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[Translator - Kiteretsu]
[Proofreader - Kyros]
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Chapter 17
Thus, the incident with Butler Kox, which had thrown the Khazar Count’s household into turmoil, came to an end.
Fortunately, there were no major repercussions.
That was because Chris had swiftly cut Kox’s throat.
‘Young Master made a wise decision.’
‘If he hadn’t cut that bastard Kox’s throat back then, the Khazar household would have been in serious trouble.’
Everyone believed that Chris had executed Kox to cover up the incident for the sake of the household.
Chris’s true intentions were different, but outwardly, that was how it appeared. As a result, people admired Chris’s judgment.
‘He’s completely changed.’
‘He’s not the same delinquent as before.’
People looked on in shock as they watched Chris undergoing physical training in the training grounds.
As soon as he had taken down his target, that rat Kox, Chris had dropped his act as a troublemaker and fully immersed himself in training.
The intensity of his training was immense.
It was certainly grueling, yet he ran without a single sign of exhaustion, his face arrogant and cold—just like the embodiment of a true demon.
Of course, in his mind, Chris was thinking:
‘Damn this endurance training. I’m going to die from exhaustion. Why can’t stamina be trained as a talent?! I just have to endure this for the luxury and glory I’ll enjoy as the Demon King. The Demon King’s wealth and splendor! Wealth and splendor!’
Regardless, the demons watching Chris fully acknowledged it.
Chris had changed.
He was no longer a delinquent.
He was now the proper young master of the Khazar household.
And proof of that change was about to unfold.
Count Khazar had appeared at the training grounds.
To personally instruct Christian!
‘The Count himself is going to teach him?’
‘Even Young Master Teren hasn’t received personal instruction yet.’
The fact that Teren had yet to receive the Count’s direct teaching was unexpected.
Count Khazar had deemed Teren’s foundation inadequate and had assigned him to train under the Black Swamp Knights instead.
At most, the Count only pointed out Teren’s weaknesses from time to time. Yet now, he was stepping forward to teach Christian directly.
‘It’s probably because he’s late to the game.’
‘Even though he’s come to his senses, he’s still way behind.’
The demons watching couldn’t hide their concerned expressions.
‘Will Young Master really be able to withstand the Count’s training?’
‘Even the high-ranking knights struggle with it.’
Count Khazar had previously stated that the reason he hadn’t started training his chosen heir, Teren, was because Teren was still unprepared to endure it.
That was how ruthless the Count’s training was known to be.
The demons didn’t believe that Christian, who had lived a life of indulgence until now, would be able to withstand it.
"Let’s go."
"Yes, Father."
Chris followed Count Khazar toward the secret training ground prepared within the estate.
Seeing Chris’s nonchalant expression, as if he had no idea of the harsh trials awaiting him, the demons could only shake their heads.
‘I wonder how long he’ll last.’
‘If the training is too harsh, he might give up and return to his old delinquent ways…’
Everyone was worried about Christian, who had now begun training under Count Khazar.
But there was something the demons didn’t know.
What was actually happening inside the secret training ground.
Count Khazar couldn’t close his gaping mouth.
It was a continuous series of shock.
* * *
“Is this the correct way to do it?”
A sword strike filled with ferocity unfolded.
It wasn’t the Mud Sword technique, which ensnared the opponent’s feet.
It was the Black Scythe Sword technique, which reaped the necks of cornered enemies.
Like the scythe of a reaper, it was a technique that aimed for a lethal strike in one blow—one of the core offensive techniques of the Black Swamp Knights.
“…Yes, that’s correct.”
“Bind with mud, break with a curse, and reap with the scythe. Simple.”
Simple?
If anyone else had said that, Count Khazar would have roared in outrage, calling them arrogant.
After all, executing that sequence required perfect mastery of chaining suppression, curses, and attacks.
But the Count couldn’t get angry.
Because Chris was truly performing it as if it were “simple.”
—Kiyaaaak!
The summoned beasts used for training lunged at him.
Chris used the nimble movements of the Mud Sword technique to block and counter their attacks while casting dark magic.
It was Shadow Vines, a 1-star basic curse.
Like creeping vines, the shadows coiled around the beasts’ feet, binding them.
It wasn’t a strong restraint.
A single strong stomp could break free from it.
But Chris didn’t miss that brief opening.
Each time the beasts’ movements faltered, the Black Scythe Sword technique reaped their necks.
“……”
Count Khazar remained silent.
‘Since when was he able to use dark magic so naturally?’
Naturally, wielding a sword while casting dark magic required an immense level of control. In terms of control alone, Chris was already at the level of a 2-star practitioner or higher.
And it wasn’t just his control.
‘The Black Scythe Sword technique… I only taught it to him today.’
Yet, what was that execution?
Of course, he was still inexperienced.
But the core principle was there—
Aiming for the opponent’s opening to deliver a fatal strike.
There were so many things to be astonished by that the Count didn’t even know what to be shocked about first.
And just as he was still unable to recover from his amazement, Chris did something even more unbelievable.
“But… is this really the only way to do it?”
“What?”
"I think there's a more efficient way."
Chris grinned.
"Ah, perfect timing. A suitable opponent is approaching. Watch closely."
A new training monster was summoned from the magic circle.
A 2 star Demon Beast, the Human Mushroom.
Just as swordsmen, mages, and demons were categorized into ranks, demon beasts were also classified into a system.
They were divided by Demon (star) Ranks, where creatures of the same rank possessed strength comparable to warriors of the same star Rank.
In other words, the Human Mushroom that had just been summoned was far stronger than Chris, who was only at the level of a 1 star Demon.
"I don't know what you're planning, but that's a 2 star Demon Beast. Don't let your guard down."
"I never let my guard down. I just match my opponent’s strength, so there's no reason to be careless. Anyway, just watch."
Thud, thud. The Human Mushroom charged forward.
As its name suggested, it had the body of a mushroom with elongated stalks serving as limbs.
Those stalk-like limbs were as solid as logs.
Chris launched an attack, just as before.
A probing strike—Mud Sword Technique.
It was a swift lunge and a perfect feint.
Count Khazar, watching in silence, once again felt a surge of admiration.
'But it won’t be as easy as with the previous monsters. A 2 star Demon Beast like the Human Mushroom has limbs tough enough to completely ignore the Mud Sword’s probing strikes.'
He thought to himself.
'Perhaps it wouldn’t be a bad lesson if he suffers a crushing defeat this time.'
Chris was skilled but arrogant.
If he were to be severely beaten, it might serve as an opportunity to temper that arrogance.
But that never happened.
The moment the Mud Sword struck the demon beast’s leg—
Count Khazar witnessed something completely beyond his expectations.
Slash!
Chris’s sword severed the Human Mushroom’s leg.
A limb as sturdy as a log was sliced cleanly apart.
"!!"
Count Khazar jumped to his feet in shock.
"What… How?!"
As he had said countless times before, the Mud Sword Technique was primarily a feinting and control-based technique.
Chris’s attack had been nothing more than a light leg slash.
But how could it have such power?
Did he concentrate his Demonic Energy?
If he had wielded Black Blade, a technique only available to 3 star Demons and above, then it would have been possible.
But that wasn’t the case.
Chris wasn’t capable of wielding Black Blade yet.
Then how?
'He combined the Mud Sword Technique with the Black Scythe Technique!!!'
Even as the thought formed in his mind, Count Khazar found it utterly absurd.
Combining two different sword techniques?
And yet, the attack Chris had just executed clearly contained both the probing essence of Mud Sword and the fatal striking essence of Black Scythe.
"How did you do that?"
"Oh, it's nothing special. I just adjusted my movements so that the Mud Sword Technique could generate a sudden burst of power upon contact."
"…Meaning?"
"Hmm, it's complicated to explain in words. Watch."
Chris pointed to his feet.
"First, I widened my stance slightly compared to the Mud Sword Technique and shifted my weight onto my back right foot. This allows for an explosive release of power."
"…Wouldn't that throw off your balance?"
"I compensate for the imbalance by controlling the counterweight of the sword."
"……."
"For my upper body, I followed the Mud Sword movements almost exactly. However, I contracted my upper arm muscles more and twisted my wrist slightly, like a scythe."
"……."
"And also…"
Chris continued explaining the details of his technique.
Count Khazar remained silent for a long time.
He didn’t know how to respond.
When he tried replicating it himself, he realized that it truly maintained the Mud Sword movements while generating the explosive force of the Scythe Technique!
'…Ridiculous.'
Count Khazar unconsciously swallowed a curse.
'This isn’t the Mud Sword or the Scythe Technique anymore.'
It was something new.
'Did he just create a new sword technique on the spot?'
Strictly speaking, it wasn’t a fully developed sword technique yet.
It was just a single movement, still unstable in many ways, and required significant refinement before it could be called a proper technique.
If anything, it was more of an improvised applied technique rather than a full-fledged sword style.
Even so, it was an extraordinary feat.
Unable to believe it, Count Khazar deliberately tried to dismiss Chris's achievement.
"The power has certainly increased, but wouldn't that method of channeling Demonic Energy make it difficult to use curses at the same time?"
"Would it?"
"Yes. You might not realize it, but the Mud Sword Technique is specifically designed to be used alongside curses. The Scythe Technique, on the other hand, requires full focus on channeling Demonic Energy."
Chris tilted his head.
Fwoosh.
As he executed the Scythe movement, a dark mist formed in his other hand.
"It works just fine."
"……."
"Was it supposed to be difficult?"
Count Khazar closed his mouth.
For what felt like the hundredth time that day, a single word echoed in his mind.
'Ridiculous.'
Even though he was his son, Chris was infuriating.
* * *
Time passed.
About half a month?
Chris divided his day into three parts.
The first was physical training.
His least favorite time of the day.
"Damn it, running is exhausting!"
And it wasn’t just running.
Push-ups, sit-ups—basic strength training was what Chris hated the most.
"If only I had been born as a specialist in destructive magic or curse magic, I wouldn’t have to build up my stamina like this!"
But as a member of the Dark Demonic House, he fell under the Martial Mage category, meaning physical training was mandatory.
At times, he resented the fact that he had reincarnated into the lineage of the Dark Demonic House, a combat-oriented magic using house.
The second part of his day was spent training with Count Khazar.
"Well, at least training with Count Khazar is kind of fun."
What made it fun? The count’s expressions of shock every time Chris did something unexpected.
Despite his cold and composed appearance, Count Khazar had a surprisingly expressive face when he was astonished.
"And my skills are improving fast."
Chris circulated the Demonic Energy within his body.
It flowed rapidly.
His level had risen once again.
"If I were to rank it as lower, middle, or upper, I’d say I’m at the upper level. Not that it really matters at just one star."
No, it did matter.
Even within one star, rankings were strictly divided.
- Lower : Just reaching the level.
- Middle: Proficient in the level.
- Upper : Mastery of the level and beginning to look toward the next stage.
In other words, Chris was already at the peak of one star!
And it had been less than a month since he reached this stage.
"No need to get cocky. There’s still a long way to go. But tonight, I’ll take a break and eat something delicious! I can’t drink, so… steak and strawberry juice! The privileged young master’s life!"
The last part of his schedule.
Rest.
"To go the distance, I need to rest before I burn out."
No matter what, Chris was naturally lazy. He couldn’t dedicate himself to nonstop training day and night.
So, he created a schedule: train hard during the day, rest at night.
Despite being a nation of magic users, the Magus Empire didn’t allow drinking for those under fifteen.
Thus, his way of winding down at the end of the day was with good food and snacks.
"Once I turn eighteen and can drink, I’ll try every kind of alcohol out there."
With that thought, he was heading back to the mansion—
When an unexpected figure called out to him.
"It’s been a while."
"!!"
Chris flinched.
From the darkness emerged a strikingly beautiful woman with a cold demeanor.
Black hair, blue eyes.
Her Demonic Energy suppressed aging, making her appear to be in her late twenties.
It was Melin, the Vice Captain of the Black Swamp Knights!
Chris immediately realized why she was here.
"The promised time is near."
A month ago, they had agreed to fight without holding back their Demonic Energy.
The time for their duel had come.
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[Translator - Kiteretsu]
[Proofreader - Kyros]
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