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[Translator - Kiteretsu]
[Proofreader - Kyros]
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Chapter 94
A voice full of resentment toward the Sword Emperor.
This time, the Lord of the House looked at Christian with a somewhat softened gaze.
“Christian, you did well. You achieved great merit. I will personally see to your reward.”
“…Would you grant me what I desire as the reward?”
“What you desire? Speak.”
Chris took a deep breath.
‘I have to do well here.’
Evan’s life hangs by a thread at this very moment.
“Please postpone the execution of the Sword Emperor’s son.”
“What?”
The Lord’s gaze turned cold.
“Why? Are you trying to show pointless mercy?”
A voice tinged with disappointment.
For a demon, showing unnecessary compassion to an enemy was forbidden.
But Chris shook his head.
“Not at all. Why would I show mercy to those disgusting Alliance dogs? Rather, I believe beheading him is far too lenient, which is why I make this request.”
“Hmph? Then? What do you have in mind?”
“Give him to me as spoils of war.”
“!!”
Chris raised the corner of his lips—
So that it would look unmistakably sinister to anyone watching.
“If I subjugate the Sword Emperor’s son as my slave and work him like a limb of my own, wouldn’t that be the most satisfying revenge against those despicable Alliance bastards?”
The Lord accepted Christian’s request.
He even burst into laughter.
—Kuhaha!! Yes, you’re right. Just cutting off his head is too bland. However…
The Lord spoke slyly.
—Do you think it’s possible? If he’s the Sword Emperor’s son, he won’t be an easy one to break.
Chris replied firmly.
—If he were obedient, it wouldn’t be fun. Please watch with anticipation. You’ll see the Sword Emperor’s son kneeling before me.
—Very well, I look forward to it. But.
The Lord spoke with a chilling gaze, like a blade piercing the heart.
—If you fail, you’ll personally sever the Sword Emperor’s son’s head. Understood?
—…I understand.
Chris recalled the conversation with the Lord with a gloomy expression.
‘Ughhh! What kind of taming is this supposed to be! Why do I have to go through all this trouble! This damn hero, who’s of no use in life!’
His anger toward Evan surged.
Chris let out a deep, heavy sigh.
‘There’s no helping it. Now that it’s come to this, I have no choice but to make the hero mine to command.’
Just as he had told Nordian, he didn’t actually intend to make Evan a literal slave.
What Chris truly wanted through this opportunity was for the hero to join his side and become a comrade who would aid his plans.
‘The problem is… how do I win over that bastard Evan’s heart?’
Conversation?
It was hopeless.
No matter what he said, Evan wouldn’t accept it.
‘It’ll be a miracle if he doesn’t start throwing blades.’
An absurd level of difficulty.
While Chris was still trying to come up with a method, an attendant came running with an urgent expression.
“Y-Young Master! It’s an emergency! The shadow of the Swordsmanship Clan…!!”
“…What is it? Did his condition worsen or something?”
“That’s not it. Thanks to the intensive treatment per your orders, his condition has improved significantly.”
“Then what is it?”
Chris looked puzzled.
If he was getting better, what could possibly be the problem?
“Is he maybe causing a ruckus in the prison? Just leave him be unless it gets serious.”
But then—
“H-He’s not making a scene.”
“Then what’s the issue?”
“W-Well… his behavior is strange. That is… he’s kneeling.”
“……??”
The attendant couldn’t explain the situation properly, looking flustered.
“Y-You should probably come see for yourself.”
With a confused expression, Chris headed to the prison.
And then—
He saw it.
‘…What the hell.’
A curse almost slipped out at the sight before him.
“…You’ve arrived.”
The hero Evan was kneeling.
No one had forced him to.
He did it of his own will.
As if paying the utmost respect.
To be precise, like a vassal paying homage to his lord.
Like a broken slave.
He bowed his head.
“My master.”
* * *
The Sword Emperor’s son knelt before Christian!
This news caused a stir across the Dark Demonic House.
“Hah… Young Master Christian really is something else. How did he manage to subjugate him?”
“I heard he engraved a blood seal on him when he collapsed. Impressive, truly. He only recently started learning blood-binding arts, too.”
“But wasn’t it a low-grade blood seal? It shouldn’t have included runes capable of controlling someone with a will of their own, right?”
“No idea. He must’ve modified the spell in some strange way again. It wouldn’t be the first time Young Master Christian pulled something like this. It’s clear the seal of the soul was branded into the guy—so it must be true.”
The demons once again marveled at Christian.
But Christian couldn’t comfortably accept their praise.
Because he knew the truth.
‘This insane bastard of a hero.’
Chris swallowed a curse and looked at Evan, who was kneeling beside him.
Evan looked up at him with innocent eyes and asked again,
“What is it, Master?”
“…It’s nothing.”
“Whatever it may be, please give me an order.”
“……”
Chris wore a troubled expression.
Was it discomfort from turning a former comrade, a soon-to-be hero, into a slave?
No.
‘…You’re faking this.’
That’s right.
The “low-grade blood seal” Chris had engraved didn’t include any runes of “loyalty” or “obedience.”
Since it was a technique meant to control someone who had lost their reason after death, such high-level, complex spells weren’t necessary in the first place.
And yet, Evan, with full consciousness and will, was following Chris’s commands.
It was an act.
‘He’s acting to survive. Calculating that if he becomes my slave, he won’t be executed right away.’
No—it wasn’t just that.
Chris hadn’t missed the chilling killing intent that occasionally flickered in Evan’s eyes.
‘He might be waiting for the chance to kill me.’
Chris decided to test him.
Just in time, while cutting his steak, he let the knife slip toward Evan’s feet as if by mistake.
Clatter!
“Pick it up.”
“!!”
In that split second,
Evan stared at the knife.
The blade gleamed menacingly under the sunlight.
A sharp weapon, more than capable of severing someone’s throat.
Especially in Evan’s hands.
In the blink of an eye, that knife could’ve reached Chris’s neck.
‘Let’s see…’
Evan slowly bent his knees.
And after a barely perceptible hesitation, he moved his hand.
“…Here it is.”
Chris held back a sigh.
That subtle twitch of Evan’s fingers—
It was identical to the habit he used to have when deciding whether to launch a surprise attack.
There was no doubt now.
Evan was watching for the moment to strike at Chris’s throat.
‘This is insane. And I can’t even expose him.’
A throbbing pain flared at the back of Chris’s neck.
If the truth came out, Evan would die.
Chris had to pretend not to know, but the problem was that Evan wasn’t an easy opponent.
As shown in their previous fight, Evan also possessed natural talent and instincts.
Even Chris could lose his head in a moment of carelessness.
‘And it’s not like I can just confess, “I’m actually on your side.”’
Saying that out of nowhere would only sound suspicious. Evan wouldn’t believe it, nor would he accept it.
‘Unless he had awakened his Mind’s Eye… but he hasn’t, yet.’
The Mind’s Eye—one of the blessings Evan would receive from the constellations in the future.
If Evan had awakened it, he’d be able to see through someone’s true intentions and would understand Chris's sincerity, but that was still far off.
‘Far from the Mind’s Eye.’
Chris looked into Evan’s eyes.
Unlike when he was a Hero, now his eyes were sunken and pitch black. Like the eyes of a dead corpse.
Evan’s heart must be just as dead now.
Suddenly, a thought struck Chris.
‘Maybe… Evan plans to kill me and die with me. Since he sees no hope left in living anyway.’
He remembered something Evan had once said while drunk.
—That time in my life was really hard. There were many times I thought of ending it myself.
Chris frowned.
He was certain!
‘This damned bastard.’
Chris made up his mind.
What to do with Evan.
‘First, I need to snap him out of it.’
Unfortunately, there was only one way to do that.
A drastic measure was necessary.
“What’s with that look in your eyes?”
“…Sir?”
Smack!!
Evan’s cheek turned with the blow.
“Even as a slave, you still haven’t let go of your pride?”
“N-no, sir. I’m sorry.”
Evan hurriedly kneeled down.
Chris spoke with the most arrogant expression he could muster.
“You’ve done wrong. A punishment is in order. Melin.”
“Yes, Young Master.”
“Take him back to the prison and starve him. Make sure he never dares to act so impudent again.”
Melin tilted her head slightly.
She seemed to think it was unlike Chris, but didn’t question it and dragged Evan away.
* * *
A few days later.
Chris visited the prison.
Evan was hanging by chains.
He had barely recovered from fatal injuries, and now he was starved and chained—his condition didn’t look good.
‘…Who beat him? I never gave such an order. Still, that look in his eyes… hasn’t changed.’
Pitch black.
Empty pupils stared at Chris.
“You alright?”
“…I’m fine.”
The answer came a moment too late.
“Thank you… for correcting me for my wrongdoing.”
A subtle undercurrent of killing intent in his voice.
No.
It wasn’t directed at Chris.
It was anger toward those who had driven him to this state.
And despair directed at himself.
Even now, Evan clearly intended to kill Chris and die alongside him.
Chris sighed and then spoke.
“Are you angry?”
“…What? No.”
“No?”
Chris quietly looked into Evan’s eyes.
As if peering into his very thoughts.
“I won’t tolerate lies. Be honest.”
“…….”
“Aren’t you angry? No, let me ask you differently.”
Chris rephrased the question.
“Are you not angry at those who put you in this situation?”
For a moment, a faint gleam flickered in Evan’s eyes.
A chilling intent to kill.
It was a fleeting trace of light, but it was unmistakable.
“…What are you talking about?”
“You’re really asking because you don’t know?”
“…….”
“You say you’ve submitted to me, but that anger in your heart remains. Or rather…”
Chris wore a mocking expression.
“Maybe you never submitted in the first place.”
“!!”
Evan drew in a sharp breath.
Facing Chris’s calm stare, his expression hardened.
“…How long have you known?”
“Who knows, maybe from the beginning?”
“…If you noticed, why let me live?”
Evan clenched his teeth.
“Were you mocking me all this time, laughing at me behind my back?”
Chris shrugged.
“No, I’m not that petty.”
“Then why?”
“Because I didn’t want you to die.”
“!!”
Evan gave a look of disbelief.
“What kind of bullshit is that…”
“It’s the truth. So, hmm.”
Chris hesitated with his words.
‘Ideally, I’d win Evan over right here—but that’s a long shot.’
Showing sincerity clumsily would only backfire.
‘Damn it. If only he had awakened his Mind’s Eye, he’d see how genuine I am. But it can’t be helped.’
He had to convince Evan.
Make him accept his words.
There was only one way.
Provoke Evan’s rage.
“Because slaves as useful as you aren’t easy to come by.”
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[Translator - Kiteretsu]
[Proofreader - Kyros]
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