Novel Full Chapter 589 The Heart Sunk In Darkness- II
Seraphina opened her mouth, the grievance on her face slowly turning into a hint of anger.
Marlina had been like this ever since she came to her side.
No matter how much Seraphina tried to please her or be affectionate, Marlina always kept this frustrating and painful distance.
Ansel had reminded Miss Wolf many times, so she knew why Marlina behaved this way—to avoid relying on her, to prevent Ansel from showing any favoritism because of her…
But there was no one else here, not even Ansel or his subordinates. Why continue treating me like a young lady of the house!?
Continue reading stories on empire
Her accumulated grievance turned into anger. Seraphina huffed, propping her legs up on the table in defiance. “I’ve never maintained any decorum since I was born, and I won’t start now!”
“…Then I’ll continue—”
“I don’t want to hear it, Marli!”
“My name is Margarete, Miss Fenrir…”
“I don’t care,” Seraphina glared at her sister, “You look like my sister, so I’ll call you whatever I want, okay?”
Marlina could only rub her temples and, after a brief silence, continued in a calm and composed voice, “At the very least, allow me to briefly explain the purpose of this decision.”
Seraphina initially wanted to stubbornly refuse, but felt that being too temperamental wouldn’t be good either. Finally, she pursed her lips and reluctantly agreed.
“By commissioning the Executioners to eliminate most low-stage extraordinary beings without special backgrounds, under the guise of commoners, we can…”
“… Wait, why must it be under the guise of commoners? Will they even accept it?”
Seraphina scratched her head, listening earnestly.
“Those extraordinary beings don’t regard commoners as people at all.”
Precisely because of that.
Marlina mused silently.
Precisely because they don’t see them as people, but as tools and playthings for their own amusement, even the meager rewards offered by commoners will attract adventurers.
In their eyes, the stories behind the commoners’ commissions—their humble suffering and hopes, their insignificant existence—are the true reward.
That’s why Mr. Ansel took me to the Executioners. From that moment, he was already hinting at… the true nature of this world to me.
As Marlina contemplated all this, she chose not to share it with her sister.
She didn’t believe Seraphina was suited to understand such matters. Her personality would only react to this suffering with an inexplicable… trouble.
Perhaps one day in the future, she might gradually reveal these truths to Seraphina, but certainly not now.
Thus, Marlina didn’t answer the question directly but said instead, “They will accept the commission, and you must issue it in the name of all the commoners in the lower districts.”
“Huh?”
Seraphina was taken aback. Hearing that she had to represent others directly, she couldn’t help but ask, “Shouldn’t I ask for their opinions first?”
“No,” Marlina sternly refused. “You just need to do it, without considering their opinions.”
Marlina’s response made Seraphina immediately retract her legs from the table. She straightened her back, leaned forward slightly, and exclaimed in shock, “How can it work?!”
“I’m here to help them, not control them! Even if we’re doing this, we should at least listen to their opinions.”
Why? There are too many reasons… The more you care about the opinions of commoners, the weaker you appear. Do these commoners truly have the courage to unite and commission the Executioners to handle issues in the lower district? And if you can’t muster the resolve to suppress their opposition, those in the upper district will only become more oppressive. Why can’t you see this?
Seri, you are still so… naive.
A sense of helplessness rose within Marlina. The thought of Seraphina “helping” so many people along the way filled her with deep-seated fear.
What became of those Seraphina helped? What became of those places?
She could only slowly and as clearly as possible break down the reasoning for Seraphina.
“I… see.”
Somewhat understanding why they couldn’t seek the commoners’ opinions, Seraphina lightly nodded but still felt unsatisfied. “Isn’t there a better way? They’d be very angry being represented like this.”
“They won’t be,” Marlina shook her head.
The people here were long accustomed to the rule, or rather… the enslavement of extraordinary beings.
They endured all manner of suffering, waiting for the rare miracles and boons from these beings—whether given out of caprice or genuine desire to save.
Just once could change a lifetime.
Though still extremely reluctant, Seraphina could find no way to refute Marlina’s proposal and had to accept it with great displeasure.
She disliked this position, and this… responsibility.
Why must I compromise? Why couldn’t I… just sweep away all obstacles and beat those bastards until they dared not commit any more evil? Seraphina couldn’t help but think.
“As long as we use this method to clear out the unstable elements in the lower district…”
“Wait, if it’s about dealing with bad guys, I can handle it myself.”
Before Marlina could finish, Seraphina interrupted again, “There’s no need to involve the Executioners… Right! That way, there’s no need to issue a commission in the name of the commoners.”
At this point, the young girl couldn’t help but feel proud of her sudden inspiration.
“…Miss Fenrir.”
Marlina tightened her grip on her notebook slightly, striving to keep her voice steady and devoid of emotion as she asked softly:
“How long can you do that?”
“…Huh?”
“How long can you personally handle the problems of the lower district of Dispute Fortress and protect the commoners living here?”
The young girl gazed at her sister. Even after enduring long periods of travel and combat, her face still retained an enchanting beauty. No matter how prolonged the fatigue, her skin remained as supple and radiant as ever.
But Marlina? The intense workload of late had left her eyes bloodshot, with expensive makeup barely concealing the dark circles beneath. Her skin seemed slightly sallow. Marlina rarely bothered with her appearance, but she was always careful not to lose her composure in front of Ansel.
Despite her efforts to mask her fatigue, the minor physiological changes silently spoke of the frailty of her existence.
Seri, how I envy your confidence in saying… “I can solve everything for them.”
The mortal girl with slightly lowered eyes whispered this in her heart, while outwardly saying to Seraphina, “If you intend to stay in Dispute Fortress from now on, becoming the ruler of the lower district, then I have nothing to say about your hands-on attitude towards everything.”
“I… I certainly don’t want to stay here!”
Seraphina became flustered, “Haven’t I been looking for a suitable manager? Why would I want to stay here?”
“Then how long do you think you can protect them?” Marlina countered.
Seraphina fell silent.
After a long pause, she responded wearily, “So, Marli, you mean that as long as we use the commoners’ names to commission the guild to deal with the trash in the lower district, in the future, when they encounter trouble, the commoners will unite and find their own solutions… Is that it?”
Seeing Seraphina’s cautious yet hopeful eyes, Marlina nodded gently.
“Yes, that is the correct choice.”
—No, this is a lie.
Nothing will change. Even if we use the commoners’ names to commission the guild to solve the problem this time, once Seraphina leaves, once time slowly passes, everything will revert to its original state.
Guided by Ansel, Marlina had seen the true nature of this wretched world and knew that nothing would change.
Most adventurers would not genuinely help the commoners, and the commoners would never rise against the extraordinary beings.
Once Seraphina departs, the flames of resistance will extinguish, the boiling lake will return to stagnant water. There is no other possibility.
If there is… it will only be the path Mr. Ansel is determined to carve out that might lead to a hopeful future.
As for why she needed to lie to Seraphina…
Looking at her, Marlina knew she wouldn’t look back at the places she had saved once her mission was complete. Otherwise… she wouldn’t remain so naive.
It’s enough to resolve the issue reasonably before her eyes. As for what comes after…
Marlina looked at her notebook, where she had meticulously recorded and summarized a mountain of issues.
Are you only helping Seri to complete Mr. Ansel’s task, intending to ignore the continuation of their miserable lives, Marlina?
But what can you do, Marlina?
You are not a hero who can leap in to save a child from an oncoming carriage, nor a strong figure who can halt it by sheer force.
You are just… a bystander who can do nothing but gasp in shock.
So, if you are to do something…
Unnoticed, the girl’s delicate fingers had crumpled the pages of the notebook she had turned.
Her slightly lowered eyes reflected a dark longing.
You must… gain power.
*