Taming the Protagonist

Volume 3

Chapter 15 : Do As One Pleases

Strife Fortress was shrouded in not-so-heavy but long and continuous rain.

Located near the Tianlu Mountain Range, a central point of ether concentration for the entire continent, the influence brought was innumerable.

The overly active natural elements made the climate and geology of the West Kingdom very... unsuitable for living.

However, the West Kingdom was still the most densely populated region in the entire Empire.

Aside from the vastest land, what exactly made a large number of mortals choose to settle here?

This question was probably not understood by many people, and not even many people bothered to think about it.

After all, the Empire’s cultural environment couldn't produce any humanities scholars.

Marina stood by the window, watching the continuous rain and the pedestrians coming and going in the rain curtain, lost in thought.

“Ganlei.” Anselm, standing at the door, called her, “It’s time to leave.”

“...Ah, sorry, Mr. Faust.”

Marina, coming back to her senses, closed the window, picked up the satchel on the table, trotted to Anselm’s side, and followed obediently behind him.

“What were you thinking about just now? You looked very serious.”

Today Anselm was going to meet someone with Marina.

Because Anselm was just now, um... having some physiological and physical discussions with Miss Mingfuluo, he let Marina go back to her room to wait for a while.

Anselm originally thought she would take this time to read more books or process the intelligence on hand.

He didn't expect that when he came over, Marina was standing at the window in a daze, unaware of him.

Although the ordinary girl from a remote village in the North Lands had delicate thoughts, she rarely showed that kind of expression, which couldn't help but make Anselm somewhat curious.

Marina clutched the strap of her satchel and said somewhat embarrassedly: “Some... nothing worth mentioning, just a bit curious why so many commoners are willing to live in the West Kingdom. It’s clearly very unsuitable for ordinary people to live here.”

Anselm was slightly startled.

He tilted his head to look at Marina dressed as a thin and weak adventurer.

The simple outfit did not conceal the girl’s delicate appearance, and the inquiry and contemplation of worldly affairs in her eyes were completely inconsistent with her outward appearance.

While in a deadlock with Nailan and the others, she still had the mental energy to think about such things?

The young Hydra tapped the hilt of his sword lightly with his index finger and said nothing.

He found that his understanding of Marina was still lacking—although he had dissected the person Marina Lansmarlos clearly from that memory long ago, that Lady Violet who could rise against the trend from desperate darkness was her... but also not her.

To use a person well, one must have an absolute understanding of her.

It was precisely based on this point that Anselm had brought the Contract Heads or subordinates of the predetermined future under his command early on.

And the heavy use of Marina naturally could not be separated from this point.

The arrogance of directly confronting Nailan and even Shadow Swamp, the decisiveness of daring to include even Mingfuluo in her calculations after obtaining consent, and now the pursuit of sparing mental energy to think about such matters irrelevant to her... Anselm felt it necessary to re-acquaint himself deeply with Marina.

This was not a difficult task.

After all, this girl who worshipped and chased Anselm had no secrets from him.

Amid the respectful farewell of the receptionist, the two stepped out of the inn’s main entrance.

Not far away, a carriage with a fierce bee insect pattern was waiting quietly.

But Anselm didn't even look at the carriage and walked straight into the rain curtain.

Marina was stunned for a moment, then quickly caught up with Anselm.

Even without an umbrella beside him, the rain automatically avoided the surroundings.

The girl looked back at the coachman who was also somewhat confused and asked in a low voice:

“Mr. Faust, why don’t you want to take the carriage?”

“Because we are not making a transaction, Ganlei.”

The water splashed by his boots on the stone bricks reflected the fleeting sharp edge of the chain sword at Anselm’s waist.

The young Hydra said carelessly: “Your new friend wants to approach me, know me, and invite me with sincere hospitality... There is no problem with this; she is very polite.”

“But.”

He tilted his head slightly, looked at Marina who seemed to have realized something, and said with a smile:

“She is not worthy.”

“...So that’s it, I was shallow, Mr. Faust.”

With just one sentence, Marina understood Anselm’s meaning.

She adjusted the brim of her beret and said seriously: “What Ms. Yapo needs is not politeness, but humbleness. Because you are not her guest, you are her dominator.”

After saying this, Marina quietly glanced at Anselm, who had changed his appearance, and kept one more point firmly in mind.

The current Mr. Anselm was not Mr. Anselm, but Mr. Faust.

Even when facing nobles of low status, Mr. Anselm would be courteous, particular about etiquette, and abide by rules.

Even if the difference in status was clear to both parties, he would not bring such matters to the table.

But Mr. Faust didn't need to do this.

He was a legend; his thoughts were the rules that others had to abide by.

Queen Bee respectfully sent someone to pick up Anselm; was this wrong? No.

Was she humble enough?

Presumably enough—but for Faust, her head was not buried low enough.

She was not worthy of sitting face-to-face with Faust politely drinking tea and talking; she was only worthy of bowing down and kneeling, lowering into the dust, that was all.

Barbaric, arrogant, ferocious... completely different from that Young Master Hydra who made people feel like a spring breeze, but this was the legendary adventurer Faust.

No need to consider any superfluous things, purely acting according to his own thoughts, his own ideas, his own joy and anger, a strong person not bound by anything.

Able to be so... do as one pleases.

Thinking of this, Marina couldn't help but be somewhat lost in thought.

Was Faust Mr. Anselm’s disguise, or...

She quietly looked at the young man’s handsome profile, looking at that high-spirited expression that didn't seem like an act at all, and murmured in her heart:

Or... Mr. Anselm’s unrealized fantasy?

“Ganlei.”

Anselm’s call brought Marina back to her senses.

Without turning his head, he said: “Do you know where the Executioner guild base is?”

“Executioner... Mr. Faust, you are going there, planning to...”

Executioner was a powerful guild famous throughout the West Kingdom.

The branch established in Strife Fortress could become one of the three major guilds here.

Marina didn't know what Anselm was suddenly going there for, so she subconsciously asked this question.

“We agreed to meet today, but didn't say when, right?”

Anselm smiled: “A sudden whim, want to find something small to do.”

Marina’s first reaction was that Mr. Anselm must have some other ideas, but in the next second, she immediately rejected this thought.

If it’s the current Mr. Anselm, if it’s Faust... it should really just be a sudden whim.

She nodded lightly, understanding: “I understand, then let me lead the way for you. Ah, let me go tell that coachman about your situation...”

Anselm turned his head to watch Marina trotting all the way to the carriage behind, his sea-blue eyes full of thought.

The fierce desire of an ambitious person cannot be concealed, but usually, Marina was indeed just an ordinary gentle girl, reserved and delicate, generous and kind, evoking pity.

But she could take human lives to achieve her goals and bet all the chips in her hand for a possibility of further advancement.

This determination and even coldness were by no means fake.

Warm kindness, pitch-black ambition... are both of them you, or has your essence not yet manifested?

Regardless, it must be very worth looking forward to, Marina.

As long as you don't become the most boring kind, I will always pay attention to you, pay attention to your future.

“Mr. Faust! Sorry to keep you waiting, please follow me.”

Marina, clutching the shoulder strap of her satchel tightly, trotted over and said with a slightly flushed face: “Please follow me, I will take you to the Executioner guild station right now.”

She didn't know that Anselm was re-acquainting himself with her, just as Anselm didn't know that Marina was secretly piecing together his inner heart.

The boy and girl thinking about, figuring out, and depicting each other, walked into the distance in the rain curtain, their figures gradually blurring, seeming to merge together.

***

The building of the Executioner station was not gloomy; on the contrary, it was very magnificent and grand, completely inconsistent with its guild name.

There were no guards at the door.

In the guild hall, people sat in twos and threes, either drinking and chatting or discussing matters, looking somewhat deserted.

“Hello, Your Excellency Adventurer, is there anything I can help you with?”

The receptionist’s polite greeting made her look less like someone from an adventurer guild and more like a dedicated service staff of some chamber of commerce.

“I want to take a commission.” Anselm got straight to the point, “The kind that is relatively simple and direct.”

“Taking a commission?”

The receptionist appeared somewhat surprised but didn't ask much.

She skillfully took out a piece of parchment and handed it to Anselm: “Okay, please sign your name here... someone will take you to do an ability test right away. After a simple test, you can go to the notice board to take commissions.”

Adventurer guilds were numerous.

Most of the time, internal commissions were snatched up.

Only very large guilds would have situations where commissions couldn't be digested.

But even so, it generally wouldn't be an outsider's turn to take commissions, let alone outsiders taking commissions and ruining them, smashing the guild's own signboard.

Obviously, no adventurer guild would be this stupid.

Executioner agreeing to outsiders taking internal guild commissions obviously had special reasons.

Anselm casually signed the three words “Faust” under the parchment, then handed it back to the receptionist.

The receptionist who took the parchment revealed a slightly speechless expression after seeing that name, but still smiled very professionally at Anselm first, then picked up the communication magic crystal, walked to the corner of the reception counter, and whispered:

“Hey, Swordfish, an outsider came to take a commission, a fool who thought signing a fake name could deceive the contract. Yes... find him some simple work, don't ruin—”

“Skip the strength test segment.”

While the receptionist was still whispering sneakily there, Anselm said leisurely: “Look at your contract scroll, miss.”

The receptionist subconsciously turned her head back and was immediately scared, almost dropping the communication magic crystal in her hand.

That piece of parchment she placed on the table... was actually covered by profound pitch-black erosion, turning into a ball of rotten waste paper in just a few breaths!

“This kind of ordinary contract scroll doesn't have the ability to stop tracing immediately. Even if tracing the signer is a meaningless act of self-destruction, it will continue.”

The young Hydra narrowed his eyes and smiled: “Suggest purchasing better contract scrolls in the future. It will remind you of the contractor’s danger level in a more reasonable way, instead of like now... hmm, making it look as if there is something wrong with the contract scroll itself.”

No no no no, this is already dangerous enough! How else do you want to be reminded!

The receptionist was frightened, freezing in place at a loss.

“Now, can Mr. Faust go take a commission?”

Marina said timely.

“...Ah? Ah! Y-yes! I'll call someone right away!”

The slightly pale-faced receptionist immediately covered her mouth and said a lot to the communication magic crystal.

In less than half a minute, someone came to lead the way for Anselm.

“Is this... Your Excellency Faust?”

The person who came was a middle-aged man with a big beard.

He extended his hand to Anselm very enthusiastically: “I am the Vice President of Executi—”

“Just take Mr. Faust to the notice board.”

Marina stopped in front of him and Anselm, staring into the middle-aged man’s eyes: “Please do not do superfluous things.”

She didn't even give the middle-aged man a chance to introduce himself.

The solemn and cold expression on that delicate and fair face clearly expressed her attitude.

This middle-aged man, who was probably the vice president of the Executioner guild, was stunned.

He sized up Marina for a good while, seemingly disbelieving that this girl who boldly blocked him and showed such an arrogant attitude was a mortal.

However, the man was not angry, just smiled and shrugged: “Alright, then I’ll take Your Excellency Faust to the notice board... By the way, do you have any requirements for the commission, Your Excellency Faust?”

“Simple and direct enough, solve the target, collect the reward kind.”

“Oh... this kind of commission is quite popular; very few remain.”

The vice president rubbed his chin: “After all, everyone likes this kind of simple work... if this type of commission still remains, it means the difficulty is somewhat tricky.”

Saying this, he looked back at Anselm and suddenly laughed:

“But for Your Excellency Faust, it should be nothing. I’ll take you to the third floor to have a look.”

Leaving the first-floor hall, the atmosphere suddenly became much livelier.

Many adventurers gathered on the second floor, probably because a bar was set up here, and the notice board was also placed here.

“Everyone usually spends time here... drinking, chatting or something.”

The vice president led Anselm up to the third floor while saying carelessly:

“Speaking of which, regarding Your Excellency Faust, there has been such a rumor recently... do you know?”

“There have always been many rumors about me, which one are you referring to?” Anselm answered with a casual tone.

“Hahahaha, it’s about the Zero Point Labyrinth a few kilometers away from a few days ago. People returning from there said they encountered a monster-level adventurer inside, who could split the magma sea directly with one sword strike.”

“Then it is said... it is said, among the exploration permits received by the Whistling Legion, one permit was from Faust.”

Speaking up to here, the vice president was already staring straight at Anselm without disguise.

“Although they covered the news quite tightly, someone still leaked it... Do you think this anecdote is interesting, Mr. Faust?”

Anselm, who had already arrived in front of the notice board, began to size up the few commissions on it, too lazy to answer the vice president’s words.

The latter stared at Anselm for a long time, and finally sighed giving up: “Fine, then I won’t disturb you taking commissions. If you need anything else, ple—”

“Okay, this one.”

Before he finished speaking, Anselm had already torn off a commission casually.

The black-haired young man handed the commission to the vice president, the corners of his mouth rising slightly: “You guys are quite bold, daring to hang this kind of commission.”

The vice president’s expression changed slightly after glancing at the content of the commission, but he quickly returned to normal.

He smiled: “This is just our branch station. The Executioner does not fear the Whistling Legion; hanging a commission is still no problem.”

Anselm glanced at the clock on the wall and said in a calm tone: “In one hour, I will come back. Remember to notify the client to arrive in advance.”

“...One hour?”

Before the vice president could react, Anselm had already walked straight towards the stairs.

At the same time, he also saw the thin and weak mortal girl who blocked him just now holding a communication magic crystal, saying in an indifferent tone, as if discussing what to eat tonight:

“Ms. Yapo, I need the location of Mibaita Leos, now. Yes, that is Bayebop’s younger brother. I only give you three minutes.”

“See him? No, no.”

“Mr. Faust needs to borrow his head, that is all.”