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[Translator - Kiteretsu]
[Proofreader - Kyros]
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Chapter 71
‘If she had the spine of a beast to begin with, she wouldn’t have married into the Dark Demonic House.’
The reason Presia married Marquis Langham and came to the Dark Demonic House was because of her lust for power.
She wanted to seize control of the Dark Demonic House by becoming the wife of Langham Marquis, who was the leading candidate for the next head.
But her dream never came true.
The former head, Nordian, declared that he wouldn’t pass on the position to Langham Marquis and would instead select the next head in the following generation.
Langham would never become the head, only a proxy acting on behalf of the role.
Presia, crushed by the blow, set her sights on her next goal—her son, Mysak.
Even knowing Mysak didn’t have the capacity, she refused to give up and continued to struggle to make him the head.
A person who had lost the will of a true master and chased nothing but power.
Chris was not afraid of someone like her.
And so, he said something that would completely flip her composure.
“As someone who shares your blood, may I say something as well?”
“What is it?”
“I’ll give you both a chance. To you and to Mysak.”
Chris cast her a slanted gaze.
An aggravating look that stirred emotions.
“Have that bastard Mysak kneel before me and address me as his elder brother. Do that now. Then, when I become the next head in the future, I will spare his life. I’ll even let him live managing the stables or something.”
“You—!!”
CRASH!!!
Every piece of furniture in the room was destroyed.
Shattered into countless fragments—almost like dust.
The pressure was immense.
A trickle of blood dripped from Chris’s nose.
Unlike the pressure of the strong people he’d faced before, Presia’s current aura was mixed with real killing intent—she truly meant to kill him.
Naturally, it was too much for him to endure.
But Chris didn’t back down.
He stood tall and looked Presia straight in the eye.
He knew.
Even if this killing intent was real.
Even if she really intended to kill him.
She still wouldn’t be able to do it.
Why?
Because she couldn’t cross the line.
That was the limit of someone who chased nothing but greed.
As expected, Presia’s hand stopped just in front of Chris’s throat.
She could’ve taken his life by extending her hand just an inch, but she didn’t. No, she couldn’t.
She merely ground her teeth and said,
“Get out. You will regret what happened today.”
A chilling voice, a cold gaze.
Chris shrugged and bowed his head.
“Have a pleasant evening.”
As Chris stepped out, an unexpected figure was waiting for him.
A familiar face.
It was his aunt, Merian.
“You—what kind of trouble have you gotten into this time…?”
Merian frowned quietly.
Chris looked slightly surprised, then smiled.
“Did you perhaps come to protect me?”
“What nonsense. I just happened to be passing by.”
Merian scoffed, “Hmph.”
‘There’s nothing over here, though.’
The Marquis’s wife’s quarters were in the deepest part of the mansion—there was no reason for Merian to be passing by.
She had likely been nearby and rushed over upon sensing Presia’s energy flaring up.
“Thank you. Next time, I’ll be sure to bake you some delicious cookies.”
“I told you, I didn’t come to help you.”
“Even so, it’s my way of expressing gratitude toward you, Aunt.”
“Hmph, you’re all talk. Ever since you came to the main house, you haven’t brought cookies even once.”
“…This time, I really will.”
Merian shook her head.
“That was reckless. You know what I mean, don’t you?”
Presia was the lady of the Dark Demonic House.
She was third in power, right after the former head and Marquis Langham.
Chris had made a complete enemy of someone that formidable.
“Yes. I’m well aware.”
“This isn’t something to take lightly. Don’t underestimate the power Presia holds. From now on, the entire household will be against you.”
He knew.
He knew exactly what kind of situation he was in.
But.
Chris only replied like this.
“Thank you again for your concern.”
Merian twitched an eyebrow.
There wasn’t even a hint of worry on Chris’s face.
It meant he was confident.
In the end, Merian just let out a sigh.
“Seriously, you reckless brat.”
“……”
“Do whatever kind of madness you want, but keep one thing in mind. The Lord of the House is watching you.”
Chris showed a slightly surprised expression.
“That’s unexpected. I never thought the Lord would be paying attention to me.”
“Don’t get pleased. He’s the type to lose interest the moment you slip up even once. So take every single moment as an evaluation and act carefully.”
A sincere warning.
“Yes, I’ll keep it in mind.”
“Good.”
Just as Merian turned her back to leave, Chris suddenly had a thought and asked,
“How is the Lord of the House doing?”
“Why do you ask?”
“Well… no particular reason. As his grandson, I was simply concerned.”
“You’re just a pup, worrying about everything. You might lose your head as early as tomorrow.”
Merian almost burst into laughter, but Chris was sincere in his own way.
‘It’s about time the former head began to weaken.’
The former head had long outlived his natural life.
It was an open secret that he had extended his lifespan using the forbidden art of defying heaven.
No one knew when he would finally reach his limit.
‘At least I stopped the Twilight Amulet from falling into Marquis Langham’s hands, so one crisis has passed for now.’
For the sake of the future, the former head had to stay healthy for as long as possible.
After some thought, Chris asked,
“Does the Lord of the House have any preferred delicacies?”
“What?”
“I mean, like cookies or something like that. Not for any special reason—I just want to give him a gift as a gesture of filial piety.”
Of course, that wasn’t the real reason.
Chris was planning to give him a gift that would be a great help.
Using the Spirit Pill Art of the Medical Saint House.
Chris quickly added a reason.
“The Lord once helped me realize the Dark Demonic Arts. I just want to express my gratitude.”
Merian fell silent for a moment.
She looked at Chris as if she were looking at an oddity.
“A gift of filial piety for the Lord… Has he gone mad?”
If the purpose was to earn favor, it would completely backfire.
There was no way this clever boy didn’t know that.
Still, he claimed he wanted to give a gift as a grandson, so there wasn’t much ground to criticize him.
“As for delicacies, he likes chocolate.”
“…Excuse me?”
An unexpected preference.
To imagine that overwhelming Lord of Demons eating chocolate—it was hard to picture.
“But no matter how skilled you are, it won’t be easy to satisfy his taste. He has a very peculiar palate. He prefers chocolate that’s not overly elaborate, yet gives off a rough, unrefined feel while still tasting high-quality.”
“…I see.”
Chris had a dumbfounded look on his face.
Hot ice.
A ship that sails slowly at high speed—such was the feeling of his eccentric taste.
After that conversation with Merian, Chris returned to his room.
He lay down on the soft, luxurious bed and closed his eyes.
‘The die is cast. My days of living in comfort as a young master are over.’
Most likely, once he opened his eyes, Presia’s schemes would begin.
As expected, the next day—
A notice arrived.
It was a notice that Chris was being expelled from the main estate.
* * *
“…This will be the young master’s residence from now on.”
The attendant spoke with a deeply intimidated expression.
It was a shabby building, no better than a stable.
On the outskirts of the mansion’s borders. They had handed over an abandoned building that even the servants no longer used.
“I-I’m sorry. These were the orders given…”
The attendant was flustered.
It was clear he was worried that Chris might lash out in anger.
But Chris responded calmly.
“I understand. Could you at least clean the inside? That much should be possible, right?”
“…I-I’m sorry. We were given strict orders not to provide you any help.”
Chris almost burst into laughter for a moment.
‘They’re really going this low.’
No, this wasn’t just petty retaliation.
It was a clear move to completely isolate Chris.
At the same time, it served as a warning to others.
A declaration that anyone siding with Chris would be turning their backs on the family’s power.
‘Getting caught up in this kind of cheap, childish scheme isn’t really my style, though.’
Chris grinned.
‘This works out. I’d already been thinking about how to get out of the main house anyway.’
There were too many eyes in the main estate.
It was practically the same as being surrounded entirely by enemies, with not a single ally.
Even if it was rundown, having a place of his own was better.
‘And the appearance of being cast out works in my favor.’
It looked like he had been unjustly oppressed and driven out, so public opinion among the demonkind would likely side with Chris.
Not that anyone could say so aloud with Presia watching.
The problem was, without an attendant to help, daily life would be inconvenient.
But he had a solution for that too.
“Marie. Clean.”
[Ohoho… Understood. Everyone?]
Ooooooh—
A chilling, eerie wail echoed as the ghosts residing in the mansion swarmed toward him.
[This is my sweet house with the young master… You all know what happens if there’s even a speck of dust, right?]
[We… obey.]
[We… obey.]
[We… obey.]
The ghosts triggered all sorts of paranormal phenomena as they swept, scrubbed, and organized the building.
[…Please, enter.]
[…Please, enter.]
[…Please, enter.]
Welcomed by the ghosts, Chris fell silent for a moment.
‘…But when will I finally get to have a human attendant?’
Come to think of it, ever since returning, Chris hadn’t once been served by a human attendant.
And now, he was in a situation where he’d have to live only with ghost maids(?) for the time being.
‘Once I’m settled, I’ll definitely keep a staff of pureblood human attendants.’
With a firm resolve, Chris stepped into the neatly cleaned building.
[Ohoho… It may be shabby, but a sweet house where I’m alone with the young master—how cozy. Shall I serve you a glass of virgin’s blood juice to commemorate it?]
“No, more importantly. Keep watch outside. Let me know if anyone approaches.”
[Young master?]
There was something he had to do away from others’ eyes.
‘I have to grow stronger.’
What Chris had to do—
Was to gain power.
In the end, the most important thing was his own strength.
But for now, there were limits.
Even if Chris was a genius, getting stronger still took time.
Raising the level of one’s Star wasn’t just about realization—it also required the accumulation of demonic energy, the expansion of one’s vessel, physical training, and mastery over the relevant demonic techniques. All of this took time.
Of course, compared to others, Chris could raise his Star level in a ridiculously short amount of time, but even so, a certain amount of time was still necessary.
So Chris considered a method—
To gain power beyond the limits of his current Star rank while avoiding others’ eyes.
Black Steel Energy.
That was the power Chris sought.
Of course, it was a ridiculous idea.
Right now, Chris was a 3-Star.
But Black Steel Energy was a 5-Star power.
No matter how talented Chris was, it was impossible to manifest Black Steel Energy at the level of 3-Star.
However—
‘What if I imbue the Black Sword with intent, so that it takes on the properties of the Black Steel Energy? Would that be impossible too?’
An idea that anyone else would call insane.
It was a notion that completely disregarded the established Star system.
Above all, the Black Sword was simply a manifestation of demonic energy. Imbuing it with intent wasn’t something that should be possible.
Even so—
‘For some reason, it doesn’t feel impossible.’
A baseless certainty.
Because he was Chris.
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[Translator - Kiteretsu]
[Proofreader - Kyros]
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