Chapter 104
-----------------------------------------------------------------
Translator: 8uhl
Chapter: 104
Chapter Title: Setting the Trap
-----------------------------------------------------------------
Chris’s gaze settled.
*‘I should remember this.’*
Chris carefully examined the count's condition.
The curse was deep, making it seem difficult to treat in a short time.
It didn't matter.
After all, he hadn't come to see Count Boursin today for treatment.
On the contrary.
*‘I came to cause trouble.’*
Chris grinned.
*‘My goal is, and always has been, Baron Bord's downfall.’*
Here's the question.
With Chris's current power, it was impossible to strike down Baron Bord.
While assassination might be possible if he waited for an opportunity, simply taking his head was meaningless.
He had to completely crush the man and secure evidence of his collusion with the Dark Magic Houses.
A difficult situation, even for Chris.
What should he do?
It was simple.
*‘I have to lure him into a trap.’*
His visit today to see Roy's father, Count Boursin, was to set that very trap.
*‘I’m about to turn Roy into an unfilial son. Or maybe he’ll be praised as a dutiful one later?’*
After taking a few measures with Count Boursin for the trap, Chris stepped outside.
When he opened the door, an unexpected figure was waiting.
A goatee.
Eyes filled with greed.
It was Baron Bord.
"Roy."
"Uncle."
Chris bowed his head and smirked.
*‘Looks like he got antsy hearing that this body, Roy, has changed.’*
The way he acted with the butler earlier.
And now visiting his father like this—all of it was different from Young Count Roy's usual behavior, so it had made him wary.
"I came to see you, since it's been a while. Is everything alright?"
"Yes, how could anything special happen when you're handling everything for me, Uncle?"
"..."
"Thanks to you, Uncle, I'm living quite comfortably."
The words were barbed.
Baron Bord's face stiffened for a moment.
"Haha, there seems to be some misunderstanding. Since my brother is unwell, I have no choice but to take on this burden. When you come of age, all this work will be yours."
Chris returned the awkward laugh with one of his own.
"I see. I have something to discuss with you, Uncle. I heard a strange story recently."
"What story?"
"A story about someone in our county colluding with the Dark Magic Houses."
"!!"
Struck by the sudden verbal dagger, Baron Bord's expression instantly hardened.
"Wh-what are you talking about?"
"Yesterday, while I was drinking, some unidentified person secretly approached me. He claimed to be a Majin from a Dark Magic House and said that someone in our county was colluding with them."
"Wh-what nonsense is this?"
"That's what I thought too, but he insisted it wasn't a lie and even brought this official seal."
Chris pretended to look around before taking out a piece of paper.
-Letter of Appointment, Black Shadow Knights.
-Merian, Knight Commander of the Black Shadow Knights.
Along with these contents, there was a seal in the shape of a black moon.
It was a temporary appointment letter that Merian had scribbled for Chris when she sent him off.
"This seal. No matter how I look at it, it seems to be the crest of the Dark Magic Houses' Black Shadow Knights. And seeing as it's imbued with the unique Magi of the Dark Magic Houses, it can't be a forgery."
"..."
"As I understand it, the Black Shadow Knights are something like an inspection unit... I doubt a Majin from such a place would make up stories. Hmm."
Baron Bord's face turned deathly pale.
Chris said nonchalantly.
"Still, it must be nonsense, right?"
"Y-yes, it must be! Or, it's a ploy to incite internal conflict! You mustn't fall for it!"
"Yes, I think so too. I'll leave it all to you, Uncle, so please investigate thoroughly. If there is a collaborator,"
Chris's lips curled into a smirk.
That familiar, chilling smile.
"they'll have to pay the price."
"!!"
Why was it?
It was his nephew's face, one he usually looked down on, but why did it send shivers down his spine?
Back in his office, Baron Bord slammed his fist on the table.
"Damn it?! What happened! They promised to keep it a secret! So how did the Black Shadow Knights find out?!"
What he'd seen earlier was truly the seal of the Black Shadow Knights.
Just as his nephew had said, it was imbued with the unique trace of Magi from the Dark Magic Houses, making it difficult to dismiss as a forgery.
The Dark Magic Houses had really caught on to the collusion.
*‘No! If this comes to light, my opponents won't stand idly by!’*
Baron Bord hadn't completely seized control of the county yet.
There were opposing factions.
Baron Bord bit his lip anxiously.
*‘There’s only one way. I have to become the absolute master of the county as soon as possible. Only then can I cover this up.’*
The problem was Young Count Roy.
As long as Roy, the rightful heir, was alive, Baron Bord could not become the master of the county.
He had to be killed.
*‘I originally planned to deal with him after taking full control of the county, but I have to hurry.’*
Recalling the chilling look in his nephew's eyes, Baron Bord clenched his teeth.
*‘I have to create an opportunity somehow...’*
He was lost in thought.
Suddenly, a piercing shout was heard.
"T-terrible news, my lord Baron!!!"
"What is it?!"
"I-it's...!!"
Baron Bord was seized by an unknown sense of foreboding.
"H-His Excellency, the Count, has passed away!!!"
*Thud.*
The pen Baron Bord was holding fell.
"...What? Say that again."
He asked again, as if in disbelief.
"His Excellency, Count Boursin, has passed away!"
"!!"
The count's sudden death.
And as he realized its meaning, Baron Bord's face turned ashen, like a corpse.
It meant that Young Count Roy would inherit the title and become the new master of the county.
* * *
*‘It’s a lie.’*
Chris whistled inwardly.
In truth, Count Boursin hadn't died.
This commotion was all due to a trick Chris had played.
*‘I used the Life Return Pill from the Divine Doctor Noble Family.’*
It was a secret medicine used to treat critically ill patients in extremely poor condition.
The problem was, this medicine put the patient into a state similar to death.
It worked by first stopping all bodily functions and then inducing a dramatic recovery.
Life support, such as breathing and nutrient intake, was replaced by the magical energy contained in the pill.
*‘His condition was quite bad, so it’ll take at least a week for him to wake up.’*
That much time was more than enough.
To bring about Baron Bord's downfall.
When he opened the door and stepped out, a pale-faced Baron Bord was standing there.
"R-Roy."
"Uncle."
Chris said placidly.
"I believe your form of address for me is incorrect."
"!!"
"We may have spoken casually until now, but as I am about to inherit the title, it would be best for you to be more careful in the future."
It was a demand for him to use honorifics.
Baron Bord bowed his head, his face flushed red.
"I-I will keep that in mind."
"Summon the vassals immediately. I have urgent matters to discuss."
Soon, the vassals were gathered in the meeting room.
Chris sat at the head of the table.
The seat that originally belonged to the count.
The seat that Baron Bord had been occupying until recently.
Some of the vassals looked surprised at his natural dignity, as if it had always been his seat.
"Is everyone here?"
"Sir Pres and the others marching toward the Dark Magic Houses are not here yet. We've sent the obituary, so they should be back within a few days."
Chris nodded.
The two armies had been on the verge of bloodshed, but this incident had prevented a clash.
"I assume you've all heard the news. From now on, I, Roy, will cast off my past wrongdoings and change. For my late father and for the county."
The reactions were divided.
Those who followed Baron Bord looked bewildered.
In contrast, Baron Bord's opponents were delighted by the young count's change.
"Then, Young Count. What about the funeral?"
"We will postpone the funeral."
"What? What do you mean?"
"I cannot hold a funeral before finding the enemy who killed my father."
"!!"
The vassals were stirred.
"What do you mean by that? An enemy? Are you saying...?"
"That's right. My father did not die of illness. It was because of a curse."
"!!"
"Look here."
Chris took out a long rod.
It was a magic tool embedded with a magic stone.
"This is a tool for identifying curses that I acquired with great difficulty. It's a rare item handcrafted by a High Meister of the Magic Tower, and its accuracy is incomparably higher than other common identification tools."
He'd snatched... no, received it as a sponsorship from the stingy pushover, Ruina.
"When I tested the tool on my father's blood, a curse was confirmed. If you don't believe me, you can check it again yourselves."
"Th-that's!"
The meeting hall erupted in chaos.
If the count had been killed by a curse, it was not a matter to be taken lightly.
"That's not all. As I mentioned separately to my uncle, Baron Bord, earlier, I received secret word from the Dark Magic Houses. They said there is someone in our county colluding with some of their Majin."
"Of course, I don't want to believe that such a terrible traitor exists in our county. But seeing my father, dead from a curse, a chilling suspicion arises."
Chris scanned the vassals.
Then, he looked directly at Baron Bord and spoke.
"!!"
"That someone colluded with a Majin from a Dark Magic House to curse my father."
"!!"
"I, Roy, swear to the heavens that I will find the culprit and make them pay the price."
The meeting ended amidst shock and astonishment.
And at the last moment.
Chris glanced at Baron Bord's face and smiled.
Heavily bloodshot eyes.
He looked as if he'd lost his reason to anxiety and unease.
He had fallen into the trap.
* * *
Afterward, Chris focused on driving Baron Bord mad.
He ordered a reinvestigation into the human sacrifice incident and a large-scale inquiry into those who patrolled the borders.
For Baron Bord, who had skeletons in his closet, it must have felt like his blood was running dry.
Just as Baron Bord's anxiety reached its peak.
Chris threw the final noose.
"I must ask for help from the Theocracy, Uncle."
"!!"
"Princess Olivia, the Saintess of the Theocracy, a descendant of the Great Star who carries the Holy Blood, should be able to uncover the truth."
"Th-that's..."
Baron Bord's face turned deathly pale.
Princess Olivia, the Theocracy's next Law King, was the greatest 'Exorcist' of her time, so she could very well uncover the truth.
"I will go to the Theocracy myself."
For a moment, Baron Bord's eyes flashed.
"Yourself?"
"Yes, the Theocracy is the spiritual pillar of our Gold Cross, so I cannot send just anyone. I don't want to cause a stir, so I will go quietly with only a small retinue. Please, keep this just between us, Uncle."
Himself.
With only a small retinue.
Hearing Chris's words, Baron Bord's heart began to pound.
Baron Bord's eyes turned bloodshot.
Menacingly.