Taming the Protagonist

Volume 3

Chapter 18 : Purity

“Take care, Excellency Faust.”

The receptionist at the Executioner guild bade farewell to the black-haired youth with utmost respect, her bowed waist only straightening after the sound of footsteps completely disappeared.

On the sofa by the reception desk, an adventurer peeked towards the main entrance, and after quite a while, asked the receptionist: “Yol, this Faust... is he the real deal or a fake?”

“He could beat you to death with one hand.” The receptionist rolled her eyes. “Is there a difference between real and fake?”

“Of course there is a difference! Do you know who Faust is!”

That adventurer started shouting and making a fuss: “I tell you, three years ago—”

“Ah ah ah I know I know, the legendary adventurer who slaughtered over ten powerful giant dragons single-handedly three years ago, and fought on par with the Dragon Tongue Grand Duke... how many times have you all said it.”

She complained with a look of disdain: “Also what wandering soul rejected by the world, sinner entangled by devils, prisoner cursed by the abyss... as exaggerated as it can get, I’ve heard enough.”

“No no no, I am different from those guys who like to talk nonsense, listen to me, I saw Faust with my own eyes...”

Leaving the Executioner guild, Ansel did not know they were discussing the former Faust.

The young Hydra tossed the somewhat old Imperial gold coin in his hand, looking to be in a good mood.

“Mr. Faust, according to your current progress... the Executioner side should not be able to provide commissions that satisfy you in less than a week.”

Following behind Ansel, Marina said while recording things in her notebook: “Do you still want to accept more commissions?”

Her voice was very gentle and slow, yet carried a convincing calmness, as if as long as Ansel needed it, she could conjure up commissions out of thin air.

“Should be about enough.” Ansel smiled and put the gold coin into his pocket.

“Can stop after finishing this commission.”

“Yes, I understand.”

Marina nodded slightly, stuffed the notebook into her satchel, then took out a scroll with detailed notes, explaining: “This commission is to help a laborer in the lower city; his son has been missing for over half a month... the information given in the commission is very sufficient, it shouldn't be hard to find.”

And the reward for this commission was that old gold coin Ansel was tossing just now, probably all the remaining possessions of this laborer, paid in advance to the Executioner.

Marina was not surprised why Ansel would accept this kind of commission.

Although she had obediently reflected and rested in the inn for two days since that day, not long after following Ansel again, Marina almost immediately understood Ansel’s criteria for accepting commissions.

Pure interest struggles, private grudges, Ansel ignored them all; he was more inclined to handle commissions leaning towards... order, and at the same time would rank commissions from commoners higher.

Judging from all the commissions Ansel accepted, he unexpectedly seemed a bit like the righteous ranger sung about by bards, not caring whether the reward was generous or not, just wanting to do some good deeds.

And Marina could also see that Ansel indeed had a very pleasant time these few days... but he himself seemed unaware of this.

“However, it is a lower city.”

Ansel cast his gaze towards the area below Strife Fortress; deeper parts of some districts there did not even see sunlight all day.

“Maybe we will meet her.”

The young Hydra, who seemed somewhat keen on the adventurer game, raised his eyebrows: “Are you ready, Ganlei?”

“...If you need it, I will definitely do my best to handle matters regarding Miss Hitana well.”

Marina answered calmly.

“Did you forget that someone from Garden is responsible for this matter?”

Ansel couldn't help but laugh: “Snatching work from both Shadow Swamp and Garden simultaneously, this is not very wise, Ganlei.”

At the first moment Hitana arrived at Strife Fortress via the teleportation array, Ansel sensed his Miss Wolf.

This kind of sensing was two-way—but Ansel, as the main head, could autonomously block the sensing from Hitana’s side.

Hitana coming to Strife Fortress... was both unexpected and not so unexpected.

Strife Fortress during this period was about to host the largest adventurer event under the governance of Grand Duke Lapis Lazuli.

This event was extremely famous throughout the entire West Kingdom even in normal times.

Although due to the great war between the two Grand Dukes Blood Dust and Sky Soil, this competition could not be as hot as before, it could still bring a large amount of money to Strife Fortress and Grand Duke Lapis Lazuli.

After all, according to Shadow Swamp’s intelligence, places within the entire West Kingdom where traces of Ivora might exist were not limited to just this one place.

Ansel coming to Strife Fortress immediately and staying here naturally had reasons.

On this trip to the West Kingdom, Ansel had many things to do.

The matter of Ivora was the top priority, the absolute number one, but it did not mean he didn't plan to do other things.

Even so, Ansel was not overly anxious to find Ivora’s traces.

Even after seeing that severed palm and confirming that Ivora and Ephithand might both be extremely weak, he also maintained calmness.

Walking to this point, his winning chance against fate, if not fifty-fifty, was already a very close forty-sixty.

Ansel, who had once fallen into a demonic nightmare, had the opportunity to pull the winning chance to eighty percent.

Although fate successfully restricted him, it also created a chess player with a more complete state of mind on the opposite side of the chessboard.

On this journey, Ansel had long ceased to force and squeeze himself so constantly; instead, just as Marina guessed, up until now, he had enjoyed it very much.

Once the matters in Strife Fortress were settled, he would embark on a new journey, heading to other territory cities, maybe even run through the entire West Kingdom.

Adventure... a word somewhat unfamiliar to him.

Ansel did not think that the journey he started three years ago could be called an adventure.

Rather than an adventure, it was better to call it a tempering, a kind of... cultivation.

Cultivation that allowed him to extract power from pain and despair, giving birth to a new will.

It was precisely because of this that this “adventure” in the true sense was very precious to Ansel.

Under the premise of ensuring the goal could be successfully achieved, he did not mind spending a bit more time and energy to do things adventurers would do.

Ansel rubbed that old gold coin in his pocket, his steps heading towards the lower city quickening a bit.

Marina, looking at his back, involuntarily took out her notebook from her satchel again, while quickly keeping up, silently recording:

Mr. Ansel is waiting for that grand event in Strife Fortress.

Does he obviously have a plan targeting this event... or using this event to target Strife Fortress?

Or to achieve some other purpose? I don't know.

In the process of getting along with Mr. Ansel these days, I can only find that Mr. Ansel is more simple... should be said to be a pure side; he has never shown this side before.

Perhaps I should talk to Miss Mingfuluo; it was precisely after she appeared that Mr. Ansel had such a change.

But Mr. Ansel himself seems unaware, not only him, Miss Mingfuluo who changed him also seems not to think there is anything abnormal about Mr. Ansel...

But I always feel something is wrong somewhere. Am I being too self-righteous and paranoid?

Hitana, who gulped down a large mouthful of water and forced down the coarse grain flatbread in her hand, let out a burp with an “urgh”.

“Big Sister Fenrir...”

Watching the girl touch her stomach with a satisfied face, the men with rough skin and simple clothes said eagerly: “Is this state of yours really okay?”

“...Hm?” Hitana’s eyebrows raised slightly. “You suspect my strength?”

“Not really, just, that... always feel, you seem to have never been full.”

Among the crowd who seemed to treat Hitana as the boss, someone whispered.

Hitana scratched her head: “Cannot say never full, can only say get hungry relatively fast. No way around it, these things are not filling; fighting makes one hungry very quickly.”

When she followed Ansel, what kind of things did she eat?

Those were dishes cooked by top-tier transcendent chefs using top-tier ingredients of all kinds.

Even casting taste aside, the energy and nutrients contained within could make first or second-tier transcendents burst to death.

Eating a bit of this kind of coarse grain big flatbread now was at most filling up the space in the stomach.

However, despite saying this, Hitana did not show any complaining expression, speaking carelessly: “The problem is not big, settling that who... who was it again?”

“Black Crocodile Tyrande.”

“Oh! That black fish!” The girl realized, simultaneously patting her chest very confidently, “Rest assured, settling that black fish is not a problem, you guys just wait for me to come back.”

She said this, ignoring the hesitant looks of others, and walked out carelessly.

Outside the house, a large group of people was also gathered, men and women, old and young.

As soon as they saw Hitana come out, they all shouted “Big Sister Fenrir”, “Big Sister Fenrir”.

Hitana’s reputation might not have completely resounded through the Empire yet, but Ansel still suggested Hitana walk outside using an alias, so the not-too-smart Miss Wolf let Ansel give her an alias, which was the current Fenrir.

Regarding this name, Hitana was initially very unaccustomed to it, but after being called it many times, she felt it sounded quite pleasant.

Mainly when being called, those respectful and adoring gazes made Hitana want to raise her tail high.

She liked the feeling of being looked at like this too much!

Of course, doing so many things along the way was not entirely because she liked being looked at like this.

Hitana had forgotten how many dog-relying-on-master’s-power bastards, tyrants throwing their weight around, and high-and-mighty transcendents she had blown up after teleporting to this what... um, West Kingdom region.

That was one after another splendid story; although Hitana also felt thrilled, she always felt something was missing.

Not enough to fight ah!

Only after leaving Ansel’s side did Hitana know that she was actually already this strong.

Following Ansel, the transcendents she saw were either Divine Species or fifth-tier; seeing fourth-tier transcendents was considered a minority, and those below fourth-tier almost never appeared before her eyes.

And what was the fact?

The fact was, a third-tier transcendent could basically possess a status in the upper-middle layer of a territory city, a fourth-tier transcendent was already a decisive big shot, and whether one could see a fifth-tier transcendent was questionable.

In the first territory city she teleported to, the City Lord was a fourth-tier transcendent.

Because of his notorious misdeeds, on the third day Hitana arrived at that territory city, she directly charged into the City Lord’s mansion and blew up the City Lord along with his subordinates.

At that time, Hitana was still surprised why such a weak guy could be a City Lord.

As the journey progressed, thrashing and blowing up those disgusting scums all the way, Hitana finally understood—it was not that they were too weak, but that she was too strong.

Although still third-tier, indeed below fifth-tier, she probably couldn't find any opponents.

It was just a pity that although she cleaned up quite a few guys along the way, Hitana still did not break through that barrier which seemed fragile at a touch but was as solid as an iron wall; the door to the fourth tier still did not open for her.

Miss Wolf couldn't find the reason, could only attribute it to not experiencing enough battles, not cruel enough.

After learning about Strife Fortress and the event to be held here by coincidence, she immediately ran over excitedly, preparing to fight to her heart's content.

However... Before the competition started, just arriving at Strife Fortress, she had a blast fighting.

—Because one of the local tyrants of the lower city, a transcendent engaged in human trafficking, was done in by Hitana that very day.

After dealing with that guy, Hitana spent another few days cleaning up his remnants, and incidentally also thrashed the contact person looking for him, just a pity she couldn't extract who his superior was.

Those surrounding Hitana calling her Big Sister were mostly commoners under this local tyrant’s management area.

And next, Hitana was going to blow up another local tyrant of the lower city, that stinking fish and rotten shrimp called whatever Black Crocodile.

“Um... that, cough hm! Listen to me!”

Standing on the gloomy street without a trace of sunlight, Hitana coughed, spread her arms, and said loudly: “Do not worry, I will be back immediately! The laborers are oppressed by the black fish, I will save them all back, rest assured!”

Even if the crowd was silent and no one responded, the girl waved her fist with a brilliant smile, striding towards the front of the gloomy street.

Hitana could feel that although quite a few people adored her, actually more people did not believe her.

If it were the former Hitana, she would have long been angry because of this kind of thing—why did she do good deeds out of kindness, yet have to be suspected of having impure motives?

It was just that now, Miss Wolf would long not be annoyed by such small matters.

She liked being adored, being respected, but in the final analysis... she did not stand on the opposite side of those bastards for this little reaction.

Walking on the dirty and foul-smelling street, Hitana looked up—buildings seemed built on the walls, stacked crowdedly and crudely.

Crisscrossing streets and passages overlapped like a labyrinth, shrouding this district that looked like a deep well in eternal shadow.

She came from further up; the scene of Strife Fortress Hitana saw coming out of the teleportation point and the scene seen here seemed like two worlds.

But Hitana was not surprised anymore, because along the way, she had already seen too many “two worlds” exactly like this.

The first time she punched the City Lord who oppressed and abused commoners to death, the first time she shattered the barrier between two worlds, blood dripped from the girl’s fist.

She stood on the villain’s corpse, looking at this world through the shattered wall in confusion.

Beneath her feet were the jewels thrown down by the City Lord when begging for mercy, while the distance revealed by the wall was the impoverished and dilapidated lower city.

And then in a certain instant, Hitana Lansmarlos woke up as if enlightened.

—Ansel protected her too well, or rather... Ansel did too well.

For such a long time, what entered her eyes were all freedom and beauty, all prosperity and peace, and these things made Hitana forget her once unquenchable anger, forget exactly why she bared her fangs at this world.

This world is very terrible, very terrible.

A bunch of madmen, psychos, bastards ride on the heads of pitiful helpless commoners doing whatever they want, wantonly dominating and toying with their lives, making one burn with anger.

So someone has to change it.

The reason Hitana followed Ansel was never just as simple as she liked Ansel, loved Ansel, and didn't want to leave Ansel.

It was because she deeply believed Ansel had the ability to change this world, deeply believing Ansel hoped this world could become better.

So up to now, Hitana was so glad that she made this choice, chose to leave Ansel, chasing new possibilities.

On this road, she would not only harvest power, but also retrieve the things she once chased.

The wolf walking out from the desolate snowy plains has never changed; her heart still adheres to that purest and simplest concept of good and evil—

Bad people deserve to die, good people deserve peace, that is all.