A Villain's Way of Taming Heroines

"Oh, I already said you don't need to tell me!"

But Seraphina, who had absolute trust in Marlina, didn't give it much thought and wouldn't have even considered it.

She hugged Marlina tightly again, smiling brightly. "Marli, you care so much about these things, working from morning till night. You care about them even more than I do!"

In Seraphina's eyes, her sister was infinitely more reliable and kind-hearted than a fool like herself.

She devoted herself to her family, was friendly to the villagers, and even after following Ansel… she never turned into a villain. She never looked down on commoners, treated everyone well, and always managed to do things perfectly!

If she couldn't trust Marlina with things, Seraphina truly didn't know who else she could rely on.

"I understand, Miss Fenrir."

Marlina smiled gently and radiantly at the girl before her, who seemed to be brimming with strength and on the verge of transformation. "From now on, please rest assured…"

"...and leave everything to me."

Seraphina's eyes widened slightly and her expression turned to wild joy. "So, you mean... I don't have to learn all those strange things and can leave them all to you?"

"Yes, I will take full responsibility for everything in the lower district."

Marlina bowed slightly. "You only need to focus on Mr. Faust's trials."

"Yay!"

Seraphina, who had been wanting to hand everything over to Marlina but felt it was too much to ask, cheered excitedly. "That's great, Marli! Oh, I mean, um, thank you."

"It's no trouble at all, Miss Fenrir."

Marlina said softly, "During your duel with Mr. Faust, please remember not to reveal your identity. Mr. Faust bestowed this trial likely to confuse the outside world and obscure your relationship with him."

"Hehe, I get it! I was just thinking about how not to give myself away."

Miss Wolf laughed and clenched her fist determinedly. "I won't let you and Ansel down, don't worry!"

"Nor will I, Miss Fenrir."

Marlina gazed at her sister, her red eyes—sharing the same blood—had grown increasingly dark, as if shrouded in a cold shadow.

"I won't disappoint Mr. Faust, not at all."

She gave Seraphina one last bow before turning and leaving.

"Goodbye, Marli! If you run into any trouble, come find me anytime!"

Seraphina waved vigorously at her dearest sister, watching her leave. Finally, unable to contain the passion welling up inside her, she leapt and cheered with joy.

From now on, I really don't have to worry about anything and could fully focus on my battles with Ansel!

Marli, my dear Marli, I love you sooooo much!

Uh… wait a minute.

The wolf girl, frolicking in the backyard, slowed her movements and eventually came to a complete stop.

She belatedly realized something.

[I really envy you.]

Oh no! Didn't Ansel tell me not to say that to Marli? It would make her very sad!

Seraphina slapped her forehead, her face immediately showing a worried and panicked expression. She hurried to the backyard gate, ready to catch up with Marli and explain.

But as she placed her hand on the doorknob, she hesitated.

… Marli didn't show any signs of being upset at that moment, did she?

Thinking back to when Ansel told her that, it was a long time ago. The Marli of today is no longer the same; she's so formidable now, trusted by Ansel, no longer a minor character.

It's very normal for me to envy her… isn't it?

Chasing after her to explain might make Marli feel insulted, as if I underestimated her, which wouldn't do at all...

With this thought, Seraphina released the doorknob, deciding not to explain anything.

Luckily, I'm smart enough to avoid another potential trouble! Marli didn't show any signs of being upset, so why am I worried?

If anything was strange, it was why Marli asked me that question. Why would she doubt that I truly care about the people in the lower district? That is quite odd...

Never mind, Marli probably just wanted to push me to learn those strange things. It doesn't matter. From now on, I just need to focus on my battles with Ansel.

With this in mind, the pure-hearted wolf once again immersed herself in her endless pursuit of strength.

On the other side, Marlina walked down the corridor with light, ghostly steps.

She knew very well that Seraphina cared deeply for the commoners of the lower district. So why did she ask that question?

Because she wasn't asking Seraphina; she was asking herself.

"Evil deeds," the girl murmured softly. "Am I committing evil deeds?"

Ravenna's questioning had left Marlina bewildered and panicked at the time, but soon after, Marlina regained her composure, falling into a state of simple confusion.

She carried this confusion to her sister, using the question of whether she truly wanted to help the commoners as a way to interrogate her own actions.

Regrettably, Seraphina did not provide Marlina with a sufficiently clear answer. However, she did lead Marlina to a new key point.

— Miss Wolf had guessed correctly: Marlina no longer cared about phrases like "I envy you."

She was no longer that village girl from the Red Frost territory, favored by the goddess of luck, who had become Ansel's follower, absorbing knowledge day and night, terrified of missing the opportunity before her.

Thus, Seraphina's words did not cause Marlina any discomfort; instead, they reminded her.

Capability.

There are things Seri can do that I can't. But conversely, there are things I can do that she cannot.

Not just in governance, not merely in ordinary clerical work, but in deeper matters that Seri or even Miss Ravenna might not be able to accomplish.

—I know what Mr. Ansel wants.

When Mr. Ansel intervened back then, it wasn't necessarily to help me out of a predicament. He needed an opportunity to explain why I was by Fenrir's side.

But at the same time... he wasn't merely acting with this thought in mind.

Mr. Ansel knew what I wanted to do; he knew I would use dark methods to coerce the commoners of the lower district, to test their limits, to control their behavior.

Because he wanted to do the same... but for some reason, he hesitated.

It was as if, according to Mr. Ansel's original plan, he intended to control the Executioners to better disguise Faust's identity, just waiting for the right moment.

And I acted on these two matters first.

Meanwhile, Mr. Ansel did not stop me, so he wasn't cleaning up after me but rather... walking the path I paved for him.

So, are the so-called evil deeds necessary?

Mr. Ansel wants to become the sun. Indeed, as Miss Ravenna said, he has a deep-seated desire for goodness.

But at the same time, Mr. Ansel is remarkable, great, a genius who has seen through so many things.

He wouldn't be as naive as Seri, as you are, Miss Ravenna.

—Change without sacrifice is impossible.

Mr. Ansel understands better than anyone how arduous and challenging it is to alter this twisted world, so he wouldn't choose to hold onto such naive fantasies.

Heroes exist only in fairy tales, while Mr. Ansel is a reformer living in reality.

If none of you can agree with his methods, if you all insist on being fairy tale heroes…

Then I will become Mr. Ansel's cornerstone. I will become Mr. Ansel's fuel.

In Marlina Marlowe's dark eyes, two black suns seemed to rise.

For my... sun.

*