Harem System In A fantasy World - Chapter 166: New Quest

Chapter 166: New Quest

Just as Elion was about to answer with a shameless “yes,” the system interface suddenly appeared in front of his eyes.

[New System Quest]

[Quest: Kiss Celeste Chronos]

[Reward: Golden Seed – Divine Rank: A single drop of your seed is enough to impregnate even the most barren of women. Women also find your seed delectable and irresistible. Host’s seed also has the passive effect of raising the target’s mana cultivation; the effect is dependent on the host’s strength, relative to that of the target.]

[Time Limit: 2 Hours]

Elion stared at the screen calmly. He was kind of used to the system’s occasional ridiculous quests. So he could more or less stay calm.

Inside, though, he was screaming for a different reason.

Finally!

A Divine-rank skill as a reward!

For a simple kiss.

He almost lost control of his expression. The best he had gotten before was a simple poison immunity skill after pounding Esme and Ophelia to oblivion. And in his opinion, that had required far more effort than a measly kiss.

So to say he was suspicious of why such a reward was being given out for a kiss, would be fair.

The time limit was very little as well, but it could be plenty, depending on the situation, and the current situation favoured him, it was just the two of them in here after all.

Maybe it scales with how the system measures difficulty, he thought quickly.

Back then, bedding the two succubi had been easy. They were already devoted to him, even though he didn’t know it at the time. There was no real challenge for him there.

But Celeste?

She was a proud noble vampire with a powerful lineage. The kind who wouldn’t casually let any man touch her.

Even if that man was him.

Or… maybe it has something to do with her bloodline, he considered.

’System,’ he asked inwardly, ’help a brother out. How do these missions work?’

The system’s smooth female voice echoed in his mind.

[As the host has already assumed. Rewards scale according to difficulty. System evaluates this mission as nearly impossible at the current stage within the given time limit.]

[In short, this mission has a higher chance of failing than succeeding.]

Elion’s eye twitched slightly.

[Worry not, it is not impossible, host.]

’Right… But why is there a time limit? And such a short one too,’ He complained silently. ’It feels like I’m being robbed.’

The interface didn’t respond further.

“So you didn’t buy it yourself after all?” Celeste repeated.

Elion realized he had been quiet for too long.

“Huh… yeah,” Elion muttered absentmindedly.

Celeste blinked. “What?”

“I mean— no. I did get it myself,” he corrected quickly.

Celeste’s red eyes narrowed slightly.

“Sure,” she said flatly, dripping with sarcasm.

She clearly wasn’t buying it.

There was definitely more to that story, and she knew it.

Elion forced a small smile, trying to look casual, even though his mind was already racing with one thought:

’Now, how the hell am I supposed to kiss her?’

[Good luck.]

Elion looked up at her plum red lips. Her hands were folded lightly under her chin, and he noticed her nails—painted the same deep red, slightly sharp at the tips.

She has crimson eyes, blood-red lips, and red nails to match.

’What a combination.’

They stood out sharply against her pale skin. It was almost ghostly white, like porcelain, like the skin of a corpse—but on her, it was beautiful.

“I can show—”

The door slid open.

Elion paused mid-sentence as the waiter walked in, carrying their trays. She placed them down respectfully in front of each of them. Each plate was covered with a silver oval lid, hiding the contents.

“If you need anything else, you know what to do—” She said softly, her words directed at Celeste.

Celeste gave a small nod, and the waiter left quietly. She lifted the lid on her tray first.

Elion glanced over her meal—and blinked.

She has a weird taste…

The first thing he noticed was the venison. It was very rare. Almost too rare. He could still see traces of red.

He assumed she must have sent a note with her order. There was also a glass of red wine beside it, a small bowl of grapefruit slices, a glass of water, and—

He paused.

Cheesecake?

He raised a brow in surprise.

That last item looked completely out of place compared to everything else.

“What?” Celeste asked as she looked up. She had caught him staring.

When she followed his gaze to the cheesecake, she cleared her throat in embarrassment.

“I usually like something sweet after my meals,” she said calmly, though there was a faint stiffness in her voice.

It was odd that she felt like she had to explain herself to him.

“Of course,” Elion replied smoothly.

He lifted the lid on his own tray, taking in the sight of his own order. Steak with mushroom sauce. Red wine. Water. Everything he had ordered.

With that, he picked up his fork and knife.

They began eating in silence.

Elion couldn’t help but glance at Celeste from time to time. She cut her meat cleanly and neatly, lifted each piece with her fork, and placed it past her soft red lips and sharp fangs with quiet grace. Even the way she chewed was composed and elegant.

This continued quietly until they both finished their meat.

Of course, since that was all the food he had ordered, Elion watched quietly as she finished the rest of her meal.

She started with the cheesecake, taking small, neat bites, then moved on to the grapefruit slices before finally lifting the glass and pouring the red wine down her throat in one smooth motion.

He leaned back slightly.

He never imagined this was how his day would end. Sitting in a private booth, sharing dinner with Celeste of all people.

He chuckled inwardly.

’That’s a win in my book, I guess.’

Once they were done, Celeste placed her glass down gently and straightened a little.

“I want to apologise again,” she began. “For… for, uhm…”

She trailed off and awkwardly pointed toward his neck.

“For marking you.”

“Oh.”

Elion had almost forgotten about that.

But the mark hadn’t disappeared. And it stood out painfully. It wasn’t visible when he had his shirt on, but that meant it was obviously visible when he didn’t have it on.

Mira and Aria had noticed it immediately. There was no hiding something like that. Explaining it had been… exhausting.

He had come up with some weak excuse about an accident during training. He was sure they hadn’t believed a single word.

Telling them the truth wouldn’t have bothered him.

But Celeste’s earlier warning still rang clearly in his head.

If you tell a soul, I will rip you to shreds.

So he kept quiet.

Even Esme and Ophelia had noticed.

The moment their eyes fell on the mark, they started teasing him, asking which lady vampire had claimed their champion.

They had recognized it instantly.

Apparently, such marks carried a trace of mana from the one who left them. Anyone with enough sensitivity could tell exactly what it was.

Elion reached up and lightly brushed his fingers against the faint bite mark over the fabric of his shirt.

“It’s fine,” he said casually.

Celeste’s red eyes flickered slightly, watching him closely.

“You won’t have it for long,” she said quietly. “I feel responsible for how things turned out, so I have already sent word to my mother about it, so it won’t be too long.”

He studied her for a moment.

For someone like her to admit that… it wasn’t small.

“Well,” he replied lightly, “I guess I’m honored to have your mark for just a little bit longer.” He joked with a chuckle.

Her eyes narrowed just slightly at his condescending tone.

’It’s just a kiss. How hard can it be?’ Elion’s thoughts were elsewhere while they conversed.

He was confident for two reasons.

First, his Charm skill could handle most of the work.

Second, Celeste’s reactions so far had been… positive.

She had a reputation for being cold and distant. But around him? She blushed. She got flustered. She pouted.

If any of her peers or family saw this side of her, they would question their own eyesight.

’This should be easy.’

“We can consider this a date, right?” Elion said suddenly, flashing her a charming smile as he leaned slightly forward.

At the same time, he activated his Charm skill.

His Charm stat jumped from 1000 to 2000 instantly.

Celeste let out a soft “Hmph.”

“Don’t flatter yourself,” she said calmly. “This place was simply convenient for us to talk. And I was hungry. I haven’t eaten all day.”

She took a sip of water.

“Don’t get comfortable just because you have my mark. It’s only temporary. Besides,” She added, ” You’re paying for our meal, by the way.”

“Eh?” Elion blinked.

He wasn’t shocked about paying.

He was shocked for a different reason.

She didn’t react.

At all.

He quietly pushed his Charm higher.

4000

Still nothing.

Celeste looked at him with the same neutral expression.

“What?” she asked. “You don’t want to pay? You have the money, no? Someone who buys an estate for themself, at your age should have plenty of coin to spare.”

“Uhm— no. I’ll pay,” Elion replied quickly.

Inside, he was confused.

’Why isn’t it working?’

A small system notification appeared.

[The subject Celeste possesses a skill that wards off all mind-based attacks and charm effects.]

Elion almost facepalmed.

’Oh Shit. No wonder.’

This wasn’t going to be as easy as he had thought.

And what kind of skill blocked a Divine-rank Charm ability?

He didn’t even want to imagine what kind of ridiculous abilities came with an ancient vampire bloodline.

For the first time since meeting her, he decided to activate another ability.

Discerning Eye.

He focused on Celeste.

He still hadn’t properly checked her status.

It was about time.