Hate me, Miss Witch!

Looking at the witch enveloped in the twilight glow and the metal disc in her hand, Fioran's gaze, like Isveytan's, became fixed.

Why?

If it were just a teleportation array, there would be nothing unusual about it. After all, space-type magictech equipment, due to its great strategic impact, has never been exclusive to the Fresta Empire, as nearly all supernatural forces conduct similar research in secret. Given the strength and identity of the Gray-Silver Witch before him, coupled with the foundation of the White Tower, it wouldn't be surprising for her to have mastered similar magictech technology.

But the magictech array disc that appeared in the hand of the Gray-Silver Witch was precisely the Empire's single-person, two-way teleportation array, and it was of the mass-produced variety. Of course, even though the Empire has always kept such technology highly confidential, it wouldn't be surprising for a Legendary figure to quietly get their hands on it from the Empire's side.

However, the magictech array disc in question exhibited a highly strange state; it was covered in rust, and its Magic Runes were dim and lusterless, having long lost their efficacy. It was as if it had truly undergone erosion over hundreds of years. Yet, as far as Fioran knew, this kind of personal two-way teleportation array had only become widely used in the military barely a decade ago. Not even the experimental prototypes could possibly have a history surpassing a hundred years.

Considering what he had witnessed in the Eternal Slumber Plane, the Gray-Silver Witch before him had indeed slumbered atop that lofty Throne for five hundred years...

This thought was rather terrifying upon deep reflection. So terrifying, in fact, that Fioran began to worry he would be silenced by the Gray-Silver Witch for knowing secrets he should not. With the power she had just displayed, if she were to take action, he would likely not even have a chance to resist.

Fortunately, the frozen dusk had not descended upon him. The Gray-Silver Witch just glanced at the unease surfacing in Fioran's heart before averting her eyes. The pressure, as heavy as a collapsing mountain, also disappeared from Fioran's shoulders.

"I understand now."

Pale golden script appeared in The Void. With just one look, the witch had gotten the answer she wanted from Fioran's unsettled expression.

Fioran let out a breath, only then realizing his back had been soaked with sweat at some point. When he looked again, he found the witch already standing by the window. Her graceful figure was shrouded in the twilight, silently gazing at the object in her palm. It was an amethyst hairpin, fashioned from platinum with a somewhat outdated design, yet the amethyst set in the hairpin remained clear and luminous. Under the slanted rays of the setting sun, it refracted colors as brilliant as stained glass. Clearly, the hairpin had been meticulously preserved by its owner to withstand the ravages of hundreds of years and still appear brand new.

Silvia, the Sky Silver Witch, looked at the hairpin in her hand for a long time. Then, carefully, she clipped it back into her Silver-white hair.

「The next moment.」

In Silvia's hand, a thick but unadorned book appeared out of thin air. She made no superfluous movements, yet the heavy book opened itself. The sound of pages flipping filled the air, accompanied by the rustle of falling dust. Then, the page-turning stopped, settling on a page filled with writing.

"The teleportation array disc that sent me out of the Azure Garden Royal Capital is the last remaining relic of the Azure Garden Dukedom that remained at my side after that night.

"At first, I thought the Brunestadt family really possessed such secret magictech technology. To prevent Norton's ambitions from coming to fruition, the elders in my family were even willing to risk their lives to escort me and make use of the teleportation array to leave.

"It wasn't until later, when I reached Legendary status and opened up my mental seascape, looking down on my own mind from a higher dimension, that I found traces where my memory had been altered and the missing blanks.

"But by then, even after searching the entire Western Continent and the secondary planes, I never found any trace of Brother Shiayar.

"And that lone array disc was the only clue Brother Shiayar left me.

"I visited the most senior authorities in the field of space magictech technology throughout the Western Continent, and they even led me to visit the confidential R&D site of the Magictech Institute...

"But all investigations showed that at the time, even super large-scale long-distance two-way teleportation arrays were still just at the theoretical stage.

"The only thing manufactured was a prototype that occupied the area of several buildings and could teleport objects the size of a bottle cap, which at that time was already seen as an unprecedented breakthrough in that field.

"Moreover, considering a highly miniaturized and integrated, disk-sized personal teleportation array...

"With the Brunestadt family's capabilities, no matter how secret their research was, they couldn't possibly have mastered such advanced magictech technology that was generations ahead of the great nations' Magictech Institutes.

"That sole, lonely teleportation array disc did not belong to this era... It seemed to come from a distant future.

"Like Brother Shiayar, who entered my Life quietly and disappeared like the wind."

—Excerpt from page 701 of the "Diary of the Gray-Silver Witch," Holy Calendar Year 360, the Month of Sprouting, day 7.

Not long after writing this diary entry, the Gray-Silver Witch built the White Tower on the Golden Plains, then entombed herself within it.

Silvia's gaze lingered on this page of the diary for a moment. Then the diary turned again, quickly revealing a new blank page.

「The next moment,」 lines of delicate, yet ancient, golden script began to magically appear on the blank page.

"Brother Shiayar, you left me with one last sentence.

"'At the end of time, we shall meet again.'

"And now, five hundred years have passed—the ebb and flow of time.

"Is this the future, the one where you exist?

"What was the reason you altered my memory back then?

"And in your heart, what position do I truly occupy?

"Am I simply a tool to be used and discarded?

"Is it the ordinary affection between a brother and a sister?

"Or is it..."

Those pale golden strokes trembled ever so slightly, yet they never continued writing.

Fioran and Isveytan couldn't help but be startled. This was the White Tower Master, the Gray-Silver Witch. Since her appearance, she had carried an indescribable authority, effortlessly In Control of the entire scene. Yet right now, within those pure Silver eyes of hers, there emerged a trace of unease, panic, and a fleeting glimpse of fear and timidity. It was as if she were a long-absent wanderer, feeling the complex emotions of trepidation and longing upon nearing her homeland.

However, that fleeting complexity soon vanished from Silvia's eyes.

Pale golden text emerged once more in The Void.

"I need a few days to adjust to the power that has grown during the Eternal Slumber phase.

"Once I have fully awakened, I will make a trip to the Empire Capital of the Fresta Empire."

Silvia turned her gaze to Isveytan, the Silent Singer beside her, her Silver eyes conveying a hint of apology.

"Those were thoughtless remarks of mine; I didn't expect your ancestors to take them seriously.

"This White Tower was merely a tomb I crafted for myself. With my strength, I certainly don't need others to guard it for me.

"Now that I have awakened, you may also find your freedom from this tomb-like tower."

"No."

Isveytan shook her head. "To you, Tower Master, the White Tower may just be a structure created in passing. But to me, and to all the members within the White Tower over these five hundred years, it has become the meaning of their lives. We are willing to stay here, not just for you, Tower Master, but also because the White Tower remains a sanctuary for countless homeless souls, the utopia our hearts yearn for."

Silvia's gaze lingered lightly on Isveytan before she nodded after a long pause. She had never imagined that her spontaneous act would one day become one of the three great towers, standing alongside the Black Tower—a sacred place and sanctuary in the hearts of countless seekers.

It was just like Brother Shiayar once was to me.

Fioran also spoke promptly, "It would be an honor for the Empire if Your Excellency, the Gray-Silver Witch, were to visit the Empire Capital. As the Empire's Southern Inspector, I can show you the way. Shiayar Egutt, whom I mentioned earlier, should now be in the Empire Capital."

Fioran carefully concealed the chilling implications and the shock in his heart, showing no hint of it. A Legendary powerful pro visiting the Empire—this was an extraordinary event. The Empire was not lacking in living Legendaries. However, if such an individual were to unleash their full power in the Empire Capital, even the mere shockwaves from a Legendary battle could reduce the entire Royal Capital to ruins.

Of course, this isn't necessarily a bad thing. Regardless, the White Tower and the Empire both openly belong to the Order Faction of the Western Continent. Thanks to Fioran's facilitation, their relationship is amicable. With the current tense situation within the Empire Capital, if one could elicit a declaration from a Legendary, the ensuing chain reaction might very well destabilize the old order and sow chaos. And for Her Royal Highness the Princess, now isolated and helpless within the Empire Capital, such a situation was undoubtedly better the more chaotic it became.

"Good."

Pale golden text appeared again in The Void.

The witch in the dusk slowly turned, facing the Great Library behind her.

"In these next few days of my awakening, I want to thoroughly understand...

"This era that gave birth to him, that nurtured him."

「The next moment.」

Within the Great Library, shrouded in the frozen twilight, all the books on the wooden shelves suddenly began to float into the air. Then, at the same instant, they all flew open.

Wearing slightly worn red high heels, the Gray-Silver Witch stepped forward, entering that boundless, endless ocean of books.

Fioran and Isveytan exchanged glances, just about to discreetly withdraw. But then, they noticed pale golden writing appearing before them again.

"I want to taste the food of this era."

Who would have thought that a Legendary figure, who had slumbered for five hundred years, still possessed an appetite for Human food?

Isveytan, taken aback for a moment, hesitated before finally speaking, "I wonder what food the Tower Master would like to taste."

Upon hearing Isveytan's question, the witch within the sea of books tilted her head slightly, her long hair cascading by her ear. A flicker of nostalgia passed through those pure Silver eyes.

"Let it be...

"Grilled fish."