A Villain's Way of Taming Heroines

The scent of venom, the traces of movement, the incongruous odor of a "carnivore," and... another strange scent that Seraphina couldn't quite identify.

Following her senses, the path before Seraphina became increasingly clear. Her gaze pierced through the foliage and leaves, through the mottled branches and the concealing fallen leaves, spotting a flowing purple figure nearly a hundred meters away through the tiniest of gaps!

"I've found you!"

The thrill of the hunt peaked at this moment, and Seraphina suppressed the urge to pounce on the creature and shatter its skull with her bare hands. She reached behind her back.

Hunting was an art, not a mere brawl. It had to be executed with grace and style. From this distance, one arrow should do... Eh?

Where is my arrow?

It was only when Seraphina reached back and found nothing that she realized—she had not brought any weapons!

Not even a bow, let alone a small knife.

The girl stood frozen, her first thought being that Ansel surely wouldn't have forgotten to remind her of this.

Her second thought was—then why didn't he tell me?

And then, the realization dawned on her—

So that's what it meant to have Ravenna as my assistant!

What better than an alchemist to provide her with the necessary weaponry and support?

Seraphina quickly retraced her steps, climbing back up the tree and tapping Ravenna, who had indeed remained motionless, with a casual air: "Do me a favor!"

Ravenna blinked in surprise: "What can I... assist you with?"

"Weapons," Seraphina stated matter-of-factly, "You're an alchemist, you must have a stockpile of weapons. Lend me one for now."

"..."

Ravenna fell silent for a moment before replying: "Are you certain you wish to use my weapons?"

"What else?" Seraphina was genuinely puzzled.

The next second, Ravenna produced a black, elongated object from her storage ring and handed it to Seraphina.

"This is one of the finest weapons I carry, shall I instruct you on its use?"

Now it was Seraphina's turn to be baffled as she looked down at the large, hefty object Ravenna had handed her. After a brief pause, she looked up at her.

"What is this?"

"A firearm," Ravenna answered succinctly.

"I didn't ask for this!"

Seraphina exclaimed, jumping up: "What do I need this for! Don't you have something more normal? Like a bow and arrow?"

"From a weaponry standpoint," Ravenna spoke earnestly, "a firearm assembled through alchemy and loaded with alchemical bullets is clearly more advanced than any other weapon."

"...Regardless, I dislike it and cannot use it," Seraphina pouted, crossing her arms, "With this, I might as well take it down with my bare hands. Can't you make a bow first?"

"A standard bow and arrow is certainly feasible, but would that satisfy your needs?"

"Uh... perhaps not."

The young girl scratched her head, "Aren't you alchemists supposed to be able to make things out of air with a 'snap'? That's how Mr. Flamelle does it."

Ravenna remained silent for several seconds, her gaze on Seraphina causing goosebumps to rise on her skin.

"Wh-what's wrong, did I say something incorrect?"

"You said it yourself, that's Mr. Flamelle. Such feats are unique to him in the entire world. A powerful alchemical instrument requires high-quality materials, the right tools, and ample time to create. Otherwise, why would alchemists need workshops?"

Realization dawned on Seraphina; comparing a divine species to a regular alchemist was indeed unfair, but she was out of options and felt disheartened.

"Ansel said you're my assistant, so I assumed you'd have a way... He couldn't don't know that I dislike using such things. Could you check again... maybe you have a bow in your inventory?"

"... I wouldn't store a bow in my armory, so that's impossible—"

Ravenna's words abruptly halted.

Seeing her reaction, Seraphina's eyes lit up, "Did you think of something?"

Ravenna didn't respond but instead looked down at the grey bracelet on her wrist, her expression complex.

Ansel, you see everything crystal clear, don't you?

Ansel of Hydral, the devil who takes everything into account, wouldn't make such a basic mistake; he knew Ravenna had the means to "assist" Seraphina.

Or perhaps... he wanted to see Ravenna use those means.

"Ravenna, Ravenna? Speak, can you or can't you... Eh? What?! Hey! Your hand!"

Seraphina watched in utter shock as Ravenna's had… to be clear, the wrist bracelet on her hand… began to emit a fine mist of grey-black particles which, upon Seraphina's closer inspection, were clearly tiny insects!

Feeling her skin crawl, Seraphina didn't know how to react as the minute bugs swiftly gathered to form... the shape of a longbow?

A gleam passed over Ravenna's spectacles as she murmured, "Integrity at eighty-one percent, stability no more than seventy-six percent... The completion is too low, but it should suffice."

As the shape solidified, a bow truly materialized out of thin air in Ravenna's palm!

"Give it a try." She tossed the bow to a dumbfounded Seraphina, who caught it clumsily, feeling queasy at the thought that it was made of insects.

"It's far from a normally crafted alchemical bow, possessing only the most basic power enhancement feature. As for the arrows... I can attempt to enchant them, but I can't guarantee the outcome."

Seraphina looked at the bow, then at Ravenna, and back at the bow again.

"Aren't you able to create things out of nothing?!"

If not for the fear of scaring away her prey, Seraphina would have shouted.

"... The principle behind this bow's creation is worlds apart from Mr. Flamelle's methods, and it's currently just a basic prototype."

Ravenna touched the bracelet, her eyes downcast, "But he saw through it immediately."

Ravenna, who ceased her concerns for the future of the Tower of Babel, had devoted her entire focus to the demise of Eileen and her research on Nidhoggur.

She believed that the true magnificence of this creation lied not in its capacity for destruction, but in its ability to create... to transcend the limitations of materials and approach the divine realm of Flamelle with its creations!

Utilizing Nidhoggur as the fundamental unit to compose matter and construct etheric circuits, she endeavored to achieve creation ex nihilo in an alternative manner—a journey fraught with unparalleled difficulty and suffering, known only to Ravenna herself.

Currently, what she possessed was merely a prototype, or rather, an incomplete one at that.

She carried it with her at all times, constantly pondering, refining, and studying it, while Ansel... effortlessly discovered such a thing.

Ravenna wished to prevent Nidhoggur from being exposed, especially to the ambitious gaze of the Elder Princess. Despite Evora's arrogance, her vision is far from narrow; on the contrary, it is her ability to foresee the potential of firearms that has led her to heavily invest in the Tower of Babel. Should she discover this...

she might very well intervene in the affairs of the Tower of Babel once again, disregarding even Ansel's dignity, in an attempt to regain control.

Yet, at the moment of deciding to use Nidhoggur, Ravenna experienced an unprecedented tranquility within her heart.

Even though she seemed to have been outmaneuvered by Ansel, coerced in an unconventional manner, she harbored no resentment.

On the contrary, amidst a series of relentless self-interrogations and doubts, a vibrant and vivid clarity momentarily pierced through the chaotic heart of Miss puppet.

Ansel still understands everything about me.

Does this also signify that he... is still watching over me?

*