A Villain's Way of Taming Heroines

Indeed, as Ansel's gentle gaze swept over the dukes, most of them instinctively looked away.

The Empire certainly needed a steward, but the state of the Empire was irrelevant to these dukes.

Apart from rare exceptions like the Duke of Azuregold, their interest lay not in restoring the Empire but in… seizing power.

Yet, when the opportunity arose, none of these ambitious figures took even a single step forward.

After a brief silence, Ansel shook his head and sighed:

"What is this, esteemed Dukes? Why do you... not answer my question?"

He gazed at the ten dukes, the warmth on his face gradually fading.

This was not a question born of perplexity but a cold command.

—You should answer my question now.

"Yes."

Once again, it was the Duke of Azuregold who responded first: "I endorse the proclamation of the Duke of Flame Attendant. I believe the Empire indeed needs to be brought under control."

As he recovered from the unfamiliar authority emanating from the young man before him, Azuregold felt a peculiar sensation rising within.

Ansel's question was not, "What are your thoughts on the proclamation?" but rather, "Do you agree with the proclamation?"

Naturally, everyone was in complete agreement, so why did Lord Hydral feel the need to force this acknowledgment upon them?

Was he implying that he, too, intended to intervene?

While the Duke of Azuregold pondered this, the other dukes also began to voice their agreement, one by one.

Every person in this hall was a distinguished individual, ostensibly concerned with the Empire's predicament. If Her Majesty could perceive this from the Lost Sea, she would undoubtedly be gratified.

As Ansel observed the dukes, some speaking with calm gravitas, others with fervent passion, uttering high-minded phrases such as "The Empire cannot continue like this," he found his lips curling slightly upwards, while simultaneously reflecting on one thing—the extraordinary greatness of the Empire's… founding emperor.

From the beginning, the Empire's existence was not merely a tool for the emperor to anchor his humanity; fundamentally, it was indeed meant to protect the people of this continent and provide them with a stable life.

Moreover, the structure of the Empire not only provided the emperor with a stable anchor amidst the endless torment endured by divine beings but also perfectly integrated other extraordinary beings.

Extraordinary beings were bound by peculiar worldly shackles, and the eternal supremacy of the emperor ensured these shackles remained unbroken. Explore hidden tales at empire

Perhaps by some twist of fate, or perhaps through shrewd calculation, within this twisted Empire, an individual's social attributes and value came to surpass their inherent power. This led to a strange yet functional order between extraordinary beings and ordinary humans.

Over a millennium of evolution, the dukes, despite being fifth-stage extraordinary beings capable of splitting mountains with a mere gesture, did not pursue power madly after the emperor's death.

Instead, they sought that eternal authority that had always reigned over them.

In a sense, the Empire's existence was of utmost significance, as it temporarily resolved the seemingly insurmountable issue between extraordinary beings and ordinary humans.

—It replaced one form of inequality with another, a cold and brutal inequality… that paradoxically could be seen as a form of progress, albeit a grotesque one.

"Lord Hydral, I have a question."

A voice interrupted Ansel's contemplations. The speaker was none other than the Duke of Sapphire from Eastport.

He gazed at Hydral, who was no longer the gentle youth they once knew, and slowly said:

"We all know that your talents in governing your domain surpass any politician in the Empire."

"Just to clarify," the man smiled slightly, "I do not view you as a rebel. I simply wish to ask... someone who cares deeply for the Empire as you do, have you considered personally taking over the Empire's affairs?"

"How could Hydral interfere in the Empire's governance?"

Ansel laughed heartily. "You jest, Duke of Sapphire. The only ones who can handle the Empire's affairs and temporarily replace Her Majesty are, and can only be, those of the Flamefeast blood, isn't that right?"

The Empire was the Emperor's plaything, the possession of the Flamefeast family. This was a universally accepted truth.

The Duke of Sapphire continued respectfully, "So, the choice of regent can only come from the Duke of the Flame Attendant or... Princess Suellen, correct?"

"I never said that."

Ansel stroked his cane, his tone leisurely. "If Duke of Sapphire can find another legitimate heir of the Flamefeast bloodline comparable to those two, they would also be eligible."

Why, after Diana's proclamation, did several princes and princesses emerge, yet attention remained on Diana and Suellen?

Because they were the only two remaining heirs of the Flamefeast bloodline who were capable—one held a dukedom, and the other was the only princess who "remained" in the capital after the Empress's disappearance.

Though the dukes knew each other's true intentions, if they used other Flamefeast heirs as pawns or puppets, their motives and goals would be blatantly obvious. However, by supporting these two somewhat qualified individuals, they could still ostensibly claim to be "maintaining the Empire's balance."

Whom was this legitimacy meant to impress? Did the dukes care about the opinions of the common people? Did they need legitimacy to maintain their control over the Empire? Would anyone seize the opportunity to challenge them because of this legitimacy? No, they would not.

At the root of it all... it was simply cowardice.

If, by some chance, the Empress were to return one day, or if the Elder Princess, also missing and presumed dead, succeeded in ascending to the sixth stage and broke through the Enigma, those who maintained legitimacy and righteousness would have a chance to protect themselves.

In this regard, these dukes were far less resolute and decisive than the Grey Tower and Ironblade of the North.

Ansel was well aware that they did not fear the Empress, nor did they fear Evora or the Flamefeast family. They feared that divine power… capable of incinerating everything and ruling over all.

In this way, conversely—

"So that's how it is... Lord Hydral, may I trouble you with one final question?"

"Speak."

The Duke of Sapphire gazed into Ansel's azure eyes, smiling as he asked:

"I do not doubt your integrity, but will you truly refrain from interfering in the Empire's affairs?"

"..."

The grand hall fell into a delicate silence.

This seemingly polite inquiry was, in fact, a provocation.

— To re-question what Hydral had already addressed with such a condescending attitude would have, in the past, resulted in the Duke of Sapphire being crushed into a pulp by Hydral within the palace, and the Empress would have said nothing.

But now there was no Emperor, nor was there... the previous generation's equally incontrovertible Hydral.

The dukes revered the almost unbroken, infinitely inherited divine power, not the family, nor the individual.

So... would they still hold respect for a Hydral who had also lost this divine power?

Indeed, he was powerful, powerful enough to stand against the Emperor for a time. But all the dukes had analyzed that Day of Catastrophe countless times. Similarly, they had almost unanimously concluded that Ansel must have used some unknown means to temporarily restrain Ephesande's power in that great battle.

Otherwise, the intensity of that conflict... would have been magnified a hundredfold; City of Celestia would not have floated into the sky but would have been reduced to ashes in an instant.

The young Hydral was formidable, but not insurmountably so. They need not revere him as they did the Empress.

Moreover, did they truly need to revere him? If they could eliminate Hydral, the Empire would truly fall into their hands.

Thus, this meeting was not merely about the regency. How could the dukes, who ruled vast territories, forget that there was a beast from the abyss perched atop the Empire, overseeing everything?

Had it not been for the flawless, impeccable image Ansel had previously cultivated, and the enormous cost required to confront him, the dukes would not have wavered between allying with him and seeking his destruction.

So… in the face of ten fifth-stage extraordinary beings, in the face of the dukes who had undoubtedly brought other fifth-stage subordinates, in the face of this group standing at the pinnacle of both power and the secular world, what choice did Ansel have?

For Ansel Hydral, who had once asked the previous generation pact heads, "Can we kill all the fifth-stage extraordinary beings in the Empire?" the answer was all too simple.

He smiled and raised a hand, calling upon a friend's name.

"Please, Venna."

And in the next moment, a colossal sword that cleaved through calamity and earth descended into the palace, symbolizing the authority of the Flame.

Everyone hates a God from the Machine, except for the beneficiaries within the story.