Reincarnated As The Villainess's Son-Chapter 522: Rest [2]

The next three days passed uneventfully for me.

Most of the time, I had been lazing around the house, talking with Christina and Nymeria.

In the evening, I spent my time training Elijah and Aimar and sparring with Arawn at times.

As boring as the days might have been, I was happy spending my time like this.

I also visited the academy for a day and informed them about my situation.

Though unhappy, they didn’t have the guts to talk back to me.

---

As the sun slowly settled down the horizon, I sat back on a stone in my backyard.

Elijah and Aimar both lay on the ground, greedily taking in air like wild animals.

Arawn also stood by my side as he examined their progress.

But after a long time of waiting, he shook his head.

"They are not up to the mark, my lord," he said to me. "...It will take a lot of time for them to reach anywhere near you."

"I know," I replied, staring at Aimar. "They are not working that hard."

Aimar showed me his middle finger, which seemed to piss Arawn off more than me.

His eye twitched. "Discipline is lacking."

"Discipline is overrated," Aimar replied between breaths. "Talent makes up for it."

Elijah rolled onto his side and coughed. "Are we not talented then?"

"Fuck you."

I leaned forward, resting my elbows on my knees. "You guys should step into Eternal rank soon."

They didn’t respond, but I could hear them groan inwardly.

’Hm?’

I turned back as I felt a presence walking towards us.

It was a maid, the one that Christina hired when I was gone.

She came closer and bowed slightly towards me, extending a card in her hand. "This came for you, my lord."

I silently took the card. "You can go."

She bowed and walked away as I looked at the luxurious card.

The card was thick, the kind meant to be felt before it was read.

Gold lines traced the edges, warm against my fingers even as the air cooled around us.

Aimar lifted his head slightly. "What is it?"

"An invitation, probably," I replied, turning it over once.

But why was I given one?

Since I shifted to Kandam, I had made zero effort to meet with anyone.

Hell, I had been practically avoiding being friends with anyone.

It was a card from a family called "Hisoka."

Oh, a familiar name from the game.

Arawn remained silent, but his eyes sharpened, and I noticed it.

"You know them?" I asked, showing him the full card.

"...Yeah," he replied, his voice strained. "They have a history of being evil." 𝓯𝓻𝒆𝙚𝒘𝓮𝙗𝓷𝒐𝓿𝙚𝒍.𝙘𝓸𝙢

"Hm?" I tilted my head, genuinely curious. "How’s that?"

"They were here from long ago, my lord," he replied, folding his hands. "There was an untouchable tribe living on an island thousands of years ago."

He pointed at the name. "...They were tricked by Baal into worshipping him as the Creator God. The Hisoka family are descendants of that tribe."

"...So they have a long history," I mumbled, opening the card. "And what’s evil about that?"

"They still worship Baal," he replied. "They think one day Baal will return and help them achieve their lifelong goal."

"...And what is that?" It was Elijah who asked, walking towards us.

Arawn turned to glance at him. "...To become the greatest family that rules over Lumina."

Elijah’s expression turned cold as he looked at the card.

"So they are helping Baal’s Vessel then?"

"No," Arawn shook his head. "Families that worship Primordial Evils hate the vessel of their gods."

Elijah frowned as I opened the card. "Why?"

"The vessel has its own mind and personality," he replied. "They hate that."

I unfolded the card fully and read it in silence.

The words were polite.

A formal invitation to a private gathering held by three great families.

Hisoka being the head, with the Sinhorn and Bellandur families together with them.

"Do you know the Sinhorn and Bellandur families?" I asked, glancing at Arawn.

"Yes, my lord," he replied. "The Bellandur family worships the goddess Isthar, and the Sinhorn worships the god Molech."

"....."

I turned to look at him as I heard those names.

So these three families worship the Dark Trinity, huh?

"What are they?" Aimar scoffed, walking towards us. "Three great evil families or something?"

"Yes, actually," Arawn nodded in response. "They have inflicted so much brutality that they are dubbed as such."

Aimar blinked. "Wow. That was not sarcasm."

Elijah folded his arms. "Why did they contact you?"

"They seem to be throwing a party," I replied, folding the card. "Something about being able to enter the top families of Kandam."

Aimar stared at me. "They’re inviting you to join the top families?"

"Not exactly," I said. "They’re inviting me to sit at their table."

Arawn’s voice was calm but firm. "Perhaps they are making it public."

I turned to look at him. "What?"

"It’s nothing, but for almost a thousand years there has been this rumour going around," he replied, his voice thoughtful.

"Both the Sinhorn and Bellandur families have been in decline, and the Hisoka family is the one that has already acquired them."

I stayed quiet, letting his words sink in.

"So this isn’t just a party," I said slowly. "It’s an announcement."

Arawn nodded. "Most likely."

I let out a sigh and burned the card.

"Either way, I am not going," I replied, looking at them. "They can celebrate all they want. I don’t care."

The flame ate through the card quickly, turning the gold-lined paper into drifting ash.

Aimar stared at the remains. "That’s it? You’re just... not going?"

"Yes," I replied calmly.

Arawn frowned. "Refusing an invitation like that will not go unnoticed, my lord."

"I know," I said. "That’s the point."

I clapped my hands before they could say anything else.

"Alright, it’s time for rest," I said, looking at them. "I will send someone to call when dinner is ready."

"Yeah," Elijah mumbled. "I need to check on Mom."

He quickly walked away, and Arawn and Aimar dispersed as well.

Left alone, I began to walk towards my own house as my thoughts began to drift.

Come to think of it, that bastard is also training under the Hisoka family.

That’s why I am familiar with the family name.

’Evil attracts evil.’

Either way, I will meet him sooner or later.

’...But he is not that important.’

Since I got the power of Fate, there have been so many things that I want to do with it.

But first and foremost, I want to use it to locate... her.

’...Siersha.’

I don’t know where she is or how she is doing.

All I know is that she is somewhere out there, still waiting for me.

’...I need to look for her quickly.’

I bit my lips but eventually let go of my anxiety.

[<She will be fine, don’t worry.>]

’...Yeah.’

I let out a sigh as I reached my room.

The first thing that grabbed my attention was Christina standing close to the mirror.

She had dyed her hair back to blue.

She resembled her previous self a lot, though with a more mature body.

I walked behind her and placed my hand around her waist.

She stiffened for a brief second, then relaxed as soon as she felt my presence.

I stayed like that, resting my head on her shoulder.

"You’re quiet," Christina said, watching our reflection in the mirror.

"Just thinking."

She tilted her head, studying her blue hair as she ran her fingers through it. "It suits me, doesn’t it?"

"It does," I said honestly. "Feels... familiar."

She smiled faintly. "That’s what I wanted."

I loosened my grip slightly, turning her around so she faced me.

Her expression was calm, but her eyes searched my face like she was looking for something.

"Qais," she whispered, her voice soft.

"I’m listening."

"I miss my family," she replied, placing her head on my chest. "...I miss them."

I didn’t answer right away.

I wrapped my arms around her and pulled her closer, resting my chin on top of her head.

"I know," I said quietly. "Anyone would."

She tightened her grip on my shirt. "I try not to think about it, but sometimes it just... hits me."

"You’ve been strong for too long," I replied. "It’s okay to miss them."

She stayed silent for a few seconds, breathing slowly, like she was afraid that if she spoke again her voice would break.

"I want to see them," she replied. "...I am not ready yet, but I want to see them."

"...."

I closed my eyes as I felt her taking deep breaths.

I let out a sigh as I pulled back. "Let’s go then."

She looked up. "What?"

"It should be afternoon for them," I replied, placing my hand on her cheeks. "Let’s go meet them now."

She froze for a moment, like she was trying to understand if I was serious or not.

"...Now?" she asked again, her voice barely above a whisper.

"Yes," I replied. "If we keep waiting for the perfect time, it’ll never come."

Her hands trembled slightly as they rested on my chest. "But what if it goes badly?"

"It probably will," I said honestly. "At least at first."

She let out a weak laugh. "You’re really bad at comforting people."

"Maybe," I said. "But I won’t let you face it alone."

She looked at me for a long second, searching my face.

"...Okay," she said softly. "Let’s go."