THE VILLAIN'S POV

Chapter 434: Perfect Affection (2)

The moment I saw those stats, Sansa’s name caught my eye, sending a chill down my spine.

”100 points?!”

I blurted out unconsciously.

This was the first time I had ever seen such an absurdly high number.

Even my sister Ada had stopped at 99 points.

But somehow, Sansa had surpassed even that.

I opened her profile description .. and regretted it instantly.

Sansa Valerion: 100 Points.

— Sansa sees you as the most important person in her life. As long as you are alive, she will keep living. If you die, she will die as well. The 99-point barrier was broken when the host unknowingly fulfilled Sansa Valerion’s hidden desire.

— As a result, the host has obtained the love of the princess. However, be warned .. one can never predict a demon.

Abilities unlocked at max affection:

You can temporarily control Sansa’s body through the third-person perspective.

You can communicate telepathically with her and make her aware of your presence.

You can fully read her thoughts.

Staring at those newly unlocked abilities, I couldn’t help but let out a sigh.

”100 points...”

I never imagined such feelings could ever form between me and Sansa.

That number—100—was terrifying in its own way, but I pushed it aside for now.

I needed to focus on the task at hand and leave that mess for later.

Using the third-person perspective, I checked on each of them one by one, searching for the right person to teleport to.

Ada was in what seemed like a large meeting with several people, so going to her wasn’t an option.

I decided to avoid the princess for now as well.

And I couldn’t teleport to Danzo’s location either .. suddenly appearing inside the Silver Dragon’s base would only cause trouble.

Turns out Snow was with Danzo at the moment too, so he was out as well.

That left me with...

”Ghost.”

He was moving stealthily through the streets of Belgrad, buying random daily necessities and stuffing them into giant black bags, walking quietly through the dark alleys.

I had no idea what Ghost was up to right now, but I decided he’d be my target.

So, without warning ..

I used the teleportation I’d learned from those books.

Vanishing from sight, I left the Shadow Sect behind for now and returned to the Empire.

What should’ve been a difficult teleportation succeeded with ease, thanks to the support of the third-person perspective.

When I appeared in front of him, I saw shock flash across Ghost’s face as he instinctively prepared to attack.

But he quickly calmed down, realizing who had just appeared before him.

”Frey? Where did you come from?!”

He asked, suspicious, while I scratched my head.

Standing together in a deserted alley, with no one else around,

I realized I had chosen the right person—Ghost preferred to remain in the shadows most of the time.

”I guess I’ve unlocked a new ability .. teleportation and spatial manipulation.”

I said, focusing on him.

”What are you doing out here anyway?” I asked, gesturing toward the black bags.

Ghost glanced at me, then at the bags, his eyes revealing a flicker of doubt.

After all, he had no idea how I’d found him despite his high-level stealth.

But eventually, he gave in, accepting that I was far from ordinary.

”Since you’ve already found me, there’s no point hiding it from you.”

He spoke calmly, as usual.

”Follow me.”

”To where?” I asked quickly, but Ghost offered no further explanation.

And so, the two of us continued through the alleys of the capital, delving deeper and deeper into its shadows.

After a few more minutes of walking, Ghost came to a stop, his eyes fixed on a worn-down wooden house nearby.

”What is it?” I asked, but Ghost motioned for me to stay put as he approached the old house.

He knocked on the door and stood still, waiting for someone to open.

Then, a few seconds later ..

As the door slowly creaked open, Ghost vanished into thin air, leaving the black bags on the ground.

From behind the door,

A woman appeared .. she looked to be in her mid-thirties. Her hair was jet black, and her skin pale and unhealthy.

She lived alone, and life had clearly been hard on her.

But she immediately grabbed the bags Ghost had left, slamming the door shut with force.

It was as if she’d been waiting for this exact moment, hoarding the supplies to survive on her own.

Her reaction made it clear .. this wasn’t the first time Ghost had come here.

It meant he’d been taking care of her for a long time.

Those black bags were packed with all the essentials for living, bringing her immeasurable relief.

Watching it all from a distance, I saw Ghost reappear beside me, a complicated expression crossing his face.

I couldn’t help but ask:

”Who is she?”

It was a fair question, and Ghost didn’t take long to answer ..shocking me in the process.

”She’s my mother.”

”Your mother?!”

I blurted out again, unable to hide my surprise, as Ghost nodded.

”I don’t get it... Isn’t the Shadow Court supposed to kill the mothers of all the children inside it?”

Honestly, I’d believed Ghost’s mother had died long ago, leaving him only with his father ..

Mist Umbra.

Depriving children of their mothers was the Shadow Court’s cruel way of creating strong assassins.

That’s why I thought Ghost was no exception.

But he simply shook his head.

”That’s just a lie they feed us to make us live in despair.”

By making them believe their mothers were dead, the Shadow Court forged assassins shaped by loneliness and pain .. for generations.

But Ghost was far too sharp .. he uncovered the lie on his own.

He even managed to follow the trail that Mist Umbra, his father, used to track his mother, tracing it until he found her still alive.

Yet even though he found her, he couldn’t approach her or speak to her.

If he did, the Court—always watching—might kill her without hesitation.

He had barely managed to stay hidden from their sight.

So, Ghost had no choice but to watch her from a distance, helping her however he could...

Hoping, perhaps, that one day he might finally embrace his mother.

”What a cursed system,” I muttered without hesitation.

According to Ghost...

Mist Umbra had married many women, searching for the perfect heir.

And that heir was Ghost.

But Mist forced him to stay away from his mother, never letting him get close.

It was a truly miserable situation.

”What if they discover you know where she is?” I asked without thinking.

Ghost shook his head.

”They won’t do anything to her as long as I don’t speak to her or interact with her.”

He spoke with that blank face of his again, quickly hiding whatever real feelings lay beneath.

But then, staring straight at me, he shifted the conversation to something else entirely.

”Isn’t it about time you told me what’s going on?”

”What do you mean?” I deflected, answering his question with a question, but Ghost pressed harder.

”I know something happened to Danzo. So stop hiding it and tell me ..

What exactly is wrong with him?”

The silent assassin .. always perceptive as ever.