Hate Me, Witch!-Chapter 37: Bearing the Name of Xia Ya, I Must Not Lose

“Have you heard? Sylvia seems to have caught some strange illness. She’s locked herself in her room for an entire week now and might not even attend this coming-of-age ceremony.”

“I heard about that too. Apparently, she can’t speak anymore and has to write things down to communicate.”

“It’s worse than that. The servants in the estate say her hair and eyes are gradually turning pale—maybe she’s been cursed.”

“A curse? Sounds more like karma to me! Retribution from the countless souls she’s harmed!”

“If she ends up cursed to death, that would be the best outcome for everyone!”

“And if she doesn’t show up for the coming-of-age ceremony, that’s actually a good thing… After all, this is the family’s grand annual event. If she really came, she’d just ruin the mood for everyone.”

“There’s also that outsider, Xia Ya… He’s been associating with Sylvia all this time, probably trying to use her status to gain entry into the family. Too bad he got caught up in this mess.”

“I heard his parents died in that disaster too… Honestly, that guy is ruthless—completely cold-hearted in his ambitions, willing to do anything to climb up the ranks.”

“Too bad he made the wrong bet. After the coming-of-age ceremony, he’ll probably have no choice but to leave the capital.”

…

Idle gossip drifted through the air, but Xia Ya paid it no mind.

There was an old saying—what was it again?

"Never argue with fools."

"Master, I strongly disagree with your opinion!"

"You're absolutely right."

Fine, if they wanted to call him a ruthless, power-hungry schemer who abandoned all ties for personal gain, so be it. Xia Ya figured that kind of reputation worked in his favor—it saved him the trouble of dealing with acquaintances who might notice he lacked any actual memories from the Historical Echo.

Right now, most of his focus was on the system interface in his mind.

[Beginner Quest Status Updated]

[Objective Four: Complete the Cangting Grand Duke Family’s coming-of-age ceremony and, by passing it, become a core family member—truly joining Elder Norton’s plan.]

This was the new quest objective that had appeared after completing the previous favorability quest.

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Elder Norton was clearly planning something big—Xia Ya could see that at a glance.

Based on the intelligence he had gathered from the Historical Echo, the current Cangting Principality was indeed in the Era of Cataclysm, with constant border conflicts that forced the Grand Duke himself to remain stationed at the frontlines for years.

But from what he could tell, the country was still relatively stable—nowhere near the brink of collapse.

Only internal sabotage could bring Cangting Principality to ruin within a year.

Yet, historical records on Cangting were scarce. Xia Ya could only speculate about the details, unable to grasp the full picture.

Although he had earned Elder Norton’s trust with his earlier performance, aside from a few cryptic remarks at the beginning, he had received no further clear instructions.

“How realistic… Even when someone holds your lifeline, if you don’t show enough strength and status, you’ll never get access to the full plan.”

Xia Ya’s gaze settled on the word coming-of-age ceremony within the system interface.

The Branstat family wasn’t just any noble house—they ruled over an entire principality.

So naturally, their coming-of-age ceremony wasn’t just some simple ritual to mark the transition from childhood to adulthood.

It was an assessment—a trial, somewhat reminiscent of the Maasai’s initiation rituals in Xia Ya’s past life.

Passing the trial meant proving one’s potential, earning the family’s recognition, and securing resources for future development—likely leading to a position in the family’s administration.

Failing, however, meant being abandoned, left to fend for oneself without any further investment or support.

And for an outsider like Xia Ya, who had been adopted into the Branstat family, failure didn’t even mean being left to slack off in obscurity.

He would be directly assigned to some remote village or town under the principality’s rule. To put it nicely, he’d be given a minor administrative post where he could waste away. To put it bluntly, he’d be exiled.

Xia Ya didn’t care about his future in this Historical Echo, but if he wanted Norton to take him seriously and grant him access to the inner workings of the plan, this coming-of-age ceremony was the best opportunity.

…

Cangting Royal Capital – Outskirts

A vast woodland nestled deep within layers of towering mountains.

Massive magitech formations for security purposes enclosed the entire forest.

In the central clearing, an elder with white hair and beard, clad in a long robe, stood surveying the gathered youths with a stern gaze.

He was one of the Branstat family’s elders. However, unlike Norton—who wielded actual authority as the acting head—this elder spent most of his time stationed here, rarely involving himself in internal family affairs.

His aura was subtle, but from Xia Ya’s spiritual perception, he could tell—the man was a genuine Fourth-Ring Master-Tier Beastmaster.

Though age had weakened his soul, making him less formidable than someone like Colonel Zieg, a peak-strength Fourth-Ring powerhouse in his prime, he was still leagues beyond any ordinary Third-Ring High-Tier Beastmaster.

The white-haired elder’s gaze swept over the assembled crowd, nodding slightly.

“I assume that since you’re all here, you understand what this coming-of-age ceremony means—especially for those of you who are outsiders.”

“This family has no place for the weak. You were fortunate enough to be sheltered and raised to adulthood. That is the extent of our generosity.”

“From this point on, everything—status, power, reputation, transcendent resources—you will have to fight for on your own.”

“Additionally, I must remind you of one thing.”

His voice was ancient and steady.

“This trial is not just about your future within the family. It is also crucial for your path as a Beastmaster.”

“For many of you, this may be the only opportunity in your entire lives to form a contract with a High-Tier Monarch Species Summoned Beast.”

His gaze moved slowly across the gathered youths.

And then—

A silver-white storm suddenly erupted across the clearing.

A majestic humanoid figure, pure silver and shimmering with ethereal light, appeared silently behind the elder.

Its form was like liquid mercury, its presence exuding an overwhelming pressure. Even though it had yet to reach Monarch-Tier, it wasn’t far off.

And with a contracted beast’s bond enhancing its master’s power, this being wouldn’t falter even against a wild Fourth-Ring Monarch-Tier Summoned Beast in direct combat.

It was a Quasi-Monarch.

As that silver-white figure manifested, nearly everyone present turned their eyes toward it, their gazes burning with desire.

A Silver Spirit.

An Elemental Species.

A genuine High-Tier Monarch Species.

This means that once a contract is formed with a Silver Spirit, there would be almost no bottlenecks in nurturing it to High-Tier Monarch.

Of course, much like pure-blooded dragons, Silver Spirits, as elemental lifeforms, have incredibly long lifespans—meaning their growth is excruciatingly slow.

Without sufficient Transcendent Materials to accelerate its development, a Silver Spirit might not even reach full maturity before its Beastmaster dies of old age. The one the white-robed elder had contracted, for example, was still a ways from reaching its Monarch-Tier adult form.

But that only further demonstrated its immense potential.

And—

For everyone present, a Silver Spirit represented far more than just a summoned beast.

“A Silver Spirit is also our family’s guardian species—the very symbol of Branstat.”

The white-haired elder’s voice carried a weight of solemnity.

Though other types of Extraordinary Power existed in this world, there was no denying that, for humans, contracting summoned beasts and becoming a Beastmaster was the most versatile and highest-potential path to transcendence.

As such, nearly all powerful human factions on the Western Continent had their own exclusive summoned beast lineages.

For example, the Fresta Empire had the Crowned Griffon and the Black-Scaled Wyvern.

These lineages were both symbols of their respective families and the very foundation that ensured their enduring strength.

“From the first king who founded Cangting Principality to the current Grand Duke, who has earned great military merit on the border battlefields… each of them has fought alongside a mighty Silver Spirit, resisting Beast Tides and foreign invaders to build their undying legacies.”

“To the Branstat family, the Silver Spirit is far more than just a species of summoned beast.”

“It is a legacy—”

“A legacy that has endured for centuries—the very continuation of Branstat’s glory.”

As the elder spoke, the atmosphere in the forest arena surged with excitement. Every gaze held not only admiration but burning ambition.

The legacy of family honor, the continuation of history—

What an exhilarating narrative!

Seeing the fervor in their eyes, the elder nodded in satisfaction.

He had spent decades overseeing the Silver Spirit lineage, having presided over more than ten coming-of-age ceremonies.

Naturally, he knew exactly what kind of words could best ignite the passion of these young ones.

He slowly stepped out of the central clearing, leaving the Silver Spirit standing in place.

“For this year’s family coming-of-age trial, you must endure thirty seconds under the assault of a Peak Commander-Tier Silver Spirit.”

“During the trial, I will not provide any assistance or enhancements to the Silver Spirit. You may choose to send only your Summoned Beast into the trial or enter the arena together. However, once inside, you may not leave the designated area.”

“If, after thirty seconds, either you or your Summoned Beast remains capable of action, you will be deemed to have passed.”

“Of course, if your skillset is not suited for defense or evasion, you may instead launch an all-out attack against my Silver Spirit. I will evaluate the strength of your offense and determine pass or fail accordingly. The same applies to Support-Type Beastmasters.”

The elder clapped his hands lightly.

“If you pass the trial, you will receive one opportunity to enter the Silver Spirit’s habitat and form a contract with a juvenile or adolescent Silver Spirit of your choosing.”

“Remember—the Silver Spirit is our guardian species. You may not use force or cause any conflict during the selection and contracting process. Anyone who violates this rule will be permanently expelled from the family.”

…

With the elder’s official announcement, the coming-of-age ceremony reached its peak excitement.

Even Xia Ya’s gaze burned with anticipation.

Not because of the elder’s speech about Branstat’s honor—

He had only been in this Historical Echo for less than a month. Aside from Sylvia, he had no sense of belonging to this Grand Duke family whatsoever, let alone any notion of family pride.

He was simply greedy.

This was a High-Tier Monarch Species.

Even with Tsukuyomi’s enhancements, Silver had only reached Mid-Tier Monarch, while Shiny was still just Low-Tier Monarch.

On the highest-level black market in the Imperial Capital, a juvenile High-Tier Monarch Species Summoned Beast was so rare that it was nearly impossible to purchase, with each one auctioned off for at least 100,000 Rhine Gold Coins.

And with Xia Ya’s current empty pockets, there was no way he could afford that in the short term… unless he sold off all his businesses in Black Lily District. But that would be like killing the chicken for its eggs—a complete loss.

While his Point Allocation ability allowed him to nurture even a Low-Tier Awakening-Tier Flower Finch into something comparable to a High-Tier Monarch Species,

pretending species ranking didn’t matter at all was just self-delusion.

A higher species ranking meant a stronger base stat panel, rarer and more powerful racial abilities, a greater growth ceiling, and superior combat power within the same tier.

When choosing a contractable Summoned Beast, aiming for the highest species ranking possible was a fundamental principle that all Beastmasters followed—whether Legendary-Tier or Apprentice-Tier.

As for the so-called “There are no useless Summoned Beasts, only useless Beastmasters” speech…

The guy who came up with that? His grave already had two meters of grass growing over it.

Boom! Boom! Boom!—

From the trial zone in the center of the forest arena, the cries of struggling Summoned Beasts and Beastmasters rang out.

Though the participants were members of the Grand Duke family and could be considered elites on the continent, they still paled in comparison to the talent pool at Saint Roland Academy, which selected only the most outstanding candidates from across the Empire.

Most of the young participants were High-Tier First-Ring, with a few at Second-Ring, but only at the entry level.

Even though the Silver Spirit wasn’t using its full power or receiving any Beastmaster Enhancements,

surviving thirty seconds against a Quasi-Monarch was still too much for these First- and Second-Ring Beastmasters.

After thirty minutes, only a handful of Mid-Tier Beastmasters had barely scraped through using special abilities. The rest had failed.

Those who passed looked relieved. Those who failed were ashen-faced.

For Beastmasters who relied entirely on the family’s resources, failing this trial meant their future was already set in stone. There was no longer any path forward.

The once-fiery atmosphere quickly cooled.

After all, no matter how grand the promises, no matter how passionate the speeches,

they were all meaningless in the face of cold, hard reality.

Meanwhile, in a different corner of the arena—where Xia Ya stood, isolated by other family members due to his association with Sylvia—

“Squeak squeak! (Master, I can’t stand watching these weaklings pecking at each other anymore!)”

“Squeak squeak! (Master, master! You promised I’d get to fight this time!)”

After being pestered endlessly by his Golden Snub-Nosed Monkey, Xia Ya finally threw it out.

“Go, go.”

“Just remember, this is only a test run for the new combo skill. Don’t make too much of a scene.”

“Squeak! (Leave it to me, master!)”

Shiny nodded enthusiastically.

Then, it rummaged through its Spatial Pocket.

After a moment of hesitation, the little monkey pulled out a custom-made outfit.

Despite Xia Ya being a stingy Beastmaster, he still took good care of his Summoned Beasts—telling them bedtime stories from time to time.

Stories like The Fourth Village Brawl and the Battle of the Eyes, or The East Sea Bandit King were always on demand.

Shiny and Silver both enjoyed them immensely and often pestered Xia Ya to commission battle uniforms for them.

As for whether those uniforms were meant to assist in combat or serve some other purpose… well, that remained unknown.

Right now, Shiny’s outfit was one Xia Ya had custom-ordered for it—a naval admiral’s uniform, with a cape that bore two bold ink-stroke characters—

“Justice.”

“Yip, yip~ (Don’t mess this up and embarrass me and Master.)”

Perched on Xia Ya’s shoulder, Little Snow Ferret lazily opened its eyes and flicked its fluffy tail.

Fighting was a job for underlings. As Xia Ya’s main Summoned Beast, its only duty was to remain effortlessly elegant.

“Squeak squeak! (Don’t worry, Big Sis Silver!)”

With a determined look, Shiny leapt into the battlefield.

Then, standing small yet proud before the towering Silver Spirit,

its battle uniform fluttered in the wind—

along with the words “Justice.”

“Squeak squeak squeak! (Bearing the name of Xia Ya, I must not lose!)”

“…Did you just mix up your script?” Watching from the sidelines, Xia Ya’s face darkened.