Chapter 107
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Translator: 8uhl
Chapter: 107
Chapter Title: The Orgel of Gluttony
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*Clang! Clang!*
The bells rang, but few came rushing.
This was thanks to the preliminary ambush that had already dealt with a significant number of the guards on patrol.
Of course, given a little more time, proper forces would arrive from deeper within the castle, but by then, it would be too late.
*Fwoosh!*
A Black Sword Transformation: Fighting Flame erupted from Melin’s sword.
The destructive flame, formed from the black sword, struck the inside of the castle gate.
Specifically, the massive bolt.
The gate vibrated, and Melin once again struck the bolt with all her might.
At last.
“N-no!!!”
The majin of the Riberi family, who had arrived too late, cried out with pale faces.
*KABOOM!*
The castle gate swung open.
And then.
The Black Swamp Knights of the Cazar family, hidden in the darkness, advanced into the castle.
It was the moment a storm of blood descended upon the Riberi family.
* * *
The battle was completely one-sided.
In truth, in terms of sheer military power, there wasn't a huge difference between the Cazar and Riberi families.
After all, the Riberi family was also a top vassal house.
But even with the same strength, the outcome of a battle can be worlds apart depending on how one engages.
The Cazar family, fully prepared.
The Riberi family, caught completely off guard.
The victor was decided from the very start.
Thanks to this, Count Cazar even had the leisure to survey his surroundings.
“Our targets are the bastards of the Riberi family! Be careful not to harm any civilians!”
“Yes, sir!”
The battle, which had erupted late at night, began to draw to a close before the dawn had passed.
It was, without question, a resounding victory.
In stark contrast to the Riberi family, which had suffered tremendous losses, the Cazar side had barely sustained any significant damage.
“But this is strange. It’s too easy.”
Count Cazar remarked, a sense of unease in his voice.
Chris agreed.
“Something is off. We caught them by surprise, but for them to crumble so easily…”
“I wonder where that bastard Count Riberi has gone. He should be inside the castle.”
Strangely enough, Count Riberi was nowhere to be seen throughout the battle.
This was the decisive reason for the opponent's overwhelming defeat.
“He either fled. Or…”
Count Cazar shifted his gaze.
To the deepest part of the castle.
The Riberi family mansion, which had yet to be captured.
“He’s holed up in his fortress. Waiting for us.”
Just then, a majin sent for reconnaissance came running!
“The situation at the mansion is strange! It’s filled with a cursed mist, and we can’t get close!”
Count Cazar scoffed.
“So he doesn’t have the guts to come out and fight himself, choosing instead to set a trap in his mansion.”
“It would seem so.”
“Well, it doesn’t matter. A coward like that is no match for me.”
Count Cazar spoke with a resolute voice.
Indeed, Count Cazar was a 6-Star Upper.
In contrast, Count Riberi was a 6-Star Middle.
Considering the gap between Upper, Middle, and Lower widens as one ascends the Stars, his confidence was not misplaced.
But Chris couldn't relax.
‘Something’s wrong. Count Riberi must know he’s no match for Father. Why didn’t he run?’
Suddenly, Chris recalled the skill with curses Count Riberi had displayed in the County of Brusen.
It was a formidable expertise that couldn't be ignored.
He had a bad feeling.
“I will go with you.”
“You too?”
“Yes. I’ll be of help.”
The chances were slim, but…
There was a possibility that the worst-case scenario could occur.
He had to be there.
Fortunately, Count Cazar nodded.
Christian was a strong majin in his own right. He was past the stage of being coddled just because he was his son.
Just then, TERN, who was standing beside them, hastily spoke up.
“I-I’ll go too!”
“…TERN, you?”
“I can be of help, too! I’ll support Father and my brother from the rear with curse magic!”
Chris wore an uncertain expression.
‘I don’t think he’ll be much help.’
But he soon changed his mind.
‘…No, he might actually be useful.’
Chris recalled seeing TERN fight just moments ago.
He had grown an unbelievable amount compared to the last time.
TERN was definitely an ‘Aptitude Holder’ in the field of curses.
A spell cast by an Aptitude Holder possessed a much purer power than the same spell cast by others, so he would be helpful.
“Father, how about letting TERN come with us? It will be a good experience for him.”
After some thought, Count Cazar nodded.
“However, TERN, you are absolutely forbidden from stepping forward.”
“Yes, I will keep that in mind.”
Chris also added a warning.
“TERN, if a crisis arises, you must trust my words and follow them without fail.”
“Yes, I understand.”
TERN nodded, and Chris, looking toward the mansion, said,
“Then let’s go.”
* * *
The mansion was as splendid as one would expect, a testament to the Riberi family's prestige.
An imposing size.
Countless sculptures.
A garden so beautifully arranged it looked like a scene from a painting.
But now, it was nothing but eerie.
The majin of the Black Swamp Knights surrounded the mansion with a menacing aura.
“What’s the situation inside?”
“It’s quiet.”
“Quiet?”
“Yes, we can’t sense any presence at all.”
Again, it was incomprehensible.
If the mansion was their last bastion, they should have gathered their subordinate majin and prepared a defensive stance.
“Strange.”
“Yes, we can’t confirm the exact situation inside. The moment you step in, you’re afflicted with a curse of mental confusion.”
Count Cazar raised his gaze and surveyed the mansion’s exterior.
“‘Mad Dash.’ It’s a black magic that casts a curse of mental confusion over a wide area.”
A 6-Star Will-Thought curse.
Its range covered the entire mansion.
But Count Cazar kept tilting his head in confusion.
“I don’t understand. Why is he wasting his power like this?”
Will-Thought.
The exclusive domain of the 6-Star Master Class.
It was a powerful ability, but each use consumed a massive amount of energy.
Especially a wide-area Will Technique like that one.
“He surely doesn't think a trivial curse like this would work on me.”
*Step.*
Count Cazar stepped toward the closed doors of the mansion.
[Kyaaaaaak!]
His vision blurred chaotically as a ghastly scream echoed in his ears, but…
“Begone!”
With a single shout, the illusion shattered like glass, and he broke free from the confusion.
He had suppressed the curse with sheer force.
In the first place, wide-area black magic was advantageous for massacring large numbers of the weak; against a powerful individual like Count Cazar, its effectiveness was limited.
“You two, come in as well.”
As Christian stepped inside, the symptoms of confusion began.
He lacked the power to forcibly dispel the curse like Count Cazar.
However.
‘Only fools would fall for a curse like this.’
He unraveled the principle of the curse.
How it interfered with the mind.
Why the symptoms of confusion occurred.
After analyzing every detail of the formula, he severed its connection.
For a wide-area curse, to be nullified so easily… it was astonishing.
TERN’s performance was equally impressive.
*Woong!*
A thick, gray membrane enveloped TERN.
He had cast a ‘Curse of Malice’ upon himself.
The malice surrounding TERN repelled the curse of confusion that was assailing him.
A counter-intuitive approach—using a curse to fight a curse.
As expected, his skill was outstanding.
“Both of you are excellent. Let’s go inside.”
Count Cazar wore a look of brief satisfaction at his sons’ remarkable abilities before stepping further in.
But once they were inside.
“!”
The three of them gasped.
An unimaginable, horrific sight unfolded before them.
*Creak. Creak.*
A dissonant, grating noise of something swaying.
Countless corpses were hanging from the ceiling, dripping blood!
This was the reason no presence had been felt inside the mansion.
They had all been turned into corpses.
As the group stood frozen by the unexpectedly gruesome scene.
*Thud! Click!*
The door they had entered through slammed shut on its own and locked.
Then, every window slammed shut as well.
As if to ensure no one could escape.
And then, music echoed.
A chilling dirge filled the mansion.
Amidst the bizarre and hair-raising scene, the sound of footsteps echoed.
“It’s been a while, Count Cazar.”
“!”
It was Count Riberi.
He was dressed in black formal wear, like someone attending a funeral, and in one hand, he held an old music box from which the dirge was playing.
Chris, recognizing the music box’s identity, hardened his expression.
“Father, could that be…? From the Main House?”
“Yes, it seems so.”
Count Cazar also furrowed his brows.
“A demonic artifact, the ‘Orgel of Gluttony.’ How did that bastard get his hands on an ‘Ego Artifact’ that was supposed to be kept in the Main House?”
It referred to an artifact possessing a will of its own.
By offering it a sacrifice, the ego dwelling within the music box would assist the caster’s curse magic.
The more sacrifices offered, the more it became possible for the caster to use curses that far exceeded their own abilities.
It was a horrific tool, befitting a creation of demons.
“Heh heh, what do you think is so great about power? I am the foremost vassal of the Dark Magic House. Unlike you, who was cast out to a branch family despite being of the bloodline, acquiring an artifact of this caliber is no difficult task. By the way.”
Count Riberi’s cold eyes stared at Christian.
“To think I would end up in this state. I never imagined it. It must be because of you, Young Lord Christian.”
“!”
“Don’t even think about leaving here alive.”
Count Cazar stepped forward, his face grim.
“Shut your mouth. Do you think I’ll let you have your way?”
“Heh heh heh, you seem to be misunderstanding something. Young Lord Christian isn’t the only one who will die here today.”
Count Riberi’s eyes shone with an intense light.
“You too, Count Cazar.”
“!”
The pitch of the music box began to rise.
Followed by a horrific whisper.
[Keee… kik. Give… me… food… blood…! H… hurry…!]
It was the ‘ego’ of the music box.
Perhaps it contained a fragment of a demon, as just hearing its voice sent an ominous chill down the spine.
Count Riberi burst into a maniacal laugh and shouted.
“I have prepared the sacrifices, so eat your fill, all of you. And play a curse for me!”
*Fwaaat!*
The blood from the bodies hanging from the ceiling began to be siphoned into the music box.
[Kikik! Kiiik!!!]
As it absorbed the blood, the melody of the dirge grew deeper.
As if sinking into an abyss.
Count Riberi’s body was dyed a deep gray, and an ominous aura flowed from the music box.
He was about to manifest a curse through the artifact!
“Father!”
“I know!”
*Fwaaat!*
Count Cazar’s sword was engulfed in black darkness.
A Black Aura Blade.
No, this was no ordinary Black Aura Blade.
The darkness of the blade deepened, as if submerged in an abyss.
Curses began to imbue it.
The ‘Curse of Frenzy,’ which maximized attack power.
The ‘Curse of Shattering,’ which annihilated the opponent’s defense.
It wasn't just once.
The two curses were endlessly layered, embedding themselves into the Black Aura Blade, and after dozens of repetitions, a perfect sense of ruin resided within it.
On top of that, he added the ‘Predator’s Bind,’ which fundamentally sealed the target’s ability to evade.
It was Count Cazar’s Will Technique, the ‘Blade of Annihilation.’
An anti-personnel Will Technique capable of inflicting a more fatal blow than any other attack.
Moreover, once targeted, it was impossible to dodge.
*Fwaaat!*
In a flash, the Blade of Annihilation reached Count Riberi.