Chapter 12: Meeting More Women: Lila

Alaric was lying on his bed, slouched over, with one arm lazily stretched across Kara’s supple waist. He was absentmindedly drawing circles on Kara’s skin.

The rhythmic rise and fall of her breathing seemed eerily reassuring to him. In his mind, he was not considering magic, the conflict that existed between his parents, or even his progress in leveling up.

His thoughts had shifted to something far more urgent, and that was how he might make the most of his Harem God System.

The system was a peculiar thing; it was useful, without a doubt, but it was also quite finicky. It was primarily concerned with women, and it did not react until it made the discovery that Alaric’s interactions may result in some… benefits.

In addition, even at that point, the outcome was never clear. Some women were completely out of his league because of how beautiful they are. That was made very evident by the system through the use of its pop-ups.

However, if he was astute and played his cards well, he could still make some headway in the situation.

It was during one of these evenings when Alaric heard the creak of the front door opening downstairs when Kara was sleeping next to him at the time.

His ears became more alert. It was late, well past the time when regular guests would have arrived, and in addition, the sound of footsteps that were muffled gave away who it was most likely.

“Cassandra,” he mumbled to himself in a low voice. His aunt had a habit of popping up without prior notice, her presence being like a tornado of activity that shattered the atmosphere of the peaceful family.

Without fail, Alaric had the impression that she was evaluating him. She would come in with her keen, calculating eyes, always studying everything and everyone, and she would always scrutinize him.

[Overall Score for Cassandra Steele: 77.2 Appearance: 92 Personality: 78 Status: 85 Pride: 90 Strength: 41]

“Yeah, there’s no chance,” Alaric grumbled as he observed the answer from the system. There was no way he could get away with messing with Cassandra.

In a number of different ways, she was completely out of his league. The system warned him every time he even thought about her—her score was far too high, and Alaric was smart enough not to test those limits.

On the other hand, this did not imply that her trips were completely boring. In every instance, they provided something fresh.

The following morning, Alaric was still in bed when Cassandra’s voice resounded throughout the hall.

While she was sitting at the dinner table in her customary position, she was conversing loudly with Lyra.

Her voice was filled with the same superiority that she had always possessed.

Furthermore, her daughter, Fiora, was seated next to her, and she appeared to be completely and utterly bored.

[Overall Score for Fiora Steele: 9 Appearance: 8 Personality: 10 Status: 6 Pride: 7 Strength: 12]

Alaric scarcely glanced at Fiora.

She was still a child, barely a year younger than him, and although her score was low enough for him to potentially… do something about it, there was no purpose in doing so.

The system gave her a poor score, which was evidence that she did not even come close to meeting his standards of his taste.

She was going to mature, that much was certain, but for the time being, she was nothing more than Cassandra’s aggravating image.

“Alaric!” The call came from Cassandra, whose tone was abrasive but not hostile. “You’ve been cooped up too long, haven’t you? Come greet your aunt properly.”

Alaric entered the dining room while making an effort to grin in a way that was both appealing and endearing. “Good morning, Aunt Cassandra,” he responded, taking care to maintain a neutral tone throughout the expression. He never knew exactly how to navigate her moods.

She gave him a quick glance, her eyes narrowing for a split second before her lips contracted into a tight grin. “Still growing, I see. You’ll be taller than your father soon at this rate.”

Alaric said, “Maybe,” indicating that he was not very interested in engaging in idle chatter. He cast a fleeting glance in the direction of Fiora, who was occupied with prodding her dish with a fork. It seemed as though she would have preferred to be somewhere else.

Nevertheless, Cassandra was not the type of person to miss a beat. “You’ve been staying busy, haven’t you? I hear you’ve been locked in that room of yours more often than not.”

At that, Alaric shrugged. “Just reading. Father has a lot of books.”

“Books.” An odd mixture of approbation and curiosity could be seen in Cassandra’s eyes as they sparkled. “Good. A young mind should be sharp. But don’t let it dull you to the real world. There’s more to life than what’s written on paper.”

Despite the fact that he gave her a nod, his thoughts were already elsewhere. It was never simply a casual visit from Cassandra, and he could see that she was trying to accomplish something more than she appeared to be.

He had a feeling that whatever it was, he wouldn’t be directly affected by it.

In the later part of that day, once Cassandra and Fiora had left, Alaric sat back in his room, his thoughts already racing at that point.

For one thing, the system made it quite obvious that women with overall scores greater than 30 were not allowed to participate.

Even making an attempt was a waste of time.

In order to be more effective, he had to concentrate on women who had lower scores since they were more receptive to his subtle influence.

And he was well aware of the type of lady he wanted to find: attractive, certainly, but with a low status, strength, and pride; someone like Kara had been his ideal candidate.

The problem? Finding them out. They were not exactly plentiful in his tiny circle, and it was difficult for him to approach them, particularly when he was still so young.

At that moment, the elderly maid, known as Old Marta, proceeded to walk by his door while carrying a tray of food. The eyes of Alaric became wider.

While he was hurrying out to meet her, he yelled out, “Old Marta! Do we have any new maids or staff coming by soon?”

Old Marta looked at him with a flicker of astonishment on her face. “Not that I know of, young master. Why do you ask?”

“No reason,” he answered in a frenetic manner, thinking on his feet. “I just… wondered if we needed more help around the house.”

She smiled at him in a manner that only elderly ladies can: she was pleasant, but she also had a tiny condescending tone. “You don’t need to worry about that, young lord.”

He smiled to himself. Although he was aware that it sounded strange, Old Marta could be relied upon. As someone who had been there for a very long time, she was always the one who knew more about what was going on in the house than anybody else.

As time went on, Alaric’s devious plans started to take shape and become more apparent. The majority of his time was spent honing his mind and honing his control over mana, as well as practicing magic.

On the other hand, he committed his evenings to more subdued activities, perfecting the capabilities of his system.

With each passing night, Kara continued to be a consistent companion, her attachment gradually building and her total score increasing as she seemed to be growing prettier and also her personality score was improving along with her status score.

However, Kara was not sufficient. Alaric was aware that in order to further level up his system, he would need to increase the scope of his abilities and impact.

Problem was, he had to exercise caution at all times. The number of women that were accessible to him was quite limited, and the majority of them were not going to be swayed by something as easy as a kind smile or wink.

Then, one evening, while strolling through the lively town with his mother, Alaric noticed a woman.

She was selling little trinkets that she had manufactured herself at a stand that was located close to the market.

She had black hair, flawless skin, and a physique that was so well-defined that it was obvious that she had achieved an attractiveness value that was definitely greater than 80. The system’s quiet ding in the back of his mind confirmed it.

[Overall Score: 28 Appearance: 85 Personality: 13 Status: 8 Pride: 4 Strength: 2]

Perfect.

When Alaric’s mother was in the middle of negotiating the price of certain leather items with a merchant, he gave his mother a little nudge. He murmured, “I’ll be right back,” as he slithered away in the direction of the stand.

As he arrived, the woman was so preoccupied with organizing her belongings that she hardly gave him a glance. It was impossible for her to be older than twenty years old, but the score that the system provided told him all he needed to know. She was of low rank and lacked both pride and strength to a lesser extent. Theoretically, it was simple, but he still needed to play this hand correctly.

He smiled at her in a way that was not very serious as he leaned on the edge of her stall. “Those are nice,” he added, referring to a bracelet that he was offering. “Did you make them yourself?”

The woman stared, taken aback by the sight of a youngster of such a young age conversing with her as if he were an adult. “Uh, yeah,” she said in a sluggish manner. “I make ’em with whatever I can find.”

For the purpose of seeming casual, Alaric gave a little nod. “They’re good. Real good.”

She gave a shrug, indicating that she was not pleased by his attempt to flatter her. However, Alaric did not make any effort. He was aware that the goal was not to instantly capture her attention; rather, it was to plant the seed as soon as possible. If it were necessary, he would come back, many times over. Like a game of chess, the moves are slow and deliberate.

The weeks passed, and although Alaric maintained his training in magic, he also made frequent trips to the market, where he would stop by the trinket stand to have a casual conversation with the young woman.

Lila was her name, and although she didn’t initially appear to be really interested in him, he was able to win her over by his perseverance. The warmth of her reactions gradually increased, and her grin became less forced as time went on.

[Experience from Lila: +6 Experience]

Although it wasn’t much, it was a good beginning.

He’d learned that this game required patience. In contrast to Kara, Lila exhibited a greater degree of autonomy and resistance, despite the fact that she received a lower score.

But Alaric was able to find a way to circumvent it. When it came to making dramatic movements, he was usually cautious and muted, always probing the waters first.

And sure enough, the system responded in kind.

[Experience from Lila: +10 Experience]

He looked at himself with a grin on his face as the notification appeared in his head. This was just the beginning of things.

In the world, there were more ladies, and there were more possibilities to advance in level, and Alaric had every intention of seizing each and every one of them.

Now all he needed to do was play it wisely. From one lady to the next.

The extent of Alaric’s influence had gradually grown by the time he became eight years old. It was no longer enough for Lila to be only a casual acquaintance; she had evolved into someone who looked forward to his visits and someone who trusted him.

In spite of the fact that their connection appeared to be completely innocent on the surface, the system documented each and every minor success.

[Experience from Lila: +15 Experience]

Alaric was aware that it was only a matter of time before he could make a genuine move, given the current state of affairs. He’d discovered early on that his youth was both a benefit and a burden.

Not only did it make it possible for him to be underestimated, but it also meant that he needed to be twice as brilliant in order to achieve his goals.

Additionally, there were the unanticipated visits from Cassandra and Fiora, which were a pleasant surprise. His aunt continued to show up at odd intervals, her keen eyes persistently evaluating and analyzing what she saw.

Alaric, on the other hand, had acquired the ability to deflect her suspicion by acting as if he were the typical innocent and studious nephew.

But things would change. Alaric was sure of it.

~~

When Old Marta eventually made his way inside his chamber, he was carrying a letter with him. It was another peaceful evening. “This just came for you, young master,” she stated as she handed it over to him by hand.

Immediately recognizing the seal, Alaric snatched it in his possession.

This was a letter from his uncle, a man who only sometimes wrote letters if they were of significant importance. The moment Alaric tore open the envelope, he felt his heat beating faster.