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[Translator - Kiteretsu]
[Proofreader - Kyros]
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Chapter 65
“…I’m fine now, so you don’t have to keep coming.”
Chris said with a troubled expression.
Since that day, Jupien had been coming to visit him every single day.
And without saying a word, she would just sit there quietly.
Just like now.
“……”
She simply stared at Chris with a blank expression.
‘…Is she coming just to make me uncomfortable? Revenge?’
It was a petty yet powerful form of revenge! Incredibly awkward.
Mariedidn’t seem pleased either and spoke with a cold, ohoho laugh.
[Would you care for something to drink, Lady Jupien? Perhaps… virgin’s blood juice?]
“No, I prefer bachelor’s blood juice. If possible, make it the blood of a handsome man.”
[…Bachelor’s blood juice isn’t really my specialty.]
As expected, Jupien was a formidable opponent.
She replied without even blinking, leaving Mariedeflated.
‘…When is she leaving?’
There was nothing much to say, and even when he tried, she barely responded—so he just stayed quiet.
After a while, Jupien started preparing to leave. Just as Chris felt relieved inside—
“I don’t like you. One day, I’ll crush you.”
“…I see.”
“But still.”
Jupien’s voice grew softer.
Turning her head away, she said,
“…Thanks for this time.”
“……”
Was it his imagination, or did her pale earlobes seem faintly red?
Chris looked slightly surprised for a moment.
Then he smirked and said,
“I didn’t quite catch that. Could you say it a bit louder?”
“…Forget it if you didn’t hear.”
Jupien responded coldly again.
“Don’t get the wrong idea. I’m just acknowledging what you did.”
“Well, I did accomplish something impressive. If you understand that, you may treat me as your lifesaver from now on.”
“……”
Jupien shot him a glare and said,
“Things will be different once you become a noble heir. Keep that in mind and don’t get cocky.”
Chris understood what she meant.
It was a warning.
‘Things definitely won’t be the same as before.’
Until now, Chris and the noble heirs had been worlds apart.
He had been someone not even worth trampling.
But once he became an heir, the situation would change.
He would stand on equal footing with them.
That meant the other noble heirs would also try to crush him with everything they had.
‘Well, it doesn’t matter.’
Chris wanted to crush them just the same.
The most promising candidate, Second Heir Ashid.
First Heiress Yulian, who was hiding a secret.
The savage Third Heir, infamous for his cruelty toward enemies.
And the mad First Heir, Sherad.
All of them were people he had to crush.
‘And among those targets… does that include Lady Jupien too?’
Chris tilted his head as he looked at Jupien, sitting blankly like a doll in front of him.
She had helped him this time, but that didn’t mean their relationship had grown any closer.
Once he became an heir, he would have to compete with Jupien too.
Still, he didn’t feel any strong hostility toward her.
It was probably because of Jupien’s personality.
She might seem blunt, but she wasn’t someone with a twisted character.
Especially when considering the circumstances of her death in his original life—it became even clearer.
In his original life, Jupien died during the First Great War.
At the time, the Dark Demonic House had submitted to the Blood-Drenched Demon King and followed his orders. She had refused the king’s command to massacre a small village of the alliance, and as a result, was thrown alive into a beast pit and killed.
It was such an unusual case that he remembered it vividly.
“What are you staring at? Am I that pretty?”
“……”
Jupien seemed to be a bit eccentric.
“Forget it then. I’m leaving.”
As she got up blankly, Chris spoke a word of advice.
“You should practice separating your illusion from your consciousness.”
“……”
“If you don’t, the illusion won’t be able to act independently.”
That was advice based on the split-sword technique she used against the masked woman.
Jupien stared at Chris for a moment.
“…Do you know a lot about illusion arts?”
“I studied it for about three months.”
For reference, Jupien had trained in illusion arts for over five years.
“You’re arrogant.”
“Geniuses are supposed to be arrogant.”
Jupien frowned quietly and left the room.
‘Did she understand that?’
It didn’t seem like she ignored it.
‘Whether that one comment leads her to an insight is uncertain. Well, she’ll figure it out.’
It was just a whim of help, so whether she gained something or not didn’t matter much.
‘Anyway, I need to recover quickly too.’
Chris made a pained expression.
If he used the secret healing techniques of the Medical Clan, he could recover fast, but with others watching, he couldn’t afford to.
[Ohoho… Now that the intruder is gone, let’s enjoy some cozy time together again, young master.]
“…You should leave too.”
[Ohoho… I shall bring the young master’s favorite ginger ale. A romantic drink with this girl? Wadda ya say?]
“…I hate ginger, okay? And what the hell kind of romantic mood….”
As he grumbled, there was another knock at the door.
[…Is it that bothersome lady again?]
“Who knows. Who could it be?”
This wasn’t the main residence of the Dark Demonic House, but a villa set up near the meeting hall, so there wasn’t really anyone besides Jupien who might visit.
Marie opened the door with her usual face reserved for unwanted guests.
But it wasn’t Jupien.
It was a face he hadn’t expected.
Marisa of the Venomous Demonic House!
She stood before Chris with an awkward expression.
“…What brings you here?”
“…Are you alright?”
“…So-so? Still hurts quite a bit.”
That was it.
Marisa kept her mouth tightly shut and didn’t say anything more.
A mix of emotions flickered across her jewel-like emerald eyes.
‘…Why did she come here now? If she came, she could at least say something. Is she here to make things uncomfortable too?’
Ghost Marie spoke up as if telling the nuisance to be gone.
[Ohoho… If you have nothing to say, why not go back? Our young master needs my tender nursing care, you see.]
But then, Marisa said something unexpected.
“There’s someone who wants to see you.”
“Who?”
“My father.”
“…What?”
Chris could only stare blankly in response.
He had no choice.
“Your father, meaning….”
“Yes, that’s right.”
Chris swallowed hard.
Marisa’s father.
Duke Huam, head of the Venomous Demonic House and a Demon Lord of 8 stars.
* * *
Chris followed Marisa outside.
He was still recovering, but walking a bit was manageable.
“Did Duke Huam come to the meeting hall? I thought only the working-level officials were attending.”
“He didn’t attend the meeting directly. He stayed behind the scenes to coordinate.”
“…I see.”
Chris nodded.
It was an unexpected meeting with a major figure.
‘I didn’t think we’d ever cross paths.’
Duke Huam, like Lord Nordion, died before the First Great War broke out.
It was something that would happen in just a year or two.
But then, Marisa, walking ahead, said something unexpected.
“…Are you really alright?”
“Huh? More or less.”
“…I see.”
Silence again.
Chris tilted his head.
It felt like she had something more she wanted to say.
“What is it?”
“…Can I ask just one thing? You had a hunch about the plot and prepared for it, didn’t you?”
“Yeah, that’s right. Just like I testified at the meeting hall.”
Marisa clamped her mouth shut again.
“…Then, subduing me back then—was that part of it too?”
Chris didn’t deny it.
“I figured if the Venomous Demonic House was behind a plot, they might target you. The succession within the Venomous House is complicated too. So… just in case, I restrained you.”
“…I see.”
A complicated look returned to Marisa’s eyes.
Come to think of it, Chris had deliberately provoked her back then.
She had cursed him as the worst at the time, but in hindsight, it had been a kind of consideration.
As humiliating as it was, because Chris had subdued her, Marisa hadn’t fallen under any suspicion.
Had it not been for that, she would have gone through hell trying to prove she wasn’t involved in the incident.
‘…I owe him.’
Marisa glanced sideways.
She could see Christian’s face.
For some reason, her heart felt restless.
She frowned at her own emotions she couldn’t quite understand.
“…Anyway, thanks. If it weren’t for you, I would’ve been in serious trouble.”
Watching her, Chris thought to himself.
‘Good… at least she knows to be grateful.’
It was about time to make Marisa into one of his pawns.
He began making his move.
“What? You’re important to me.”
“…What did you just say?”
Thump.
Marisa’s heart sank.
Her heart started pounding uncontrollably for no reason.
Blood rushed to her head, and she stammered in confusion.
“W-what?”
‘We’re already over. If you say stuff like that…’
She tried to say something along those lines, but the words wouldn’t come out as she floundered. Then Chris continued.
In a flat tone.
Devoid of a single shred of emotion.
“There are going to be a lot of things between the Venomous Demonic House and the main family from now on. So, I’d like us to be in a political alliance. For the benefit of both sides.”
“……”
It should’ve been a decent proposal, but Marisa’s expression turned cold.
Chris tilted his head.
“Is it because of our past relationship? You don’t need to worry about that. I have no intention of reconnecting or reversing the annulment. We’re complete strangers now.”
He emphasized it firmly to reassure her, but her reaction was odd.
She turned even colder, like a block of ice.
“…Marisa?”
“…I’ll accept the proposal. For the benefit of both families.”
That was it.
Marisa didn’t say another word.
“??”
“……”
Chris kept tilting his head in confusion, but she remained silent with her lips tightly shut.
It was puzzling, but he didn’t have time to think more about it.
They had arrived at their destination.
It was time to meet Duke Huam, the head of the Venomous Demonic House and a Demon Lord.
* * *
Duke Huam was gazing out the window.
He looked to be in his mid-fifties?
Roughly the same age as Marquis Langham.
An 8-star Magus.
However, unlike when Chris had first seen Lord Nordion, he didn’t feel an overwhelming pressure.
It was likely because the man was intentionally concealing his presence.
Even his impression felt unusually gentle for a magus.
He looked like a typical scholar.
But that didn’t mean he could be underestimated.
Duke Huam was a sovereign of poison who could annihilate an entire army with just a gesture.
That mild appearance surely hid an unfathomable abyss.
“Duke, I’ve brought Christian of the Baron Ducal House.”
Duke Huam turned his gaze.
A smile appeared at the corners of his lips.
“Ah, Lisa. Didn’t I tell you to call me Father?”
“…Duke.”
“You keep building a wall between us, and it saddens me as your father.”
“There’s a guest present. Please restrain yourself.”
Duke Huam chuckled softly.
“Alright, alright. That was thoughtless of me. In exchange, have dinner with me later. I’ve asked them to prepare that venison dish you like.”
“…Understood.”
Marisa turned and walked out, and Duke Huam watched her back with a warm gaze for a moment.
…That’s unexpected.
Chris looked surprised at the affectionate display between father and daughter.
To think Duke Huam was this kind of man.
In his previous life, Chris had never met Duke Huam.
But he still knew all about him.
It was unavoidable.
He was a very famous figure.
In the Alliance, Duke Huam was actually far more well-known than Lord Nordion.
Because he was strong? No.
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[Translator - Kiteretsu]
[Proofreader - Kyros]
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