Hate Me, Miss Witch!

Xaya was stunned.

"I know there might be some lingering scent of her perfume on me, but how in the world did you figure out it's specifically Dyris's scent? Is this the legendary sixth sense of women?"

"Unfortunately, I don't possess such a talent. To my knowledge, divination-based skills are exceedingly rare even among temporal beasts."

Aurora's expression remained calm as she reached out to adjust Xaya's slightly crooked collar.

"I simply considered that if there were even a one percent chance of someone at Saint Roland Academy posing a threat to me, it could only be President Dyris."

"Such confidence from the Academy's most beautiful girl!"

Xaya gave her a thumbs-up, only to sense that his compliment had done little to lighten the atmosphere.

"Actually, the president spotted me on the train and tried to drag me off to take makeup exams and attend some noble social events. But I managed to outsmart her and escape."

"I swear I'm telling the truth, Aurora. You've got to believe me."

"Of course, I believe you." Aurora tilted her head, her golden hair cascading to one side. "But, Xaya, what exactly are you explaining?"

For the first time in ages, Xaya broke into a cold sweat.

He decided it was time to deploy his ultimate weapon.

"Kiki! (Big Sis, long time no see!")

"Chirp! (Big, Big Sis, long time no see!")

The golden monkey and snow-white ferret, his bonded creatures, appeared on his shoulders and began their adorable antics.

The tactic worked like a charm.

Although Aurora's pale face remained expressionless, the surrounding tension visibly eased.

"Long time no see, Silver." She patted the snow ferret on the head before turning to the golden monkey. "And you've finally completed your emergence?"

"Kiki!"

The monkey, Shiny, nodded excitedly.

Though technically just over a week old, it had been bound to Xaya in its dormant state as a Sealed Stone for years. Though it couldn't move back then, it retained its awareness of the world around it, so Aurora wasn't a stranger to it.

In fact, she was its real big boss, outranking Silver.

After playing with the two creatures for a moment, Aurora fixed her ice-blue eyes on Xaya. She leaned closer and spoke softly into his ear:

"I found some clues about that incident."

"According to the Shadow Council's intel—"

"Eight years ago, a letter was covertly sent from a noble estate in the capital. It passed through the Theocracy and eventually reached a lost kingdom in the Wastelands."

"Seven days after the letter arrived, Silan fell."

Silan was a place—or at least, it used to be.

A northern frontier city on the Empire's permafrost plains, it had been a home to tens of thousands of northern residents. But eight years ago, a cataclysm still shrouded in mystery erased it from existence.

Xaya, Aurora, and Silver were perhaps its last surviving remnants.

Xaya stared at the dorm ceiling. "What grade did the Shadow Council assign this intel?"

"'Saint's Death Knell.'"

Xaya nodded.

The Shadow Council was the most renowned covert organization on the western continent, excelling in intelligence trading, mercenary missions, and black-market dealings. In the secret world, its power rivaled that of the Church and the Fresta Empire.

"Saint's Death Knell" was its second-highest information grade, signifying intelligence that directly or indirectly involved legends or entities of equivalent strength. It was second only to "Angel of Death," reserved for intelligence concerning demi-gods.

Xaya fell silent.

After a while, he sat up, dismissing the classification with a wave.

"Whatever it is, at least we've got a lead now."

"Whether it's Death Knell or Angel, it's not like it makes much difference to us at the moment."

"Dead people stay dead, and roads are walked step by step."

"You're close to reaching the third ring, right?"

"Mm-hmm." Aurora nodded, her icy blue gaze steady. "It's probably just a matter of months."

"I'm almost there, too. Let's focus on advancing to the third ring first."

Xaya stretched lazily, grabbing Silver to use as a makeshift pillow. "And we'll have to scrape up enough funds to buy a decent fire-element material to patch up that infernal 'Amaterasu.'"

"Money here, money there... It's exhausting. If I'd known, I wouldn't have rushed its creation. It's so frustrating having a beast that looks amazing but can't be used—it reminds me of those pay-to-win mobile games."

"Chirp~"

Silver let out a half-hearted protest but quickly gave up when it remembered that Amaterasu would empty Xaya's coffers again.

Suddenly—BOOM!

A massive explosion shattered the tranquility, and flames erupted in the distance.

The window was blown out by the shockwave, scattering glass shards and dust everywhere.

Panicked screams and hurried footsteps filled the air:

"Run! Get out of here!"

"Help! I'm on fire—wait, don't use your Water Duck's high-pressure water gun on me!"

"Senior, can't your Blue-Winged Eagle fly? Take me with you!"

"Ladies first, guys fend for yourselves! Move, I'm off to save the girls' dorm!"

"Stop shoving! My slime bra's going to fall off!"

As usual, Saint Roland Academy was as peaceful as ever.

Xaya pressed Silver over his ears like noise-canceling headphones, contemplating ways to make money.

It might be time to plagiarize another work from his past life for the Royal Publishing House.

"Should I go with The Dragon Prince's Revenge or One Million Rhine Gold Coins?"

"Aren't you going to run?" Aurora's cool voice betrayed a hint of exasperation.

"Why bother?"

"It's either a dean's sovereign pet beast running amok, a Mechanical Division creation corrupted by the astral realm, or an Alchemy Division reactor blowing up again."

"Or maybe some criminal group is just throwing a tantrum to make their presence known."

Xaya stroked Silver's little head tuft and adjusted to a more comfortable sleeping position. "I've been on a train for three days straight. Let me escape our grim reality with a little nap."

Living in a world of extraordinary events meant dealing with frequent extraordinary interruptions. Being able to sleep through the chaos was a skill every beast tamer needed.

Just then, the dorm door was violently kicked open.

A figure cloaked in black, wielding a steel scythe, stormed in—a perfect caricature of lawlessness.

The intruder glanced at the lethargic Xaya sprawled on the bed and Aurora perched by the bedpost.

His gaze narrowed as if connecting imaginary dots.

"You insolent students dare to engage in such scandalous debauchery?"

"The Empire has truly sunk into moral decay and disgraceful corruption!"

"This depravity will be cleansed by the black flames of my master, the Ashen God—"

Before he could finish, Xaya, who had been lying limp like a salted fish, suddenly stood up.

"Did you say... you're with the Ashen Cult?"

His lips curled into a grin, and an eerie green glow flickered in his black pupils, reminiscent of wolves lurking in the wild.

"You mean the cult that worships the Lord of Ash and Flame, with a doctrine of incinerating all heretics in holy fire?"