------------------
[Translator - Kiteretsu]
[Proofreader - Kyros]
------------------
Chapter 11
That banshee was a ghost, yet she had an incredibly beautiful face.
She gave the impression of a pure and pretty girl.
She was even dressed in a maid outfit, a look that would appeal to those with particular tastes. But so what?
She was a ghost.
And not just any ghost—she was eerie and sinister.
“…I came to look at some books.”
[Yes… I will guide you. What category… do you… seek?]
This was the Black Magic Archive.
Outside, in the "Faction of Light," the books here were considered forbidden. Simply possessing them was enough to warrant being burned at the stake.
[Blood Magic? Destruction Magic? Summoning? Curses? Ah… we do not have any books on Necromancy.]
Necromancy.
A branch of black magic that dealt with the undead.
‘That’s unfortunate.’
Necromancy could be considered the pinnacle of black magic.
The power to raise an army alone!
‘The Necromantic Houses, which specialize in undead magic, rank among the top of the Twelve Great Magical Houses.’
The Necromantic Houses strictly prohibited the dissemination of necromantic knowledge.
That was why books on necromancy were exceedingly rare, even within the Magus Empire… or so Chris had been told by his former companion, the "Chatterbox of Darkness."
“Does that mean you have books on all the other branches?”
[We have the basics of everything. Ah… except for books on demon… contracts.]
The banshee explained.
[The Demonic Houses… forbid contracts… with demons.]
Chris nodded.
He already knew that.
Surprisingly, making pacts with demons was considered taboo even within the Magus Empire.
‘The Magus Empire pursues the power of darkness, but it does not revere evil.’
The two were fundamentally different.
The Magus Empire valued "survival of the fittest" through the power of darkness.
What the outside world defined as "evil" was, in most cases, also considered evil within the Magus Empire—though their standards differed.
Demon contracts were also taboo.
Because demons pursued evil.
Human sacrifices, murder, suffering, greed—those were the values demons delighted in.
‘The issue is that the Magus Empire doesn’t outright ban demon contracts.’
They were frowned upon and considered forbidden, but not strictly prohibited.
It was left to individual choice.
As a result, a significant number of mages had secretly entered into contracts with demons, and those individuals had become the ruling faction of the Magus Empire. The great war against the "Faction of Light" in the future would be a result of their influence.
Chris had to rise to the top of the Magus Empire and stop them—the ones who followed the banner of demons and sought to bring ruin to the world.
‘That’s a problem for later. Right now, I need to devour the Demonic Houses first.’
The banshee’s maid outfit eerily swayed as she whispered in a hushed voice.
[Which… branch of black magic will you focus on learning? Since it's your first time… perhaps… multiple branches…?]
That was the standard approach.
Even the mages of the Alliance typically learned various types of magic up to the 2-Star level before specializing from the 3-Star level onward.
Chris should logically follow that method as well.
“There’s a specific black magic spell I need to learn first. Bring me the book I mentioned.”
The banshee looked flustered at Chris’s request.
[But…? That book…?]
“What? Aren’t all the books here accessible?”
[Even so….]
The banshee hesitated before asking again.
[It’s… a 4-Star black magic spell, isn’t it?]
4-Star!
A level known as "Prime."
Chris, who had yet to grasp even the basics, was asking for a spellbook that only experts could handle.
[You… won’t be able to understand it.]
“No, I will.”
Chris gave a simple explanation.
“Because I’m a genius.”
[…….]
The banshee fell silent for a moment.
It was as if she were looking at him with an expression that said, Oh my, our young master is not only impressive but also adorable. How precious.
[Ohoho… our young master is… not only remarkable… but also a genius. How truly… splendid.]
“Enough nonsense, just bring me the book. I need it.”
[…Understood. If I may… ask, what do you need that spell for?]
Chris remained silent for a moment before replying.
“To catch a rat.”
A rat.
The one who had thrown the Dreamstone at him while he was in the Penitence Ward.
There was someone in House Khazar secretly wishing for his downfall.
It was about time he caught that rat.
“This spell should do the trick.”
Chris looked at the title of the book the ghost had brought him.
—Seal of Restraint.
A notorious black magic spell, even feared by the Faction of Light, which could turn someone into a slave if specific conditions were met.
And a few days later…
The banshee was horrified when she saw what Chris was doing.
* * *
Time passed.
Chris settled into a monotonous routine.
During the day, he trained at the practice grounds, building his physical strength. At night, he visited the archive to read black magic tomes.
Strength is national power! To become stronger, I need a solid foundation… damn it, endurance training is exhausting.
Chris grumbled inwardly.
He was the lazy genius type.
He didn’t enjoy hard work or sweating like this.
But no matter how much of a genius he was, there was no shortcut to building physical strength.
'Mastering the essence of swordsmanship is just a matter of copying what I see, but… when it comes to building strength and endurance, there’s no way around it except grinding through it. Damn it, I’ll just endure by imagining the wealth and glory I’ll enjoy later. Wealth and glory, wealth and glory!'
His expression stiffened from exhaustion, making him look even more arrogant and disdainful than usual.
The knights of the Magnus House watched him with admiration.
“Our delinquent young master… he really might have changed.”
“How many days has it been? It’s been at least two weeks, right?”
“He even looks a bit stronger now.”
The assumption that he would give up and return to his old ways was wrong.
Chris showed up every single day without fail, training his body, and the results were starting to show.
When he first arrived at the training grounds, his body had been frail from a life of indulgence. But now, his muscles were developing, and he looked far more presentable.
Especially impressive was how he ran endlessly without a single break in his arrogant expression.
In that moment, the knights of the Magnus House all had the same thought.
'The future looks interesting.'
'Perhaps the heir dispute might take an unexpected turn.'
Everyone now recognized that Christian possessed extraordinary talent.
If he continued training seriously instead of reverting to his old ways, the entire succession plan for House Khazar could be upended.
Rather than Teren, who was originally designated as the successor, Christian might end up inheriting the count’s title.
'Maybe that’s why Lord Teren has been training more intensely than before.'
The knights glanced toward Teren, who was swinging his sword in a secluded corner.
After being utterly humiliated by his older brother, Teren had said nothing and devoted himself entirely to training.
Meanwhile, Chris smirked as he listened to the knights murmuring among themselves.
'House Khazar’s succession? That means nothing to me.'
To ordinary knights, House Khazar might seem grand and prestigious, but to him, it was insignificant.
What he truly wanted was the main branch of the Demonic House.
The side branch that was House Khazar? He planned to leave that to Teren.
As long as there were no issues with Teren, that is.
'Teren wouldn’t be the one who plotted against me, would he?'
Chris narrowed his eyes.
At a glance, it didn’t seem likely.
He didn’t seem like the type to scheme from the shadows.
But nothing was certain.
If anyone stood to gain the most from his downfall, it was his younger brother, Teren.
'Well, I’ll find out soon enough.'
Chris scanned his surroundings.
Unlike before, the gazes directed at him were now filled with goodwill.
They had finally acknowledged it.
The delinquent had changed—or at the very least, he was trying to.
The timing was perfect.
Chris abruptly stopped his physical training.
The knights approached him in a friendly manner and struck up a conversation.
“Young Master, are you heading back? You’re leaving early today.”
“I’m done with this nonsense.”
“…What?”
The knights of Magnus House widened their eyes.
“Doing this for a few days was enough. It’s sweaty, filthy, and annoying—I can’t stand it. I’ve done plenty.”
With that, Chris raised his hand and dropped something to the ground.
It was the wooden sword he had been using for the past two weeks.
Thud. Thud.
The discarded wooden sword lay carelessly on the training ground.
“Y-Young Master?!”
Even if it was just a training weapon, tossing it away like that was unthinkable for anyone who understood honor.
“What do you think you’re doing?!”
“What?”
Chris curled his lips into a smirk.
“I do as I please. What business do you lowly things have with it?”
“!!”
“What? Did you actually think I had changed? I just put on an act for a few days to reflect on my past mistakes. That should be enough.”
The atmosphere in the training ground turned ice-cold.
The knights stared at him, their gazes filled with shock and disbelief.
Even from a distance, Chris could see his younger brother, Teren, watching him with wide, disbelieving eyes.
Ignoring them all, Chris sneered and walked away from the training ground.
After entering the mansion, he called for the butler.
“D-Do you need something, Young Master?”
Half-vampire butler Kox appeared in a hurry.
“Bring me some liquor.”
“…Excuse me?”
“Are you deaf?! I said bring me liquor! Right now!!”
At the sudden outburst, the butler’s face turned red.
No matter how high Chris’s status was as the count’s son, shouting at a butler like that was a grave discourtesy.
But only for a moment.
The butler quickly lowered his head in a panic.
“U-Understood. I’ll do as you say.”
He hastily retreated, and Chris watched his back with sharp, unreadable eyes.
That bastard is the most suspicious.
Just now, Chris had deliberately acted rudely.
He wanted to see how the butler would react.
For a brief moment, several emotions flickered through Kox’s eyes.
First, there was the expected anger and forced patience at Chris’s disrespect.
That much was normal.
But Chris caught something else hidden behind the butler’s gaze—
Joy.
Why had the butler felt pleased by Chris’s behavior just now?
I’ll find out soon enough.
Chris grinned.
With that, he had set the trap.
A trap to catch the rat gnawing away at Magnus House.
* * *
Christian has returned to his old ways!
That news spread like wildfire through the mansion.
The servants shook their heads.
“Knew it. He lasted what, two weeks at best?”
“Two weeks is longer than I expected.”
“We were fools to believe in him.”
As expected, everyone had seen this coming.
The Black Swamp Knights reacted even more harshly.
“I actually believed that bastard had changed. I must’ve lost my damn mind.”
“That son of a bitch. If he ever sets foot in the training ground again…”
“If he even comes near it, I’ll make him regret it.”
They had truly believed in Christian’s transformation.
And that only made their fury all the greater.
But at this moment, there was one person angrier than anyone else.
His father, Count Khazar.
“You bastard!!”
------------------
[Translator - Kiteretsu]
[Proofreader - Kyros]
------------------
