A Villain's Way of Taming Heroines

Recently, there has been a subtle shift in the winds of the Imperial Capital.

It is common knowledge that the Elder Princess Evora and the Etheric Academy are at odds.

Not to say that the Etheric Academy dares to confront Evora, after all, her ascension to the throne is only a matter of time, and no one wishes to be purged by this tempestuous princess.

However, this centuries-old, largest organization of sorcerers, and the old fellows who maintain this organization... have some degree of confidence.

— Although this confidence is utterly insignificant in front of the Empress, if the Empress were the kind of madman who would uproot such a large organization at the slightest displeasure, the Empire would not have survived to this day.

This small confidence and value allow the old fellows of the Etheric Academy to ambiguously state "We will always support Her Majesty" when expressing their stance.

They will support the current Empress, but they do not refuse to occasionally do something to support Evora, in case they are purged after the Elder Princess ascends to the throne.

The current Empress must, of course, be supported, as for you... you will become the Empress sooner or later, so why rush?

Evora detests this kind of equivocation and slippery cunning, and currently, the Etheric Academy is basically on the Empress's side, so she naturally has a considerable dislike for the Etheric Academy.

Therefore, when the Tower of Babel was first established, Evora gave a little help. She didn't take this ridiculous thing that aimed to challenge the Etheric Academy seriously, she just wanted to disgust those old fellows, just as those old fellows disgusted her.

But as time passed, when Ravenna demonstrated the value of the Tower of Babel with violent innovation... everything changed.

She began to personally endorse the Tower of Babel, using her own deterrence to limit the Etheric Academy's oppression of the Tower of Babel within a certain range, allowing the Tower of Babel to develop to this day, becoming the sorcerer organization representing the forefront of Etheric studies.

It can be said that the Tower of Babel is completely under the control of the Elder Princess, after all, they seem to be increasingly prosperous, but in fact, they are walking on thin ice, they never have a choice.

If it weren't for Ravenna's initial efforts to turn the tide, the Tower of Babel would have inevitably collapsed under the ruthless gaze of fate, and she would have embarked on the lonely path of becoming a hero.

However, all of this was changed by the small gun barrel that Ansel gave to Ravenna.

And now... after a long silence, fate, which has already woven a new network, is preparing to send Ravenna back to her original trajectory.

The so-called original trajectory —

Is naturally to let the Tower of Babel collapse and let Ravenna embark on the path of revenge and exile.

"Speaking of Miss Ziegler."

Inside the Hydral Manor, in the understated yet luxurious reception room, Master Soren, the soul master, is swinging his wine glass with his legs crossed, chatting happily with Ansel:

"She actually destroyed part of my prohibition, a third-stage girl can do this... Ansel, your vision is as perfect as ever."

As he said this, he took a sip of wine, then let out a long, satisfying sigh: "Your taste in wine is also admirable."

"Excellent wine, excellent winemakers are treasures of the world, I heard that there is an outstanding bartender in the chaotic region of the West."

Soren held the wine glass in front of him, admiring the pale silver wine in the glass: "But after tasting the wine you made, Ansel, I think I can't be interested in other people's wine anymore."

"If you want, there are many types of wine in the manor." Ansel smiled, leaning back lazily and comfortably on the sofa, his index fingers crossed in front of his abdomen, "Feel free to take it."

"... Although you say so, I'm not the kind of person who likes to be polite." Soren clicked his tongue, laughed a little awkwardly with a subtle embarrassment: "But thinking about it, I seem to have done something wrong to you."

"Oh? What do you mean, Lord Soren?"

"It's about the mechanical armor."

The man sighed somewhat troubled: "I didn't intend to give the mechanical armor to that old fellow Nasema, but..."

The fifth-stage sorcerer, who has seen countless storms, was quite shocked: "I unexpectedly found out that he suddenly got the soul orb of the previous dynasty, and it's almost complete, not just some fragments!"

"You know." He spread his hands with a bitter smile, "I can't refuse that thing, and the preciousness of that thing can indeed be equivalent to the mechanical armor."

Ansel just straightened up slightly, took a sip from his wine glass, and said in a relaxed tone: "I have already given you the structure of the mechanical armor, how to use it is naturally your business, and if you take it to exchange benefits, it's also quite normal, isn't it?"

"Even so... it has caused you a lot of trouble, hasn't it?"

This extraordinary being, who has a straightforward personality and doesn't seem to like playing with souls, said unhappily: "Nasema actually gave that thing directly to the Elder Princess... this old fellow, playing both sides, is quite skilled, and will play himself to death sooner or later."

"Because of this, the Tower of Babel is bound to face greater pressure. If you, Ansel, take the initiative to protect Miss Ziegler, it is very likely that others will notice, and she will have to bear more, and it will inevitably cause friction between you and the Elder Princess."

Soren thought more and more that something was wrong, slapped his forehead, and regretted:

"How did I happen to see the matter of the soul orb from Nasima's agent at that time. At least a little later would be fine, after all, according to your ability, Ansel, it wouldn't take long to get that little girl, and it wouldn't have to be like this now... Ah, I was impulsive at that time, I didn't consider you, Ansel, it was my fault."

He looked at Ansel and said sincerely: "If you need anything, just tell me! After all, this involves your pact head, if it ruins your business... I'm really afraid of being caught by Mr. Flamelle and turned into a potion!"

Even at this time, the thought of "Ansel won't be so petty" flashed through Soren's mind, trying to stop him from saying this, but...

If at first he had some doubts about Ansel's intention to take Ravenna as his pact head, but after sensing that the prohibition was broken, Soren had no doubt at all.

This soul prohibition has a great degree of sealing, but at Ansel's request, Soren left a clever loophole that does not require too much reliance on strength, but requires ample knowledge and talent to discover. The difficulty of finding this loophole... Soren admits that it is no different from forcibly dismantling the prohibition.

And now, this prohibition is obviously unlocked by Ravenna herself, this terrifying talent, if she becomes a pact head in the future, who knows how strong she will be!

After all, in the entire Imperial Capital, there is no one who can forcibly dismantle that soul prohibition—except for the Empress who stays in her Anthicheg Palace all day, and the Elder Princess who has a great desire for power.

The Flamefeast, of course, wants to burn when it wants to burn, but where does Ravenna get the face to let the Elder Princess personally remove the soul prohibition? Are you kidding me!

So, the hesitation that rose in his heart was instantly swallowed by Soren's firm mind, and no waves could be turned up.

The young Hydral looked at this soul master who was sincerely apologizing to him, and his face did not show any surprise, which made it difficult to delve into where his calmness came from.

"Since Lord Soren has said so."

The playwright, who saw his script perfectly performed on stage, chuckled: "There is something, I do seem to need your help."

Soren breathed a sigh of relief, then laughed heartily: "No problem, whatever it is, just leave it to me... By the way, that Miss Ziegler... really no problem?"

Although he is a neutral party in the Etheric Academy's Supreme Nine Seats and hardly participates in anything, Soren has some understanding of the direction of the entire Etheric Academy and is also very clear about the conflict with the Tower of Babel.

He knows the foundation of the Etheric Academy better than Ravenna, better than the people of the Tower of Babel. Although the construction of mechanical armor is an incredibly huge project, under the full operation of the Etheric Academy, if it is also combined with the Alchemy Association, the Tower of Babel can be said to be powerless.

If Ansel does not intend to directly help Ravenna... then what should he do to help her survive this disaster?

"Well..."

Ansel put down the wine glass in his hand, stood up, slightly raised his head, looked at a certain place, the gentle smile on his face hid a profound meaning:

"I am now, preparing to give her a hand."

*