A Villain's Way of Taming Heroines

Following the bloodshed in Pelican City, Ansel and Ravenna embarked on a brief journey.

Before setting out, they departed from Pelican City and arrived at a neighboring domain.

This domain, though smaller than Pelican City, thrived with prosperity. The baronial lord, both youthful and astute, governed with a compassionate hand, ensuring the spirits of his people soared higher than those of Pelican City's residents.

Yet, as a neighbor to Pelican City, it was not spared from the grain monopolies of the Pelican Trading Commerce.

"Your spirits seem quite troubled, Helen," Ansel observed in a gentle tone, noting Ravenna's untouched meal. "What concerns weigh upon you?"

Miss puppet's violet eyes were clouded with uncertainty:

"I... do not know."

She gripped her fork tightly, her gaze alternating between the fragrant and vibrant food on her plate and the contented commoners dining nearby, unable to dispel the myriad questions swirling in her mind.

In this game, her aim was to alleviate hunger as much as possible, a goal she indeed achieved… no, Ansel indeed achieved with his potions in such a short span.

— Eliminating hunger is a noble deed, Ansel had often lauded her.

Yet, Ravenna remained bewildered. Despite her vigilance over the unfolding events, she found everything to be beyond her comprehension and expectations.

By the time she regained her senses, the situation had spiraled out of control, hurtling towards chaos with the unpredictability of a runaway carriage.

Thus, everything returned to the starting point, where Ravenna confronted her deepest fear:

— If you neither understand the ideals you chase nor know how to enact change, what exactly have you been doing in the fifteen years… following Eileen's demise?

You never truly grasped the essence of transformation.

Therefore, as this grand revolution, worthy of the empire's annals, progressed, Ravenna felt increasingly... hollow, panicked and hollow.

The joy that should have been hers was extinguished by this emptiness, not only because this was merely Ansel's game, but also because she could not discern any glimmer of hope within it.

Even as she bestowed her extraordinary powers upon the mortal realm, and even though that unfathomable force faced no impediment in its execution, Ravenna still could not see the light she yearned for shining down upon her path, which remained shrouded in bewilderment.

The only solace, the only thing that mitigated her despair, was...

"You are doing the right thing, aren't you, Helen?" the only person Ravenna could reach out to in this endless chaos spoke up:

"If you are doing the right thing, why feel uneasy? The changes in Pelican City and the Watson domain are what you've longed for, right?"

"But what if... what if something worse is happening, father?"

Ravenna's voice trembled slightly: "I can't see clearly..."

What will happen next?

Will more farmers go mad because they cannot tolerate the current situation? Will others besides the farmers be affected?

No... no, if it's only a few, they can be sacrificed... they can be sacrificed. As long as the production of food can be maintained, the production of food...

Food...

Laurel, the man who now controls all the potions, what will he do? Why him... why did such a person have to appear?

"Father..."

Ravenna gazed at Ansel, her voice becoming hoarse: "Laurel Morlamo, is he... someone you arranged?"

Ansel paused in his cutting of the steak, turning his gaze to Ravenna's face, which was puzzled, bewildered, and weary. His lips curled into a slight smile, which then grew into a more pronounced grin.

"Hehehe... Hahahaha!"

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His boisterous laughter startled the other patrons of the restaurant and made Ravenna even more uneasy.

"So, dear Helen, you think that I am not abiding by the rules of the game, is that it?"

"I just—"

"Enough," Ansel interrupted Ravenna, wiping his mouth with a handkerchief from his pocket, his tone calm, "It's about time for it to end."

The end, the end of the game.

Ravenna's pupils contracted sharply at this unemotional statement, her heartbeat nearly coming to a halt.

Despite her confusion about the path ahead, the deep-rooted desire in Ravenna's heart did not want this transformation to end so abruptly.

She had indeed seen the majority in the Watson domain being able to eat their fill, the specter named hunger about to vanish from this land.

She feared the void beneath this achievement, yet she did not want this achievement to disappear.

And if the game ended, if... if 'father' no longer protected this land.

Extraordinary beings would plunder everything, destroy all, no extraordinary being would care for the commoners, none...

As this thought surfaced in her mind, Ansel's sneer seemed to echo in her ears again:

["Having lived such a privileged life for twenty-one years, even never leaving the imperial capital, how could you feel such strong empathy for the commoners?"]

Ravenna's fingertips trembled as she looked into Ansel's eyes, finding that he was also looking at her.

Those sea-blue eyes, as clear and bright as ever, were filled with an intoxicating charm.

However, Ravenna could only perceive a lofty coldness in his gaze.

She realized… there was no escape.

No matter what she did, she would involuntarily recall Ansel's words that could shake her resolve, seeing her own inability to comprehend change and her powerlessness over everything.

Even though the opportunity to end it all was right before her, and the game's end would mean her release, she could not... agree to it.

She could not stand by and watch the flickering hope extinguish; it would be an unforgivable betrayal to her grandfather, to Hendrik, to the Tower of Babel, and to everything she stood for.

Thus, she had to seek help from the devil who pushed her into the abyss, praying for his magnanimity, begging for his kindness, begging him to continue maintaining this game that meant little to him.

This time, she was the one who plunged herself into the despair of nothingness.

An unsolvable... deadlock.

It didn't... matter.

Ravenna's heart began to beat again, she told herself this internally.

The soil transformation by the enhancement potion had a time limit; as long as all the potions were used up and the existing soil's potion effects faded, it couldn't be reverse-engineered by other extraordinary beings. Just a bit more time, just a bit longer...

As for everything else, continuing to play his daughter, dignity, self, all could be abandoned, even if it meant facing the torment of self-denial... it didn't matter.

Ravenna would not allow the only beacon in the endless chaos to be lost.

Sacrifice... no one is indispensable, including herself.

Even though she feared the void that could uproot her perseverance, Ravenna wanted to keep the already ignited flame from being stolen by fire thieves.

"Father... I'm sorry."

The once proud and confident scholar willingly played the role of "daughter" at this moment, adopting as flattering a posture as possible before the indifferent young man, pleading softly, "Can this game be extended a bit longer, just a bit... just one more month?"

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