Taming the Protagonist

Volume 3

Chapter 31: In Mingfuluo’s Eyes

The selection match of Strife Fortress was proceeding like a raging fire and cooking oil.

The internal situation of the Zero Point Labyrinth naturally could not be broadcast, but the organizers would record via Shadow Crystal, and release the footage of the competition inside the Maze Realm after the first phase ended.

Although there was nothing to see before the first phase ended, it was precisely this silence during this period that would make people look forward to the results even more... and make it more convenient to open betting pools.

However, during this time when everyone should have been waiting for the results of the first phase of the selection match, an even more explosive piece of news that tugged at people's hearts spread out.

—Faust appeared in Strife Fortress.

Not a fraud who popped out of some corner inexplicably, nor that patient with hysteria who lost his mind, but the real Faust, the real legend.

Without moving even a single finger, he instantly killed Indote on the spot and directly provoked Lapis Lazuli Grand Duke, while the latter did not say even half a word, allowing him to leave dashingly.

If this wasn't Faust, who else could be Faust?

Whether from strength or performance, this Faust could blow the "Fausts" who had appeared before and were currently popping up in other places out of the water by countless streets.

Although due to certain details—such as this Faust having nothing better to do and always doing commissions for commoners, or shrinking inside Strife Fortress without reason appearing somewhat sneaky... and other reasons, making some people harbor a few points of doubt about the authenticity of this Faust, the vast majority of adventurers who never found things big enough believed he was the real Faust.

This news swept through the West Kingdom in an instant; even on the cruelest battlefield where Sky Soil and Blood Dust were fighting, that man's name began to circulate.

Everyone was looking forward, looking forward to what kind of blazing raging fire this legendary adventurer could add to the already sufficiently chaotic West Kingdom.

And at this moment, this highly anticipated legendary gentleman was, um... teasing a cat.

"Meow~"

The cat with mottled patterns, rough fur, and some scars on its body crouched on the ground, stretching its body long like a noodle.

The great legendary Faust squatted in front of the cat, the special cat treat in his hand swaying unsteadily, and the cat's head also swayed left and right.

Its alert expression began to gradually relax, slowly extending a claw to swat and scratch at the strip-shaped treat swaying before its eyes; its pink little nose twitched unceasingly, and finally, as if unable to endure the fragrance at the tip of its nose, it pressed its front paws onto the ground, its body bounding up, the whole cat hanging onto the treat.

Iron-gray particles condensed into the appearance of a petite woman behind the cat; she directly reached out to grab the cat by the scruff of its neck, lifting it up amidst its ear-piercing screams and struggles, then looked at Anselm with squinted eyes.

"I thought you had some earth-shattering plan."

"How could I be thinking of some earth-shattering plan every day?"

Anselm didn't even look at Mingfuluo, but continued to tease the cat with the treat smilingly; as it got to eat bite by bite, this dangerous little wild cat also gradually settled down, eating honestly and obediently.

"Always have to... heh."

He reached out to take the cat Mingfuluo handed over, gently stroking its dry and thin back, only then looking up to smile at Miss Scholar: "Always have to strike a balance between work and rest."

"Strike a balance between work and rest." Mingfuluo rolled her eyes, "Do you mean shaving someone in the street until not a single piece of intact skin remains?"

"Why do you say it like I killed someone?"

"... Why do you say it like this isn't worse than killing someone."

Mingfuluo walked to Anselm's side, walking shoulder to shoulder with him toward the direction of the Lower District, preparing to complete this commission, while looking up at Anselm rather curiously: "Do you really have no other plans?"

While stroking the cat, making the little fellow who was still full of wildness just now emit comfortable purring sounds, Anselm asked Mingfuluo in return: "Does Aluo think I have to do everything personally?"

Mingfuluo paused slightly; because Anselm had left an incomparably deep impression on her by doing things personally during the process of dealing with her, unknowingly, she had an illusion—the illusion that Anselm was always planning something, and at the same time always putting it into practice personally.

But thinking back now... if Anselm really had to do everything personally, how could he possibly handle it all?

Shadow Swamp, Garden, and even more forces she didn't know would serve Anselm either actively or passively, knowingly or under drive.

The network Anselm Hydra managed throughout the entire Empire... was actually deep beyond sight.

Seeing Mingfuluo's thoughtful expression, Anselm knew his friend, who had a tacit understanding of ten thousand points with him, had understood the reason, so he reached out to hold Mingfuluo's hand, his tone full of both laughter and tenderness:

"After all, you and Hit are the most important people to me; I cannot let Fate have any opportunity to exploit, that is why I was so wholehearted. Besides you two, what else is worth my attention to this extent?"

"There are two other women, right." Mingfuluo glanced at Anselm sideways, but still held his hand.

The current Excellency Hydra looked composed: "That is another matter."

The corners of Mingfuluo's mouth lifted slightly, but were quickly suppressed: "How is it another matter?"

"Hit's nature is extremely rare; I'm afraid one cannot find a girl in this world with thoughts as clean as hers, who can easily move me."

"And Aluo, you and I were originally just one step away three years ago; if not for Fate making mischief in between, you would have long been by me—I mean, long been as intimate with me as now."

Anselm, whose palm was pinched by Mingfuluo, corrected himself with a laugh: "Hit gave me solace and peace of mind, Aluo, you helped me break that demonic barrier. You both also had changes and growth, how could I remain stagnant?"

From Chishuang Territory to the Imperial Capital, then from the Imperial Capital to the West Kingdom, although it was less than a year, Anselm's nature became increasingly complete with the help of these two girls.

"Although I wouldn't say invulnerable, no matter what is said, I can't be shaken so easily anymore."

He gently pinched Mingfuluo's tender fingers: "I find it hard to imagine myself, what kind of woman it would take to be like you and Hit, making me unable to control my own emotions."

"You speak quite fully... when facing me, didn't you still think you wouldn't forgive me even if you died?"

"Because Aluo is special to me, I don't think there is a second Aluo in this world."

"... Humph."

Although she spoke words carrying a few points of mockery, Miss Mingfuluo's mouth corners, which were already somewhat impossible to press down, proved that this sentence was extremely effective on her.

For a girl in front of her sweetheart, nothing made one happier and more at ease than words like "You are special to me".

Although Anselm placed her and Hitana side by side, the magnanimous Miss Mingfuluo didn't mind too much; after all, with her personality, she would consider bickering with Hitana a disgrace.

At the same time, what Anselm said made a lot of sense.

The demonic barrier of [Everything can be sacrificed to defeat Fate] that made Anselm fall into extreme evil and the abyss had already been lifted by herself; his nature became increasingly complete.

For latecomers to want to shake him again, to make him generate some emotion of "love", the difficulty would be much, much greater.

Having neither Hitana's rare single-mindedness in the world, nor having deep friendship and bonds with Anselm like herself... and still wanting to turn around and tame Anselm?

Most likely there is no door at all.

Thinking of it this way, when she turned around to tame Anselm, she conveniently closed the door?

Even Miss Mingfuluo, who rarely showed emotions of pride, couldn't help but feel a little smug about it.

Saying she didn't mind women always sticking to Anselm was of course false; although Mingfuluo didn't particularly care about this aspect, if a romance didn't exist with even a bit of possessiveness, then it couldn't be called a romance at all.

But if they weren't [Special] like herself, she could just turn a blind eye and let it pass.

After all... after all, this damn brat was indeed hard to deal with; without Hitana helping to share the firepower, Miss Mingfuluo during this period could be said to have suffered enough happy hardships.

Moreover, Anselm had a particularly strange persistence—he would not generate any interest in women who completely indulged in him, and would even discard them directly.

Reasonably speaking, men all liked women's obedient, docile, and flattering appearance toward them; Anselm, this guy who lacked a sense of security, should need such people even more to satisfy his sense of security.

Speaking of which... for what reason does Anselm dislike people who indulge in him so much?

However, this thought only flashed by, and Mingfuluo didn't think much about it.

After all, this persistence wasn't considered particularly strange; putting oneself in his shoes... if she were surrounded by a group of women who wished to lick her clean all day long, it would indeed be unbearable.

"So next, you plan to do commissions like this, giving yourself... a vacation?"

Because she didn't want to be watched like a rare animal, even though Anselm didn't request it, Mingfuluo still cast a layer of cognitive shielding spell on the two of them and the cat.

Miss Scholar, whose mood was quite pleasant due to Anselm's confession just now, looked at the street with streams of people coming and going, while saying absent-mindedly: "You seem to really like being an adventurer."

"Hmm... do I?"

Anselm tilted his head slightly: "After all, there isn't anything else to do, I actually feel I am just killing time."

"You are clearly so active that you barely manage other matters, yet you say you are just killing time? Forget it... anyway, your subordinates are indeed everywhere, it doesn't matter if you don't manage things, but..."

Mingfuluo hesitated for a moment, but finally said softly: "Fate... is it okay?"

"He isn't me, having to oppose me in everything." Anselm smiled, "But turning some insignificant detail into the key to pry my entire plan... such things are indeed possible to happen. It's just that I see all these possibilities in my eyes; I won't let Him interfere at will, and will strangle it at the first moment."

If someone else said "I can handle where Fate wants to play dirty" so easily, Mingfuluo would only treat him as a retard, but since this sentence was spoken by Anselm, it was naturally completely different.

Occasionally recalling the past in the Imperial Capital, Miss Scholar would still tremble slightly at Anselm's cruelty and viciousness at that time.

Just a little bit, just a tiny bit more, and everything between her and Anselm would have been completely finished.

Anselm was just that final step away from completely dominating the second protagonist, devouring Flamel, achieving the power of a sixth-tier god, dominating the Empire, and ruling over the world.

She later also knew that the determination she made was all fueled by Fate in order to stop Anselm from doing so.

But even if Fate had pushed everything to the extreme in an absolutely reasonable way, it only won over Anselm by a notch.

Even, this notch could be counted as a gamble, gambling on whether Anselm retained that last bit of warmth and humanity.

Forcing Fate to the point of "gambling", presumably only Anselm in this world could do such a thing.

Thinking of this, Mingfuluo's heart also relaxed a lot.

Actually, up to now, she was still worried about the burden in Anselm's heart.

Unlike Hitana who was heartless and lungless and might not have noticed what changes had occurred in Anselm, Mingfuluo considered herself to have a tacit understanding with Anselm that others could not reach, yet she still could not truly go deep into his heart, only vaguely glimpsing a corner of it.

Mingfuluo's hand, which was silently holding Anselm's palm, subconsciously used a bit more force.

Merely reading that memory, merely listening to his narration, one simply could not truly understand that despair.

That terror of being dominated by the whole world, played by the whole world, and abandoned by the whole world.

If it were anyone else, they would have long gone completely mad or simply committed suicide; under Anselm's design, Mingfuluo almost annihilated her own self within just a few days. She simply could not imagine... how on earth Anselm persisted from a young child of no more than ten years old to the current stage.

For these six years, Anselm was hurt too deeply; perhaps he didn't truly not want to open his heart to anyone, but had already viewed closing up as a kind of protection almost instinctively, which even he himself had not perceived.

He was willing to open his entire heart frankly to herself, to Hitana, but that might only be the "entirety" he "thought" it was.

Mingfuluo worried that the madness and obsession would make a comeback; the things Anselm carried were already heavy enough, she didn't wish for Anselm to endure greater suffering and torment because of this extremely heavy thing again.

Fortunately, looking at it now... everything was very lucky.

This damn brat who was gloomy every day, calculating unknown things, finally knew to give himself a vacation, being an adventurer...

Mingfuluo didn't know that the thing she thought of now, actually someone had already thought of earlier. She was still pondering—

If there were no Fate, if there weren't those messy things. Anselm, who was only sixteen, should he have originally lived freely like an adventurer?

... Speaking of which, is he almost seventeen?

Unknowingly, the two had already entered the Lower District; the cat in Anselm's arms had become extremely well-behaved and docile, even somewhat clinging to Anselm, rubbing its head against his neck from time to time.

"The existence of a guild like Executioner can be considered a good thing for commoners, right."

Mingfuluo glanced at the cat in Anselm's arms: "In any other place in the Empire, where would commoners dare to ask a Transcender to find a cat?"

"Good thing, hmm..."

Anselm smiled after a slight pause: "It can indeed be considered a good thing—is that household here?"

Without needing Mingfuluo to answer, the cat in his arms had already meowed, leaping gently to break free from Anselm's embrace, swaying its tail as it walked toward a rusty iron door not far away.

"Doesn't it know where home is?"

Mingfuluo frowned: "Things like cats are indeed fickle."

Anselm smiled:

"This Lower District is dirty and chaotic, like a maze; it can walk out, but might not necessarily be able to walk back."

"That is true."

He and Mingfuluo watched the cat meowing at the door, attracting the owner, and then the touching scene of the person and cat reuniting.

" The road back... is hard to walk."

The young Hydra looked at the cat curled up in the owner's arms yawning, whispering subconsciously.

"... What?"

"Nothing, let's go back to the Upper District; what do you want to eat for lunch?"

The two turned to leave, walking shoulder to shoulder toward the direction of the Upper District; on the road leading to the Upper District, one could more or less still feel the brightness of the sun.

"Lunch? Whatever. Accompany me to research something first; recently I got inspiration, I feel this place, the West Kingdom, is too backward, simply—"

"Ma Ganlei! I think this idea is just very good! How can people stay in dark places every day; people will get sick if they don't sunbathe! Let all residents come to the top of the Lower District to sunbathe in turns every day, their mood will also be much better..."

The chattering sounds coming from not far away interrupted Mingfuluo's words.

"Speaking of which..." She turned to look at Anselm, "Has Marina's prison term not ended yet?"

Anselm laughed involuntarily: "How did it become a prison term? I didn't let Lina go help Hit with the purpose of punishing her."

"Your thoughts have little to do with whether she is in jail."

Mingfuluo pouted: "Want to say hello to them? If so, I'll lift the spell."

"No need, let's go back; aren't they also working hard?"

"I only saw an employer constantly making willful demands, and a pitiful employee who has to do her best to complete her inconceivable fantasies."

Anselm gently flicked Mingfuluo's forehead: "Don't speak of Hit so badly."

"I am not saying she is bad." Mingfuluo was somewhat unhappy, "Just saying she isn't suitable for doing this kind of thing."

"If it were Hit... she would definitely say angrily 'Is there such a thing as suitable or not suitable for doing good deeds?'."

"So she isn't suitable."

The two conversed like this, brushing past Hitana and Marina.

However, in this instant, Hitana's steps suddenly stopped; she turned her head abruptly, twitching her nose while revealing an extremely suspicious expression.

"... This dog's nose." Mingfuluo's eyelids jumped, "Anselm, is she really a normal human?"

"A genuine normal human."

"I don't think a normal human's animal nature can be so... forget it, as long as you like it."

Hitana, who was twitching her nose, walked back two steps again; after that scent gradually faded, she scratched her head in great bewilderment.

"What is it, Miss Fenrir?"

"Nothing, I seemed to smell the scent Anselm smells of just now, maybe I miss him too much."

Hitana didn't take it to heart too much, but continued to describe her sunbathing plan to Marina with high spirits: "We can plan the time well, when the sun is best every day, let them come in batches..."

"Miss Fenrir, put this plan aside for now; I have a very complete plan that can make the Lower District undergo a complete transformation."

Hitana was stunned at first, then overjoyed: "There is such a thing? Quick quick quick, quickly tell me!"

What trapped Hitana in the Lower District before was actually already Mibaita disguised by the secretary; he just didn't know the relationship between Hitana and Anselm, so he still used a scheme to control Hitana.

And now, Mibaita had submitted to Anselm one hundred percent; letting Hitana leave was actually just a matter of one sentence.

But things would not be that simple.

Marina could see at a glance... this time, Hitana would under no circumstances leave casually just like that.

The Lower District of Strife Fortress was too big, and the suffering here was too vivid.

Her sense of responsibility urged her that she would only leave here after seeing the Lower District truly get changed and the lives of all commoners truly become better.

Then, just making this place become better would do.

Not the kind of temporary improvement used to deceive Hit, but like the reform Mr. Anselm hoped to make, truly... changing their lives.

Hit's journey, Mr. Anselm's vision, I will exhaust everything to protect and realize.

Starting from... now.

Meanwhile, Bayebop, who assisted Grand Duke Sky Soil in taking another city, after learning that his wife was cut into a thousand pieces by someone and had only one breath left to hang on to life—

Did not return at the first moment.