The villain's way to tame the protagonist

"Ms. Yapper has only admired you for a long time, Mr. Faust."

The voice of Miss Maganlei sounded like heavenly music to Yaper's ears: "It doesn't mean anything else."

"Yes... yes, Master Faust!" Yaper, who was reminded by Marina, immediately responded, "It's very presumptuous. I just want to know about a legend like you, and want to entertain... no, I just want to have a chance to serve you."

No matter how you look at it, the beautiful mature woman who seemed to have experienced countless storms seemed a little incoherent. She didn't even notice the ambiguity in her words for a moment.

Anser took another sip of wine and did not respond directly to Yaper's humble or even flattering attitude. He just said calmly: "You helped me a little with the Mibai Tower matter."

A black dragon scale appeared out of thin air between his fingers, and then he casually threw it onto the table.

"Here's your reward."

Yapo was stunned for a moment, then subconsciously said: "How can this be--"

She wanted to refuse immediately, but then she felt the gaze of the mortal girl opposite Anser.

Resisting the urge to turn around and look at Miss Maganlei, Yapper picked up the scale docilely and put it in her pocket, trying to show her long-forgotten, not-so-seductive, pure smile: "Thank you for your grace, Sir Faust."

Marina looked at her, and before she could answer the doubts in her mind, new questions popped up.

Why...are the adventurers so humble when facing Mr. Anser?

Whether it is the current Yaper, Mibaita before his death, or even the vice president of the Executioner Branch, their attitude towards Anser is not so much respectful as it is humble from the heart.

In the imperial capital, Marina interacted with many nobles, some of whom were the spokespersons of the Grand Duke, some were famous marquises, and some were insignificant barons. But no matter their status, strength, or influence, they were all humble and respectful to Anser, although the degree might be very high, but it was still humility and respect, not this kind of... humility that they themselves might find inexplicable.

The girl really wanted to ask Anser right now and write down everything she was thinking, but she held back because there were outsiders present.

Ansel leisurely drank about half a bottle of wine, then stood up and glanced at Marina.

"It's time to go, Gan Leiqing."

"Yes, Mr. Faust."

Marina immediately held the shoulder straps with both hands, trotted to Ansel's side, and passed by Yaper.

Yaper also reacted immediately and hurried to Ansel's side: "I'll take you there, Master Faust."

Ansher did not comment and let her lead him out of the living room. As a "guest", he now looked more like a master with two servants.

Marina followed behind Ansel, staring at his back, still thinking in her heart.

The answer... What does Mr. Anser mean by the answer? He agreed to meet with Yaper but he had no purpose. Is this to deepen my control and influence over Yaper, as compensation for my helplessness?

As for the matter of Mibai Tower, Mr. Anser should have had someone to replace him, and Shadow Marsh will definitely not let me "act on my own", so how should I deal with it next -

Marina's steps suddenly stopped.

Although there was no big movement, Anser still turned around, slightly puzzled: "What's wrong, Gan Leiqing."

"…Sorry, I was a little distracted, Mr. Faust."

Marina answered apologetically, and while keeping up with Ansel, she covered her heart with her hand.

What on earth are you doing…Marina.

You clearly need to do everything for Mr. Anser and handle things for him that don't need him to bother. Since when did you start doing things that benefit yourself?

Marina's lips turned pale as she realized that everything she had been thinking about was "for herself".

Fighting for status, winning bargaining chips, and getting what she wants in the battle between Shadow Marsh and the Garden are certainly important, but how could she forget her most fundamental and most important responsibility?

Anser has to find Ivora in the vast Western Kingdom, and her duty, her mission, is to help Anser accomplish this task. The satisfaction of some selfish desires cannot override this duty.

You got your priorities wrong, Marina... don't make the same mistake again.

Marina, who had calmed down a lot, exhaled softly. She realized now that she seemed to have never thought about why Anser did all these things. If she didn't even consider this level, how could she cooperate with Anser and keep up with Anser's footsteps?

Faust... Faust...

Mr. Anser did not restrict the spread of his reputation. Whether I used the name of Faust to subdue the Queen Bee, or accepted the commission to remove Mibaita's head, Mr. Anser did not hide anything.

He is making the name of Faust spread... when there are many Fausts in the West today.

So Mr. Anser's reason for doing this is...

"Mr. Faust, I need a carriage to take you——"

The woman's voice brought Marina back to reality. It turned out that they had left Yaper's mansion without realizing it.

Ansher ignored Yaper and walked out directly. Marina, who had come to her senses, looked back at the Queen Bee who was famous in the Castle of Strife. She nodded slightly at the other's grateful gaze, and then quickly followed the black-haired young man in front of her.

After they had walked a little further away, Ansher turned his head to look at Marina, with a gentle smile on his face that the girl was very familiar with.

"What's wrong?" Anser asked, "You seem to be worried, Gan Leiqing."

Outsiders couldn't tell that the secretary was not in good shape - in fact, even Sitana might not be able to notice it if she didn't use her cheating intuition.

But Ansel could easily see that Marina was feeling unnatural.

"I..." Marina paused, looking a little hesitant, "I don't quite understand some things."

In fact, the problem is not that big, it's just that she has to face it at once, and there are too many things to think about, so she needs some time to digest it.

Regarding issues of personal interests, the purpose of what Ansel did and the next steps, as well as some miscellaneous trivial matters... This secretarial job is not so easy.

"You always speak your mind, why do you seem so worried this time?"

Ansher slowed down his pace and walked side by side with Marina. The girl, noticing this, also subconsciously slowed down her pace and followed Ansher again.

"..."

The young Hydra paused slightly, but did not slow down further, nor did he say anything more.

Being asked this question, Marina knew what she should say, but she definitely couldn't ask questions about responsibilities, so after thinking for a moment, the girl asked the question that she had thought of when she saw Yaper's flattering attitude just now.

"Why...are the adventurers so humble to you, Mr. Faust?"

Hearing this question, Anser showed an expression that he couldn't help laughing. He cast his eyes towards the adventurers walking on the street and said softly:

"Gan Leiqing, what do you think adventurers are like?"

"...What kind of existence?"

"An enterprising person who explores the world? An unfettered freedom fighter? An explorer who discovers hidden secrets?"

Anser gave a series of apparently positive statements, but in the end he shook his head and said, "Neither."

"Lord Gan Lei, the essence of an adventurer is a hyena."

This comment, which could be described as contemptuous, made Marina a little confused. What confused her even more was that although this comment was so contemptuous, Anser did not express much contempt, but just calmly explained the facts:

"Hyenas that gnaw on the corpses of fallen dynasties and feed on the scraps of the vast maze."

He turned to look at Marina: "Do you know why I said that about them?"

"…I don't understand, Mr. Faust."

The girl replied in a low voice.

"I'm not disparaging their efforts, Marlena."

When talking about this topic, Ansel seemed to become very serious. At least Marina had not discussed an issue with Ansel so seriously for a long time.

“From the 99 percent despair and darkness, they find that 1 percent possibility of transformation. It takes great courage and even madness to find that glimmer of light that leads to a way out. What they get is basically proportional to the price they pay and the risks they take.”

"But the question is, after they got those things, what did they transform them into, or in other words..."

The young Hydra turned to look at Marina and said meaningfully:

"Why are they chasing after extraordinary treasures?"

"What do you think it is, Gan Leiqing?"

The girl took Anser's question as a test, but she didn't feel Anser's deeper meaning. She thought about it for a long time, and finally answered softly: "It is... power. The ultimate pursuit of the extraordinary is to transform into a higher level of extraordinary."

"is it?"

Anser smiled and said, "It seems that you haven't stayed in the West Country long enough... When you realize what most adventurers are pursuing, you will understand why they are so humble to 'Faust'."

"In this way..." Anser seemed to be in a much better mood. "As for the answer to that question, you have made another step forward. Congratulations, Gan Leiqing."

That question…

Marina recalled what Ansel had said to her in the living room—after she realized that Mibaita's behavior was very similar to that of the emperor.

This time, it's about the nature of adventurers...

Rule... Adventurers... Rule of Adventurers...

The discontinuous information instantly connected into an extremely clear answer. It was not until this moment that Marina realized that the "question" that Ansel mentioned was just an unintentional remark she made while waiting in the bedroom - why so many civilians settled in the chaotic and dangerous Western Country.

"you……"

Marina was a little bit unbelievable when she realized what was happening. She was so shocked that she even said something that she would never say in the past. It was a bit self-conscious:

"Did you just do that to answer my question?"

"I do hate that Mibaita, but I'm not the kind of guy who would kill people just because I hate him. He is still somewhat useful, but in the end he is still just a minor character."

The girl's suspicious look made Anser a little surprised: "It's just a small matter, isn't it okay?"

"But you...but if you kill Mibaita, it will have a bad impact on you. Although it can be dealt with, it will still..."

Anser's question made Marina even more flustered. She spoke incoherently: "It's just a question. How can I, how can I deserve you to do this—"

No matter how much you want to make progress and grow, there is one line that you must never cross, and that is you cannot harm Anser's interests in the slightest.

So when she realized that Anser killed Mibaita casually just to provide a hint to solve her problem, and not even to directly answer her question, Marina seemed terrified and guilty.

"If it's just a question, I—"

She wanted to say something else, but after meeting Ansel's gaze, she forced herself to swallow the rest of her words.

"...Gan Leiqing."

Anser stared at Marina and sighed, "Do you think that you, who follow me, are inferior to an unknown city manager?"

"Do you think that your problem is less important than a clown who amuses himself by manipulating the people?"

His sigh made Marina's heart suddenly tighten. The girl replied with a trembling voice: "Mr. Faust, I am not..."

"Okay." Anser interrupted her, but he did not show any displeasure. Instead, he said softly, "Let's go back to the hotel, Gan Leiqing. I can see that you are a little tired... It's not easy to compete with Ying Marsh and the others. Take a good rest these two days."

Marina had a lot to say, but at the moment, she couldn't utter a word and could only follow Ansher in a daze.

Because at that moment, when her eyes met Ansher's just now... Marina saw the emotion that she least wanted to see in Ansher's eyes in her life, the emotion that frightened her the most.

She hoped that it was just an illusion caused by her extreme panic.

——She expected the momentary disappointment in Ansel's eyes to be just an illusion.

*

"Mibaita is dead."

"……What?!"

"The commission is completed. Here is his head."

In an ordinary wooden house, a head was thrown onto the table with a "bang".

The two people in the wooden house fell into a long silence.

"At first," said the man who threw the head out, "the executioner asked me to wait for someone to complete the commission. I thought it was a trap set by Mibai Tower, so I didn't go."

"Then... they contacted me again and said that the adventurer who completed the commission handed the item to them after seeing that I wasn't there. I found a place to deliver the item with a skeptical attitude, and then..."

They really got Mibaita's head, quietly, as if nothing had happened.

"Are you sure this is true?" another asked.

"It can't be fake."

"Damn it... Why is the Castle of Strife still peaceful?"

"Who knows? What we should worry about is what to do with the next selection competition."

"...Yeah, now that the scum Mibaita is dead, will the trials continue? Damn it, I shouldn't have killed him so early."

"Who would have thought that someone would actually take up that commission and do it now?"

So the two of them fell into silence again.

The commission was actually posted on the Executioner out of a member's indignation towards Mibata.

But in fact, no one expects this commission to be completed, including the client.