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[Translator - Kiteretsu]
[Proofreader - Kyros]
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Chapter 96
Presia did not refuse.
Evan had beaten Mysak to a pulp.
Naturally, she planned to dispose of Evan as well.
“Well then, I’ll be going.”
As he stepped outside, Mysak was glaring at him with a vicious expression.
Chris gave a dry chuckle.
“I was wondering where you were—turns out you were by your mommy’s side after all.”
“……”
Mysak didn’t respond.
He only ground his teeth and glared at Chris as if he would kill him.
The murderous intent was chilling.
Chris could feel the raw urge to kill radiating off him and shrugged.
‘This’ll be the last time I bother dealing with his childish tantrums.’
With this plan—
Chris intended to kill Mysak.
But on a sudden whim, he spoke.
“Hey, Mysak. There’s something I want to say.”
“…What is it?”
“Don’t you think it’s time you apologized for everything you’ve done to me?”
“What nonsense are you spouting?”
“I’m just offering you a chance.”
“Shut your mouth. You’d better brace yourself for what’s coming.”
Mysak growled roughly.
“I’ll put you in such a miserable state you’ll regret being born.”
A cruel confidence filled Mysak’s eyes.
Naturally so.
He had the Dark Ghost Unit.
Imagining the pain he would inflict on Chris, Mysak flashed a wicked grin.
“Well, if that’s how it is.”
Chris stepped out of the estate.
Evan was waiting on his knees.
Chris chuckled and teased playfully.
“You’re starting to really look like a slave now.”
“…Shut up.”
“Whoa, such a disrespectful tone to your master? Maybe you need a beating?”
Evan’s gaze turned icy.
Chris chuckled quietly and tapped Evan’s shoulder.
“Get up. Let’s go.”
It was time to help Evan escape.
* * *
The Gold Cross was located along the southern border of the Dark Demonic House Territory.
Riding on horseback, Chris scanned the path ahead.
‘I'll have to come back soon anyway.’
A disaster was soon to unfold at the Gold Cross.
It would ultimately shake the Four Kings’ Castle, so it had to be stopped.
‘Is this where the Brexis River begins? If I follow this river straight down, I’ll reach the capital of the Theocracy? It’s been a while since I’ve seen these green waters.’
Chris’s eyes softened for a moment as he looked at the emerald-colored river.
The beautiful hue of the Brexis River had once been his only solace in his previous life, during his childhood.
‘Ah, there was one more.’
His younger sister.
A kind child who called him "brother" and looked after him, even when everyone else called him the spawn of a devil.
‘She suffered so much because of me. Now that the "original me" is dead and gone, maybe she’s living a little more peacefully.’
When he reincarnated into another body, the "original" Chris had died.
‘She was such a kind child—maybe she grieved a little. I’d like to see her again.’
When he prevents the disaster at the Gold Cross, he would likely meet his sister again.
Of course, it wouldn’t mean much.
Chris and his sister no longer had any relationship.
Even if they met, revealing his identity would be impossible.
‘Whether it’s because of causality or something else, I can’t disclose who I used to be.’
Either way, it wasn’t important.
‘The best thing I can do for her is stop what’s about to happen at the Gold Cross. She’s the one who’ll suffer most from it, after all.’
Just as he was thinking that—
Evan, riding beside him, quietly stared at Chris’s face.
“…You.”
“??”
“…Never mind.”
Chris gave him a puzzled look.
‘What’s with him lately?’
It wasn’t the first time Evan acted like that.
No, he did it quite often.
From time to time, he would look at Chris with an expression full of unexplainable complexity.
As if he could read his innermost thoughts.
‘…He doesn’t have the Insight Eye or anything, so there’s no way.’
As far as Chris knew, Evan wouldn’t awaken the Insight Eye until he was recognized as a Hero and formed a contract with a Celestial.
That was still a long way off.
‘Well, it’s not really important anyway.’
Chris changed the subject.
“By the way, why did you come to the Dark Demonic Territory in the first place?”
“……”
“Even if you were abandoned to die, you must’ve been sent with some kind of mission, right?”
He had asked this before, but never received an answer.
This time, Evan fell silent for a moment—then unexpectedly replied.
“It’s nothing you need to worry about. It was a foolish, absurd, and meaningless mission.”
Chris tilted his head in confusion.
Then, in the distance—
He saw their ally, waiting to assist them.
It was Ruina.
* * *
“I greet you, Prince Christian.”
“Have you been well? It's good to see you.”
“…Yes.”
Ruina responded with a vague tone.
It was vague because her expression didn’t show whether she was pleased or displeased—it was complicated.
More accurately, it held both emotions mixed together.
The part that welcomed him—
‘Well, I did profit quite a bit last time.’
The gem Chris gave her in the underground garden had been sold to a high noble of the Holy Empire for a price beyond imagination.
And that wasn’t all.
Just as Chris had hinted, she confirmed that something suspicious was happening in Gold Cross.
If she played it right, there was a scent of money—potential for massive profit.
Despite receiving such a great fortune, the reason Ruina’s expression still looked bitter was simple.
‘No matter how good the last deal was… You’re trying to leech off me again? What am I, your cash cow?!’
Ruina ground her teeth inwardly.
Chris had called her out today and asked her to bring a particular “item.”
As always, it was something extremely expensive.
“You brought the item I asked for, right?”
“Ohoho, yes, of course. But… may I ask what this expensive item is going to be used for?”
“Why? Regretting the money?”
When Chris asked with a crooked tone, Ruina quickly shook her head in shock.
“Not at all!”
‘Of course I regret it, you punk! Do you even know how much this cost?!’ But instead of voicing her true feelings, she cautiously said,
“It’s just… this item is usually used for covering up crimes, so I was curious what you'd be using it for…”
“To cover up a crime.”
“…Excuse me?”
“You said it yourself. It’s an item used for crime concealment. I asked you to bring something that fits that purpose.”
Ruina immediately shut her mouth.
“Ohoho… I-I see. As expected of the great and dashing Prince Christian.”
“And here.”
Chris handed her a letter.
“It’s the next piece of intel about what’s going to happen in Gold Cross.”
“!!”
“It says what you should do, so use it as reference.”
Ruina received the letter like it was a sacred relic and bent her waist at a 150-degree angle to show her gratitude.
“Loyalty, loyalty, loyalty!! From now on, I’ll place all my faith in His Majesty Prince Christian!”
‘Hmm… it’s not something to be that happy about.’ Chris scratched his head inwardly.
Following that letter would definitely earn her a lot of money—but it also meant getting caught up completely in Chris’s plan.
In other words, she was going to suffer terribly.
‘Well, money’s the most important thing to Ruina. As long as she can make money, she’ll be fine.’
“And there’s one more gift I’ve prepared for you.”
“What is it? If it’s from you, my lord, I’ll gladly accept even poison!”
“It’s not poison. It’s a lottery ticket. If it hits, it’s the jackpot.”
“…What?”
“Here, this guy.”
Chris pointed at Evan.
Ruina looked puzzled for a moment, then her eyes widened.
She had realized Evan’s identity.
“No way, is he from the renowned swordsmanship family?”
“Yeah, that’s right.”
Chris spoke as if he were doing her a favor.
“I’ll give you the chance to earn his favor.”
* * *
It goes without saying that secretly crossing the border between the Magus Empire and Gold Cross was no easy feat.
Both sides monitored the area with extreme vigilance.
But there was one exception.
A person who could cross the border like it was her own backyard.
Ruina, head of the Rudolf-Dear Merchant Guild.
She conducted business across the Alliance and Magus Empire through a secret and mystical water route unknown to others.
‘She used a relic. And not just any relic—one of legendary class.’
It was a mode of transport utilizing a legendary-grade relic far surpassing the vampiric ring Chris had obtained in the underground garden.
‘If I use that relic, I can extract Evan without leaving a single trace.’
But Ruina’s reaction was far from pleased.
She quickly pulled Chris aside and shouted angrily.
“Lord Evan isn’t a lottery ticket—he’s a bomb!”
“Didn’t you just say you’d gladly accept poison?”
“That was just business flattery! If I help Lord Evan and earn the hatred of the swordsmanship family, what am I supposed to do?!”
The influence of the swordsmanship family in the Alliance was no joke.
It rivaled that of the royal families.
In fact, while royal families held power only in their own countries, the swordsmanship family’s influence extended across the continent—making them even greater.
‘They’re one of the so-called Four Great Bloodlines of the Alliance.’
The four most noble bloodlines of the Alliance were:
The imperial family of the Karn Empire.
The imperial family of the Holy Empire.
The Star Clan of the Theocratic Nation, the spiritual center of Gold Cross.
And the swordsmanship family, the House of Mayer.
“I won’t do it! Absolutely never! Are you trying to ruin my business?!”
“On the other hand, it’s also an opportunity for your guild to grow explosively.”
“……”
“If Evan becomes the head of the swordsmanship family.”
Ruina clamped her mouth shut.
“As you know, Evan is still a legitimate heir.”
“But… that’s only in name. Honestly, Lord Evan’s chances of becoming the family head are slim.”
“Well, I don’t see it that way. But it’s definitely a risky venture. If you look at it purely in terms of profit, it might be a losing deal.”
Chris nodded.
“If your goal is nothing more than hoarding money like a miser, then there’s no need for you to get involved in this. But is that really the case?”
Chris looked Ruina straight in the eyes as he spoke.
“Somehow, I get the feeling you have another purpose.”
“!!”
Ruina’s pupils trembled slightly.
It was true.
The reason Ruina clung so greedily to money, treating it as more precious than life itself, wasn’t just due to avarice.
It was because she was trying to achieve something with that money.
That’s why she treated money as the most valuable thing in the world and continued to gather it.
“…What do you know about me?”
“Nothing. It’s just a hunch. A merchant as remarkable as you must have a deeper goal. In any case, make your choice.”
Chris said,
“Will you scratch the lottery ticket or not?”
Ruina bit her lip hard.
It was a difficult decision.
Just like a lottery, the odds were slim.
And if she drew a blank, the loss could be significant.
But—
“…I’ll do it.”
If she happened to hit the jackpot.
If Evan succeeded in becoming the head of the swordsmanship family.
Then she could take a major step closer to achieving her true goal.
So she couldn’t refuse.
More than anything—
‘…That bastard wouldn’t push something that’s completely hopeless.’
Oddly enough.
Ruina trusted Chris.
Because of the unbelievable miracles he had pulled off so far.
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[Translator - Kiteretsu]
[Proofreader - Kyros]
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