A Villain's Way of Taming Heroines

But now... he had to bow down under the terror of the Elder Princess in order to maintain the Tower of Babel, he had to participate in factional struggles that he was not accustomed to and could not possibly like.

He needed to make connections with many powerful nobles or extraordinary forces, providing them with weapons or some inexplicable alchemical tools, to ensure that the Tower of Babel could still protect itself under the threat of the Etheric Academy when Evora was too lazy to manage them.

How pitiful...

"Since Mr. Rundell thinks so, I'll just say it straight."

Ansel changed his posture, leaning slightly forward, and said in a rather serious tone, "About the purpose of my invitation to the manor this time."

His serious look made Hendrik a little nervous, the pitiful leader of the Tower of Babel sat upright, "Please… please tell me."

"For all the people of the Tower of Babel."

The evil serpent, with sincere eyes, looked at Hendrik and said firmly and decisively:

"Mr. Rundell, please choose to give up, to surrender voluntarily."

"..."

Hendrik was stunned.

He thought he had heard something wrong, but looking at Ansel's unbearable yet serious eyes, he began to think carefully about what he had just said.

"Surrender... voluntarily?" the man murmured softly.

"Yes, surrender voluntarily."

Ansel explained softly, "Voluntary surrender can prevent this meaningless war from happening, and it won't put your defeat on the table. In this way, Her Highness won't swing her butcher's knife at you out of excessive rage."

"Although I want to get fairness for you, this is an unfair duel, a tool for Her Majesty to extinguish Evora's arrogance. Her Majesty doesn't care about the war itself... she just wants Her Highness to admit defeat."

"But—" Hendrik was almost persuaded by Ansel, in this great despair, he seemed to have really found a path with the smallest cost, "But, what about Her Highness? She would never agree! She would rather bleed the Tower of Babel dry than bow to Her Majesty, unless the bloody facts are in front of her, I—"

"I can take responsibility for persuading her, Mr. Rundell."

Ansel said softly, "I can't save the Tower of Babel, but I can definitely save you, save the lives of those remaining precious talents."

"In the name of Hydral, I assure you."

This young nobleman, who has a good reputation in the capital and even the whole empire, his voice is gentle and kind, but full of power.

The affairs of the Red Frost Territory have long been spread throughout the streets and alleys of the capital, countless people are discussing what kind of person the next generation of Hydral is, some praise his integrity and greatness, some denounce his hypocrisy and venom, and the latter are always attacked, and those who attack them are often from the Hydral Territory, or have lived in the Hydral Territory for a period of time.

Hendrik's view of Ansel's reputation is also somewhat skeptical, because he is no longer a simple scholar, in the process of dealing with many nobles, he no longer believes that there are any truly good nobles in this world.

But until this moment, until the young man in front of him said to him in a very solemn tone, "I assure you in the name of Hydral," Hendrik, as an elder, a scholar, a fifth-stage sorcerer, a man, actually felt a little sour in his eyes.

He could have not cared about anyone, doing whatever he wanted, like that Elder Princess, even if he had not yet achieved the sixth stage, he had the audacity and qualification to dominate everything.

But he didn't do that.

He respected him, respected his partners, and recognized... their ideals and abilities.

A divine species of the sixth stage, with a non-playful attitude, out of recognition, wanted to save their lives.

Even more so, he wanted to prevent that meaningless war from happening, wanted to prevent more innocent people from dying tragically because of the mad actions of that tyrant.

The feared creature from the abyss... at this moment, offered them a pure salvation without asking for anything in return.

"L-Lord Ansel, I..."

The man, perpetually under immense pressure, half-covered his eyes, "My apologies, I... I seem to have lost my composure."

Ansel chuckled softly, soothingly saying, "I understand the burden you bear now, Mr. Lundell. You need not provide me with an answer at this moment. Before the impending war, I will do my utmost to alleviate the tension between Her Majesty and Her Highness. When the time is set, I will notify you. All you need to do is make a decision before then."

"To fight to the death for ideals and glory is admirable, but to retreat for preservation and the future is not shameful."

The young Hydral stood up, patting Hendrik's shoulder, sincerely saying,

"After all, I have no right to make choices for you."

These words solidified the resolve of Hendrik, who had never had a choice before.

"...No, Sir Ansel, there is no need for you to wait."

He lifted his head, looking at Ansel with unwavering determination,

"We... choose to surrender. Even if the Tower of Babel collapses, even under the oppression of the Etheric Academy, even if we can never rebuild the Tower of Babel, as long as the young ones, my friends, my companions can survive, then everything... is acceptable."

"Are you certain?" Ansel asked gravely, "Won't you discuss it with the other members of the Tower of Babel?"

"No, there's no need. They will surely agree."

Hendrik laughed as if a weight had been lifted, his smile tinged with bitterness, but mostly, it was relief.

"These years... we've always had it tough. Perhaps, the Elder Princess's brutality, Her Majesty's game, are all signs from fate... The Tower of Babel might never have been meant to exist, we might all just be fools chasing illusions."

"Just because of one failure, there's no need to belittle your own ideals, Mr. Rundell."

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