The villain's way to tame the protagonist

"Can you tell me why the Tower of Babel exists, Hendrick?"

Everyone looked at the petite scholar with his hands in his windbreaker pockets and a blank expression on his face: "Since when did it become a tool to flatter and serve the powerful?"

"Ming Fuluo, you-you take back what you just said immediately!"

Hendrick's face turned pale, and he shouted sternly: "Don't be disrespectful to Lord Anser!"

Sitana opened her mouth wide, took small steps back to Marina's side, and whispered in her sister's ear: "Is this little dwarf crazy?"

"It's just the right you have to be willful after being favored by Mr. Anser." Marina smiled and responded in a low voice, "You are squandering this right every day, Xier."

"Lord Anser is the powerful man I mentioned. How did you hear me disrespect him?"

Helen turned her head to look at Anser who looked relaxed, and restrained herself from blurting out "father". She asked, "Sir Anser, have I offended you?"

"Yeah...I feel fine."

Anser suppressed his laughter and cooperated with his daughter to vent her anger.

Ming Fuluo, who could have sacrificed everything for Babel Tower, now hates and despises this organization. And underneath this hatred and contempt is a soul that has almost completely surrendered to her. At the same time, in front of Hendrick, who is both a teacher and a father to Helen...

Even though there are many things to do, it does not prevent Ansor from getting a twisted pleasure from them.

After receiving the response, Helen immediately continued to criticize without stopping: "Your reaction is enough to show how much you want to please Lord Anser, and your understanding of the energy device also shows that you have long forgotten the original intention of building the Tower of Babel... No, you have been like this for a long time, and I have known your true colors for a long time."

“…How ridiculous.”

She walked forward and said:

"My self was shaped by such meaningless and hypocritical things."

Even if everything is destroyed, Helen still wants to realize that possibility, or rather...that possibility itself is everything to her.

But the Tower of Babel is no longer what it used to be. Helen originally thought that they had simply changed their original intentions, but now it seems... they have even forgotten their original goal. Not only that, they have also so sincerely... submitted to Anther and so willingly become a tool.

From Helen's perspective, this was a good thing that made her unhappy.

The good thing is that Ansher will have excellent help; the bad thing is that the Tower of Babel, which was once more important to her than anything else... is no longer valuable.

Ansel saw all of this, and this was what he expected.

"This is really..."

Anser looked at Hendrick with a half-smile: "She is very resentful towards you, Hendrick."

"I……"

Hendrick opened his mouth, not knowing how to explain himself, he could only smile bitterly and said, "I'm sorry, Lord Anser, I made you... made a fool of yourself. I hope you won't be unhappy about it."

Anser just waved his hand: "I will not interfere with your internal affairs. I believe you can handle it yourselves - Xitana, Marina, let's go back."

"Oh!"

"Is there anything else that needs to be handed over between Mr. Hendrick and me, Mr. Anser?"

The two sisters had completely different reactions, and Anser, having accomplished the purpose of his trip, took them away in a straightforward manner.

After Anser and his group left, Hendrick took a deep breath, clenched his fists, and his expression became extremely serious and solemn. He walked in the direction where "Ming Furo" left.

It didn't take him long to find this rebellious, lonely girl and bring her to his office. Hendrick thought they needed to have a formal and serious talk.

When Helen saw that cold face, Hendrick couldn't help but feel guilty and hesitant, but when he thought about what had just happened, he forced himself to suppress these emotions.

"Ming Fuluo... I think that you and us, you and Babel, can't go on like this."

"What do you want to say?" Helen just looked at him expressionlessly. Her expression was like that of a doll covered with skin, only with an uncomfortable stiffness.

"What I want to say is... no matter how much you hate us, how much you hate... that period, and the teacher's design, you... are still a member of Babel Tower."

Hendrick said bitterly: "None of us will deny this. We all know that your contribution to the Tower of Babel, your hard work, and your feelings for it are no less than anyone else's."

"So... don't do this kind of thing again. Don't do anything that will endanger the Tower of Babel, okay?"

The man's expression was extremely sincere, yet so cautious:

"If you still hate us, we...we can find a way to apologize to you. We will do everything to seek your forgiveness, but please don't hurt Babel again. Lord Anser is our pillar. Don't say those words in front of him. He may forgive you once or twice, but he can't forgive you countless times."

Ever since that speech in the Ether Court, after tasting the benefits of complete submission to Anther, Babel has been unable to leave this unrestricted and unfettered pleasure.

"…You don't understand the problem at all, Hendrick."

Helen stood up and responded indifferently: "There is no need for us to continue talking, not from the beginning."

Her situation is actually very similar to that of the Tower of Babel. Both of them thought that "all problems can be solved with Anser's help."

But the problem is that the purpose that the Tower of Babel wants to achieve is no longer the original intention, and the self-destructive Helen still holds on to that flickering belief.

The actions may seem similar, but the final goal and the initial starting point are completely different.

The two of them both attached themselves to Anther in order to realize their ideals. What an ironic contrast! It was so ironic that Helen, who already had resentment towards the Tower of Babel and its founder, would no longer be attached to the Tower of Babel.

As she said, the Tower of Babel is no longer worth anything, because with Ansel, her "father", all problems can be solved.

Helen, who didn't intend to continue the conversation, turned and left without hesitation.

"Wait—no… stop, Ming-Fro!"

But the moment she put her hand on the handle, the man behind the desk also stood up, his voice serious, even a little... cold.

"It's not a question of whether or not to discuss it right now."

Hendrick stared at the petite scholar, who didn't even bother to turn his head, and that was when Hendrick finally made up his mind.

"I, we... will not sit idly by and watch you threaten the Tower of Babel. The Tower of Babel is not only the life's work of our teacher and me, it carries the ideals of the young generation of warlocks and flows with the blood of the new era! It must not be destroyed, never!"

"...Ming Fuluo, if you are still a member of the Tower of Babel, then I order you--"

The man supported himself on the table with both hands and spoke word by word, "Immediately stop cooperating with Her Royal Highness the Crown Princess and stop any actions that will anger Lord Anser. If you are unwilling to stop on your own initiative, then we will stop you!"

In Hendrick's eyes, Ming Furo secretly working for Ivora was undoubtedly a terrifying time bomb. Once discovered by Ansel, not only Ming Furo, but the entire Tower of Babel would suffer a devastating disaster. He would never allow this to happen.

"……trouble."

In response to Hendrick's resolute will, Helen just uttered these two words with disgust and indifference.

It was Anther's idea to build an etheric weapon for Ivora. Even though it was unclear why Anther, who had a conflict with Ivora, did this, Helen would not delve into it.

She had no obligation to explain this to Hendrick. Moreover, Ansel told her that she had to continue to act as Ming Furo outside, so she had even less reason to explain to Hendrick what "Helen" had seen and heard.

Ansher might pretend to be ignorant until Helen had found helpers to complete the arming of the ether; or in order to avoid suspicion, he would indeed conduct a trial on the Tower of Babel, but what did that matter?

The Tower of Babel is no longer of any value. The only one who can fulfill my ideal is my father. In Ansel's eyes, Helen must think so.

Compared to those who keep saying they want to create a new era but are actually falling into the Tower of Babel of an old cycle, what Ansher is doing is truly promoting the arrival of a new era.

Therefore, even if it costs Babel a price, even if it collapses, as long as Anser can achieve his goal -

"Then you don't have to treat me as a member of the Tower of Babel."

Helen pushed the door open without looking back: "I will leave here, leave this worthless place."

Her determination made Hendrick's mind almost blank. Hendrick had thought of many possibilities, but he had never thought of this one, because he believed that no matter how much hatred Ming Furo harbored, no matter how much she said that the Tower of Babel was false and worthless, she would never really abandon it.

But she... just did it, and did it without any burden.

"Ming Fuluo!"

Hendrick subconsciously stretched out his hand and shook it, wanting Helen to stop:

"How could you—"

This time, Hendrick's mind really went blank. His consciousness was so shocked that it was interrupted and stagnated for a short time.

Because in front of him, "Mingflor Zeg" who just walked out of the office door...

A ball of blood-red flowers burst out from her chest.

*

Anser, who had just walked out of the gate of the Ether Courtyard, suddenly looked back and raised his eyebrows and said:

"Are you so anxious?"

"…What is it, Anser? What is it—Ah!"

Xitana jumped up suddenly and immediately turned her head to look in the direction of Anser's sight: "What, what! I was scared! It feels like a very powerful guy suddenly exploded. Is he fighting with someone?"

"No, it's nothing. Don't take it too seriously, Xi'er."

Anser said leisurely: "This is just a trial, a game, a... gamble."

[You will destroy the Tower of Babel because of your paranoia]

"Winners get everything they want, losers get nothing, that's all."

At the window of Hendrick's office, a bird and beast made of alchemical creations named Nidhogg transmitted everything that happened in the office to Anser.

He responded with a smile while playing with a bracelet that came from nowhere.

Chapter 89: The End of Three Years, Part 1

Helen... Oh no, it was Mingflora Zeger who was assassinated in the Tower of Babel, in front of Hendrick.

A beam of light passed through her back, pierced through a section of her spine, and broke open her chest, less than two millimeters away from completely shattering her heart.

And these two millimeters came from the self-protection mechanism Helen made. After the assassination that was never known to anyone, Helen was very cautious and took more complete protection measures for herself.

She used ether disturbance to deflect the fatal damage, but this was her last line of defense. Before this, she had prepared six defenses consisting of various spells and alchemical instruments, but they were pierced through by one of them almost instantly.

This was an extremely bizarre assassination that even a fifth-level transcendent could not detect, and even the method of attack could not be confirmed.

"This is real?"

After listening to Marina's report, Sitana, who was sitting cross-legged on the ground, was shocked: "The dwarf was almost killed in his own lair?!"

"Based on the intelligence provided, I tend to think it is a provocation, or... a declaration."

Marina lowered her head and wrote down her opinion on the recording board. At the same time, she said to Anser, who was reading a book and seemed to be completely unconcerned about Helen's accident, "If the killer has a method that even a fifth-level extraordinary person cannot detect or react in time, then he can definitely kill Miss Helen with one strike when she is alone."

"Even if he had chosen to destroy Miss Helen's brain during the assassination... he might have succeeded."

The dignified and quiet girl in a black dress folded her hands, placed the recording board in front of her abdomen, and said thoughtfully: "But... Miss Helen is now a person valued by Mr. Anser and one of the core figures of the Tower of Babel. Who on earth would do such a provocative act that is almost fatal?"

Xitana's ears twitched and she jumped up instantly: "I know! It must be that arrogant princess! She just wants to disgust Anser!"

"...No." Marina shook her head. "Although the relationship between Her Highness Ivora and Mr. Anser is very tense, there is no reason for her to do such a...stupid thing that goes beyond the line."

Anser closed the book and looked at Marina with a smile: "Who do you think would do such a thing, Marina?"

Anser's gaze and questioning immediately perked Marina up. The girl straightened her back, and her chest, which seemed to be starting to develop again, stood up slightly. "Her Highness Ivora has always been wary of Mr. Anser. Although she has repeatedly provoked him, she is actually very clear about the boundaries that cannot be crossed. And if it looks like Her Highness Ivora did it, then it is very likely... someone is trying to stir up a conflict between you and Her Highness."

Hitana looked at Anser who was smiling with satisfaction, then looked at her sister who seemed to have a different style from her. She scratched her cheek, wanting to say something but stopping herself, not knowing what to say.

"But I think that's very unlikely."

Marina quickly overturned her previous statement: "According to what Mr. Anser said when he left the Tower of Babel..."

She thought of the reminder that Hitana had given her, and thought that the individual "Helen" might not be the existence that Ansor really wanted.

After a brief silence, the girl mustered up her courage and answered seriously:

"I think it's more likely that this was arranged by you."

Because she didn't understand, Hitana lay on Anther's legs and reached out to pick the fruit on the small round table to eat, but she spat out the fruit in her mouth.

"An, why would Anser ask someone to kill that dwarf? Lina, are you mistaken—"

Xitana was halfway through her words when she suddenly realized that she had had such an experience as well.

The battle with the assassin who controlled time was one of the most thrilling battles Hitana has ever experienced.

I almost died there. If it was Ansher... it is not impossible for him to do such a terrible thing.

Miss Xitana, who was used to looking at Anser through a beautified filter, was furious when she thought of this. You know, the assassination was the fuse that caused her to break up with Marina at the time. Now when she thought about it, Xitana was so angry that her teeth itched.

She bit Anser's wrist and said sullenly, "Anser, what Lina said...can't it be true?"

"Yes and no." Anser smiled and stroked the back of Xitana's soft neck. "I didn't arrange for anyone to hurt Helen. If I have to say something, I can only say... I didn't stop it."

Although he spoke softly and gently, Xitana felt an indescribable coldness.

When she subconsciously looked at her sister, she found that she did not seem to be moved by the cruelty revealed in Anser's words, but took it for granted.