Taming the Protagonist

Chapter 33: Gray Tower’s True Intent

"What do you need?" The Grand Duke of Gray Tower said without hesitation. "Kind little Hydra, what must I do to remain neutral in Chishuang Territory?"

Anselm didn’t grow smug at the Grand Duke’s shifted tone, remaining polite: "First, regarding Viscount Longbing…"

"His soul will soon return to his body," Grand Duke of Gray Tower said, his expression as kind as ever, as if he hadn’t just denied any connection to the viscounts.

"Gra—"

Poor Viscount Xiaofeng barely got a word out before, inexplicably, he couldn’t make a sound.

Despite straining his neck until veins bulged, his cries were silent, futile struggles.

Watching this, Hitana was both amazed at the Grand Duke’s methods and deeply irritated by the two men casually chatting, treating the viscount as less than human.

"And Chishuang Territory’s ‘harvest’ this year belongs to me."

"…" Grand Duke of Gray Tower’s expression didn’t change, but he paused briefly before chuckling lightly, "I have no objections, but little Hydra…"

He said meaningfully: "With just a retinue of maids and a butler, are you confident you can claim this year’s harvest?"

Chishuang Territory, contested by two grand dukes, clearly had something special.

The young Hydra smiled: "I think you already know the answer. Isn’t that why you orchestrated this farce?"

He turned to the seething Viscount Xiaofeng, sighing: "Poor Viscount, did you really think His Grace contacted you just to help you or merely to spite me?"

Anselm shook his head, stripping away the last shred of the viscount’s dignity and sanity with pity and regret:

"He used you to test what trump card I, who seemingly relied on no external power, was hiding—have you found your answer, Your Grace?"

The youth gave a half-smile at the kindly smiling old man in the projection: "Is it the Head of Wind, Head of Shadow, or Head of Spirit? Which Contract Head did I borrow from my father?"

"Heh… about that, little Hydra, don’t make wild claims."

Grand Duke of Gray Tower chuckled like a kindly elder: "Why would someone who admires a fine young man like you do something as baseless as probing?"

"You’re right. I was just joking."

The old man and youth laughed together, jovially, making Hitana physically uncomfortable.

"Then I won’t waste more of your time," Anselm stood, bowing slightly to the renowned northern grand duke. "May you advance further on your path to truth, Your Grace."

"And you, little Hydra."

The old man nodded with a smile, ending the communication.

And so, the farce concluded.

"…That’s it?" Hitana looked at Anselm suspiciously, feeling something was off.

She felt she’d missed something crucial, something overlooked from the start.

What was it?

Hitana didn’t figure it out until that evening.

***

"So all that was done by the old butler?!"

At the dinner table, collar off, Hitana sat across from Anselm, shouting in disbelief: "No wonder he vanished the moment we got here! How’s he so capable—handling everything, planting the crystal recording, finding the dungeon under the castle, rescuing those poor souls tortured by that pervert noble…"

"That’s why no guards came to save that bastard Viscount Xiaofeng—because that sicko hired the victims’ families and friends to work for him! I thought it was weird for a noble to be so ‘kind’… maids are one thing, but even the guards were commoners. Damn it, if I’d known, I’d have beaten that scum’s legs to pieces myself!"

The girl furiously waved her knife and fork, stabbing a steak and chewing it viciously.

"Hydra, who is that butler?" Hitana mumbled through her food. "What tier is he? And what’s with those ‘heads’ you mentioned?"

Anselm wiped his mouth, glancing at Hitana’s gleaming eyes: "Swallow your food before talking."

"…So many rules," the girl grumbled, chewing the steak hard and swallowing with a gulp.

"Can you tell me now?" she leaned forward eagerly.

"You’re not ready to know these things," Anselm replied leisurely. "You’re far from Saville’s level. Sleep well tonight and don’t overthink."

"This isn’t allowed, that isn’t allowed… Fine, what happened to those two viscounts? You can at least tell me that."

Hitana crossed her arms, displeased: "I don’t know what Viscount Longbing did, but if he was working with that bastard Xiaofeng, he’s no good either. What did you do to them?"

The young Hydra leaned back, fingers interlocked, smiling brightly: "Are you sure you want to know?"

"Of course—"

Meeting Anselm’s unnerving gaze, Hitana shivered slightly, looking away: "Forget it. As long as you didn’t let them off, I don’t care. You even dared kill Count Chishuang, so those two probably mean nothing to you."

She set down her utensils, picking up the collar from the table: "And you promised—back home, I get to read everything in your study."

Anselm reminded her: "On the condition—"

"That I don’t damage any books and put them back properly. I know."

The snow-haired girl stood, muttering unhappily: "As if I’m some wild boar rooting around."

No matter what, this guy was infuriatingly annoying.

With that thought, Hitana grabbed the collar and left Anselm’s bedroom.

"Young Master," Saville appeared like a ghost behind Anselm. "Is this alright? I think it’s too dangerous for Miss Hitana."

"If she can’t pass the test even after removing unstable factors…"

Anselm smiled: "Why would I value her so highly?"

"Because you’ve invested enough effort in her."

For Saville, a loyal and sharp-witted butler, to caution Anselm like this showed he genuinely believed the final test Anselm prepared for Hitana was… too difficult.

"Then that means she won’t fail, Saville."

Facing destiny, the Hydra gazed through the window at the moonlit night, murmuring words Saville couldn’t comprehend:

"And if she does die like that, I’d be… overjoyed."

"If only it were that simple."

***

In her small room, Hitana flopped onto the bed, recalling the day’s events.

Anselm’s lessons shook her understanding of the world and herself.

She neither knew true extraordinary combat nor imagined battles could be like this.

There was no ferocity or brute force, only precise coldness, flawlessly calculated.

Hitana did not like this way, but there was one point she acknowledged—it was necessary to understand, not seeking to easily see through everything like Anselm, but at least to know how to deal with those messy things, rather than standing there like an idiot getting beaten.

"Ah... that would require reading so many books, how troublesome."

The girl rolled over, her eyes gradually drooping: "Wait a few days... haah... and then talk about it..."

When her eyelids completely fell, and her eyelashes stopped trembling—

The second hand in the room's clock no longer moved.