Chapter 69: Visitors?

Two days later, Lathel sat on his bed, basking in the warm morning sunlight spilling over his body. "Master!" Aris knelt on the floor, her face filled with reverence and admiration. "Just as you predicted, Morlan has taken both me and Lucien as his disciples. He even arranged for Billy to stay with Lucien." "However, it seems Lucien still hasn’t woken up, so I haven’t had the chance to meet him yet." Lathel’s eyes turned scornful, a hint of mockery in his gaze. "Have you seen Irelia visiting him often?" "Yes," Aris replied instantly. "Master, you truly are a god. Irelia has come every day for the past two days, and each time, she stayed quite a while." Lathel smirked, his eyes shifting to the system notification panel hovering before him. [Congratulations! You have completed Mission #3 – Confrontation. Not only did you successfully humiliate Lucien, but you also made everyone believe he had colluded with the Demon Race. In addition, you caused many to lose their trust in him. Most importantly, you completely prevented Lucien from becoming Lyra’s disciple, diverting the course of his Fate. Evaluation: 92/100 points. Reward: Function [Fate Steal] unlocked; 1× Future Sight Card (1-day limit); 1× Intermediate Knight Summoning Card; 20,000,000 EXP.] Lathel’s gaze locked onto the new function. "Open the information on the new function!" he commanded inwardly. Immediately, another panel appeared before his eyes. ... Function: Fate Steal. Description: You can perceive the Fate Aura of a protagonist and steal their Fate Points. Fate Points serve as your personal source of EXP—the more points you have, the more EXP you gain per second. Current Fate Points: 20 (Equivalent to 20 EXP/s) ... In truth, this notification had appeared two days ago—right after he left the Trial Tower. However, because he had used a Disguise Card at that time to make himself appear gravely injured, he couldn’t afford to expose any slip-ups. Otherwise, Lyra would have immediately suspected him. Thus, he had to continue "acting," fully committing to his role as a pitiful prince so gravely wounded that he’d fallen unconscious. Over the past two days, Selvia, Mira, and even Lyra had barely given him a moment’s peace, staying by his side constantly. As a result, he had no choice but to lie still and play the part of a victim in a deep coma. "System, compile my current total experience points." [Ding! Your current experience points: 40,016,000 EXP.] Seeing Lathel remain silent, Aris didn’t dare to speak. She kept her head lowered, still kneeling on the floor, her heartbeat seemingly quickening. Lathel’s silence was because he was deep in thought. After a moment, he mentally commanded the System: "Level up the ’Space’ talent and the ’Perfect Humanity’ talent." [Ding! To upgrade the Space talent from Level 3 to Level 4, you must spend 16,000,000 EXP. Do you accept?] [Ding! To upgrade the Perfect Humanity talent from Level 4 to Level 5, you must spend 16,000,000 EXP. Do you accept?] "Accept all!" [Ding! Successfully deducted 32,000,000 EXP. Remaining EXP: 8,016,000.] [Ding! Beginning upgrade...] Lathel could feel his power rising significantly. However, the space around him had already been "sealed" by his ability, so no one outside could detect anything unusual. Even Aris, kneeling right next to him, only felt a few extra cold gusts of wind. [Ding! Upgrade complete. Your Space talent has reached Level 4 (0/32,000,000 EXP).] [Ding! Upgrade complete. Your Perfect Humanity talent has reached Level 5 (0/32,000,000 EXP).] [Ding! Congratulations, your level has risen to Level 4 – Mid Stage.] ... Lathel Solvain Level: 4 – Mid StageLuck Points: 5 Talents: Space: Rank S – Level 4 (+2) (0/32,000,000 EXP)Perfect Humanity: Rank A – Level 5 (0/32,000,000 EXP) Current EXP: 8,016,000 Harem: Selvia Aqualis (legal wife, Main Heroine) – 67.5 EXP/sMira (NPC | ???) – 20 EXP/s Fate Steal: 20 Fate Points (20 EXP/s) Equipment: Celesthalis Unused Items: 1× Future Sight Card (1-day)Rank B Absorption Method – Lunar Petal (Unlimited)4× Disguise Cards ... ’Perfect Humanity can raise other talents by +2 levels.’ Lathel glanced at his personal status screen, thinking to himself. "System, use the Knight Summoning Card." [Ding! You have successfully used the Intermediate Knight Summoning Card, receiving 5 Knights – Level 2, Mid Stage.] Lathel wasn’t particularly surprised — after all, with his current level having reached Level 4 – Mid Stage, a few Level 2 knights didn’t hold much real value. ’However... these subordinates are all women, and absolutely loyal to me.’ Lathel thought with a cold glint in his eyes. I can put them to good use. A cruel smile curved his lips, like a ravenous wolf gazing at a herd of foolish sheep. At that moment, five blonde-haired women, their faces bearing some resemblance to one another, suddenly appeared. Aris wasn’t surprised; she knew they were the new subordinates her Master had just summoned. All five knelt before him, heads bowed, their expressions brimming with reverence and awe as though gazing upon a god. "You will act according to Aris’s orders." Lathel said simply. Although the five were of higher level than Aris, the Master’s command was absolute. Not one of them would dare to object. "Yes, my noble Master." Lathel’s lips curled into a smirk as he glanced at Aris, issuing further orders: "You will remain by Lucien’s side — spread rumors that he has colluded with the Demon Race while also helping him build a guild." "And then... you will..." The more Aris listened, the more pitiful Lucien seemed in her eyes — yet anyone who dared oppose the Master deserved to die a hundred times over. Before long, Aris left with the five newly summoned female knights. Now alone in the room, Lathel waved his hand, unlocking the space around him. "Use a Disguise Card." [Ding! Disguise Card used successfully. Remaining: 3.] At once, his complexion turned pale like that of an anemic patient, his features shadowed with weariness. Crack! The door opened, and Selvia entered. Seeing Lathel awake, her eyes widened in shock before she rushed to him in joy. "Lathel! You... you’re awake?" Selvia’s voice trembled as tears welled up, her hands clutching his tightly. "Thank the heavens, you... you’ve woken up." "How do you feel? Are you alright? You..." Lathel gently took her hand, patting the back of it as if to soothe her. "I’m fine, just a little tired. Calm yourself first." "Uhm! I... I’m sorry, I’m just... I’m just so happy." Selvia stammered, unable to hide the joy on her face as tears streamed down like twin rivers. "I’m sorry, Lathel... It’s because of me you were so gravely injured." Selvia bit her lip, speaking with sorrow. "If I hadn’t saved him that day, you wouldn’t have been hurt so badly by him." "I’m sorry. This is all my fault." Lathel reached out, his fingers gently brushing away the tears on her beautiful face. "Don’t worry. I don’t blame you. On the contrary, I want you to remain a kind-hearted girl." "Eh?!" Selvia froze, her eyes wide with confusion as she stared at him. He smiled and said, "Selvia, I want you to continue being a kind-hearted girl who helps others. That is the Selvia I know." Selvia looked at his warm smile, and with the rays of sunlight streaming through the window, bathing him in light, he appeared divine and grand—like a god. A god brimming with love and compassion. "Uhm! I... I understand." Selvia nodded softly, her heart so warm it felt as though it might melt entirely. "Thank you, Lathel. Thank you for letting me love you." Lathel said nothing, his hand gently caressing her cheek, though inwardly, his thoughts were the exact opposite: ’That’s right, you must remain a good girl. That way, Lucien will more easily fall into my trap.’ Selvia, of course, had no idea what he was truly thinking, simply savoring the warmth and masculine strength of his touch. "Ah!" She suddenly gasped, as if remembering something. "Oh no! Professor Lyra said that the moment you woke up, I must inform her immediately." "Lathel, rest here for a bit. I’ll go tell the Professor that you’ve awakened." With that, Selvia hurried out of the room. The warmth in Lathel’s smile gradually faded, turning cold and shadowed. Even without looking, he could sense subtle fluctuations in the distant space. His Spatial talent had reached Level 4, and with Perfect Humanity boosting other talents by two levels, his Spatial talent was effectively Level 6. Because of this, he could detect even the tiniest disturbances across an immense range. Even a speck of dust drifting through the air would not escape his perception. This was the power of an S-rank talent. Lathel’s lips curved into a sneer, full of scorn and mockery. "Can’t wait any longer, can you?" "Lathel!" A sudden urgent voice rang out, accompanied by hurried, uneven footsteps. Lyra, Selvia, and Mira entered the room almost at once. Seeing him awake, the three women—each as beautiful as a perfect blossom—were moved to tears of joy. No—Lyra did not cry. Her eyes were merely misty, as though on the verge of tears, but she bit her lip, forcing them not to fall. "Your Highness!" Unable to restrain herself, Mira rushed straight into Lathel’s embrace, greedily inhaling his masculine scent. Lyra saw the scene and wanted to say something, but in the end, she remained silent, her hand pressing over her heart as she felt a strange pang. ’Strange... why do I feel uncomfortable seeing him so close to another woman?’ ’No! That is his woman, not some stranger. But... what is this feeling?’ Selvia smiled, allowing Mira to rest in Lathel’s arms, and she herself also felt the urge to join them—until her gaze flicked toward Lyra. Could it be... Selvia murmured under her breath, noticing Lyra’s faintly pained expression and thinking of a possibility she could hardly believe. No! I must be mistaken. She shook her head quickly, dismissing the odd thought. After a long moment of holding each other, Mira and Selvia finally released him, allowing Lyra to step forward and examine his injuries. "Your wounds have improved a lot, but you still need a long period of rest. No strenuous movements, understood?" Hearing Lyra’s words, Lathel teased, "Ah! Then I just need to avoid moving, that’s all." "Hm?! What do you mean by that?" Lyra frowned in confusion. Seeing the embarrassed, flushed expressions on Selvia and Mira, she became even more puzzled. "Oy! What exactly does he mean by that? And your expressions..." "Ah! No, Professor..." Selvia quickly responded, "It’s just... Lathel only just woke up, so my emotions were a bit stirred up." "Yes! That’s right!" Mira added with an awkward laugh. "We just got a little too excited." Lyra glanced at them, wanting to say something, but in the end she held her tongue. Turning back to Lathel, she let out a quiet sigh. "You took too big a risk." Lathel smiled lightly. "I’m sorry, Professor. At that moment, I wasn’t thinking clearly, so I..." "Idiot!" "Heh?!" Lathel feigned confusion, as if he hadn’t heard her clearly. "It’s nothing!" Lyra stood up, her cheeks gradually turning red, forcing her to quickly turn away. "Continue resting. I’ll come check on you later." With that, she hurriedly left, granting them some privacy. "Your Highness, does it still hurt?" Mira asked, her voice full of concern. "It’s fine. But it’s a little stuffy here—could you take me somewhere more airy?" Lathel replied. At that, Selvia spoke up. "Behind this house is a bamboo grove. Let me take you there." Lathel smiled gently, though inwardly he was still keeping his senses locked on the "guests" outside. ... In the middle of the bamboo grove stood a small pavilion, five wooden pillars supporting a pentagon-shaped tiled roof. Inside was a stone tea table, on which sat a plate of pastries and a pot of still-steaming tea. "Thank you. I’d like a moment of quiet—could you give me some space?" Lathel’s voice carried a faint sadness, leaving Mira and Selvia puzzled. Even so, they followed his request, departing and leaving him alone. Leaning back in his seat, Lathel basked in the warm rays of sunlight filtering through the narrow gaps between the lush green bamboo leaves. The cool breeze stirred gently, making his golden hair sway lightly. In that moment, he was like a statue sculpted by the hands of a god—perfect in beauty, radiating an air of peace, gentleness, and compassion. Thud! Thud! Suddenly, two dark figures appeared, standing not far from the pavilion. A voice laced with mockery rang out. "Prince Lathel, I didn’t think you really knew how to enjoy yourself."