A Villain's Way of Taming Heroines

"You... are…" he struggled to speak, "Are you… Fenrir?"

Why was this wicked wolf here?

"Why are you questioning me first? I have questions for you."

Seraphina, displeased with Boneblade's inquiry, then bluntly stated, "You're with the Revolutionary Army, right?"

Boneblade was momentarily stunned, unsure of how to respond. Before he could react, Seraphina continued:

"I saved your life, so you'd best repay me immediately—tell me if there's any... any loophole in Dispute Fortress, especially in the lower district."

"... Loophole, lower district?"

Boneblade responded with difficulty, wincing from the potion's stimulating effects.

"Are you even a man, being so afraid of pain?"

Seraphina crossed her arms disdainfully. "Quickly answer my question. Are there any loopholes in the lower district?"

Boneblade pondered for a moment before suddenly realizing, "Are you referring to the collapse formation that Milo has set up throughout the lower district?"

Loophole, lower district... considering this Fenrir's character, if one had to make a connection, this was the only possibility.

Sure enough, upon hearing this, Seraphina's eyes lit up with excitement.

"Yes, yes, exactly that! Can it be dealt with?"

"... There is, indeed. In his office, there's a central magical crystal core that controls the formation. Destroy that, and the collapse formation will be nullified."

Boneblade exhaled softly, his gaze growing increasingly complex as he observed Seraphina's jubilant expression.

Seraphina, however, paid no mind to these subtleties. She clenched her fists, suppressing her excitement as she said, "Really? Do you know the consequences of deceiving me? It's worse than death!"

The red-black shadow of a wolf behind her growled, a symbolic threat.

"You asked the question; believe it or not, it's up to you."

With extreme difficulty, Boneblade propped himself up and gazed towards Dispute Fortress, whispering, "Since you say this repays my debt... I shall take my leave now."

"Leave?" Seraphina observed his condition, where collapsing at any moment seemed inevitable, with a peculiar expression. "You want to go back? Find a doctor? Aren't you afraid of being caught? I won't be there to save you then."

"Some things must be done by someone."

Boneblade staggered forward, his awkward gait both pitiable and laughable.

"I'm not dead yet," he murmured, "so my mission isn't over."

But after just a few steps, he suddenly halted.

"Fenrir."

Boneblade turned to Seraphina, asking in a raspy, almost inaudible voice, "You wish to help the people of the lower district, to free them from Milo's control, don't you?"

"Of course," Seraphina answered matter-of-factly. "Why else would I stand by and watch them suffer in that wretched place?"

She curled her lips into a slight smile, raising her chin proudly. "As you said, some things must be done by someone—since you so-called Revolutionary Army members who claim to want to change the Empire aren't doing it, then I'll do it."

"…"

Seraphina's words struck a nerve within Boneblade, igniting his disdain. He fixed his one remaining eye on the proud Seraphina, her confident demeanor prompting a sneer to creep onto his face.

"You are truly noble... Fenrir. Do you realize how much chaos and conflict your so-called benevolence has caused?"

"What?" Seraphina raised an eyebrow. "You Revolutionaries have the gall to criticize me?"

"Our vision is far more exalted than your short-sighted benevolence!"

The contempt in her tone ignited Boneblade's fury. "Who have you truly helped? What have you accomplished? You sustain a fleeting order to gratify your own petty sense of vanity and righteousness, smugly praising your own greatness and kindness... it's revolting!"

"You don't care what happens to them after you leave; you wouldn't even lead them!"

Seraphina stared at Boneblade for a few seconds, then, utterly puzzled, responded, "Are you mad?"

"…"

Before Boneblade could retort, Seraphina continued, "Why would I do something I don't understand and cause trouble for others? I don't know how to lead people, so of course, it should be left to those who know how."

"You—"

Boneblade was stunned. Never had he heard someone justify their lack of skills so brazenly, yet he couldn't pinpoint anything wrong with Seraphina's logic.

She genuinely had no desire for power, not even a trace.

"And why is it that when I do good deeds, I'm the villain, but when you think of sacrificing civilians, it's considered noble?"

Seraphina looked at Boneblade as if he were mad. "Go ask any commoner whether they support you or me."

Boneblade was left speechless, or perhaps it wasn't speechlessness but rather an inability to form a coherent argument against Seraphina's logic, as if his reasoning had abandoned him.

"You say I'm driven by vanity... it's true, helping them and receiving gratitude feels great. I have no intention of hiding that. Because it makes me happy, I want to keep helping them. Being thanked and praised for doing good deeds is only natural."

Even without engaging in battle, Seraphina was already in full force:

"And you lot, with your talk of 'greater goals' and 'sacrifices are necessary'—"

She paused, then angrily flipped Boneblade the middle finger:

"You self-serving bastards are the ones truly driven by your delusions! What grand objectives? What bright future? How does any of that matter to the commoners?"

"They're starving, they're dying of illness, they're being oppressed to the point they can't lift their heads. Tomorrow, they might be corpses."

"And now you tell me that giving them food and water, killing their oppressors is wrong, is self-gratification, that helping them live with dignity is vanity. You let them continue to live in squalor, watching them die, claiming it's for some higher ideal, for their future—"

"Go to hell! Have you ever asked them if they want this so-called noble cause?"

Emerging from the vast snowy plains, from the impoverished villages, having personally experienced the oppression endured by the most humble inhabitants of this land, Seraphina Marlowe's conviction and determination had always been unwavering and pure.

With eyes ablaze, she bit her words out like hammer blows, shattering Boneblade's accusations.

"They just want to live well!"

"So, if anyone prevents them from living well, I'll make sure they can't live! It's as simple as that!"

With a cold snort, she turned away, unwilling to waste another word on this self-righteous man.

She increasingly despised the Revolutionary Army, this pretentious, high-and-mighty organization... they were nothing compared to Ansel!

So annoying, why was she even comparing them to Ansel... they weren't worthy!

Fuming, Miss Wolf kicked at stones, too irritated even to train.

But she hadn't gone far when Boneblade's frail voice suddenly called out behind her.

"Fenrir... Fenrir!"

"Shut up!" Seraphina turned around irritably, "Speak quickly or get lost!"

"You..."

Boneblade's words faltered, "What you said is not entirely without reason. I hope you understand... we never neglect the commoners. At any time, we prioritize them, unless... it is utterly unavoidable."

"Ha! Any plan that requires sacrificing the weakest is nothing but garbage."

Seraphina responded disdainfully, "It holds no merit whatsoever!"

"Can you guarantee that everything will never descend into the worst-case scenario?" Boneblade stared intently into Seraphina's eyes, "Can you be so confident that you will always be able to navigate every situation, full of choices, always able to employ the optimal solution?"

"... Hmph, I might not be able to, but someone certainly can!"

Seraphina raised her head proudly, "Compared to him, you might as well all commit collective suicide!"

Boneblade watched her for a long while and then shook his head lightly.

"I was indeed wrong. Your conviction is genuine, Fenrir. But you... are still naive."

Then, he coughed painfully twice and mustered his strength to shout:

"When I escaped, I noticed the lower district seemed to be falling into riots... I don't know why you, who claim to protect that place, are here, but judging by your reaction... it wasn't intentional."

"... What?"

Boneblade's words shattered the pride that had just surfaced on Seraphina's face. She cried out in disbelief, her voice rising sharply, "What did you just say? A riot!?"

"Go back quickly," Boneblade said, "You still have time to fulfill your promise."

"..."

Veins bulged on Seraphina's hands and neck, and the crimson-black wolf shadow behind her seemed to come to life, exuding an aura almost indistinguishable from a real monster.

"You better... be telling the truth."

Seraphina squeezed out the words through gritted teeth, then immediately sprinted towards Dispute Fortress.

A riot... how could there be a riot?

With Marli there, how could this happen!

Could it be... could something have happened to Marli?

Impossible, I don't believe it... who, just who—

Who did this! Experience more tales on My Virtual Library Empire

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