Nobody knows how to be a villain better than me.

Anyway, as long as it doesn't interfere with the second thing, it's fine.

"As for the second thing..."

Martha's thoughts turned back to the two little ones in the corner, and she looked up and smiled.

"I'm here to take them both back..."

No sooner had she finished speaking than Abigail and Lavinia, who were happily savoring their hot cocoa, turned pale instantly. Without saying a word, they leaped up from their chairs with a whoosh and fled like startled cats, darting along the wall towards the door.

"Charlotte!"

However, Martha had anticipated this. With a soft shout, a girl with brown hair and green eyes, wearing a black top hat and a black and white maid outfit, rushed out nervously, spread her arms, and blocked the front door, colliding head-on with Lavinia who was rushing towards her.

That embrace, so full and warm, makes one want to immerse oneself in it.

"Abby! The back door!"

Seeing that she had been caught red-handed, Lavinia decided to sacrifice herself, blocking the girl in front of her and turning to warn her playmate.

Upon hearing this, Abigail glanced sadly at her friend who had generously sacrificed himself, bit her cherry lips tightly, and then reluctantly turned and ran away.

But before Abigail could rush up the steps, cross the threshold, and complete her escape, a silver-haired, blue-eyed figure, also dressed in a black and white maid outfit, walked towards her, lifting the hem of her skirt.

When she stands still, she resembles a dignified noblewoman; when she moves, she is like a carefree young girl.

"Abby is a good kid, so you won't make things difficult for me, right?"

The newcomer bowed gracefully, raised the small basket on his left arm, and waved with a smile.

"I've prepared your favorite flatbread, filled with gooey cheese and topped with crispy bacon!"

Faced with this gentle offensive, the good boy Abby immediately deflated, like a defeated rooster, his little face contorted in misery, his head drooping, resignedly following behind the silver-haired girl, surrendering without resistance.

"Oh my, you're so sweet. You're so tiny and soft when I hold you. If I had a daughter like you, that would be perfect."

The silver-haired maid first handed over the carefully prepared gifts, then happily took Abigail's little hand and brought the fugitive to Martha.

"Mary, well done!"

The purple-haired goddess nodded slightly, praising her with satisfaction. Then she glanced at the two dejected little girls and let out a soft hum.

"Get them into the car first, then you go pack your things. Also, have the men keep a close eye on them, don't let these two little ones escape."

The two maids bowed respectfully, ready to lead the two captured girls away to carry out their orders.

"No! I don't want to go back to that awful place!"

"Help! Master! Abby is a good girl, she can continue to help!"

In the end, the two little girls, on the verge of tears, were shoved into the car and could only cling to the window, looking at their home with endless sadness and indignation.

Seeing such a tragic scene of parting, Natalia couldn't help but mutter to herself.

"What have they done wrong?"

"nothing……"

Samael glanced wistfully at the black sedan whose window was slowly rolling up outside the door, and spoke awkwardly.

"They just don't want to go back to class now that school has started."

"..."

Natalia's lips twitched, speechless.

"Master, you must come early!"

"Remember to rescue us!"

Lavinia and Abigail, being pushed into the car, clung to the window, their eyes brimming with tears, wailing as if they were experiencing a life-or-death separation, pleading for help from a guardian.

"Cough cough, definitely, definitely, definitely next time..."

Samael coughed and turned his head away, offering a perfunctory promise.

There was no other way. In order to adapt to his identity and integrate into the development of the times, even Jeanne d'Arc Alter and Martha, who had never been interested in studying, were sent to school to complete a basic college education, not to mention Abigail and Lavinia, who were of school age and should have started school long ago.

Of course, Samael's education plan wasn't exactly a benevolent act; it was mainly for convenience and to avoid being lazy.

After all, the operation of the entire parliament needs to be taken over by these women. Without some knowledge and experience, he will end up cleaning up the mess.

Therefore, thanks to the harshness of compulsory education, the two saints, who were nicknamed "village girls," had long since shed their illiteracy, and basic literacy and management skills were not a problem at all.

(In the Fate setting, Jeanne Alter is literate and loves to play tricks.)

However, limited by her talent, Jeanne Alter, who was bad at math, maintained a stable level of high school dropout even after three rounds of intensive tutoring. In the end, Samael couldn't bear to see her like this and helped her get into university through connections.

"big…"

"Ahem, Lord Samael, greetings. May I ask if it would be convenient to borrow the room keys for Abi and Lavinia?"

Just as Samael was reminiscing about the past, he heard a slight, tense tremor in his ear. Then, the silver-haired, blue-eyed maid pulled her somewhat incoherent companion aside and spoke gently.

"Oh, here you go."

Samael snapped out of his daze, grabbed a spare key from the counter, and handed it to the silver-haired maid in front of him.

The young woman bowed slightly, walking with perfect posture in the ancient palace, then pulled up her blushing companion beside her, and went up the stairs to pack their things.

"You guys know each other?"

Natalia, who had vaguely sensed something amiss in the conversation, couldn't help but ask out of curiosity.

"Yes, they are maids belonging to headquarters, responsible for managing the food, clothing, and accommodation of those above. I met them a few times when I was reporting to them before."

Samael glanced discreetly at the two maids, then answered casually without even blinking.

"Tsk tsk, French court etiquette, I've only ever seen it in books. And these are just maids? If you told me they were descendants of some noble family, I would believe you. Is this industry really that corrupt? Or is the headquarters just too extravagant in its staffing?"

Natalia shook her head and muttered a complaint under her breath.

Samael glanced at the female nightmare demon and muttered to himself.

Is this a woman's sixth sense? It's surprisingly accurate...

Of the two, the silver-haired girl who seemed very well-mannered was actually a French noblewoman, and of the highest rank.

To be more formal, she should be addressed as "Queen Mary".

That's right, Marie Antoinette, the French queen who should have been guillotined during the French Revolution.

The other one, while not as well-known in France as this one, is still quite famous.

Charlotte Corday was the frail female assassin who murdered Jean-Paul Marat, an important Jacobin figure in the French Revolution.

Because of her lovely appearance and her brilliant solo assassination skills, she was hailed as the "Assassination Angel".

Chapter Sixty: How to Steal Sanson's Clients? (4.8k)

These two French maids who were hired had some inexplicable connections with Joan of Arc, whose personality had reversed, and Martha, the Iron-Fisted Saint.

In the mid-15th century, Samael awoke on the island of Avalon. After experiencing the Hundred Years' War between England and France, the trial of Joan of Arc, and the Church of the Desolate City incident, in order to prevent future troubles, he finally decided to use the Holy Lance Rungomniyade to awaken the ley lines ahead of time, gather his old friends who were active on the surface, and establish the Dark Council.

The initial stage of any institution is bound to be arduous and laborious. At that time, it happened to coincide with two witch hunts that broke out in Europe. Therefore, during this period, Samael adopted the style of a wise king, working tirelessly day and night.

After two or three hundred years of development, and having defeated the combined attack of the Magic Association and the Holy Church, the Dark Council finally got back on track.

Samael was never one to do everything himself, so afterwards, he intentionally unloaded his burdens one by one and handed them over to his friends.

However, he sadly discovered that apart from his older sister who offered herself up and Aurora, whom he had coerced and bribed, none of the others were reliable, and their basic cultural education was in dire need of improvement.

Therefore, the two illiterate French village girls were forced to embark on a journey of literacy education.

The chosen place for their studies was naturally France, the hometown of Joan of Arc and Martha.

After a period of agonizing study and exams, the two, who were exhausted to the point of despair, managed to gain admission to the prestigious University of Paris through Samael's financial influence.

The University of Paris, originally the Sorbonne, traces its history back to 1150-1160. It officially adopted the name "University of Paris" in 1261, making it one of the oldest universities in the world and a model of medieval European universities.

Many modern university models in Europe were subsequently influenced by this. For example, Oxford University, the first university in England, was founded in 1167 by teachers and students who returned to England from the University of Paris. Cambridge University in England, as well as some universities in Germany, also copied the relevant experience.

Of course, even the most prestigious schools need to make money. After Samael generously donated several school buildings, the Mediterranean-looking principal with a wig warmly received Joan of Arc and Martha, and introduced these two village girls, who couldn't even pass high school math, into the school as special talents, providing them with dedicated tutors throughout their studies.

Unfortunately, even though they entered one of the highest institutions of learning in Europe at the time, the two French saints were not studious test-takers. Expecting them to stay in the classroom and diligently study professional texts would be worse than killing them.

So, after their daily routines, the two saintly ladies would spend their free time wandering around Paris, giving "lessons" to the local thugs and hooligans.

Knowing he couldn't change their nature, Samael turned a blind eye and let them run wild.

During this time, the two French saints accidentally met two very compatible friends.

One of them was Charlotte Corday, who came from a convent. One morning, the clear sound of prayer evoked memories of the past for two French saints, so they curiously went into the convent and met this devout little nun.

According to the two people involved, the young nun, who was startled at the time, called them "angels" with a mixture of fear and joy. Even after the misunderstanding was cleared up, the enthusiastic young nun still pulled them together to finish praying before she stopped.

Charlotte Corday, knowing that the two women in front of her were "high achievers" from the University of Paris, looked at them with envy and often asked them about all aspects of school life, listening to their complaints about teachers, exams, and a certain unscrupulous boss.

Later, Martha and Jeanne Alter learned that she loved reading, and thoughtfully borrowed some books from the University of Paris library for Charlotte Corday to read.

Gradually, this young nun, who harbored a thirst for knowledge and curiosity but had no opportunity to study, became a powerful support for the two of them to endure the painful four years of university and successfully graduate.

Through these interactions, the two French saints gradually became acquainted with Charlotte Corday, and a good friendship was formed between them.

The other is Martha and Jeanne Alter, who, while committing crimes in the streets, rescued an ignorant girl dressed in a black and white maid outfit, carrying a basket, from some thugs. She was going deep into the slums to distribute white bread to the starving people.

After escaping with the disheveled little girl, they learned through conversation that the girl was actually from a noble family. Upon hearing of the famine in the city, she felt compassion and disguised herself to deliver some food to the starving people.

But if a frail girl carrying a basket of white bread were to pass by among starving people who hadn't eaten for days, dressed so cleanly, anyone with a little common sense and a sense of caution knew that it would be a disservice to the audience if she didn't cause a scene.

If it weren't for Jeanne Alter and Martha intervening to stop the rioting crowd, and the city guards just happened to be passing by, this little girl would probably have been more than just surrounded by thugs; she might have been eaten alive, along with her bread, becoming part of the forbidden content.

Although they repeatedly criticized the noblewoman's impetuous behavior and lack of common sense, they still escorted her home, taking advantage of her pitiful appearance and polite manner.

However, upon arriving at their destination, Jeanne Alter and Martha learned that the naive girl's home was in the Royal Palace in Paris.

She was the mistress of this palace, Queen Marie Antoinette.

Indeed, the real Queen Marie Antoinette, though living a life of luxury, was not inherently bad.

The statement, "The people have no bread, so why don't they eat cake?" was nothing more than a rumor spread by the opposition to slander the monarchy.

According to historians, Queen Mary did allocate royal funds to the people when they were poor, although the effect was limited.

After all, France at that time had reached a point where class contradictions were irreconcilable, and the monarchy had gradually been sidelined.

Since Louis XVI ascended the throne, attacks on the royal family by the common people have never ceased.

In her early years, after Marie Antoinette married into the French royal family, the couple had no children. At that time, pamphlets attacking the royal family were distributed on the streets of Paris, mocking Louis XVI for his incompetence and even slandering Queen Marie Antoinette for having an affair with Charles, Count of Artois (Louis XVI's brother, who later became Charles X).

Therefore, with the help of those with ulterior motives, even a little effort is merely a drop in the ocean compared to the raging fire that is about to break out.

Amidst the undercurrents in France, Martha and Jeanne Alter happened to rescue Queen Marie Antoinette, who had run away hoping to make some efforts to change the image of the royal family.

Mary was very grateful and afterwards invited the two of them to her parties.

However, Martha and Jeanne Alter were not fond of such tedious and noisy court banquets and generally declined them.

Despite being repeatedly humiliated, Queen Marie Antoinette was not annoyed. Instead, she often hid her identity and went to the University of Paris to have afternoon tea with Martha and Jeanne Alter, chat, and vent her frustrations.

Having shed their queenly status, Martha and Jeanne Alter no longer resisted the ordinary noblewoman's confiding and closeness to her, who shared her troubles as a normal person.

The three of them developed a good personal relationship during that period.

However, with the end of their university studies and the increasingly dire situation in France, Samael, who did not want to get involved in social change, recalled the two men.

Ultimately, the wheels of history rolled on, and the monarchy collapsed amidst the overwhelming public opinion. Queen Marie Antoinette and her husband Louis XVI were also reduced to prisoners.

On the night before they were to be led to the guillotine, the royal family in prison received an unexpected visitor.

Samael, the fallen angel in the Bible, the devil of hell.

That's right, what appeared at that time was indeed the ancient serpent itself.

Having learned from the turmoil in Camelot and the lessons of the two witch hunts, Samael originally had no intention of getting involved in the changes of earthly dynasties.

After all, from his outsider's perspective, whether Queen Marie Antoinette and Louis XVI were competent or not, they were born into a royal family and enjoyed such wealth and honor, so they naturally had to bear the corresponding obligations and risks.

Therefore, whether they overthrew the revolutionaries or the revolutionaries took their lives, it all falls within the realm of the cycle of destiny.

However, while Samael could disregard the changing dynasties and the fate of the king and queen, he ultimately felt compassion for Martha and Jeanne Alter's repeated attempts to express their anguish.

There's nothing I can do; he's a devil, always breaking the rules. He has to follow his own heart. What nonsense about destiny? It's not as important as having his own thoughts.

So the ancient serpent made an exception and came to the prison, promising to take the couple out of jail. But in exchange, they had to sign a pact with the demon, give up their royal status, live an ordinary life in anonymity, and offer their souls after death.

In fact, this choice was intended to be given to Queen Mary.