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[Translator - Kiteretsu]
[Proofreader - Kyros]
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Chapter 2
‘What should I do from now on?’
After returning to the past, Chris pondered.
His goal was set.
To rise to the pinnacle of the Magus Empire, achieving both supreme wealth and power while also saving the world.
And to do that—
‘I need to take control of the Dark Demonic House first.’
Fortunately, the family of the body he now inhabited, the Dark Demonic House, was one of the twelve noble houses that served as pillars of the Magus Empire.
If he could bring the Dark Demonic House under his control, he would be one step closer to his goal.
‘The problem is that I’m not a direct heir—I’m from a cadet branch.’
The name of the body he now possessed was Christian van Barren Khazar.
By coincidence, or perhaps fate, his new name was quite similar to his original one.
What mattered most was his middle name.
"Van"—a mark of a cadet branch.
In other words, he was the son of the Count Khazar Family, a cadet branch of the Duke Barren Household within the Dark Demonic House.
‘But that doesn’t matter. The Magus Empire acknowledges succession rights for cadet branches as well.’
Even as a member of a cadet branch, it was possible to take control of the main household.
Of course, there was a condition.
—If one has the ability.
To put it more bluntly—
—If one is overwhelmingly superior, to the point of trampling over the direct heirs.
In other words, he had to prove himself far stronger than his many direct-line competitors.
The one silver lining was that the Magus Empire was a land ruled by absolute power.
A nation of people obsessed with strength.
That was the nature of Demonkin.
So all he had to do was become stronger.
‘First, I need to shed my reputation as a disgrace.’
With that thought in mind, he went to find his father.
Count Khazar.
The head of the Count Khazar Family, a cadet branch of the Dark Demonic House.
“What do you want?”
His father, Count Khazar, greeted him.
A chilling aura of Demonic Energy radiated from him.
‘A Six-Star high-ranking Demonkin.’
Even in his previous life, such individuals were rare to come across.
His father’s gaze was filled with contempt.
Naturally so.
‘Because I’m a disgrace.’
To be precise, the original owner of this body was a disgrace.
Chris felt a sigh coming on but swallowed it down.
This was just another hurdle to overcome.
“How shameless of you to show your face again so soon after your last incident. Didn’t I tell you to reflect on your actions? Or have you already caused another mess that you couldn’t resist?”
“…That’s not the case.”
“Then what? If you’re here with some foolish scheme, get lost. I feel like cutting off your head right this instant.”
Count Khazar had no desire to continue speaking with his son.
He spoke abruptly.
“I came to apologize for all the wrongs I have committed.”
“…What?”
“For everything I’ve done—I sincerely apologize.”
Chris bowed his head as he spoke.
For a moment, Count Khazar froze.
Then, he erupted in fury.
“You dare say that now? After the catastrophe you caused just recently, and now—what, an apology? Are you mocking me?”
A terrifying pressure filled the air, sharp enough to make one’s skin crawl.
It was the reaction Chris had expected.
He remained unfazed as he continued.
“I understand why you wouldn’t believe me. As you know, I have lost part of my memory.”
He had already claimed that he had lost some of his memories after possessing this body.
“Because of that, I was able to reflect on my past mistakes objectively—and I have deeply repented.”
“……”
“Once again, I apologize.”
Count Khazar stood silent, glaring sharply at Chris.
Of course, he didn’t believe him in the slightest.
His eyes held only distrust and fury.
It was expected.
Chris had never thought that a single apology would be enough to win over his father.
His apology had another purpose.
It was bait.
“Mere words mean nothing. I will take responsibility for my past misdeeds. Please send me to the Chamber of Punishment.”
“!!”
“For one month. I will spend a month there reflecting on my wrongdoings before returning.”
For the first time, Count Khazar’s expression wavered.
“Do you even know what kind of place the Chamber of Punishment is?”
“Yes.”
Chris was well-versed in the world of Demonkin.
After all, there had been a Demonkin among the hero’s party.
The Chatterbox of Darkness.
True to her nickname, she never stopped talking—even about things he never asked.
‘She even spoke about the Chamber of Punishment.’
A place where high-ranking Demonkin were sent to atone for their sins.
A lightless prison where all five senses were completely sealed.
Even spending a few days inside could break a person’s mind.
‘But right now, it’s exactly what I need. A place where I can be alone, away from prying eyes.’
Count Khazar smirked in mockery.
“You think you can last a month in the Chamber of Punishment? You won’t even endure half a day.”
“I know it will be difficult. But I must endure it.”
“You must?”
“Yes. Because only then can I truly change.”
“!!”
Chris met Count Khazar’s gaze head-on.
“I will no longer live as I have. I will change.”
“……”
Did he sense something different in his son?
Count Khazar remained silent.
“You? Change?”
“Yes. Without a doubt.”
But Count Khazar scoffed.
“Do you have any idea how many times you’ve said that to me? Every time you committed some great wrongdoing, you would say the same thing. That you would change. That I should wait and see. I can remember at least ten times you’ve said it. And every single time, you only brought me greater disappointment.”
“……”
“Regardless, fine. I will open the Chamber of Punishment for you. No matter how much you beg from inside, the doors will not open until a month has passed. If you can’t endure it, then you might as well die in there.”
You might as well die.
It was a brutal thing for a father to say to his son, but considering that this was the Empire of Demonkin, Count Khazar’s reaction was actually quite mild.
“I understand.”
“And one more thing.”
Count Khazar’s piercing gaze bore into Chris.
“This will be the last time I turn a blind eye to your disgraceful behavior. If, as you claim, you fail to change—I will expel you from the family.”
Exile.
It was the same as a death sentence.
There were plenty of Demonkin who held a grudge against him for his past atrocities.
The moment he lost the family’s protection, he would be torn apart and killed.
“I understand. But in return, if I do change as I promised, I want you to grant me a request.”
“A request?”
Count Khazar’s expression twisted in disbelief.
Then, he spoke sharply.
“Fine. If you truly change, I will grant you whatever request you desire. But remember this—if you disappoint me again, I won’t just exile you. I will throw you into a lion’s den alive.”
Count Khazar’s words were ice-cold.
Thus, their conversation ended, and Chris began preparing to enter the Chamber of Punishment.
The family’s retainers whispered among themselves, making sure Chris wouldn’t hear.
“They say the wastrel is going into the Chamber of Punishment?”
“What trick is he trying to pull this time?”
“Well, considering how serious his last offense was, maybe he’s just trying to avoid the Count’s wrath for a while?”
“I mean, he did insult the Venomous Demonic House’s heiress. And not just any heiress—the direct bloodline, at that.”
Venomous Demonic House.
Like the Dark Demonic House, it was one of the twelve pillars that upheld the Demonic Empire.
Even for a disgrace like him, to insult the direct heiress of such a house—
There was no greater madness than this.
“They say the Count personally apologized to Venomous Demonic House to smooth things over.”
“Hah. The Count really isn’t much like a Demonkin, is he? If it were my son, I’d have cut off at least an arm or a leg by now.”
“I heard that even the high-ranking members of the main family are furious over this incident. Losing face to a rival house like Venomous Demonic House was a massive blow.”
“That’s why that disgrace of a brat is probably trying to save face by going into the Punishment Cave. Not that he’ll last long in there.”
The servants smirked.
“How long do you think he’ll last?”
“At most, two days?”
“I’m betting one.”
“I say half a day.”
The members of the household placed bets on how long Chris would endure inside the Punishment Cave.
The longest estimate was two days.
Most of them expected him to beg for mercy within a few hours—half a day at most.
Regardless of their chatter, Chris steadily prepared to enter the Punishment Cave.
‘Alright. All set.’
He admired the supplies he had gathered.
‘Being from a noble house does have its perks. I got my hands on mana crystals this easily—and all different types, too.’
Just by asking, the people beneath him had delivered everything he needed.
It was something unimaginable in his previous life.
‘Isn’t this mana crystal incredibly rare? That hero brat and I went through hell to get one of these.’
Clicking his tongue, Chris rose from his seat.
He immediately headed toward the Punishment Cave.
A ‘Death Knight,’ summoned through necromancy, stood guard at the cave’s entrance.
‘Using a Death Knight as a warden? How fitting for the Magic Empire. This thing won’t just move on its own, will it?’
Chris eyed the Death Knight warily.
Fortunately, it remained motionless.
Relieved, he was about to step inside when an unexpected voice stopped him.
“Brother.”
Turning his gaze, he saw a boy who bore a striking resemblance to him.
A familiar face.
Chris spoke his name.
“Teren.”
Teren van Baron Khazar.
As his name suggested, he was Chris’s younger brother.
Unlike Chris, the family’s disgrace, Teren was a diligent model student.
And—
‘The one who plays a crucial role in my death two years from now.’
Chris’s demonkin companion, ‘Chatterbox of the Dark,’ had shared all sorts of stories about demon society, including details about Chris’s current body—Christian.
She had told him exactly what kind of disgrace Christian was and how he had met a miserable end.
At the center of that story was none other than the boy standing before him—Teren.
“What do you want?”
Even though it was a future event, Chris couldn’t bring himself to speak kindly to someone who would one day kill him.
‘Not like we were on good terms to begin with.’
Judging by the way Teren looked, he was clearly here to pick a fight.
“Judging by your expression, I doubt you’re here out of concern for me.”
Teren’s brow twitched.
“…Of course not.”
Teren responded coldly and took a step forward.
Thud. The distance between them shrank.
With every step closer, a suffocating tension filled the air.
“I came to warn you.”
“!!”
Teren’s crimson eyes, fixed on Chris, were filled with contempt.
“You’re well aware that you’re a disgrace to the family. I don’t know what kind of scheme you’re planning this time.”
Flash!
A chilling blade pressed against Chris’s neck.
“If you tarnish the family’s honor again, I swear—I will kill you myself.”
“……”
Chris glanced down.
His skin stung where the blade touched, and a thin trickle of blood dripped down.
‘Damn, that hurts.’
He swallowed back a curse.
It wasn’t fear that gripped him—just irritation.
‘After everything I’ve been through, does he really think a little threat like this will scare me?’
Chris had endured countless hardships and built up legendary achievements during the Age of Ruins.
There was no way a mere threat like this would shake him.
“Put it away.”
“…What?”
“I said, put it away.”
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[Translator - Kiteretsu]
[Proofreader - Kyros]
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