Hate Me, Witch!-Chapter 134 – Xia Ya: Am I... the Femme Fatale Now?

Chapter 134 – Xia Ya: Am I... the Femme Fatale Now?

Tsss—

Xia Ya stared at the text laid out in the open book.

In that moment, he couldn’t help but draw in a sharp breath.

Knight King — Isadella von Frestberg.

To be precise, that name should have originally belonged to none other than the Empire’s Second Imperial Princess.

It was only when this name appeared that Xia Ya finally understood the string of “coincidences” from that Historical Echo.

Why, at the very first glimpse of that Knight King, he’d felt a strong sense of déjà vu.

Why that supposedly male figure had a face so delicate and beautiful—nearly feminine—and why their brows and eyes resembled the Second Imperial Princess so much that Xia Ya nearly mistook them for her several times.

Even during close encounters, he’d gotten confused more than once, thinking “Bro, why do you smell so nice?”—

So much so that he’d started to question his own preferences, and the moment he escaped the Historical Echo, he ran straight to Little Ai to reaffirm himself.

He’d originally assumed the resemblances and feelings were simply due to some bloodline connection.

After all, ancestor and descendant. Similar faces, maybe some skipped-generation resemblance—seemed plausible enough.

But now, it was clear—

It had nothing to do with genetics or ancestral traits.

It was literally the same person, logging into a different identity and running a full-blown alternate timeline campaign.

Two people he knew in real life, both donning new disguises, had put on a grand historical drama together a thousand years ago.

The worst part?

Xia Ya had treated everything in the Historical Echo like it was just a stage play—

He played his part, the curtain fell, and he dipped.

But apparently…

Someone took it seriously.

“But…”

“Why would she appear in Aisgania a thousand years ago—as the Knight King?”

As Xia Ya muttered this question aloud, golden script shimmered gently into view in the air.

Sylvia had also seen the information in that book.

「Miss Isadella… that’s the same Second Imperial Princess we saw at the Borgia banquet, right? And the one who visited your home.」

「If that’s the case, it makes sense.」

「It’s probably because of the Holy Sword she contracted.」

The witch’s eyes grew distant, argent light flickering softly in her gaze.

「Legend-tier powerhouses can perceive the flow of time. Those on the Throne-tier can interfere with the portions of history they’re connected to.」

「But that Holy Sword was born at the dawn of the stars…」

「It has witnessed the rise and fall of countless ancient eras. The immense mystery it contains far surpasses that of an ordinary Throne-tier relic.」

「It’s precisely because of that Holy Sword that Her Highness the Princess was able to resist the washing force of historical correction—forcing her way upstream against the tide, and rewriting a portion of history.」

Sylvia’s expression grew solemn.

As a Throne-tier Beastmaster, she wasn’t ancient yet, but she had the power to stand within time and look back upon the past.

And now, from the upper reaches of the River of Time, she saw it clearly—

A blazing golden sword, impossibly radiant, pierced straight into the River of Time, unmoving.

It forcibly altered the course of history, carving out a brand-new era.

This was a feat that defied the very flow of fate.

“So… that century-long Holy War between the Theocracy and the Empire’s sword…”

Xia Ya spoke softly, a little dazed.

「Exactly. That was probably the cause.」

Sylvia nodded.

「Such an act—defying the historical momentum—will inevitably leave traces in the River of Time.」

「To those below the Legendary tier, nothing will seem out of place. They’ll accept the rewritten history as truth.」

「Ordinary Legend-tiers might sense something’s off, but it’ll be vague and unclear.」

「Only those who’ve reached the boundary of the Throne-tier… or people like you, Brother Xia Ya, who personally experienced it… or like Little Ai, protected by the Holy Spear—only they can clearly remember what the past used to be.」

The Holy Sword and the Holy Spear were equivalent in standing. Both had powers independent of time.

「And within the Sacred Court of the Theocracy, there must be powerhouses who have surpassed the Throne-tier and know the truth. That’s likely why they launched that Holy War—to try and correct the ‘false’ history.」

「Unfortunately for them, it seems they lost.」

“So what you’re saying is…”

“In the past, Xia Ya picked up yet another girl… Her Highness Isadella?”

Ailora’s cold voice cut in.

According to Xia Ya’s own classification, she was a “charge-in-headfirst wife type”—

She didn’t care about all this timeline-crossing, historical corrections, or theoretical discussions.

She was Xia Ya’s blade. Her only role was to trust him unconditionally and carry out his commands no matter what.

So all of Sylvia’s detailed explanation?

She only picked out one thing she cared about:

As expected—Xia Ya’s passive “Transdimensional Sea King Aura” had been triggered again.

And this time?

It was with a royal princess.

…Weirdly enough, it didn’t feel that surprising. Why though?

「If it’s Brother Xia Ya… yeah, not that surprising.」

A faint trace of resignation also flickered in Sylvia’s beautiful eyes.

What could she say? Karma’s a b*tch.

She herself had once been the girl saved by Xia Ya—

The first one to “eat the peach.”

But now?

The boomerang had come back around.

It was her turn to stand by helplessly, watching the boy she loved go and attract another girl.

The frozen dusk around the Argent Witch began to ripple once more.

A segment of the River of Time slowly emerged within that twilight.

And Xia Ya simply gazed at that illusionary stream, watching the endless scenes flow past.

Aisgania in ages past… or rather, what was now the Fresta Empire—

The Crimson Empire.

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…

He saw Futigon and the abyssal beasts driven out of Aisgania.

The Knight King’s banners were planted all across the once-devastated land.

He saw the birth of the Sacred Calendar, the end of the Old Era, and the dawn of a new one.

Rain ceased, and sunlight pierced through the clouds.

Massive blocks of white chalk were hauled in from all directions—

And atop the crumbling, decayed ruins of Aisgania’s capital, a new, pure-white royal city was slowly built.

The Holy City—Camelot.

He saw the day Camelot was completed, and the founding of a brand-new nation.

Cheers echoed from countless civilians and soldiers alike, celebrating the rise of a glorious era and the dawn of an immortal dynasty.

Upon the throne, the girl clutching the golden sword looked even more radiant than before.

Every guest who caught a glimpse of this ever-victorious ruler's figure became utterly convinced of the newborn empire’s prosperity and unshakable future.

But no one noticed—on that day when knights, soldiers, and commoners all laughed and drank without restraint...

The only one not smiling was the girl seated on the throne, her delicate face shrouded in the Holy Sword’s shadow.

...

The scenes within the River of Time began to accelerate.

As with every mighty nation, it followed the same course...

From sprouting youth, vibrant and full of life—

To steady growth, building an era of unprecedented splendor—

And then, decline.

One by one, the Knights of the Round Table—those born in the previous era, who had followed the Knight King through campaigns north and south—began to grow old.

“You know, your grandfather once saw Lord Kayin with his own eyes.”

That became Gawain’s favorite line when bragging to his descendants, who always half-believed, half-doubted.

By then, the tales of Kayin and the Xiao Organization had become distant legends.

Mixed in with bard songs of brave boys slaying evil dragons, no one could tell what was real and what was just a story.

The vision sped up further.

At the Round Table, the seats belonging to the elder knights gradually emptied one by one.

The Round Table Knights were all at least Titled-tier, with quite a few Legendary-tier among them.

But even human Legends had limits—a lifespan of two or three centuries at most.

Only the woman on the throne—the silver-haired Empress—remained unchanged.

The Holy Sword, and the immense mystery it held, seemed to have frozen her in time.

She stayed forever youthful, her appearance locked at the peak of her maiden years.

Then came the end of the golden age.

The glory faded.

The noise vanished.

All that remained in the throne room was that slender figure, increasingly alone.

The humanity in her eyes faded.

All that remained was the radiance of divinity.

Behind her, a crimson moon glimmered faintly.

The Empress began to neglect political affairs, handing imperial authority to the descendants of the Round Table and the Oathbound Families.

She herself spent day and night across from the palace, in a towering structure that nearly matched the royal hall—

The Hall of Heroes.

And there, she would stare at a lone stone statue at its forefront—

The one labeled: Black Knight Kayin

—often for days at a time, without moving.

There were still loyal descendants among the Round Table and the Oathbound,

But people change.

And the Knight King’s current detachment from governance was practically inviting those with ambition to seize the throne.

Thus, the Empire’s reputation across the Western Continent began to plummet.

The once-esteemed title Knight King—“the embodiment of the Eight Virtues of Chivalry,” “the perfect knight and ruler”—

was gradually abandoned.

In its place arose a more neutral title: Crimson Empress.

But the only monarch of the Empire never responded to the gossip.

Aside from crossing blades once with a Theocracy Saint during the Century of Blood,

she remained silent—always standing in the Hall of Heroes.

Time passed, and she drifted further and further from the mortal world.

Until now.

…

The River of Time stopped flowing.

“If this keeps going… what’ll happen to Isadella?”

Xia Ya asked softly.

「She’ll disappear.」

As if she had expected the question, Sylvia’s ethereal voice sounded gently within his spiritual sea.

「Ordinary historical correction only forcibly ejects travelers who don’t belong in that timeline.」

「But Her Highness the Second Princess is different… she’s stayed too long and changed too much.」

「The Holy Sword, born at the dawn of the stars, is indeed powerful—but even it can’t rival the River of Time that’s stretched through eternity.」

「The longer she stays, the more the historical correction force accumulates. At this point, it’s no longer about removal—it’s about erasure.」

「If this continues, and the Holy Sword’s protection shatters…」

「Then the thousand years’ worth of correction force will rebound all at once—strong enough to erase every trace of a Throne-tier existence from the entire River of Time.」

Sylvia’s tone was calm, but the meaning behind her words was heavy.

This wasn’t just death.

With death, at least someone still remembers you.

This would be obliteration.

To be wiped entirely from time and history.

Only those strong enough to walk within the River of Time would ever remember she existed.

No name.

No deeds.

Not even footprints.

Someone else might take her place.

Or that part of history would simply vanish.

「If Her Highness gives up now, the Holy Sword’s protection might still allow her to return to the correct history.」

「But...」

Sylvia didn’t finish.

She didn’t need to.

She, too, had buried herself for five hundred years—

So she understood Isadella’s current state better than anyone.

Time could change everything.

Dreams.

Convictions.

Even humanity.

Sylvia had sealed herself within the White Chalk Tower, isolated from the world.

Even so, it had taken all her will just to preserve her humanity.

And Isadella?

She had lived through those thousand years.

Compared to that, her twenty-some years as the Second Princess were just a fleeting blink.

Now, she was no longer the girl who once shared hot pot with them at Xia Ya’s house.

Divinity had eclipsed her humanity.

What now stood was something closer to a god than a person.

A god walking the mortal world.

Even if Xia Ya now revealed his identity as Kayin, it might not change anything.

Because the princess’s original feelings had twisted—

Warpped into divine obsession.

No one could say how much of that old, mortal love still lived in her heart.

Hearing all this, Xia Ya fell into a daze.

The next moment—

A deep blue light screen opened silently in his mind.

[You have gained a new Negative Historical Notoriety — “Bringer of Ruin”]

[Historical Notoriety — Bringer of Ruin]

[Rarity: Gold]

[Owner: Xia Ya Egut]

[Origin: Aisgania / Fresta Empire]

“They say a beautiful woman can topple a kingdom.”

“But today, you have proven: men can be just as dangerous.”

[You’ve altered the fate of an ancient nation—not through ambition, but simply by being you.]

[Now, every history textbook across the Western Continent bears your name. Scholars endlessly debate Kayin’s legacy.]

“Kayin must be understood in context,” they say.

“His deeds as a hero who saved the world cannot be denied.”

“But we shouldn’t idealize him either.”

“It wasn’t intentional, but if not for him, perhaps the Knight King would’ve accepted death gracefully.”

“Maybe the Empire wouldn’t have become so extreme…”

“Overall: 70% good, 30% bad.”

[One way or another, the fate of Aisgania—and the Fresta Empire—was changed by your hands.]

[Even if… it wasn’t the outcome you had in mind.]

[You have acquired both “Bringer of Ruin” (Negative) and “The Watcher” (Positive), two Gold-tier Historical Notorieties. Partial quest objective completed.]

[Quest Reward: 200 Sands of Time]

In that instant, Xia Ya felt a hundred brilliant, dreamlike stars ignite in his spiritual world.

Like a galaxy.

His spiritual power roared under the effect of the Sands of Time.

The barrier between Fifth and Sixth Ring shattered.

In a flash, his sixth Soul Pact solidified—

He had officially stepped into the realm of Titled-tier.

The tier where one's name is forever their banner.

Just one step away from Legend.

A step that might halt many Titled-tier powerhouses—

But not Xia Ya.

He had already carved his path.

Already left his mark in history.

Legend, even Throne, would not stop him for long.

If this were a few days ago, breaking through to the Sixth Ring with such a reward would’ve had him bursting with joy.

He’d probably be begging Little Ai for a “Sixth-Ring Milestone Lap Pillow” or something.

But now—

Recalling everything he saw in Sylvia’s River of Time...

The thrill of advancement just didn’t feel all that satisfying anymore.

…