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[Translator - Kiteretsu]
[Proofreader - Kyros]
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Chapter 50
If Marquis Langham spoke like that, it clearly meant this wasn’t just any ordinary challenge.
Just how difficult would it be?
‘Sometimes, things need to be hard to make them fun.’
More than anything, Chris knew very well.
The harder it is, the greater the reward.
No, it’s the other way around.
Because the reward is unimaginably great, achieving it is that much harder.
It was worth enduring.
And above all—
‘I don’t think it’s going to be that difficult, though?’
It was a gut feeling.
What’s “difficult” is based on the standards of the ordinary.
Of course, even those “ordinary” people might be considered outstanding geniuses by normal standards, but from Chris’s perspective, whether genius or average, they were all about the same—so somehow, this seemed doable too.
“…Three months. If you’re even a day late, you’ll be stripped of your qualification as a successor.”
“Yes, understood. Though… I don’t think it’ll take quite that long, honestly.”
Chris grinned slyly.
Perhaps that confidence was irritating?
Marquis Langham furrowed his brow and stared at Chris for a moment before speaking.
“Enough talk. Get out. I’ll tell you the content of the second trial if you succeed in reaching 3-Star within three months.”
His tone implied he was certain Chris would never make it in time.
Christian gave a light bow and left the room.
And immediately, he realized one problem.
‘But… who do I learn Dark Arts from?’
The secret martial art of the House of Darkness.
Naturally, it was passed down orally.
No matter how much of a genius Christian was, someone still had to teach him.
‘All the elders of the family would definitely refuse.’
Normally, branch family members had their own instructors for the Dark Arts.
However, it was different from the version taught to the direct line.
The most crucial core incantations were omitted from the branch version.
‘There’s no way I’m learning that trash.’
He had to learn the perfect Dark Arts meant for the direct bloodline. The problem was—there was no one to teach it to him.
‘Steal it? No, that won’t work in this case.’
Of course, even high-level martial arts could be learned through theft.
In the past, he had stolen and learned the sword techniques of the famed warrior Evan’s family by observing them countless times—almost like copying a book.
But the Hero’s party was always together, so he had plenty of chances to watch. This time, that wasn’t possible.
‘Hmm, I need to come up with a way. Worst case, I’ll learn the branch version first, then deduce the direct line’s incantations myself…’
He was folding his arms in thought when an unexpected voice came.
“You’re still going around causing chaos like a reckless brat, I see.”
“!!”
As he turned his gaze, an unexpected figure was glaring at him with disapproval.
A composed expression.
But in her eyes, a strong and unyielding spirit could be felt.
It was Merian!
“I greet you, Aunt.”
Christian bowed his head.
‘Why is she here?’
Until now, Merian had never once sought him out.
It seemed she had some purpose.
“Is there… something you need?”
“……”
Merian remained silent instead of answering, simply staring straight at him.
A puzzled look.
“Aunt?”
“Have you found a master to teach you the Dark Arts?”
“…Could it be—you, Aunt?”
Christian’s eyes widened.
It was an unexpected offer of help!
A 6-Star sorceress, and one of the top-ranked powerhouses in the family—she would be more than qualified as a teacher.
But Merian shook her head.
“It’s not me.”
“Then… who is it?”
Merian once again kept her lips tightly sealed.
For a moment, a complex emotion flickered in her eyes.
And then, a name he never would have imagined came out.
“The Patriarch.”
“…What?”
Christian couldn’t help but blankly ask back.
As if to confirm he hadn’t misheard, Merian spoke again.
“The Patriarch himself has decided to personally teach you the Dark Arts.”
The direct instruction of Nordian, the current head of the family!
It was something completely unexpected.
“Follow me.”
Merian said coldly as she turned her back.
But the direction was strange.
It was the opposite way.
“Aren’t we going to the annex where the Patriarch resides?”
“What kind of rumors do you expect to hear by going to the annex? The Patriarch teaching you is an unofficial matter.”
Christian nodded.
Just catching a single glimpse of the Patriarch’s face had already stirred the entire family.
And now the Patriarch was going to personally teach him the Dark Arts? It would cause a massive commotion.
“It’s been a very long time since the Patriarch has personally instructed anyone. No one in your generation has ever been taught by him.”
Even Ashid, hailed as a genius, had never received direct instruction from the Patriarch.
“To think such a privilege would be granted to me. This is unexpected.”
“Privilege?”
Merian frowned.
“Privilege… I’m not so sure that’s the right word for it.”
“…Pardon?”
Merian hesitated for a moment.
“You’ll understand once you go through it yourself. He’s not someone known for kindness in his teaching.”
Creak.
They entered a building located in a secluded part of the estate’s outskirts. Inside, there was a staircase leading underground.
As they descended the steps, Merian spoke—whether it was a piece of advice or a warning was unclear.
“For reference, none of us siblings were able to properly follow Father’s teachings.”
The siblings.
That meant even Count Khazar, Christian’s father, Merian herself, and even Marquis Langham, who had reached the realm of 7-Stars, had failed to fully accept the Patriarch’s instruction.
‘Just how harsh must his teaching be?’
But then, Merian glanced at Christian with a curious look in her eyes.
“Still, I get the feeling you might be a bit different.”
“…What do you mean?”
“Didn’t you say it yourself? That you’re a genius.”
Merian’s words carried weight.
“Live up to it. This is an opportunity that will never come again.”
Christian understood what she meant.
A chance to receive direct instruction from the Patriarch.
It wasn’t simply about meeting the best teacher.
It was a chance to be acknowledged by the head of the family.
Grinning, Christian bowed his head toward Merian, who despite everything was looking out for him.
“Thank you for your words, Aunt. You really are the best. I’ll make sure not to disappoint you.”
“Hmph. You sure talk well.”
“Not just words. Next time, I’ll bake you some delicious cookies too.”
Merian scoffed, but didn’t actually refuse.
And then—
As they finished descending the stairs, an unexpected sight unfolded before them.
A vast training hall spread out underground.
Under magical lighting stood a familiar face—Chief Steward Simon.
Next to him was someone Christian had never seen before, a person with narrow eyes sitting in a chair.
Christian tilted his head.
‘A kid?’
He looked about seven years old, maybe?
A small boy.
Black hair, characteristic of dark magic.
His half-closed eyes were blood-red.
His gaze was blank, as if he were asleep.
Though he was young, his expression felt not cute, but chilling and ominous for some reason.
‘Did the main house have a kid like that? Wait… could it be?’
Just as Christian was tilting his head at the sense of strange familiarity, his eyes widened as he realized who the child was.
Merian confirmed it.
“Greet him. This is the Patriarch’s avatar.”
“!!”
“He has difficulty moving, so when he needs to handle matters outside, he borrows the body of an avatar. The reason the avatar takes a child’s form is to reduce unnecessary consumption of dark mana.”
Christian couldn’t help but be shocked.
‘Avatar manifestation is a 7-Star illusion-type dark spell. The Patriarch reached 7-Stars in illusion magic too?’
When illusion magic reaches an advanced level, parts of the illusion can be manifested into reality.
Among them, the manifestation of an avatar is a top-tier illusion dark spell equivalent to 7-Stars.
What made this astonishing was that the Patriarch had reached the 7-Star realm not only in dark mana arts but also in illusion magic.
At that moment, the boy who had his eyes half-closed suddenly opened them wide.
The once empty eyes surged with a blood-red gleam.
Within the doll-like small body, a presence as overwhelming as a giant descended.
The Patriarch’s consciousness had descended into the avatar.
It was only the act of opening his eyes, and yet it felt as though a heavy gravity was pressing down upon the entire training hall.
Christian bowed his head respectfully.
“I greet the Patriarch. I have come at your call.”
Nordian moved the boy’s arms and legs slightly, as if adjusting to the body.
Then, he turned his gaze toward Christian.
[So, did Merian tell you why I summoned you?]
“Yes, I was told you would give me guidance. I am grateful for your benevolence, Patriarch.”
[Benevolence, hmm. I suppose you could call it that. I was quite surprised when I heard your story. To obtain dark mana of over 90% purity—what you accomplished is remarkable. It seems I underestimated your potential at the time.]
An unexpected compliment.
No—perhaps it was only natural.
He was the first to accomplish such a feat since their ancestors.
‘Still, even the Patriarch can’t determine the exact purity of my dark mana.’
Everyone could only vaguely sense that it was above 90%, but no one recognized that it was a full 100%.
This was due to a strange trait of Christian’s dark mana.
When the purity reached 100%, a portion of its nature subtly changed.
It was still dark mana, but its properties were different from before. Christian himself didn’t fully understand what the change was.
That altered part felt different from conventional dark mana, which is why no one could recognize it as 100%.
[However.]
The Patriarch’s expression changed.
To something cold.
The Patriarch’s original face carried a gentle impression.
Even if his heart was as venomous as a viper, his outward appearance was soft like flowing water. Especially the wrinkles covering his face gave off a kind, benevolent air.
But now that he wore the face of a child, that kindness vanished without a trace, leaving only a piercing chill.
[What you’ve achieved cannot be praised without reservation. You know the reason, don’t you?]
“Yes, I do.”
It was the reason Marquis Langham had explained.
The higher the purity of dark mana, the harder it became to ascend to the next level.
[To be honest, it was a foolish choice. I hadn’t even reached 80%, yet I faced a far more insurmountable wall than others. In the end… though I achieved greatness late, my accomplishments came much later.]
Nordian only reached the 8-Star level after turning seventy.
Compared to the other Demon Lords, it was an exceptionally late achievement.
[That was purely due to luck. Had heaven’s fortune not been with me, I would’ve died in vain without ever reaching that realm. Excessive absorption of Sacred Darkness had become poison.]
“……”
[That’s why I commanded my bloodline. Any more than a certain threshold of Sacred Darkness becomes poison—do not absorb more than 70%.]
The unspoken rule passed down among the direct descendants originated from Nordian himself.
[But over 90%? No, judging by the purity… perhaps even beyond our ancestor.]
Nordian let out a hollow laugh.
[Even our ancestor said that without the Demon Emperor’s grace, he never would’ve reached that realm. I can’t even imagine the kind of wall you’ll have to face.]
Having said that, Nordian made an unexpected proposal.
[So I’ll offer you a suggestion. If you wish, I can reduce the purity of your dark mana.]
“…What do you mean by that?”
[Exactly as I said. With my authority, I can return part of your dark mana to the void, and implant another attribute of mana in its place. It’s still possible since it hasn’t been long since you accepted the dark mana. I could lower the purity to around 80%.]
To alter the attribute of mana—
Could that even be possible?
It was an astonishing ability, enough to raise such doubts.
Nordian was said to be among the strongest even among Demon Lords, and the rumors were clearly not an exaggeration.
[Of course, it’s a very difficult and tedious process. But I offer this because I hold you in high regard. You clearly possess a vessel so extraordinary it’s rarely seen even in a thousand years.]
In other words—
He was offering this so the promising seed of the family wouldn’t rot away in vain, blocked by a wall too great to overcome.
It was a proposal based on a very high evaluation of Christian.
[Even 80% purity is quite high, but with the talent you’ve shown so far, I believe you can handle it.]
To Nordian, 80% purity was the golden ratio most suitable for Christian.
Any more than that would be excessive greed.
[Even without overreaching, you’ll be able to become a Demon Lord-class powerhouse who can succeed me.]
Hearing Nordian’s high praise, Merian looked shocked beside him.
However—
“I’m sorry. I must decline.”
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[Translator - Kiteretsu]
[Proofreader - Kyros]
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