Hate Me, Witch!-Chapter 6: A Ferret Using Tsukuyomi? Sounds Reasonable.

“In the process of capturing a Class-2 bounty target, you flawlessly secured the evidence and avoided any collateral damage.”

“With this achievement, your accumulated merit in the Order Bureau is now sufficient to qualify for ennoblement. Alternatively, upon graduating from Saint Roland Academy, you could directly become an Executor of the Order Bureau, holding a military rank on par with mine.”

In the Order Bureau’s Resa branch, a middle-aged officer clad in a pitch-black cloak studied the dossier in his hands, his gaze carrying a trace of surprise as he scrutinized the young man standing before him—Xia Ya.

In this world, extraordinary creatures and Beastmasters wielded supernatural power. However, Beastmastering was a profession that heavily relied on Soul Aptitude.

Because of this, the Church, the nobility, the Empire’s Order Bureau, and the Military Department all had a strong demand for young Beastmasters as fresh blood.

Of course, as an official institution directly under the Empire, the Order Bureau’s recruitment standards were far beyond what those hapless young people—who had been trafficked by Anlina—noticed.

Those who could be sold and still help count the money for their kidnappers weren’t even qualified to serve tea in a branch office.

The Order Bureau granted high-ranking students from Transcendent Academies access to bounty missions—not just because they needed extra manpower.

The real reason was talent scouting.

And without a doubt, the young man standing here, Xia Ya, was an elite prospect.

In less than a year since arriving in Resa from the Imperial Capital, he had completed nearly all of the Order Bureau’s high-level bounties at a terrifying pace.

Even old, long-unsolved cases were wrapped up one by one.

Thanks to him, this officer had been enjoying an unexpectedly relaxing period at work.

However, the implied invitation in the officer’s words did not receive the response he expected.

A noble title—so dazzling to commoner students—failed to entice.

“No need for a title or military rank.”

“I want to use my accumulated merit to redeem the purchase rights for a Tier-4 Transcendent Material from the Order Bureau’s warehouse.”

Xia Ya’s voice was calm.

Imperial noble status and military rank were valuable, but he had his own plans.

And at this moment, the final step of his plan was about to be executed.

Hundreds of miles from Resa, near the Fresta Empire’s border.

Barren, desolate, and close to the Golden Plains—where a Beast King of the Imperial Tier ruled over massive herds of beasts—this was a true no-man’s land.

Because of this, as long as Xia Ya offered the Resa officials a sufficient "political donation," he had no trouble securing archaeological excavation rights for the Gray-White Hills.

Who wouldn’t trade a lawless wasteland for a pile of shining Rhine Gold Coins?

Of course, if it weren’t for his system’s quest directive, clearly marking this as the location of his newbie mission, he might have agreed with them.

But at this moment, he knew something that no one else in the world did—

Five hundred years ago, this very land had been the capital of the Cangting Principality.

Xia Ya moved through the dense forest, a small silver creature perched obediently on his shoulder.

Its left eye, crystalline like glazed glass, reflected a rotating Silver Moon and Blood-red Tomoe.

Wild beasts of Mortal Tier occasionally crossed his path, but under Silver’s illusion arts, they passed by him without noticing a thing.

【Successful skill activation—Skill Proficiency +3.】

【"Silver’s" illusion skill "Tsukuyomi" has broken through from "Mastery" to "Perfection."】

【"Silver’s" combat level has increased. Current Combat Level: 28 (Transcendent Tier).】

As the light in the Snow Ferret’s eyes flickered once more, a deep blue system screen appeared in Xia Ya’s mind.

“It finally broke through?”

“Seems like that battle against the Nightmare Butterfly helped Silver’s skill proficiency increase quite a bit.”

Muttering to himself, Xia Ya focused his thoughts—

The system panel updated.

[Status Panel]

Name: Silver

Species: Snowfield Ferret

Soul Pact Status: First Pact (Master-Servant Contract: Xia Ya Egut)

Combat Level: 28 (Tier-2)

Species Rank: High Commander (Tier-3)

Skills:

Hunting Rhythm (Mastery)

Rending Claw (Beginner)

Ice Blade (Proficient)

Charm (Transcendent)

Tsukuyomi (Perfected)

Snowfield Ferret—Silver.

Xia Ya’s main Summoned Beast, bonded through a Soul Pact when it was just a newborn cub.

Typically, a High Commander-rank Snowfield Ferret would either:

Focus on its physical talents—honing Hunting Rhythm and Rending Claw to become a shadowy, untouchable assassin.

Strengthen its Ice Blade, leveraging its high ice-element affinity to become a ranged spellcaster.

The source of this c𝐨ntent is freeweɓnovēl.coɱ.

Meanwhile, Charm, a low-level illusion skill that merely made enemies drop their guard through cuteness, was nothing more than a support buff.

But Xia Ya was a Transmigrator with a System.

Even if the system was unreliable, he wouldn’t let Silver take some predictable, dead-end development path.

By pushing Charm to an extreme level, they created a high-tier illusion skill—Tsukuyomi.

A ferret using Tsukuyomi? Sounds perfectly reasonable.

And as for whether this unconventional path was effective?

Well, among his Saint Roland Academy classmates—even the ones from low-tier Monarch-rank bloodlines—most lost to Silver in battle.

Xia Ya’s footsteps suddenly halted, snapping him out of his wandering thoughts.

He pushed aside the underbrush, and his vision cleared—

The dense forest had disappeared, replaced by a wide-open clearing.

The area had been intentionally deforested, exposing hollowed-out ruins beneath the ground.

Among the rubble lay the remnants of ancient, gray-white buildings.

The original brick and stone had long since weathered and decayed, but from their outlines, Xia Ya could still imagine the grandeur of the past.

At that moment, an ice-cold system notification rang in his mind, as the blue system screen updated again.

【Host has arrived at the target location. Quest Progress Panel activated.】

[Newbie Quest:]

Help the naive, innocent Duchess’ Daughter, Sylvia, experience betrayal by her closest kin, and undergo rebirth through pain and despair.

[Current Progress:]

1. Reach the former site of the Cangting Principality (Completed)

2. Become a member of the Ducal Family of Cangting (Completed)

3. Increase Sylvia’s favorability to 30 points (Not yet completed)