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[Translator - Kiteretsu]
[Proofreader - Kyros]
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Chapter 82
“You filthy bastard who doesn’t know his place.”
“…I’m sorry.”
“I came to give you a task related to the upcoming Princes' Conference.”
“…What is it?”
Kashmir looked puzzled.
He had no choice but to attend, but he had no real interest in it.
But then—
“I’ll give you the ‘Key,’ so once the Princes' Conference begins, activate the ‘Transfer’ at the right moment.”
“!!”
Kashmir's face showed shock.
The ‘Key’ and the ‘Transfer.’
They were secrets discovered not long ago in the underground garden.
“B-But? If that happens, all the attendees will be killed.”
Grand Prince Schuar frowned.
Thud!
A fist wrapped in demonic energy slammed into Kashmir’s face. Blood gushed out.
“Who told you to yap?”
“…I’m sorry.”
“I’m not just telling you to do it. If you carry it out properly, I’ll get you medicine from the House of Medical Saint to cure your mother.”
“!!”
Kashmir’s body trembled as if struck by lightning.
It was what he had desperately wished for.
“But remember this. If you fail, I’ll cut off even the medicine that’s barely keeping your mother alive. So make sure you succeed.”
“…Yes, I’ll keep that in mind.”
The Grand Prince disappeared, and Kashmir’s gaze, left alone, sank heavily.
And so,
The Princes' Conference began.
* * *
The underground garden was located on the outskirts of the Destruction Demonic House's domain.
‘It’s been a while since I’ve been here.’
Chris let out a whistle at the sight of the splendid garden.
Going down through the pavilion in the center marked the true beginning of the ruins.
‘I came here once with the Hero’s party. Back then, it was caught up in a war and didn’t look nearly as beautiful as it does now.’
They had challenged the place to obtain items to stand against the Blood-Drenched Demon King.
In the end, it was a success.
Each member of the Hero’s party obtained the highest-grade artifact or relic suited to them.
What Chris aimed to get this time was one of those.
At that moment, two figures approached from the opposite side.
One of them was Marisa of the Venomous Demonic House.
When she saw Chris, she snorted.
“It’s been a while. Not that I’m glad to see you.”
“Uh, yeah.”
Chris gave a half-hearted, indifferent reply and turned his gaze elsewhere.
For some reason, Marisa’s face suddenly flushed red, but Chris paid her no mind.
His attention was fully drawn to someone else.
A handsome man with red hair and a heavy, solemn expression.
“And you are?”
“I am Kashmir van Bessen Lupus of the Destruction Demonic House. I became a prince late and only recently joined.”
Kashmir answered politely.
Chris examined him with a renewed expression.
‘Kashmir the Resister. To meet him like this...’
What he had to obtain this time wasn’t just a relic.
He needed to bring Kashmir to his side.
‘I had some acquaintance with Kashmir in my previous life too.’
Though a demon, Kashmir was more righteous than even members of the alliance.
The Hero’s party had received his help more than once.
He was talented as well, so forming a connection with him would be a great asset in the future.
‘A person like Kashmir is best approached through winning his heart rather than a transactional deal.’
Fortunately, Chris knew exactly how to win Kashmir’s trust.
‘We even had a few drinks together in the past.’
Kashmir likely didn’t realize it, but Chris knew a great deal about him.
How he was currently treated in the Destruction Demonic House, what pain awaited him soon—
His personality, his vulnerabilities—Chris knew them all.
With that in mind, Chris spoke with respectful formality.
“I am Christian van Baron Khazar of the Baron Ducal House. It’s an honor to meet the famed Prince Kashmir.”
Kashmir looked flustered.
“Famed? That’s far too generous.”
“I’ve heard of your feats against the ‘Holy Empire.’ As a fellow demon, it was quite refreshing.”
For reference, if the Venomous and Dark Demonic Houses were hostile toward Gold Cross and the Four Kings’ Star, then the Destruction Demonic House was confronting the Holy Empire.
“Th-Thank you. I… I was simply lucky, that’s all.”
Despite his large frame, Kashmir fidgeted awkwardly, and Chris chuckled to himself inwardly.
‘He hasn’t changed a bit from before.’
A shy, loyal hound type.
That was Kashmir’s personality.
Lacking confidence and easily intimidated, but if someone acknowledged him, he would open up sincerely.
Chris pressed even more directly into Kashmir’s weakness.
“Luck, you say? You defeated the Holy Empire’s fanatics—such modesty is too much.”
Chris continued in a subtly flattering tone.
“Especially since you, like me, are from a branch family. You've been a great inspiration.”
Kashmir flinched and shook his head.
“To say I’m like Prince Christian—absolutely not.”
Kashmir’s full name was ‘van Bessen Lupus.’
‘Van’ was a middle name used by those from branch families.
And ‘Lupus’ came from his mother’s surname, carrying no value in terms of lineage.
On the other hand, although Christian was also from a branch family, he was the eldest son of one of the three pillars of the Dark Demonic House.
Their bloodlines weren’t even comparable.
“What’s so important about lineage? For demons, what matters is strength and merit. And in that regard, Prince Kashmir, you are more than worthy of my respect.”
“……”
Kashmir fell silent.
It was something he had never heard before.
No one had ever said such things to him.
— You filthy thing who doesn’t even know your place.
— So what if you squirm? Don’t think becoming a prince means anything. You’re just a tool we’ll use and throw away.
Voices he had heard countless times from his family rang in his head, and a surge of emotion welled up in his chest.
“…Thank you for saying that.”
Chris grinned widely.
He decided to shake Kashmir’s heart completely.
“This meeting must be fate. How about we treat each other like brothers?”
“Brothers? What do you mean?”
“This gathering of princes is meant to build camaraderie, isn’t it? Since we’re of the same cohort, acting like brothers would be good for the Southern Magic Nation too.”
But Kashmir hesitated and couldn’t answer right away.
His expression seemed to say, “How could I?”
“Then how about this? Let’s make a wager. Whoever reaches the seventh floor first will be the younger brother, and the one who arrives later will have to call him ‘brother.’”
“…The one who loses will call the winner ‘brother’?”
“Yes. Prince Kashmir, you’re a little older than me, but age doesn’t matter when it comes to being brothers, right?”
Kashmir went silent again, this time for a different reason.
Kashmir was in his mid-twenties.
Due to his lowly origin, he had become a prince late and was older than most of the other participants.
To call Chris—who was fifteen, or rather, had just turned sixteen—not only a peer but ‘brother’ was a bit much.
Chris smirked.
“Of course, if you’re not confident, there’s no need to accept. I just thought it’d be a fun chance to test myself against you, Prince Kashmir. What a shame.”
“…I’ll do it.”
Though timid, Kashmir was still a demon.
There was no way he could ignore a challenge to his competitive spirit.
“Then let’s begin right away. The first to reach the seventh floor wins.”
With a flash, Christian immediately leapt downward.
Kashmir, his expression serious, also jumped down, ready to face the competition.
“……”
“……”
And left behind were the two girls.
Marisa and Jupien.
They awkwardly looked at each other.
“…What, are you gonna ask me to be sisters now too?”
Jupien said grumpily.
“…Whatever, okay?”
“Yeah, that’s a relief. I didn’t want that either.”
“I didn’t like it either, okay? But why do you keep talking down to me? We’re about the same age.”
“Want me to speak formally?”
“…No, forget it. Not necessary.”
Marisa scoffed and started walking.
Ever since the Princes’ Conference began.
More precisely, ever since she saw Christian’s face.
Everything had been irritating.
For some strange, unexplainable reason.
Just as Marisa frowned, Jupien called out to her.
“Hold up.”
“…What?”
“Now that I think about it, I really don’t like you.”
“…What?”
“You kept staring at Christian. From the very first time you met him—constantly.”
“…What?”
“You’re planning to challenge Christian, aren’t you?”
“……”
Marisa shut her mouth.
What kind of ridiculous nonsense was this?
Jupien spoke with a crooked smile.
“Sorry, but the one who’s going to crush Christian is me. So if you’ve got any foolish ideas, give them up.”
Marisa, dumbfounded, shot back.
“…And if I don’t?”
“I’ll make sure you do.”
“…What a joke. I’m already annoyed as it is.”
The air between them turned cold.
Fighting during the Princes’ Conference wasn’t against the rules anyway. There was even an official “duel” segment.
Flash!
Poison bloomed, and a flash of swordlight followed.
Thus, an unexpected duel broke out.
* * *
After many twists and turns, the group arrived at the seventh floor.
‘Why did those two fight, anyway?’
Chris looked at Marisa and Jupien with an exasperated expression.
Judging by their disheveled state, they had clearly gone at each other.
‘Did someone provoke the other? Both of them have nasty tempers. Well, kids grow as they fight.’
He brushed it off lightly.
Right now, the one he needed to focus on was Kashmir.
“It was a draw, but it was a good match, Prince Kashmir.”
“…Not at all. Thank you for your help, my lord.”
Kashmir looked deeply moved.
There was a reason for that.
It was because Chris had helped Kashmir, who had fallen into a trap along the way.
And it was a trap that had put his life in real danger.
‘Even on the lower floors, the Underground Garden has deadly traps hidden here and there.’
Of course, for high-ranking demons, it was rare to actually fall into such life-threatening traps.
But Chris had deliberately lured Kashmir into that deadly trap in secret.
Why?
To help him afterward and earn his gratitude.
It was like poisoning someone just to give them the antidote—but the clueless Kashmir never noticed and truly believed Chris had saved his life.
‘Heh. At this rate, he’s almost in my hands.’
Now it was time to drive in the wedge and seal the deal.
“…Since I received your help, I will count this match as my loss. Therefore… from now on, I will address Prince Christian as my elder—”
“No, that won’t be necessary.”
“Prince Christian?”
“Did you really think I meant that proposal seriously? I only suggested it because I wanted to grow closer to you, Prince Kashmir.”
Christian said with an air of magnanimity.
“So instead of elder and younger, let’s just be friends.”
“!!”
Kashmir’s eyes trembled violently.
Friends.
He had never had a single friend in his life. He had always been rejected by everyone.
And now, for the first time, someone had said such words to him.
How could his heart not be shaken?
But.
“…I’m sorry. I don’t dare say I deserve such a thing.”
Kashmir replied heavily.
‘I must drive all of them to their deaths today.’
The “key” in his possession weighed heavily upon his chest.
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[Translator - Kiteretsu]
[Proofreader - Kyros]
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