A Villain's Way of Taming Heroines

— According to the detailed and specific creation methods and ideas provided by Ravenna, three top alchemists, at the cost of one life and one sanity, finally created the Etheric Armament that surpassed Material Armament.

That day, Evora\'s wild and arrogant laughter echoed over the imperial capital. No one knew what kind of power this tyrannical princess had gained from the Etheric Armament, but it was enough to give her the courage to disregard Ephesande\'s authority... It seemed her gains were extraordinary.

Flamelle continued his final creation, with Annelisa always by his side, while Helen, who had seized Ravenna\'s soul, was preparing a gift for Ansel.

At Ansel\'s suggestion, Seraphina and Marlina were visiting relatives in the Red Frost Territory and were not expected to return for at least half a month.

In the vast Hydral estate, Ansel appeared solitary.

However, Ansel never felt lonely. Compared to the six years he had endured, this superficial solitude was insignificant.

The young Hydral was reclining on a deck chair on his bedroom balcony, half-closing his eyes in a leisurely nap, feeling very content.

He was slowly and meticulously reminiscing, reviewing everything he had done and all he had gained since returning to the imperial capital.

"Here, it ends."

Stay connected with empire

Ansel opened his eyes and sighed softly, "What a long and torturous journey."

This four-year-long training had come to an end. Former friends had become daughters, and Ansel felt a twinge of regret, but no remorse.

In fact, he still harbored a final doubt in his heart: Helen\'s feelings for him were… too intense and vivid.

This was why, even though Helen had defeated Ravenna, he had not immediately told her about fate.

But upon closer thought, this question was not difficult to answer: Helen\'s soul and Ravenna\'s originated from the same source. Her outpouring and dependence on him were merely the suppressed feelings Ravenna had for him three years ago.

Therefore, Ansel hoped Ravenna would lean towards him, but in the end, he did not get what he wanted.

The world is seldom perfect, just as he gained Seraphina, yet sowed a seed of unease for his future; he won Helen, but forever lost his former friends.

...Perhaps, there will never be another such person.

But loss is loss, and as long as it adds to the arsenal against fate, such sacrifices are inconsequential.

After all, Ansel had long resolved himself to far more ruthless decisions.

The young Hydral opened his pocket watch, glanced at the time, and his lips twitched slightly.

—It seemed he intended to display his usual charming smile, but some inner emotion prevented him from lifting the corners of his mouth.

"You have six hours and fifty-seven minutes left."

He closed the pocket watch, looked up at the sky, and a deep blue wave surged in his eyes.

"I am certain you have other means, other preparations... Is it some detail I failed to perceive, or have you, who always pursues reason, finally abandoned that arrogant principle?"

"...Regardless."

Ansel stood up, tightly gripping the scepter named Gleipnir, crafted for him by Flamelle after Annelisa\'s death, and softly said:

"I know you will not stand idly by as I gain the power to ascend to the sixth stage… a full decade ahead of time."

Not only the pact heads he needed, not only the heroines destined to overthrow the empire, but in that bleak future, Ansel, who ceaselessly sought a breakthrough, had long ago identified a crucial juncture.

That juncture was the moment his father, Flamelle of Hydral, after nine years of gathering unimaginable materials, completed his greatest creation.

This juncture, determined by Ansel after countless analyses, was pivotal enough to change everything, and it required minimal effort and energy from him to achieve.

However, though it required little effort and energy, it demanded Ansel possess a sufficiently cold and ruthless resolve, as dark as an abyss.

After traversing six years of arduous trials, Ansel had finally steeled his resolve.

The resolve to sacrifice everything.

"Helen\'s side should be wrapping up soon."

Muttering to himself, Ansel left the bedroom and headed towards Helen\'s alchemy workshop.

His steps were slow; Ansel, who was never in a hurry, walked even more slowly for some reason.

His gaze lingered on the paintings on the walls, the decorations in the corridor, pristine and as new as ever. These ornaments, seemingly devoid of stories, held Ansel\'s gaze for a long time, as if he were trying to pick up the fragments of the past, scattered memories.

The Hydral estate in the imperial capital had stood for nearly a millennium. Although the Hydral family rarely resided there, the empress had to show them respect.

Ansel had lived in the imperial capital for two years when he was eight. At that time, he had not yet unearthed all the knowledge about this world from his vast memory. He was proud of his talents and gifts, and delighted by his parents\' love and tenderness.

In the eyes of the young Hydral, everything was beautiful. He had the opportunity to change the world and indeed possessed the ability to do so.

Merely gazing at these ornaments, Ansel could recall the joy and happiness of the past... but the past, after all, was just the past.

His current life had long been reduced to a battle against fate, with nothing else remaining.

Ansel walked along the second-floor corridor and arrived at the stairway landing, where he saw a grand painting on the wall below. The painting depicted a woman who exuded both youthful vitality and mature serenity, her hands folded, and a gentle, gracious smile on her face.

"Mother..."

Ansel murmured softly, gazing at the painting in silence for a long time.

This was a gift from Flamelle to Annelisa. Every drop of paint in this artwork was crafted from unimaginably expensive materials. However, Annelisa did not have an extreme fondness for the painting, as she did not understand it.

The painting was hung in such a prominent place because Annelisa believed that if she were ever not at home, seeing this painting would make Ansel and Flamelle feel as though she was still there to welcome them.

After staring at the painting for a long time, Ansel continued on his way.

Along the way… he saw countless traces of Annelisa.

-->