A Villain's Way of Taming Heroines

"That's wonderful!"

Doug, overjoyed, managed a smile despite the pain contorting his face. His resilient and courageous nature perfectly matched Seraphina's memory of him.

"Please hurry and find Miss Margarete. Bring her back safely!"

Seraphina clenched her fists, seemingly wanting to head towards Dispute Fortress, but she couldn't take a single step forward.

With her head bowed and a hoarse voice, she asked, "What about you? The riot..."

"We'll manage... cough, cough!"

Doug pounded his chest, his coughing fit interspersed with laughter. "You can't protect us forever, right, Miss Fenrir."

"This is our fight!"

They must believe in their own strength.

Her sister's words echoed in Seraphina's ears as the wolf silently withdrew her gaze from Dispute Fortress, looking at Doug with solemnity:

"Then it's up to you. Stay safe, no matter what… don't throw your lives away easily, understood?"

"Understood, Miss Fenrir, and you too."

Seraphina inclined her head slightly, turned towards a certain direction, and exhaled a breath as hot as steam. Suppressed brutality and rage flared in her dark red eyes.

"You… are doomed."

Her whisper, akin to a beast's growl, resonated in the wind, while her figure vanished with a sonic boom, leaving behind a fleeting trace of crimson and white.

"Miss Fenrir… so strong."

Doug, coughing incessantly, mounted his horse, admiringly exclaiming, "She will surely become a legend like Lord Faust in the future. But until then… I must do whatever I can for her!"

The scarred man let out a roar, urging his horse back to Dispute Fortress. His expression and eyes were so vivid. Whether it was his desire to protect the lower town or his hope for Seraphina to rescue Marlina swiftly, it was all genuine and heartfelt.

—Even though he was originally one of the few die-hard followers of Seraphina gathered by Cliff to expose Marlina's conspiracy.

A few minutes later, a woman with brown skin appeared on the land.

"In… Inothea…"

The Birdcatcher, barely breathing, reached out to her: "The potion… quickly, if you delay another minute, we'll all die."

According to orders, they were supposed to pretend to confront that wicked wolf and then flee immediately, but who knew… that monster almost killed them in one encounter!

Not almost, she spared their lives… though it's unclear why, at least they survived. Now, they had to demand more compensation from that woman Inothea. Damn it… women are indeed less reliable than the boss!

Thinking this, Birdcatcher awaited Inothea's healing potion. But a second passed, two seconds… tens of seconds, and that woman still stood motionless.

Birdcatcher, sensing a growing feeling of unease, desperately squeezed out the last of his ether, his voice hoarse, "Inothea—what are you—"

Crack!

Inothea crushed his throat underfoot, then nonchalantly walked over to the still-unconscious Ghoul and stomped his head to pieces.

"You really do have a lot of problems… but this time, I'll consider it a favor repaid." Stay updated through My Virtual Library Empire

The woman sneered, curling her lips. "Whether that idiot wolf dies or Bryce Palmer's confidant dies, it's all good… ideally, both sides perish together—less trouble for me."

That damn servant, who inexplicably found her a ton of work every day and bossed her around under Faust's name, had finally given her something beneficial today.

Faust had been killing people in Dispute Fortress, wantonly abusing Inothea, and despite this blatant affront, Bryce Palmer neither returned to Dispute Fortress immediately nor sent any word. This behavior… caused considerable unrest within the Whistling Legion.

Rumors began to circulate that Bryce Palmer intended to abandon both Dispute Fortress and Inothea. Adventurers who hadn't gone to the battlefield with Bryce Palmer but were inclined towards him started to stir.

Amidst this turmoil, Inothea, now determined to side with Faust, prepared for a grand purge but dared not make any large moves without the right opportunity.

Margarete Brant created that opportunity for her.

Under the pretense of testing Fenrir, she arranged for all the people needing to be purged to be part of this mission, then simply waited for them to die.

Though it involved the high-end combat power of the Whistling Legion, this was the most legitimate request Margarete had made in a while—because Faust's invitation to Fenrir was well-known. As her servant, it was reasonable for Margarete to test Fenrir before the battle.

This benefitted everyone. The lower-ranking individuals thought it was a minor task, while the higher-ranking ones saw it as a chance to curry favor with Faust and were less likely to refuse.

Inothea didn't know where Margarete's confidence came from in believing Fenrir could kill all these people, but whether they died or Fenrir did, it was all gain for her.

As for Margarete… she remained ever faithful to Faust.

Everything else, she probably didn't care about.

*

"So, Rust and WhiteArrow have gone silent too?"

The man playing with a short knife furrowed his brow slightly. "Is this wicked wolf really so troublesome?"

His name was Movich Ohr, nicknamed the Hunter. Though it sounded quite ordinary, he was an invisible high-ranking member of the Whistling Legion, known only to a few within the group and scarcely to outsiders.

He stayed in Dispute Fortress to monitor the ambitious Inothea, ensuring she didn't cause any trouble while Bryce Palmer was away.

Although she hadn't caused any major disturbances… her reckless use of the guild's resources and manpower to assist Faust's follower had already greatly displeased the Hunter.

"Hunter, could it be that lioness Inothea secretly…"

The adventurer beside the Hunter made a throat-slitting gesture, but Hunter shook his head. "She doesn't have the guts to openly defy me. If even one person had died by her hand… she wouldn't live through the night."

Then, he glanced at the girl sitting on a stone not far away and suddenly smiled. "So, why not consider our proposal, Miss Margarete?"

He tossed the dagger. "Compared to that brainless woman, if you need a collaborator, our boss is more suitable and qualified, isn't he?"

It was unclear what the situation with Bryce Palmer was, for the Hunter to think he would cooperate with Faust, who nearly turned his wife into minced meat.

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