The villain's way to tame the protagonist

Anser glanced at the shivering little rabbit in the broken earth nest and couldn't help laughing and said, "It looks pretty cute. I thought you would let it go, Xitana."

"Cute? What's the use of being cute?"

Xitana curled her lips and said, "It will be eaten by other animals sooner or later anyway, so why not let me eat it? Not only can our family be reunited, but I will also be grateful that its meat is tender and fragrant."

She broke the rabbit's neck and sent its parents off with it, saying nonchalantly, "The wolf and the fox won't thank it like this."

Hunting animals certainly does not pose any psychological burden to hunters.

But Ansher narrowed his eyes slightly, stared at Xitana's profile for a while, then looked away without letting the girl notice.

The young Hydra caught a glimpse of the indifference in Xitana's eyes, which perhaps she herself was not aware of. Did this indifference come from a long hunting career, or was it... just her nature?

Different from her indifference towards the poor snow rabbit, when Xitana shifted her gaze to Anser's face, she immediately became delighted and a little nervous: "Um, Anser... do you want to eat the roasted rabbit I made?"

She fiddled with her waist bag and took out two bottles of unknown contents. She looked at Anser hopefully: "Although, although it's not as delicious as what the maids cook, but..."

Anser smiled and held out his hand to her: "Do you want me to help you with anything?"

"Eh...ah! No, don't do that!"

Xitana was so happy that she almost jumped up and down: "No need! You don't need to do this kind of thing, Anser!"

Anser's promise brought a sweet and shy blush to the girl's face. Shetana was very excited that she could play a role in other aspects besides fighting.

...Although, although it has no practical significance, after all, Anser does not need a hunter to help him hunt, but for Hitana, who thinks that her relationship with Anser has reached a new level, everything she can do for Anser and every recognition from Anser will make her very happy.

After clearing the snow pile, digging a hole, looking for dead branches and leaves, and moving two stones to use as seats, Ansher stood aside, watching Xitana busying around with a smile on his face.

Originally he just wanted to keep Xitana in a good mood, and now it seems that he has benefited a lot.

But it wasn't long before our Miss Hitana ran into trouble. She squatted beside the pit holding the flint and tried hard to make a fire, but the dead branches and leaves in the pit didn't seem to give her much support.

"what happened?"

Anser walked up to her, tilted his head and looked at Sitana who was struggling with the flint and kindling, trying hard to hold back his laughter.

"This...the branches around here are a little damp."

Xitana muttered in dissatisfaction and grievance: "Why can't I light a fire like this... Anser, wait for me a moment, I will soon-"

Peng——

A cluster of flames ignited at Anser's fingertips, fell on the dead leaves and branches, and instantly ignited a raging fire.

"Xitana." Anser looked at the girl's snow-white face illuminated by the firelight, "Actually, I would be very happy if you occasionally ask me to help you with something."

He looked at Miss Wolf's increasingly red face and couldn't help but teasing her, "It would be best if you use that pitiful look and expression, throw yourself into my arms and beg me, like, um... a puppy."

"I won't!"

Xitana punched Ansher in embarrassment and anger, but the force was so small that it was no different from a massage.

"Anser, don't say such strange things."

She began to string the rabbit that had been cut open and cleaned, and turned her head away so that Anser could not see her face. She said in a fierce tone: "Be careful or I will get angry! I will be very angry!"

"Is there anything in what I just said that makes you angry?"

Anser bent down and gently stroked Xitana's snow-white neck. His hand gradually moved down and he smiled softly and said, "Like a puppy?"

"You...you don't...ah!"

The posture that she had just maintained with her angry voice was completely destroyed in the blink of an eye by this soft and charming cry. Xitana twisted her body and said in a trembling voice: "Ansir, don't...if you continue like this, I won't be able to skewer my meat properly!"

Ansel's hand suddenly stopped, and then he pulled it out as Hitana requested, which made the girl somewhat unable to react.

She continued to string the rabbit and turned her head to look at Anser.

"What?" Anser raised his eyebrows, "It's not Xitana, you said--"

"You...you!" Xitana gritted her teeth, "Pull my shoulder straps back, it's so uncomfortable!"

She shook her shoulders, glanced at Anser with a slightly red face, and continued to string the rabbit, as if to say, "I don't care what happens next."

But Master Ansel, who was very gentlemanly, just honestly helped Shitana restore the shoulder strap and did not do anything extra.

"..."

Our Miss Sitana gripped the branch tightly and stabbed the rabbit through.

Amid the sizzling sound of the barbecue, Anser rested his chin on his hand and looked at Xitana, who had a tense face, and asked curiously, "Didn't I pull the shoulder straps straight, Xitana?"

“…It’s right! What’s wrong?”

"Because you still look very uncomfortable."

The girl almost lost her composure. She tried to keep a straight face and said, "I'm fine. That, uh... Anser!"

She suddenly raised her voice: "Why did you set the fire?"

Anser was amused by this poor technique of changing the subject and the overly funny topic. The cheerful smile on his face was so natural: "What do you mean... I can set fire?"

"Just, it was just now." Seeing that the topic was successfully changed, Xitana breathed a sigh of relief. She secretly glanced at Ansher, but the smile on the other's face made her dare not look at him a second time. Her heart was pounding.

"A pinch of flame, just the simplest spell." Anser raised an eyebrow, "Is it strange that I can do this little trick?"

"No way!" Sitana retorted, "I can feel it. Your flames are totally different from the fires set by those rubbish in the academy! They are much more powerful than theirs."

"..." The young Hydra was silent for a moment, then said, "You can feel this, too. Hmm... You are worthy of being me, Xitana."

"So what's going on?" Her curiosity was indeed aroused, and Sitana poked the fire with a stick. "Are you some kind of particularly powerful warlock?"

"Just simple instinct," Anser replied.

"……instinct?"

"Shitana, do you know why the fourth stage of the road to heaven is called the Scepter?"

Facing Xitana's curious gaze, Ansher said this.

"How should I know that!" Miss Sitana put on an expression that said, "I'm an idiot, of course."

Anser couldn't help but laugh and poked her cheek: "Because when you can freely use the extraordinary throne and further grasp a certain [element], it's like holding the noble scepter that symbolizes power, and mastering the so-called... authority."

"Elements..." Sitana scratched her head, "This sounds familiar. I think the teacher mentioned it."

"【Ether】【Spacetime】【Soul】... and the 【Fire】 I just used, which is the 【Element】."

At Anser's fingertips, the four elements of rock, fireball, water vortex, and cyclone intertwined and switched: "When the extraordinary people of the Heavenly Path are promoted to the fourth level, they must choose the element that suits them, which is equivalent to choosing the path they will take in the future. When this path reaches the end, they will have an extremely deep control over the elements they have chosen, and they will be able to complete the fifth stage of 'coronation'."

He waved his hand and said in a casual tone: "If you understand a certain element, then the corresponding extraordinary power will have a completely different effect from ordinary spells and extraordinary tools. The deeper your understanding of the element, or the more you are in tune with that element, the stronger the effect will be."

"Oh……"

Xitana understood and said, "So that's how it is. Is there so much to it?"

"You should learn from Marina, Xitana." Anser pinched the girl's face a little harder, "Her understanding of the extraordinary system is much deeper than yours."

"I... it's useless for me to learn so much. I can't remember it anyway."

Xitana muttered incoherently: "Besides, you are here, Anser, why should I learn!"

This is said with great confidence.

Anser smiled and shook his head without saying anything more.

Looking at the growth history of the Blue Sky Wolf Emperor, her understanding of the so-called "supernatural system" was indeed pitifully poor, but even though she had almost no knowledge of the entire system, she never encountered any obstacles in her promotion.

For Xitana, this was indeed unnecessary.

Anser loosened his hand, and Xitana, who was turning the rabbit meat, touched her face, feeling the remaining warmth from Anser's hand, and said in an involuntary tone: "So... Anser, you master the element of [Fire]?"

Anser was stunned for a moment, then just smiled and said, "It's okay if you think so, just treat it as such."

Xitana curled her lips, not very satisfied with Anser's perfunctory answer, but she didn't ask any more questions. Instead, she asked Anser with excitement and curiosity: "What elements will I master in the future? Anser, you don't even show me the future... why?"

"You have very few elements at your disposal. The most important ones are [Strength] and—"

Anser's words suddenly stopped.

"Power and what?" Shitana came closer to Ansher and blinked.

"……rabbit."

"……what?"

Anser glanced at the rabbit on the blazing flames: "Rabbit, it's going to burn."

“What…Ah!!!”

Hitana was frantically turning the rabbit over, and Ansel, who had suddenly stopped talking, revealed a look that had never appeared in his usual appearance... a kind of coldness and indifference that seemed to have extinguished all emotions.

The most powerful element that Sitana possesses.

Yes, how could he have forgotten that element? The element that permeated Sitana's life, represented the existence of Sitana Lancemalos, was equal to her essence, and therefore was absolutely compatible with her?

He had clearly made preparations for this long before, how could he... forget it so carelessly?

In this fraction of a second, countless information flowed through Ansor's mind, and his will turned into a blade to coldly cut through emotions and consciousness, while Hydra was above these thoughts that were divided into countless isolated blocks, examining everything indifferently.

【emotion……】

He whispered in his heart.

The reason why he ignored the factor in Shitana that was extremely disadvantageous to him and had to be controlled by him was because he had some kind of feelings for Shitana.

But the detailed details in Anser's memory told him that at that time, when Xitana made a vow with him, he had already felt the throbbing that would affect his reason and judgment.

Therefore, he chose to suppress and seal it up at the first opportunity.

In other words, the feeling I have towards Sitana now...

"Anser!" Xitana handed over a fragrant roasted rabbit and said with a bright smile, "It's ready! You eat first!"

Anser took the seasoned, fragrant, sizzling rabbit and took a bite.

Xitana stared nervously at Anser who was chewing rabbit meat in silence. Her face looked more lustrous and delicate under the fireworks.

There was neither the brutality and cruelty of a fight nor the rudeness and roughness of a contest. The girl pressed her legs together, anxiously and expectantly waiting for Anser's evaluation.

There was too much oil, the meat was too tough, the seasoning was too salty, and there was even a faint smell of burning... Anser, who had tasted food since he was a child and always considered even the worst to be gourmet, found a lot of problems with this roasted rabbit the moment he took a bite.

However, he still blurted out words of praise:

“It tastes good, much better than I expected.”

Anser didn't lie, he really thought so - although it was far inferior to many things he had eaten, he just thought it was delicious.

As he said this, Hydra was still examining his own torn and separated emotions.

"real?!"

Hitana's expression became bright, a kind of "glow" that was visible to the naked eye and was by no means exaggerated. From her expression to her eyes, from her eyes to her words, everything was filled with the purest happiness and joy.

"Ah."

Anser analyzed himself coldly and smiled: "Xitana, I never--"

"stop!"

Xitana blushed and stopped Anser from continuing: "Don't... don't keep saying these things. It's very... how should I put it, very frivolous."

"I have never claimed to be a quiet gentleman."

Shitana stopped talking and just gnawed on the roasted rabbit in her hand which was obviously burnt. Her face illuminated by the campfire was flushed with the satisfaction of a girl.

“…Shitana.”

Anser suddenly asked, "As a hunter, what do you think the beast is like?"

"...Hmm?" Sitana tilted her head while chewing rabbit meat. "What does the beast look like...what does it mean?"

"What I mean is..." Anser looked at Xitana while biting rabbit meat. The flames reflected in his sea-blue eyes fluttered in the cold wind.

"In your eyes, what kind of existence are beasts and animals? What is their essence?"

"Anser, why are you suddenly asking me such a profound question..."

The girl licked her greasy lips in confusion: "You should ask Lina about this kind of question."

"Because you are the best hunter." Anser said with a smile, "So, I think you can give the most correct answer."

Hearing this, Xitana's eyes lit up and she laughed happily: "Hehe...Is that so? Then let me think, the beast...um——"