A Villain's Way of Taming Heroines

The office desk and chair, overly spacious for Ansel, rendered his seated figure somewhat hilarious. Yet, his focused and serious demeanor exuded an aura of awe-inspiring authority.

In the midst of Flamelle's increasingly frequent ventures into the Zero Realm Enigma, seldom returning to his domain, Ansel had fully taken over the governance of the Hydral territory — despite his unreliable father being a lord who neglected his duties, relying entirely on his subordinates, it was precisely because of this that Ansel was able to transform vast knowledge into practical experience and capabilities at a terrifying speed, with the aid of these subordinates.

Upon completing the last document and setting down the quill, the young boy leaned back in his chair, exhaling softly.

"Saville," he murmured, eyes closed in rest, "How is the situation in Creekwood City being handled?"

The old butler, appearing suddenly like a specter at Ansel's side, bowed and replied, "As per your instructions, the Baron of Creekwood has been hanged at the city gates. The consolation and compensation for the victims are also underway."

Saville, saying this, stealthily observed the young lord with closed eyes, noting a semblance of relaxation and peace on his face.

For Ansel, who devoted all his energy to learning, becoming stronger, and now managing the affairs of the Hydral territory, the stability of order and the well-being of his people seemed to be a source of joy, something that genuinely brought him ease and pleasure.

While Saville pondered this, Ansel had already stood up, jumped down from his chair, and said, "I plan to inspect the southern part of the territory. Inform my mother that I won't be back for lunch today."

Saville nodded in agreement, vanishing from the office, while Ansel approached the door, donned his coat from the rack, placed a round hat on his head, and, picking up a finely crafted ebony cane, stepped out.

The old butler was unaware that Ansel's time in the study was never solely spent on administrative duties.

Although memories from another world were like a vast library available for his perusal at any time, the young Ansel did not see this as a reason to seclude himself.

Knowledge only reveals its true value when spread.

However, Ansel had no intention of fully disseminating it just yet, merely preparing for it. He documented and compiled books of great importance in his eyes, using the script of that other world, and began to seek out talented individuals to nurture, preparing for future transformations.

Indeed, he was also preparing for a change in his own future.

With a scepter in hand, the boy whose eyes gleamed with profound depth, treaded smoothly along the desolate corridor.

The memories pertaining to the so-called "game" were vast and intricate. Most importantly, for Ansel, it was impossible to skim through these memories swiftly. He would not overlook any scene or detail, hence the analysis progressed slowly.

[Heaven] [Truth] [Redemption] [Beast King] [Hydral] [New World]

These were the six major chapters of the game, and also the general direction of Ansel's gradual research.

As expected, Ansel's current primary focus was on researching the [Hydral] chapter, to understand what had transpired to transform him into what he would become in the future, and what exactly would lead the lofty eternal divine beings to their downfall. Ansel was determined to unravel these mysteries.

The version of himself from the original timeline, who had not received these memories, was not much different except for being less mature and more lively and cheerful, because, with or without the influence of knowledge from another world, Ansel of Hydral had the best parents in the world.

Regarding the study of these memories, Ansel had not yet surpassed his current timeline. Firstly, he had spent a lot of time verifying the authenticity of these memories, and secondly... he was somewhat fearful of advancing those memories, apprehensive that he might soon foresee a dreadful future.

"Perhaps, it's time to focus on the other heroes."

The young Hydral whispered in his heart, "If they could be eliminated now... would that future inevitably be averted?"

Although his main research was about his own story, Ansel also had some understanding of the other heroes.

"Sky Wolf Emperor, Seraphina Marlowe; Source of Truth, Ravenna Ziegler; Saint of Sin, Xin; Will of Heaven, Isa Zelie..."

"Among these four, I cannot find the position of the key hero Zelie, so the most suitable target is only... Seraphina Marlowe."

Ansel understood in his heart and had scheduled the assassination of the future Sky Wolf Emperor.

Even if it was impossible to strangle the hero in the cradle, eliminating the extremely dangerous Beast King ahead of time was also a good choice.

After considering this, Ansel did not forget the purpose of his journey. He felt that the method to change the future would not be limited to just one.

Improving the empire might solve the problem at its root.

Recently, the young Ansel often entertained this belief. Based on this, he even proactively thought—if he could reform the empire before these heroes, then perhaps everything might not happen.

This was also why, as Ansel gradually improved the Hydral territory, he also appeared serene.

The boy, deep in thought about his inspection plans, had already traversed the long corridor and arrived at the stair landing, yet Saville was nowhere to be seen by his side.

"..."

The young Hydral tapped his scepter lightly on the ground, his head lifting in resignation as he guessed what might have transpired. He turned his gaze towards the special room where Annelisa cultivated her flowers and took steps towards it.

Upon reaching the doorway, Ansel overheard his mother's indignant voice:

"There's no way! He must stay for lunch today! No, he must also stay for dinner!"

"But madam, the young lord had already planned..."

"The villagers are right there, and they aren't going anywhere. Inspections can be done anytime—and besides, Mel has never done them, so why should Ans?"

"It's... the young lord's hobby."

"Ah! So Ans wants to pursue his hobbies, even if it means he won't join his mother for a meal!"

"..."

The elder's silence made Ansel shake his head, and entered the room without knocking the door.

He stood at the door with his scepter, spoke in a calm tone, "Please do not trouble Saville, and also..."

He paused, continuing earnestly, "Father made the room's soundproofing very effective; there's no need for your voice to carry through, letting me know you're upset."

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