Taming the Protagonist

Chapter 15: My Taming

What’s the core of taming animals, training pets?

Not methods, not patience, but… understanding.

Understanding is the prerequisite for all taming, the key to making them nuzzle your palm when you reach out.

So, when Anselm saw Hitana’s expression shift at her parents’ words, he knew the time was ripe.

With a casual, almost dismissive attitude, he said to Hitana, “Do you truly believe those nobles’ gestures were due to your ‘strength’?”

“What… are you saying, Lord… Hydra?”

Hitana’s voice came oddly, like a suppressed growl from her throat.

“Miss Hitana, at twelve, you were expelled from the Northlands’ premier academy, Tianlu Tower, after just one semester.”

Anselm stood, his ever-present snake-headed cane now a black whip-blade gripped tightly, as if holding a wild horse’s reins.

Rifling through a bookshelf, he continued leisurely, “In that single semester, you went from an ordinary person with no supernatural ties to the second stage of the Path to Heaven, Crystal Stair. You broke Tianlu Tower’s record for fastest advancement.”

“A remarkable genius, no?” The young Hydra glanced back, smiling brightly at Hitana.

She said nothing, clearly not cherishing that academic memory.

“But why would Tianlu Tower expel such a genius in just one semester? Oh… let’s review your heroic deeds, Miss Hitana—”

“Publicly humiliating less-skilled young instructors with inflammatory remarks, hm… six times; causing injury to classmates with excessive brutality in public duels, twelve times; repeatedly making disrespectful statements against nobles and imperial laws in public—”

Anselm waved a thick report, chuckling, “It seems Tianlu Tower wasn’t blind to your worth, Miss Hitana. Rather, they were extraordinarily lenient.”

“You know nothing!”

As Anselm finished, Hitana lost her composure, her beastly roar echoing through the study. “The city nobles treated me like a savage beast from the wilds. If they wanted to humiliate me… they’d better be ready for me to break their limbs!”

Her body surged, the blades pressed against her snow-white skin nearly slicing into her thin flesh.

“Oh, calm down, calm down, Miss Hitana.” The intricate, seemingly unwieldy whip-blade obeyed Anselm perfectly, not leaving a single mark on her despite her agitation.

“I understand your anger,” he soothed gently.

“…” Hitana exhaled slowly, averting her gaze. “You’re a little different from them.”

Anselm paused at her words, then burst into laughter. “I think you’ve misunderstood something, Hitana.”

“My understanding isn’t sympathy for your plight. It’s… knowing the true source of your anger.”

The devil whispered softly, “You resent your own foolishness and weakness.”

“…”

“Your family spent ninety percent of their savings to send you to Tianlu Tower, a testament to their hopes and determination.”

“But you—” Anselm flicked a sheet of paper to Hitana’s feet, his tone cooling.

It was a notice—an expulsion notice.

Its cold words declared the fall of a prodigy from Tianlu Tower, like a meteor crashing.

“You failed them.”

“It wasn’t my fault!”

Anselm’s words tore open Hitana’s deepest wound. Ignoring the blades binding her, she stomped the notice to shreds, snarling, “It was that place, those people who couldn’t tolerate me! Those nobles couldn’t stand a twelve-year-old village girl outshining them!”

“Look, look, Miss Hitana,” Anselm loosened the whip-blade’s grip slightly, sighing. “You always refuse to admit your mistakes.”

“I didn’t—!”

“Shh.”

The whip-blade’s tip pressed against Hitana’s throat.

Anselm placed a finger to his lips, whispering, “Listen to me, Hitana.”

“You hate every noble equally, seeing them as foolish, vile, narrow-minded, incapable of tolerance.”

“First, I’ll concede the Empire is in its twilight, and most nobles you’ve seen fit that mold. But ask yourself, Miss Hitana, when you displayed your unmatched talent at Tianlu Tower… was there truly not a single noble who showed you kindness? Did every noble, in that moment, reveal only ugly jealousy?”

Anselm watched Hitana freeze, smiling as he stepped closer. “You know how it was. So why… why did every noble become your enemy in such a short time?”

“The answer’s simple—little Hitana, who despised nobles deep down, not only rejected their kindness but scorned them with haughty disdain.”

“Because you believed in your talent’s greatness and placed your pride and dignity even above that.”

“That’s why you were so furious, dear Hitana.”

The handsome noble neared the snow-haired girl, murmuring with relish, gazing at her trembling form, his tone gleeful, “Your family’s shock, disappointment, anger, and eventual forgiveness made you realize your mistake. As you grew, you began to understand. In the dead of night, you’d wonder—if you’d accepted even one noble’s kindness, would things have turned out differently?”

“You regret hating that twelve-year-old child, that ignorant, arrogant, foolish child… the foolish you.”

“Shut up!!”

Hitana’s dark red eyes quaked wildly, her pupils distorting as if shattering and reforming, eerie and unhinged.

She roared, lunging at Anselm, but the whip-blade held her fast, leaving only faint blood marks.

“Angry already? But this is just the beginning, Miss Hitana.”

Anselm stood an arm’s length away, smiling calmly. “Back to our original question—what made you a ‘big deal’? Your strength? Crystal Stair? A mere second-stage?”

The blond youth shook his head, sighing. “Miss Hitana… do you know how many Crystal Stair transcendents are in the Northlands, or even just Chishuang Territory? Do you know the level of Count Ironstone’s head guard? Why do you think those nobles, in just one night and morning, scrambled to impress you—for a mere Crystal Stair transcendent?”

“Oh… I know what you’re thinking. You believe they saw your unparalleled talent, like the mentors at Tianlu Tower who fought to keep you.”

“But here, Hitana, I’ll tell you plainly.”

Anselm Hydra, bearer of the ultimate beast Hydra’s demonic blood, delivered his judgment expressionlessly. “You’re worth nothing.”

“No one cares about your talent or strength. Hitana, you need to understand one thing—your existence, in the eyes of Chishuang’s nobles, has but one value.”

“—To win my favor.”

“Bullshit!”

Hitana roared, “Then why not fawn over you directly? Why not send those gifts to your door? Hah! Do my parents, ordinary people, have value to a big shot like you?”

“That’s why, Hitana,” Anselm stepped closer, gently patting her head with pity. “You’ve grown, yet remain blind.”

“Why? Because you received my leniency, my indulgence.”

He twitched his fingers, the whip-blade nimbly binding Hitana’s arm as she reached for him.

Smiling, he continued, “See, like this.”

“I forgave your offenses, your rudeness, your arrogance… countless times.”

“I ignored your crude words, laughed off your brash actions—do you know what that means to nobles, Miss Hitana?”

Anselm’s touch was tender, like stroking a lover.

“It means you’re immensely important to me, worthy of such leniency from the cruel, venomous, terrifying Hydra in their eyes. Your joy improves my mood.”

“So, Hitana… everything you gained has nothing to do with you.”

“—It’s merely my mercy granted to you.”

“Hy… dra!”

The whip-blade binding Hitana groaned with metallic strain, her pale skin contrasting with the dark weapon, forming a bewitching, eerie tableau.

And the tableau’s protagonist underwent an even stranger transformation.

Her dark red eyes, fixed on Anselm, twisted and contracted, diverging from human pupils.

Her irises, in her roar, seemed to bleed, morphing into… beastly eyes!

“Hydra!!!”

Anselm leaned back slightly, frowning. “It seems you’re still reluctant to face reality, Miss Hitana… Fine, I’ll tell you something even harder to accept.”

“Tying back to our analysis… After your expulsion from Tianlu Tower, you learned to curb your arrogance. You knew not to be too brazen before nobles or those with more power, even if your true nature slipped out over time. At least initially, you could pretend.”

“Otherwise, with Crystal Stair strength after leaving Tianlu Tower, you’d have killed the tax collectors fleecing your village long ago, and you and your sister wouldn’t have been so easily captured by Count Chishuang, right?”

“So here’s the question—why, when we first met, were you so insolent?”

Anselm’s true malice bared its deadliest fangs.

“Hitana, I studied your records thoroughly and reached an intriguing conclusion.”

“You have many talents… but the one that fascinates me most is your near-omniscient intuition.”

“Like sensing hostility and killing intent at the banquet, tracking prey, or possessing a beast’s survival instincts to seek advantage and avoid harm, correct?”

Anselm watched Hitana struggle furiously, intent on pinning him and tearing his throat, yet his tone remained leisurely. “You can vaguely sense someone’s character, even their essence. So when facing dangerous, limb-chopping nobles, you restrain your volatility.”

“But conversely… with harmless targets, your savagery and arrogance grow unchecked. Am I right, Hitana?”

—Of course, that wasn’t true.

Hitana’s blood-borne defiance made her bow to no one.

She briefly yielded to harsh nobles only for her family’s sake.

That’s why the future Heavenly Wolf Empress was so invincible—having lost all she cherished, she ascended to higher enlightenment.

But Anselm didn’t want that future, nor would he allow Hitana such enlightenment.

So, in this protracted verbal butchery, Anselm prepared his final, fatal blow.

“Your insolence toward me wasn’t a lapse in controlling your brashness.”

“It was your intuition telling you… I wouldn’t punish your offenses.”

“Hah… hah… Hydra, Hydra…”

Hitana, now collapsed to her knees, her voice feral and inhuman, struggled madly as Anselm pressed on mercilessly, “You used me.”

“You provoked me, offended me, confirming your intuition, growing ever bolder.”

“Hydra… I’ll… kill…”

“Then, you even leveraged my leniency for gain. Though not intentional, you followed your intuition without hesitation, didn’t you?”

“Kill you… kill you!”

“And afterward, you smugly claimed all the credit, hm… In a way, you did orchestrate it, didn’t you?”

Hydra sighed with pity, delivering the cruelest hammer with feigned regret, shattering the young wolf’s cherished dignity, “Hitana, you’re so base, so cunning, so…”

“Cowardly.”

“HYDRA!!!”

Her near-mad roar shattered the study’s windows.

Rage, hatred, savagery… boundless fury granted Hitana strength beyond her current self.

Snap—!

The whip-blade binding her broke under brute force.

Her blood-red eyes left lightning-like trails in the air.

The blood-streaked, snow-white girl howled, pinning Anselm to the floor in an instant—Anselm himself hadn’t reacted.

Yet he wasn’t worried.

Even if Hitana could crush his neck in a moment.

For he had long chained this ferocious young wolf with bonds that tightened without his pulling.

In this moment, driven by self-loathing and nameless rage, Hitana should have lost all reason.

But before… she’d heard the chime of the future, sweet and clear.

Father, Mother, Sister, village…

[If Hydra dies, what happens to them?]

When that thought flashed through Hitana’s mind, her hands stopped.

—Though they already gripped Anselm’s neck.

“I…”

Straddling Anselm, the near-naked, bloodied girl trembled.

“What… am I doing?”

She stared at her shaking, released hands, asking in confusion, fear, and emptiness, “Why… am I doing this?”

“No… it’s not like that… I didn’t mean to use…”

For things she hadn’t done, she’d never raged this fiercely—just beaten the offender soundly.

But moments ago, that all-consuming killing intent… could her intuition, her heart…

Was she truly, subconsciously, exploiting Hydra’s… leniency?

“Impossible, I couldn’t… I’d never…”

“*Sob*… how could I… be…”

“…be… that kind of person?”

The girl atop Anselm lost all strength, weeping in helpless confusion.

“How unsightly, Miss Hitana.”

A pitying sigh sounded beside the wailing young wolf.

“Be it your frenzied outburst or your helpless tears now.”

Anselm sat up, an arm around her waist, drawing a silk cloth from his collar to wipe her cheeks, murmuring warmly, “Both are quite unbecoming.”

“Hy… Hydra… let go! What are you doing?!”

Her shattered dignity was Hitana’s last stand, but the thought of the consequences of her earlier actions stilled her.

She could only protest verbally.

“Is it strange that I don’t want my follower to look so pathetic?” Anselm tilted his head at her.

“…”

Hitana froze, letting Anselm deftly wipe her face clean.

“What… Did you say?”

Still sniffling, she spoke in disbelief, heedless of her state or their proximity. “I… a follower? You… Do you still see me as a follower? Weren’t you… out to get revenge?”

“See, Hitana, your old habits are kicking in,” Anselm chuckled.

Hitana’s cheeks flushed, and she turned her head. “But I… I just tried to—”

Anselm shrugged. “You stopped—though that’s a lie.”

He reached out, pinching her chin, lifting her face slightly. “Let me give you my answer, the truth behind your intuition, Hitana.”

“I’ve been so lenient because I believe in your worth.”

“Remember what I said at the banquet? ‘You’re worth nothing to me now.’ But that’s only the current you, Hitana.”

He gazed into her now-normal dark red eyes. “You’re not wrong about yourself. You have the talent for greatness, and I’m certain of it. That’s why I tolerated your offenses, your foolishness, your savagery—until your performance that night disappointed me too much.”

“But now, you’ve returned with reasons, sincerity, and the calm to stop yourself at the last moment despite my humiliation. So I think you deserve another chance.”

Anselm’s face drew closer.

Hitana leaned back in panic, but his face stopped just short, their noses nearly touching.

“Hitana, are you angry?”

“I… angry about what?” The young wolf averted her gaze weakly.

“The feeling of being looked down on,” Anselm said lightly, “of being seen as my appendage, scorned into the dust—are you angry about that?”

Unsure of Anselm’s intent, Hitana dodged, “I—”

Anselm cupped her face with both hands, locking her gaze, his voice and expression turning deadly serious. “Answer me, Hitana—are you unwilling, furious about this?”

“…” Unable to look away, Hitana was forced to meet those sea-blue eyes.

In a fleeting daze, she felt… something coiling around her.

“I…”

The rage that had just cooled flared without warning.

Hitana grew restless in her weakness, volatile in her restlessness, chaotic in her volatility.

In her chaos, the girl clenched her teeth, shouting in reckless abandon, “Isn’t that obvious?! How could I stand it?! Why should I only get those things because of you?!”

Panting, she glared at Anselm “Happy now? Gonna call me selfish again?”

Anselm laughed heartily. “No, no need. This is perfect. Hitana… I need you like this, your anger, your… greed!”

He gripped her cheeks, his sea-blue eyes blazing with a rare, pure fervor seen by few. “Prove it to them, Hitana. Prove you’ll be a greatness they bow to, not Hydra’s footnote.”

“Until then, I’ll be your sustenance, your nourishment, your strength. If you have the capacity—devour me wholly!”

In the young wolf’s stunned gaze, the mad Hydra vowed, “This is my promise to you, and you must become my aid.”

“Dear Hitana—”

The devil, having preached, extended his invitation, “Will you sign this contract, witnessed only by us?”

“…”

Hitana was silent for a long moment, then answered with equal gravity, “My temper’s hard to control sometimes. Are you sure about this?”

“Could it be worse than just now?”

“I—ugh, fine, I won’t argue!”

Hitana glanced away instinctively, then forced herself to meet his eyes, saying word by word, “I agree, Hydra. If you can do what you say, then… use me however you want!”

Anselm smiled, satisfied. “Excellent. Now, let’s seal our pact with a perfect guarantee.”

An uneasy premonition gripped Hitana. “W-What are you planning?”

Anselm said nothing, grabbing the whip-blade from the floor with a flick.

Its broken parts, snapped by Hitana, reassembled instantly.

He tossed it behind the desk, hooking something and flinging it over.

The gleeful Hydra caught it with his other hand. “Put it on, Hitana, as proof of our contract.”

Hitana’s brain short-circuited at the sight of his hand’s contents.

“You—you!” she shrieked, incredulous. “You want me to wear this?!”

—It was a collar!

“I’ll often have you by my side, Hitana, but can you guarantee…” Anselm pointed at her mouth.

“I said I’d tolerate your savagery, but the wilder you are, the more it seems I favor you in others’ eyes. No need to repeat what that means, right?”

Anselm unfastened the collar, saying casually, “What you gain through my mercy isn’t yours—it’s mine. Without my permission, you can’t claim it freely. Understand?”

Hitana eyed the collar warily. “What’s this got to do with that thing?”

“It ensures I can stop you from saying or doing anything reckless instantly, unnoticed.”

Anselm stated calmly, “And it can be removed anytime.”

The girl hesitated long, then snatched the collar, glaring fiercely as she put it on.

“How does this—ahh!!”

She let out a sharp, slightly coy yelp, trembling and collapsing into Anselm’s arms.

“It looks like a simple collar, but it’s forged with a Thunder Hawk’s magic crystal, releasing variable currents at my will—don’t worry, the max just numbs you a bit.”

Anselm propped her head on his shoulder, chuckling. “How’s it feeling, Miss Hitana?”

“Hydra…”

Weak, twitching, and mortified, Hitana roared, “You’re no good after all!!”