Hate Me, Witch!-Chapter 116: Seducing a Proper Young Man?

Chapter 116: Seducing a Proper Young Man?

City of Knowledge, Lokiah

Constantine District

Lokiah—also known as the Arcane City, the City of Knowledge—was a textbook example of a neutral city. Dozens of Transcendent research organizations, including the Black Tower, had established their headquarters here.

Divided by research factions, the city was split into distinct districts. The Constantine District, named after the Western Continent’s first Legendary Mechanist, Constantine, was the base of the Steam School.

Xia Ya strolled through the streets of the Constantine District.

Unlike the solemn, majestic architecture of the Imperial Capital, buildings here had a much more modern and experimental style.

Beyond the usual storefronts, gear- and core-themed mechanical shops could often be seen.

Here, machinery wasn’t just some novelty toy exclusive to Transcendents and nobles—it had been thoroughly integrated into the lives of everyday citizens.

Many carriages had already been phased out, replaced by magitech vehicles navigating wide avenues. Even the main roads were lit with ever-burning magitech streetlamps.

Ailora’s calm voice sounded beside Xia Ya.

“So Suren… this is where she asked to meet you?”

Suren—that was the Saintess of Dawn’s real name.

Ailora normally went without makeup, her natural beauty plain and pure. But today, she’d made a rare exception. She wore light makeup and had even picked out an elegant, deep-toned evening dress—currently the most fashionable in the Imperial Capital.

Gone was the ruthless aura of the Imperial Military’s top-ranking mission scorer. In her place stood the young noble lady of the Winter Flower Family, in full bloom.

And unlike her usual habit of walking half a step behind Xia Ya, Ailora had boldly taken the initiative today—looping her arm through his, holding him close.

Like a peacock showing off her claim before a rival.

“301 Skyfire Avenue. Third Mechanism Foundry. Yeah, this is the place.”

Xia Ya glanced at the street number, taking in the light, floral scent from the girl at his side.

It was a mix of pain and pleasure.

Pain—because ever since he’d been caught red-handed during that magitech call with Suren a few evenings ago…

He’d been under the constant watch of one very jealous little vinegar jar.

Pleasure—because jealous Ailora was adorable, and for the past two days, she’d been spoiling him with all kinds of perks.

Tsunderes really do need to feel threatened before they unlock their full potential.

Xia Ya gave her a mental thumbs-up.

Meow~

On Xia Ya’s shoulder, a white cat let out a lazy, lifeless meow.

As Sylvia’s Mental Split Form, she was starting to regret her decision.

Sure, as a Summoned Beast, she could get as close to Brother Xia Ya as she wanted. These past few days, she’d been petted, cuddled, even heard his whispered confessions—more times than she could count.

But the downside? He was completely in control.

If he wanted to pet her, he petted. If he wanted to snuggle, he snuggled. She was totally at his mercy.

Worst of all?

As his companion beast, she’d overheard all of Xia Ya’s little secrets…

But she’d also had to watch, in excruciating detail, as he flirted and got cozy with other girls—completely unable to do anything about it.

Look at her now. She wasn’t just a lemon—she was a Lemon Cat, radiating sour energy from every fur strand.

And yet, she couldn’t look away either.

Come on, original body. How long are you gonna take finishing things at the White Chalk Tower?

If you don’t show up soon, your Xia Ya is gonna get stolen away by some wicked woman!

...

Xia Ya and Ailora had lived in Lokiah for nearly two years.

Back then, Xia Ya had been taken in as a disciple by Hathaway, one of the Eight Pages of the Black Tower—known as The Eternal Page.

He’d spent most of his time studying in the Tower’s pocket dimension.

Still, as a modern Transmigrator, Xia Ya often brought Ailora with him to browse the mechanical shops here in the Constantine District.

He’d even dreamed about piloting a massive war mech of his own someday.

Even after all these years, the Constantine District still felt familiar—to both of them.

Soon, their steps came to a stop before a massive mechanical foundry.

Xia Ya pushed open the door and stepped inside.

His gaze swept across the room.

And there—amid the bustle of mechanical apprentices—he spotted her.

A black-haired figure, sitting in the rest area, wearing a baseball cap pulled low over her face.

“Long time no see. Honestly, I thought you wouldn’t show up in person.”

Xia Ya greeted her casually and sat down across from her—with Ailora by his side.

“It’s been five years. No way I’d miss a chance to see you face-to-face.”

Suren’s soft voice came through the mask she wore—muffled, but still pleasant.

Looking at the girl before him—hat pulled low, face hidden behind a mask and scarf, everything covered except her beautiful eyes—Xia Ya couldn’t help but chuckle sympathetically.

“Must be rough, going out dressed like this.”

It was a strange look, sure, but Xia Ya fully understood why Suren was doing it.

Her identity as the Saintess of Dawn was exceptionally special.

Other powerhouses—like Legendary Beastmasters or faction leaders—were famous mostly within Transcendent circles.

Ordinary citizens, who hadn’t stepped into the Transcendent world, didn’t have access to such information.

Unless someone deliberately looked into it, no one walking down the street would recognize a living legend.

But Suren was different.

As the Saintess of Dawn, she was the public face of the Church, and by extension, the entire Holy Theocracy.

She often appeared at major ceremonies and sacred festivals.

The Church of Dawn was the single most influential religious force on the Western Continent, and its followers weren’t limited to the Holy Theocracy—they were spread across nearly every Order-aligned territory.

In other words, Suren was nothing less than a superstar.

Her fame and reputation were second only to the Church’s High Priest himself.

Even Isadella couldn’t compare.

Sure, Isadella was the Second Imperial Princess of the Fresta Empire, and quite beloved…

But she hadn’t ascended the throne yet, and outside the Empire, most people didn’t pay much attention to an unascended royal.

Suren, meanwhile, had faithful followers in every corner of the Western Continent.

Lokiah didn’t have a particularly strong religious presence, but if Suren’s true identity were exposed in public—it would definitely cause chaos among the followers of Dawn.

It really did feel like those celebrities from Xia Ya’s previous life, disguising themselves to dodge the paparazzi.

“It’s not that bad. I’m a Mechanist, after all. I’ve had to travel here to keep up with the Steam School’s latest breakthroughs. I’m used to it.”

“Of course, if you want to feel sorry for me, I won’t complain.”

Suren’s eyes curved slightly, and her voice dropped to a whisper.

“The Saintess of Dawn, adored by millions, risking everything—braving mountains, dangers, and secrets—just to sneak out and meet you…”

“So? Did your heart skip a beat, even for a second?”

As she spoke, she pushed two glass cups toward Xia Ya and Ailora.

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The deep brown liquid inside bubbled gently through the straws.

“Here. The ‘Happy Water’ you used to love so much.”

“With an alchemy-tweaked flavor base and carbonation powered by magitech mechanisms… I specially adjusted it to your taste—so it’s the Coca, not the Pepsi version.”

...

“Honestly, if you hadn’t brought it up yourself, I might’ve felt a little something,” Xia Ya said. “But right now… the environment’s kinda killing the mood.”

He glanced at the black-haired girl before him. Beneath that curtain of falling ink-black strands, her chestnut eyes looked slightly hazy—hard to read.

His gaze shifted back to the three glasses of Happy Water on the table.

“You didn’t secretly spike these with some illicit potion or something, did you?”

To the outside world, the Saintess of Dawn was the living embodiment of purity and holiness—a walking angel with a divine glow.

Xia Ya’s verdict?

Don’t believe rumors. Don’t spread them.

Sure, Suren looked flawless in front of the public and the faithful, but only Xia Ya knew the truth:

It was all an act.

Cut her open and she was black all the way through.

A textbook bad girl.

Would a real, chaste Saintess offer blackmail evidence and suggest turning a former Chosen of Dawn into a personal plush toy?

Didn’t seem very “holy.”

Based on what Xia Ya knew of Suren’s twisted little mind, he wouldn’t even put it past her to lace his drink with PC parts and seduce proper young men just for the thrill.

“So that’s how you see me, huh? I’m honestly a little hurt.”

The black-haired Saintess put on a pitiful expression, eyes shimmering like she might cry, before lowering her head and sipping her drink through a straw.

“Besides, little Ailora’s sitting right here. No matter how much of a beast I am, I wouldn’t do something like that in front of her.”

“...Though,” Suren suddenly paused.

She leaned in close, until her lips were right next to Xia Ya’s ear.

In a voice only the two of them could hear, she whispered:

“That potion you just mentioned? I actually brought it with me.”

“I already booked a suite at the Golden Osmanthus Hotel.”

“If you’re interested… Room 903. Tonight. 9 PM.”

Hiss—

Xia Ya sucked in a sharp breath.

This bad girl was getting bolder by the day.

And he had to admit… he was tempted.

After all, these were all his fish in his pond.

Ailora still needed some time—he was saving that for a night with the right moon and stars.

Sylvia was a concern too—he wasn’t confident he could overpower her if things got physical.

But the Saintess? No strings attached.

Women like Suren—who went around seducing decent young men—clearly needed someone just, righteous, and strong like him to set them straight.

Discipline them. Reform them. Guide them back to the path of virtue.

Justice must be served.

Or so he tried to convince himself...

Until that murderous glare beside him snapped him back to reality.

Not just Ailora—who’d gone from little angel to death angel—but even the white cat on his shoulder was staring at him with something distinctly off.

Is this cat trying to catch its Beastmaster in the act?!

“Ahem.”

Xia Ya cleared his throat and straightened up.

“We’ve gotten a little off topic. Let’s get back to business.”

“How’s the mechanical fire source coming along? And the two mechanical formation arrays I requested?”

“All completed,” Suren replied, her voice still gentle and melodic.

Her chestnut eyes stayed locked on him—unwavering, even after his rejection.

“Your concept was incredibly advanced. The difficulty level was through the roof.

Multiple Titled-tier Mechanical Beastmasters attempted it and failed.

In the end, I had to use my name as the Saintess of Dawn to personally request help from the current president of the Steam School—a Legendary Mechanist.”

“The fee for hiring a Legendary Mechanist…”

Xia Ya frowned.

Sure, he was wealthy now.

Not just because of the fortune he’d raked in from the Historical Echo, but also because Isadella was currently enjoying massive momentum within the Empire.

As the top figure of the Second Imperial Princess’ faction, Xia Ya’s value had skyrocketed.

A number of high-ranking nobles who had previously remained neutral in the Borgia-Royal conflict had now begun openly showing him favor.

They couldn’t just go kneeling to the iron-blooded princess without shame, so they turned their goodwill toward Xia Ya instead.

Plus, with the White Chalk Tower joining the board, his commercial enterprises had seen massive hidden gains.

In short—he was no longer the broke boy from a year ago.

Even hiring multiple Titled-tier Beastmasters at once wouldn’t be a problem.

But Legendary-tier was different.

Especially Legendary Mechanists—just like in fantasy novels where alchemists were more valuable than martial artists of the same level.

Mechanists and Alchemists were elite professions.

And if they were Legendary-tier? Their fees were practically immeasurable.

He honestly wasn’t sure if even his fortune could cover it.

“I wanted to use this as an excuse to make you owe me a favor,” Suren said, voice playful.

“But the Steam School’s president said your concept was so forward-thinking that it gave him real inspiration.

He’ll only charge for the materials—no extra fees.”

“Everything you asked for is being stored in Workshop 7. You can go pick it up whenever.”

As if she could read his mind, a quiet chuckle slipped out from beneath Suren’s mask.

“Steam President really is a good guy.”

Xia Ya nodded.

Of course, he knew the Saintess of Dawn was no less of a rich girl than Sylvia, the Tower Master of the White Chalk Tower.

But still—borrowing money from a bad girl like Suren?

He was honestly afraid of being squeezed dry.

Come to think of it…

I’m surrounded by rich women.

Suren. Sylvia. Isadella…

Even his teacher—The Eternal Page of the Black Tower—had who-knows-how-many years of accumulated wealth.

Too bad I’m the kind of guy who insists on eating soft rice the hard way…

Xia Ya sighed inwardly and stood up, heading toward Workshop 7.

“Ailora, you wait here. I’ll be back after grabbing the gear.”

As he walked, a sense of anticipation rose in his heart.

Even his steps felt a little lighter.

This—this was a dream he’d had ever since he first transmigrated.

The dream fragments he showed back in Diris’ Dream Creation were incomplete—but not entirely fictional.

Many of his old ideas had been shelved due to a lack of strength or money.

But now?

Xia Ya had stepped into the Fifth-Ring.

He was officially a Master-tier Beastmaster.

He had the strength.

He had the funding.

And now, he had the chance.

Those grand, magitech blueprints he once dreamed of in his sleep—

Were about to begin taking shape in the real world.