------------------
[Translator - Kiteretsu]
[Proofreader - Kyros]
------------------
Chapter 54
Not a vague fumbling like a blind man touching an elephant, but a realization filled with certainty.
In that moment, Chris understood.
That he had reached the realm of 3-star.
“It’s all thanks to you, Lord Patriarch. If not for you, I wouldn’t have reached the 3-star level this quickly.”
Christian spoke with genuine sincerity.
Had it not been for Nordian’s help, it would’ve taken him much longer—at least two or three more months, at minimum.
[…]
Nordian couldn’t find words and remained silent for a long while.
It was the most bewildering situation he had encountered in the last ten years.
In the end, all Nordian could say was this:
[…I will now begin your proper training.]
“…Training?”
Christian tilted his head slightly.
Wasn’t this already enough? What more was there to teach?
[You’ve merely memorized the incantations. You still need to learn how to properly wield the dark demonic arts.]
“Ah.”
It was the natural next step.
Simply throwing incantations at someone wasn’t proper instruction.
Meanwhile, watching Christian, Nordian felt a twinge of regret.
‘I shouldn’t have let him learn the incantations alone. He’s outstanding… but I didn’t expect him to be this outstanding.’
He hadn’t expected Christian to successfully learn the dark demonic arts’ incantations on his own.
The real issue was that Christian had actually succeeded in learning them by himself.
Having done so without proper guidance, there were bound to be countless bad habits or misinterpretations.
‘I’ll have to fix every single mistake perfectly.’
But then—
“Demonstrate the dark demonic arts.”
Christian unleashed the dark demonic arts.
And the moment he saw it, Nordian was once again taken aback.
‘There… aren’t any mistakes?’
No—there were.
The incantations Nordian had intentionally taught him incorrectly.
Christian executed those parts differently from the incantations Nordian had given him.
The problem was, this wasn’t a bad change at all.
‘…He improved them? Made them more efficient? He rewrote the incantations by himself?’
“I modified the incantations as part of the assignment you gave me, Lord Patriarch.”
[…Assignment?]
“Wasn’t it an assignment?”
Once again, Christian said something completely baffling.
He thought being taught incorrect incantations meant he was supposed to revise and improve them!
Nordian clamped his mouth shut once again.
He had no idea how many times this brat had left him speechless like this.
‘To revise incantations on your own… You have no idea what kind of risks that could cause.’
Each and every incantation is directly connected to the entire demonic art.
Even a slight error in an incantation can cause a fatal flaw in demonic arts.
But he couldn’t say anything.
There was simply no problem to be found in the incantations Chris had altered.
No—not just that there were no problems.
‘…Don’t they seem even better than the originals?’
It was absurd to think that this child’s casually revised incantations looked superior to those passed down over hundreds of years in prestigious families… yet even so, to Nordian—an 8-star Magus—there were no noticeable flaws in Chris’s changes.
To be honest—
‘…It’s like looking at a musical score revised by a genius born once in a millennium.’
It wasn’t the refinement of a seasoned master.
Instead, it carried a flash of brilliance that broke past conventional thought.
Of course, it wasn’t something to judge lightly.
The incantations of a core technique affect not just immediate energy control, but also the practitioner’s progress as their level rises in the future.
Even so, it didn’t seem like Chris’s modifications would have any negative consequences later down the line.
‘…Just what is he?’
Nordian swallowed hard.
He already knew that the boy’s talent was overwhelming.
But a genius?
He was far beyond that level.
Just how many times was this child going to surprise him?
An unfathomable monster.
Nordian himself was considered a genius, but this was a different league entirely.
Two emotions surged at once.
First—a pounding excitement in his chest.
How long had he waited for someone like this?
But alongside it came a chilling sense of caution, like a bucket of cold water poured over him.
‘I must guide him properly.’
This was the one ray of hope he had finally encountered after a long, drawn-out wait—going so far as to use a life-extending forbidden art of reversing the heavens.
He could not allow this to be wasted.
‘I must teach him thoroughly.’
Originally, Nordian had chosen to instruct Christian out of partial curiosity.
To see for himself what kind of vessel could absorb over 90% of Sacred Darkness.
But his mindset had shifted.
Now, he intended to give a proper and sincere education.
…Of course, that didn’t necessarily mean it was a good thing for Chris.
Because Nordian was the worst kind of teacher—one with outdated teaching methods and no talent for instruction.
He would push his student through hellish training while giving difficult-to-understand lessons, wondering, Why doesn’t he get this?
Nordian even made the following resolution:
‘I’ll drastically increase the difficulty of training beyond what I originally planned.’
It was already extreme—what could possibly be added to that?
Still, the fortunate thing was that Chris was the ideal disciple.
Even the most convoluted teachings, he absorbed flawlessly.
[Be prepared. The instruction I’ll be giving you from now on will be anything but easy.]
“The harder it is, the more grateful I am.”
[What do you mean by that?]
“I believe that every difficulty is part of the path you’ve prepared for me, Lord Patriarch.”
Christian answered sincerely.
After the previous two lessons, he had come to firmly trust Nordian.
Even if Nordian harbored a cold, snake-like heart, the teachings he gave were genuine.
Chris, who had rarely ever experienced such sincere guidance in the past, honestly felt grateful toward Nordian.
‘Of course, he’s teaching me because he wants me to be useful to the family. Still, I appreciate it.’
At Christian’s response, Nordian let out a snort.
[You speak well. But once the real training begins, you’ll regret it. And by then, it’ll be too late.]
“I’ll be fine. I believe in your guidance, Lord Patriarch.”
[Hmph. Very well, let’s see what happens.]
For a brief moment, Nordian and Chris locked eyes midair with a sharp intensity.
And so—
The worst teacher and the best disciple came together.
The result?
A relentless storm of astonishment.
* * *
Two more months passed.
That made it a total of three months since the wager with Marquis Langham.
“The promised date is almost here.”
Marquis Langham glanced at the calendar.
Just one day remained.
“Where is Christian?”
“He’s still in training.”
“With the Lord Patriarch?”
“…That seems to be the case.”
Marquis Langham furrowed his brow deeply.
Only a very small number of people—including Marquis Langham—knew that Christian was receiving instruction from the patriarch.
Still, Langham didn’t think much of it.
‘Unlucky brat. Of all people, he’s being taught by Father.’
Langham himself had once been taught by the patriarch.
He gained nothing from it but suffering. He could confidently say it had been a complete waste of time.
And now Chris was squandering his already-tight three months receiving that same guidance.
Langham thought the boy was truly unlucky.
For the record, Christian’s accomplishments had not yet been reported to Langham.
‘Maybe this is actually better for him. If he fails now, he won’t have to face the second trial.’
The second trial Christian would have to take as a candidate for heir.
Naturally, it wouldn’t be easy.
In fact, Langham intended to use that trial as an excuse to eliminate Christian.
It wasn’t just out of resentment.
‘For the sake of the Dark Demonic House, we need a sacrifice. That boy is the perfect fit.’
Just then, a report came in from outside.
“Your Excellency, an envoy from the Huam Ducal House is scheduled to arrive.”
Marquis Langham’s gaze darkened.
The Huam Ducal House.
That was the name of the “Venomous Demonic House.”
A rival house, positioned close by—an adversary.
Marquis Langham planned to use Christian as a pawn in a conflict with the Venomous Demonic House, under the pretense of the Heir Trial.
All for the benefit of the Dark Demonic House.
* * *
Creak.
The door to the training hall opened, and Chris stepped outside.
‘It’s been a while since I’ve been out.’
Chris stretched his arms.
He looked somewhat different than before.
His eyes held a deeper intensity.
He had not only taken his first steps into the realm of “3-Star True,” but had already reached a stable 3-Star level.
To be precise, he had arrived at the peak of the lower 3-Star stage.
To approach the mid-tier level in just two months—it was an unbelievable pace.
[...Don’t get conceited just because of a small achievement. You’ve only just taken your first steps.]
Nordian spoke solemnly.
His voice carried a cold pressure, yet Christian smiled broadly in return.
For the past two months, Nordian had constantly told him not to become arrogant.
Why?
Because no matter what he taught, Chris did well—there was nothing else left to say.
‘Looks like even the Patriarch was a bit surprised by my genius, huh?’
True to his stature as the family’s solemn head, he never showed it outwardly.
But even if it wasn’t visible, you could still feel it.
Later on, Chris had to hold back laughter as he noticed Nordian trying to maintain his composure.
Chris bowed his head toward Nordian.
“Thank you for your instruction during this time.”
It was sincere.
It had been a great help.
Above all, Chris had almost never encountered someone who guided him purely for the sake of his growth, so he felt genuinely grateful to Nordian.
‘Is this... what a teacher is like?’
He wouldn’t dare call the patriarch a teacher, of course.
Whether sensing the sincerity in Chris’s words or not, Nordian remained silent for a moment.
[Don’t be mistaken. I didn’t train you because I held you in any special regard.]
“I understand. Still, thank you.”
Nordian frowned, clearly displeased.
[Enough with the pointless talk. Go on.]
“Yes, understood.”
As Christian walked away, Merian spoke.
“He’s truly remarkable, isn’t he?”
[Remarkable? He’s only at the crawling stage.]
He grumbled, but it was clear those words weren’t his true feelings.
Over the past two months, Merian, who had been by his side, knew very well just how shocked Nordian had been by that boy.
“…Aren’t you going to help him?”
[Help him with what?]
“……”
Merian fell silent.
From now on, Christian would face all kinds of pressure from the family.
There was a high chance he’d be broken before he could even take flight.
[If he can’t overcome trials like that, then that’s all he ever was to begin with.]
“…Patriarch.”
[More importantly.]
Nordian spoke indifferently.
[Even if I don’t like him, he’s still my disciple. If he can’t overcome something of that level, then he doesn’t deserve to be called my disciple.]
Merian’s eyes widened.
Disciple.
Until now, Nordian had taught many.
But it was the first time he had ever used that term himself.
Though Chris didn’t realize it, Nordian, too, considered him his disciple.
* * *
‘I should go report to Marquis Langham and then just lie down. I need to lounge around for the first time in a while.’
He was the classic lazy genius type.
After grinding non-stop for the past three months, he was exhausted.
The second trial wouldn’t start right away, so he planned to just loaf around on his bed and rest until then.
On that note, he asked a servant and stopped by the wine cellar to grab a few expensive bottles.
‘I’m so done with ginger ale!’
Not that he was planning to actually drink.
The uptight ghost maid, Marie, wouldn’t allow it, so he’d just let the alcohol evaporate and drink it non-alcoholic.
While he was fully immersed in thoughts of lying around and relaxing, an unfamiliar voice called out.
“Christian?”
“??”
It was a girl he had never seen before.
------------------
[Translator - Kiteretsu]
[Proofreader - Kyros]
------------------
