Hate Me, Miss Witch!

The manor was engulfed in an eerie silence, the surroundings in disarray.

"Anlina Tazera, hereditary noble, second-class wanted criminal according to the Bureau of Control, suspected of being involved in several missing persons cases in Reza City."

Xaya yawned and mechanically recited the announcement as required by the task manual.

"According to the fifth amendment issued jointly by the military and the Bureau of Control, as the task executor, I have the right to exercise law enforcement within a certain limit after gathering evidence."

Although the murmuring from the other party seemed to continue, Anlina no longer had the leisure to listen.

She had already recognized the badge pinned to the chest of the person named Xaya.

It was the emblem of Saint Roland Academy, the top beastmaster academy in the imperial capital, far superior to the lower-tier academies in Reza. And Xaya wasn't exaggerating—some senior students of Saint Roland Academy indeed possessed abilities that could rival those of mid-tier beastmasters and were qualified to be hired by the military, the Bureau of Control, or even the church.

Anlina's gaze shifted slightly, pausing on Xaya's plain and almost humble attire. If not for that, he wouldn't have been treated as just another country bumpkin invited into this manor.

"Although you're from Saint Roland Academy, judging by your attire, you're probably just a commoner or a minor noble, right? You have excellent beastmaster talent, but you're limited by the lack of evolution resources and reinforcement materials, so you must rely on the big powers to earn that insignificant reward."

"Children of the bigshots wouldn't take the risk of handling these dirty bounty tasks."

Anlina tilted her body slightly, her evening gown highlighting her curves, and with a voice different from her previous tone, one that was huskier, she spoke.

"My pet is special. It doesn't need to consume those precious extraordinary materials to grow. As a noble, I've already accumulated plenty of wealth over the years."

"As an exchange, I won't make things difficult for you. Give me two hours, and after that, you can report the task failure to the Bureau of Control. Believe me, the total wealth of a hereditary noble is definitely worth more than the bounty the Bureau has offered."

Xaya raised an eyebrow in surprise. Her cooperation exceeded his expectations. He shook his head.

"What I want, you can't provide."

"How do you know if you don't ask?" Anlina waved her dagger, tearing her shoulder's clothing, revealing her white skin and a hint of something deeper. "Maybe the price I can pay is more than you expect."

"Sorry, although you have a large chest, 'yandere' isn't on my menu."

"In a two-dimensional world, maybe it's fine, but if it happened in real life, I think it would be better to neutralize you."

Xaya took a tissue from his pocket. "Of course, if you could hand over that stone statue you found in your father's warehouse on your nineteenth birthday, I'd be willing to consider your offer for safe passage."

Anlina fell silent for a moment.

On one hand, she was shocked that Xaya knew of an incidental action from a few years ago so thoroughly. He seemed like a stalker, and who knew how much more of her information he had.

On the other hand, this so-called "stalker"—who should be completely obsessed with her—didn't seem moved when hearing her temptations, even though he verbally expressed regret. His black eyes showed no sign of wavering.

Moreover, she couldn't afford to give up the stone statue.

If it wasn't for that mystical stone statue, which she accidentally found among her ancestors' relics, she, with her mediocre soul aptitude and no natural talent, would never have become a beastmaster.

Nor could she have turned the Flower Dance Butterfly, a low-level awakened species, into the now powerful and soul-consuming Nightmare Butterfly.

Once she tasted the power, she knew she could never let go of the source.

"So, like I said, what I want, you can't give me. To save time, let's just go through the process and finish this."

Xaya wiped his mouth with a tissue, glancing at the pitch-black butterfly floating silently behind Anlina. "By the way, it's been delayed long enough. It should be done now."

Almost as soon as Xaya's last words fell, tendrils of black mist quietly spread across the butterfly formed from the mist.

In an instant, the mist covered the walls and tables of the banquet hall, swallowing Xaya's figure entirely.

"Finally done."

Looking at the mist that had engulfed her target, Anlina suppressed the weakness from her soul caused by the advanced skill of her pet. She breathed a sigh of relief.

She knew that anyone qualified to take on secret tasks from the Bureau of Control must be a top student from Saint Roland Academy. Though they looked young, their beastmaster level was likely not low, and it was possible they could even surpass her.

If they really summoned their pet and fought fairly, she wasn't confident of winning.

"But after all, they're just students from a beastmaster academy. While they're strong, they lack real combat experience."

True beastmaster battles were nothing like the arena matches in beastmaster academies. In those, both sides were required to summon their pets and arrange them in formation before the battle could start, and there were rules that prohibited pets from directly attacking the beastmasters.

Her pet, the Nightmare Butterfly, had an advanced skill, "Lingering Dream," which allowed it to silently drag the beastmaster into a spiritual illusion, where they were assaulted by terrifying illusions until their soul was devoured.

Once "Lingering Dream" was activated, unless the target was at the Fourth Ring Master level, which allowed them to break free with sheer mental strength, anyone lower—like a Third Ring high-tier beastmaster—could only have their soul wither.

Master-level beastmasters were rare, even in a big city like Reza, and someone of Xaya's age couldn't possibly reach that level.

In other words, she was in an invincible position.

Suppressing her own weakness, Anlina focused on the illusion.

This black-haired youth, Xaya, was a huge pressure on her, and she needed to see his soul being consumed before she could feel at ease.

But then—

She stared blankly as a massive metal object, silver-white and aerodynamic, appeared in the center of the illusion.

Before she could react, it exploded.

In the blinding light and heat, a mushroom cloud slowly rose.

Xaya, with his hands in his pockets, glanced at the massive explosion that shook the entire "Lingering Dream" illusion, and then at the distorted, flickering illusions that still seemed to be brewing something, whistling.

"Just saying—"

"Isn't it a bit unfair to compare brains with a transmigrator?"