corridor, the dim yellow torchlight flickered, casting swaying shadows on everything around them.

Ansu stared at Freya, feeling even more surprised. Why was the little Holy Maiden acting with him? And why had they become cellmates?

Ansu lowered his head and carefully studied the heavy handcuffs on his wrists.

Intricate and dense magic runes were engraved on the handcuffs, flickering slightly. He felt his resonance and absorption of external mana being interfered with to a certain extent.

This item was produced by the demon hunter department and was called magic-suppressing handcuffs, specifically designed for arresting black mages who posed a threat to society.

However, it was somewhat ironic that the core principle of the weapon used by the Church of Holy Light to suppress heresy was still magic.

The runes on these handcuffs formed a disruption formula, which influenced a mage's ability to cast spells normally by disrupting their mana resonance.

Magic-suppressing handcuffs weren't "magic-suppressing" in the truest sense; they were more like a disruption device. They had little binding force on anyone above a mid-tier mage, because the degree of mana control for a mage who could master 4th Circle magic increased almost exponentially.

Therefore, as long as Ansu applied a little force, he could remove them at any time.

Ansu once again scanned the well-equipped soldiers in the corridor and the high-ranking clergy dressed in white robes.

Although this setup looked heavily guarded, it would have been impossible to forcibly capture him and Freya if they didn't want to be.

So, the two of them must have been "captured" voluntarily.

"Lord Ansu...?" Seeing Ansu fall into a brief silence, Freya blinked her large almond-shaped eyes in confusion. "Are we not breaking out? Has the plan changed?"

"About that..." Ansu thought to himself that he had no idea if it had changed.

He gave a dry cough and could only give her a look that suggested everything was under control, lowering his voice as he said, "Freya... for now, let's just wait and see."

Freya's eyes lit up, and she nodded repeatedly.

It seemed Lord Ansu already had deeper plans and considerations; she really shouldn't have asked so much.

Just as Ansu was wondering how to take out a diary and read it in plain sight...

A commotion broke out without warning in the cell diagonally opposite them.

Judging by the sound, it seemed a mage was trying to resist and escape, leading to a fierce battle with the guards.

The faint surge of mana, the sound of gunshots, and the flickering of Holy Light divine arts intertwined, making the entire prison increasingly chaotic.

A perfect opportunity.

Ansu slowly leaned his body against the cold wall, reached behind his back, and took out his 《Future Diary》.

"Freya, quick, cover for me!"

"Huh?" Freya was startled at first, but when she realized Ansu's intention, she stepped forward without the slightest hesitation.

Ansu lowered his voice and said quickly, "Give me at least a minute. I need to read some very important information."

As he spoke, he caught a quick glimpse outside. The guards' suppression was initially an absolute advantage, with the roar of alchemical firearms brutally tearing through the air, drowning out the screams.

But just then, four or five other low-tier mages who were being held united in common indignation, their mana surging as they launched a counterattack against the guards.

Almost simultaneously, several streaks of pure white, dazzling holy light burst from the hands of the clergy, sweeping toward the center of the chaos like whips of light to forcibly suppress and intimidate them.

Freya felt the chaos was gradually being calmed. Anxious and without thinking much, she reached out her arms toward Ansu.

Then, she gently wrapped her arms around his body, trying her best to hide Ansu within her embrace.

Ansu, who was quickly flipping open the notebook, paused. He looked up in slight shock at Freya, whose soft silhouette was outlined by the light just inches away.

Freya seemed to only just realize what she was doing, and her fair cheeks instantly flushed a deep red.

But she still didn't let go of her arms.

She just turned her face away in embarrassment, not daring to look at Ansu's current expression.

"Hurry up... Lord Ansu."

"When those guards come back, they'll see you acting suspiciously!"

Ansu had thought she was just going to stand in front of him, but he hadn't expected her to hug him directly.

Their current posture really did look like a pair of frightened young lovers huddled together and trembling...

But it was actually quite good.

Ansu silently looked at the great softness in front of him, thinking that he even had a reading stand now...

The thick notebook, which Freya had originally gifted him, was now spread open, resting steadily against the soft and elastic curves of her chest.

By the dim yellow light leaking through the gaps beside her, Ansu narrowed his eyes and began to browse quickly.

Meanwhile, Freya felt Ansu's fingers brushing against her chest as he moved... her entire face turned as red as a ripe tomato.

But for Lord Ansu's sake, she couldn't move...

Freya could only bite her lower lip tightly, enduring the complex emotions mixed with shyness, tension, and a hint of strangeness.

On the other side, Ansu tried his best to calm his mind...

He blocked out all irrelevant distractions—whether it was the soft touch so close at hand or the commotion at the other end of the prison.

He quietly read through his 《Future Diary》, where all the investigations from the past four days were condensed.

【Day 1 after receiving the information: Attempted to use the identity of the Lawrence family to enter the City Lord's Mansion and approach Count Alston, but failed.】

【The Count was busy and had no time for an audience. Spent half the day chatting with the butler about meaningless pleasantries, then was politely escorted out.】

【The Count seems to have reached some kind of cooperation with the Church. A large number of Church personnel are entering and leaving the City Lord's Mansion.】

As always, the system began to fix the "bugs" he had caused.

The strange, distorted fake characters in the diary gradually became clear, and many real and reliable memories flashed back into his mind.

Right... I remember now.

Because of this fake identity, Alston's butler was quite polite to him and vaguely agreed to have him return the next day.

At first, he thought Count Alston was being held under house arrest because so many Church personnel were surrounding his home.

But he later discovered... this Magic Prohibition Decree indeed came from his own intent, and the Church was protecting him.

【Day 2: The news spread like wildfire. Even though the so-called Magic Prohibition Decree has not been officially promulgated, the atmosphere in the city has already begun to turn tense.】

【Went to the City Lord's Mansion again to try my luck. Count Alston finally granted an audience, but unexpectedly, during the brief meeting, he tried to express an intention to win over the Lawrence family. This is quite intriguing...】

Ansu silently pondered the situation at that time. Although the Count didn't say it explicitly, combined with his performance, the Magic Prohibition Decree was indeed not a spur-of-the-moment decision.

The Count seemed more like he was making a major political alignment; he was betting on a new era...

The new Pope Leo IX had taken office, and his extreme anti-magic conservative stance might trigger a wave of de-magicization within the Empire.

There were even rumors that the open-minded old Emperor, who supported the magitech industrial system, had seen his health take a sudden turn for the worse and was on the brink of death.

If he died, the traditionalist faction, especially the old nobility with close ties to the Church, would surely try to reverse the "erroneous policies" of the old Emperor's era. Norvigel's Magic Prohibition Decree might just be a test run.

Ansu continued to flip through the pages.