Chapter 14: My Sermon

In the clean, orderly study, bare save for its vast collection of books, Anselm sat behind the desk, eyeing the restless girl before him, barely concealing the delight in his gaze.

He could feel Hitana’s agitation, her countless urges to flee on the way to the study, yet she didn’t. Anselm knew she wouldn’t.

He had prepared too long, forging the confusion, powerlessness, resentment, and rage of his youth into a power uniquely Anselm Hydra’s.

Now was the time for the first, most memorable… taming.

“Miss Hitana.”

Anselm sipped the pale golden wine, speaking gently, “Are you certain you wish to serve me again?”

“…”

Hitana, head lowered, stayed silent.

The young noble’s lips twitched, hiding his amusement in a light tone“Your attitude suggests otherwise—”

“…Yes.”

“Hm? What did you say, Miss Hitana?”

“I said… yes!”

Hitana’s voice rose, her neck flushing with rising blood.

She glared at Anselm“I want to keep working for you, alright?!”

“Look at yourself, Miss Hitana.”

Anselm leaned back in his chair, spreading his hands. “Is this the attitude of someone pledging their service?”

He fell silent, merely smiling at Hitana.

In the quiet study, only the girl’s increasingly heavy breathing filled the air.

[Hit, Lord Hydra can show you a wider world.]

[Father, Mother… and the village will all thrive!]

The happiness of her beloved family, the little village holding her cherished memories, and the future she dreamed of.

—A future where, like that damned Emperor, she could look down on the world, no one daring to scorn her, commanding utmost reverence, a future of boundless glory.

Her sister’s gentle, pleading words and the beautiful vision they painted weighed heavily on Hitana’s defiance.

Anselm savored Hitana’s struggle.

To him, everything unfolding was as inevitable as that damned fate.

He had merely… given a tiny, insignificant push, showing Hitana “slight” leniency and mercy, nothing more.

The clever Marina, hindered by her innate weakness, couldn’t voice the true reason she suspected.

But that was fine—it was exactly what Anselm wanted.

Most crucially, it would solidify her resolve to have Hitana follow him.

As someone who also knew Hitana intimately, Marina understood how to make her bow.

The Heavenly Wolf Empress had few weaknesses in her destined life, which made her especially vulnerable when facing them.

In that future, losing those weaknesses forged the invincible Heavenly Wolf Empress.

Even her inexplicable resistance and hatred couldn’t stir a storm now.

“Lord… Hydra.”

Her disheveled snow-white short hair resembled the sleek fur on a wolf’s neck.

The girl clenched her teeth, swallowing her overwhelming discomfort and fury, nearly grinding out a humble plea.

For the first time, she spoke to someone she despised.

Even when expelled from Tianlu Tower, she hadn’t lowered herself like this.

“Please… allow me… to serve… you.”

Squeezing out the words Marina taught her, her reluctance and pain sent blood rushing, reddening the delicate ears beneath her choppy hair.

“Hm…”

Anselm, swirling his wine glass, mused, “Barely passable.”

“So, you, you—”

“But,” Anselm cut her off with a light chuckle.

Hitana, head bowed, couldn’t see the irrepressible, ecstatic joy on his face.

“Returning to my side means one thing, Miss Hitana.”

He sipped his wine, sighing contentedly, “—You must reclaim… the punishment you deserve.”

Hitana froze, lifting her head slightly to glance at Anselm, hesitating, “…Punishment?”

“Of course, the punishment from last night’s banquet, which I waived when I let you go.”

The young, handsome Hydra propped his chin, smiling at Hitana. “Since you’re returning, I must retract that mercy.”

…So that’s it.

Hitana exhaled inwardly, understanding why he’d take her back.

—Petty bastard, looking to settle scores now!

“Fine, I accept!” Hitana straightened confidently, agreeing readily. “I accept your… punishment.”

Just revenge?

What could it be?

Hitana never feared pain, as her rough handling of assassins last night showed.

Even Marina was use to Hitana’s injuries, unsurprised by her bandaged wounds from the banquet.

In the Lansmarlos family, their father, crippled by old injuries, couldn’t hunt or work, requiring costly medicine; their mother, frail, yielded little despite toiling; Marina’s main role was negotiating with tax collectors.

Amid this, they endured Chishuang Territory’s brutal tax rates.

Yet Hitana single-handedly supported them, her hardships, pain, and despair making physical suffering meaningless to her.

A mere punishment for this chance, for her family and village’s bright future, was a trivial price.

“Then, remove your clothes.”

“Alright, no prob—”

Hitana’s motion to lift her shirt froze, her brain stalling.

The girl stared at the youth barely older than her, body rigid for half a minute.

“What… Did you say?” Her voice trembled.

“Take off your outer garments,” Anselm replied lazily.

In that moment, something… awoke in Anselm’s study.

A peerless beast that crossed icy, savage lands, crushed unstoppable legions, conquered sky-piercing peaks, and awed the mortal world with its supreme might and brutal ferocity!

For a fleeting instant, even Anselm thought… The Heavenly Wolf Empress had crossed time, shattered fate’s chains, and unleashed her fury in this small study.

But only for an instant.

Anselm’s hand, holding the wine glass, didn’t tremble.

Having witnessed despair and terror that could drive anyone to madness, how could he be swayed by a mere… protagonist’s “aura”?

Thus, they locked eyes, Hitana trembling silently as she slowly shed her clothes.

—If that Hydra tries thatI’ll kill this beast. No opportunity, no future matters—I want him dead now!

The nameless fury that constantly gnawed at Hitana’s heart surged, overwhelming her.

Had Anselm not tethered her with a leash of reason, the enraged young wolf wouldn’t be undressing but tearing out his throat.

Her simple hunter’s outfit hit the floor, revealing holy, jade-like skin shimmering faintly in the light, as if from a dream.

Her narrow shoulders, rounded and faintly pink, led to a soft, delectable abdomen, where defined obliques and rectus muscles formed two sharp grooves extending to her pelvis, giving her lower belly a slight, alluring curve, exuding a fitness and seductiveness beyond her years.

Her full, powerful thighs, free of excess fat, showcased graceful muscle lines when standing.

Her calves, correspondingly long, were perfectly proportioned, flawless.

Her smooth, snow-white feet, one bandaged, tapped restlessly, free of bulging veins, their beauty enhanced, not marred, by the wrapping.

Only a few scraps of modest fabric remained on the girl’s tender frame.

“You seem reluctant, Miss Hitana.”

Anselm propped his chin, smiling brightly at her.

Hitana’s dark red eyes, bloodshot and vivid, bored into Anselm, silent.

[No matter how he tests you, you can’t disappoint him.]

The tension froze again.

Hitana awaited a chance to kill Anselm, while Anselm… well, he was contentedly admiring her body, with no ulterior motives.

Until a sudden bell broke the heavy stalemate.

Anselm casually picked up a square magic crystal on his desk, pressed it, and held it to his ear.

“…Hm, good, I understand. Heh, I’ll remember.”

Then, without warning, he tossed the crystal toward Hitana.

She instinctively caught it, realizing too late she’d exposed herself further.

Before she could glare murderously at Anselm, a deeply familiar voice came from the crystal.

“Hit, Hit, is that you?”

—Her mother.

“M-Mom?” Hitana spoke to the crystal in disbelief. “How are you—”

Her words were cut off by her mother’s voice, nearly sobbing with joy.

“This morning, nobles brought doctors to our house… they cured your father’s illness and said our village is tax-free for five years! Hit, they said you’ve become someone great, working for a kind, generous figure—Lord Hydra, who brought us justice! Is it true? Are you really working for him?!”

“I…”

Hearing her mother’s near-tears voice, Hitana opened her mouth, glancing at the bastard behind the desk watching her. After a brief silence… she lowered the arm shielding her body.

“Yes, Mom, I’m working for him,” the girl said softly, striving for a calm, steady tone.

“Is Dad… really healed?”

“Of course, of course! Ul! Come here, talk to Hit!”

Seconds later, a deep, hoarse, trembling voice came through.

“Hit, I… my injury’s gone. You don’t have to hunt alone anymore, I—”

“What are you saying, Dad?!”

Hitana cut him off. “I’m a big deal now! No way you’re hunting. You don’t need to!”

“…Right, right, I know… I always believed in you, my good girl.”

Her father, who never cried before her, sounded choked. “I knew you’d… you’d become someone extraordinary.”

“Heh, of cour—ahh!”

“…Hit? What’s wrong?”

“…” Hitana gripped the crystal tightly, staring at the… snake-like, sinister black object creeping up her body.

Like a whip, but with segmented, scale-like blades and intricate mechanical workings, it was more than a mere whip.

And wielding this “whip-blade”…

Who else but Anselm?

The whip-blade, alive, coiled around one of Hitana’s legs, slithering upward, wrapping her waist and abdomen, slipping between her soft curves, writhing gently.

“I’m… fine, Dad, I’m okay.”

Under its cold touch and the faint sting of blades nearly cutting her skin, Hitana clenched her palm, drawing blood, and whispered, “I’m fine… just fine.”

“Good… good, Hit. You must repay Lord Hydra properly, serve him with all your heart, and no more tantrums. I know you can do it!”

Serve… him?

Why him?

Wasn’t it her who earned this, who gained respect and rewards?

Wasn’t it her strength that brought these gifts, restored her father’s health, and improved the village?

The crystal’s voice cut off, the call ending.

And then, Anselm’s voice drifted over.

The whip-blade’s tip grazed Hitana’s chin without breaking skin, teasing her like a pet.

“Dear Miss Hitana.”

The devil from the abyss began his sermon:

“What, exactly… made you a ‘big deal’?”

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