Villain: The Play of Destiny

Chapter 563

"Val." A girl sitting next to her nudged her with her elbow, but the Princess of East Balzar did not raise her head.

"Hmm?" she absently responded.

"Is he really so handsome?" The girl whispered but did not mask her voice, knowing well that a lot of people had the same question and wanted to hear the answer.

Val did not say anything and simply nodded her head timidly, not daring to raise her eyes, fearing that she would find Keith again.

But now the people had their answer, and the way the girls were all looking at the masked stranger rang the bells of crisis in the hearts of their companions and admirers. It was a subtle tension, but it soon transformed into a rippling undercurrent.

His mere presence there was now making the young men feel insecure, and they were truly glad that he was wearing a mask.

"You charmed her!"

However, a certain young man, who was likely Val’s admirer and an Apprentice of Arcadia, furiously stood up.

"I am afraid I did charm her." Keith chuckled at his words and pulled out a bottle of wine from his ring, along with glasses for himself and Minami. "Just not in the sense that you think I did."

It was an action that made a lot of people raise their brows, especially because the very same wine was already placed on the table.

Why was he taking out his own bottle?

Almost no one was paying attention to the boy.

"You!" The boy’s face turned red with anger.

"Behave!"

Markos’ voice thundered in their minds, and the boy, who was about to walk over to Keith, froze in his place.

"He did not charm her. I was keeping tabs. There was no magic or any foul play involved." The Yellow Enforcer said, and the powerful people at the table nodded their heads as well.

"Sit down, Gareth. You are embarrassing us." Balon masked his voice and admonished the boy, who felt ashamed but listened to his Team Leader and sat down.

His eyes, however, continued to glance unkindly at the person he was beginning to dislike a lot.

Keith and Minami began chatting with each other, ignoring everyone, and since they were the only ones in their camp, everyone else was a respectable distance away from them at the table.

A few minutes later, he heard someone use telepathic magic to speak to him, having noticed that he was not touching the food and drinks on the table.

"Is there something wrong with the food and wine?"

It was Markos, the Yellow Enforcer.

"There’s something wrong with the people from the two Clans. I am just being cautious." He replied and glanced in the direction of the man, who had a frown on his face after hearing his words.

Their eyes met, and then Keith resumed chatting with his daughter, masking their conversation from being eavesdropped on.

Only a second later, someone else tried to reach him in the same manner and asked the same question.

Keith glanced in Balon’s direction and found the Prince looking his way.

He gave the boy the same answer he had given to Markos, and the Apprentice immediately ordered his team not to ingest anything more than they already had.

It took nearly an hour for the last of the Forces to arrive at the Pavilion, and it was the group from the Solarian Empire, accompanying a few white-haired people.

If the situation was not already tense enough, their arrival put the last nail in the coffin.

Almost every force from Westesia fell silent, and the people from the Crystal City, Elysian Empire, and Vulcan Kingdom turned solemn.

Keith curiously looked at the members of the Orayen Family, and a smile formed on his lips.

They were indeed worthy of being feared because they were not just mere Mortals, but people with a Quasi-Celestial Bloodline coursing through their veins.

"Grandpa!" Val, who had been very silent ever since she saw Keith’s face, brightened up when she spotted a man leading the Orayen Family and rushed right into his arms.

The man laughed at her antics, and his laughter reverberated throughout the entire Pavilion, making even the Sword Doctor a little tense.

Yes, this man was another Martial Overlord, and even though he had not entered the Second Desolation Realm yet, his strength, thanks to his Bloodline, was superior to that of any Mortal in the same Realm.

"Lord Kyzen." Markos walked over to greet the man, and they openly shared a hug, not hiding that they knew each other.

Once everyone was seated, and Markos was about to announce the start of the meeting, a panicked Auror suddenly rushed up the stairs, and they all stopped and looked in the direction from which he was about to appear.

The young man, wearing the Sigil of Crystal City on his chest, was panting for breath, and seeing him covered in blood, Zarion Nemerus was the first to shoot to his feet and rush towards him.

Keith frowned when he felt the fluctuations in the Nemerus’ Aura, and the hateful glance he sent towards the Solaris and Orayen people started a round of whispers at the table.

It was clear that Zarion was grief-stricken, and the way he marched towards the group from the Solarian Empire made Markos frown.

"Harren! You killed Ziad!" The Zurk made the allegation that stunned everyone, and even Harren, the Team Leader of the Solarian Empire, looked at him in confusion.

"Ameer Ziad?"

"You..."

"We had no enmity with him, Zarion, and unlike you, we don’t kill people who have not wronged us." The man disgustedly said, and the Zurk, who was already grieving the loss of his old friend, became even more agitated.

He was about to lash out again when Markos cut him off.

"What happened?"

"Ziad and his entourage were ambushed an hour ago, at the southern edge of the Frozen Forest." The Nemerus informed them and pulled the bloodied soldier forward to tell everyone what he had just told him.

"So, you just saw someone wearing the Sigil of Solaria and thought that we did it?" Harren wanted to laugh as he found the situation ridiculous, and just when other people from the Crystal City were about to draw their weapons, a voice stopped them.

"Enough!" Markos looked very serious now, and his expression turned both sides silent. "Deal with your issues after this meeting."

It was clear that Zarion and the rest were quite unwilling to drop the matter, and they were still hatefully looking towards Harren and the other Solarians.

And as if to mock them for their helplessness, the Solarians even threw smirks at them.

"Lord Zarion." Keith stopped the man before he could make any rash move, and the Zurk frowned as he looked his way. "They did not kill Ameer Ziad." He told them, and quite a few people surprisingly looked at him.

"What?"

The Commander of the Crystal City’s Army, and the most trusted man of the Lord of Crystal City, frowned at his words, and even Zarion looked at him in confusion.

"They..."

"Killed everyone who was way stronger than this soldier, but let him slip from their hands?" It was the Sword Doctor who suddenly chuckled and pointed out something they were missing due to their clouded judgement.

It was truly ridiculous.

"Indeed." Keith smiled at Amos’ words and looked at Zarion. "Someone wants you to believe that the Solarians killed him. I don’t think anyone would wear a badge of their Organisation or Empire on their chest when conducting such a mission unless they intended to pit you against someone."

He let his words sink into their minds.

"Remember where we are. Almost every force here has brought their strong and their young. Everyone will do their best to protect their people. Now, what happens when the forces of Crystal City end up fighting for vengeance against the forces of Solaria in this Frozen Forest under the current circumstances? Or any other two or more Forces?" He asked Zarion and then everyone else at the table. "Who benefits the most?"

Almost everyone started glancing at the people around the table, except for the smart few, who truly understood his words.

"Those who are not here." It was Ilsa who spoke up and then raised her eyes to look at Keith. "And they could be people who belong to your side but never came here, even when an opportunity of a lifetime presented itself."

Keith was surprised when he heard her words, and not because she knew what was happening here, but because it was just her guess, a guess that was right on the mark.

"Correct."

Ilsa smiled a little at seeing him nod his head and then narrowed her eyes as she glanced at the people from Elysia.

She wanted to warn people about them but kept silent.

"The real killers of Ameer Ziad are not necessarily here, Lord Zarion. Please, stay strong and think about other things after this meeting or after returning home." Markos was relieved to see that things had calmed down and was pleased when the Zurk nodded at his words and took his seat.

"My Lord, please try our speciality." The attendant standing behind Keith suddenly stepped forward and spoke in a sultry tone.

She leaned her body in and tried to give him a good look at her bosom when she reached over to pick up a bowl of glazed meat from some Magical Beast.

And what had prompted her to do such a thing was that Keith had suddenly taken out some snacks of his own to eat.

"I promise you that they are very delicious." She was clearly trying to flirt with him, but where a lot of men would enjoy such behaviour, Keith did not even glance at her.

However, this resulted in her pushing her limits, and when she pressed her bosom against his shoulder to pick up a plate, innumerable needles of Sword Energy locked onto her, slowly approaching her and forcing her to retreat.

The girl trembled all over as the vibrations from the needles made her head hurt, and when she felt them kiss her back and every inch of her body, her soul nearly left her, a cold shiver running through her like a blade of ice.

"My Lady." Markos kept the shock in his heart and requested Minami not to kill the girl, especially not in such a cruel manner, and everyone felt chills run up their spines when they heard the Eldeilyon speak.

"I dare you to try your tricks again, and I promise you I will make an example out of you that no man or woman would even wish upon their enemies."

Keith smiled and then chuckled when he heard his daughter’s warning, and his laughter eased the situation.

The dark-eyed Eldeilyon made her Sword Intent disappear and then happily plated their own snacks for him as if she had not just scared the entire younger generation and even the older ones sitting at the table.

However, it seemed that her warning was lost on a certain someone.

"How old are you?" Ilsa excitedly stood up and asked Minami, who curiously looked her way.

"16. Why?"

"Fight me!" The Child of Destiny challenged her, and it was so clear to everyone that she was hungry for battle. Her voice rang with fierce anticipation that echoed through the Pavilion.

This night just seemed full of surprises.