A Villain's Way of Taming Heroines

"Faust!!!"

This thunderous roar jolted Ansel from his slumber.

The young man, who had been dozing in his chair, abruptly opened his eyes. The sight of his simple yet immaculate study greeted him, assuring him that he was not amidst that futile battle from three years past.

"..."

The youthful Hydral remained silent for a moment, then slowly massaged his temples, releasing a soft sigh.

"How... preposterous."

When had he become so fragile that even a brief respite would induce dreams?

To date, fifteen dragons had departed from the Celestial Path mountains, including four exceptionally powerful ancient dragon species that had thus far resisted complete corruption by the Abyss. Even in the predetermined future, where dragons fought alongside the empire for their eternal allies, Ansel had gleaned much about draconic reserves.

Yet, whether this truly represented the full extent of the race that still dominated the continent's heart… remained uncertain.

Despite Ansel's ability to gravely wound or even slay formidable fifth-stage dragons, the possibility loomed that some ancient, mighty dragon might awaken from its slumber, its predatory instincts honing in on this rare, potent adversary. Coupled with the increasing exodus of extraordinary beings, the defensive line he maintained teetered on the brink of collapse.

Now, should a fifth-stage dragon appear on the frontlines without Ansel's timely intervention, there was no doubt... a mass exodus of extraordinary beings would ensue instantaneously. The already precarious defense would crumble in an instant, condemning countless Western civilians to perish beneath draconic fangs and talons.

At this juncture, with the dragon calamity showing no signs of abating, that crimson rift remained unopened.

Fate was in no hurry to force Ansel's hand, for its aim was not to compel him to choose between Western civilians and intelligence from that enigmatic force.

Over time, Ansel had come to understand Fate's true desire.

It sought Ansel's submission.

If only Ansel would abandon his quest for vengeance, if only that resolute "never" would fade from his heart, then Fate promised him a life of happiness henceforth.

No enemies, no adversaries. Together with the two heroines now allied with him, he could supplant the destruction and rebirth originally set in motion by the brave, and reform the empire himself.

— You've always despised this decrepit, corrupt nation and its order. Isn't it fitting, then, to place the power to raze and rebuild it all in your hands?

Ansel could almost sense Fate whispering:

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[Let bygone hatred and vengeance be erased. Under my watchful gaze, march towards a new future with all you hold dear.]

"Let them....be erased."

The abyssal creature suddenly chuckled. Uncontrolled emotions triggered an invisible force, enveloping the entire study in a distorted field. The desk, bookshelves, ceiling, floor... all tangible objects were torn, shredded by an intermittently visible blackness. Like paints blending on a canvas, the room warped into an eerily bizarre spectacle amidst Hydral's silent contemplation.

Ansel merely gazed silently into the air before him, his eyes now pitch-black, burning with an unspoken hatred and deathly stillness.

He had learned to face Fate's mockery and malice, to suppress the raging emotions within, concealing them from view. Yet, in Seraphina and Ravenna's presence, he found himself losing control.

If he wished to triumph over Fate, he had erred from the very beginning.

Embracing Seraphina and Ravenna was far more complex than he had imagined. It wasn't just about worrying whether Seraphina would become the predestined Beast King, or if it would merely disrupt his plans to attain the sixth stage.@@novelbin@@

In a moment - brief by Fate's timescale - he would grow weak, become... riddled with mistakes.

If you're unwilling to forsake them, why oppose me at all?

But Ansel could never relinquish his hatred for Fate because of Seraphina and Ravenna, just as they would never abandon the righteousness that drove them to become heroes… for Ansel's sake.

Fate knew this well, never intending to force Ansel's hand in this game. Its sole aim was to make Ansel witness the lengths to which these two girls, whom he had accepted, would go for him.

Ansel's ultimate choice was irrelevant; all that mattered was making him realize he was bound by this eternal curse, that without submission, there would be no liberation.

Between his resolve and his love, Ansel could choose only one.

And this love encompassed not just Ravenna and Seraphina, but the beliefs and qualities they embodied that had changed Ansel - the life he had forsaken, the ideals he had destroyed, the goodness he had trampled... everything that the entity known as Ansel of Hydral once desperately craved but could no longer attain.

In comparison, the choice between saving Western civilians or reclaiming Evora for intelligence from that mysterious force had become utterly insignificant.

Even if Ansel found a way to both reclaim Evora and prevent the dragon tide from breaching defenses and ravaging the West, it would merely solve the immediate problem.

Fate's move had transcended the chessboard, aiming to transform Ansel - who had endured such prolonged suffering and despair - from an opposing player back into a mere pawn, subject to Its whims.

Yet Ansel, who typically confided everything in those two girls, found himself unable to voice this torment.

How much did Ravenna worry about becoming Ansel's burden? How devoted was Seraphina to offering her strength for Ansel's cause? And if Ravenna discovered her fears had already materialized, if Seraphina realized her devotion was tormenting Ansel at every moment... how would they face themselves?

...Such anguish, akin to treading through brambles, was not for them to experience.

This explained the ineffable loneliness Ansel felt as Seraphina and Ravenna pursued their individual goals.

In truth, he had already sensed it then - not a feeling of abandonment, but an awareness of an unwarranted weakness in his heart, one he knew not to whom he could confess.

"...There must be a way."

The dark hatred gradually receded from Ansel's eyes, though only momentarily.

He sensed that Fate had left him little time. He would have to make a decision, and his resolve would be unwavering.

Be it ten thousand torments or a million tortures, if hatred's fuel was merely pain, if vengeance's price was eternal bondage... if that was all there was to it -

Then he would bear this curse and continue his battle against Fate, never relenting, never submitting, until his dying breath!

He might not sacrifice everything to defeat Fate, but he would never relinquish the despair and fury he alone had borne for six years. He would find a way, just as he had countless times before, discovering a path to corner Fate in seemingly unwinnable situations.

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