Miss Witch Doesn't Want to be a Diva

The castle was particularly quiet at night, and Tilan sat at the table under the window, listening to Ran Bei'er's singing and the sound of her instrument, feeling a slight sense of trance, as if she could vaguely see some scenes of the past through the song.

However, those scenes were still blurry and not as deeply imprinted as those left behind by the two Color Level songstresses in the annals of time, only allowing a faint appreciation of the nostalgia and sorrow conveyed through the song.

After a long while, the song ended, and Ran Bei'er came to sit down in front of Tilan. At this moment, she was dressed lightly, and the previously pinkish hue of her pupils revealed a magnificent red under the dim candlelight.

"Tilan really can understand my song," Ran Bei'er said, her eyes twinkling slightly, before the red in her gaze dispersed, returning to the usual light pink color.

"I can understand some of it, but also not quite," the girl shook her head, suspecting that the bloodline flowing in Ran Bei'er was problematic, certainly not that of an ordinary human subspecies.

"Maybe it's better not to understand; knowing too much can burden you with a lot," she said, picking up a wine glass from the table, pouring herself some rich, fragrant wine, and taking a small sip.

"It's really nice to see someone like Tilan again," she remarked unconsciously.

"Why do you say that?" the girl tilted her head slightly.

"Because it's very boring," Ran Bei'er said with a mysterious smile.

"I've seen many people, and the vast majority live in a daze or lead mundane lives, as if cut from the same cloth. But Tilan, you are very special, like amidst the thousands of people bending over in the mud and cracks searching for food, one person suddenly stands up, so conspicuous, so extraordinary."

"I have a special feeling that you will change many things, so much so that I've begun to waver, wondering whether or not to become involved with you."

"Actually, you should also be able to sense that my family is quite extraordinary. Although I may appear to be only sixteen or seventeen years old, this is merely on the surface."

"If Tilan has carefully studied the history of the First Epoch, you would know that the first empire among humans—the True Red Empire—although it is fallen, still has many descendants scattered around."

"One of the most notable branches founded the Cangyue Kingdom during the Third Epoch, which was the precursor to the Verdant Empire."

"However, there are also those lesser-known branches, which have continued to conceal their lineage."

After finishing the wine in her glass, Ran Bei'er stood up, her figure and the hem of her dress turning lightly in the room, with pinpoints of deep red light appearing. Her light pink fingernails also instantly flashed a vivid red, leaving slight afterimages in the air.

Stepping into the shadowy corner of the room, Ran Bei'er turned around, her eyes as clear and beautiful as rubies in the night.

"And I belong to one of those branches, with a bloodline that is almost immortal."

"When I invited you here before, I indeed had other intentions. I wanted you to become the same kind of being as me, knowing that while it might be troublesome and might engender your dislike, I thought that eventually you would understand me," she said, her eyes slightly closed, one hand gently pressing against her chest, where her bright red fingernails stood out starkly against her pale skin.

"But now, I've changed my mind. Plucking a bud is easy, but to see it bloom is much harder," she continued, her fingers spreading slightly as red petals converged to form a magic-powered blood-red rose in the palm of her hand.

"So," said the girl, also rising to her feet, her black hair fluttering in the night breeze, a faint blue shade emerging in her eyes as if in an instant, the temperature in the room dropped a few degrees.

Ran Bei'er did not reply but looked directly into the girl's eyes, with fluctuating light, and it seemed as if there were layers of rings contracting and analyzing in her pupils.

"I can let you go, and even assist you in the future, becoming your support, but there will be conditions," she said, her figure instantly moving forward. Without any physical movement, she seemed to glide, leaving behind a long afterimage.

Almost in the blink of an eye, Ran Bei'er appeared behind the girl, her fingers with bright red nails lightly pressing against Tilan's snow-white neck.

"What a pity, I really thought you would be able to dodge that," she said, her tone carrying a hint of regret, as if discovering a new toy wasn't as fun as she had expected.

"Hmph," the girl grasped that hand and then her figure spun sharply, and at the same time, a deep blue rapier constructed of magic power materialized in her hand.

"Indeed, there's something special about you," Ran Bei'er shook her slightly stiff fingers, surprised yet pleased, then she did not rush to attack, patiently waiting for the girl to be ready.

The rapier gripped in the girl's palm, she crouched slightly, and then with footwork as fast as lightning, she split into three figures, all attacking Ran Bei'er.

The blue Sword Blade flashed through the night, leaving trails of fleeting arcs of light. Since her return from Jielou City, Tilan had made rapid progress in swordsmanship. Not only had she slowly absorbed the heritage techniques of the Green Lotus Sword Cleansing Palace, but she had also improved and integrated them with various combat skills of the current world. Even though she had not reached Sequence 7, judging from her swordsmanship alone, she was worthy of the title of master of the field.

Four longswords worked seamlessly together, interweaving in such a way that despite Ran Bei'er's incredible speed, she found her space to dodge cut off and was forced to break through the clever attacks with brute force, scattering the red fragments to deflect the blue Sword Edges and then escaping.

Once more creating distance between them, Ran Bei'er looked at Tilan with a mix of curiosity and surprise.

"Your swordsmanship doesn't resemble the immaturity of your age; it's even close to those famous figures in history."

"Although I don't know how you achieved this level, if you were Sequence 6, maybe you could pose a threat to me."

"I'll test you two more times, then; if you can withstand them, I admit defeat today and won't force you anymore," she said.

After speaking, her eyes closed slightly, one hand reached into the void, and a blood-red orb floated up, drawing numerous streams of air laden with Magic Power into it.

Slowly, a blood-red and Sharp long spear emerged, with complicated patterns all over it. A single glance was enough to know that this Magic Spear was extremely dangerous, filled with lethality and curses.

"Magic Spear, Gungnir!" Ran Bei'er's eyes suddenly burst open, her crimson pupils seeming to contain flashes of gold. Her pupils narrowed, and then the long spear shot out.

In an instant, the only real figure among the four was pierced through, the girl's expression showing shock and confusion. With the wound in her chest, she slowly fell.

Ran Bei'er shook her head slightly, as if in regret or perhaps offering an apology. Just as she prepared to approach the girl and take her to the depths of the Ancient Castle for the bloodline inheritance ceremony,

the girl lying in a pool of blood once again floated upward, her figure wavering in the air like ripples on water, and an ethereal singing voice emanated.

In a flash, golden illusions spread like ripples and then instantly sprawled out in all directions. When Ran Bei'er regained her view, she found herself in a sea of golden flowers.

Countless vivid, blooming golden roses covered the fields. Even though it was night before, the Sunshine above was unusually bright and cheerful, the distant wind carrying the scent of flowers. The golden petals shined beneath the sky, their splendor and beauty stunning to behold.

"Welcome to my garden."

Descended a golden-haired Elf woman, dressed in a slightly fancy gown, her form somewhat ethereal and insubstantial.

"How is this possible..." Ran Bei'er, looking at the figure recognizable to all citizens of the federation, was almost speechless.

"The Songstress of the Golden Flame Rose, Isenisha..."