Nightfall.
The faint light of the moon shone through the windows, lending the dark room a hint of brightness.
"You should leave now," said the figure in the centre of the room, Kael, sitting on a wooden chair.
Eleanor stepped out of his shadow, looking closely at the man in front of her.
Without realising it, she had been staring at him longer than usual.
"O-Okay, see you," she said, blushing slightly.
It was unclear whether she blushed out of embarrassment for staring at Kael or because she knew what Kael would do to Raquel.
She quickly disappeared.
"The irresistible scent is truly fearsome," Kael smiled.
[Irresistible Scent: Causes the user to exude an aura that is irresistible to the opposite sex, as if they were a walking aphrodisiac. The effect increases in the opposite sex the longer they are near the user.]
Reading the skill description again, Kael couldn't help but sigh. "This is truly incredible," he thought.
"On top of that..." Kael turned his gaze back to the system panel he had activated.
[Charisma: A+]
"Without a doubt, my highest stat," Kael nodded with satisfaction.
Squeak
The door opened mysteriously. Slowly, under the moonlight, the figure appeared.
Kael wasn't surprised at all; in fact, he looked at the figure with a slight smile.
"Come closer," he said casually, and finally the figure revealed her face: Raquel.
She obediently approached, even though there was still resistance in her gaze.
'Wow, the original Kael really left a bad impression on her if she still has resistance even now,' Kael had to admire the original Kael's skills as a despicable villain.
He obviously didn't want to be left behind; after all, he was a villain.
However, he was a very different kind of villain.
He got up from the edge of the bed and, after taking a couple of steps, was now only a meter away from Raquel.
Bending down slightly, Kael looked into her eyes, leaning a little closer to her, their faces now only inches apart.
"!!" Raquel had imagined many things on Kael's face: desire, lust, perversity, etc.
However, she never anticipated that he would have the expression he had now.
A cold expression, so cold that even ice would fall short.
And along with that expression, Kael's aura also carried murderous intent.
Reaching out his hand, he touched Raquel's chin, lifting it up, bringing their lips almost together.
Raquel's pupils were visibly trembling.
"Tell me," Kael began, watching Raquel's expression, and continued. "Who poisoned me?"
Time seemed to stand still.
Raquel's face grew paler and paler, like paper.
"That's more than enough of a reaction. She knows something." Kael had been watching Raquel's every change of expression, so one as obvious and visible as this did not escape his notice.
It was certain. She knew.
"It seems you know what I'm talking about," Kael smiled, a subtle, slight smile.
"N-no, no, I don't know what you're talking about, young master," Raquel shook her head, bowing to Kael, as if she were making a reverence.
This surprised Kael a little. 'Wow, this is going better than expected.'
But the surprise didn't stop him. "Look me in the eyes," he ordered directly.
Instantly, Raquel moved, raising her head to look into Kael's eyes. There was no longer any resistance, only... a slight submission.
"I'll give you two options," Kael said at once. "Tell me and live, or don't tell me and die."
Hearing these words, Raquel felt uneasy.
She fell to her knees at lightning speed, grabbing Kael's legs in the process. "Young master, I'm sorry, truly forgive me. I'll tell you everything," Raquel said, almost crying, barely able to utter the words because she was shaking so much.
"Imagine coming here to negotiate so that your secret wouldn't be revealed, and in the end, there is no negotiation because they directly discovered a more important secret that threatens your loyalty and life," Kael thought, sighing with amusement.
Raquel was thinking the same thing inside, deeply regretting having come to the room.
"Well, tell me everything, without leaving out any details," Kael ordered, stepping back and sitting on the edge of the bed.
Looking at Raquel's favourability, he was going crazy; he couldn't see any definite numbers because they were constantly changing.
Kael paid no further attention to this, instead turning his full attention to Raquel.
"I'm sure I'll get something useful out of this," Kael had that hunch; after all, the shadows had given him rather superficial information, possibly because he still had such a low mastery of the skill.
Raquel nodded nervously. "Several years ago, specifically ten years ago, a hooded man came to this house at midnight. He told us that you were going to be a calamity for the world and that you should be eradicated. He gave us poison to completely stop your growth, which is why you were never able to grow after the age of eight."
Taking a breath, Raquel continued. "Since it was just poison to keep you from getting stronger, we accepted it after he threatened to kill our entire family. The hooded man then gave us other rewards and such. He never mentioned his name, only the Tayron family. However..."
"He said something about someone named Allistar being destined to rule Mysthic, and that we should be waiting to serve him."
When she finished her story, Raquel looked at Kael, waiting to see his reaction.
However, on the outside, Kael's expression hadn't changed. But on the inside...
"Damn them, damn them, damn them," Kael cursed incessantly. "Just because Allistar is the protagonist, they're going to give him women just like that?"
Kael was more than furious; he was outraged and frustrated. After all, the person standing in front of him was one of the MILFs who had died.
"So, no matter what, the protagonist is definitely going to be in my shoes. Kael was probably manipulated to be a stepping stone for the protagonist."
Kael sighed and took a deep breath of cold air as he looked at Raquel.
"Then... I will defy this fate that holds you so dear," Kael made a decision, his eyes shining with astonishing clarity.
[The host shows determination in defying fate.
Hidden Mission Complete: Defy Fate.
Reward: S-Rank Skill, Charisma Increase to SS, Eyes of the Abyss]