Hate Me, Witch!-Chapter 57: I Prefer Eating Soft Rice the Hard Way

“The military-grade bidirectional teleportation array can be given to you.”

“But according to confidentiality protocols, the array will be equipped with an anti-dismantling explosive mechanism and a tracking formation.”

“You're a smart man, and I assume you understand what that means.”

“Additionally, once you’ve finished using it, if the teleportation array remains intact, it must be returned to the Military Department.”

“Of course.”

Xia Ya nodded without hesitation.

Core technology confidentiality… this was a universal principle in any world.

As for the tracking formation…

If their so-called "GPS" could actually bypass time and space and directly track him into the Historical Echo, then Xia Ya would have nothing to say.

He then raised his second finger.

“The second condition.”

Ignoring the slight change in the silver-haired princess’s gaze, Xia Ya continued in a steady tone.

“I also need an artifact capable of restricting the movements of a Legendary-tier powerhouse or inflicting negative effects on them…”

“Corrupted Objects, Ancient Species Summoned Beasts, Spiritual Mediums, or portable Magitech devices—anything is fine, as long as it’s something a single person can carry.”

“Of course, if it’s something that can directly inflict effective lethal damage on a Legendary Beastmaster or a similarly ranked Legendary-tier Summoned Beast, that would be even better.”

Isadella crossed her arms and stared deeply at Xia Ya through the astral signal network.

Very deeply.

This guy really had the guts to ask for something like this.

A portable artifact capable of weakening or harming a Legendary-tier being—

Even she, the Empire’s successor, would like to have one.

Hell, if Xia Ya found one, she’d be willing to buy it from him.

After all, even the "Gustav Cannon", one of the Noble Alliance’s trump cards, was only capable of killing an Emperor-tier Summoned Beast.

Against a Legendary-tier, it might cause damage, but it wouldn’t be fatal.

And even then, the Gustav Cannon had extreme usage limitations. It was slow, required a team of nearly a hundred mechanists to operate, took a long time to charge, and could easily be dodged by smaller targets—

It was generally only effective against massive Summoned Beasts or stationary fortress defenses.

Yet, under her intense gaze, Xia Ya remained completely calm.

He knew full well that his requests were utterly outrageous.

But that was the whole point.

He was here to extort as much as possible.

Otherwise, why had he revealed so much in the dreamscape? If not to demonstrate his value, then for what?

And now—

It was time to cash in.

“A small bidirectional teleportation gate.”

“And a negative-effect artifact for high-tier powerhouses.”

“Lord Xia Ya, you’re not planning to assassinate the head of the Borgia Family, are you?”

Isadella’s gaze darkened slightly.

“I can understand your motives, but that would be an unwise choice.”

“To use imperial resources against one of the Eight Oathbound Families… If such an operation were exposed, it would shake the entire Empire to its core.”

“The resulting chaos would be beyond your imagination—and even with your value as it is now, I might not be able to protect you.”

…

“So, Your Highness is already aware of Ceylan’s situation?”

“The ‘Crimson Rose’ Borgia Family, huh… That was one of my suspected targets, but you just saved me some intelligence expenses with the Shadow Council.”

Xia Ya remained indifferent.

“But as Your Highness’s vassal, I would, of course, never put you in a difficult position.”

“My target isn’t within the Empire, nor is it one of the Fresta Empire’s allied forces.”

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Isadella’s gaze lingered on him for a long while.

After a long pause, her cool voice finally spoke again.

"Judgment Edict."

“A cast-iron decree that seals a fragment of power from the Empire’s first-ever Legendary-tier guardian beast—the Black King.”

“It’s almost useless against Six-Ring powerhouses, but against those below that tier, it should have some effect.”

“The exact effectiveness will depend on how well you use the Edict’s Words of Power.”

“Much appreciated, Your Highness.”

Xia Ya accepted it without hesitation.

He knew that requesting an artifact capable of directly affecting a Legendary-tier was nothing but a pipe dream.

Even if such an artifact existed, it would never be put on the table as a tradeable item.

But that’s how negotiations worked—

Start with an outrageous demand, settle for a reasonable one.

The Fresta Empire prided itself on moderation.

So, in the face of the intimidating ‘Legendary’ title, a tool that could restrict a Fifth-Ring powerhouse no longer seemed so significant.

Xia Ya’s left hand twitched slightly—he was about to raise a third finger.

But in the next moment—

He felt the pressure in the room solidify into something nearly tangible.

The silver-haired princess, her face blank, had suddenly curved her lips into a faint smile.

A smile that—

The longer one looked at it, the more unsettling it became.

“…Ahem.”

Xia Ya lightly coughed, shattering the deathly silence.

“Your Highness, what I meant was—I don’t yet understand the full responsibilities of a Swordbearer.”

“And since the position is meant to be equal in status to the Oathbound Families, there’s also the matter of… compensation.”

“The Swordbearer role is still in its early stages of reestablishment, but if you want a fixed salary and funding, that’s not impossible…”

Isadella’s eyes gleamed with amusement as she looked at Xia Ya.

“Salaries for imperial officials require parliamentary approval, followed by allocation from the national treasury.”

“If you’d like, I can submit an official Swordbearer position request for parliamentary review.”

“Oh, and by the way—”

“The ‘Crimson Rose’ Borgia Family controls over a third of the parliamentary seats, both publicly and in the shadows.”

“…Actually, now that I think about it, ensuring the Empire’s stability is the duty of all its citizens.”

“I really don’t think it’s necessary to take a government salary.”

Xia Ya declared righteously.

“…After the Swordbearers perished, many past emperors attempted other alternatives.”

“The current Order Bureau and Military Department are actually continuations of certain functions that the Swordbearers once performed.”

Isadella did not dwell on the previous topic for long and soon spoke again in a calm tone.

“So, what you need to do isn’t all that different from what you’ve already been doing in the Order Bureau and Military Department—”

“The only difference is that your targets will be stronger, and the secrets you uncover will be deeper.”

“I will grant you second-tier access permissions within the Military Department and Order Bureau, as well as partial access to the Empire’s intelligence network.”

“The Swordbearers and the Eight Oathbound Families are not subordinate to the Imperial Family, but rather, equal-standing allies.”

“But since we are allies, that means contributions and rewards must be balanced.”

“The things I provided before—consider them my personal investment.”

“But from now on, while you won’t be restricted from redeeming resources within the Order Bureau and Military Department, you will need to exchange them with real merit.”

…

“That’s how it should be! I’ve always thought freeloaders who get things without working for them are disgraceful!”

Xia Ya nodded decisively, then stood up to take his leave.

Just as his mental energy was about to withdraw from the astral passage, he heard a soft voice from behind him.

“If you’re willing to give up your identity as a Swordbearer…”

“If instead of a partnership, you pledge absolute loyalty to me—swear your allegiance completely.”

“Then wealth, power, beauty, even Emperor-tier and Legendary-race Summoned Beast cubs… I can give you everything you desire.”

“I can even promise you this—”

“Within ten years, the name ‘Borgia’ will be nothing but history.”

That cool voice carried unshakable confidence.

Even though Isadella was currently just one of the candidates in the Royal Selection, and in terms of status and authority, she was nowhere near the Borgia Family, which secretly controlled half of the Imperial Capital—

There was not a hint of hesitation in her words, as if she were simply declaring the future.

In the end, the Second Imperial Princess had finally laid her last card on the table.

After seeing Xia Ya’s true value in the dream—

Rather than an alliance or cooperation, she wanted to completely claim him.

To make him truly and utterly loyal to her.

Yet, despite her words, Xia Ya did not stop moving.

“…Sorry, Your Highness.”

His astral form slowly faded, piece by piece, dissolving into the starry void.

Only his final words lingered, echoing across the Astral Realm—

“I’m just the type of guy who prefers eating soft rice the hard way.”