A Villain's Way of Taming Heroines

"Here we are! It's inside, just through this passage… and we'll reach the slave black market."

"There's a place like this?" Seraphina's fury ignited, her dark red eyes blazing with a violent flame. "Damn it... I thought it was over once we dealt with that guy! Ada, why didn't any of you tell me about this?"

"Huh?" The young man froze for a moment. "Big boss, you didn't ask us."

"What... do I really need to ask?"

Seraphina, incredulous, turned to her current "follower."

"There are people suffering in other places... You can't just accept that casually, right? If you can't accept it, shouldn't you have told me directly?"

The young man was momentarily speechless, awkwardly scratching the back of his neck, unsure of what to say.

"Now is not the time to scold your subordinates, Miss Fenrir," Ansel said calmly. "Continue leading the way."

"Ah... I, I... yes."

Though theoretically Seraphina's subordinate, the young man, upon hearing Ansel's command, didn't heed Seraphina's opinion. After hesitating for a moment, he quietly complied.

Seraphina, consumed by rage, couldn't notice such minor details. All she wanted now was to tear down this slave black market. She urged the young man to lead the way, her unrestrained ferocity making him shiver involuntarily.

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They navigated through the gaps between stacked houses, the peculiar architecture of the lower city perfectly concealing the black market. Without a hint, someone as reckless as Seraphina would never have suspected that remnants of the Speckled Spider's forces were hidden here.

"Hey, who are you—"

Before the guard at the heavy iron door could finish his sentence, Seraphina grabbed his head and slammed it against the door with a resounding crash. Under the young man's terrified gaze, Seraphina, expressionless, tossed the lifeless guard aside and kicked the iron door open.

Amidst the thunderous noise, Ansel's gaze swept through the sparsely populated dark alley, noting the few shocked faces.

"It seems that due to Miss Fenrir's reputation, business here has significantly declined."

Ansel stepped into the so-called "black market," which was actually a narrow street flanked by stacked, cage-like houses where the transactions likely took place.

"Significantly declined?"

Seraphina's breath hissed with a boiling intensity. "This kind of business... should be ground into the dirt!"

As she spoke, Seraphina was about to follow her senses and slaughter her way through, but Ansel quickly stopped her:

"This is likely within the building complex... Don't be too violent, or you'll collapse the surrounding houses. And leave some alive."

Seraphina's form flickered and vanished in an instant.

Then, without warning, terrifying booms and screams filled the air.

The box-like houses flanking the black market seemed to explode out of nowhere, their exterior walls suddenly shattering. Ordinary extraordinary beings could not capture the rampaging figure in the narrow dark alley, not even her afterimage.

"...Unreasonable," Ravenna murmured, "In just a few days, she has become much faster than when she was in the Hydral territory."

The stunned young man could neither see nor hear her, so Ravenna had no need for discretion. The petite scholar looked up; even without trying, she could barely keep up with the red-black afterimage.

"I thought her previous state was already at the limit of the third stage, yet... she continues to grow?"

Ravenna shook her head and looked at Ansel. "What is her limit?"

"That's hard to say," Ansel chuckled softly, "After all, she is Seraphina."

Where did the Wolf Emperor of the original timeline go after achieving unparalleled power?

The story offers no answer.

Among the four heroines, she alone has no clear ending.

Did she ascend to the unprecedented seventh stage via the Heavenly Road, or did she pierce through the barriers of endless worlds with her might? No one knows. Ansel only knows that the original Wolf Emperor had one purpose after resolving everything and the dust settled—to reach higher and farther places.

Higher and farther places... this was also the vision Ansel once promised Seraphina.

Seri, do you still hold such ambition now?

Bang!

With a gut-wrenching thud, a middle-aged man fell from the sky... no, he was slammed straight into the ground. Blood quickly pooled beneath him, and though his limbs twisted grotesquely, he still convulsed occasionally, seemingly not dead yet.

"I told you to leave some alive, and you really did just that."

Ansel shook his head in mild exasperation. With a casual wave, the man, nearly killed by Seraphina, was yanked up by an invisible force. As Ansel was about to speak, Ravenna raised her hand to stop him.

"Leave it to me. I've done some research on souls for my very existence."

A cold glimmer appeared in Ravenna's violet eyes as she whispered, "Even trash has its uses."

The black market leader, barely clinging to life and utterly confused, convulsed violently, his eyes rolling back into his head. After about half a minute, the man, suspended by Ansel's invisible force, went limp, his head lolling to one side, eyes void of any light.

"Found it."

Ravenna opened her eyes and said calmly, "Salt Lake City, in the home of a retired third-stage adventurer. The teleportation array there isn't active; we'll have to travel overland."

"And all the other slaves who are still alive and haven't been sold... I'll record the hiding spots and hand them to you."

"No need, just give them to our Miss Fenrir."

"...Her?" Ravenna frowned slightly, "Do you want those slaves to be doomed?"

As she spoke, Seraphina, covered in blood and gore, landed from above, still stained with fresh blood and severed limbs.

"Truly fearless."

The fierce wolf spat, her expression ferocious, "Ignoring my existence, huh?"

"According to the memory of the guy you just dropped, it's not that they aren't afraid of you; they simply believe the upper city of Dispute Fortress will immediately send forces to eliminate you."

Ravenna said indifferently, "After all, normally speaking, for you to venture alone into a city ruled by such a powerful faction and oppose the ruling group is indeed courting death."

Seraphina wiped the bloodstains from her face. As she did, the red-black aura emanated from her, cleansing the blood. She sneered, "They are so mistaken, ha... why-why are you staring at me?"

Feeling uneasy under Ravenna's gaze, Seraphina took a wary step back, "What are you planning?"

"..."Nôv(el)B\\jnn

The scholar sighed and turned to Marlina, speaking with utmost seriousness, "If it weren't for you being by her side, I would never listen to this reckless brat's words."

"You overpraise me, Miss Ravenna." Marlina bowed slightly, "I will do my best to assist Miss Fenrir."

Ravenna nodded, then glanced at Seraphina, who looked slightly bewildered, "Ansel and I have found the people, but the teleportation array isn't active there. Ansel and I will head there first; you stay here with... Margarete."

As soon as Seraphina heard "you stay here," her mind went into overdrive, and she reflexively retorted, "Why! I also want to—"

Halfway through her sentence, she remembered how overwhelmed she was with her current tasks. How could she possibly manage to rush to another place?

Seeing that Seraphina wasn't entirely foolish, Ravenna slightly retracted her condescending gaze. Ansel spoke on her behalf, "Ravenna has gathered all the information about the slaves scattered in the lower city. She will hand it to Margarete shortly. You and she can handle this matter, Miss Fenrir."

"Oh, I see..."

Seraphina scratched her head, her innocent demeanor starkly contrasting with her earlier ferocious appearance. "Alright, I won't go then. You—"

"Mr. Faust."

At that moment, Marlina interrupted.

She withdrew her gaze from the young man huddled in the farthest corner and, after a brief silence, spoke with utmost seriousness, "You promised to respond to the client within three days, which means you'd be gone for only a day at most… One day, I want to witness the conclusion of this commission."

After locking eyes with the resolute girl for a moment, Ansel nodded, "Very well, you shall accompany us to Salt Lake City... Miss Fenrir, Margarete will assist you a day later. It's just one day; that should be fine, right?"

"I—"

Initially, Seraphina was comforted by the thought of Marlina's company, but now she was at a loss. She wanted to insist on going too, but the sight of the piled-up documents on the desk and the countless hidden corners of the lower city, possibly harboring more filth like this slave black market, silenced her protests.

"...I understand, just one day."

She smiled, "No problem, you go ahead... but don't forget to bring Mar…Margarete back to me as soon as possible!"

Ansel nodded slightly without further comment and left the dark alley.

A seemingly ordinary commission, with a reward of less than two gold coins, had unraveled so many complications.

Ansel indeed had deeper intentions in accepting this commission, but he could not have anticipated the events transpiring this way. However… such twists and turns were evidently beneficial.

They made this ordinary commission, significant for the astute in their quest to understand the world anew, even more meaningful.

Although Ansel was aware of the likely outcome, he had not manipulated or designed the events, and thus could not determine the conclusion.

Nonetheless, this did not prevent him from taking Marlina to witness it—especially since he was pleased Marlina willingly chose to witness it.

She defied his will once again, and that was excellent... perhaps she hadn't even realized it.

So, go and see, my Margarete.

Go and witness the outcome of mortals… being traded like livestock.

Go and witness this... terminally ill world.

*