Chapter 68 - "Lust system": Rise of the Harem lord - NovelsTime

"Lust system": Rise of the Harem lord

Chapter 68

Author: Obaze_Emmanuel
updatedAt: 2025-08-01

CHAPTER 68: CHAPTER 68

The hall was draped in crimson and gold, adorned with hanging silks and sparkling chandeliers that reflected the firelight in dangerous ways. It was the night of the Crimson Banquet — a rare event hosted in the heart of Dregmond’s aristocratic quarter, under the guise of peace among noble houses.

Elias stood at the centre, his usual swagger cloaked in a regal black robe etched with silver embroidery. His eyes scanned the crowd as the system softly chimed within him.

System Notification: "Quest: Dominate the Banquet – Earn the loyalty of at least two noble houses. Optional: Seduce a noble heir/heiress. Reward: +500 Charisma, +2 Territory Influence, 1 Random Lust Upgrade."

He smirked to himself. "Let the games begin."

Women adorned in lace and satin paraded through the room like exotic butterflies, but Elias’s attention was calculated. Each step, each gaze, was part of a strategy. This wasn’t just another night of pleasure — it was a test of dominance, intellect, and control.

Lady Marienne of House Valtor, a tall woman with piercing emerald eyes and curves that could topple empires, approached with a goblet in hand. Her smile was sharp, as if honed on palace daggers.

"I hear whispers that the Lust Lord walks among us," she said, handing him the drink. "Is it true you make women kneel not by title, but by will?"

Elias chuckled, sipping without fear. "They kneel because they want to. Desire is stronger than duty."

Marienne’s eyes gleamed with intrigue. "Prove it."

He leaned closer. "Meet me in the garden. Ten minutes. If you can still walk back, I’ll call you a liar."

The subtle tremble in her breath confirmed it — a win already. But Elias didn’t linger.

He turned, navigating toward Duke Ronel, a portly man surrounded by fawning ladies and bored guards. The Duke was no fan of upstarts, but Elias had what no other did — influence over half the city’s underworld, and rising fame across Dregmond.

"My Lord," Elias said with a nod, "may I borrow your ear for a moment?"

Ronel raised a brow. "Depends. Are you going to pitch me a rebellion or a mistress?"

Elias laughed politely. "Neither. I offer a future where your family name will be carved into legend, not dragged behind fading banners. Let’s talk territory and trade."

They walked off together, and behind them, murmurs swirled.

System Update: "Progress: House Ronel – Influence Rising (+1). Current Status: Neutral."

Minutes later, Elias found himself in the garden under moonlight. Lady Marienne was waiting — her gown slightly looser, her expression unreadable. He didn’t need words. He reached, cupped her chin, and pressed a kiss that melted her noble pride into gasps and clawed fingers.

But he didn’t go too far.

Not tonight.

Control was power, and restraint was king.

"You want me," he whispered. "But I don’t take unless you offer willingly. Think about that."

She stared after him, breathless.

Back inside, the mood shifted. The air was heavier, anticipation rising. A challenge was issued — not of blade, but of wit.

Count Versall, a rival of House Ronel, approached with venom in his voice. "The bastard child dares speak of alliances. You have no title. No land."

"But I have something you’ll never earn," Elias replied, his voice silken. "Loyalty born of pleasure. Respect forged in flames."

The nobles gasped, torn between scandal and awe.

System Notification: "Public Opinion – +8. New Passive: Velvet Voice – All charisma-based dialogue effects increased by 10%."

Elias turned to the audience and bowed theatrically. "I am not here to replace your old gods or your dead kings. I am here to raise a new empire. One bound by passion, not fear."

As he walked back to the centre of the banquet, dozens of eyes followed.

Some wanted him.

Some feared him.

Some wanted to kill him.

All of them noticed him.

---

Elsewhere in the shadows, Lady Ravella, a noble heiress from the Eastern Isles, observed everything behind her fan. She was no mere bystander — she was a scout for the Empress of Thorns. Her lips curved into a grin.

"So, this is the infamous Elias."

Behind her, a cloaked man whispered, "Shall we report him as a threat?"

She lowered her fan slightly. "No. Let him rise. The higher he climbs, the sweeter the fall."

---

Back in Elias’s quarters later that night, the system pulsed with warmth.

Quest Complete: Dominate the Banquet Rewards Received: – +500 Charisma – +2 Territory Influence – Random Lust Upgrade: [Aura of Temptation Lv.1] (Passive) – Nearby targets become 15% more susceptible to charm effects.

New Notification: "Special Quest Unlocked – ’The Empress Watches’. A new player has entered the board. Survive, seduce, or subdue her envoy."

Elias sank into his couch, breathing deep. His fingers stroked the rim of a glass of rare midnight wine, eyes sharp.

"Let them come," he muttered. "One by one."

Outside, the city pulsed with secrets, ambition, and lust — all of which now belonged to him.

The moon hung like a silver coin above the Dregmond skyline, casting its pale light over the city’s spires and shadows. But for Elias, inside his newly claimed quarters at House Ronel’s estate, the darkness was a living thing — whispering, shifting, watching.

The system’s final words still echoed in his mind:

Special Quest Unlocked – ’The Empress Watches’.

Objective: Discover the identity and intent of the Empress’s envoy. Reward: ???

Warning: High risk. High reward.

He poured himself another glass of midnight wine, his eyes narrowing on the glowing sigils embedded in the wine’s surface — wards and poisons were too common among nobles. But his system kept him safe.

Status: No threats detected in current environment.

Perk Active – Lustborne Resilience: All toxins and venoms are 70% less effective.

Elias leaned back into his chair, shirt undone, chest scarred yet powerful. Women might see a devil in silk — but underneath, a warlord was slowly building his empire. Not with armies. With influence. With seduction. With fear.

A knock came at the door. Three short raps.

He didn’t move.

Another knock. This time, it opened without permission.

Lady Ravella stepped inside.

Hair like rivers of black velvet, eyes sharp as emerald daggers. Her body swayed with the trained grace of a dancer, yet her aura screamed predator.

"You made quite a stir tonight, Elias," she said, closing the door behind her. "House Ronel may be swayed, but the court is still a battlefield."

"And you?" Elias asked, calmly swirling his drink. "Are you a blade... or a poison?"

She smiled without warmth. "Both."

System Alert – Unknown Entity Detected. Danger Level: High. Initiating Subtle Scan...

Elias stood slowly. "So, what does the Empress want with me?"

Lady Ravella circled him like a lioness. "Curiosity. You’ve built a harem that rivals old kings. You bend men and women alike. Some say your bed is a throne. Others, a trap."

"I don’t trap," Elias said, stepping into her space. "They come willingly. Their bodies, their minds, their loyalty."

"Even your enemies?" she asked, her voice a whisper. "Could you seduce someone meant to kill you?"

Elias didn’t flinch. "I already have. They just don’t know it yet."

A pause.

Then Ravella laughed softly. "You’re dangerous."

"You’re not the first to say that."

Their eyes locked. Power clashed. Not steel, but will. Not magic, but magnetism. And then—

System Alert – Target: Ravella has 92% Resistance to Charm Effects.

Warning: Persuasion without leverage unlikely to succeed.

She moved closer. "You think you can win me over, Elias? I’m not one of your blushing nobles."

He reached up and gently brushed her cheek. "Good. I’m not looking for another girl to warm my sheets. I want someone with teeth."

Ravella’s breath caught for a second. Just one. Then she pulled back.

"Be careful, Lust Lord," she said. "The Empress doesn’t like rivals. And she doesn’t like... unpredictable men."

Elias chuckled darkly. "Then she’ll hate me."

---

Later that night...

Elias stood atop the balcony of House Ronel, the city stretching out like a quilt of secrets beneath him. His mind wasn’t on Ravella anymore — not fully. It was on the whispers he’d picked up at the banquet:

A noble house in the East was ready to defect.

A rebel sect of priestesses now worshipped him instead of the Holy Matron.

And somewhere in the South, a Queen had requested a private audience... with her daughters.

His harem wasn’t just growing.

It was becoming a religion.

System Notification: Harem Progress: 11/50 Core Members Recruited

New Trait Unlocked: Sovereign’s Flame – Your presence now inspires both fear and desire in nearby women. +5% success rate on high-resistance targets.

He felt it burn inside him — the system, the lust, the hunger.

But beneath it all was a new truth.

Power didn’t lie in bloodlines.

It lay in choice.

In the willing surrender of one’s self to something greater.

He turned away from the balcony, already planning his next move. Tomorrow, he would summon the leaders of the merchant guild. Then the underground assassins. Then the rival brothels.

If he could make them want him — not just fear him — he’d have every corner of the city at his fingertips.

---

In the palace far north...

The Empress of Thorns sat on a throne of obsidian roses, her fingers bleeding from their thorns as she read a scroll bearing Elias’s name.

She licked the blood away thoughtfully.

"So, the Lust Lord grows bolder," she whispered.

Her court bowed low, silent.

"Send the Crimson Twins. If he cannot be bought or broken... let’s see if he bleeds."

---

Back in Elias’s quarters...

As he drifted into sleep, the system pulsed again.

New Quest: The Crimson Twins.

Survive or Subdue the Empress’s assassins. Optional: Convert at least one. Reward: ???

Time Limit: 72 Hours.

Elias’s lips curled into a wicked smile even as his eyes closed.

"Bring them."

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