The villain's way to tame the protagonist

"..."

Hendrick was stunned.

He thought he had heard something wrong, but looking at Ansel's reluctant yet serious eyes, he began to think carefully about what he had just said.

"Take the initiative... to admit defeat?" the man murmured softly.

"Yes, I admit defeat."

Anser explained to him softly, "Voluntarily admitting defeat can avoid this meaningless war and prevent your tragic defeat from being exposed. In this way, His Highness will not wield the butcher knife against you out of excessive anger."

"Although I want to achieve fairness for you, this is an unfair duel. It is a tool used by His Majesty to extinguish the arrogance of His Highness Ivora. His Majesty does not care about the war itself... He just wants His Highness to bow his head and admit defeat."

"But..." Hendrick was almost convinced by Ansel. In this great despair, he seemed to have really found a way to survive with the least cost. "But, what should Her Highness do? Her Highness will never agree! Even if she bleeds dry at the Tower of Babel, she will not bow to Your Majesty, unless the bloody facts are laid before her. I-"

"I can take care of convincing her, Mr. Londel."

Anser said gently: "I can't save the Tower of Babel, but I can definitely save you and the lives of the remaining precious talents."

"In the name of Hydra, I promise you."

This young noble, who was well-known in the imperial capital and even the entire empire, had a gentle, kind, yet powerful voice. What happened in the Red Frost Territory had long been spread throughout the streets and alleys of the imperial capital. Countless people were talking about what kind of person the next generation of Hydra would be. Some praised his integrity and greatness, while others denounced his hypocrisy and viciousness. The latter were always attacked, and those who attacked them were often from the Hydra Territory or people who had lived in the Hydra Territory for a period of time.

In fact, Hendrick was cautious and skeptical about Ansel's reputation and character, because he was no longer an ordinary scholar. In the process of interacting with many nobles, he no longer believed that there were any truly good nobles in the world.

But until this moment, until the young man in front of him said to him in an extremely solemn tone, "I promise you in the name of Hydra", Hendrick, as an elder, a scholar, a fifth-level warlock, and a man, actually felt a little sore in his eyes.

He could obviously not care about anyone, do whatever he wants and follow his own path, just like the eldest princess. Even though she has not yet achieved the sixth level, she has the confidence and qualifications to run rampant and dominate everything.

But he didn't.

He respects himself, respects his partners, and respects and recognizes...their ideals and abilities.

A God-like being born at the sixth level, wanted to save their lives with an attitude that was not just for fun, but out of genuine approval.

He even wanted to prevent that meaningless war from happening and prevent more innocent people from dying tragically because of the tyrant's crazy actions.

The monster from the abyss that was feared by the world...actually, at this moment, offered them pure salvation without asking for anything in return.

"An, Lord Anser, I..."

The man, who was exhausted from years of heavy pressure, half covered his eyes and said, "Sorry, I...I lost my composure."

Anser smiled and said in a gentle voice, "I understand the pressure you are under now, Mr. Londel. You don't need to give me an answer now. Before the war comes, I will do my best to ease the relationship between His Majesty and Her Royal Highness the Grand Princess. When the time is determined, I will inform you. As long as you can make a choice before then, it will be fine."

"It is admirable to fight to the death for ideals and glory, but it is not shameful to give in for the sake of preservation and the future."

Young Hydra stood up, patted Hendrick on the shoulder, and said sincerely:

"After all, I have no right to make choices for you."

These words made Hendrick, who had never had a choice before, make up his mind.

"...No, Lord Anser, you don't need to wait."

He raised his head, looked into Anser's eyes, and said firmly:

"We... choose to admit defeat. Even if the Tower of Babel collapses, even if we can never build the Tower of Babel again under the oppression of the Ether Court, as long as those young people, as long as my friends and companions can survive, then everything is acceptable."

"Are you sure?" Anser said very seriously, "Don't you want to discuss it with the other members of Babel?"

"No, that's not necessary. They will definitely agree."

Hendrick smiled with relief, there was a hint of bitterness in that smile, but more of it was relief.

"These years...we have always had a hard time. Perhaps, the brutality of the eldest princess and the game played by your majesty are all destiny's instructions to us...The Tower of Babel should not have existed in the first place. We are all just fools chasing after illusions."

"It's just a failure. Why do you have to belittle your ideals so much, Mr. Londel?"

"...You're right." Hendrick calmed down a lot. "Even if it's an illusion, I will still chase it."

He stood up and bowed deeply to Anser.

"I and all the members of the Tower of Babel will remember your kindness, Lord Anser. Although we will soon become a group of displaced people, as long as you have any needs... even if I can't represent others, I will definitely do my best for you."

Anser laughed heartily: "No, Mr. Londel. I don't need you to do anything for me. Use your talents and abilities to bring more changes to the empire and the world. This is the best reward for me."

"……Yes!"

The man who was about to lose his ideal place clenched his fists, not because of anger or sadness, but because of excitement and joy.

"Hendrik Lundell, remember."

After Hendrick left the manor, Anser sat on the sofa, humming softly and stretching:

"Well, this little game is almost over, except..."

Hydra picked up the wine glass and shook it gently, smiling as he looked at the crystal clear liquid in the wine:

"How could the ending be so bland and boring?"

"Mr. Anser."

A gentle, pleasant, calm and steady girl's voice sounded behind Anser, and a pair of hands were placed on his shoulders, kneading them gently: "Is there anything you need me to do?"

"You just finished your work in the Red Frost Territory. Isn't it a bad idea to assign you an errand as soon as you arrive in the imperial capital?"

Anser said this with a smile without looking back.

"But Mr. Anser called me to the imperial capital, so you must need me to do something for you, right?"

The girl's voice was playful and cheerful.

"Hmm...it sounds like I'm some unscrupulous noble who exploits his subordinates."

"How could that be, Mr. Anser?"

Marina Lancemalos bent down slightly and whispered happily and peacefully in Anser's ear:

"This proves my value to you. Please, use me as you wish."

Anser gently stroked Marina's cheek and said softly, "Then, go and take a letter to Ivora for me. Go and come back soon. Xitana misses you very much."

"I will, Mr. Anser."

The girl in a black dress straightened up and left the lounge efficiently. Anser took a sip of wine and sighed comfortably:

"As for the other side...Savier."

"I'm here, Master."

The old butler who was almost inseparable from Anser in the Red Frost Territory reappeared like a ghost.

"Have you read the detailed information about the two territories I gave you?"

"Yes, I understand it completely."

"Give Earl Watson a small gift, and then tell the Lord of Linghu Territory..."

"..." After listening to Anser's words, Savile raised his eyebrows slightly, "Are you sure, Master?"

This doubt is not a questioning of Anser's decision, but an expression of Savile's surprise.

"Of course." Anser said with a smile, "Remember to ask Earl Linghu to keep it a secret."

"Yes."

The old man bowed slightly, then was silent for a while, and then said, "Young Master, the master will arrive in the imperial capital in three days."

The smile on Anser's face froze a little. He took a sip of wine silently and waved his hand casually: "Got it. You go first, Xavier."

But this time, Xavier rarely listened to Anser's orders. Instead, he continued to stand where he was, bending his waist even lower, and his old voice even contained a bit of... begging.

"Master, I can feel that the master's time...is running out."

"..."

"This may be the most important thing for you and your wife, Master..."

"Savier."

Dark mist began to swirl in the lounge. The young Hydra, holding a wine glass, said calmly:

"You should go do your thing."

The old man sighed silently and disappeared into the lounge.

The swirling black fog slowly dissipated. Anser, sitting on the sofa, stared at the cracked wine glass in silence.

"future."

He laughed suddenly.

"……future."

*

Ming Furo is still studying the alchemical weapon conceived by Anser in the alchemy workshop, which he named "Nidhoggr".

The more she studied, the more she felt that Anser must be hiding something.

According to the ether circuit he constructed and the design principles, this thing... was definitely not used for combat in the beginning.

"Using such a tiny amount of ether to carry the elements requires extremely high alchemical attainments. But if each one needs to be forged by an alchemist, then Nidhogg's biggest advantage, mass production, will be lost... In other words, this thing must be able to be mass-produced to be valuable."

The woman was dissecting the finished Nidhogg made by the top alchemist of Babel Tower in the huge alchemy workshop, muttering to herself:

"…Constitute matter? No, the various elements themselves can form matter, there is no need to do this, but it seems to have some other use…"

"Nidhoggr, Nidhoggr... Logically, it shouldn't be possible for it to penetrate the Black Knight's armor. The aether will be dissipated before it penetrates the circuit. Hydra can't be unaware of this... Does he want me to fail? No, he won't. If he wanted me to fail, he wouldn't have done this. He wouldn't deliberately create meaningless and worthless things to interfere with me."

"But how can I make Nidhogg play his role? He didn't tell me directly. Is this a test for me? Once I fail, he can come forward and put all the blame on me... This possibility is not small."

When Ming Fuluo was immersed in her research on Nidhogg, the door of the alchemy workshop suddenly opened, but she knew nothing about it and was still thinking:

"Bugs...why couldn't it be something else but a bug? Is this a hint?"

"Mass production, mass production... Once it is truly mass-produced, and if there is some way to connect their elements... like bees swarming out of a hive... to make them connect to each other and build..."

"...Ming Fuluo?"

"Like a real... swarm."

"That's it...that's it!"

As her thoughts diverged, Ming Fuluo's eyes became brighter and brighter. After several days of sleepless research, she finally got a glimpse of the scenes behind the creation of Nidhogg. If this was really the conception of that monster, then this little metal bug called Nidhogg would be no less powerful than a mechanical suit... no, it would be a greater structure than a mechanical suit!

"Ming Fuluo!"

Hendrick's shout interrupted Ming Fuluo's contemplation, which made the latter's bright eyes suddenly become extremely gloomy. She raised her head and stared at Hendrick, saying word by word: "You'd better have enough reasons to explain your behavior just now."

"…Her Royal Highness the Crown Princess has arrived." Hendrick sighed, "She is here to inspect our achievements."

"So fast... No, not so fast anymore."

Five days had passed since the meeting, which meant that the Ether Academy had given them seven more days even though they had already completed the Black Knight.

This was an unbearable humiliation for Ivola. If she had not been determined to defeat Efesandre, she would have burned the Tower of Babel to ashes.

"What about the rest?"

Ming Fuluo asked, "Are their weapons ready?"

"No." Hendrick shook his head. "Even the most efficient Warren would need at least ten days to complete it."

"Then the only thing that can be used is Nidhogg."

As Ming Fuluo thought about it, the miniature metal bugs placed on the processing table quickly flew to her shoulder. The woman looked at her work, and even though the situation was so dangerous, there was no ripple in her heart.

"Come on, Hendrick."

Ming Fuluo walked forward without any hesitation: "Let that arrogant princess see our achievements."

"..." Hendrick was stunned for two seconds, then quickly followed Ming Fuluo and said in an unnatural tone, "Ming Fuluo, are you confident?"

"It's not confidence, it's facts."

The woman said calmly, "I have figured out... the true use of Nidhogg. We don't necessarily have to lose this war."

Fortunately... just a little bit.

If I thought that researching a finished product was enough, or if I focused on how to upgrade Nidhogg, I might not be able to recognize its true value.

You used the pressure and time shortage this game gave us to make me miss the opportunity to calmly understand and recognize it, thus leading to my defeat in the war. Then you told me its truly powerful effects, and let such a tragic failure make me completely defeated in the results and psychology... and suppressed me into the dust.

I go back and forth between showing favor and suppressing you, increasing my love and awe for you, and increasing my negation and confusion towards me, so as to control my will and my heart... Over and over again, it's still the same trick.

Hydra, are you at the end of your rope?