Lust System: Conquering the World Beauties

Chapter 577: Chapter 577 Three Of The Finest

The first rays of the morning sun spilled across the town as Liam and Tatiana stepped out of their room together. The inn was already coming alive, merchants shouting downstairs, travelers grabbing breakfast before setting out, and the smell of freshly baked bread drifting in from outside.

Liam descended the wooden staircase at an easy pace.

Tatiana followed closely beside him.

Her steps were... noticeably slower than usual.

Every now and then she would hesitate ever so slightly before taking another step, and Liam couldn’t stop the amused smile tugging at the corner of his lips. She immediately caught it.

"What?"

"Nothing."

"...You’re smiling."

"I always smile."

"Liar."

She narrowed her emerald eyes at him before lightly bumping her shoulder against his arm.

"It’s your fault."

"My fault?"

She pouted.

"You know exactly what I mean."

Liam simply chuckled, refusing to answer.

The pout on her beautiful face lasted only a few seconds before it melted into a satisfied smile. Without another word, she slipped both hands around his arm, holding onto it as naturally as breathing.

She had become incredibly clingy.

Not that Liam minded.

In fact...

He found himself enjoying it far more than he expected.

There was something strangely comforting about having her so close. Every few steps her shoulder brushed against his, and every now and then she unconsciously leaned a little more of her weight onto him.

He didn’t complain.

He simply adjusted his pace to match hers.

By the time they reached the ground floor, the innkeeper greeted them with a respectful nod before returning to cleaning mugs behind the counter.

The pair stepped outside.

A cold morning breeze immediately greeted them.

The streets looked completely different compared to yesterday. Morning merchants had already opened their stalls, smoke rose from chimneys all across the town, and farmers guided carts loaded with vegetables toward the marketplace.

Liam looked around with genuine curiosity.

Then...

His eyebrows rose slightly.

"...Interesting."

Tatiana looked at him.

"What is it?"

Liam listened carefully.

Yesterday, every conversation had sounded like meaningless noise.

Today...

"...Fresh bread! Fresh bread!"

"...We’re heading east after breakfast..."

"...The guild doubled the reward..."

"...Move those crates carefully..."

The words were still unfamiliar.

Some sentences slipped past him entirely.

Others sounded broken.

But unlike yesterday...

He could actually understand pieces of them.

His lips slowly curved upward.

"So that’s what it does..."

Almost instinctively, translucent blue letters appeared before his eyes.

[Passive Skill Activated]

[Arcane Comprehension]

A smile spread across Liam’s face.

He no longer needed Agatha’s spell just to communicate.

His own abilities were beginning to bridge the gap.

"You’re smiling again," Tatiana said.

"I can understand some of them now."

Her eyes widened.

"Already?"

He nodded.

"Not everything... but enough."

"That’s incredible."

"I thought so too."

The two continued walking through the streets.

Unlike yesterday, Liam had exchanged his unusual clothes for attire that blended naturally with the locals. He wore a simple woolen tunic beneath a long dark robe fastened with a leather belt around his waist. Thick trousers disappeared into sturdy leather boots, while a plain traveling cloak rested over his shoulders to ward off the morning chill.

Tatiana had dressed similarly for the weather.

She wore a long wool dress in deep forest green beneath a heavy hooded cloak lined with soft fur around the collar. A fitted leather bodice cinched gently around her waist, while sturdy leather bracers protected her forearms. The outfit was practical enough for travel, warm enough for the cold, yet it couldn’t completely hide her naturally striking figure.

Even beneath the layers of fabric, her graceful curves were still impossible to miss.

She walked with one hand wrapped around Liam’s arm and the other tucked beneath her cloak to keep warm.

Heads turned everywhere they passed.

People slowed.

Merchants paused mid-conversation.

Children openly stared.

An elderly woman even whispered a short prayer beneath her breath after seeing them.

It wasn’t because of what they wore.

It was their faces.

Liam’s snow-white hair and striking blue eyes made him look almost unreal, while Tatiana’s flowing crimson hair and breathtaking features made her seem like someone straight out of an old legend.

Standing together...

They looked less like ordinary travelers and more like nobles from a distant kingdom.

Liam noticed every glance.

He found the attention more amusing than uncomfortable.

Tatiana, however, didn’t seem to care about anyone else.

Her entire focus remained on the arm she was holding.

Every so often she’d glance at Liam with a small smile before looking ahead again, perfectly content simply walking beside him.

It wasn’t long before the familiar wooden building came into view.

The Adventurers’ Guild.

Liam stepped forward and pushed the heavy doors open.

The loud chatter inside continued for another second...

Then gradually quieted.

Dozens of heads turned toward the entrance.

Several of the adventurers recognized them immediately.

More specifically...

They recognized Tatiana.

Yesterday, she’d marched into this very guild with enough killing intent to make hardened mercenaries think twice about provoking her.

Today...

She looked completely different.

Gone was the icy expression.

Gone was the murderous glare.

Instead, she stood beside Liam with a soft smile, holding his arm affectionately without the slightest embarrassment.

The contrast left more than a few jaws hanging open.

"...Is that really the same woman?" someone muttered.

"I swear she looked ready to tear someone’s head off yesterday."

"Look at her now..."

One of the older adventurers slowly lowered the mug in his hand before letting out a long whistle.

"That young lad’s one lucky bastard..."

His companion burst into laughter.

"Lucky? You’re talking as if the boy’s some ordinary fellow."

He nodded toward Liam.

"Take a proper look at him."

The older man studied Liam for a moment before scratching his beard.

"...Fair point."

"I’ve traveled through three kingdoms," his companion continued, "and I don’t think I’ve ever seen a young man that handsome."

The older adventurer chuckled.

"I’ll give you that."

He lifted his mug again before taking another drink.

"But still..."

His gaze drifted toward Tatiana.

"...that’s the sort of woman powerful men dream about."

His friend nodded slowly.

"True."

The older adventurer leaned back in his chair.

"I just hope the lad’s strong enough to keep her."

His smile broadened.

"...Because she’s the kind of woman kings would be willing to wage wars over."

At the far corner of the guild hall, away from the loudest drinkers and closest to one of the windows, three young men sat around a heavy oak table.

The moment Liam and Tatiana stepped through the entrance...

One of them smiled.

A slow, knowing smile.

"I told you," he said as he lazily leaned back in his chair. "They’d come back."

Beside him sat another young man whose expression couldn’t have been more different.

His eyes never left Liam.

There was no curiosity.

No amusement.

Only a murderous glare that seemed capable of freezing the air itself.

The third member of the group paid neither of them any attention.

He simply continued eating.

Piece after piece of roasted meat disappeared from the wooden plate before him, his movements calm and methodical. It was almost as though nothing happening inside the guild interested him in the slightest.

The three of them were well known throughout the town.

Alden. Rowan. Kael.

Despite looking no older than their early twenties, they were regarded as the finest hunters in the entire settlement. They had completed countless dangerous hunts beyond the town walls and had earned reputations that most seasoned adventurers could only dream of.

Each one possessed remarkable strength.

Yet...

Among the three, one name inspired something far darker than admiration.

Rowan.

Everyone in the guild knew him.

He wasn’t respected because he was honorable.

He was feared.

Greedy.

Cruel.

Possessive.

Violence was always his first answer and his favorite language. If Rowan desired something, he took it. If someone refused him...

They usually disappeared.

Over the years, enough people had suffered at his hands that most had long since learned a simple lesson.

Never oppose Rowan.

His strength was terrifying enough to make those thoughts more than empty threats.

Alden, meanwhile, was rarely seen far from Rowan’s side.

Whether out of loyalty or fear, nobody knew.

He laughed at Rowan’s jokes, agreed with Rowan’s decisions, and loudly praised Rowan whenever the opportunity presented itself.

Many privately referred to him as Rowan’s shadow.

Or less politely...

His bootlicker.

Kael, however, remained an enigma.

He hardly spoke.

In fact...

Most people in town had never once heard his voice.

He simply followed the other two wherever they went, ate with them, hunted beside them, and occasionally fought alongside them.

Nothing more.

Nothing less.

No one knew why.

Even stranger...

No one truly knew how strong Kael was.

Whenever battles became difficult, Rowan always stepped forward first.

Kael never seemed interested in proving himself.

He had never fought seriously in front of witnesses.

Some believed he was weak.

Others suspected the exact opposite.

But since nobody had ever forced him to reveal his full strength...

The truth remained a mystery.

Rowan’s gaze slowly drifted from Liam...

...to Tatiana.

His eyes lingered.

A slow grin spread across his face.

"I’ve set my sights on that woman."

His voice was quiet.

Possessive.

As though he were discussing property rather than another human being.

His fingers tapped lazily against the wooden table.

"And that pretty little boy standing beside her..."

His smile widened.

"...has to die."

"Nobody stands that close to what’s mine."

Alden immediately laughed.

"I knew you’d say that."

Without another word, Rowan rose from his chair.

The wooden legs scraped loudly across the floor.

Instantly...

The atmosphere inside the guild shifted.

Several conversations ended midway through a sentence.

Mugs stopped halfway to mouths.

Even some of the massive veteran hunters instinctively lowered their eyes.

Nobody wanted to meet Rowan’s gaze.

Nobody wanted to become involved.

The guild, once noisy and lively, grew noticeably quieter as Rowan began walking forward.

Each step echoed against the wooden floor.

Slow.

Unhurried.

Confident.

Liam naturally noticed the sudden change.

The laughter had faded.

The chatter had died.

He followed the direction of everyone’s uneasy stares until his own eyes landed on the approaching young man.

Rowan wasn’t particularly tall.

He had a broad, robust build with a round face and thick neck. His features were ordinary enough that Liam might have forgotten them after a single glance if they had met under different circumstances.

There was nothing especially handsome.

Nothing especially intimidating.

Nothing especially memorable.

Except...

His aura.

Liam had met countless people over the years.

Criminals.

Gang leaders.

Killers.

Corrupt officials.

There was something about Rowan’s presence that immediately reminded him of them.

Not strength.

Not confidence.

Filth.

The kind that seeped into a person’s eyes until they no longer looked at others as people.

Only possessions.

Liam studied him calmly.

Without needing a single introduction...

He already knew exactly what kind of man Rowan was.