Hate me, Miss Witch!

「The next day.」

When Shiayar opened his eyes again, he saw that the sky outside the window was still dark, with only a faint light at the horizon's end. This moment was the darkest time before dawn. In the dead silence before dawn, one could hear the long breaths coming from the distant meditation room.

Last night, after washing the dishes, Ennie had kept her promise and allowed Shiayar to enjoy the much-longed-for pleasure of resting his head on a perfect, short-skirted lap pillow on the bed. So, Shiayar had slept very soundly that night.

But when Shiayar awoke, there was no one beside his pillow. Only the neatly folded quilt remained, along with the faint fragrance of sandalwood unique to a young girl.

It was Enola's routine to get up at five-thirty every morning, then head to the meditation room to practice. She had been doing this ever since they moved to this residence in the Black Lily District.

Although her Rhongomyniad origins were now confirmed by the Empire's Royal Family, which could be said to have affirmed her potential to reach the Legendary rank, Enola's daily practice had not changed in the slightest with this news.

Shiayar stretched lazily, got up, and then dressed and washed up.

On the wooden table downstairs, there were steaming sandwiches, and next to them was a note with graceful handwriting, "There is hot milk in the kitchen."

This was also their longstanding tacit understanding. Shiayar's cooking was the best, but aside from some special holidays, all other meals were taken care of by Ennie. This wasn't because Shiayar was lazy, but rather because Enola insisted on doing this, adamant about getting up early to cook for Shiayar every morning. At the start, her cooking skills were quite rudimentary, but with time spent in Shiayar's company, Enola's skills had long surpassed those of an average chef and she could even be compared to a court chef.

After finishing the sandwiches and milk, Shiayar rose again. Normally at this time, he would head to the meditation room to accompany Ennie. Practice was secondary; Shiayar was different from Ennie and didn't rely heavily on meditation to raise his own realm. The main reason for going to the meditation room was to admire the beauty of his dearest wife when she sat in meditation. The sight of her profile being touched gently by the sunlight, she resembled the sword maidens from anime in his previous life... No, correction, like a maiden of the spear path, an absolutely breathtaking view.

However, Shiayar didn't do that today. Instead, he returned to the second floor, entered the study, and then closed the door. He lit the magictech lamp in the study, then closed his eyes, sinking his consciousness into the Spiritual World.

In the dark ocean, there were three bright and spacious small worlds: a little white ferret, a snub-nosed monkey, and a red astral spirit body Dumpling were sleeping in their little worlds. But outside these three little worlds, there was a dim space. This small world did exist, and it had been opened, but it was clearly filled with some kind of dark matter.

Theoretically speaking, this small world should be Shiayar's 4th Soul Pact Space. It was during the engagement banquet of the Borgia family that Shiayar had shot that bullet at Warwick and also rejected the marriage proposal from the Borgia family. His spirit reached fulfillment and he crossed the bottleneck from 3-Ring to 4-Ring in one fell swoop. Even looking from the perspective of spiritual power volume, after the breakthrough, Shiayar was extremely close to the 5-Ring. In theory, all Shiayar needed was to find one more excellent Pet Beast to sign a 4th Soul Pact, which could likely, with the feedback from the Soul Pact, enable him to advance to the 5-Ring and become a Grand Beastmaster. At that time, if he was lucky enough and the 5th Soul Pact was with a high Species Rank Pet Beast, with the added feedback from the 5th Soul Pact, he would not be too far from reaching the 6-Ring Titled Rank. A Beastmaster with his own title would be strong enough to step into the ranks of the top powerhouses on the Western Continent.

But now, Shiayar was facing an unprecedented situation, or rather, a situation that might be unheard of in the entire extraordinary world. His 4th Soul Pact, which should have just been opened and not yet contracted with any Pet Beast, had been occupied since the very moment Shiayar advanced to the 4-Ring. Moreover, he could not find the source that occupied his 4th Soul Pact. This was outrageous.

Shiayar's thoughts stirred slightly and a light screen emerged quietly in his mind.

'4th Soul Pact (Shiayar Egutt)'

'Soul Pact Status: Equal Pact (Signed)'

'Contractor's Name: Unknown (Insufficient Authority)'

'Species Name: Unknown (Insufficient Authority)'

'Species Rank: Unknown (Insufficient Authority)'

'Combat Level: Unknown (Insufficient Authority)'

This is utterly ridiculous.

I've only been a 4-Ring for a few hours, how could I not know when I signed a pact with any Pet Beast? And it's not even a master-servant pact, but an equal pact?

As Shiayar looked at line after line on the system panel, he couldn't help feeling speechless. But soon, he noticed a line of small text beneath the azure light screen.

'Friendly Reminder: Complete the first official task, and the Host will unlock more unknown data permissions.'

So that's your game, waiting for me here.

Looking at that short line of text, Shiayar fell into deep contemplation. Frankly speaking, Shiayar had not planned to undertake the first official task in the short term, having completed the beginner's task. After all, this system was really unreliable. The first beginner's task that tricked and lured him into the Echo of History was bad enough... But the key point was, everything in that Echo of History actually came true.

After that task, Shiayar had also commissioned the Secret Intelligence Division to collect other clues about Echoes of History. However, the intelligence gathered showed that those triggered by other people were merely ancient mysteries, or reflections of history. Those Echoes of History contained treasures, Extraordinary material, Sacred Relic, and even ancient Pet Beast eggs... The lucky ones who entered mostly secured considerable resources, but that was all. They were just reenactments of past history... No one could ever really travel to the past and personally meddle with history.

So, looking back at my own beginner's task, the implications were truly chilling. This is the power of reversing cause and effect!

Of course, the outcome of the first instance Shiayar went through was actually good... Not only had he completed the mission and exchanged for numerous rewards, but he had also been given the likes of Silvia, a white-haired wife who didn't hesitate to bury herself for five hundred years just to reunite with him.

However, Shiayar hadn't forgotten the name of his system, nor the self-introduction when it was first activated.

[Destined Great Villain System]

[Humans, after all, are beasts that do not sing the praises of life without sacrifice, and ignorant children can only grow up after knowing pain. Only blood and death can water the beautiful flowers.]

[So, let this world feel the pain!]

An innately evil thing.

If I truly acted according to the mission's requirements... then the Echo of History of the Azure Garden Dukedom would have actually been complete the moment I backstabbed Silvia. If it wasn't for the fact that I subsequently, driven by some personal desires, cleaned up my act with a series of fierce battles and cunning maneuvers, what I would have faced in reality yesterday wouldn't have been a time-crossing wife-search, but a time-crossing revenge... And the style of the Gray-Silver Witch would probably have turned into the type with a pretty face smeared with blood, like Yuno Gasai.

"Brother Shiayar, I've finally found you."

"That blow from back then, how should I repay it, little by little?"

"Is it better to cut horizontally? Or vertically? Should I start from the head or from the feet?"

A true cleaver ending.

Moreover, after exacting his revenge on the Borgia family and reuniting with Silvia, Shiayar actually didn't have such an urgent drive to become stronger. Even without the help of the system. He was confident that if he spent several years or even decades, he could ascend to the Legendary rank, and perhaps even surpass the Throne realm boundary. But...

Upon hearing the news of the ancient secret society "Golden Dawn" lurking behind the scenes... and Isadella's message that the Sacred Sword and Sacred Spear are awakening and chaotic times approach, a sense of urgency still arose in Shiayar's heart.

On the surface, the situation around him seems to be excellent, with the old nobility in the Empire Capital currently leaderless, and the Second Princess allied with him—as well as the Royal Family behind her—taking the upper hand. Moreover, Silvia, the White Tower Master of Throne Level, was by his side. But if, there really comes a disaster comparable to the period of the Calamity Land, then the tranquil scene that seems to be flourishing now, could in an instant turn into a fleeting mirage. The Throne's Rank equals that of a Demigod, or an Angel... but even just during the Calamity Land period, Saints and Angels who shed blood were not few in number.

He closed his eyes calmly, and let all his thoughts drift away. After a long while, he made a decision.

"I would rather take more risks and endure more hardships now, than to wait until everything is too late in the future and then bitterly regret why I didn't try harder back then."

The next moment, an old mechanical pocket watch appeared in his hand.

[Flashback Pocket Watch]

[Rarity: Purple]

[Category: One-time Extraordinary tool]

[Price: 15]

[Description: After use, records the current spatial coordinates and status of the holder.]

[Upon second use, or when the host is on the verge of death, the tool will activate, reverting the host's status and coordinates (including items and lifeforms touched by both hands) back to the recorded location.]

[If activated within an Echo of History, it will force the holder to exit the Echo of History and revert to their original status.]

[Note: After use, the "Flashback Pocket Watch" will become a "Broken Pocket Watch," which requires Space-type Extraordinary resources, or ten Sands of Time to repair.]

This was Shiayar's preparation for the banquet and was also the confidence that allowed him to escape with Ennie even when facing Legendary opponents. However, due to Silvia's arrival, the pocket watch was spared and was just right for use at this moment.

The location of Shiayar's first official mission, the Echo of History called "Escarnia," was nowhere to be found no matter how much Shiayar searched. However, following the pattern that most "Echoes of History" occur in existing ruins and considering Shiayar triggered it in the Club Thorns of Sin, it can be roughly deduced that this "Escarnia" Echo of History is likely located in what is now the Empire Capital. The Fresta Empire was established in the year 1 of the Holy Calendar, which means that "Escarnia" probably refers to some place from the Ancient Era before the Holy Calendar. The history of the Ancient Era has long been fragmented; no wonder I couldn't gather any information.

Shiayar reached out and pressed a button on the old mechanical pocket watch. Since there's no information on "Escarnia," it means he couldn't prepare specifically for it. The Azure Garden Dukedom's novice mission's final boss was a sealed Ancient God of Twilight, and there was Norton, a villain at the 5th Order peak. Who knows how risky the official mission "Escarnia" might be?

This time, I have taken precautions for the worst-case scenario, so there shouldn't be a repeat of last time—fainting in the washroom and worrying Ennie.

Feeling the prolonged breathing of the girl in the distant meditation room, Shiayar smiled inwardly.

The next moment, his thoughts shifted slightly.

[You have entered the Echo of History — "Escarnia"]

Shiayar's figure began to fade swiftly and then slowly vanished. In the study, everything around him came to a standstill. But within that frozen time and space, there was a pure white figure that did not stop.

MEOW—

A white cat gracefully jumped onto the windowsill. It watched everything in the study, its gray-silver eyes contemplating.