------------------
[Translator - Kiteretsu]
[Proofreader - Kyros]
------------------
Chapter 25
"I sincerely asked you to be like family to me, Aunt. It wasn’t some calculated request for you to be my strength or anything like that."
"!!"
Merian's expression showed she was caught off guard.
"How bold of you. Are you saying your request was purely out of such an innocent intention?"
Chris spoke honestly.
"Of course, if you cherish me as family and end up helping me in ways I didn't ask for… I wouldn’t be able to refuse."
"What? Hah! You sly little—"
Merian burst into laughter at Chris’s audacious words.
If Chris had outright asked her to take his side, she would have refused.
If he had hidden his ambition completely and made a fake, overly pure request, she would have refused just the same.
But by not concealing his desire while still being cunning about it, he made it difficult for her to say no.
"This isn’t something I should agree to, but…."
Merian took another cookie and bit into it with her red lips.
As expected, the taste was exquisite.
"If my nephew makes such delicious cookies and gifts them to me… of course, I should cherish him."
'Yes!' Chris cheered inwardly.
She took the bait.
"In return, can I… have more of these cookies?"
"That depends on what you do for me, Aunt."
"What?"
"If you disappoint me, I might sulk, and the taste might not turn out as good."
Hearing his subtle request for her to treat him well, Merian laughed again.
The conversation felt enjoyable.
"Alright. Then, as your real aunt, can I give you some advice?"
"Please do."
"What do you think about joining the Black Shadow Knights?"
"!!"
Chris’s face stiffened.
"That’s…."
"I know. You’re aiming for the position of Young Lord? Hoping to become the master of the Dark Demonic House?"
"Yes, that’s correct."
Merian continued, her gaze heavy.
"During your duel with Melin, the way you fought was outstanding. I’ve never seen someone with talent like yours. Perhaps… you might even possess the ability to surpass the House Leader."
"……."
"But your competitors aren’t ones to be taken lightly. I fear you’ll fall before your talents can fully blossom."
To fall—
It meant death.
In any noble house, dying due to an 'unfortunate accident' during the succession battle was nothing unusual.
'It’s not an unfounded concern.'
He had won against Melin today, but it hadn’t been a decisive victory.
Without the treasure that protected him from the Holy Sword and the curse, the fight would have ended in an instant.
The Young Lords of the main family were by no means inferior to Melin, whom he had faced today.
'Especially at their level, they wouldn’t be lacking in equipment compared to me either.'
Magic swords capable of countering a holy sword, as well as various auxiliary artifacts, would be on an entirely different level.
In other words, if Chris were to fight against the Young Lords of the main family now, it would be a guaranteed defeat.
That is, for now.
"So, Aunt, you're worried about me."
"Yes. If you join the Black Shadow Knights, I will protect you. You could easily become the next commander. No, perhaps even more than that. Though, of course, you wouldn't be able to become the House Leader."
Count Khazar, who had been listening to their conversation, nodded in agreement.
It seemed he, too, was inwardly concerned.
Becoming the Young Lord meant stepping into a battlefield of power struggles.
And as someone from a branch family, Chris would be everyone's target.
However—
"If I claim to seek the Dark Demonic House yet can’t overcome mere obstacles like this, then I may as well just die."
"!!"
"And more importantly, Aunt, it seems you haven't truly seen my worth today."
Chris smirked confidently.
"I don't think I will lose."
Merian fell silent.
That absurd confidence—
Now that she thought about it, he had been like this before fighting Melin as well.
And then, he had pulled off an unbelievable victory.
'…I can't understand him.'
She should have laughed at such ridiculous confidence.
But instead, she found herself thinking that perhaps he really could do it, and let out a small, amused sigh.
"…Fine, I understand. You are a demon, after all. I have no right to stop you from walking the path of blood you've chosen."
"Thank you."
"Still, let me give you one last piece of advice, out of concern."
Merian fully mounted her horse.
She was preparing to leave.
"Beware of the First Young Lady."
"The First Young Lady?"
Chris looked puzzled.
There were five Young Lords in the main family.
Among them, three were men, and two were women.
The First Young Lady was the third eldest among them, the younger sister of Ashid, the Second Young Lord and most widely regarded successor.
"Yes. People see Ashid as the strongest candidate. It’s not an incorrect assumption, but…"
Merian spoke in a low voice.
"In my opinion, the truly terrifying one among the five… is the First Young Lady, Yulian."
Chris listened carefully.
Merian was part of the Black Shadow Knights, the ones who oversaw internal surveillance of the family.
Her words were bound to be accurate.
Yulian, the First Young Lady, was hiding claws that no one else knew about.
Moreover, what stood out to him was that Merian had used the word terrifying to describe her.
There must have been a reason she used such an ominous word.
"Thank you. I will keep it in mind."
He had just learned of yet another formidable opponent, but it didn't matter.
He planned to crush them all, no matter who they were.
"I will see you at the main family."
Merian nodded at his farewell before spurring her horse and disappearing.
"……."
Chris watched her silhouette vanish into the darkness for a moment.
'Strong.'
Count Khazar was strong, and so was Merian.
A full 6-star.
In the Light Faction, they would be considered national-level powerhouses.
Yet, during the Great War, Chris had never even heard their names.
Just how many powerful individuals like them existed in the Magus Empire?
'There was a reason the Light Faction lost. They were completely outmatched in terms of strength.'
Chris thought to himself.
'I need to become even stronger.'
He was undeniably a genius, but he still had a long way to go.
To stand at the peak of the Magus Empire and prevent the impending catastrophe.
And—
'To enjoy the greatest wealth and glory!'
Chris returned to his room.
On the way, Tern tried to say something to him again, but he found it bothersome and ignored him.
For now, his plan was to reach 2-star.
* * *
Several days later.
"Huuh."
Chris let out a long breath.
From the hand he extended, dark energy flared up.
It was Demonic Energy.
The stage where he could emit demonic energy outside his body—he had reached 2-star!
'So, it took just over a month since reaching 1-star.'
Exactly one month and five days.
An unbelievable speed.
Anyone who heard it would think it was impossible.
Yet, Chris was not satisfied.
'It took slightly longer than expected. I originally planned to cut it down to within a month.'
It was because he had been simultaneously training in swordsmanship and various dark magic techniques.
Thanks to that, he had mastered Count Khazar’s swordsmanship to perfection, including Mud Cleaving Swordsmanship and Black Scythe Swordsmanship.
— …Insane.
That was Count Khazar’s reaction upon witnessing Chris's swordsmanship.
In terms of form, which determined the proficiency of swordsmanship, it was flawless.
Even compared to Count Khazar, who had trained for decades, he was not lacking.
And that wasn’t all.
'I've gotten used to dark magic as well.'
Chris had mastered all the dark magic stored in the archives of the Khazar household.
Most of it consisted of curses, but he also learned destructive, illusion, summoning, and blood-related dark magic.
As for dark magic above 1-star, he had memorized everything. Since he had fully understood it, he would be able to use it once his rank increased.
'The amount of demonic energy is the problem. Even though I'm a genius, accumulating it quickly is difficult.'
There were two things even his talent couldn’t overcome.
The first was physical training.
Of course, he gained stamina with much less effort than others, but he still had to train consistently.
The second was demonic energy.
The only way to accumulate demonic energy was through breathing techniques.
His exceptional senses allowed him to gather far more energy than others with minimal effort, but even so, there was a limit.
The amount of demonic energy one possessed was heavily influenced by the time spent training.
'Unless I take an elixir, that won’t change.'
Chris thought to himself.
Unlike stamina, at least there was an alternative solution.
'If I take an elixir, I’ll be able to advance to the next star rank even faster.'
Raising one's star rank required several conditions.
Enlightenment, proficiency—
And the accumulation of demonic energy.
Taking an elixir significantly reduced the time needed for that accumulation.
'Many elite families use elixirs to help their talents rise quickly. Since I also have the blood of a prestigious magic family, will I get a chance to take one? Among the well-known elixirs of the Dark Demonic House… there was Black Pill.'
Each prestigious magic family had its own elixir for enhancing demonic energy.
The problem was that only the direct lineage had access to them.
The truly valuable elixirs were monopolized by the main bloodline, while he would only receive the leftovers.
'I’ll probably end up with something like Ash Pill, a cheap imitation with not even a quarter of the effect. Isn't there a way to get Black Pill?'
Chris narrowed his eyes.
Obtaining it through normal means was impossible.
He needed to find a loophole.
He recalled the process of making Black Pill.
There was a specific period when its main ingredient was regularly harvested.
'That time is coming up soon. Is there a way I can take advantage of it?'
Just then, Mari approached, swaying her ghostly tail.
[Congratulations… on reaching a new rank. To celebrate… how about a glass of virgin's blood juice?]
"…I'm good, thanks."
[Then, how about a sirloin steak… drenched in blood? Beef is… always the best choice, isn't it?]
That was tempting.
After all, nothing topped beef.
As someone with outstanding cooking skills, Chris firmly believed there was no dish in the world that could surpass a well-prepared beef steak.
'Somehow, beef cooked by an orc feels like it would taste even better.'
It might have been a bias, but an orc chef definitely suited barbecue more than desserts.
"Yeah, beef is the best."
[Oh ho ho… I’ll make sure it’s as bloody as possible.]
Just as Chris was happily waiting for his steak, an unexpected call came.
"Young Master, the Count is requesting your presence."
"My father?"
"Yes."
Chris went to see Count Khazar.
"Father, it’s me."
"Yes, come in. There’s something I need to discuss with you."
Chris tilted his head.
Count Khazar's expression was grim.
Something had happened.
"What’s wrong?"
"I sent word to the main family about the Sacred Dark Ceremony. I informed them that you and Teren would be participating this time."
"And?"
"Teren was approved. You were not."
"…Why?"
Count Khazar let out a sigh.
"They said they cannot allow someone who has tarnished the family’s honor to take part in the Sacred Dark Ceremony."
Chris furrowed his brows.
"Whose decision was this? Was it the acting family head, Marquis Langham?"
If it was, resolving this wouldn’t be easy.
However, Count Khazar said something unexpected.
"No. Given what was recently revealed about what Ashid did to you, Marquis Langham didn’t raise any objections."
"Then who?"
"Those who are set to undergo the Sacred Dark Ceremony alongside you opposed it."
"Those participating… you mean Loin de Baron?"
Loin de Baron.
The ‘de’ in his name signified that he was of the main family's direct bloodline.
The central figure of this Sacred Dark Ceremony.
------------------
[Translator - Kiteretsu]
[Proofreader - Kyros]
------------------
