A Villain's Way of Taming Heroines

Chapter 426: Perfectly Happy - II

Without the clutter of myriad colors, that is what is most normal. Explore hidden tales at ???

After all, when all colors blend together, the resulting color is, and can only be, black.

"Take good care of them, Arthur," Flamelle said with a hearty laugh.

"Taking the girls to the Zero Realm Enigma will surely be an adventure you'll recount to others in the future."

He stepped first into the boundless darkness, and after Ansel had the girls close their eyes, he took their hands and silently pulled them along, stepping into the darkness that seemed to nullify everything.

"An... Ansel," Seraphina said in a tense whisper, "May I open my eyes now?"

"You may," Ansel replied softly, "Take a good look around; the scenery here... is indeed beautiful."

Seraphina's eyelids trembled slightly as she relaxed and slowly opened her eyes, and then, those dark red pupils were met with a sight she would never forget.

First, there was the blackness, endless and boundless, more infinite than the sky and the earth, without any limits. But within this blackness... countless points of light twinkled.

They were floating forward in this endless blackness, twinkling with points of light.

"What... what is this?"

Seraphina murmured in awe, her eyes full of bright lights, "It's really beautiful..."

"Helen, tell Seri about it," Ansel said, patting Helen's head.

"Yes, Father," the petite scholar responded, her eyes narrowing slightly from Ansel's touch:

"We are not exactly in a specific Zero Realm Enigma, but rather in a passage that we are moving through."

"...A passage?"

"Yes, Miss Seraphina, the points of light you see, some appearing near and others far, but in reality, the distance between us and any of those points is truly... infinite."

"The so-called Zero Realm Enigma is, in essence, a set of worlds entirely independent from our own. They may lack life, vegetation, land, and sea, existing as nothing more than a void, perhaps even devoid of ether... Some are as confined as a single building, while others may be vast enough to surpass entire continents."

Helen gazed into the endless expanse of stars, the boundless potential they held igniting a fierce tumult within her nearly thoughtless soul.

This is it... the realm of possibilities, an infinite future.

She tightened her grip on Ansel's hand, continuing, "Zero signifies the beginning, the potential to evolve from any perspective."

"Ah? Then, are there other people within the Zero Realm Enigma?"

"No, the Zero Realm Enigma may give rise to anything. The emergence of life is not unusual, but it will not produce 'people,' or any intelligent beings akin to humans."

Ansel responded to the question.

"…Eh? Huh?"

Seraphina expressed her confusion: "Didn't she that the enigma holds countless possibilities? Why then, are people the exception?"

"You will understand in time."

This somewhat dismissive reply caused Seraphina to pout, but considering Ansel's current mood might be sour, she rubbed her face and put on a bright smile:

"Then this... no, so many these Zero Realm Enigmas, aren't they wonderful places? Where all possibilities exist... Does that mean there could be places suitable for humans? If there's no one else, couldn't we send people to live there?"

"…Do you understand why 'Enigma' is part of its name?"

Helen pushed up her ash-white glasses, "Theoretically, any attempt to enter the Zero Realm Enigma is akin to courting death. Even if one withstands the immense pressure of crossing worlds, there's no guarantee... of a safe return."

Seraphina was shocked: "You mean people might not be able to return?"

"Essentially, return is nearly impossible. Each Zero Realm Enigma's entrance is random, as are its opening and closing times... The possibility of 'returning the same way' is almost non-existent. To return to our world, one would need an exceedingly costly anchor that even the 'infinite' between worlds cannot obstruct for positioning, and these items are consumables, unaffordable for most explorers."

"But... didn't Mr. Flamelle open that uh, portal himself?"

Helen remained silent, giving Seraphina a look reserved for fools.

Miss Wolf was initially taken aback, then realization dawned, and her face flushed with embarrassment.

Of course, Flamelle could do it, for he is Hydral, one of the four strongest divine beings of this era! Breaching the barriers between worlds, accessing the Zero Realm Enigma, is naturally trivial for him.

"Even so, father must find the correct location."

Ansel said, "What the divine species can do is merely to open the portal in advance and ensure that the path to the Zero Realm Enigma is error-free."

Helen quickly noticed the issue with this statement, looking at Ansel with some confusion, "Is that all... What about the return?"

The return...

The young Hydral lowered his eyes, "If it is the most void, the most chaotic, without a specific target, even the divine species might get lost."

"Uh... Then, why venture into such dangerous places?"

"Because the ultimate chaos also signifies vast possibilities. The Zero Realm Enigma is immensely dangerous, yet it also harbors..."

His sea-blue eyes pierced the darkness, resting on the man leading them.

Ansel had lost count of how many times he had gazed at his father today, it had been a long time… since he had looked at him this way.

Flamelle could not possibly be unaware of his son's gaze, but he said nothing, perhaps avoiding the past, or perhaps...

Perhaps he was simply too mad to feel much anymore.

"...harbors miracles even the divine species need."

After saying this, Helen, feeling increasingly that there must be some serious issue behind this "journey," was about to ask something when Flamelle's voice came again from ahead:

"Get ready, we're almost there."

Ansel again covered the eyes of Helen and Seraphina, and when he removed his hands, the girls saw a different scene—

The sky, or rather what should be above the "sky," was upside down with dense, iron-gray spikes, and in mid-air floated massive stones; they were standing on one such stone, and looking down... there was nothing below, just an endless void.

Seraphina, having never seen such a spectacle, cried out in confusion, clutching Ansel's arm, her emotions a mix of excitement and fear, while Helen closed her eyes to feel the flow of ether around her, her brow slightly furrowed.

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