A Villain's Way of Taming Heroines

As they discussed these topics, the tension between them dissolved quietly, not because of something as shallow and fragile as "for Ansel's sake," but due to a deeper mutual recognition.

"Alright, I'm done talking to you. If I keep talking to myself like this, I'll really get noticed." Seraphina stretched lazily, full of energy. "I'll leave this area to you. I'm going to the upper street. See you."

Ravenna intended to nod in response, but as she glanced at the surrounding ruins and the people throwing bodies into the pit, a flicker of hesitation crossed her eyes.

Just as Seraphina was about to leap to the upper district, Ravenna suddenly spoke, her tone unusually serious, almost as if she were… proposing something important?

"Seraphina, wait."

Ravenna rarely addressed Seraphina without calling her a stupid dog. After a brief pause, she spoke in a low, serious voice. "Can you accept Marlina's explanation?"

"…"

The cheerful smile on Seraphina's face froze.

When it came to Marlena, her stubborn and unpleasant temper always took over. The girl looked visibly upset, even slightly angry.

"What do you want to say?" she retorted. "Ansel accepted Marli's words... and I caught that revolutionary myself. How could there be any issue?"

Regarding the chaos and riots in the lower district, Marlina's explanation was that... the Revolutionary Army was behind it.

She claimed that the Revolutionary Army, driven by certain motives, deliberately disrupted the order of the lower district. Not wanting to involve Seraphina, she intended to handle it alone. Despite her efforts to control the chaos, the results were minimal.

The matter of the alarm system was due to the fear that the Revolutionary Army would dismantle it immediately after installation. Originally, they planned to install it discreetly over time, but the riots erupted unexpectedly.

Furthermore, Boneblade's escape further corroborated this claim. As Seraphina put it, "That guy still has some conscience left."

However, many doubts linger within this explanation. For instance, if they knew the Revolutionary Army was causing trouble, why not seek assistance from the Whistling Legion instead of avoiding Seraphina?

Why would the Revolutionary Army dare to make moves knowing Seraphina was in the lower district? Marlina addressed these questions with remarkably subtle reasons.

"Not seeking the Whistling Legion's help was due to my wish not to let them control everything. Helping the residents of the lower district and stabilizing its order is to enable their self-reliance, not to make them more dependent on the gifts of extraordinary beings."

"As for the Revolutionary Army... perhaps they harbor a deeper strength. The revolutionary encountered by Miss Seraphina might have an extraordinary mission."

The former, though somewhat flawed, was understandable given Marlina's pride as a mortal. She had previously devised plans considering the residents' self-will. The latter, though entirely speculative, was not without merit.

Ravenna doubted that the riots were so simplistic, but Marlina's answers were impeccable. The serene girl standing there, answering with ease, gave her an elusive sense of difficulty.

This feeling, though slight, was something Ravenna had only experienced when contending with Ansel.

Marlina, despite the rarity and subtlety of the feeling she brought, had inexplicably begun to faintly exude that aura.

Ravenna exhaled deeply, striving to maintain a rational tone and emotion, and spoke to Seraphina with utmost seriousness:

"The traces of orchestration in this riot are too obvious. Look at the surrounding streets; ordinary brawls couldn't have caused such damage to buildings. Those gang members concealed a few low-level extraordinary beings and had inferior alchemical firearms and explosive tools."

"Answer me, Seraphina, do you think the numb residents of the lower district could face these things without collapsing and instead annihilate the opponents completely?"

"...What's so impossible?"

After a brief silence, Seraphina, with her head slightly lowered, murmured, "In Red Frost City, the entire city's civilians dared to threaten Ansel."

"That's different, they—"

Ravenna's words suddenly faltered. Instinctively, she felt there was a fundamental difference between the civilians of Redhawk and those of Dispute Fortress, but she couldn't immediately articulate it.

So, she had to change her approach reluctantly. "Don't you find many things in her explanation too coincidental? Why was she captured right after you returned? Why did a force suddenly emerge to test Ansel? Is the chaos in the lower district a chance for that revolutionary to escape, or did she merely seize the opportunity to fabricate this excuse?"

"I know it's hard for you to accept that Marlina could do such a thing. For that very reason, you should delve deeper and uncover the reason behind her malevolent actions. We cannot let her continue down this path of error—"

"Enough."

Seraphina's gaze turned icy as she looked at Ravenna. "You're just suspecting Marli. Because you doubt her, nothing she says will convince you otherwise. There's no point in continuing this conversation."

Ravenna frowned slightly. "If that's how you see it, then I have nothing more to say. I believed you've grown significantly in this time, which is why I wanted to discuss the truth behind this riot with you. But if you think there's nothing worth discussing... then, take care of yourself."

Her figure dissolved into particles and vanished without a trace. Seraphina, after Ravenna's departure, slowly clenched her fists, murmuring her sister's name softly.

"Marli... Don't deceive me."

*

In Marlina's office, Ansel was seated at the desk where she usually spent countless hours each day, perusing the documents spread out before him.

"Have you already contacted Inothea to attribute the details of this riot to the Revolutionary Army?"

Ansel asked without looking up. Discover stories with My Virtual Library Empire

"Yes," Marlina replied, bowing her head slightly. "Miss Ravenna... she didn't fully believe my explanation."

The young Hydral smiled. "Though she can't match Seri in intuition, she is, in fact, sharper in this regard. I've taught her some things, and she's learned a great deal on her own. It's only natural she wouldn't let go easily."

"Perfecting the Revolutionary Army's justification... it's not easy to cover all the details and doubts—how long did it take?"

-->