Ansu looked at the female demon hunter's lack of interest and thought to himself that this 'master' had quite the ego.
She clearly looked down on him and Vera for using back-door connections.
He didn't have any intention of backing down; once she saw Vera's astonishing talent, she would definitely feel like she had been slapped in the face for what she just said.
On the other hand... Ansu really did want to get to know this person.
Ansu didn't even need to observe the female demon hunter in front of him carefully; at first glance, he had already recognized Danielle's identity.
That's right... another minor villain boss.
【Necromancer City Lord - Danielle】
A few years later, she would be a major general under the great villain Shadow King - Barcas. Due to extensive erosion from black magic, she would undergo a 'semi-undead' transformation to help Barcas guard a City of Shadows that blocked the protagonist's party's path.
Danielle originally belonged to the demon hunter department of the Church of Holy Light. During the years she spent risking her life for the Church, she and her partner became secret lovers. However, due to a certain mission, the two were unfortunately affected by forbidden black magic, both suffering from varying degrees of contamination and backlash.
The condition of Danielle's lover was more severe, almost on the brink of demonization and losing his mind, spending most of his time no different from a madman. As a warrior of pure love, Danielle was forced to retire and return home to take care of her lover.
And when her lover was in a critical state once, and Danielle was falling into despair, the top-tier HR—Shadow King - Barcas—extended an olive branch to her, saying he had a way to solve the terminal illness afflicting them both.
Ansu knew that this so-called solution was actually a 'semi-undead' transformation; if a person is dead, then isn't the illness cured?
Even though her lover strongly opposed it, Danielle was still willing to work for Barcas. Having become involved with the demon army, she abandoned her faith in the Holy Light, which probably hadn't been very strong to begin with.
After thinking all this through, Ansu looked at Danielle, unable to stop the internal complaints...
How did he keep running into future villains for no reason? Was he destined to mingle with villains for the rest of his life?
From the 【World Ending Witch - Celia】 to the 【Alchemist Doctor - Adams】, and now the 【Necromancer City Lord - Danielle】...
If he could poach this one to his side as well, that 'villain alliance' he had idly dreamed up... could it actually become a reality?
The more Ansu thought about it, the more he felt this move was truly feasible.
He should go look for other potential villains who were talented but unappreciated—provided their moral compass was somewhat human—and then win them over. These villains, big and small, were all talents with their own built-in strength and high cost-effectiveness; it would be a pity not to exploit them.
It's just that Barcas was being screwed over.
This great villain he had never met certainly had a good eye for talent, but even he couldn't withstand Ansu poaching like this... he felt like the foundation of Barcas's house was about to be dug out by him...
A tribute to the legendary HR, the legendary Master of Poaching, Shadow King - Barcas...
"Ms. Danielle..." Ansu saw that the atmosphere was a bit awkward, so he smiled and suggested, "As the saying goes, don't judge a book by its cover. My sister might look delicate and weak, but she is truly determined to obtain transcendent power, and her talent is indeed very good. Why don't you let her try? Just a small demonstration?"
Danielle, who had started drinking again, put down her glass and raised an eyebrow. "A demonstration?"
"Yes." Ansu nodded, then looked at Vera. "Quickly, show Ms. Danielle your talent for the Holy Light."
"O-okay!" Vera looked at the exceptionally stern Danielle and nodded timidly, then immediately clasped her hands in front of her chest.
A faint shimmer enveloped Vera's face, and a weak sacred power gradually spread outward, as if the murky smell in the tavern was being dispersed by that holy wind.
After performing the lowest-level Holy Light divine arts, Vera looked up nervously, only to see Danielle shaking her head repeatedly with a helpless expression.
"Healing Wind? Your divine art looks decent enough, but I don't think it can achieve a rapid healing effect at all. Sigh, compared to that girl Freya... it's a far cry from a true genius like her."
Vera lowered her head in dejection. Of course she couldn't compare to Sister Freya; after all, she was the greatest genius the Church had seen in centuries.
"Ms. Danielle." Ansu stroked Vera's soft hair to comfort her while speaking to the female demon hunter. "The divine art Vera just performed might not be very powerful, but do you know how many days it took her to learn it?"
Danielle frowned. "How many days?"
Vera quickly replied, "One week."
"One week!?" Ms. Danielle's eyes suddenly widened.
"To be precise, it was five days, and she taught herself," Ansu said with a smile.
He wasn't lying. Freya had taught Vera how to guide sacred power before she left, but because she had to go to the Royal Capital, she didn't have time to teach structured Holy Light divine arts.
She only left Vera a small booklet containing her study notes on several basic divine arts, including this 【Healing Wind】.
Danielle could no longer remain calm. She suddenly stood up, walked to Vera, and scrutinized the young girl carefully.
"Continue guiding your power; let me feel it carefully."
Vera gave an obedient "mm" and continued to perform the Holy Light divine arts.
Danielle closed her eyes and felt Vera's power, her expression becoming more and more astonished.
"Such a smooth channeling of the power of holy light... more skillful than a real member of the clergy. If you really learned this in five days..."
She silently looked at the smiling Ansu. "Then your sister is indeed a genius far beyond ordinary people."
Hearing Vera being praised, Ansu's smile became even more triumphant, feeling a sense of shared pride.
His sister was naturally a genius!
After all, in the timeline of another bad ending, she had grown into the cold and powerful 【Hunter of the Darkness - Vera】 in just a few years to avenge him. Although she wasn't a member of the protagonist's party, she was an important figurehead for the righteous god faction and a popular character who provided immense help to the protagonists.
Danielle's attitude toward Vera clearly became much more serious. She also stroked Vera's hair and teased her playfully.
"Sorry, little girl. I take back my earlier disdain. Your talent is indeed very high, and there is a possibility of you becoming a top-tier powerhouse."
Vera's large azure eyes lit up instantly. "Really?"
Danielle stopped smiling and said with feigned seriousness, "But as I said, it's only a possibility, because becoming a paladin is not as simple as you think."
She glanced at the siblings' tightly clasped hands, her meaning already quite clear.
"You have such a comfortable home, a brother who loves you, and you're beautiful and cute yourself. Why would you want to handle swords and spears?" Danielle looked at the delicate young girl, unable to bring herself to say anything too harsh.
"As for Holy Light divine arts, learning a bit for self-defense is enough. Your family is so wealthy, it certainly won't be your turn to fight."
"As a beautiful lady, wouldn't it be nice to learn flower arrangement, oil painting, or piano to improve your temperament? It would also make it easier for you to get married later. By then, little Vera will surely grow into a heartbreaker! I wonder how many noble sons you'll charm..."
"I don't want that!!" Vera suddenly became angry, her little face puffing up with rage.
She would never get married! What was wrong with this demon hunter lady? Why was she randomly arranging other people's futures?
Danielle was stunned for a moment, then she gave a helpless smile. "Vera... are you unwilling to learn those artistic skills?"
The female demon hunter naturally didn't know the reason for Vera's anger; she just felt that this little girl was quite ambitious...
In the girl's angry eyes, she saw persistence and determination.
"Sorry again..." Danielle let out a couple of awkward laughs. "Mainly because seeing such a cute little girl makes me unable to help thinking about those things... They've said several times that my maternal instincts are overflowing, and I almost made off with other people's little girls..."
Because her lover had especially hoped to have a daughter, but unfortunately...
Danielle gazed at Vera and let out a soft sigh. If they had retired from the demon hunter squad a bit earlier back then, their daughter should have been about this age...
"It's alright, Ms. Danielle." Ansu shook his head with a smile. He actually felt a trace of affection in the female demon hunter's gaze, which was a good thing.
Paladin was a combat profession, and enduring hardships while training martial techniques was unavoidable. Ansu had also hesitated for a long time because he didn't want Vera to suffer.
So, if she could have a master who cared for her, that would be truly wonderful.
Seeing that Danielle still had a trace of hesitation about taking Vera in, Ansu stepped forward and decided to play his final trump card.
"Ms. Danielle, I heard..." Ansu leaned in and whispered, "Your husband has a terminal illness, and you've been running around for him, seeking medical help and medicine. I just happen to have a way..."
Looking at Danielle's wary and tense gaze, Ansu revealed a mysterious smile.
"Ms. Danielle, I assume you wouldn't want your husband to miss out on the correct treatment and die young, right?"
Rate on N.U.
