Chapter 153: The Enigmatic Girl of the Heart

Ash was momentarily stunned, but then he smiled. "Shouldn't I be asking you that question?"

"Huh?"

"You knew I was Ash Heath long before we signed that contract, didn't you?"

Ash tilted his head. "Yet you signed it anyway."

"T-That's because you're a dangerous fugitive," Freya stammered, rubbing her eyes to avoid meeting his gaze. "How could I dare refuse you, especially when there was a sorcery spirit on the line?"

Ash chuckled. "Don't forget, I had the Sympathy Spirit with me back then. I could sense your curiosity… and your pity."

Freya's mind drifted back to that night, five days ago. Just before signing, she had hesitated. She remembered the man standing by her side—anxious, hesitant, and scared. His eyes darted toward the balcony as though he were prepared to leap into the darkness at any moment.

That moment triggered a memory, seemingly unrelated. A while back, she had visited a pet shop on a whim. A Scottish Fold kitten had been scurrying around the store. The staff caught it, and it had alternated between looking at the window and Freya herself, its big eyes silently pleading.

She bought the kitten.

She signed the contract.

And now…

"I wasn't being kind out of pity," Ash said, interrupting her thoughts. "It was because I liked you. You were the first person I met outside the prison. Even though many of your habits bewilder me and your worldview is so deeply soaked in the blood of this land… there's still a purity in you."

"Your kindness makes this wretched world seem beautiful again."

Ash's voice softened. "And because of you, I don't want to just stand by and watch anymore. Even if it's just for you, I hope you find happiness that heals your soul for a lifetime."

Freya's cheeks burned as she lowered her head, her usual coquettish confidence replaced with genuine shyness. "You're leaving soon. Why say things like that now…"

"It's not like we'll never meet again," Ash replied. "I might leave Bloodmoon, but I could return someday. Even if I don't, you'll become a sorcerer soon, right? We might cross paths in the Void. Though, I'd rather not meet you as a projection of my sorcerer legacy."

"After all, we are sorcerers. We have to believe in miracles."

"Then…" Ash stood and reached out, patting both Freya and the kitten on their heads. "Goodbye, Freya. I hope the next time we meet, you'll already be a heart sorcerer. And goodbye, Little String. I hope your illness is fully cured."

Freya bit her lip, holding back tears. "Goodbye, Ash. I… I hope you can be a good person."

"You say that like I'm a bad guy now…"

As the door clicked shut, the cult leader's figure vanished into the night. Freya rubbed her eyes, placed the spirit orb and Little String in their proper spots, then returned to her desk. She picked up her pen and resumed her assignments.

But as she wrote, warm tears fell onto the paper, smudging the ink and blurring her vision.

She slumped over the desk, her shoulders trembling as she sobbed silently.

"I'm surprised," said the Swordmaiden, who was now seated where Ash had been moments earlier. She watched Freya's quiet crying with mild curiosity. "Even with how much his escape deviated from the original timeline, Ash still ended up meeting the 'Enigmatic Girl of the Heart.' Coincidence? I'd rather call it fate. The 'Heart Girl' always follows the 'Observer of the End.'"

"No," said the Observer, leaning against the balcony railing, his gaze fixed on the figure of Ash disappearing into the night. "It's not fate, nor coincidence. It's the result of meticulous calculation. This is the closest apartment to the university. At the time, Freya's room was the only one on the third floor with its lights off. Ash's choice was inevitable."

"Inevitable?" The Swordmaiden smirked. "Then what about the girl's devotion? Is that also inevitable?"

The Observer nodded. "When I first escaped the prison, I wasn't even a sorcerer. Freya's help saved me from countless troubles. Using her was the most efficient choice. But for Ash, now a two-winged sorcerer, Freya would only be a liability. Of course, he left her behind."

"For once, I want to defend Ash." The Swordmaiden laughed bitterly. "How dare you tarnish his good intentions with your filthy, calculating mindset?"

"Maybe he had good intentions," the Observer said coolly. "But deep down, he's calculated the risks and benefits. It's all the same."

"If it's all the same, why are you here?" the Swordmaiden retorted sharply. "What we seek is a miracle—a different kind of miracle."

"…Say what you want."

"You seem out of sorts today, Observer," the Swordmaiden said, her gaze drifting to Freya. "Usually, you'd be throwing some shameless quips my way. Is it because seeing an old subordinate has shaken you? It's been a while since you've seen her, hasn't it? Remind me, how did the Heart Girl die? I don't think I was the one who killed her—"

"Enough," the Observer snapped, casting a cold glare her way.

Ignoring him, the Swordmaiden smiled mockingly. "I recall an old rumor. The Heart Girl once followed you out of love, but you never fulfilled her desires. Until the day she died, she never received your affection."

"Indulge my curiosity—tell me about your story with her."

Their standoff was interrupted by a hiccup. Freya, crying so hard she could barely breathe, let out a small gasp.

The Observer broke his silence. "Are you really standing up for your old enemies?"

"I'm standing up for women who fall for scumbags."

The Observer remained silent for a long moment. Finally, he said, "Do you know why her heart sorcery was so powerful? Why its priority was so high, its range so vast, and its influence so profound?"

"Because she was a succubus?"

"No," he said. "Because she was a celibate succubus. Abstinence not only accelerates a succubus's learning of heart sorcery but also causes their miracles to evolve. It's not a secret among their kind, but very few succubi can achieve it. It requires an object of obsession, someone they long for but can't touch. Only when they're united with that person does the celibacy end."

"So, you exploited her feelings just to use her as a weapon?"

"I did it for her own good."

"The Bloodmoon Lords built this paradise for pets 'for their own good' too," the Swordmaiden said coldly. "You disgust me, Observer."

"Maybe Ash won't be Freya's regret," she added, her voice icy. "But you were the Heart Girl's disaster."

Little String approached the Observer's feet, rubbing against his boots affectionately.

"This is something I'll be telling the others when we regroup," the Swordmaiden said. "At least we'll have a good reason to unite against you. It's impossible to work well with someone like you—"

She turned, only to find the Observer had vanished.

The Scottish Fold leapt onto Freya's desk and pressed itself into her lap. Freya looked up, startled, as the cat licked the tears from her face. Her chest tightened, and she broke down again, clutching the cat as sobs wracked her body.

The Swordmaiden watched, her lips curling into a mocking smile.

"Trying to make amends now? How pitiful."

But then she shook her head and muttered to herself.

"We're just as pitiful."