Hate Me, Witch!-Chapter 16: Your Wish, I Have Heard It

So he wasn’t just making up a comforting lie.

He actually... jumped?

Thinking about it now, all her earlier thoughts seemed so self-indulgent and laughable.

With that in mind, Sylvia clenched her silver teeth, shut her eyes, and leaped.

She had met a strange person today, but regardless, she had come here to jump into the sea.

Despite a few unexpected incidents, her goal was still achieved.

And, just as that person had said—

If there was someone to accompany her on the way to the underworld, perhaps it wouldn’t feel so lonely.

The sensation of free-fall came swiftly, the howling wind rushing past her ears.

Then, the freezing touch of seawater engulfed her entirely.

The currents of the Grandet Sea were dangerously turbulent.

Sylvia, having been raised under the strict upbringing of the Branstat Grand Ducal Family, had never learned to swim.

Even the seasoned fishermen who had grown up by the shore and were skilled in water wouldn’t dare enter the sea in such stormy weather.

Cold seawater quickly poured into her mouth, its salty bitterness mixing with the suffocating pain of oxygen deprivation, making her suffer immensely.

She felt her body sinking endlessly, as if plunging into an abyss.

Her vision dimmed.

The shimmering surface of the sea became a distant memory, with only faint rays of light penetrating the pitch-black waters, barely illuminating this silent world.

The Grandet Sea in winter was unbearably cold, a chill that seeped into the very marrow of her bones.

Hearing, sight, smell—

Sylvia's senses rapidly faded, dissolving into nothingness.

I’m going to...

Die?

In this vast darkness, free from the usual noise and pressure, her mind suddenly became startlingly clear.

Countless forgotten memories surfaced like a flickering lantern’s glow.

Though hazy, she recalled a childhood that had been relatively peaceful under the protection of her parents.

Her first loss of control—

Not only had she killed several household servants, but she had also severely injured her mother, who had been worried about her. That was when her secret was fully exposed to the world.

A friend she had made by chance—

Who, upon learning her true identity, had looked at her with terror and hatred in her eyes.

A mother on her sickbed—

Who, knowing she didn’t have long to live, still forced a smile to comfort her crying daughter.

A father who spent most of his years guarding the borders—

Who, even on his rare returns to the capital, would awkwardly try to console her and use his authority as Grand Duke to shield her from the family's scorn.

And that small tree—

Which she had planted with her parents when she was four. Now, it had grown lush, its white blossoms in full bloom.

…

Memories flooded her mind like a tide.

A sudden, inexplicable fear gripped Sylvia's heart.

Perhaps there were indeed many people in the principality who wanted her dead…

But there were also people who truly wanted her to live.

Suddenly, she didn’t want to die anymore.

In the frigid sea, she finally understood the true meaning behind the boy’s words—

“The Butcher.”

From the very beginning, the weight she bore was never just her own life.

And yet, here she was—

Pathetically, self-destructively, choosing to give up.

Strength surged back into her once-empty body.

Sylvia struggled desperately, moving her numb, unresponsive limbs, battling the undercurrents and clawing her way toward the surface.

But her efforts were in vain.

The raging tides of the Grandet Sea were feared even by the most skilled fishermen, let alone a frail young girl who had never learned to swim.

Just as the deep-sea currents were about to drain the last of her remaining strength—

Just as regret and self-reproach consumed her—

She heard a familiar voice.

“Drowning silently in the sea, vanishing without a ripple.”

“After your death, your loved ones will weep for you.”

“But those who despised and ostracized you will cheer.”

“They will say, ‘Good riddance to that cursed star—’”

“And just like the witch hunts of old, they will pile their own sins and mistakes onto you, using your death as their absolution.”

“After all, the dead cannot defend themselves.”

“As long as they do this, they can wash their hands clean and continue their lives with peace of mind.”

“Is that the ending you accept?”

The boy’s voice cut through the seawater, clear and unmistakable in her ears.

“No…”

Sylvia barely opened her mouth, only for icy seawater to rush in, choking her.

Even though her consciousness had long blurred from lack of oxygen—

She still forced her mouth open, shouting her true feelings into the abyss.

“I don’t accept this!”

“Of course I don’t accept this!”

But—

Her voice would never reach beyond the depths of the sea.

The thought barely crossed her mind when she suddenly heard a low, amused chuckle.

“In that case—”

“I have heard your wish.”

A moment later—

Sylvia felt a hand—

Not particularly strong, but firm, with distinct joints—

Grasp her arm and pull her into an embrace.

She had no idea how much time had passed.

Once more, she heard the roaring waves of the Grandet Sea and saw the dim, stormy sky.

The solid ground beneath her sent waves of relief through her body.

Her nerves, which had been stretched taut through the ordeal, finally relaxed now that she had survived.

But at that very moment—

In the instant she let her guard down—

A distant roar echoed from deep within her soul.

The bronze cross that had long bound the pitch-black shadow within her mind suddenly trembled violently.

Countless low, indescribable murmurs surged forth once more.

Damn it!

I forgot to suppress that thing…

There was no time for regret—no chance to react.

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The dark shadow surged downward along the bronze cross, flowing rapidly. In an instant, it crashed against Sylvia’s already fragile will, shaking it to its core.

“Don’t come near me…”

“Hurry…”

“Run…”

With the last of her rationality, she managed to utter those words. Then, her consciousness blurred and dimmed—

Slowly, yet irresistibly, she sank into the abyss.

Just before she lost all awareness—

She heard that familiar voice again, steady and reassuring.

“Since I’ve received your wish—”

“Then leave the rest to me.”

Sylvia felt something furry—

A large, soft tail brushing gently against her cheek.

The next moment, her mind sank entirely into oblivion, lost to the unknown.