A Villain's Way of Taming Heroines

This question remains an unsolved enigma in the West, with myriad speculations but no widely accepted answer to date.

“The reason…”

Fafnir pondered briefly, suddenly casting a few additional glances at Nine, as if hesitant to divulge.

Yet, met with Nine’s expectant gaze, Fafnir sighed resignedly.

“This is merely conjecture; I cannot verify its veracity.”

“To my knowledge, he seemingly discovered one of the Duke of Wyvern’s clandestine locations for conducting that ritual, witnessing… the horrors therein.”

She spoke no further, but Nine had already grasped her meaning.

“Is that why you said… he hasn’t changed?”

Nine, kneeling on the ground with hands on her knees, spoke with a hoarse voice tinged with a sorrow only she could truly feel and comprehend.

“Because Mr. Faust sought to save those nine million souls, he invited you to join in slaying the Duke of Bloodust.”

After a brief silence, Fafnir shook her head. “Perhaps. Even now… I struggle to fathom his thoughts. He may not even understand them himself.”

“Upon first seeing him, I sensed only… a purposeless wanderer.”

“Salvation or destruction, hope or despair… It is precisely due to that power, this indecision, that I call him a demon.”

No… that’s not it.

It’s not indecision, but rather—

“Have you… fallen for him? You like him?”

As Nine instinctively refuted in her mind, Fafnir suddenly posed this question.

“…I.” Nine’s mouth opened, yet she found herself unable to respond immediately.

“You’ve been inquiring about him incessantly… Well, I suppose it’s understandable, given he rescued you.”

Fafnir, seemingly unwilling to let Nine feel embarrassed, swiftly changed the subject. It chuckled, and though its voice was hoarse, a hint of lightness could be detected: “Why not ask about me instead? …Ah, I haven’t inquired about you either. I don’t even… know your name. I apologize, child.”

It raised its beast-like claw and removed its mask, revealing… a terrifying visage, a grotesque fusion of human and crow.

“…Does this frighten you?” Fafnir asked softly.

“Not at all,” Nine smiled sweetly. “I find it endearing, Miss Fafnir.”

She wasn’t lying. The part of her fused with the shadow crow allowed Nine to genuinely feel a kinship with Fafnir, a warmth and comfort born of being kindred spirits.

It stemmed from shared suffering, shared sacrifice.

The girl unfastened the shawl on her left arm. Beneath the wing-like garment was a twisted beast claw… identical to Fafnir’s.

Yet Fafnir showed no joy at seeing a part of itself reflected in Nine. Instead, its expression was one of anguish and sorrow.

This was evidence of her kin’s prolonged suffering. It would have preferred Nine to bear no resemblance to her at all.

“May I… see your face?”

After a moment’s hesitation, Fafnir asked very gently, as if afraid of hurting Nine.

“Of course,” Nine replied without hesitation, her laughter bright. “If it’s you, Miss Fafnir, I don’t mind at all.”

—As long as it brought her closer to Fafnir, as long as it made it trust her more, even if only a little, she would do it.

As the girl removed her mask, it was surprisingly revealed that… her face was actually much less altered than Fafnir’s, showing almost no signs of bestial transformation. Instead, it had become incredibly… uncanny.

A layer of natural black eyeshadow surrounded her eyes. Her once somewhat innocent and charming girlish features had become more pronounced, exuding a captivating aura distinctly different from her sister’s. The pitch-black eyeballs set in deeply sunken eye sockets could easily send chills down the spine of anyone who gazed upon them.

The only bestial feature was the small tufts of short, underdeveloped black feathers at her temples, which could be concealed by the mask and appeared more decorative than anything else.

Upon seeing her face, Fafnir was stunned for a long while. Finally, it suddenly extended its beast-like claw and embraced Nine tightly.

“Thank goodness…”

It held the last of her kind close, black tears slowly trickling down its feathered face.

“You still have a chance at a happy life… I’m so… relieved.”

Nine was taken aback by the sudden embrace. She should have seized this opportunity to express her feelings to Fafnir, but found herself unable to react.

The non-human creature embracing her conveyed such vivid, intense feelings of serenity, joy, and determination to protect this happiness that they pierced Nine’s heart, leaving her… somewhat perplexed.

This care and affection was something Nine had only ever felt from her mother. No… the emotions emanating from Fafnir might even surpass that of a mother.

—It truly seemed capable of doing anything for Nine’s sake.

Can I really trust it?

Even if we are of the same kind, the last of our kind, we’ve never known each other before this, never even knew of each other’s existence. How could such deep emotions arise from just meeting and exchanging a few words?

Is such blind emotion truly reasonable—

Ah… I understand now.

It is indeed reasonable.

Nine gently returned Fafnir’s embrace, burying her head in Fafnir’s chest like a child in its mother’s arms.

Because I am the proof.

I too… am such a blindly foolish being.

Thereafter, Fafnir and Nine engaged in extensive discourse, regaling each other with tales of Fafnir’s adventurous exploits and sharing visions for the future.

Nine had long been bereft of such warmth, having abandoned the happiness she once possessed and relinquished nearly everything. Never had she imagined that… a day would come when someone other than him would treat her with such tenderness.

The shadow crow within her allowed Nine to experience a fleeting yet profound sense of comfort and joy.

Driven by this newfound solace and bliss, she found herself uttering involuntarily:

“How I wish… to continue staying with you like this, Miss Fafnir.”

The fragile, helpless, pitiful girl’s eyes glistened with unshed tears.

“Miss Fafnir, will I be captured again? Will I… die?”

Those shimmering tears shattered Fafnir’s composure entirely.

It embraced Nine’s shoulders tightly, its hoarse voice carrying the most unshakeable resolve of her life.

“I won’t let you be taken, nor will I allow you to die, child. I promise.”

Thank you for your boundless care, Miss Fafnir.

The ebony-haired girl, who moments ago had been basking in warmth and happiness, lowered her head to wipe away tears, her face devoid of any expression.

Since you care for me so deeply, I implore you to become Mr.Ansel’s sword, and face death in my stead.

Your journey continues with My Virtual Library Empire

In this world, only Mr.Ansel and I, who can carry out his will, have any meaning or value in our continued existence.

*

Atop the Crow’s Nest, Fafnir materialized behind “Faust”.

“When do we depart?” it inquired with remarkable composure.

“Now, immediately,” Ansel replied, turning to cast a glance at her. “Odelia should be making her move soon. We cannot afford to miss this opportunity.”

Intelligence from Shadewell reported a minor, inconsequential setback: Odelia had attempted to implicate Seraphina, but was rebuffed.

Though Seraphina and Ravenna had learned of the “Nine million Plan”, Ansel deemed it a manageable issue. With Crow personally monitoring Odelia’s movements, Ansel could anticipate her next move.

“What of your kin?” inquired Mr.Faust, maintaining his facade to the last.

Fafnir responded dispassionately, “The Crow’s Nest is her optimal sanctuary. Should you… return alive, safeguard her for me. Half my treasures are hers; the rest, yours to claim.”

The dark-haired youth chuckled, “You’ve no intention of returning alive?”

“I shan’t perish needlessly, but that scum…Blatcher’s demise is non-negotiable. Let us depart, as you said – now, immediately.”

Fafnir dissolved into shadow, vanishing without a trace. Ansel cast a final glance towards Nine’s chamber before similarly disappearing.

The ease with which Fafnir was manipulated owed much to Nine’s unique status as a shadow crow, and her… exceptional acting prowess.

Fafnir, with her wealth of adventuring experience and survival of the Duke of Bloodust, was no simpleton easily deceived.

No other Shadewell member, even fused with a shadow crow, could have so effortlessly beguiled Fafnir into unwavering loyalty. Without Nine, without her fusion with the shadow crow, swaying Fafnir would have been impossible, depriving this assassination of a crucial ally and introducing unpredictable variables.

Ansel was acutely aware of the orchestrator behind these events, the one who could foresee outcomes far beyond the horizon… It could only be the exalted One above.

Its purpose was crystal clear.

— Behold, Ansel of Hydral, witness all she has sacrificed for you, all she willingly offers. Gaze upon her heart’s desire, her wishes, her boundless love for you. Can you truly find it within yourself… to cast her into such an abyss?

Yes, I can.

For I am adhering to Marlina’s wishes, truly fulfilling her deepest desires.

Marlina, if it were you, if you knew you would become fate’s pawn to obstruct and defeat me, you would undoubtedly… approve of my actions, wouldn’t you?

Since your love for me is so blind, I implore you to plunge into the abyss… for the sake of my victory.

*

Three hours, twenty-seven minutes, and sixteen seconds later.

Blatcher of Bloodust fell by the hand of the legendary adventurer, Faust.

*