Hate Me, Witch!-Chapter 170: A Happy End Where the Two Find Their Bliss

Only Xia Ya was one of the rare few who met the second, but failed the first.

Even so, despite such harsh entry conditions, aspiring students from all across the Western Continent still flocked to the main tower every day.

The reason was simple—

The Empire, the Holy Theocracy, the Noble Alliance—however mighty—were all nations founded only in the Fourth Era.

Some hidden organizations and Angelic Bloodlines emerged slightly earlier, but even they only rose during the Third Era.

Only the Dark Tower—

Through shifting eras, dynasties rising and falling, and gods bleeding—

From the Angelic War to the descent of the Saints, from desolate lands to the founding of the Sacred Calendar...

Mages had lost many battles, but never fallen.

Born in the Second Era, it had long stood as a silent guardian of the flame of civilized order.

...

“Of course. I knew it wouldn’t be that easy.”

“In other words, we still have to spend some time saving up, huh...”

“I’ve thought of ways to earn money, but getting that initial capital is a real pain. If it takes too long, it might mess up my original plan.”

The black-haired boy politely thanked the Black Tower guard, but the corner of his eye lingered longingly behind him.

The pitch-black tower soared straight into the heavens.

And in the plaza outside the tower stood a towering obelisk.

Crimson-gold Ancient Arlan script was carved into the surface—

“Only in the depths of the stars lies truth and destiny.”

That was the Black Tower’s creed.

And it was also the reason Xia Ya had worked so hard, wanting to bring Ailora here to study.

Even though he had the memories of a transmigrator, he knew full well that different worlds came with different laws and logic.

On the Western Continent, there were Extraordinary Creatures, non-human races and dragons, Mental Energy, and so-called mysteries—mana particles drifted through the air...

All of these were phenomena absent from the world Xia Ya came from. He’d need time to understand and adapt.

To perfectly integrate a transmigrator’s advanced ideas into this world—

In a world where the extraordinary existed, how far one could go depended entirely on how deeply they understood it.

To Xia Ya, rushing to join some faction with Little Ai, forming Soul Pacts, training his Mental Energy... none of that mattered more than first learning the laws and knowledge of this world and building a solid foundation.

The former offered short-term gains;the latter determined one’s future potential.

And in that regard, neither the Empire nor the Theocracy compared to the Black Tower, which upheld an unbroken legacy and made “pursuit of knowledge and truth” its guiding principle.

The only problem was, with the two of them nearly penniless, entering the Black Tower to study wasn’t going to be easy.

“Let’s go.”

He reached out and held the soft little hand of the golden-haired girl beside him.

“Just so happens I sold the hunting bow and spare arrows at the Hunter Association—I’ll treat you to roasted sweet potatoes today.”

Maybe because they were both from the Northern Lands, Ailora had always loved piping hot roasted sweet potatoes that warmed her hands.

But this time, she surprisingly didn’t move. She stood her ground, a little stubborn.

“Expose my identity and use the Empire’s compensation to get you into the Black Tower to study—”

“No.”

Before Ailora could finish, Xia Ya rejected her proposal without mercy.

“Little Ai, you want me to live off a girl two months younger than me?”

“Sending the last daughter of the Ingulite Family to the Imperial Capital, into the hands of those scheming noble families—probably the ones behind Ceylan’s downfall—just to pay my tuition at the Black Tower?”

“I’m not that shameless.”

“We could ask the Royal Family for help...”

“Those other Oathbound Families and nobles are all rotten, but who’s to say the Royal Family they’re fighting against isn’t just as bad?”

Ailora didn’t respond. She simply looked up at him with those sky-blue eyes.

Xia Ya sighed and muttered, “Alright, alright... the biggest reason is I can’t bear to.”

“If we really accepted the Empire’s disaster aid, who knows—when you grow up, maybe some Third Prince or Fourth Prince will try to cash in that debt with a political marriage or something...”

“I heard noble kids in the capital are mostly used for political marriage pawns. That kind of feudal tradition? Big nope.”

As he spoke, he looked up at the sky.

“Back in Ceylan, you promised me you’d always be my pretty girl.”

“I’m a pretty possessive guy, you know. We even did a pinky swear. Even if you wanted to back out now, it’s too late.”

Without waiting for her response, Xia Ya draped his fur coat over the small girl beside him. “Let’s go. That roasted sweet potato stall will close if we’re late.”

“When we’ve got money, we’ll come back to the Black Tower.”

Ailora looked deeply at Xia Ya. “Mm.”

She tightened the coat around herself and obediently placed her little hand into Xia Ya’s palm.

Letting him lead her toward the nearby street.

But then—

Ailora suddenly noticed Xia Ya stop in his tracks. He wordlessly moved her behind him.

In the twilight sky, fractures of crystalline light scattered like broken shards.

A fraction of a second later, the sky shattered.

Surprisingly, despite the overwhelming scene, the passersby around them remained oblivious, as if nothing had happened at all.

“A traveler, far from home, wandering alone?”

A golden elf in a pitch-black gothic gown hovered mid-air—slender, elegant, her age indiscernible.

Her gaze first landed on Ailora behind Xia Ya. Calm, but seemingly infused with a soul-piercing power.

Ailora could feel her sight pause briefly on the Oathstone deep within her soul, then shift away, utterly composed.

As if this Holy Relic—representing one-eighth of the Empire’s authority and something even Legendary-rank yearned for—wasn’t worth mentioning in her eyes.

Not until the golden elf’s gaze followed their interlocked hands and landed on Xia Ya did her serene, pale-gold eyes stir the first ripple.

“A wanderer without refuge, nowhere to belong—”

“Clearly having lost everything, yet still becoming someone else’s pillar.”

“Hiding all his cowardice, fragility, and loneliness deep inside, just to keep her from worrying—pretending to be all-powerful.”

“Such familiar eyes... exactly the same.”

Her voice was slightly hoarse.

She stared at the boy shielding Ailora behind him, expressionless, but then the corners of her mouth curved in a faint smile.

“In that case, if you don’t mind, come study under me.”

“Not that rigid dogma of the Black Tower today...”

“But true arcana.”

And so, from that day forth—

Xia Ya became the sole student of The Eternal Page, Hathaway.

...

Morning light filtered through the window, casting a faint warmth on Xia Ya’s face.

He opened his eyes to see the once-soft, tidy bed now a complete mess, marked by the signs of relentless tossing and turning.

Along with a faint headache and the drained weakness that spread through his limbs.

The stormy memories of the previous night came rushing back as his consciousness cleared.

Seeing the bloodstains on the sheets, Xia Ya instantly recalled the terror of being dominated by Her Majesty the Empress’s martial arts: “Star Absorption Technique,” “Crane Control Dragon Catch,” “Dual Blade Harmony”...

Though he’d already broken through the Throne-tier as a Beastmaster, and wasn’t a physical combatant, the enhancements from his tier and Soul Pacts had given him a physique far beyond mortals—rivaling even dragons.

Unfortunately, his opponents were even less human than he was.

Take Her Majesty the Empress, starved for a thousand years in the Imaginary Zone, paired with the dream-weaving powers of the Succubus Royal Bloodline as support—her offensive was utterly inhuman.

A millennium of longing and obsession—unleashed in one single night.

Then came the second contender: the Pale Silver Witch. Not one to be underestimated either.

She had buried herself in the cold White Tower for five hundred years—

The love fermented in that long darkness and repression burst forth, just as violently and fiercely as Isadella’s.

And so the Black Tower that was Xia Ya, was endlessly manipulated and dominated by Sylvia, the Chair of the White Tower.

In the end, she even descended the White Tower upon him from above, completely engulfing the Black Tower.

The elites trained by the Black Tower were heartlessly absorbed into the White Tower as well.

Only Little Ai showed him any mercy. After ten years together in Eden, their synergy was flawless. Xia Ya had already memorized all her tricks and rhythm, which gave him a moment to breathe.

If not for that, he probably wouldn’t even be able to straighten his back now.

He lay on the bed for a long time before the pain and fatigue faded. Finally, he sat up.

After washing up in the washroom, he changed the sheets, got dressed, and went downstairs.

“Morning, Little Ai.”

The blonde girl poured milk into two matching glass cups and brought them to the table. “Morning, Classmate Xia Ya.”

Yep, still sulking.

But whether she was mad he was the first to die in yesterday’s game, or mad they didn’t go all the way last night—

Maybe both.

Xia Ya drank his milk and munched on a sandwich, his gaze falling to the Camelot Morning News on the table.

The front-page headline read: “Thirteen major noble factions, including multiple Oathbound Families in the Imperial Capital, have been lawfully dealt with for crimes including rebellion and treason.”

Looks like the high nobles won’t be bouncing back from this.

He flipped through the paper. “Her Majesty and Sylvia already left?”

“Mm. But they said they’ll be visiting a few times each month.”

Ailora sat across the table, chin resting on her hand.

She just sat there, watching silently as Xia Ya finished the sandwich she made. A flicker of satisfaction gleamed in her sky-blue eyes.

“Ugh...”

Xia Ya felt a phantom pain in his kidneys again. “Isn’t that frequency a little too high?”

“Really? But I feel like Classmate Xia Ya quite enjoys it.”

Only after seeing him finish the sandwich did Ailora pick up her own and take a dainty bite.

“Pain and joy coexisting—that’s philosophy.”

Xia Ya quickly finished the paper, then his mind stirred.

A translucent light screen appeared in his mind—that was the skill panel of his newly contracted Serpent of Mercury.

【Wheel of Fate】

【Attributes: Time, Fate】

【Tier: Mythical Skill】

【Skill Description: Observe the inherent Wheel of Fate of anything in existence.】

【The detail level and observable time span of the Wheel of Fate’s manifestation is affected by the target’s mystery, tier, etc.】

...

【Fate Rewind】

【Attributes: Time, Fate】

【Tier: Mythical Skill】

【Skill Description: Reverse fate.】

【This skill cannot be activated manually;it is a locked passive skill.】

...

What the h*ll is that last one?

Xia Ya blinked in surprise.

The first one, Wheel of Fate, was easy to grasp. Just like when he’d seen the Serpent of Mercury use it earlier—a powerful intelligence-gathering skill approaching the level of fundamental laws.

It allowed a god’s-eye view of the Wheel of Fate possessed by any being in the world.

Because it didn’t ask the person directly, but instead observed fate itself, the skill’s effectiveness only depended on the opponent’s tier. There was no way to conceal or deceive it—even if the target had amnesia, the Wheel of Fate could still expose their secrets.

Of course, peeking into the wrong person’s fate and scaring yourself into trauma was not uncommon—like what happened when the Serpent of Mercury tried reading Xia Ya’s own Wheel of Fate.

But this second skill, Fate Rewind, now this... this was interesting.

“Reverse fate.”

Literally speaking, that sounded somewhat similar to the Flashback Pocket Watch Xia Ya had once redeemed, or the Izanagi he had used once via a limited-use trial card.

But this skill was a passive, locked ability that couldn’t be activated manually.

“Battle-five snake, explain.”

With a thought, Xia Ya unlocked a corner of the Little Black Room seal, summoning the slumbering Mercury Serpent from within.

The Mercury Serpent, woken up by Xia Ya, was still a bit dazed and was just about to throw a tantrum. But under the influence of the Master-Servant Contract, Xia Ya started to look more and more charming the longer the snake stared.

The little serpent helplessly flicked its tongue. “I am not like those gods who rose from nothing, step by step seizing faith and usurping godhood and divine authority just to barely make it to the throne.”

“From the moment I became conscious, my body already contained divinity tied to fate.”

“Fate Rewind... to be precise, this should be considered my instinct.”

Xia Ya frowned slightly. “Don’t use ‘I’ like that... sounds all ancient and pompous. Use me.”

The Mercury Serpent’s tail tensed, then quickly relaxed.

It suddenly regretted signing a Master-Servant Contract.

But this was an investment it had chosen on its own—too late to turn back now. The only option left was to ride it out.

“Simply put, when the flow of fate moves toward a branch I reject or despise, this rewind instinctively triggers from time to time.”

Xia Ya frowned a little more: “So... time rewinds?”

“Not exactly a time rewind, more like a restricted-area reset, maybe?”

The Mercury Serpent’s tone grew uncertain: “But this ability can’t be triggered manually by me, and I also don’t know the exact timing when it activates.”

“Also, sometimes, even if I don’t want to reset, it still forcibly happens.”

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“For example, during the god war at the end of the First Era—when shattered divinities and authorities were flying all over the Astral Realm and the outer edges of the world.”

“I was thinking of scavenging at the fringes of the battlefield for scraps others didn’t want, but every time I tried to act on that thought, fate forcibly rewound itself, and I ended up hiding away in a quiet place to sleep instead.”

So if it didn’t rewind you, you’d really have gone off to pick through the trash, huh?

Come to think of it, when you kept yelling “ugh, just kill me,” was it because you were sure that if I actually did kill you, the Fate Rewind would definitely trigger?

Xia Ya grumbled in his head, then with a thought, shoved the just-about-to-protest snake back into the Little Black Room.

Though the Mercury Serpent had been vague—clearly a half-literate who didn’t grasp the methods of inquiry and knowledge—Xia Ya still managed to grasp the gist.

Resetting the events or state within a limited area. Not exactly reversing time, but more like overwriting everything with a previously saved checkpoint.

Most of the time, it wasn’t all that different from the effects of The Crimson King.

Of course, the reason Xia Ya chose to make this deal with the Mercury Serpent—these two skills were just extras.

The real purpose—

Was for his teacher.

Thinking this, the illusory azure-blue screen in Xia Ya’s mind shifted with his will.

[You have obtained a new Historical Anchor from the Mythical Species “Serpent of Mercury”]

[A new Historical Echo has been triggered]

[Time Coordinate: First Era]

The First Era, huh...

Xia Ya’s eyes flickered slightly.

The birth of the Black Tower, mages, even arcana and magic itself.

The truth behind the opening of the Abyss.

The god war at the end of the First Era.

And the reason why his golden elf teacher had been trapped and exiled in the Dimensional Void.

In the beginning, before time itself—

All signs pointed toward the very first era in recorded history.

“Teacher never wanted to talk to me about this. Probably because it’s too difficult, and she doesn’t want me to take the risk.”

A faint smile crept onto Xia Ya’s lips.

“But, Teacher, you may have misjudged one thing.”

“I’ve always been a greedy person...”

“That time I said I wanted to become the ‘male lead who makes your heart race’—that wasn’t just some cheeky flirt. It was a serious declaration.”

“If this were a romance game where every other heroine got their perfect ending, but the one mentor character stayed trapped deep within the Astral Realm, only able to glimpse the human world for a fleeting moment...”

“Then whether it’s me, or you, or even the readers—none of us would be able to accept that ending.”

“That’s why, from the beginning, I’ve truly been working toward it.”

“For... the HappyEnd where the two of us find our bliss.”

Xia Ya stood up and gently ruffled the soft, silky light-golden hair of the girl beside him.

“I’m going to go into seclusion for a few days to prepare.”

“Seclusion prep?”

Ailora looked at him with a touch of confusion.

Then, with the tacit understanding between them, she easily picked up on what was going through Xia Ya’s mind.

“Historical Echo?”

“Yeah.”

Xia Ya gathered their cups and plates.

He didn’t try to hide it—after all these years together, he knew it was pointless to lie to a childhood friend who understood him down to his bones.

The weight of Intuition EX.

“New Historical Echo...”

The blonde girl’s voice paused for a second, her sky-blue eyes gazing at Xia Ya.

“Because of Teacher?”

Even though Ailora didn’t have much arcane talent herself, Hathaway had never forbidden Xia Ya from teaching her the Black Tower’s knowledge.

And even though Ailora wasn’t a big fan of studying, when it came to understanding the world and fundamental knowledge, she had been force-fed by Xia Ya to a level far beyond that of anyone else in the Western Continent.

Since she was the beautiful girl he’d raised and lived with day in and day out, Xia Ya naturally wanted to shape her into the most perfect form—even keeping up with his occasional transmigrator logic was a must.

Because of that, the golden elf could also be considered Ailora’s teacher.

Though she hadn’t always called her that—it only changed after she and Xia Ya moved into Eden together.

As for why she changed the way she addressed her... only the heavens knew.

Ailora thought for a moment. “So your earlier guess about Teacher’s current situation was right?”

Back in Eden, Xia Ya had described the Historical Echo process to her twice in detail, including his suspicions about Hathaway.

“Yeah.”

Xia Ya nodded. “It was just a guess before, but now it’s confirmed.”

In that moment, the blonde girl understood what Xia Ya was thinking.

She didn’t object—because Ailora knew very well how important that golden elf was to Xia Ya.

Without Hathaway, there would be no Xia Ya today.

Not just Xia Ya—for her, it was the same.

She spoke softly, “Can Her Majesty Isadella and I help you?”

“Not sure, but it’s probably not going to be easy.”

Xia Ya washed the bowls and glasses clean. “Aisgania was from a thousand years ago, and the Holy Sword and Holy Spear had both left behind recorded feats in that era as Anchors. That’s what allowed you two to traverse time safely. But even then, time travel was already very difficult—it was affected by Historical Correction.”

“But this time it’s the First Era. The Holy Sword and Holy Spear didn’t seem to exist back then, and the time span is way longer. If you try to force your way in, the risk is huge. It’d be easy to get lost in the temporal turbulence.”

“What happened with Her Majesty getting trapped in the Imaginary Zone? I’m not going through that again.”

“This time, I’m planning to try it alone first—then see if there’s anything you two can help with later.”

Xia Ya ruffled the blonde girl’s hair again—it was a habit he’d picked up, the daily ritual of a headpat to raise favorability.

Even though Little Ai’s Favorability was already maxed out, who knows—maybe if he maxed out the favorability bar beyond its limit, he’d unlock some brand-new bonus pose or something?

Wait and hope.

Hearing Xia Ya’s words, Ailora didn’t say much.

She just silently reached out her pale hand and pinched the soft flesh of her inner thigh—hard.

Originally, with the complete unsealing of the Holy Spear and the Empire’s internal chaos resolved,

this peaceful daily life had lulled Ailora into a slight sense of ease.

But now, it was clear—

She still wasn’t enough.

She was Xia Ya’s sharpest sword, and his strongest shield.

But with what Xia Ya was about to do, she couldn’t intervene at all—could only stand by and watch.

That feeling of helplessness—

Ailora simply couldn’t accept it.