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[Translator - Kiteretsu]
[Proofreader - Kyros]
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Chapter 5
Creak. The sound of the door opening echoed, unusually grating.
It was a sign of his nerves tightening at the thought of facing his son.
‘He must be a mess.’
Count Khazar clenched his teeth.
Crushing even the smallest hope, he flung the door open completely.
“!!!”
Count Khazar's eyes widened.
“You…?”
An unbelievable sight unfolded before him.
“You’ve arrived.”
His son, Chris, was seated.
Unlike before, his demeanor was calm, his gaze deep.
“I’ve been waiting for you.”
* * *
Silence filled the air.
Count Khazar stared at him for a long time, as if unable to believe what he was seeing.
‘Of course, he must be surprised. He never imagined I would endure it unscathed.’
Chris twisted his lips and spoke.
“I told you, didn’t I? That I would come out changed.”
“……”
Count Khazar said nothing.
Contrary to his concerns, there was no sign of him being intoxicated by the Dreamstone.
No—rather, what was with that unwavering gaze?
‘Have I ever seen that look in his eyes before?’
He couldn’t recall.
Not since long ago, in his son’s early years, when he was still brimming with spirit.
But Count Khazar did not let his expression soften.
A mere change in attitude wasn’t enough for him to trust his son—not after all the disappointment that had built up over the years.
“You managed to endure, it seems. Or perhaps the Curse of the Punishment Cell suited you well.”
“I suppose that’s a compliment in its own way?”
“It means don’t get ahead of yourself.”
Count Khazar’s voice remained cold.
“I still don’t trust you.”
“……”
“There’s no telling when you’ll make a mess of things again—just like before.”
Truthfully, this wasn’t the first time his son had shown signs of reflection.
But every time he had, the moment Khazar allowed himself to hope, his son had repaid that trust with even greater disappointment.
‘But this time… it does feel a little different. No—no. What am I expecting again?’
Count Khazar forcefully suppressed the flicker of hope rising within him.
Chris shrugged.
“I have a request, Father.”
“A request?”
“Yes. I’ve endured this much, so I think I deserve at least a small favor. Please allow me to use the training grounds of the Black Swamp Knights.”
“!!”
Count Khazar’s face twisted in shock.
The Demonic House commanded three branch knight orders.
Known as the Dark Trident, one of them was the Black Swamp Knights, under the jurisdiction of House Khazar.
“The Black Swamp Knights are not a place someone like you can enter so easily.”
Though the Black Swamp Knights were under House Khazar’s authority as a branch family, they also belonged to the main house.
That meant even as Count Khazar’s son, Chris couldn’t freely enter.
He needed permission from the main house of the Demonic House, and there was no chance they would grant it to someone infamous as a wastrel.
“I’m not asking to be taken in as a squire. I only want permission to use the training grounds.”
“……”
“I thought watching the Black Swamp Knights in action might be inspiring. Surely that much is possible?”
First, he needed to build his stamina.
Even after his transformation, he still had to train his body.
But that wasn’t the only reason.
By sharing the training grounds, he intended to learn the Black Swamp Knights’ secret techniques.
How?
It was simple.
‘I’ll steal them.’
No one would willingly teach him the family’s martial arts, given his reputation.
So he planned to pick up the fundamentals by observing from the sidelines.
Chris had never been one to learn formally—he had always picked up skills through observation and mimicry.
Count Khazar remained silent for a long time, staring at Chris before finally speaking.
“If you disgrace yourself in front of the Black Swamp Knights, be prepared for the consequences.”
Chris grinned.
It was permission.
“There’s one more thing.”
“What is it?”
“Grant me access to the Black Swamp Library.”
The library.
A collection of books.
But the Black Swamp Library was unlike any ordinary archive.
‘It holds House Khazar’s black magic grimoires.’
Naturally, only those with permission were allowed to enter.
Count Khazar scoffed.
“You want access to the library? Have you lost your mind?”
“I’m still a member of the family. Doesn’t that entitle me to it?”
“You threw that entitlement away yourself. Have you forgotten when you tried to sell one of the library’s grimoires on the black market?”
“……”
Count Khazar couldn’t help but wonder—was Chris’s composed demeanor just an act to gain access to the library so he could steal from it?
It might have been excessive suspicion, but with Chris, it was entirely possible.
“Bring me a letter of recommendation from Melin. Then, I’ll grant you access.”
Melin.
She was the vice-captain of the Black Swamp Knights.
A demon from the main house of the Demonic House, she was exceptionally cold-hearted and viewed the weak—especially incompetent wastrels—as nothing more than vermin.
Being told to obtain a recommendation letter from such a person was the same as saying access to the library would never be granted.
However,
“I understand. I’ll do as you say.”
Chris nodded.
As if it was something he could accomplish without issue.
“Then, I’ll be going. I assume I can start using the training grounds from today?”
“…Fine.”
Chris walked off toward the mansion, disappearing from sight. Watching the stark difference in his gait from before, Count Khazar was left in turmoil.
* * *
After washing up and eating, Chris headed straight for the training grounds.
As soon as he arrived, the entire area fell silent.
Training came to a halt, and all eyes turned to him.
‘It feels strange to see so many demons gathered here.’
As expected of the knight order representing the Demonic House, every member was elite.
Not just humans—this was the Magus Empire, after all—there were also many dark-aligned non-humans.
Lycanthropes, vampires, dark elves, and more.
All of them appeared to be at least 2-Star rank. Many were above 3-Star, and there were even a few 4-Star warriors among them.
‘For a mere branch knight order to be this strong… Outside, only the best knight orders of the kingdom could compare to this level.’
As Chris shook his head, rough voices rang out among the demons.
“What the hell? Who’s that bastard?”
“It’s that idiot young master, isn’t it? What’s he doing here?”
Even though he was the count’s son, they openly hurled insults at him.
Something unthinkable outside, but this was the Magus Empire.
Here, strength was law.
The weak received no respect—no matter their status.
And especially if their conduct was disgraceful, like his former self.
‘Even this body didn’t dare act out against the Black Swamp Knights.’
Just then, a particularly sharp voice cut through the air.
“You dare come here, brother? Get lost immediately.”
Turning his head, he saw a familiar face.
His younger brother, Teren.
‘So he’s been training with the Black Swamp Knights. Well, he is being treated as the rightful heir in my place.’
Teren’s eyes burned with rage as he growled.
“This is no place for filth like you to set foot in.”
Chris crossed his arms.
He wasn’t intimidated.
‘Letting him keep barking like this would get annoying.’
“Teren, are you insulting the count with those words?”
“…What did you just say?”
Chris twisted his lips.
A mocking smile.
“It was Count Khazar who granted me permission to use the training grounds. But your words… almost make it sound like you’re criticizing his decision.”
Tern was struck speechless.
Even if he would one day become a notorious demon, right now, he was still just a fledgling. There was no way he could match Chris in a battle of words.
But then, another voice rang out.
“I respect the Count’s decision, but to be honest, I don’t find you very trustworthy.”
“!!”
Chris flinched.
He felt an overwhelming presence of demonic energy—far stronger than anyone else’s here.
Turning his head, he saw a stunningly beautiful yet alluring woman standing there.
‘Vice-Captain Melin!’
The infamous vice-captain of the Black Swamp Knights.
Melin had a soft smile on her face, but her powerful demonic energy bore down on Chris.
She was trying to subdue him with sheer force.
The old Chris would have crumbled under the pressure.
But now, Chris steadied his breathing and calmly bowed his head.
“I greet the Vice-Captain.”
“……”
Melin’s eyes flickered for an instant.
‘He endured it?’
She had deliberately unleashed her full presence.
Being forced to share the training grounds with a useless noble brat was frustrating enough, so she had nodded along with the Count’s decision.
But her real plan had been to terrify him into wetting himself and running away.
Yet, he hadn’t even flinched.
Seeing Melin’s slight look of surprise, Chris smirked inwardly.
‘This kind of intimidation? I’m used to it.’
The strong always tried to flaunt their power like this.
During the Age of Ruins, he had experienced such displays far too often, and eventually, he had learned how to deal with them.
“In any case, I understand. Since even you, Vice-Captain, feel that way, I’ll propose a condition. I’ll prove that I have the right to use this training ground.”
“A proof?”
“If it’s proof among demons, there’s only one kind.”
Chris shrugged.
“Power.”
“!!”
“I’ll fight one of the demons here right now—and I’ll win.”
The training ground erupted into murmurs.
Everyone looked at him as if he had lost his mind.
Melin’s expression twisted with displeasure.
“You’re taking this joke too far. Even if you are a noble, do you really think you can insult the Black Swamp Knights and walk away unscathed?”
She clearly thought Chris’s challenge was just the reckless tantrum of a spoiled noble brat.
“This isn’t a joke. But I have two conditions. First, no demonic energy. The duel must be purely physical. As you know, I lost my vessel for demonic energy due to my past debauchery.”
“……”
“Ah, and it would be preferable if we fought barehanded, without weapons. As you know, it's been far too long since I last held a sword.”
Melin looked utterly dumbfounded.
“You have a lot of demands. What's the second condition?”
“Let me choose my opponent.”
Melin nodded. Even if he picked the weakest member of the Black Swamp Knights, they would still be several times stronger than this wastrel.
Chris turned to the young boy standing beside Melin, his face twisted in a deep scowl.
“Teren, it’s you.”
“…What?”
“You’re my opponent.”
Teren’s expression went blank.
Chris grinned.
“This is a good chance for us brothers to have a deep conversation.”
Of course, the "conversation" would be through fists.
* * *
The training ground fell silent.
Everyone blinked in confusion, unable to process what Chris had just said.
A moment later—
“Has that crazy young master finally lost it for real?”
“Is this how wastrels commit suicide these days?”
The knights murmured in disbelief, all of them reacting as if Chris had gone mad.
The one he had called out, Teren, was turning red with fury.
His face contorted in rage, as if he had been deeply insulted.
“You… How dare you.”
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[Translator - Kiteretsu]
[Proofreader - Kyros]
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