Hate me, Miss Witch!

"It seems we need to wait for the Sacred Sword to fully recharge before we can enter again."

She nodded slightly.

Through the Soul Pact with the Sacred Sword, Isadella could clearly feel it.

With each step she took on the path of the Knight King as 'Artorigus', the restraints on the Sacred Sword were unmistakably loosened a bit more.

At this pace, when Escarnia was unified and the Fresta Empire was founded, it would be the day the Sacred Sword was restored to its full glory, and also the day she would ascend to the Throne.

In the next moment, that vast, mysterious power carried Isadella, guiding her back down the stream of time.

「...」

Inside the study, Shiayar slowly opened his eyes.

It seemed that this particular Echo of History was set in a time period even more distant than the one of the Ancient Dukedom Azure Garden.

Emerging from the Echo of History, after a journey through the river of time...

Unlike the dizziness and muddled confusion that had previously assailed his mind when exiting an Echo of History, this time was different. With Shiayar's own rank having risen, and with the affinity boost from the Sands of Time to the Space Law, he was able to clearly perceive everything in the river of time.

It was a whole new experience, which also reinforced Shiayar's understanding of the river of time.

Looking at the familiar furniture in his Black Lily District mansion, Shiayar quickly pulled out paper and pen, beginning to write down the insights and thoughts from his recent journey through the river of time.

Since the Echo of History contains genuine history, he mused.

Then if I were to directly rewrite the past—for instance, if I killed the Knight King before the Fresta Empire was established—what would reality look like now?

Would the Empire cease to exist altogether, the world turned upside down? Or is there some sort of Corrective Force in history, where if the Knight King were killed, a new Great Knight would replace him as leader, and the Empire would still be established, maintaining the course of history with minimal changes?

Or perhaps... before I even had the chance to kill the Knight King within the Echo of History, I would be directly stopped by the inertia maintaining the grand trajectory of historical events within the river of time, or even eliminated?

An outright elimination seemed unlikely. However, based on the sensations from the Sands of Time and my recent experience in the river of time...

The grand trajectory of history, as well as the Corrective Force and inertia upholding it, must indeed exist.

To alter the grand trajectory of history, one would need power commensurate with the task. The more one deviates from past history, the greater the Corrective Force and resistance encountered.

Even for a Throne with an affinity for space-time, changing history is extremely difficult.

However, this raises a new question.

Shiayar's pen paused slightly.

Why... when I entered the Echo of History of the Ancient Dukedom Azure Garden, did I encounter no barriers whatsoever?

Silvia is a genuine Throne-holder, and the White Tower is one of the foremost supernatural powers on the Western Continent. That certainly constitutes part of the grand trajectory of history. Why then could I participate in its events without any resistance?

If it weren't for my intervention, Norton's plan should have succeeded, but history did not unfold that way.

Or is it that I myself am part of the grand trajectory of history?

Or rather, who... am I?

Shiayar looked at the draft paper in his hand, filled with Chinese characters, and couldn't help but smile bitterly.

This had escalated right to the philosophical plane of 'Who am I? And who is this I?'

There is too little evidence at present, and blind speculation leads nowhere.

Shiayar twirled the fountain pen between his fingers.

The next moment, THWIP—

The metal nib pierced his palm and then withdrew.

No blood flowed out; not even a wound appeared.

Almost as the pen nib was withdrawn, the flesh on Shiayar's palm healed in that very instant.

Observing the result of his experiment, Shiayar's gaze paused slightly.

His undying body wasn't an exclusive feature of the Echo of History. It was equally effective in reality.

He must have acquired this curse of immortality the moment he broke through to 4-Ring.

That means, at the Borgia family's banquet, I already possessed this ability, he realized.

In other words, if Silvia hadn't taken action and suppressed everyone on the scene, my undying body might have been exposed during the subsequent attack by the other Borgia retainers.

Thinking this, Shiayar couldn't help but stand up and quickly return to his bedroom.

Then, he picked up the white cat, which was quietly squinting from the bed towards the study, and hugged it fiercely, stroking its fur.

"You truly are my Silvia Babe, my main wife."

"If it weren't for you, my troubles would have been much greater."

As for why Silvia is the 'main wife' and Enola is the 'minor wife,' of course, it's ranked by the size of... cups.

MEOW MEOW MEOW~

The white cat, suddenly embraced, flailed its paws in confusion.

However, upon hearing Shiayar's words, the cat's struggles immediately softened, and even its meows became faint.

Shiayar didn't dwell on it. After petting the cat for a while, he returned to the study.

He had returned to reality because there were things to be done.

On one hand, he was preparing for the coming battle in the Echo of History.

Moreover, during the half-year spent in the Echo of History, Shiayar's rank had finally crossed the 4-Ring threshold, reaching 5-Ring.

Although the 4th Soul Pact was mysteriously occupied, the 5th Soul Pact, fortunately, was normal.

Therefore, it was time to put choosing a contract partner for the 5th Soul Pact on the agenda.

Shiayar had already made plans for his fourth Pet Beast; it was just that financial constraints had previously prevented him from proceeding.

But now, thanks to the sponsorship from the Knight King in the Echo of History, the financial gap was finally bridged...

Of course, relying on the White Tower for support was also an option, but unless absolutely necessary, Shiayar was reluctant to ask his women for money.

What if, because of such a small matter, he ended up being the one suppressed?

At this time... Ennie should still be in meditation, right?

Shiayar glanced towards the meditation room, sensing the long, steady breaths from within, before taking a sapphire-blue crystal from his Spatial Pocket.

He infused a sliver of spiritual power into the crystal.

In the Western Continent, the Empire, the Princes' Alliance, and the Holy Creed Kingdom each possessed their own exclusive portable magic communication technology.

The device Shiayar was now using was proprietary to the Holy Creed Kingdom.

These private communicators came in pairs and were typically possessed only by the upper echelons of the theocratic kingdom. The owner of the other half of Shiayar's device—was none other than...

The Dawn Saintess of the Sacred Court.