Taming the Protagonist

Chapter 27: The Young Wolf’s First Lesson, Part One

After yesterday’s events, Hitana had noticeably reined in her wildness.

Whether it was overwhelming shame or fear of Anselm’s dangerous alchemical agent, Miss Hitana had been quiet and obedient all day, entirely unlike herself.

Now, she and Anselm were fishing at a pond dug within Xiaofeng Castle.

In this activity, Hitana, as a hunter, displayed more patience and skill than Anselm.

Their current score was four to five, with Anselm trailing.

"You’re awfully quiet today, Hitana," Anselm said, unusually initiating conversation.

"…" The girl gripping the fishing rod pursed her lips. "What, you want to shock me again?"

Anselm couldn’t help but chuckle: "It seems you’re well aware of your own conversational skills."

Hitana didn’t respond.

In her hunting state, her mind was calm, almost unaffected by external disturbances.

"I thought," Anselm flicked his wrist, "that when you woke up this morning, you’d immediately demand to know what help I could offer."

"You’d tell me if you wanted to."

Hitana replied without thinking: "Why should I rush? Rush to get shocked?"

She harbored deep resentment toward the collar on her neck, yet unwittingly revealed an odd trust in Anselm.

—She had grown accustomed to his word being law and… his never lying.

The girl’s thoughts were simple in this regard, almost endearingly so.

Anselm’s rod paused briefly.

He glanced at Hitana, focused on fishing, his gaze softening slightly.

"Take off the collar," he said suddenly.

Hitana froze, showing no joy, only intense wariness as she clutched the collar: "What are you up to? Planning to shock me to death?"

"Because next, I want to speak to you as an equal." Anselm’s gaze returned to the pond. "I told you, that collar is for training, not binding you. When you truly mature, I won’t use such unequal methods to punish or… hm, humiliate you."

"Ha, so you admit it’s humiliation?"

Her pent-up resentment from days of shocks finally erupted.

Even though she was calmer today, Hitana couldn’t resist a sarcastic jab: "I thought Lord Hydra saw shocking people as a friendly greeting—guh!"

"…Hitana, I hope you understand one thing." Anselm sighed deeply.

He’d never owned a pet, but in this moment, he could relate to the warm yet maddening split emotions of dog owners.

"The humiliations you’ve faced are all self-inflicted. By now, you should realize how lenient I’ve been with you."

"Now—"

With a splash, Anselm successfully reeled in another fish and turned to Hitana, his tone patient and calm: "Do you want to keep wearing that collar and listen to my lecture, or have an equal conversation?"

Hitana fell silent for a long while, then sullenly removed the collar and threw it to the ground.

—If she didn’t know she’d have to put it back on later, she’d have stomped on it a couple of times.

"In this test I’ve given you, what do you think is the most important thing?" Anselm stopped fishing, put away his rod, and stood behind Hitana, watching her.

"…What else? Keep an eye on you and stop you from acting."

Hitana replied gruffly.

"Keep an eye on me? Are you sure you can?" Anselm laughed. "Is your plan to subdue me beforehand to prevent me from acting? Isn’t that a bit ridiculous, Hitana?"

"Then what am I supposed to do? I’ve followed you all this way, completely in the dark, knowing nothing.I don’t know why that damn viscount was assassinated, or why you’re helping him.What do you expect me to do?"

Miss Hitana unleashed a highly logical tirade in her fury.

Then Anselm countered with an even more logical, concise, and powerful response:

"Then why didn’t you ask me?"

"…"

Hitana froze.

"I, this, you…"

Her fishing rod trembled, and a fish about to bite fled in panic.

"You love spouting pointless nonsense and asking meaningless questions."

Anselm looked down at the girl’s beautiful snow-white hair and chuckled softly: "But no matter how trivial your questions are, have I ever refused to answer? Except last night, when you yourself said you didn’t want to hear."

Hitana was speechless.

It seemed… it really was like that?

Only now did Hitana vaguely sense something beyond Anselm’s exceptional leniency toward her.

It was an extraordinary patience.

He never refused to answer her questions, even when they were so foolish that she herself felt embarrassed.

And in that unwavering willingness to answer, Anselm never lied.

The girl bit her lip, her fingers nervously twisting a strand of hair: "Then… then, I mean, Lord… Hydra, can you… tell me?"

"Of course," Anselm replied without hesitation. "I can start from the beginning."

"Let’s begin with the obvious—you’re curious why someone would want to kill those two viscounts, right?"

"…Yeah."

"Simple. Because someone wants to use them to get to me."

Hitana’s focus was half off fishing now: "Killing them to get to you? Are you that close to them?"

"Not particularly," Anselm shrugged. "I just asked them to assassinate me, that’s all."

"…"

The poor girl was once again struck by his casual words.

This time, the spark that had failed to connect in her mind suddenly flared to life.

"You…" she shrieked, "that assassination attempt was your doing?!"

"Is that so hard to understand?"

"Of course it is! Who would arrange their own assassination?!"

"Then what do you think an assassination brings? Just death?"

Anselm countered: "Does a war’s end bring only destruction and pain? That’s just the interpretation of poets and playwrights, dear Hitana."

"In this world, there is never a meaningless killing or death."

In Hitana’s silence, Anselm calmly and honestly laid everything bare: "A brave and kind young noble, on the very day he executed a tyrannical lord, attended a banquet of nobles. There, he proposed laws benefiting the common people… and then he was targeted by malicious nobles for assassination. See how perfectly reasonable that is."

"And so," the blond youth placed a hand on Hitana’s shoulder, speaking softly, "the young foreign noble shines ever brighter, while the local corrupt nobles grow ever more despicable.

And all it took… was a small, risk-free assassination attempt that even you could easily handle—though Saville did intervene, you could have managed it."

Anselm could feel the warmth under his palm and the… deep-seated anger and coldness radiating from Hitana.

It wasn’t the wild rage from his training and humiliations, but something deeper, more absolute… a hateful fury.

"Truly… disgusting," she spat through gritted teeth, then added venomously, "I deeply regret ever thinking anything good of you, Hydra."

"You are the most revolting person I’ve ever met. Bar none."

If there were a favorability meter to observe, the bar above Hitana’s head, which had nearly climbed from zero to halfway, would have plummeted back to the depths of negativity.

But Anselm didn’t mind.

In fact, he needed Hitana’s hatred.

This calm, profound hatred that would gradually bury her.

Perfect.

Keep it that way, dear Hitana.

Anselm was so delighted he wanted to whisper in her ear—

[Your growth is about to begin.]