Villain: The Play of Destiny

Chapter 552: Chapter 552

"The Pillar of Enlightenment responds to your desire. If you don’t have a strong desire to learn something which you have been working hard for, you will never be blessed with such an opportunity..." Venessa informed Kashish, who was sitting next to Keith, watching their game of chess and listening to her mother’s lesson at the same time.

"Does the Bloodline and Talent matter?" She curiously asked and watched Venessa shake her head.

"No. An Ashaya has just as much a chance to receive it as you do." She said. "Importantly, even if you have a very strong desire to understand and learn something to improve yourself and to grow stronger, and you have been working hard for it, you might not necessarily get this opportunity in your lifetime. The Pillars of Enlightenment are rare. And that’s because there is one more requirement that you need to meet before you can have a chance of invoking this blessing."

"What is it?"

"Your desire needs to be pure," Keith answered her, and Venessa nodded her head as she made her move on the board.

"Minami was blessed by it because her desire to grow stronger and to awaken her Sword Intent had no hint of evil. She wanted to learn it and mould it to protect us. More than anything, it stemmed from her love for Keith."

Kashish, who was very familiar with her sister, nodded her head with a smile.

"And for you, Mother. She loves you too." She playfully said, evoking a smile on her mother’s face. "How does the Pillar of Enlightenment work though? What does it do to you?" She followed up with another curious question.

"The results vary from person to person, and for these results, talent does matter. Let’s say that you are an Expert-level Swordsman, and you receive the blessing of the Pillar of Enlightenment. Depending on your talent, you would become a Master, a Grandmaster, or even a Sword Saint. The Pillar of Enlightenment directly upgrades your skills or a certain skill, and it also guarantees your future accomplishments in that field, improving your affinity with it. Therefore, your road to form your own Laws becomes easier, and you automatically inherit the Law you were enlightened with."

Her eyes widened at his words as she only now realised how outrageous of a blessing her dear sister had received.

"Minami has the Sword Law now?"

"Yes." Venessa smiled at her. "Her Swordsmanship level is the blurred level of a Grandmaster right now. All she needs to do is to work on it a little, and it will no longer be blurred. In a few months to a year, she will become a true Peak Grandmaster-Level Swordsman."

"Wow..."

Keith chuckled as he saw the shocked expression on Kashish’s face. It was a rare sight, considering how calm and composed she always was.

Then again, Minami was already much better of a Swordsman than her sisters, except for maybe Rebecca, who too was on the same level as her.

Now, things had changed and the gap between them had significantly widened.

Suddenly, they heard a knock on the door, and Venessa made another move on the board, right before she got up to allow the person outside to enter.

"You lose." She told him, leaving him perplexed, and forcing him to focus on the board more.

Even Kashish was confused, and she too concentrated on the positions of the pieces, however, it was not easy to spot how exactly he was going to lose.

The Empyrean Chess was very hard to read through, and Venessa and Keith were already having a battle that was making her head hurt a little.

When Keith finally saw it, he audibly sighed and then explained things to his daughter, whose mind started clearing up. She felt chills run up her spine as she understood how sinister of a strategy her mother was ready to use to take out Keith’s King Piece.

At the door, as soon as Venessa opened it, Minami rushed into her embrace and hugged her tightly.

"Thank you, Mother." The dark-eyed Eldeilyon sincerely said and tightened her arms around her mother when she felt her plant a kiss on her head.

"I am proud of you," Venessa told her, and she could feel her smile even if she could not see it.

Her attention then turned to Kiara, who was still standing outside, wearing a pout and pretending to be envious of her sister.

Venessa opened her left arm for her, which the latter happily jumped into, hugging her as well, and then she finally spoke up about what was on her mind.

"You favour Minami over us." She complained, not expecting the blunt response she was about to receive.

"Unlike you, she does not try to steal her father from me. She is more obedient."

Everyone in the room either smiled or laughed when Kiara froze a little, but the girl then showed her usual mischievousness.

"He’s mine too." She bravely said, and the smile on her mother’s face widened.

"Of course, he is," Venessa said and then planted a kiss on her head as well. "Come with me."

At her words, Kashish too stood up from her seat and followed her out of the room.

Minami swiftly took a chance to rush up to Keith and hug him before she followed her mother to the training room, just in time to hear her seriously speaking to Kiara.

"You should focus on your training. I am not going to allow you to stay in Westesia if you are not ready." The Mother Eldeilyon said, and meeting her eyes, her sister obediently nodded her head. "And pay attention to the training of your Blood Guards. They are not as talented as you." She reminded.

"I will start today." The blue-eyed Eldeilyon promised, knowing well that the time they had was very limited.

Keith, who stayed back in the room, kept looking at the chessboard for several minutes, and then he set the board again to play against himself, fixing the error that he had made against Venessa.

Oblivious to the passage of time, he was engrossed in his game. It was only when his dear maid, Fiona, entered the room to ask him if he would like to eat anything specific for supper that he realised that he had stayed inside Aerzar for several hours.

"I am fine." He gently smiled at her, and though he could see her obediently nod her head, he also caught a hint of sadness in her eyes.

It had been a while since he had asked her to do something for him, and she, whose entire existence revolved around serving him, was inwardly very anxious.

"Get dressed. We will be attending an event tonight."

Fiona confusedly looked at him before her eyes widened in the realisation that he was going to take her to Amaya, and she quickly bowed to him before practically running to her room.

Keith too got up to take a bath, and almost an hour later, he returned to his room to find Fiona and Ayesha waiting for him.

His dear maid had dressed very meticulously, covering her body in a royal gown, which he had gifted her a while back. And Ayesha was dressed too, in a rather simpler green and silver gown, but its elegance and fabric were as fine as you could find on Amaya.

As he looked at them, he found something missing, and quickly deciding on what he wanted, he entered the System Shop and searched for the finest shawls for them.

Fiona furiously blushed when she saw him take out a beautiful bluish-white shawl, which complemented her dress and put it on her shoulders.

She loved how attentive he was as he took his time to lock it in place, and then even changed the half-mask that she was using to cover her face.

Despite herself, she subconsciously pouted when he showed the same care to Ayesha, but the sweetness in her heart and the warmth emanating from it reflected in the form of a smile that remained there for the rest of the night.

The three of them arrived in his room in the Black Nest and then went down to meet Harud, who was waiting for them.

"The Nemerus Family has sent a carriage to take us to the City Lord’s Mansion. I have been asked to accompany you," the young Mir informed them, and Keith nodded to him, having already planned to take him along with them.

"Go and help Kiara train the Blood Guards." He told Sebastian and Victor, who were standing on the side, and as soon as they nodded he sent them away.

Harud frowned at what he had just done, feeling a little restless.

"Do you suspect that they..."

"No." He smiled at the wild thoughts that the young Mir was having, but he could not blame him for having such fears. He had always been the cautious type.

To Harud, all of this looked like a trap, and he was not sure about how this attention that they had on them needed to be dealt with.

The forces of the Crystal City were showing too much interest in them, and they had already picked up several groups snooping at the borders of their Estate.

"People are curious creatures, Harud." He said, walking past him. "For now, they are curious if they should count us as enemies or potential threats. We will be targeted, but not today. Hopefully." He teasingly added the last comment, making Ayesha roll her eyes at his playfulness, but Harud just nodded his head, keeping his guard up.

Outside, there was indeed a luxurious carriage waiting for them, its silver Aura Wheels revolving in beautiful patterns. And at the front, two magnificent black Direwolves were harnessed.

The Beasts were not just there to draw the carriage, but also to protect it, and the equipment that they were wearing was going to help them do their duty.

The coachman was an aged man, with tufts of white hair along with his red, but he was a strong Auror at the Peak of the Fourth Martial Realm, so he was not a simple coachman.

On top of the black, red, and golden carriage, the flag of House Nemerus was hoisted, and inside, the carriage was much more spacious than it appeared from outside.

It was because the carriage was a Magical Artifact, where the space inside was magically expanded, enough for a dozen people to sit on the comfortable benches that faced each other.

Other than the two windows, there was a mirror too, which showed both the path in front and the back of the carriage. There was a glassed roof as well, which could be controlled to show them the sky.

All in all, the carriage was even more luxurious than the finest cars that they had used on Gaia, and when it started moving, it was almost as if they were levitating in the air with not a single bump on their way.

Needless to say, his fellow passengers were very impressed by this experience, and they were not shy of enjoying the ride and inspecting this magical technology. The soft hum of the Aura Wheels vibrating faintly beneath them as they glided smoothly through the streets was quite pleasant.