The villain's way to tame the protagonist

"This is not me, it's definitely not me... I just hate this hypocritical bastard, you fool who doesn't know the true nature, you who reject me... reject me..."

The incoherent chaotic mumbling suddenly stopped.

She seemed to realize something, and thus became even more out of control and crazier.

"An…ser!"

I must... destroy you!

*

Anser sniffed the wine in the glass, nodded slightly under Marina's nervous gaze, and smiled from the bottom of his heart:

"Yes, it is considered top quality."

The dark witch, whose horrific reputation gradually spread throughout the empire, breathed a sigh of relief, restored her impeccable and dignified appearance, and bowed slightly: "It's great that you like it, Mr. Anser."

"You still have time to make wine. It seems that everything is under your control?"

Anser took a sip of wine leisurely: "How is Xi'er doing recently?"

"It's still the same. She patrols the Northern Alliance's positions 24 hours a day. At the same time, she leaves her wolf shadow behind to be on guard."

"Well... although it's rough, if Xi'er asks for too much, it's a bit harsh. It's good enough that she can take the rear into consideration."

It was not a big deal for Anser to come to the North this time. He just wanted to get some basic intelligence from Ivora and ensure the stability of the chess game.

The North was still in a stalemate, as if waiting for the Revolutionary Army to launch an attack on East Harbor before launching a surprise attack; Xitana was implementing her "blocking the spring" plan, and the Northern Alliance didn't even dare to cross the line; Marina's tentacles had infiltrated the Alliance without anyone noticing, and Anser's eyes saw more and more things; but Ivora...

Thinking of the hatred and resentment that the Crown Princess revealed in the cell, which was out of grievance and jealousy, Anser still finds it a little unbelievable.

"Marina..."

The young Hydra tilted his head slightly and said thoughtfully, "Do you think Ivora's weakness is normal?"

Marina was stunned for a moment. She understood what Anser meant, and then smiled gently:

"You think this is not how Ivora should behave, but from my point of view... no matter how twisted Ivora is, she is still a woman after all, Mr. Anser."

"Similarly, no matter how twisted love is, it is still love after all, isn't it?"

Yes, the thing that this weakness represents can only be love… Using the word love may be a bit too much, but there is definitely no problem with liking.

Of course Ivola liked Anser, but before, no matter how much she liked Anser, she could never lie on the ground and whimper like an abused puppy, saying things like "Why did you do this to me?"

Well…while her experiences during this time were certainly somewhat miserable, it only served to irritate this lunatic and drive her further away from that aggrieved state.

Anser even felt a little disgusted when Ivora said this. That woman would never say such a thing, unless...

Is fate using this method to increase Ivora's instability?

Twisted love is still love...Compared to Marina's somewhat absurd answer, Ansel is more inclined to believe that it is fate that is prying Ivora, the most unstable chess piece.

But, love...

Ansel loves Xitana and Ming Furo, but it is still difficult for him to explain this.

After all, if he understood what his love was, he wouldn't have been so entangled in the West Country that he had no way out.

Anser didn't like this feeling of being out of control, but he and the two girls he loved didn't have enough time to spend together and deeply understand this emotion.

"Mr. Anser?"

"Ok?"

"According to your itinerary," Marina reminded, "you should return to East Harbor now to inspect the territories of other nobles under the Grand Duke of Triumph."

Anser came back to his senses and gently rubbed his nose. He said to Marina with a hint of joking, "It is true... But I thought you would keep quiet and stay with me longer, Marina—"

Halfway through his speech, he reacted again, shaking his head with amusement: "I almost forgot, you have been almost always by my side."

Marina is not powerful, what is powerful is the ability she gained from the Abyss Sermon, which is to become a container of Anther's power.

Having merged with Shadow Crow, she can, with the help of Anther's power, jump between Anther's shadow and Shadow Crow's location at any time. She says she is staying in the North, but as long as Anther needs her, she will appear from Anther's shadow at any time.

Just as she promised - to become Anser's shadow.

"Yes, Mr. Anser."

Only at this time would Marina Lancemalos act like a girl and show her once incomparably innocent tenderness.

"I'm always here for you."

Faced with this tenderness, Ansel didn't have any thoughts. He just smiled back and his figure disappeared from Marina's sight.

To me, what is love?

Hydra, still a teenager, is still thinking about this question, which is one of the few difficult questions for him to answer.

Chapter 5: A Less Successful Redemption? (K)

The research and development progress at the Tower of Babel seemed to be blocked, and Ming Furo had to go back to solve the problem. As a result, Master Anser, who was surrounded by beautiful women all day long, was now alone, which was very rare.

Sitting in the rocking carriage, he held up his face and looked at the bustling market outside the city, with a thoughtful expression.

The territory and power of the Triumph Family were changing visibly. Elalo was quite capable, and after being redeemed by Xin, his mobility was greatly improved, and he issued several decrees in succession.

"Uncle, this city is not big, why is the market outside the city so lively?" Ansel asked casually.

Hearing Anser's question, Che Fu smiled naively: "Because the new Grand Duke of Triumph, that Lord Elalo, has done a lot of things... Originally, when selling things at the market outside the city, Viscount Qiuhe would charge a lot of money, such as booth fees, business taxes, etc., and there were also gangsters who came to collect protection fees. It was even more exaggerated than the market in the city."

"But a few days ago, Viscount Qiuhe suddenly gave his position to his youngest son, and the rules also changed a lot for the better! They all said that it was Lord Elalo's orders that made Qiuhe City a better place."

Anser could hear the pure joy and peace in the driver's words: "All the chaotic charges are gone, and no villain dares to collect protection fees. Even the guards won't collect money when entering the city! Of course, people from the surrounding villages will gather here."

"Well...it's a good thing."

"Hey, who says it's not?"

Improving people's livelihood sounds easy, but it is actually a rather grand proposition.

People's livelihood involves such a wide range of areas, and in such a vast area, there are huge roots that have already taken root deeply and crisscrossed, as well as shadows under the countless roots. There are so many things to consider in all aspects involved.

The freedom and looseness of the imperial structure further led to the entanglement and chaos in each field. If there were no absolute power called the Supernatural in this world, it would be really hard to imagine how to manage a territory, let alone an entire empire.

Anser looked at the simple smiles on the dark faces of the fishermen in the market. What he wanted to see was not how these civilians were living, but... what Ellalo could do.

To what extent can Xin's "redemption" go?

"Okay, we're already in the city, young man. I'm going to continue delivering goods. Qiuhe City is not big, so we don't need a guide. Don't be fooled."

Anser, who had just taken a freight carriage to Qiuhe City, nodded with a smile: "I understand, old man."

Waving goodbye to the coachman, Anser stood on the main road of this ordinary small town and looked at the castle at the highest point of the city with interest.

Anser was quite concerned about what the old man had just said - the viscount who controlled this city actually gave up his position.

"If it's such a crude method... then it's a bit disappointing."

Anser murmured this as he walked towards the castle. With the cognitive interference spell set up, he looked like an ordinary traveler at this moment, inconspicuous in the crowd.

But such an inconspicuous person was firmly locked by a pair of eyes hiding in the corner, and they never left for a moment.

Anser seemed unaware of this. He soon arrived at the entrance of the castle. The two guards at the door chatted among themselves as if they hadn't noticed him.

"By the way, is that restaurant on East Street closed?"

"What?! That's the place I go to most often... Why is it suddenly closed? I remember that the owner of that restaurant often sent gifts to the housekeeper. If this restaurant is closed... then all the brothels in the city will be closed!"

"I heard that it was because they were found to have bought a lot of slaves... What a joke, if a good restaurant doesn't buy slaves, where can it get high-quality goods?"

"This must be the order of the new Grand Duke of Triumph. I don't know what's wrong with that woman. Even the Viscount..."

As soon as the word "My Lord Viscount" was mentioned, they suddenly fell silent at the same time, then looked around guiltily, and only breathed a sigh of relief after making sure that there was no one around.

"Nott, can you please change your habit of speaking without thinking?"

"It was just a casual remark, and no one heard it... But if you think about it carefully, it seems that the new Grand Duke is not doing all stupid things. At least our remuneration has increased a lot."

The two unprofessional gatekeepers were still chatting, while Anser had already stepped into the open gate and walked into the castle of Viscount Qiuhe.

"Are we going to use such harsh means to forcibly clean up a gray industry like a brothel?"

He muttered to himself thoughtfully: "It seems that the redemption of Her Excellency the Saint may not be a good thing. The problems it brings... are very serious."

The gaze that was secretly watching Anser fluctuated violently for a moment, and then immediately disappeared guiltily. After a long while, he sneaked out from a corner and continued to secretly watch Anser.

Anser encountered many servants wandering around the castle, some cleaning, some tending the gardens. Judging from their mental state, none of them looked like they had been persecuted. It was just because...

"Can I really do this?" In a corner of the flower garden, a young maid tremblingly asked her senior, "Miss Hora, I heard that the Viscount has always been very kind to young girls..."

"That was all in the past."

Her senior patted her shoulder considerately and said, "The current Viscount is a good man, and the new Duke of Triumph will take good care of us servants. The old Viscount will not be like before... I don't think so. Uh, you'd better be careful."

The reason he seems to be in good spirits is that he has recruited a new group of servants. As for where the previous group went... there is no point in delving into it.

"Are you also asking for an improvement in the treatment of the servants?"

Anser, who had been watching all the way, had a look of growing disappointment on his face: "This is such a far-fetched kindness that it can be called arrogant... Come to think of it, isn't this kind of arrogance actually a sin?"

"What is the standard for judging sin and redemption in the eyes of the Saint?"

"..."

The owner of the sight seemed to be unable to resist the urge to jump out, but after some ideological struggles, he still squatted obediently in a corner where no one could notice him and did not show up.

As an uninvited guest, Master Anser continued to stroll leisurely in the castle. Every time he heard servants or other people chatting, he would stop and listen to what they were talking about very seriously.

As long as there is no opinion involved and the phenomenon is simply stated, the words are more or less credible. After all, it takes time for the changes brought about by Ellalo to become facts visible to the naked eye.

As he was walking around, he came to a study room that looked very important. In the spacious and gorgeous room, a young man who looked to be no more than sixteen or seventeen years old was sitting behind a desk, looking hesitant. On his left and right were two people who should be his staff, who were answering questions:

"My Lord Viscount, please face the reality. This kind of decree is impossible to carry out. You should know that the trade agreement between Qiuhe City and Bishewan..."

“But these terms are too harsh on fishermen! They should not be paid so little. Why can’t we increase their share of the pay?”

"...You have to know that the ones who get the money are the merchants at the port. Merchants and fishermen are two different things. Even if you want to give the fishermen more money, the merchants won't..."

"Then make it a rule that merchants give fishermen more money! Make it a rule... set a bottom line, or at least don't let fishermen work too long?"

"This... is not that simple, Lord Viscount. This is not something we can stipulate just because we want to..."

As an outsider, Anser was taking out a bottle of wine that looked like it had been treasured for a long time from the wine cabinet in the study, pouring it for himself leisurely, and sitting on the sofa, drinking while listening to the slightly idiotic conversation between the newly appointed young viscount and his staff like watching a play, sometimes showing a funny expression, and sometimes sighing helplessly.

"Only considering character, but not ability..."

Anser narrowed his eyes, sneered and said, "It's a bit, too ridiculous."

The young Viscount Qiuhe seemed to have many ideas. His face was full of the desire and impulse of a young man who was eager to realize his vision after getting the opportunity, but no matter what he proposed, it would be ruthlessly rejected by his staff. Obviously, even if he sat in the position of Viscount, he had no way to decide anything. Occasionally, his staff would symbolically pass one or two insignificant decisions that had no practical effect, which would make him happy for a long time.

It seems that this little viscount still has a very high degree of independence. Although the Grand Duke of Triumph has made some mandatory requirements, he still leaves too much room.

"You want to use force, but you don't even have the necessary supervision? You'd better have another plan, Miss Elalo, otherwise... you will also lower the evaluation of Her Excellency the Saint in my eyes."

Anser gently stroked his chin: "This so-called salvation can actually make people so...stupid. After completing the redemption, did the Saint never care about the future life of the redeemed? Or is this no longer within her responsibility?"

"Forget it, let's go and see what the old viscount who was forced to give up his throne is doing."

This time, the sharp comments did not cause any fluctuation in the gaze that was secretly watching Anser. The owner of the gaze seemed to vaguely understand something and was even hesitating whether to show up.

However, Anser's next words made her give up the idea.

"After all, if you want to watch it, you have to watch it from beginning to end."

"..."

The young viscount's office was on the middle floor of the castle, and Anser walked all the way up to the top floor of the castle, where he found the old viscount Qiuhe and... his friends in a luxurious room.

Coincidentally, he seemed to be having a secret party with his friends.

Although he is an "old" viscount who has abdicated, he is actually in middle age when he was forced to give up his position. This is an age when men's energy and desires are at their peak. Therefore, you don't need to observe his expression to guess how unwilling he is now.

"Borenna, you are so unlucky."

Gatherings of middle-aged aristocrats do not necessarily have to involve scantily clad women. Often, debates and discussions on political views can excite this group of middle-aged people more. The boasting and flattery, consensus and identification while drinking can satisfy their desire for power in an alternative way.

Even if what they call politics does exist, most of it is just an illusion caused by compliance with desires.

The middle-aged nobleman sitting opposite Viscount Lao Qiuhe raised his wine glass and grinned: "A few days ago, Hubble complained to us that the new Grand Duke had shut down his dope business, but as soon as you turned around, your entire title was gone! Hahahaha——"

Several middle-aged nobles around also laughed, but it was not a sneer or ridicule to add insult to injury, it was just pure joking and teasing.

No one seemed to take it seriously.

Viscount Qiuhe was not angry either, he even crossed his legs and laughed, "Who made me have a good son who cares about his people? Didn't our new Grand Duke find a good child among your bunch of useless offspring, so he reluctantly let you continue to maintain your noble title?"