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[Translator - Kiteretsu]
[Proofreader - Kyros]
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Chapter 95
“!!”
“Am I wrong? Abandoned puppet prince of the Swordsmanship Clan.”
Crunch.
As expected, Evan clenched his fist.
So hard that blood welled up.
“Shut… up.”
“I didn’t say anything false, did I? You do realize that being sent into the territory of the Dark Demonic House in the first place meant you were thrown away as a disposable piece, right?”
Evan glared at Chris with murderous eyes.
But in the end, he couldn’t say anything in return.
Because Chris was right.
Born of a greater bloodline than anyone, yet sacrificed to the filthy greed of his clan elders—a pitiful fate.
That was Evan.
‘He’s like me.’
Chris let out a faint, bitter laugh.
He too was born of a noble bloodline, yet spent a miserable childhood under a terrible false accusation.
The difference, perhaps, was that Chris’s father was still alive?
Or more precisely, it was Chris’s father who had driven him to ruin?
Chris and his mother were branded as Devil’s minions because of his father's ambition.
‘Well, it doesn’t really matter anymore.’
In any case, Chris felt some sympathy toward Evan, who mirrored himself, and wanted to lessen the pain Evan would soon face—at least a little.
So he spoke.
“Don’t you want to survive and get revenge?”
“!!”
Chris lifted the corners of his mouth.
A voice flowed out, like a devil’s temptation.
“On the ones who insulted your father, and dragged you and your mother into the abyss.”
* * *
Evan stayed silent for a long while.
The dark moonlight sank heavily around them.
“…What are you saying?”
“Exactly what it sounds like. I want you to survive and return to the Alliance.”
“…You mean, return to the Swordsmanship Clan and strike them? That’s impossible.”
Evan spoke heavily.
“My enemies are far beyond what I can handle.”
He was right.
They were figures so distant in Evan’s eyes.
It was the reason he had fallen into despair.
But—
“Maybe for now. But with time, things will change.”
“!!”
“I’m not telling you to return to the Swordsmanship Clan and fight them right away. No, you absolutely must not return there anytime soon.”
Chris spoke with force.
If Evan returned to the Swordsmanship Clan, he would face a terrible disaster in the near future.
He had to prevent that.
“Hide yourself and build your strength. Then, cut down the necks of those pretentious bastards in the Swordsmanship Clan.”
Killing the rotten scum of the Swordsmanship Clan was not just about Evan’s personal grudge—it was necessary for the future.
Because of those damned people, the Swordsmanship Clan failed to fulfill its role during the Great War, and the damage suffered by the Alliance had multiplied exponentially.
‘I originally planned to handle it myself, but…’
It wouldn’t be bad to let this serve as nourishment to revive Evan’s pitch-black, dead soul.
Because rage, at times, can become the fiercest fire that drives one’s life.
“Besides, there’s no way things could get any more miserable for you than they are now.”
Evan let out a chuckle.
A low, cold laugh filled with deep resentment.
“That’s true. Compared to being a dog of my enemies, it might be better to become your slave and act as your sword.”
Evan lifted his head, eyes blazing.
“I’ll do as you say. What do I need to do?”
“First, survive and get out of here.”
“…You’re letting me go?”
Evan looked puzzled.
“Yeah. If you stay here any longer, you’ll die.”
It was the truth.
Even now, there were many demonic beings aiming for Evan’s life.
Even if Chris tried to protect him, there were limits.
“And once you’re out, you’ll have to follow the orders I give you.”
“…And what if I leave and ignore your commands?”
Though Chris had engraved a master-servant mark on him, that alone wasn’t enough to fully control Evan.
‘After all, a low-grade Blood Imprint is a spell that turns a being without will into a servant. Someone like Evan, who possesses strong will, can’t be controlled at will.’
If he really wanted to force Evan into obedience, he would need to inscribe a separate Mark of Submission—but that wasn’t feasible right now.
Nor was it necessary.
“That’s simple. Just eat this pill.”
“…What is it?”
“A secret demonic pill of the Venomous Demonic House, called True Death's Coil. You’ve probably heard of it. It’s a will-bound poison that kills you if you don’t take the antidote at the exact time, several years from now.”
A lethal poison whose effect only manifested years later, triggered by will-based sorcery.
And aside from the designated antidote, it was absolutely incurable.
How had Chris managed to get his hands on such a rare poison?
‘It’s a lie. It’s just dried horse dung.’
But what did it matter?
It’s not like Evan would know what poison tasted like.
“Eat it.”
“……”
Perhaps it was an instinctive sense of danger.
Evan hesitated.
But soon, Evan tightly shut his eyes and swal... no, swallowed the pill.
“…As expected of a deadly poison. That was a foul taste.”
“…Yes, the stronger the poison, the more bitter it tastes. I’ll give you the antidote after confirming that you follow my orders properly.”
“Fine. But how are you planning to get me out of the Dark Demonic House?”
Evan asked in a puzzled voice.
“No matter how high your status is, there’s no way you can just let me go, right?”
He was right.
But, as always, Chris had a way.
Chris leaned in and whispered his plan into Evan’s ear, and Evan’s eyes widened in shock.
It was time to make use of that ever-giving fool, Mysak.
* * *
Chris and Evan set the plan into motion.
First, Evan put on a show of fully submitting to Chris, fooling everyone watching.
Then they waited for the right opportunity.
‘It should be about time for the bait to bite.’
And just as he thought that, someone approached.
The mama’s boy demonic fool who had done nothing but shower Chris with gifts until now.
It was Mysak.
“…Christian.”
“Did you lose your way crawling out from your mother’s skirts, or do you need something from me?”
Reclining lazily in his chair without the slightest intention of standing up, Christian replied with a crooked smile.
Mysak gritted his teeth.
“That bastard is from the Swordsmanship Clan, isn’t he?”
“……”
“Don’t get cocky just because you earned a speck of merit. Soon, I’ll cut off every limb of yours, shred your flesh, and toss it as dog food.”
A pathetic threat, lacking any weight or menace.
Chris didn’t even bother to reply, sitting there with disinterest.
That’s when something happened that shocked everyone around.
Thwack!!
A heavy thud echoed through the room.
For a moment, no one nearby could process what had just happened.
Even Mysak—the subject of the blow—hadn’t realized what had occurred.
That’s how shocking it was.
Evan, who had been quietly standing to the side, had punched Mysak straight in the face.
“Y-You?!”
Mysak, who came to his senses a beat too late, screamed in rage—but it was pointless.
In terms of raw physical combat ability, Evan even outclassed Chris.
More than that, Evan had endured every kind of harsh battle under the Swordsmanship Clan, while Mysak had been coddled all his life under his mother’s protection. Their combat instincts weren’t even comparable.
Thwack! Thwack!
Fists like hammers, imbued with pure white mana, rained down on Mysak’s face. At this rate, he’d be turned into mush.
Of course, Evan didn’t give him a single chance to use his specialty—black magic.
Chris shouted a few steps late… maybe five hits late.
“Stop!! What do you think you’re doing?!”
“…This bastard insulted my master. Please permit me to eliminate him.”
Evan’s other fist, while gripping Mysak by the collar with one hand, gleamed with a chilling blue light.
Holy Radiance, 4-star.
Mana Conversion.
Battle Fist.
The condensed power of a knight’s mana blade.
If that destructive force—enough to shatter stone—struck his face, it was obvious what would happen to Mysak.
“U-Ugh…”
He’d really die.
Feeling the thick, seething intent to kill in Evan’s eyes, Mysak let out a groan.
“Let him go. As pathetic as he is, he’s still a noble of his House.”
“…Understood.”
Evan released his grip as if brushing off filth, and Mysak collapsed to the ground, his strength drained.
“Evan, stand down. I’ll deal with the offense of overstepping your station.”
“…My apologies.”
Chris let out a sigh and walked over to Mysak.
“You alright?”
“!!”
Even crawling on the floor, did he still have some pride left?
Just as Mysak tried to growl with his mangled, swollen face—
Chris mocked him in a low voice.
“I wondered, but yeah, you really are pathetic. You’re worse than the slave I command. Worthless idiot. How about you stay under your mommy’s skirt from now on?”
“!!”
A sneer that crushed Mysak’s pride.
But Mysak couldn’t say a word in response.
Chris's gaze bore down on him like a weight.
The oppressive force of the strong looking down on the weak.
“If you want to live long, get lost under your mommy’s skirt!”
Mysak’s fingertips trembled—
But in the end, he couldn’t say anything and slinked away like a beaten dog.
Once they were alone, Evan spoke.
“Wasn’t that a bit too harsh?”
“Formal speech.”
“…Wasn’t that a bit too harsh, sir? I only acted as ordered.”
An unexpected revelation.
It was Chris’s plan all along for Evan to step in!
“He didn’t look like he’d sit still. From what I’ve overheard, he seems to have some strong backing.”
Chris shrugged.
“No need to worry about Mysak getting revenge.”
Chris chuckled.
“That’s exactly what I was aiming for.”
Indeed.
Today's incident had been bait tossed to Mysak.
Blinded by rage, Mysak would act exactly as Chris intended, and Chris planned to use him as a sacrifice to help Evan escape.
* * *
The time had come.
The Marchioness Presia summoned him.
Presia greeted him with a cold expression, showing not the slightest sign of warmth.
“It’s been a while. Nice to see you.”
“Yes, it’s good to see you too. But Mysak isn’t here, I see.”
Chris exaggeratedly turned his head left and right.
“I thought the mama’s boy would always be at your side, Aunt.”
“…You!”
“Oh, I only said that because you two seem so close. Did I offend you somehow?”
Presia’s fingertips trembled faintly.
But she couldn’t get angrier. She had business to address.
“I summoned you to give you a mission.”
“What is it?”
“Lately, the Gold Cross bastards have been acting suspiciously. Go scout near the Brexis River that flows toward the Theocracy. It’s a solo mission—go alone.”
Chris whistled inwardly.
‘How blatant.’
The Brexis River was the main activity zone of the Shadow Ghost Unit.
It was clear she intended to move Mysak and the Shadow Ghost Unit to kill him.
She even forbade any companions.
Her malicious intent was so obvious, it was almost laughable.
It just meant she truly wished for Chris to die.
Even though it was clearly a trap—
“Yes, understood. I accept the mission.”
Chris responded readily.
‘Because this is exactly the mission I was hoping for.’
Did Presia know?
That she had taken the bait Chris had laid?
“Just one request—may I take the swordsman family’s slave with me?”
“A slave?”
“Yes, I plan to use him as a decoy in case of emergency.”
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[Translator - Kiteretsu]
[Proofreader - Kyros]
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