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[Translator - Kiteretsu]
[Proofreader - Kyros]
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Chapter 62
But right now, the objective wasn’t to kill the man.
He had to steal the relic without letting any presence be detected.
‘Shouldn’t be too hard. He doesn’t seem like a smart one.’
Chris immediately got to work.
As he wandered around, he came across just the right targets to use.
Stone-Throwing Monkeys.
They were 1-star demonic beasts.
They weren’t strong individually, but they moved in groups.
[Ook, ook!]
The monkeys pointed their fingers at Chris and laughed.
Then, true to their name, they tried to throw stones.
“Stay still.”
The monkeys’ movements froze completely.
Chris had activated a dark art to control beasts!
‘It’s even easier than when I practiced before.’
Chris showed a slightly surprised expression.
‘It’s thanks to the Dark Demonic Energy.’
His purity was at a perfect 100%.
Therefore, any kind of dark power he used would operate at a level beyond optimal efficiency.
‘This works out nicely.’
Chris immediately took control of the monkeys.
Whoosh, smack!
“What the hell?”
The man, who had been leaning idly against a tree, frowned deeply as a stone suddenly flew at him.
“How dare these filthy beasts.”
But then he hesitated.
If he used poison, it would leave traces.
If the Dark Demonic House’s expedition team noticed anything suspicious, it would be a problem.
“I’ll spare you, now get lost.”
It wasn’t an empty threat.
The masked man raised his aura.
It was a pressure so strong that any ordinary demonic beast would have been instantly overwhelmed and cowered.
In fact, the Stone-Throwing Monkeys also retreated with frightened expressions.
The masked man sighed and irritably leaned back against the tree again.
But then—
Smack!
Another stone flew at him!
“You little bastards….”
The masked man ground his teeth.
The monkeys pointed at him from a distance, laughing "ook ook" wildly.
Some monkeys even stuck their red rear ends toward him, mocking him, while others urinated in his direction.
The highlight was a monkey defecating right in front of the man and then throwing the feces at him.
Of course, all of it was orchestrated by Chris.
'Still holding back? Let’s see how long you can endure.'
Hiding nearby, Chris continued controlling the monkeys.
As he kept doing it, he realized it was unexpectedly fun.
The monkeys under Chris’s control all defecated right in front of the man, then started throwing feces at him.
“……”
As the feces rained down like a storm, the air around the man turned cold and tense.
“You damn bastards.”
As expected, he took the bait!
The man glanced at the location of the relic, then spoke with a voice boiling over with rage.
“I’ll kill you all.”
Flash!
The man moved away from the relic, creating distance.
He couldn’t deal with them near the relic, so he intended to lure the monkeys far away first and then eliminate them.
Chris controlled the monkeys to keep throwing feces while chasing after the man.
Eventually, once the distance had grown sufficiently—
Screeech!
The poisoned demonic monkeys screamed in pain.
‘Now!’
Chris made his move.
When he arrived, he saw a small box.
It was the "Sealing Box" that held the relic.
He swiftly grabbed it and pulled out an item he had prepared in advance.
It was a "Sealing Box" with an identical appearance.
He had obtained it through Ruina, the merchant of money pouches.
Since she dealt in all kinds of treasures and auctions, she had items like these in her possession.
'When relics are first discovered, they’re usually contained in similar types of Sealing Boxes.'
However, the Sealing Box he got from Ruina was a used one that had been opened before.
It had been specially treated by a Dwarf Meister to make it look as if it had never been opened.
For reference, inside the swapped Sealing Box was a low-grade relic of pitiful quality.
Shortly after, Chris hid himself again and vanished.
The relic’s Sealing Box, appearing completely untouched and unchanged as if no one had ever come near, continued to shimmer with the light of the blessing of the Constellation.
* * *
Meanwhile, at that time, the expeditions from the Venomous Demonic House and the Dark Demonic House —
The expedition team from the Venomous Demonic House was endlessly exhausting themselves following Chris’s false orders, while the team led by Jupien was diligently exploring the zones of the Demon Realm one by one.
“There’s nothing in this area, Lady!”
“Then move to the next zone.”
Jupien replied shortly.
Instead of rushing, she designated zones and thoroughly searched each one, step by step.
A textbook exploration.
Next was the northwestern part of the mountain range.
As they were combing through the northwest region for some time, one of the demonic beings cautiously spoke up.
“But... will Young Master Christian be alright?”
“……”
Several days had already passed, yet there was no word from him after he first left.
Enough time for something to have gone wrong.
Jupien slightly regretted not stopping him.
She didn’t have particularly good feelings toward Chris — no, she wanted to crush him right away — but for now, she was the leader of the expedition team.
And Chris was a member of the expedition team she was responsible for.
Knowing he could be in danger, it bothered her that she had let her resentment push her into turning a blind eye.
'No, he left on his own. How is that my fault? What does it matter what happens to a guy like that?'
Jupien shook her head briskly.
Just then, a shout shattered her wandering thoughts.
"Here, a relic!!"
"!!"
They had finally found one!
When she went over to check, it was indeed a Sealing Box containing a relic.
"A sacred relic?"
"It appears to be so."
Jupien nodded.
It was a bit disappointing that it wasn’t a demonic relic, but there were still ways to make use of a sacred relic.
Either way, the purpose of the relic would be decided by the elders of the family, so their job was simply to retrieve it and return to the family.
"Let’s head back now."
"Understood! Everyone, we’re heading back!"
The demonic beings who had succeeded in their mission shouted energetically.
"Which route should we take on the way back?"
"Head toward the Lankas Gorge. We don’t know what those Venomous Demonic House bastards might try."
It was a direction where demonic beasts appeared more frequently than elsewhere.
However, the Lankas Gorge had a major advantage.
It connected directly to the territory of the Dark Demonic House, making it impossible for the Venomous Demonic House to pull any tricks.
"Right, unless the Venomous Demonic House bastards have gone completely mad, they wouldn’t dare try anything in Lankas Gorge. We’ll head that way."
The expedition team’s pace quickened without hesitation.
They arrived at the Lankas Gorge.
"Whew, we’re almost there now."
The Dark Demonic House expedition members all looked visibly relieved.
Although the Lankas Gorge was technically neutral territory, it was practically part of the Dark Demonic House’s domain.
However, the expedition members still tilted their heads as they noticed Jupien’s frowning face.
"Is something bothering you?"
"……."
What was bothering Jupien—
It was Christian.
'He must be dead, right?'
Judging by the complete lack of news, something must have happened.
It was his own fault.
There was no reason for her to feel any pity at all.
However.
"Squad 1, Squad 2."
"Yes?"
"You won't return. Stay behind and search for Christian."
No matter how unlucky he was, he was still blood of the main family.
She thought it was right to at least make an effort to recover his body.
"...Is that really necessary?"
"Just follow my orders."
"...Understood."
The expedition members bowed their heads reluctantly.
'Lady Jupien really is soft-hearted in her own way.'
'Why bother with that unlucky bastard?'
"There's a high chance he's already dead, so absolutely don't overdo it. If you can't find him within three days, return."
"Yes, understood!"
Just as the expedition team was about to split into two groups—
An unexpected change occurred.
Rumble!!
Massive boulders came tumbling down from the top of the gorge.
"!!"
Fortunately, the rocks didn’t fall directly on them.
Instead, they crashed down in front and behind them.
As if trying to trap them within piles of stone.
"This is...?"
"What is happening?"
While the expedition team was thrown into confusion,
Jupien, grasping the situation, shouted.
"Everyone, hold your breath and take cover! It's an attack from the Venomous Demonic House!"
But it was already too late.
Fwoosh!
Thick blue poison was sprayed down from the top of the gorge, engulfing them.
* * *
'It's over.'
A masked woman thought from atop the gorge.
This was the fearsome strength of the Venomous Demonic House.
It was possible to wipe out the enemy at once by luring them into a trap.
'Since this place is near the Dark Demonic House’s territory, doing something like this is basically suicide.'
It didn't matter.
Her goal was to intentionally expose herself and frame Marisa with the blame.
The poison used was also a deadly toxin developed personally by Marisa.
'Blue Flower.'
It was a terrifying poison that had made Marisa one of the top candidates for successor.
Once engulfed by it, unless one had reached the four-star level capable of defending their entire body with a Black Sword, survival was impossible.
Otherwise, unless they immediately consumed a miracle cure crafted by the medical clan known as the Union's greatest, the 'House of Divine Healing'—
'They must have all died instantly.'
The woman lightly jumped down from the gorge.
Now, all she had to do was recover the relic and place it in Marisa's laboratory at the main house of the Venomous Demonic House.
The poison used was also Marisa's poison.
Since the relic would be found in Marisa’s laboratory, Marisa would have no choice but to bear the blame.
'Before the Dark Demonic House gets here, I need to retrieve it quickly...'
But then, something unexpected happened.
Crash!
A Black Sword flew toward her.
"!!"
The masked woman flinched and narrowly dodged the Black Sword.
Turning her gaze, she saw a small girl, coughing up blood, shakily lifting her trembling body.
"You... I won't... let you go...."
'How?' The woman’s face was filled with shock beneath the mask.
Marisa was a genius in poison crafting.
Even though the poison she developed was a physical toxin, it far exceeded the power of a three-star.
Yet not only was this girl still alive, she was even managing to stand?
It wasn’t just the girl, Jupien.
Other expedition members were also slowly beginning to rise to their feet.
They were bleeding from their pupils, noses, and ears, barely able to support themselves, but none had died.
'Could it be?'
The woman thought of one possibility.
"Did you consume the elixir from the House of Divine Healing?"
"...What?"
"Otherwise, it would be impossible for people of your level to survive this poison!"
The masked woman was convinced as she observed the reactions happening inside their bodies.
"Even the unique recovery reaction of the House of Divine Healing’s elixir... You really did take it."
However, Jupien and the other expedition members all wore confused expressions.
A shout they couldn't understand.
"What... nonsense...."
Then Jupien abruptly closed her mouth.
'I did take an antidote.'
Since there was a possibility of clashing with members of the Venomous Demonic House, they had taken an antidote that enhanced resistance to poison.
But the antidote felt strange.
It had a clear, pure sensation.
The appearance of the medicine was the same as before, but it felt far more effective.
'Was that actually an elixir from the House of Divine Healing?'
But that couldn’t be.
The elixir from the House of Divine Healing was a treasure even demons sought.
If the family had provided such a rare item, there was no way she wouldn’t have known.
She had personally checked and received the supplies from the family’s storage, so she was certain.
'Or... did someone swap the antidote along the way?'
That was even more absurd.
Who would do such a thing, and why?
Above all, the expedition had strictly guarded the supplies.
It was impossible to tamper with the antidotes.
But at that moment—
Jupien suddenly thought of one person.
'...Wait. There was one possible person.'
Jupien swallowed hard.
'Christian, that unlucky bastard.'
Christian had spent the entire journey here sleeping atop the supply cart.
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[Translator - Kiteretsu]
[Proofreader - Kyros]
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