The villain's way to tame the protagonist

Because she had no idea what those people were like, what their identities were, what abilities they had, and what stories were hidden behind them. She knew nothing about this world in Anther's hands, and everything in this world. Even... the hyena she played was also in Anther's hands.

The most absurd and funny thing is that the hyena himself does not have to bear any pressure at all. He only sees his own defeat and only needs to think according to the current situation. His "ignorance" avoids this despair. Even if he is destined to be destroyed, he is much better than Marina now.

But Anser can know everything and control everything... Just as he said, this black market is too small for him.

While I was thinking about what could motivate these leaders to attack the hyenas, had Mr. Anser seen more "coincidences" that could push the hyenas to destruction? Even if I found one of the joints, what threats were waiting for me?

...Is the possibility I discovered, the possibility I discovered, really what I thought of? Isn't it another inducement or coincidence by Mr. Anser?

I……

"Goooo!"

Marina, who had finally regained her good mood, turned extremely pale again. She cried out unconsciously in her throat due to the crazy pressure and fear. Her lips had been pierced by the canine teeth, but she was unaware of it.

"No... I can't doubt myself anymore. It must be possible. Mr. Anser would not deliberately arrange it. Identity, courage..."

The girl put her hand to cover her forehead, her fingertips pressing tightly against her temples. There were faint blue veins protruding on the back of her white hand, and her mumblings were faintly tinged with a hint of self-destructive madness.

"Lin, Lina, you...don't do this, I'm so scared."

Shitana was frightened by Marina's appearance. How could her sister, who was always able to deal with any situation calmly, have such a ferocious expression?

She had already vaguely guessed what Anser was hinting at. She and Anser shared the same anger and resentment towards fate, but... it was terrifying.

Is fate really so terrifying and so hopeless? Anser is so powerful that he snatched me from the hands of fate so easily.

Deliberately avoided by Anther, we hardly see Anther's personal emotions. We only see a little bit of what he has experienced and the final ending of Hitana, and we are unable to understand Marina's current emotions.

She could only carefully reach out to touch Marina's face: "Lin... Sister, it's just a game. Anser also told us not to take it too seriously. Don't be like this-"

"Shut up!"

Marina slapped Shitana's hand away. The ferocity in her eyes when she turned her face to the side almost made Shitana hallucinate the Marina in her memory that had not yet become a reality.

"…I mean, don't bother me, Xi'er."

The girl with pale lips whispered: "Sorry, don't bother me... I can think of it... I can think of it..."

Her breathing became more rapid and unstable: "Just a little, just one of them-"

Marina suddenly looked up, grabbed Anser's hand as if grabbing a life-saving straw, and asked in a hoarse and urgent voice:

"It's Colorful Spider! Colorful Spider, right? Her subordinate... the shop owner! He knows us!"

Marina, who was always quiet and polite and had a good sense of distance, tightly grasped Anser's sleeves and palms, and said incoherently:

"He recommended her, and then... then that Colorful Spider, she hates the slave trade. Three years ago, since it was you, the master, who cleared the black market of slaves, she must be very grateful to you... She must have been keeping an eye on you, right... including the people around you, including Xier..."

She immediately turned to look at Shitana. Although the mask hid Shitana's face, changed her voice, and even changed her most conspicuous white hair, it did not hide the collar around her neck and her outstanding height.

"The shop owner may not tell this to Colorful Spider out of fear. But if Mr. Anser starts from here...if he promotes some kind of coincidence and lets Colorful Spider know your true identity, she will understand that Hyena has no backers at all, only...destruction!"

"Then she, and other black market leaders, will not hesitate to send the hyenas to their doom, right... Mr. Anser!"

Marina's hands, which were tightly grasping Ansel's palms and sleeves, were trembling slightly. Her eyes were full of anticipation, yet filled with deep fatigue and weakness.

"…Well done, Marina."

Anser reached out and gently wiped the blood from the corner of Marina's mouth, healing her wound: "It's already remarkable that you can think of this step."

"So, this is indeed part of...your...arrangements?"

"Ahhh Lina!"

After getting the answer, Marina's body shook. Before she could finish her words, she collapsed forward as if she had completely lost her strength. Sitana, who was lying below, screamed loudly and quickly hugged her sister tightly.

"You...I...ah!"

Feeling both distressed and frightened, Shitana didn't know what to say. She could only sigh dejectedly and hold Marina tightly in her arms.

"This is just the most direct and quick way to end Mr. Hyena's business career."

Anser took back the hand that was caressing Marina's cheek and said gently, "It is indeed something I am considering, but I am not planning to choose it at the moment."

"……so."

A bitter smile appeared on the girl's face: "So, I still failed... No matter how hard I racked my brains, this is the only thing I can think of."

The insurmountable gap in information, the complete trampling on the ability level, the absolute crushing on the status level...

Just a few minutes, or even more than ten minutes of thinking, made Marina feel such pure... despair.

This is just a hypothesis, just a game. If you are really in this environment, if you are really in this state of thinking about everything, doubting everything, analyzing everything, denying yourself, pursuing yourself, and destroying yourself at every moment...

Marina would rather die, she really would rather die than endure this despair.

If she lived like this... then what was the meaning of living? This frightened Marina more than the nature of the empire. If the emperor ruled the world, he denied the meaning and value of their lives, which made her, who was ignorant at the time, feel devastated and desperate.

Then, Anser's "game", as the unstoppable terror that controls everything, is not like the emperor, who uses the unstoppable violence and power of the Old Gods to change everything out of love, hate, joy or anger, but just for a certain purpose, silently guides reality to where he wants...

What has lost its meaning and value is no longer people, but... the entire world.

Because all the changes are so natural, they are just what Ansel calls reality.

Marina was afraid, afraid of this reality, more afraid than ever of the relationship between the emperor and the empire, but... but what if...

What if this game happened to Mr. Anser?

What if that irresistible terror... was the reason that forced Mr. Anser to give up something that was extremely important to him?

If this is the reason, how can I... back down here?

That's why Marina is so devoted to this "game". It is because she has sensed this possibility that she chooses to devote herself to it and try to feel the absurdity and despair.

"...Mr. Anser."

Even though she didn't want to experience that feeling again, even though she felt sick and shuddered at the thought of the chaos and despair just now, Marina still gritted her teeth and said, "I can still--"

She was afraid, but she could not accept that she would abandon Ansher because of this fear, abandon the man who gave her everything, gave her a new life and a future.

"That's enough, Marlena."

Anser gently squeezed Marina's hand and said, "It's remarkable that you can think this far. If you continue playing this 'game', it will just be a challenge and torture for you."

"..."

Marina felt the warmth in her palms and Ansel's care. She should have been moved, and she was, but... there was something stronger, dark, roaring in her heart, which overwhelmed and tore apart this feeling of emotion.

That was the roar of the monster called unwillingness.

Why... why can I only do this? Why am I so weak? Why don't I even have the slightest bit of extraordinary talent?

I am clearly the one who can sense Mr. Anser's mood, and I am clearly... clearly the one who can help him the most.

But I could only stop here, could only listen to Mr. Anser's comfort, could only be moved so humbly.

Marina lowered her head, held Ansel's hand tightly, and said nothing.

"Okay, don't be so serious. We came out to relax, why did it turn out like this?"

"It's all your fault, Anser!" Xitana glared at Anser and got angry at him for the first time in a long time. "Why are you putting so much pressure on Lina... You know she listens to you the most and cares about you the most!"

"It's my fault. I'm sorry, Marlena."

"No! Not you... I mean, I'm fine, please don't worry."

Marina's initial reaction was very strong, but she soon calmed down and showed her usual peaceful and gentle smile: "This 'game' with you has given me a lot of inspiration and help, Mr. Anser, I am very grateful to you."

"Xi'er, and you, don't judge my mood rashly." The girl turned her head and pinched her sister's face. "And don't blame Mr. Anser, understand?"

"But you are obviously very...Okay, I know, I know."

Under Marina's gaze, Xitana said awkwardly, "It's my fault for losing my temper... Don't look at me like that, Marina."

Then, when Marina turned her head away, she tilted her head and bit Anser's ear, muttering unhappily: "So, Anser, what are you going to do? I'm not happy at all now."

"Then you'll be happy soon."

Anser smiled and patted Lawrence's head: "Our entertainment today is... guessing Mr. Hyena's ending."

"I guess he was framed by the young master and beaten to death by the slaves he captured!" Lawrence raised his paw excitedly.

"Hmm... Although this is very satisfying, it seems a bit old-fashioned."

Sitana rested her chin on Marina's head: "I guess he, um... committed suicide! Yes, after being schemed by Anser, he couldn't stand it and committed suicide. That must be it! What about you, Lina? How do you think that bad guy will die?"

Marina looked at the chaotic street below, and after a moment of silence, she said softly:

"I don't think he'll die."

"……Um?"

"In Mr. Anser's opinion, death is not a punishment, but a relief and a gift."

Marina, who had briefly experienced that kind of horror and despair, said:

"I guess he...can't die."

*

The hyenas quickly returned to their den and started a big cleanup.

The counterattack of the Rat King and the Evil Vulture undoubtedly proved that there was a traitor around him. All the subordinates who accompanied him to see Anser had been taken away for interrogation, leaving only his most trusted confidant to stay by his side.

"...Boss." Hyena's confidant hesitated for a long time, and finally whispered, "Is it possible that it's not the brothers' problem, but that Faust... is plotting against us?"

The hyena looked gloomy and said nothing.

Theoretically speaking, there is no reason for a supernatural being who can compete with the Grand Duke to frame a small black market boss like this, but this is only in theory.

If that guy is really so perverted and psychotic, he would torture him even if they had no grudges against each other... Although this possibility is very small, it cannot be ruled out.

But if that were the case, how could he resist?

At this moment, the communication magic crystal placed by the hyena suddenly responded.

The man's face changed slightly. The person who would contact him at this time...most likely could only be the mysterious Faust, and no one else.

"Mr. Hyena." The voice of the legendary adventurer came from the communication magic crystal, "I just left for a while, and it seems that something happened over there."

"…Sir Faust, it's just some accidents."

The hyena replied with a stiff upper lip: "It is still within my control."

"Really? It sounds like you've suffered a bit of a... big loss."

"I have been operating in the black market for many years, and my background is worthy of your trust. As long as we reorganize it, it will not be a problem to take over other slave markets."

"That's not the way a businessman would do it."

"But the black market is just that kind of place...Please rest assured, Master Faust, I will complete your mission."

"Haha, I'm not that anxious, but since you're so enthusiastic, I'll give you a little help - go look outside the door, I've put the gift there."

The hyena winked at his confidant and said to Ansel very humbly: "Thank you for your kindness, Master Faustus."

"Do your best. If you are capable enough, you can swallow up the entire black market and I can protect it."

This promise instantly ignited Hyena's wavering heart. His throat moved and he said in a dry voice, "But this means that you will become enemies with many powerful nobles or extraordinary forces, Lord Faust."

"Exchange of interests. You are a businessman, you understand. If it really doesn't work... you can find some helpers to take charge in name only, that's fine."

"Anyway."

I don’t know if it was an illusion, but the hyena seemed to hear the other’s chuckle.

"It's all yours, 'Choice'."

The communication ended, and Hyena's confidant walked in with the "gift" given to him by Anther.

The moment he saw the gift, it was as if someone had provided him with all the key inspirations in his mind, and he smoothly linked together a perfect plan.

And this is all thanks to what Mr. Faust said in the communication just now... "Find some help."

A helper, a gift... this is a God-given opportunity.

*

"Anse, Anse, that guy is out of his mind."

Xitana looked at the hyena sitting in the room on the screen in disbelief, waiting for someone: "He actually went to the slave-born spider for help? Isn't he afraid of being trapped and killed again?"