Hate Me, Witch!-Chapter 171: The Prince Who Got Taken by the Evil Dragon

“The wind tonight is rather boisterous.”

Sylvianna let Xia Ya tidy her hair. She gazed at the stars far off in the heavens and blinked slowly.

To Sylvianna, this was a long-lost experience.

Although they had technically met already in the current timeline, it wasn’t until Xia Ya returned from the Imaginary Zone that she truly felt their relationship had returned to how it was before.

She was no longer the aloof White Tower Master, no longer the Pale Silver Witch—

Just a carefree little girl by Brother Xia Ya’s side.

In the silence of night, free from worry or sorrow, sitting in the courtyard with the boy, gazing at the stars, listening to him talk about the origins and myths of each constellation,

stories of the Moon Maiden of Guanghan, the Cowherd and Weaver Girl reuniting on the Magpie Bridge...

Simple, yet fulfilling.

And now, that beautiful time had returned to her again.

As she basked in it, it all felt dreamlike, as though none of it were real.

Sylvianna raised her little notebook to show Xia Ya: “Tonight’s moonlight is beautiful.”

“Seatreasure, your meme game’s really leveling up.”

Seeing the elegant handwriting, Xia Ya couldn’t help but smile.

He stood and patted the head of the girl beside him. “I read the stars tonight—great fortune. Perfect for travel.”

Sylvianna blinked, then used her cold fingertip to write in his palm: “You’re leaving?”

“Yeah, my Spiritual Intuition is feeling pretty clear tonight.”

Xia Ya nodded.

For Legendary-tier and above Transcendents, spiritual instincts were a real phenomenon.

Otherwise, beings like the Serpent of Fate, or divination and prophecy skills, wouldn’t exist.

“I’m planning to go now. Seatreasure, help me notify Little Ai later.”

“Usually when I enter a Historical Echo, I return quickly in real-time—”

“But this time it’s the First Era. Too far back. No one knows what’ll happen.”

“Mm.”

Seeing the white-haired girl nod beside him, Xia Ya hesitated no more.

His will stirred.

And in the next instant, everything around him—

The howling wind atop the high walls, the flowing moonlight—

All dissolved into nothingness.

...

This time entering the Historical Echo felt entirely different.

With Xia Ya’s current tier and standing, he could now sense the flow of time and even perceive slight shifts in the River of History.

He felt the scene around him change like shimmering light.

The Mid-Pages of the Fourth Era, the brief eruption of the Era of Cataclysm.

The End of the Third Era, the Golden King who founded the Church of Dawn in Florence, opening the Sacred Calendar.

Though the King’s true self hid in the Starrealm, his descendants and followers still spread awe across the land—

The Second and Third Eras, when Angelic Bloodlines and Divine Kingdoms coexisted.

In a flash, it was as if a thousand brilliant star rivers surged across the night sky—

Then converged. Collided.

Until all starlight met at the origin—

Everything returned to the True Eternal Night.

...

[You have stepped into the Vortex of History]

[Due to interference from your Seventh Soul Pact: “Serpent of Mercury,” the original quest objective has been canceled]

[Sands of Time rewards will now be issued in real time based on the fate lines you alter within the First Era]

[Current Time Coordinate: First Era]

[This is the first recorded history of humanity on the Western Continent, the origin of magic, mages, and civilization]

[Also, the moment when the stars were born.]

...

Unlike the past, there was no clear mission objective.

The text floating in the azure illusionary panel in Xia Ya’s mind this time was far more cryptic.

“So you’re finally not forcing me to play the villain anymore?”

Xia Ya couldn’t help grumbling internally.

Of course, this time he was already set on his path—

Even if the System tried to tempt him into pulling any flashy stunts, Xia Ya absolutely wouldn’t take the bait again.

He didn’t want another Isadella Misunderstanding Arc.

Besides, after ten years of training in Eden, ordinary rewards didn’t mean much to him anymore.

The reason he resolved to explore the First Era—was to find a way to reunite with his dear teacher.

Aside from that, Xia Ya wasn’t planning on causing any trouble.

His consciousness gradually awakened.

What appeared before his eyes was a dome forged of Black Iron.

“Judging from the structure... this seems like a palace?”

“Too bad it’s probably the shabbiest one I’ve ever seen.”

Xia Ya slowly opened his eyes.

He was no longer that broke student who barely had a few Rhine Gold Coins in his pocket,

living in the St. Roland Academy dorms just to save on rent.

Royal Consort of the Empress, beloved of the White Tower Master.

He had witnessed the most grandiose architecture imaginable.

And the scene before him?

Only one impression—crude.

There were no luminous Magitech Light Formations for illumination.

The entire Black Iron Palace was dim, oppressive, and suffocating.

Only the faint candlelight in the four corners and a few minerals embedded in the walls emitting a soft glow served as the sole sources of light in this dim palace.

Of course, the simplicity of the environment was only secondary...

Xia Ya extended a hand and snapped his fingers.

If this were the real world, that one snap would have summoned a plume of “Amaterasu” black flame before his eyes.

But at this moment, in the silent air, nothing happened.

“Divine Authority without restraint... even rewriting the laws of the world directly.”

“Not just that—even Mental Energy is being restricted.”

Xia Ya tried a few more times, then nodded.

It was a situation he had already anticipated;now it was confirmed.

Unlike the Fourth Era, where gods were hidden, Saints and Angels—even as Demigods—were rare, and could only influence the mortal world through followers,

According to the texts Xia Ya had collected recently, and the information provided by the snake...

The First Era was an era where Mythical Creatures and divinity walked the land in person.

Countless fragments of Divinity and the Authorities of Mythical Beings coexisted on the Material Plane, overlapping, interfering, even disrupting the world’s fundamental laws.

Naturally, as a True God who had experienced the First Era, the Serpent of Mercury should have had more to offer.

Unfortunately, when Xia Ya questioned it in detail, he discovered—this thing really had coasted through life as fate’s favorite, choosing to play dead instead.

It had spent more than half the era asleep.

It understood the general sequence of events, but when it came to the specific intel Xia Ya actually cared about? Total blank.

Xia Ya’s thoughts stirred, and he began testing his Summoned Beasts’ skills one by one.

“Elemental skills are the most heavily affected... probably because the ones holding the corresponding Elemental Authorities are physically walking this world.”

“Spatial Skills come next—probably because the very presence of Mythical Creatures disturbs spatial stability.”

“I knew it. These Mythical Beings are all bad news. They all deserve to be dragged out and shot.”

Xia Ya tapped his long index finger rhythmically on the table.

“In other words, Silver and Crimson—Shiny’s skill effects—are all heavily restricted.”

“Of course, Crimson’s physical-type skills, like Slash, aren’t restricted—since those come from accumulated training and muscle memory, not tied to elemental laws.”

“Yui isn’t too affected either, since its body is a Mechanical Lifeform.”

“But the issue is—Yui doesn’t have much combat power itself. Constructs like Black Knight rely on Magitech Formations and Alchemical Matrices to function.”

“Magitech Formations are partially affected too, but as long as they’re properly tuned, it should be manageable.”

“Fortunately, overall, my combat strength isn’t too badly impacted.”

Xia Ya focused.

In the next moment, a silver-white firearm condensed in his hand.

The source of this c𝐨ntent is freeweɓnovēl.coɱ.

This was the benefit of building a well-rounded team.

Most Beastmasters—especially those specialized in a single element, like full fire builds—

Coming into a world like the First Era where elemental laws were disrupted, they'd basically get insta-nerfed.

A Six-Ring strength might only perform at Four-Ring level.

But Xia Ya’s Summoned Beasts each had different specialties—his strategy was all about balance.

If one aspect was restricted, another could cover for it.

After all, no matter how unstable your elemental laws are, you can’t mess with a Mechanist, right?

...

After finishing all his tests, Xia Ya was just about to stand and head outside the palace—

When his gaze suddenly sharpened.

Hurried footsteps echoed from outside the palace.

They were heavy, accompanied by the clatter of armor.

“Your Highness.”

“Your Highness.”

An ancient tongue called out from beyond the palace.

It was not the common language known in later eras, but the Ancient Arlan Language that had been widely used during the First Era.

Luckily, Xia Ya had fully prepared for this Historical Echo, specifically training and practicing a number of ancient languages in advance.

Even without Yui’s big-data translation capabilities, Xia Ya could already speak them fluently.

Looks like his luck this time wasn’t bad.

First Echo: orphan adopted by a Duke’s family.

Second Echo: orphan raised by the Church of Dawn.

This time? Finally graduated from Orphanage Protagonist—he started off as a prince.

Thoughts flashed through Xia Ya’s mind, though none of it showed on his face.

He remained calm as he looked toward the source of the voice—

a middle-aged knight in heavy armor, charging in with urgency.

Xia Ya sensed no Mental Energy or Mana from him—

But in exchange, what he did sense was the raw physical strength beneath that knight’s armor.

According to his past Echo experiences, the First Era was before the rise of mages and magical civilization.

Sure enough, in different laws and eras, different power systems took root.

Xia Ya looked at the knight and calmly spoke: “No need to panic. What happened?”

“Yes.”

The knight in heavy armor answered respectfully.

He dropped to one knee, his armor clanking.

“His Majesty the King has passed away.”

Well, damn.

Not only did he start as a prince—he happened to enter right when the King died.

What kind of god-tier start was this?

Xia Ya looked at the knight and instantly found him more agreeable.

So you’re here to help me get that royal coronation, huh?

The last two Echoes, he worked as someone else’s lackey.

This time, was it finally his turn to rise and sing his own song?

Then the armored knight hesitated for a moment, before speaking again.

“In addition, as per the agreement with the Dragon Totem—”

“It’s time to present this year’s offering.”

Offering?

Xia Ya frowned slightly.

He could imagine, in a time before mages and magic, when True Gods walked the earth,

that humanity’s status wasn’t nearly as stable as it was in later eras.

Even in the Fourth Era—

In Lost Domains beyond human civilization, there were still Lost Kingdoms where the Lost Beast King ruled above all, and humans ranked beneath them.

But hearing about sacrifices firsthand still sparked disgust and rejection in Xia Ya.

Before he could speak, though—

The knight before him lowered his voice and added,

“Moreover, the offering requested by the Dragon Totem this time—”

“Is none other than you, Your Highness—the kingdom’s only prince.”

Xia Ya: ?

He’d heard plenty of stories from wandering bards about evil dragons kidnapping princesses.

But a dragon demanding a prince?

What the h*ll kind of reverse fairytale is this?