Chapter 10
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Translator: 8uhl
Chapter: 10
Chapter Title: The One-Month Wager
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Melin looked dumbfounded.
He was asking her to pledge her loyalty.
It was an absurd demand in exchange for a single duel, a simplified one with restricted power at that.
Above all, hadn't she already sworn her loyalty to the main house of the Dark Magic House?
The ‘Lord’ who received her loyalty was Duke Nordian, the head of the Dark Magic House and an 8-Star Majin of the Absolute Realm.
“You must know that's an impossible condition, right?”
“Well, I don't think so.”
Chris shrugged.
“If I become a ‘Young Lord’ of the Dark Magic House, it wouldn't be impossible for you to follow me.”
Young Lord.
It referred to those within the Dark Magic House's bloodline who were recognized as having rights to succession.
There were currently five of them, and they were all building their own factions within the family, vying for the position of heir.
Naturally, all five of them were of the direct line; not a single one was from a collateral branch.
“You, from a collateral branch, a Young Lord? That's impossible.”
“Do you really think it can't be done?”
“!!”
Chris smirked, the corner of his mouth lifting.
He dropped his formal tone.
“I think I can do it.”
Melin swallowed dryly without realizing it.
Something about his aura was different from before.
A tingling tension.
A heavy atmosphere.
Melin murmured the name of the energy flowing from Chris as if groaning.
‘An aura of intimidation.’
Melin’s face was a mask of disbelief.
She knew he had changed.
The person before her was no longer the scoundrel of the past.
But an aura of intimidation?
This wasn't merely a matter of talent.
An aura like that could only be possessed by someone of a certain stature.
But the brat in front of her had no such qualifications.
In that case.
‘Was he born with it?’
Melin's eyes trembled.
Occasionally, such beings exist.
Beings born to rule over others from birth. Natural-born rulers.
As they grow, such individuals naturally develop an intimidating presence that looks down on others.
‘Just what...?’
Melin couldn't hide her confusion and astonishment.
Meanwhile, seeing Melin's reaction, Chris inwardly shrugged.
‘Give me a break. The experience I've accumulated is on a different level.’
Vice-Commander Melin.
Though she suppressed her aging with magi and appeared young, she was likely close to forty at least.
In his past life, she was older than Chris.
But Chris had experienced the Great War for a full ten years.
He had gone through countless events and amassed numerous achievements until the Light Faction was destroyed by the Magitech Empire.
Before joining the Hero's party, he had even briefly risen to the position of a leader, guiding a large group with his outstanding abilities.
So, projecting an aura intimidating enough to pressure Vice-Commander Melin was well within his capabilities.
Believing Melin was halfway convinced, Chris decided to drive the point home.
“Of course, I know it's not an easy decision. And it's not something to be decided by a single, power-restricted duel. So, let's do this.”
“...What do you mean?”
“Let's have a duel one month from now. But this time, we'll fight properly, without any restrictions.”
“!!”
Melin looked perplexed.
It was a proposal she couldn't comprehend at all.
“If we don't restrict our power, there's no chance you can beat me.”
“Probably not.”
Chris didn't deny it.
No matter how much of a genius he was, there was no way he could fight and defeat a 4-Star Majin in just one month.
‘Even in my past life, it took me three years to reach the 4-Star realm.’
The realms denoted by 'Stars' become exponentially harder to ascend, and the gap in skill widens dramatically at higher levels.
However.
“Sometimes, an egg can break a rock.”
“!!”
“Please watch me for the next month.”
Chris looked Melin straight in the eye.
“Observe everything for one month—what I look like, what I accomplish, and what I ultimately become. Then, judge for yourself whether I am worthy of your loyalty or not.”
Melin was silent.
She couldn't find the words to speak.
‘What can he possibly do in just one month?’
A month is a very short time.
Even if he was a genius, there were limits to what could be done in that time.
That was common sense.
But.
“...Very well.”
Melin replied.
In a way she herself couldn't understand.
“...I will watch for one month.”
For some reason, she had a premonition that the person before her might just achieve the impossible.
Chris grinned.
“I won't disappoint you.”
* * *
‘Yes!’
Returning to his room, Chris cheered inwardly.
He had achieved everything he intended to in today's duel.
He had showcased his strength, changing the Majins' perception of him, and also figured out how the ‘Mud Sword Style’ manifested.
And most importantly.
‘I succeeded in swaying Melin's heart.’
Melin is a very important figure.
Unlike the others, she is a Majin from the main house of the Dark Magic House.
Since Chris planned to swallow not just the County of Cazar but the entire Dark Magic House, making her his own would be a great help.
‘Aside from that, Melin is also destined to become a very famous Majin.’
During the Great War, Melin had become a high-ranking Majin of 6-Stars.
6-Stars.
The realm known as ‘Master.’
Therefore, he absolutely had to make her his.
‘Of course, she hasn't completely come over to my side yet, but a month should be enough.’
The month he had promised her.
During that time, he intended to accomplish several things.
‘First, the Black Swamp Library.’
The Black Swamp Library.
It was where the secret black magic arts of the County of Cazar were stored.
He went to see his father, Count Cazar.
“Here is Vice-Commander Melin's letter of recommendation. I received it by winning the duel against her.”
“......”
His father, Count Cazar, looked flustered.
It was only natural.
Just as he was contemplating disowning him, his son had completely changed.
“...You defeated the Majins of the Black Swamp Knights in a duel?”
“Yes, I won because the Majins' fundamentals were lacking. The Black Swamp Knights are nothing special. They need to focus on their training.”
Count Cazar shook his head.
Nothing special, he says.
The opponents Christian had defeated were, of course, people Count Cazar knew.
Their magi levels weren't high, but they were certainly not people who deserved to be spoken of like that. They were dedicated to their training, with fundamentals more solid than most.
Moreover, among the opponents his son had defeated, there was one who seemed impossible.
Christian had defeated Vice-Commander Melin.
‘I can't believe it.’
Even with their power restricted, it was something that should never have happened.
As he struggled to believe the news, Melin herself had confirmed it.
She admitted she had lost.
And she had added something else.
‘That boy is a genius?’
She even added a modifier.
A talent so unbelievable you had to see it to believe it, she had said.
Count Cazar looked at him with disbelief.
“Why are you looking at me like that?”
“I was just recalling the recent rumors about you.”
“The rumor that I'm a genius? It's true. I didn't know it before, but it seems I am a genius.”
“......”
A statement completely devoid of humility.
Count Cazar let out a hollow laugh.
‘Seeing that insolent attitude, it seems like he hasn't changed at all.’
No, that's not it.
His insolence was the same as before, but he was definitely different.
The old Christian was a vicious mutt. A pathetic wretch who couldn't even meet his father's gaze.
But the son standing before him now was confident to the point of arrogance.
If he had to make a comparison, it resembled the arrogance of a beast of prey.
‘Am I going crazy? Calling that boy a beast of prey.’
Count Cazar forced himself to think that way.
He had been disappointed by his expectations so many times in the past that he was forcing himself to think negatively.
But.
‘...It seems like he's really changed this time.’
Count Cazar narrowed his eyes.
What was the longest that boy ever pretended to have changed?
A week, ten days, a fortnight?
Regardless of the duration, there was one decisive difference from before.
His eyes.
His son had never once shown such a gaze.
“...Here is the key to the library. You understand that the books inside must never be taken out, correct?”
Chris nodded.
“Then I'll be on my way.”
“...Right.”
As he closed the door and was about to leave, a hesitant voice came from behind him.
“...Can I trust you this time?”
Chris turned his head and looked at his ‘father.’
He could see Count Cazar's eyes faintly trembling.
It was ‘fatherly affection.’
‘Even Majins feel affection for their family.’
Their values may be different, but Majins were still human.
‘He might even be a much better person than my real father.’
Chris recalled his ‘real father’ from his past life, the one who had abused him in the family.
His real father was highly renowned in public, but in reality, he was trash.
Until he escaped from the family, he had to endure a hellish childhood because of his ‘father.’
Compared to that piece of trash, Count Cazar, though a Majin, could be called a much more fatherly figure.
That was why.
He had this thought.
“You should look forward to it.”
Chris lifted the corner of his mouth.
“I'm going to surprise you.”
He wanted to see those eyes fill with astonishment.
* * *
He headed for the Black Swamp Library.
The library's librarian, a ‘Banshee,’ greeted him.
[Ohoho... Young... Master... welcome....]
Chris made a sour face.
‘Why in the world is a ghost, a Banshee, the librarian?’
Even worse, this Banshee was the same one who served as his handmaiden!
“Weren't you my handmaiden? Since when are you also the librarian?”
[Oh... my... could it be... is that... a desire to possess me? My heart... flutters....]
“...Shut up.”
[Even your rough words... are so... rapturous.]
“......”
The Banshee chuckled.
According to her explanation, the Banshee had always been the guardian and librarian of this place.
Then, as a form of punishment for Christian, who constantly harassed his attendants, Count Cazar had ordered her to serve him as well.
[If... the Young Master... wishes to have me... all to himself... I will serve... only by... your side... Ohoho....]
“No, that's fine. Go back.”
[Just imagining being possessed... by the Young Master... makes my heart pound... pound with excitement.]
Chris looked disgusted.
‘Once I shed my scoundrel reputation, the first thing I'm doing is picking a new attendant. A pure-blooded human, no exceptions! I don't want a vampire either! This isn't the life of a golden spoon from a prestigious family I dreamed of!’
Before he returned, he had imagined.
He thought that if he became a member of a prestigious family, he would live a life of luxury where others would wait on him hand and foot.
The current situation was roughly similar.
The problem was that a ghost was doing it.
Every morning, a ghost gave him a wake-up call with bizarre whispers that could have been curses, served his meals via poltergeist phenomena, and helped him change clothes with a chilling, spiritual touch.
That ghost even tried to help him bathe. He had barely managed to refuse.
This was not the golden spoon luxury he had hoped for.
‘She's pretty for a ghost, but that just makes it even more unsettling!’