Gathering Wives with a System

Chapter 570: ”Reward” From His Wife

He could not find the answer even with his perfect memory.

Eventually, he completed his own workout, took a shower, and headed downstairs for breakfast.

The kitchen was already filled with activity. Utensils clattered softly while breakfast preparations continued at a steady pace.

Alice had apparently returned early to help. Emily and Priscilla were already working alongside her.

Isaac’s gaze drifted toward the dragon maid. For a moment, he considered dealing with her now. Then he decided against it. It was still morning, and the day had barely begun. Whatever issue existed could wait until later. The last thing he wanted was to start the day with a scolding.

After some time, he tried stepping into the kitchen to help. Unfortunately, before he could touch anything, he was subtly guided back out.

Isaac returned to the dining table with a dissatisfied expression. He honestly didn’t understand it.

He had spent six months in Selene’s Trial learning all kinds of things. Cooking had been one of them. Sure, he wasn’t exactly talented, but six months should have been enough to make something edible.

Yet every time he entered a kitchen, everyone reacted as though he was carrying a loaded weapon. The more he thought about it, the more unreasonable it felt.

”Am I cursed or something?” he muttered.

He could manage a farm, command armies, fight monsters capable of destroying cities, and negotiate with powerful figures. Somehow, making a simple breakfast remained beyond him. At this point, Isaac was beginning to suspect that cooking simply wasn’t meant for him.

No, he refused to give up.

He was going to learn that goddamn thing no matter what.

While he was quietly grumbling to himself, a chair slid back across from him. Isaac looked up and saw Celia sitting down opposite him.

”You’re back already? How did the talk with Vale go?” he asked.

Instead of answering immediately, Celia simply stared at him. Her expression wasn’t hostile, but she still looked slightly annoyed. The events of yesterday clearly hadn’t been forgotten.

Isaac felt somewhat helpless. She had been moving her hips on her own back then too. Yet somehow, he was carrying most of the blame.

He was considering coddling her a little to improve her mood. Before he could say anything, however, Celia placed a camera on the table.

Isaac blinked.

Then she took out a small artifact and activated it. A transparent ripple spread outward before disappearing completely.

Isaac immediately recognized the artifact. It created an isolated space that prevented others from overhearing conversations. His expression became cautious as he looked between the camera and the barrier.

”What exactly are you planning?”

Celia folded her arms and leaned back slightly. ”I thought about it a lot, and I understand that what happened yesterday wasn’t entirely your fault. I had some responsibility too.”

Isaac looked genuinely surprised. Hearing Celia acknowledge her own mistake was rare enough that he almost wondered if something unusual had happened during her meeting with Vale.

For a brief moment, he felt relieved. Then she continued speaking.

”So I’ve decided to forgive you if you do one simple thing for me.”

The relief immediately vanished. Isaac narrowed his eyes.

”...Are you trying to take revenge?”

”Yes.”

Celia answered so quickly that he almost admired her honesty. A faint smile appeared on her face, but Isaac could clearly see the competitive spark in her eyes. She was still holding onto yesterday’s embarrassment.

After a moment, Isaac sighed.

”Fine. Tell me what you want.”

Celia pointed toward the camera. ”I want you to say that you’re a pervert while I record it.”

Isaac stared at her for several seconds. The request itself wasn’t particularly difficult. Under normal circumstances, he probably would have done something harmless like that if it improved his wife’s mood.

The problem was that the person asking was Celia. There was absolutely no way he trusted her with that recording.

”What if you upload it somewhere?” Isaac asked.

Celia’s innocent expression somehow made him even more suspicious. Recently, public opinion toward him had improved dramatically. His battles against the Third Priest and Florathi had been recorded and spread throughout the City.

For once, people were discussing his strength instead of focusing on rumors. He was finally building an image that could help him develop a proper God Domain.

Battle, farming, leadership. Any of those God Domains would be acceptable. There was no chance he would risk Celia leaking a video that might somehow push public perception in a completely different direction.

When Isaac remained silent, Celia let out an exaggerated sigh.

”I see. So you’re refusing.”

Isaac continued staring at her. The silence stretched for several seconds.

”Well, that’s unfortunate. Yesterday wasn’t entirely your fault, so if you agreed, I was planning to do something nice for you in return. Since you’re refusing, I guess we’ll just forget about it,” she said.

Isaac immediately recognized the bait. She wanted him to ask what she was going to do. He decided to play along for now.

”What exactly were you planning to do for me?” he asked.

”I would’ve made sure you could get a threesome with both Selene and Alice.”

Isaac froze.

For several seconds, he didn’t say a word. Celia pretended not to notice and casually brushed a strand of hair behind her ear.

”But since you don’t want it, we should probably forget the whole thing.”

She slowly began standing up. The moment she rose from her seat, Isaac suddenly appeared behind her.

His hands gently settled on her shoulders.

”Now hold on. I think we’re ending this discussion too quickly. We should really talk about it properly,” he said.

Celia nearly laughed.

The transformation had been immediate. A moment ago he had been determined to protect his dignity. The instant he heard the potential reward, his attitude changed completely.

And he still insisted he wasn’t a pervert.

Isaac could practically hear her thoughts. Unfortunately, he couldn’t even defend himself.

Isaac knew what Celia was thinking but he was helpless. How could he refuse this?

Alice had stopped doing the deed whenever any of his wives were present. She wanted to be alone with Isaac. He naturally respected her wishes.

However, since she refused, it only made him want to do it more.

Moreover, Selene and Alice were sisters. Isaac wouldn’t call himself a pervert but having a threesome with sisters....

He didn’t think there was anyone who would not get excited by this.

”So, when do you want to record the video?” Celia asked, leaning back slightly.

”Can’t we negotiate a little? Calling myself a pervert seems excessive, don’t you think?” Isaac began massaging her shoulders.

His hands moved skillfully as he activated Hands of Devotion. The skill immediately enhanced the massage, causing Celia’s shoulders to loosen slightly.

Celia visibly relaxed for a moment. Then she laughed.

Isaac thought he might actually be making progress. Unfortunately, the next words crushed that hope.

”No. We are not negotiating.”

Isaac’s shoulders slumped. Meanwhile, Celia looked far too pleased with herself. For the first time that morning, she seemed to be in an excellent mood.

Isaac’s expression changed several times as he sat there in silence. Anyone looking at him could tell he was fighting a fierce internal battle between his dignity and his desires.

After several seconds, he gritted his teeth.

”Can’t we change the terms? I’ll give you a Legendary-grade piece of equipment.”

Celia didn’t even hesitate.

”No.”

Isaac frowned. He had expected at least a little consideration. Legendary equipment wasn’t something that could be casually handed out.

Seeing that his first offer had failed, he quickly moved on to the next one.

”I can help you increase your stats. I’ll also take you through Great Dungeons and help you obtain Titles from boss monsters.”

This time, Celia’s expression wavered slightly.

Unlike equipment, those rewards couldn’t simply be purchased or traded. Permanent stat growth and powerful Titles were more precious than equipment.

For a brief moment, Isaac thought he saw victory.

Celia clearly understood how valuable the offer was. She even seemed to be imagining the benefits in her head.

Unfortunately for Isaac, she eventually shook her head.

”I already gave my condition,” she said.

”You seriously value a recording that much?” he asked.

”It’s not about the recording.”

”Then what is it about?”

A mischievous smile appeared on Celia’s face.

”It’s about winning,” she said.

Isaac immediately understood.

This wasn’t a negotiation anymore. The rewards, equipment, and benefits didn’t really matter.

Celia simply wanted revenge. Yesterday she had been the embarrassed one. Today she wanted to reverse the situation. The realization made Isaac sigh deeply.

”You’re incredibly petty, you know that?”

”Thank you.”

”That wasn’t a compliment.”

”It sounded like one to me. After all, I would love it when someone says I’m similar to my husband.”

”...”

Isaac rubbed his forehead.

For the first time, he felt like he was helpless against Celia. He was supposed to be able to handle her easily, but she seemed to have upped her game.

Still, he wasn’t ready to surrender yet.

”What if I record a different sentence?”

”No.”

”What if I admit I was wrong yesterday?”

”No.”

”What if I apologize properly?”

Celia leaned back in her chair and folded her arms.

”You’re missing the point.”

Isaac narrowed his eyes.

”No, I understand the point perfectly. You’re blackmailing me.”

”I prefer to call it an opportunity.”

”That’s definitely blackmail.”

”It’s only blackmail if I’m threatening you.”

”Aren’t you?”

”No. I’m offering a reward.”

Isaac opened his mouth before closing it again. The annoying part was that her logic somehow made sense.