Chapter 1761: The Eighteen Hundred and Sixth Chapter: Attack by the Fire

"Yes, I won't let go."

No one here knows the true outsider, so he wouldn't lie. Mrs. Myers smiled and shook her head:

"But isn't that loyalty? Even if your love isn't exclusive, at least your feelings for each of them are loyal. If you're all content with the status quo, why care? If you truly feel guilty, make up for it with the rest of your life."

"You can think like that?"

Miss Higgins muttered, and before Mrs. Myers continued writing the second memory, she added one final sentence:

"When you took each other's hands, when you embraced and kissed, remember that moment. You can't be without divided thoughts, but at least in that instant—were you sincere? Were you willing to give everything to protect that girl? You know better than anyone."

Xia De took a deep breath, and Mrs. Myers began recounting the second memory:

"That was the day we confirmed our relationship—not long after our first meeting. After we met, he occasionally wrote me letters, and I replied. Later, we met many more times—at the birthday party of a neighboring lord's daughter, when young people went up the mountain to gather pine nuts, when he came to our village on his father's behalf to deliver mail, when the local town's constable came to inspect, when the Witch Emperor's land bird went missing… so many times, until that autumn night."

The black mist dispersed again, but this time, above them appeared a crystal-clear river of ten thousand stars, all three moons hanging full in the sky. The autumn evening breeze was slightly cold, yet still comfortable for Xia De, who had just been warming himself by the bonfire.

This seemed to be the village's threshing field; not far ahead lay the village, its lights sparse in the darkness. The boy and girl sat together atop a mountain of stacked grain, gazing upward at the stars.

"How romantic."

Miss Higgins whispered.

"I grew up in the city. My childhood nights were mostly spent under my witch aunt's coercion—reciting potion ingredient lists in her basement, or attending witch preparatory night school to prepare for awakening. There was no countryside's fresh air, only the stench of steam aether furnaces, the grating screech of dynamic blackboards sliding, the monotonous voice of old teaching golems, and the cheap, nauseating perfume of the girl beside me."

Her description was too vivid; Xia De could almost picture the life she described.

Xia De had never observed the real daily life of the Fifth Era's Witch Era, yet even this fragment from Miss Higgins's era was enough for him to imagine life in that age.

In the memory, the young boy and girl atop the grain pile, of course, could not hear the witch's voice. They never spoke, only held hands and gazed at the stars, until the girl gently rested her head on the boy's shoulder, and the boy, blushing, reached into his pocket and pulled out a small silver brooch.

The girl returned it with her handkerchief; they smiled and leaned together, still gazing at the stars above. Not a word was spoken, yet it felt as if everything had been said.

The memory ended. Mrs. Myers stared blankly at her notebook, lost in the past. Miss Higgins was still murmuring about how she'd never had such experiences in her youth.

The outsider again thought of his own life in this world.

Confirming his relationship with Luvia occurred after the event of the Dark Chosen, when the two chatted late at night in Jia Lin Na's manor, openly sharing their thoughts and feelings, and ultimately embraced and kissed beneath the starry sea.

Confirming his relationship with Dorothy and Princess Lei Lei Qianya happened after last year's Death Chosen event. With Grace and Helen's help, Xia De found a way to reunite the Princess and the Writer. That night, Lei Lei Qianya deliberately hid, leaving clues for Xia De and Dorothy to follow, and they eventually found her at home. That night, rain fell; the high heels and silver crown on the windowsill remained vivid in Xia De's memory.

As for confirming his relationship with Miss Jia Lin Na, that happened this year. The five trials of the witch symbolized her childhood dreams and her hopes for Xia De. Xia De completed the tasks perfectly, and under Miss Miss Difa's guidance, he saw the most precious treasure in the entire manor.

That too was unforgettable.

As for Yi Lu Na, their relationship had always progressed steadily, and so far, there had been no such memorable moments.

"These memories will become treasures along the path of life."

Mrs. Myers's voice rang out; she looked at Xia De, as if knowing what he was thinking:

"Young man, remember the moments of meeting, remember the moments of exchanging hearts. When you hesitate about yourself, when you face major life choices, when you doubt your loyalty—try recalling these. These memories are the beacons that let you turn back and see your own path clearly."

"I understand. Thank you, Mrs. Myers."

Xia De replied softly, and did not urge the old woman to continue:

"I must leave again. Can the rest of your story wait until next time?"

"Of course."

"Ladies, until next time."

He departed cleanly, turning toward the black mist, and vanished after a few steps.

Miss Higgins sighed softly:

"I never expected the thing that struck me hardest would be your story."

Mrs. Myers smiled kindly and lowered her gaze back to her written memories.

But at that moment, a sharp tearing sound erupted from the thick mist; a black dagger, glowing with eerie light, shot out swiftly and pierced straight toward Miss Higgins's heart.

The young witch didn't even turn her head—she merely waved her hand, and countless pale blue hexagonal shields formed around her. Yet the dagger passed through without resistance. Fortunately, her red hair whipped like a whip, striking the dagger and deflecting it from its course.

The dagger flew back into the mist. Miss Higgins sighed, alertly scanning her surroundings. Amid the crackling of the bonfire, a sudden explosion erupted to her left. The witch instinctively turned—only to see the boy, Andor Ald, covered in black markings, charging at her from her right side, wielding the black relic dagger.

He moved too fast; Miss Higgins had no time to react before the dagger struck her back. But it didn't pierce—instead, it rang like metal striking stone.

The boy immediately tried to retreat into the mist, but two black chains shot out—one from each side—binding his wrists and hoisting him into the air.

"I knew this would happen. What a troublesome journey."

The dagger was knocked from his hand by Miss Higgins, who looked at the boy with clear annoyance:

"I didn't summon a meteor to destroy your country. I understand you want revenge—but why revenge on me? Do I even know you?"

Xia De, who had pretended to leave, now stepped out from the mist. The elderly Mrs. Myers sighed, ignoring the scene as she stared at her journal. Xia De spoke:

"Miss Higgins, I believe his timeline aligns with yours—there's no possibility he's a future avenger. I suspect the meteor destroying your country is a lie. What actually destroyed your nation?"

"It's those damn witches!"

The boy's mind was clearly unhinged. The black markings on his body were deeply strange—even to Xia De. He must have come into contact with some far stranger demonic force, perhaps even a Pantanal Pantanal Xiewu; otherwise, in the Fifth Era, a male could never become an extraordinary being:

"The witches destroyed my country! All of them! We only dug for her private mineral deposits to survive—and she killed everyone! One snap of her fingers, everyone died—father, mother, brothers, sisters, younger siblings, my hunting hound, my maids, my slaves, all those who bowed to me—gone, all gone!"

He screamed hysterically; the failure of his assassination had pushed his already unstable mind into full madness.

Xia De now understood why the boy had always been so quiet, and why he trembled every time he encountered Miss Higgins. He had bottled up this hatred and rage, afraid to let anyone notice. But before Xia De and Miss Higgins, who had endured so much, his disguise was far too thin.

"Wait, what does this have to do with me? I didn't do it!"

The young red-haired witch's voice was louder than the boy's, which was understandable—she was truly innocent.

The boy struggled to break free from Xia De's chains, but even with the power he'd gained in the camp, he was no match for Xia De:

"But you're a witch! I'll kill every last witch! Since they can't come back, I'll kill all of you witches—I'll make you all die, all of you!"

Realizing he couldn't escape, he glared at Xia De:

"Why are you helping these women? Aren't you a man? If you have power, why don't you kill all the witches?"

Xia De frowned at him:

"Does having power mean I must kill witches?"

"It's because of these women that men can't gain power, can't freely choose beautiful girls—we should have pinned them all down"

Crack!

Young Lady Higgins casually squeezed, and the boy's head rotated three hundred sixty degrees on his neck. Though the head returned to its original position, life had already vanished.

She took a deep breath:

"I know the witch who destroyed his country did wrong, but what is this, blaming everyone for it?"

"I won't pass judgment—it has nothing to do with me."

Xia De retracted the chains, letting the corpse fall back to the ground.

ps: Illustration for this chapter, "The Avenger"