The More I Invest in My Wives, the Stronger I Become

Chapter 26: The Hidden Threat

Kael had always believed that Victoria belonged beside someone like him.

In his mind, no ordinary man was worthy of standing next to her.

Victoria Hale was an S-Rank Awakener, a woman whose strength and status placed her at the peak of the awakened world. Kael had admired her for years, and somewhere along the way, that admiration had twisted into obsession.

Then Daemon appeared.

At first, Kael had wanted to eliminate him.

An E-Rank Awakener had somehow managed to become Victoria’s husband.

It was an insult.

But Kael had noticed something far more disturbing than Daemon’s strength.

Victoria actually loved him.

That changed everything.

Killing Daemon immediately would only make Victoria hate him.

Kael didn’t want that.

He wanted to break Daemon completely and prove that he was unworthy of Victoria.

He wanted everyone to understand one simple truth.

Victoria belonged to him.

And now, finally, he had been given the opportunity he had been waiting for.

Victoria was unconscious.

Her body had been growing weaker recently, and Kael had been carefully observing it.

Normally, getting close enough to Victoria to use his family’s secret ability would have been nearly impossible. Her senses were too sharp, and her strength was overwhelming.

But today was different.

She couldn’t resist.

Kael subtly released the parasite.

A tiny creature, almost impossible to notice, slipped from his hand and disappeared beneath Victoria’s skin.

Thrall Wasp.

Kael’s expression remained completely normal.

Nobody noticed.

Nobody suspected him.

The parasite slowly burrowed deeper into Victoria’s nervous system.

The terrifying aspect of the Thrall Wasp wasn’t that it attacked the victim’s mind.

It didn’t.

It hijacked the body.

The victim remained completely conscious and could understand everything happening around them. Their thoughts and awareness remained their own, but their body could no longer obey their commands.

Once Kael activated the parasite, he could temporarily interfere with Victoria’s nervous system and take control of her movements.

He could even influence her memories to a limited degree.

But there was one major problem.

Victoria wasn’t an ordinary Awakener.

Her bloodline was extraordinarily powerful.

Against someone like her, the Thrall Wasp would require considerably more time to establish complete control.

Even after being implanted, Kael couldn’t simply activate it and take over her body immediately.

He would have to wait.

He would have to weaken her resistance first.

And even then, controlling Victoria for an extended period would be extremely difficult.

Kael’s eyes narrowed.

So this is going to take longer than usual.

But he wasn’t discouraged.

He had patience.

And he had finally managed to plant the parasite inside the one person he had never been able to approach normally.

That alone was enough.

A faint smile appeared on his face.

I lost you once because of that man.

His eyes became cold.

I’m not losing you again.

Eventually, Victoria... your body will answer to me.

The elite team returned to the dungeon entrance.

A WHA healer immediately approached Victoria and began examining her.

After several minutes, the healer frowned.

"Her condition is stable."

Sana immediately asked,

"Then why was she bleeding?"

The healer shook his head.

"I can’t find any obvious internal injury. She may simply have pushed herself too far during the dungeon."

Sana wasn’t convinced.

Neither was Cole.

But the healer continued.

"She needs complete rest. Whatever caused this, fighting again in her current condition would be dangerous."

Victoria remained unconscious for several minutes.

Eventually, her fingers moved.

Her eyes slowly opened.

She stared at the ceiling before remembering where she was.

Sana immediately leaned closer.

"Victoria?"

Victoria blinked.

"Where am I?"

"The healer’s room."

Victoria slowly tried to sit up.

Sana immediately supported her.

"Don’t rush."

Victoria frowned.

"I’m fine."

"You keep saying that."

Sana crossed her arms.

"You nearly collapsed again."

Victoria became silent.

Cole stood nearby.

He had been watching her the entire time.

Sana noticed his expression.

"Don’t worry. She’s stubborn enough to survive almost anything."

Cole gave a small nod.

"I know."

Victoria had been one of the people who inspired him to become a Hunter after awakening.

He had never seen her this vulnerable.

It frightened him more than he wanted to admit.

Sana eventually looked at him.

"I’ll stay with her. You should go."

Cole hesitated before nodding.

"Alright."

After he left, silence filled the room.

A few minutes later, Victoria slowly stood.

Sana immediately moved beside her.

"Are you sure you can walk?"

"Yes."

Victoria took a few steps.

She was still weak, but she could move.

Sana sighed in relief.

Then her expression became serious.

"Victoria."

Victoria looked at her.

"You need to tell me what is happening."

"What do you mean?"

"Don’t pretend."

Sana stepped closer.

"I’ve known you for too long. Something is wrong with your body."

Victoria didn’t answer.

"You’ve collapsed twice now. Your nose started bleeding for no reason, and even the healer can’t identify the problem."

Sana’s voice softened.

"I’m worried about you."

Victoria lowered her eyes.

Sana suddenly remembered something else.

"And there’s something else I’m still angry about."

Victoria looked up.

"You never told me you were married."

Sana puffed her cheeks and turned away.

"I had to find out from everyone else."

Victoria stared at her for a moment.

Then, despite her exhaustion, she smiled slightly.

"I’ll tell you everything."

Sana immediately turned back.

"Really?"

"Not here."

Victoria adjusted her clothes.

"Come to my house tonight. We’ll have dinner, and I’ll explain everything."

Sana’s eyes brightened.

"Finally."

Victoria nodded.

"For now, let’s go home."

Hale Estate

The sun was slowly disappearing beyond the horizon.

Daemon sat beside Lucian’s bed.

He had been waiting for hours.

Lucian still hadn’t awakened.

Daemon looked at the window.

Maybe I should come back tomorrow.

He stood.

Then stopped.

"No."

He sat down again.

"I’ll wait."

Kassia was still out there somewhere.

And Lucian was the only person who had managed to establish a connection to her.

Daemon couldn’t leave until he knew what had happened.

Another hour passed.

Then Lucian’s fingers moved.

Daemon immediately stood.

"Lucian?"

Lucian slowly opened his eyes.

He grabbed his head with both hands.

"Ah..."

His voice was weak.

"It feels like I’m still drifting..."

Daemon quickly grabbed a glass of water and handed it to him.

"Drink slowly."

Lucian took several small sips.

After a few seconds, his breathing became steadier.

Daemon waited patiently.

Then he finally asked the question that had been burning inside him.

"Did you find her?"

Lucian stared at him.

"Kassia?"

Daemon nodded.

"Yes."

Lucian closed his eyes.

"She was alive."

Daemon’s heart skipped.

"You found her?"

"Yes..."

Lucian paused.

"But also... no."

Daemon frowned.

"What does that mean?"

Lucian slowly sat up.

"I found her presence. There were a lot of people around her."

"Where?"

"I don’t know."

Daemon’s expression tightened.

Lucian continued.

"When I reached the location, I tried to narrow down her exact position."

He clenched his fist.

"But something blocked me."

Daemon became silent.

"Someone?"

"Or something."

Lucian’s expression became serious.

"I’ve never experienced anything like it."

His voice lowered.

"My Astral Resonance was being pushed away."

Daemon remembered how Lucian had collapsed.

"That’s what caused the backlash?"

Lucian nodded.

"I tried to force my way through."

He looked at his hands.

"I shouldn’t have."

Daemon remained silent.

"I managed to get a glimpse of the area. There were many people there. But before I could identify Kassia properly, whatever was blocking me detected my presence."

Lucian swallowed.

"I had to retreat."

"And then you collapsed."

"Yes."

Lucian looked directly at Daemon.

"If I use Astral Resonance again right now, they’ll probably find me."

Daemon’s eyes narrowed.

"They?"

"I don’t know who they are."

Lucian shook his head.

"But whoever is protecting that place is powerful."

He paused.

"Powerful enough to kill us instantly if we’re careless."

Daemon’s expression darkened.

Lucian continued.

"You need to understand something. If you go there without preparing yourself, you might not even survive long enough to reach Kassia."

Daemon lowered his head.

He knew Lucian was right.

His current strength wasn’t enough.

He couldn’t even protect himself properly against five experienced Hunters.

How could he rescue someone from people powerful enough to block Astral Resonance?

And Victoria...

If she became involved, she could be targeted too.

Daemon clenched his fist.

"I understand."

Lucian watched him carefully.

"What are you going to do?"

Daemon slowly raised his head.

"There is only one answer."

He stood.

"I need more power."

Lucian’s eyes widened slightly.

"Daemon..."

"The last time I entered the Solitary Trial, I only reached the twenty-fifth floor."

Daemon’s gaze hardened.

"This time, I’m going deeper."

He needed strength.

Enough to survive.

Enough to protect Victoria.

Enough to find Kassia.

Enough to stand beside Victoria instead of constantly depending on her.

I can’t keep being the person everyone has to protect.

Daemon looked toward the darkening sky.

If someone is hiding Kassia... I’ll find them.

Then another thought suddenly appeared.

Kassia.

Her affection level.

92%.

Daemon’s eyes widened.

"Wait..."

Lucian looked at him.

"What?"

Daemon didn’t answer immediately.

He remembered what the system had explained.

Victoria’s affection had reached an extremely high level.

Her ancient bloodline had also produced extraordinary rewards.

And Kassia...

She possessed a rare bloodline too.

What if it was connected to his own?

What if the system could sense something about her that Lucian couldn’t?

Daemon’s heartbeat quickened.

He immediately summoned the system.

"System."

Ding!

The familiar mechanical sound echoed inside his mind.

Daemon stared forward.

"I want everything you know about Kassia."

He paused.

"Her current condition. Her bloodline. Her affection. Her location."

His voice became firm.

"Everything you can tell me."

For several seconds, there was only silence.

Then—

Ding!

The system finally responded.

[Analyzing target: Kassia.]

Daemon’s eyes widened.

Another notification appeared.

[Connection detected.]

Daemon froze.

A third message began forming.

[Hidden information regarding the target has been discovered.]

His breathing stopped.

"What...?"

The system continued.

[Warning.]

[The information you are attempting to access is connected to a restricted bloodline.]

Daemon’s expression changed completely.

Then the final notification appeared.

[Would you like to reveal the truth about Kassia?]

Daemon stared at the words.

His hand slowly clenched.

"Yes."

The system went silent.

Then—

DING!

[Beginning revelation...]

And for the first time since Kassia disappeared from his life...

Daemon was about to learn the truth.