Villain: The Play of Destiny

"Stella Stone. A medical student and an intern nurse..."

Keith listened to all the information Iseul gathered on the girl that Mathew had been talking to since last night.

As he had expected, he had read nothing about this girl in the plan of Destiny that was meant for Mathew.

"Is she special?" He highly doubted it, but he still wanted to be sure and asked the

[No, Host. She's a normal person. Would you like the System to gather all the information about her?]

Gathering all the information about her had no point if she did not possess a Special Physique. She might provide Mathew with substantial Yin Energy, but as long as it was not a Special Physique, she was not worth anything in Keith's eyes.

"No need." He narrowed his eyes at how the girl was sneaking glances at Mathew again and again and even fell for his pathetic acting.

It was a CCTV recording from this morning that Iseul had gathered, and on the screen, after Stella insisted on asking what was wrong with Mathew, the Child of Destiny pitifully revealed to her that he had just lost his grandfather and he was feeling unwell.

The blonde girl then invited or pretty much dragged Mathew to a nearby cafe for breakfast, and she stayed with him for an hour before reluctantly leaving after his Butler arrived to pick him up.

The concern she was showing was not normal, and he had a hunch that something else was in play here.

"Can you find out if the Flower Cultivation System has provided Mathew with something to help him in his Quests?"

[It would require 50 Fate Points. Does the System have the Host's permission?]

"Yes."

[Initializing Host's request...]

[Fifty Fate Value utilised...]

...

[The Flower Cultivation System has rewarded its Host with a bottle of Ensnaring Perfume. Mathew used it last night on Stella Stone.]

Keith frowned when he heard those words.

Ensnaring Perfume was available in System Shop, and even if what Mathew possessed was the lowest grade Ensnaring Perfume, it was still a very useful tool in this world.

"Master. It seems like Mathew plans on meeting with Maria Valeca again." Iseul informed him, and he could guess the intentions of the Child of Destiny.

"When?"

"He asked to meet her this evening, but Maria has not responded to his request yet."

"I see." He nodded to her and then quickly thought things over.

Even if Maria refused to meet him, he knew that Mathew would approach her as soon as possible.

The Child of Destiny clearly wanted to be done with his Quests by any means necessary.

"Keep an eye on him. And if he decides to approach her today, kill her before he meets her." He instructed her, and his words brought a sweet smile to Iseul's face.

She was undoubtedly delighted at the ideas that were running through her mind, a bunch of different ways she would like to use to take Maria's life.

"Only if he approaches her today." He clearly said, and Iseul pouted.

"Hai, Senpai!" But she obediently nodded and then stood up to leave the study.

"If I administer an Antidote on Stella or free her from the charm of Ensnaring Perfume, the Flower Cultivation System will know that she has been freed, right?"

[Yes, Host. It will send the Flower Cultivation System in a Defensive Mode, where it would recognise the danger and provide its Host with the needed tools to be safe against you.]

He had thought so, and now, things were starting to become more fun.

"How much time is left before his Invincible Halo wears off?"

[17 Days.]

It was not worth the risk yet.

Had Mathew not been under Invincible Halo, he would not have cared about alarming the Flower Cultivation System, but he could not do it right now. He still needed to be careful with his methods.

On the other hand, if Mathew successfully Conquered Stella, his Fate Value would see a rise, which meant that he would have more Fate Value to devour from him. A very tempting prospect.

And then there was another thing he needed to keep an eye on.

"Mathew would still receive a Bonus reward from the System on successfully finishing his first Quest. Right?"

[Yes, Host. And given that Mathew won't be receiving anything from the Quest Reward as a result of the penalty he's facing, the bonus reward would likely be more lucrative than it was supposed to be. His progress needs to stick close to the Plan of Destiny that is meant for him.] The System meaningfully said. [And thus, the Bonus Reward would not be anything excessive either.]

Keith had an idea about what the Bonus Reward might be.

According to the Plan of Destiny, Mathew was supposed to receive a Foundation Building Pill as well as a special Pendant, which would act as a Protective Shield against any accidents, help him in his performance in bed, which would also help him in developing his Blank Physique.

But now that Mathew would not receive the Quest Rewards as he was facing a Penalty, the Flower Cultivation System would undoubtedly provide him with an Aura Soul Potion as the Bonus Reward, so that he could reach the Peak of Foundation Profound Realm like he was supposed to by now.

Making up his mind, Keith decided not to bother about Stella. Since she was not someone special, there was no harm in letting Mathew gather another vase by his side.

Even with the recent change of heart of Stella's mother, the Financial help Mathew could gather from her would still not matter as he could make him lose it all just as soon as he gets his hands on the money.

Setting his thoughts aside, Keith picked out a book from the System Inventory.

It was a Tome that he had recently purchased from the System for a considerable sum of System Points.

"The Archaic Art of Smithing."

Smithing was one of the Divine Skills, the same as Alchemy and Medicine, and though he could not practice it right away, Keith was quite interested in it and decided to start learning it.

Without practice, at most, he could only develop his skill to the Intermediate Level, and that was what his goal was.

He was totally invested in the book when his phone suddenly rang and he frowned, but as soon as he looked at the name and the image on the screen, a smile crept on his face.

"Hey, Love." He gently spoke, and even though he was not with her, he could sense the smile that he evoked on her lips.

"I love you." She told him.

"I know, and I love you too." He chuckled. "Missed me?"

"Yes." She nodded and sensed a little urgency in her voice.

"Tell me." He urged, and she did not need to ask how he knew that she had something on her mind.

"I..." She was about to speak but then stopped. "When will you be back?"

Keith knew that this was not what his dear Amelia wanted to know. And he knew perfectly well what was bothering her.

"Not sure. And I will be going out of the country next month."

"Is everything okay?" She frowned.

"Hades and Nergal are about to cause some big trouble." He chuckled but did not tell her why he needed to go.

"Oh." She nodded but he could sense that she was not really interested in what he had just told her.

Her mind was lost and confused by the things that had been happening to her lately. And she needed answers about the fascinating power she had discovered that she possessed.

Amelia had finally awoken the Spirit Eyes.

"Come to me. I miss you." He smiled and said, and Amelia smiled too when she heard his words.

"I will be there tomorrow." She promised, sounding a little relieved and expectant as well.

After ending the call, Keith put the phone aside and returned his attention to the book he was reading.

Hours passed, evening came, and with it came Iseul's call.

She told him that Mathew was not going to meet Maria tonight, and she sounded a little displeased at it.

"Also, Maria has agreed to meet Javier Alvarez tomorrow at lunch."

"Alight." He nodded and ended the call before getting up and stretching his arms.

He placed the book back in the System Inventory, and walked out of the room, only to find his lovely daughter waiting for him, playing around with the black cub in her arms.

"Master." She smiled. "Dinner's ready."

"Thank you." He leaned in and planted a kiss on her head, and then pulled her chin up to capture her lips.

"Eh!" Someone surprisedly exclaimed when they saw the scene, but Keith took his time tasting Minami's soft lips.

And then he turned to look at the girl who was staring at them with her cheeks burning in a blush.

"You want one?" He asked, and Reina immediately shook her head before running away.

Her antics made him chuckle and he helplessly shook his head.

Their parents wanted them to spend more time with him so that they could feel relieved and get used to being around him. And since the Goldsmith Mansion was only two minutes away from this place, the girls could come here any time they wanted.

"Amy will be coming here tomorrow." He informed his daughter who nodded her head to him.

And on his way to his room, he called the Goldsmith Family and told them that the twins would be staying with him for the next week.

He did not want to give Mathew a chance to somehow manage to apply the Ensnaring Potion on them.