Hate Me, Witch!-Chapter 112 – You Are the Leaf Bathed in Sunlight, I Am the Root Buried Deep Within

Chapter 112 – You Are the Leaf Bathed in Sunlight, I Am the Root Buried Deep Within

"Akatsuki?"

Isadella repeated this unfamiliar word in her heart.

"That's right."

A hazy voice drifted out from within the swirling mask.

Through the gaps in the mask, one could glimpse a pair of pitch-black, ink-like eyes.

The masked man, who called himself Kayin and wore a black cloak adorned with red clouds, had a deep, flickering gaze as he swept his eyes across the ruined city walls in the distance.

And beyond, the refugees still frozen in panic—startled by the thunderous explosions, watching the fleeing abyssal beasts scatter—uncertain about what had happened, or whether they should keep running.

"This world is full of war, tragedy, and suffering..."

Kayin's voice was slow and steady.

"And to become the dawn that changes this world... that is the meaning of the Akatsuki Organization."

"It is also the very reason I founded Akatsuki—to create a world of peace, like the rising sun."

His gaze locked onto Isadella.

"Of course, I know that relying on my power alone... I might be able to save a village, a town... but there's no way I could save an entire great nation."

"That’s why I founded Akatsuki… and likewise, why I’m seeking companions who share my ideals."

"Whoever draws the Sword in the Stone shall be the new King of Aisgania."

"It's great that you became the prophesied one, but what impressed me more... was what you said."

"Whether or not you draw the Sword in the Stone, you’ll still resolutely walk the path of a king... More important than royal blood or title is that you possess the heart of a true king."

Kayin's gaze stretched far, as if piercing through the endless flow of time, reaching into a distant future.

"Though still young, I see the future in you."

"A future unlike Futigon’s, unlike that of the renowned Grand Knights and noble lords of this land... a future of light and hope."

"Maybe, just maybe, you really can be the light that shines through the chaos of Aisgania."

...

"The dawn… that will change this world?"

Gazing at the figure from "Akatsuki" before her, Isadella’s eyes flickered slightly.

Had an ordinary person said something like that, she probably would’ve brushed it off without taking it seriously.

After all, lofty ideals and grand rhetoric are easy to speak, but few can actually follow through.

As the future ruler of the Fresta Empire, if anyone with a silver tongue and empty promises could earn her trust, the Empire would've been ruined long ago.

But this masked man, claiming to be from “Akatsuki,” was different.

Despite his rank not being particularly high, when the monster tide arrived earlier, he had genuinely used himself as bait to stop the abyssal beasts, protecting the lives of countless refugees in this town.

She didn’t know what method Kayin had used to survive the aftershock of that massive explosion, but regardless, his actions entailed great risk.

He wasn’t just another idealist who only talked a big game—he had truly bet his life on living out his belief of being the “dawn that changes the world.”

With that thought, a touch of softness appeared in Isadella’s eyes.

"Then I shall humbly accept your offer."

She smiled lightly, placing the drawn Sword in the Stone into the training scabbard she had previously used.

Then, she reached out her hand toward Kayin.

To others, his praise might’ve seemed exaggerated.

But within Isadella’s heart, she had long embraced a matching resolve.

To become a king, to stand at the pinnacle, one must accept the scrutiny and judgment of the masses... whether it be cheers and praise, or gossip and slander, Isadella was already used to it.

"Come to think of it, I haven’t introduced myself yet."

"My name—"

She paused a moment, then gave the alias she used in this world: "Artoris."

"If you, and the 'Akatsuki' behind you, truly seek to become the dawn that will light up this world..."

"Then from this day forward, we’ll likely be seeing a lot more of each other."

And yet, as she silently repeated the name "Akatsuki" in her heart, a sliver of doubt crept into Isadella’s thoughts.

In the Empire’s future, there were the Eight Oathbound Families, and the Knights of the Round Table.

But she had never once heard of Akatsuki, nor of anyone named Kayin.

Such a pure organization, and a leader she genuinely admired.

Since they’d met so early on, logically, there should’ve been traces left behind in history.

Unless… her arrival had caused a butterfly effect, creating a divergence from recorded history?

...

Xia Ya reached out and shook hands with the silver-haired knight before him.

That hand wasn’t especially thick or strong, but within it was a strength that made Xia Ya instinctively alert.

【Important Character “Knight King” Favorability +10. Current Favorability: 20 (Acquainted)】

“As expected of the future founder of the Fresta Empire, and an unmatched sovereign—getting favorability points is no easy task.”

Xia Ya murmured internally.

Just as the other party had been sizing up this supposed first-generation leader of the Akatsuki Organization, Xia Ya had also been observing this young knight through the gaps in his swirling mask—this future Knight King.

Silver hair, crimson eyes. Not the burly frame of a typical knight, but instead slender, even delicate.

The graceful facial features instantly reminded Xia Ya of the Second Imperial Princess, Isadella.

But that wasn’t surprising, considering the young founder of the Fresta Empire standing before him was indeed one of Isadella’s ancestors. A resemblance due to bloodline was perfectly reasonable.

Still clad in coarse linen clothing, the knight looked to be no more than a teenager—around the same age as when Xia Ya first saw Sylvia in a Historical Echo.

But in stark contrast to the difficulty of that Beginner Quest, every word and action of this silver-haired knight radiated immense confidence.

This was a natural-born monarch, as if created to be the perfect "ideal king"—even though they were still young, and had only just been recognized by the Sword in the Stone, that pride was already impossible to hide.

No wonder, then, that Xia Ya’s earlier heroic display had earned him only a modest gain in favorability—just enough to cross from “Stranger” into “Acquaintance.”

"But the bigger the waves, the pricier the fish."

"The harder the task, the greater the rewards."

At this moment, Xia Ya felt a surge of excitement.

This was exactly the kind of challenge he loved.

And most importantly—unlike the Historical Echo of the Cangting Ancient Kingdom—

In this one, Xia Ya was now fully aware that, unlike Sylvia, he didn’t have to worry about anyone tracing him afterward.

In other words, he could go all out.

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"One dose of favorability isn't enough? Then I’ll farm it a hundred times. A thousand times."

"Although the historical details of the Old Era are already difficult to verify, the path the Knight King took to rise is still traceable."

"With foreknowledge and insight, I want every major node in this Historical Echo to be marked with the name of Kayin, and the renown of Akatsuki."

"When necessary, I can even play the role of a shaman or prophet to gain trust."

With the advantage of information, Xia Ya had already come up with several different ways to play it.

"Besides, I seem to have acquired a sort of immortality..."

Xia Ya touched his robe.

Just now, at the very center of the monster tide, he detonated all the "Detonating Clay" he had stored in his Shiny Spatial Pocket in one go.

The explosive yield from that single detonation almost rivaled the original version of "Art is a Starfish."

Given the blast radius, even using Blink wouldn’t be enough to escape the explosion's center—after all, Blink had a cooldown and maximum distance limit.

In reality, Xia Ya didn’t even try to dodge. He took the full brunt of that massive detonation right at ground zero.

He also wanted to test whether the extreme heat and shockwave from the explosion could actually kill him. Of course, before doing so, Xia Ya had taken off his Akatsuki black-and-red cloud robe.

That thing had been carefully tailored by Silver and Scarlet—it was the only one. If it got blown up, he’d lose all style points.

And as it turned out—

Detonating Clay couldn’t kill Xia Ya.

Although at the moment of detonation, the intense heat vaporized most of his body into ash and dust—

Xia Ya could still clearly feel that the ash and dust, as parts of his body, were transmitting sensation.

Then, with just a thought—

That ash and dust rapidly reassembled, regrowing into flesh and blood.

It was absurd.

This wasn’t just accelerated healing or rapid regeneration.

It was pure conceptual immortality.

"In terms of raw power and destructive capability alone, that Detonating Clay already reached Legendary-tier."

"If even that couldn’t really kill me..."

"Then that means to kill me, it would have to be a Throne-tier, huh?"

Xia Ya watched as the silver-haired knight bid him farewell, then rose and walked toward the town—toward the frightened refugees.

He had to admit, this young Knight King truly lived up to the title of “Ideal King.”

In an incredibly short time, they had gained the refugees’ trust. Even the nearby knights, who had initially resented him for drawing the Sword in the Stone, changed their stance after a few friendly duels and offered their approval.

Some even swore oaths on the spot, pledging to become his squire and follow the new king who had drawn the Sword in the Stone.

Soon, orders were being given.

The refugees gathered and began relocating toward regions with fewer abyssal beasts, while the knights patrolled nearby, staying on guard in case of another attack.

"Who knows… maybe among these people are future Knights of the Round Table, or ancestors of the Eight Oathbound Families..."

Xia Ya watched the migrating crowd, deep in thought.

He was definitely going to unlock the Fourth Soul Pact—not just to gain another Summoned Beast slot, but more importantly, to uncover the truth behind it all.

From the Historical Echo he transmigrated into becoming reality… to the anomalies surrounding the Fourth Soul Pact, and his inexplicable acquisition of immortality—too many strange things were happening to him.

If he didn’t figure out the truth behind it all, Xia Ya wouldn’t be able to rest easy. He wasn’t the type to sit still once he noticed something was off.

"Throne-tier existence… in the real world, I do know Sylvia, but my beloved wife definitely wouldn’t be willing to hurt me."

"Also, until I figure out the secret behind this immortality, I’d better not let anyone else know about it."

"So basically, if I want to experience a true death, I’ll probably have to rely on Artoris."

Looking at the slender figure of the silver-haired knight, Xia Ya nodded to himself.

That’s the future Knight King, minimum Throne-tier—possibly even stronger than Sylvia.

As for the story? Isn’t it obvious?

The Akatsuki Organization, founded with the goal of becoming the “dawn that changes the world,” gradually becomes corrupted under the harshness of war… ultimately transforming into the shadowy mastermind pulling the strings behind the conflict. It all fits perfectly.

Comrades who once shared the same ideals end up walking down completely different paths due to fate.

Light and darkness, justice and evil… the most classic and flawless plot ever—never gets old.

"But seriously, if I’m going to be the future final boss pulling strings from behind the scenes, being the only founder is a bit pathetic."

Xia Ya shifted his thoughts and summoned the red star-spirit dumpling in Star-Spirit Body form, hugging it in his arms.

"Scarlet, you guys go make a few uniforms later, wear them yourselves, and help uphold our Akatsuki Organization’s image."

"Mimimi~ (Me?)"

The Little Silver Spirit was also a bit dazed. Their Beastmaster always came up with these genius-level plans.

We’re just summoned beasts, aren’t we carrying too much on our backs?

"It’s fine, you’re just for show anyway. Put on the robes, wear a mask, use silver elements to bulk up your appearance, and suppress perception with mental energy."

"Who’s gonna know whether it’s a human or a beast underneath?"

Xia Ya pinched the red dumpling. "It’s settled. But to avoid any ancient records being passed down and getting us socially destroyed in real life, you all need new names."

"For you, Scarlet—"

Xia Ya thought for a moment.

"In this Historical Echo, your new name will be Shana."

"Mimimi~ (Master, I like it! It sounds like we’re a CP!)"

Having spent so much time around Xia Ya, even his summoned beasts had picked up on some trendy slang.

"Yingyingying~"

In the Soul Pact Space, Silver gave a jealous little whimper, burying her head in her big fluffy tail.

Plastic besties really are plastic besties.

The moment there’s a chance to run off alone, they don’t hesitate for a second.

So p***ed off it could kill a ferret.

...

Unlike his first Beginner Quest, where Xia Ya’s range of action was limited to the vicinity of the Cangting Principality’s royal capital—

This time, the official mission’s Historical Echo covered the entire territory of Aisgania.

And likely due to the fusion with the Sands of Time, Xia Ya’s Spatial Affinity had greatly increased.

Even after several months, he felt none of that sense of rejection from the River of Time—his duration of stay had significantly extended.

But over these few months, the situation across Aisgania had changed dramatically.

Under the name Artoris, Isadella had risen like a comet, making her name known throughout the chaos of Aisgania.

With her status as the prophesied one who drew the Sword in the Stone, her own strength, and her exceptional leadership—

In less than a year, Isadella had gained the support and loyalty of nobles and Grand Knights across all of Aisgania.

The allied knights rallied around Isadella as their core. Perhaps because their frustration had been bottled up for too long, the knightly lords, having finally found a leader to follow, erupted with astonishing combat strength.

Under Isadella’s lead—always at the front lines—they achieved major victories in battle after battle, crushing the coalition of Futigon and the abyssal beasts, reclaiming vast swaths of lost territory.

Along the way, they also purged the remaining abyssal creatures in the wilds, as well as rampant bandits and marauders.

All of this happened in just a few short months. Due to the slow flow of information in these chaotic times, by the time Futigon, the Church of Dawn, and the other factions began to take this rising coalition of knights and nobles seriously—

They were stunned to discover that this force had already rebuilt a land of order amidst the chaos.

In terms of both scale and power, it had already become a fourth major force on the land—capable of standing shoulder-to-shoulder with the Church and Futigon.

And as the leader of the alliance, the prophesied figure, Isadella also earned a new title.

The Ideal Sovereign, the Knight of Knights—“Knight King.”

But as the title of Knight King rose like a comet,

Two other names echoed across all of Aisgania along with it.

“The Black Knight”—Kayin.

And, the Akatsuki Organization.

Countless powerful warriors and nobles gathered around Isadella, including even some Six-Ring powerhouses.

But in the presence of that black-haired knight, they all seemed to lose their luster.

He was not one of Isadella’s subordinates, yet never missed a single critical battle, always charging at the front.

Even the strongest commanders had to admit that, in front of the Black Knight, all their bravery felt meaningless.

Every charge plunged him deep into enemy lines, into situations where death was certain.

But whenever he emerged from the mountains of corpses, he was always unscathed—not even a speck of blood touched his Akatsuki robe of black and red clouds.

No one had ever seen the Black Knight wounded.

Undefeated and untouched after a hundred battles, some even gave him a new title—“War-Hardened King.”

Which Kayin himself immediately shot down with a deadpan face and outright banned.

And behind him, the Akatsuki Organization also rose to fame—again and again saving civilians from monster tides and the ravages of war at the most perilous moments.

The idea of being the “dawn that changes this world” was passed from mouth to mouth among refugees, and wearing the black-and-red Akatsuki robes even became a trend and fashion statement.

...

"Kayin."

"You and your Akatsuki Organization, do you really not want any rewards?"

"Land, titles, power just below the ruler… or maybe even beauties."

"Though things are still tough right now, with the merits you and Akatsuki have earned, making such requests would be more than justified."

Atop the city wall, watching the Black Knight return unscathed once again from a sea of corpses and blood,

Isadella finally spoke.

She was not a king who failed to understand human nature.

Whether in the Historical Echo or in reality, as the “Ideal King” burdened with the expectations of all, Isadella had always held herself to the strictest standards of integrity and righteousness.

But she also knew—such integrity and righteousness were principles she could use to bind herself, not others.

People have selfish desires. Truly incorrupt saints are few and far between.

If one wished to truly win the people’s hearts, then when it came time to distribute rewards, one must never be stingy.

Indeed, under such a system, the cohesion of the allied nobles and lords grew stronger, and their combat effectiveness on the battlefield was often far beyond what it once had been.

However, Kayin and the Akatsuki behind him were not like that.

Although they had never formally announced joining her faction, Isadella was well aware—

If not for Kayin’s fearless courage and the Akatsuki Organization’s terrifying intelligence-gathering ability, which allowed her to anticipate the enemy every time,

She would never have achieved victory after victory and racked up such immense war merits in such a short span.

Despite contributing so much, Kayin had never once asked for a reward.

As if—beyond realizing that “dawn”—he had no other desires.

“If you really insist, then just give me some gold and jewels or whatever.”

The black-haired knight in the black-and-red cloud robe smiled lazily and spoke carelessly.

Isadella fell silent.

Gold and jewels—such things were the least valuable in this era of chaos.

After all, in this broken world, the trade market had already collapsed. Compared to titles and fiefdoms, money held no real appeal.

Clearly, Kayin had only said it casually because she kept insisting. He didn’t actually care about the wealth.

And even if he took it, where would he spend it?

The next moment—

Isadella saw the Black Knight step up to the top of the wall.

Through the gaps in his swirling mask, his pitch-black eyes swept over the peaceful and thriving scene within the city.

"You are the leaf bathed in sunlight, I am the root buried deep below."

"Power, status, territory—these things don’t matter to me."

Kayin’s voice remained hazy, yet carried a profound meaning.

"So long as, in the end, you can bring peace to this land,"

"And create the new nation we dreamed of,

That alone would be enough for me."

And right as Xia Ya finished saying these words,

He saw text emerge on the light screen in his mind.

【Important Character “Knight King” Favorability +5】

【Current Favorability: 50 (Trust)】