A Villain's Way of Taming Heroines

“Ansel! You promised that one was mine!”

The tiny figure standing on the mechanical god’s shoulder pounded its majestic head. “How could you just blast it like that?”

“Stop that pounding,” Ravenna’s displeased voice rang out before Ansel could reply. “Or I’ll throw you off.”

“Tch, I’ll get down myself, no need to throw me… I smell many dragons nearby. No need for you and Ansel to send me off, my hunt begins here.”

Seraphina snorted, leaping down from hundreds of meters high, further shattering the already ravaged street. She casually dusted off her clothes.

As she was about to look up and tell Ansel not to worry, that she’d be fine on her own from here, her peripheral vision caught a figure seated in a wheelchair amidst the settling dust.

Seraphina’s lips parted slightly, but she remained silent.

Nine, however, paid no attention to Seraphina. Instead, she gazed up at the iron demon more majestic than any king, struggling to stand from her wheelchair to curtsy.

Her reverence was that of a devotee praying to their deity, yet she exuded the elegance of a lead actress about to take the stage, radiating a distinct calmness and… confidence.

“The adventurers of City of Riftland have been dealt with, Mr. Ansel.”

Ansel’s figure appeared on the mechanical god’s shoulder. He surveyed the shattered domain below, noticing the few surviving adventurers trembling amidst the ruins. Their expressions, a mix of terror and reverence, gave him a good idea of what Nine had done.

The hem of his black coat billowed in the wind as Hydral gazed at the distant mountains, visible like a stairway to heaven.

“Slaying dragons during a Dragon Calamity is indeed an adventurer’s duty,” he said absent-mindedly, still looking into the distance.

“But forcing them to face a fifth-stage dragon like this was perhaps too much, Nine.”

“I was overzealous, Mr. Ansel,” Nine acquiesced to Ansel’s “criticism” with utmost docility. “Please punish me as you see fit.”

“We’ll discuss this after the Dragon Calamity ends.”

Ansel withdrew his gaze from the distance, looking down once more at the frail girl in the wheelchair who was gazing up at him.

…Does she truly not care at all?

Faced with a dragon directly invading a city, most adventurers, unless utterly vicious and chaotic, would choose to lure the dragon away.

Dragons, influenced by the Dragon King’s hunting desire and abyssal corruption, weren’t completely out of control. They sought meaningful destruction, craving battles with the strong and hunting quality prey. Thus, if the strongest adventurer in the domain immediately left the city, the dragon would likely follow.

Adventurers viewed ordinary people as playthings, property, and resources. It was precisely for this reason that they wouldn’t accept a pack of mad dogs indiscriminately destroying what they considered theirs.

Though not born of virtue or benevolence, adventurers, in the vast majority of cases, would loathe to see their domains of hedonistic indulgence razed to the ground. Nine, undoubtedly, comprehended this principle.

Yet, she refrained from luring the dragon away. Instead, she engaged in combat within the city against this behemoth whose mere roar could reduce the entire populace to a bloody mist.

The recent blast was only unleashed after Ravenna confirmed the absence of any living souls in the city… or rather, Ravenna herself, in a fit of rage, had obliterated the dragon with a single shot, without Ansel even lifting a finger.

Even if compelled to act within the city, Nine could have easily summoned greater power to vanquish the dragon instantly, but she chose not to.

Completing tasks beneficial to Ansel held paramount importance for her.

Thus, she cared neither for the lives of civilians nor for those of adventurers. She sought only one thing… the outcome Ansel required.

“However, henceforth, we must not allow adventurers to perish in vain.”

What more could Ansel say to this?

The adventurers deliberately left alive by Nine would undoubtedly spread word of this unprecedented, terrifying power… No, given Nine’s nature, she likely arranged for the event to be recorded.

Henceforth, he need only affect a modicum of concern for the adventurers to remain aloof from the situation.

This Dragon Calamity, if exploited judiciously, would indeed prove far more efficient than tepid attempts to establish a new order in the Western Lands.

Since fate no longer moved its pieces with hesitation, Ansel’s counterattack ought to be equally incisive.

By demonstrating overwhelming power in this catastrophe, then allowing troublesome adventurers to perish en masse on battlefields against dragons, he could temporarily quell the chaos in the Western Lands without expending effort to construct a system barely capable of stabilizing relations between extraordinary beings and mortals.

This would allow Ansel to focus his energies on more crucial matters.

The cost, however… would be prolonging the Dragon Calamity that could otherwise end swiftly, causing the demise of many who need not perish in this disaster.

If not approaching from a purely utilitarian perspective, but simply to combat the Dragon Calamity, Ansel could save far more lives.

I promised Venna I would no longer sacrifice everything to triumph over fate.

This wasn’t strictly necessary either. If it were merely a matter of restoring order to the Western Lands, such radical measures might not be required… I could afford to wait.

Ansel, who once refused to grant fate even the slightest opportunity for interference, failed to notice how many times he had internally reassured himself, “I can afford to wait.”

Now, he felt only a repugnant sense of hypocrisy.

Despite still coldly weighing lives and judging their value, still considering profit even as disaster struck, utterly incomparable to Seraphina and Ravenna who genuinely cared for the victims, he made decisions cloaked in righteousness.

He knew not how long this self-loathing would accompany him; perhaps only upon fulfilling his long-cherished wish… would he find release.

Hydral, standing in the celestial firmament, lowered his gaze slightly. A flicker of weariness passed through his sea-blue eyes, discernible only to those who had been watching him intently from the very beginning.

“Nine,” Ansel spoke again, having initially intended to depart and directly intercept the formidable fifth-stage dragon.

“I plan to summon extraordinary beings from across the empire to aid in this Dragon Calamity. You and Rhine shall handle the necessary coordination and arrangements.”

“…” Nine fell into an inexplicable silence, offering no response to Ansel.

Gazing at her ebony mask, Ansel knew Nine was undoubtedly contemplating actions diametrically opposed to his decision.

“This time,” Ansel’s tone chilled slightly, “you will refrain from any superfluous actions.”

With that, his figure vanished from atop the God from the Machine. The steel demigod transformed into a streak of black light; as dragons commenced their hunt, the true hunter would begin his slaughter.

Nine, seated in her wheelchair, watched the black light disappear on the horizon, her interlaced fingers tapping lightly, seemingly lost in thought.

Nearby, Seraphina, resolute in her determination to pull Nine from the abyss, also observed her.

Since encountering Marlina, Seraphina had not uttered a single word, uncharacteristic of her nature.

Yet Seraphina understood that the current Marlina was no longer the sister she once knew. Until she could rescue her from the self-effacing abyss, words held no meaning.

Seraphina cast aside her distractions. Once the Dragon Calamity ended, she could initiate her plan to save Marlina. For now… her sole focus was dragon hunting!

After a final glance at her familiar yet foreign sister, she turned to leave. Throughout, Nine had not spared Seraphina even a fleeting look. Discover stories with My Virtual Library Empire

“Lord Crow,” Nine suddenly chuckled, “Mr. Ansel did not entrust you with the task of coordinating the extraordinary beings.”

From the shadows of the ruins came Crow’s raspy voice: “Indeed, I’m ill-suited for such matters. You and Rhine are most appropriate. Don’t get carried away. I warned you, your presumption will eventually trouble Lord Ansel.”

“He’s well aware, hence his recent order.”

“Refrain from… superfluous actions. Remember that, Nine.”

The shadow crow, never revealing itself, fell silent, presumably departing on other assignments. After a brief pause, Nine let out a low chuckle:

“Superfluous actions, hm…”

What truly constitutes superfluity?

Mr. Ansel, despite harboring clearer considerations than anyone, you’ve taken actions superfluous to your interests, revealing your true desires.

I should offer heartfelt congratulations and joy, if only…

If only you didn’t suffer for this, I wouldn’t contemplate what you deem superfluous.

“Contact Lady Rhine, Nerilia. Given this direct order from Mr. Ansel, we should execute it with utmost haste.”

“…Understood. Wait, where are you going?”

“Hm… To seek an ambitious soul, luckier than I in some ways, less so in others.”

Nine’s cryptic words were delivered nonchalantly. “She shouldn’t mind lending me a small favor.”

Nerilia’s gaze instantly turned glacial. “You still intend to act superfluously?”

“Merely doing what I must… Ah, I nearly forgot. I’ll need to access the Shadewell’s archives as well.”

The wheelchair inched forward, carrying the unremarkable, frail girl through ruins strewn with corpses and blood.

She who once chased the sun now increasingly preferred to linger in the shadows.

*