A Villain's Way of Taming Heroines

The Redemption Water of the Holy Church also offers the possibility of transcendence to the ordinary, but its essence is to elevate the extraordinary, while Eileen's idea was diametrically opposed to it.

Not to make the ordinary extraordinary, but to let the ordinary... control the extraordinary.

His tragic end goes without saying, the most desperate end of an idealist, nothing more.

So... Ravenna believes that the original murderer and mastermind, who even wanted to kill Eileen, who was so down and out and had almost no chance of rising again, would naturally want to kill her, who not only inherited Eileen's knowledge, but also had a talent not inferior to his, and even had the support of Hydral.

After all, the young Hydral might really promote the development of that fairy tale for fun, and when Flamelle died, the greatest sage in the history of the empire's alchemical legacy, plus Hydral's accumulated astronomical resources inherited by Ansel, the Tower of Babel and Ravenna would have a more solid capital to try to promote this matter.

In fact, Ravenna is also preparing to do so, but she is much more cautious and careful than her grandfather.

In this way, her inference is indeed reasonable.

"Then, by accompanying you, have I not rendered you a significant favor?"

Ansel's gaze skimmed the floor, finally resting on a chair, now in a state of decay.

In the memory he beheld, Eileen Ziegler had met his end seated on this very chair. A young and eager Ravenna, clutching her minor experimental results, had come rushing to find her grandfather, only to be greeted by his lifeless form.

"I won't deny it," Ravenna, engrossed in her search for clues, responded calmly. "With you present, the dangerous assassin, or even the puppet master behind the scenes, would not dare to lower their guard. If I do enough covers, they won't discover that I'm investigating the truth of the past."

"Ensuring your personal safety as well... truly a case of killing-well, protecting two birds with one stone."

Ansel chuckled at this, the image of Eileen's death surfacing in his mind, the absurdity of the truth only serving to brighten his smile. "Should I, perhaps, demand some... compensation from you?"

"Agreed."

Ravenna responded without hesitation.

"Ah? When I initially asked if you wanted to learn the truth about your grandfather from me, you didn't respond like this."

"The cost was too high then, I couldn't afford it."

The impact of Eileen's death on Ravenna was something both of them understood well. Ravenna knew that if she entrusted this matter to Ansel, coupled with the Tower of Babel, she might as well have sold herself entirely to him, leaving no room for a comeback.

But if it was just this kind of "help"...

"You certainly know how to seize an opportunity," Ansel couldn't help but laugh. "Such petty calculations aren't endearing, Venna."

"So, in addition to the price I pay you, I will also offer something extra."

The petite woman turned to look at Ansel, speaking earnestly, "You come to use me, to stir up a dispute between the Empress and Evora. How about it?"

Ansel looked at Ravenna, who was not joking in the slightest, and raised an eyebrow slightly. "How did you... suddenly come up with this?"

"Although I agreed to help Suellen deal with Evora, it doesn't mean I have any affection for the young princess."

Ravenna spoke expressionlessly, "The same goes for our Empress."

"Since you and Evora are at odds now, why not take this opportunity to strike at her, and throw the problem to the empress. You just need to give me the command, the responsibility... you don't have to bear."

Her words were extremely bold, using Suellen to get the cause of Eileen's death, and introducing Ansel, the big snake, into this transaction. Not only did she want to have her cake and eat it too, she even planned to drag the empress into it.

"Whether Evora is severely punished by the empress, or the empress is influenced in some way, it should be good for you."

The current empress and Hydral have gone their separate ways, each waiting for the final madness. It's even possible that there might be a world-shaking fight. Anyway, anything bad for the empress is definitely not bad for Hydral.

"...Interesting."

Ansel chuckled and nodded, "Although I never thought about getting involved in your little transaction with Suellen, now that you mention it, I'm a bit interested. Alright, I agree to this transaction."

"Although you say this is an extra gift beyond the price, seeing as my dear Venna is so sincere, I'll reduce the price a bit."

The young Hydral's mouth curled up slightly, his interested smile indicating that he was obviously thinking about something not so good.

"Tonight, I'll come to find you. Remember to prepare the puppet you used before."

"..." Ravenna's eyelids twitched, "Do you have to use the price... in that way?"

"What? Would you rather I use this price to torment you? That's not impossible."

"...I see. Do you have any other requirements?"

"The only requirement is..."

Ansel suddenly appeared behind Ravenna, leaning down to whisper in her ear, "You have to be prepared, Venna, both physically and mentally."

Ravenna stood still for two seconds, then suddenly turned her head to stare at Ansel:

"Did you deliberately intervene, already planning this?"

To ensure that she wasn't completely devoured by someone like Ansel, Ravenna had a very simple and effective method.

That was to always tell herself — whatever I can think of, Ansel can definitely think of, and even more comprehensively and perfectly.

This concept helped Ravenna avoid many traps called "self-righteousness".

"Well..." Ansel, harmless to humans and animals, smiled, "I won't always be thinking about how to calculate you."

That gentle smile, in Ravenna's eyes, could be equated with an admission.

"You can tell yourself that, don't expect me to—"

Before she could finish, the detector in her hand suddenly reacted.

"..." Seeing this, Ansel raised an eyebrow slightly, but said nothing.

"Someone has been here... merely five days ago!"

Ravenna's attention shifted to the detector. Although it hadn't consumed much of her time and its principle was rather straightforward, its effectiveness was not to be underestimated. It was incapable of investigating the tragedy that occurred fifteen years ago, yet it was more than sufficient to detect traces of someone's presence from… five days prior.

Faced with this uncanny "coincidence", Ansel merely crossed his arms and chuckled, "Can you track them?"

"It should be feasible. The individual doesn't appear to be a high-ranking power. The traces they left are subtle, but tracking them should be straightforward."

Ravenna took a deep breath, she hadn't anticipated that the clues would come so effortlessly.

The fact that they left such easily traceable evidence likely indicates that they are not the one who murdered Eileen. However, their presence here is enough to cast suspicion upon them.

Her gaze swept over a chair placed in the room, then she closed her eyes and remained silent for a long while. When her eyes opened again, they were filled with a bone-chilling danger and coldness within their profound purple depths.

"Let's go, Ansel."

"Aren't you worried I might cause some disruption along the way, stirring up the snake in the grass?" Ansel asked.

"You wouldn't be so tedious."

"You have quite the confidence in me."

Ravenna didn't respond to Ansel's words. She left the dilapidated, deserted old house, following the tracking traces provided by the detector without hesitation, advancing towards the target.

However, when they arrived at their destination, neither she nor Ansel had expected such a... bizarre turn of events.

"This is truly..."

Standing outside the grand gate, Ansel looked at the luxurious mansion within, his expression somewhat subtle, "How should one comment on this..."

Saying this, he couldn't help but laugh, "But honestly, being able to witness the situation unfold like this, it was indeed worth the journey... don't you think so, Venna?"

Standing beside Ansel, Ravenna remained silent.

Because the name of this mansion was Ziegler Mansion, once a testament to her grandfather Eileen Ziegler's glory in the imperial capital.

Now, or to be more precise, even earlier, the owner of this mansion was no longer Eileen, nor was it her.

It was Ravenna's... parents.

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