Hate Me, Miss Witch!

Imperial Capital, Shangcheng District.

It is so wide that it does not look like a building, but more like a palace, in a sunny courtyard.

Emerald green plants stand tall and graceful in the courtyard, blooming with colorful flowers and emitting bursts of rich fragrance. The mixed atmosphere of magic and vitality in the air is almost condensed into substance.

If there is a beast master who specializes in plant-based beasts, he will definitely be shocked here.

Because the plants in this courtyard are almost without exception rare species of pet beasts above the king level.

Plant pet beasts are scarce and difficult to cultivate. Any king-level plant pet beast requires tens or even hundreds of years of gestation. Only one king-level plant pet is harvested, which is enough to give birth to a powerful master-level plant. Department of beast master.

But in the courtyard at this moment, these plant kings, which are extremely precious in the eyes of outsiders, are just placed as ornamental potted plants.

The old man with a calm face was holding gardening shears and pruning the branches of the plants in the courtyard bit by bit. There was no aura around him, as if he was really just an ordinary gardener.

"The thorn of sin is destroyed."

"Viscount Lowry lost the bet, the spiritual demon lost control and chose to commit suicide."

"The monitor sent by the family there is also dead. If nothing else, the things below have been completely exposed."

Suddenly, a very respectful voice sounded from the shadow of the courtyard's outer wall.

The old man continued his actions and did not stop until he cut off an extra branch.

He threw the cut branches and leaves in his hands into the wooden barrel aside: "Clean it up."

"It's already underway. All connections between the Thorn of Sin and the family have been completely cut off. There will be no more redundant traces left."

The extremely respectful voice responded.

"In addition, according to the information on the scene, the leader of the group that destroyed the Thorn of Sin showed a coat of arms."

"If the witness's retelling is correct...then the badge of the World Tree and the Silver Sword should be the coat of arms of the "Sword Holder". "

The old man who looked like a gardener reached out and brushed the pruned branches and leaves, and then put the gardening shears in his hand into the tool box.

After a while, he turned back.

The previous simple gardener-like temperament disappeared, replaced by a simple majesty: "Isadella started to move again."

"I feel like I have learned enough lessons from the last failure...Have I accumulated enough strength in the past four years?"

"Who is the sword holder she chooses this time? The little girl from the White Tower named Fioren?"

The respectful voice in the shadow paused for a moment, and then spoke again: "It's not His Majesty Fiolen, the Southern Supervisor."

"According to the family's information, the leader seems to be less than the fourth ring..."

"From the comparison of the recorded physical characteristics and voice... there is a high probability that it is the third-year Saint Laurent College student who previously defeated the Ashes Order's plan in the imperial capital, Char Egut."

The old man's voice paused for a moment: "Him?"

"Yes, Char Eggut and the Second Princess probably met during that Ashes Order attack."

"In addition, there is evidence that he was born in Ceylon, and "Char Aegut" is probably just his pseudonym. "

"Considering that the Pledge of Winter Flower has never been found, maybe..."

The respectful voice in the shadow paused: "This time he is on the same side as Her Royal Highness the Second Princess."

"Do we need to unite with other families and attack the leader of the sword holder directly..."

"Need not."

The voice of suggestion in the shadow was interrupted by the old man as soon as it sounded.

The old man sat down on the chair in the courtyard. It was obviously just the most ordinary wooden chair, but it took on a calm dignity the moment he sat down.

"The royal family is the royal family after all. Even if its dominance over the empire has weakened over the years, its remaining influence cannot be underestimated."

"Isadella's talent and character are indeed outstanding. Over the years, her excellence has helped many people regain their confidence in the royal family."

"As long as she exists, so does the sword holder. In this case, the past violent suppression will be counterproductive and arouse their resistance."

The old man's words paused slightly: "In that case, it's better to change your mind."

"The rose flower and the rapier are the family emblems."

"The coexistence of glamorous temptation and thunderous skills is Borgia's way of life."

"My subordinate understands."

The figure in the shadow quietly retired.

The old man was sitting on a wooden chair. After a moment, a light blue magic crystal curtain quietly emerged.

"Histalia, his information should have been delivered."

"How do you think about the previous proposal?"

The sound of papers being turned over came from the magic crystal screen.

"A seventeen-year-old quasi-fourth ring, the talent is pretty good."

After a long time, a clear, melodious but unusually cold voice sounded.

The pleasant female voice paused for a moment, as if examining the image of the image crystal, and then spoke again after a moment.

"In terms of appearance, he is indeed much better than the so-called descendants of the Holy Temple in The Theocracy, and he is quite pleasing to the eye."

"If it's for the family, then I have no problem with it."

…

In a dark basement.

Xia reached out and touched a small area of ​​time distortion deep in a secret room to be excavated.

This area is difficult for ordinary people, even high-level experts in the fifth and sixth rings, to detect.

However, in the eyes of Char, who has absorbed dozens of Sands of Time and has a frightening affinity for time, it stands out.

The next moment, the distorted time merged into Xia Ya's palm and disappeared, while lines of information emerged in Xia Ya's mind.

[The first phase of the mission: Trigger the historical reverberation - "Esgania" (completed)]

[The current historical reverberation has been archived. In the second stage of the mission, the host is asked to enter the historical reverberation to view it]

[The first phase mission reward has been released: "Sands of Time"*5"

In an instant, Xia Ya felt that in his spiritual world, the originally dim starlight in the sky became a little brighter, and there were five more tiny stars.

And his mental strength was suddenly lifted a lot, and he felt a slight sense of blockage and stagnation, as if he had reached some kind of bottleneck and pass, and he was only one step away from breaking through that illusory and hazy barrier.

Xia Ya had a hunch that as long as he took some secret medicine to enhance his mental power or break through barriers at this moment, he could completely break through the barrier between the third and fourth levels, officially advance to the fourth ring, and become a true master beast master. .

The masters of the Fourth Ring are not weak even if you look at the entire Western Continent. They can easily obtain a title in any country and become a wealthy noble.

What's more, today's Xia Ya is only in his early seventeen years, which is very different from those master beast masters who relied on years and long accumulation to break through the fourth ring.

But after thinking about it, Char finally gave up on the idea of ​​exchanging props from the Sands of Time Mall and advancing to the fourth ring in one go.

His recent upgrade speed has been a bit too fast. Although the Sands of Time can directly stabilize the spiritual world and improve the soul's potential, it will not have the same problem as the fairy tales about immortality. In fact, on the contrary, it can Solid foundation.

However, relying on external forces to forcibly break through the four rings does not have the naturalness and perfection that comes from natural self-improvement.

He felt that there were still some deficiencies in his spirit and emotions, and that he might need an opportunity to fully complete the transformation and sublimation of his mental power.

"My mission is finally accomplished."

Char turned back and looked at the subordinates of the sword holder behind him.

Unlike the previous meeting in the lounge of the military headquarters, it was only a superficial respect.

At this moment, Xia Ya could feel the eyes of Dark Crow and Nightingale looking at him with a little heat.

It was obvious that they had recognized from the bottom of their hearts the identity of Char, the leader of the sword holders, and were not just obeying his orders because of the instructions of Her Royal Highness.

"It's up to you to deal with the aftermath, appease the victims, issue pensions, etc."

"Including how to collect and record evidence from the basement of the Evernight City, the source of evil..."

"And how to use the royal family and the officially controlled newspapers to create public opinion hype in the imperial capital, so as to put pressure on the nobles, gain more prestige for our side, and strive for greater benefits..."

"I think that since they are the elites selected by Her Highness the Second Princess - you shouldn't be able to handle this."

"Of course, we are professionals in this area."

Dark Crow answered in a hoarse voice, and quickly stepped forward to command the military soldiers behind him who were filing in to block the entire Nightless City.

But for some reason, Xia Ya clearly saw a hint of dodge in Dark Crow's eyes.

"Then I'll leave this place to you."

"By the way, don't forget to pay me dividends from the oil and water squeezed out from here."

Xia Ya reminded him, and then strode out of the secret passage.

"Elbow, Xiao Ai, let's go home."

…

The setting sun dyed the streets of Widowmaker District red.

Xia Ya was walking on the way home. The girl next to him hugged his arm tightly. Her long pale golden hair fell on Xia Ya's shoulders. The shampoo Xiao Ai used today was a new sandalwood-scented shampoo.

Based on Xia Ya's understanding of Aurora, this girl belongs to the classic tsundere type who is cold on the outside and hot on the inside. Even if she occasionally gives Xia Ya benefits and has some fun between old couples, it will only be in the privacy of the bedroom.

In front of outsiders, Aurora mostly maintains the posture of an iceberg beauty, but the reason why she is so uncharacteristically taking the initiative to get close to Char at this moment——

That's of course because now Xia Ya and the others are not traveling as a couple, but as a trio.

Aurora glanced back coldly with her beautiful blue eyes: "We are almost home, why don't you go back to the military headquarters and still follow us?"

"Because I am not originally from the military, Airola-san."

Diris blinked her pure eyes.

She has been following the two of them obediently, neither getting closer nor moving away, just like a young girl watching her beloved stay and fly with others, but she is just silently blessing them from a distance.

"I am also a student of the civilian faction like you. I have been living in the dormitory of Saint Laurent College before."

"But the abandoned accommodation area after that attack has not been repaired yet, so I also rented a house in the Widowmaker District, just a street behind your house, so naturally it's on the way."

Diris's statement seemed quite reasonable and convincing.

For a moment, Aurora was speechless. She didn't know how to refute, so she could only move her body closer to Char as if she was declaring sovereignty.

And Xia Ya couldn't help but secretly applaud Diris' assist in her heart.

As expected of the succubus royal family who are good at playing with people's hearts, Xiao Ai would not normally be intimate with him like this outside.

At this moment, Xia Ya noticed that Airola's soft and delicate body suddenly tightened.

He stopped and looked not far away.

Ahead, a carriage was parked on the street outside Char's mansion.

The entire carriage is matte black and has been carefully polished to reveal a low-key luxury. A lifelike vermilion rose flower is carved in the center, indicating its extraordinary and noble status.

The owner of the carriage is a middle-aged and elderly man wearing a coat and holding a redwood crutch inlaid with silver.

The gray hair was meticulously combed back and neatly, and the whole person exuded a noble and decent temperament, which seemed incompatible with the trendy atmosphere of the entire Widowmaker District.

He stood beside the carriage in an elegant posture, as if waiting for something.

"Scarlet Rose—the chief steward of the Borgia family."

""Silver Fox" Lille, title level. "

Diris whispered in Xia Ya's ear: "I didn't expect their response to be so fast. Do you want me to use a secret channel to contact His Highness?"

"No need." Charia shook her head, gently holding Aurora's soft little hand to stop the blond girl from thinking about becoming armed.

"With this attitude, it's obvious that they don't want to show off their face and take action."

"I would like to see what kind of medicine the Borgia family is planning to sell..."

Just as Xia Ya finished speaking, he saw the elegant and decent old man looking in the direction of himself and others.

The next moment, a variety of complex expressions such as joy and relief appeared on the meticulous face of the butler Jier.

Before Xia Ya could get closer, he quickly came to Xia Ya's body.

Then, he bowed slightly and saluted Xia Ya.

This is a courtesy that is exclusive to the great nobles in the empire and can only be used by servants to their masters.

"Master Xia Ya, it's an honor to see you again."

The voice was respectful, gentle, elegant and graceful, making the listener feel like a spring breeze. There was no trace of the arrogance of a superior person in it.

"The old servant came here to visit me this time for the sake of Master Xia Ya and the eldest lady of our family——"

"Histalia Borgia's engagement comes."