Chapter 113
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Translator: 8uhl
Chapter: 113
Chapter Title: The Duke's Challenge
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A smirk played on Chris's lips.
A way to make Ruina rush to find him without having to contact her directly.
It was simple.
He just had to clean out her casino.
“Go!”
“Queen, Spade, Cross!”
“All in!”
Chris, like a fish in water, swept through the casino, and the onlookers watched him with appalled faces.
“How is Young Lord Christian so good at gambling?”
“Is this a skill from his scoundrel days that never left him?”
“His eyes are completely crazed with gambling. He looks like he’s trying to bankrupt the entire place!”
Chris shuffled the cards with a thrilled expression.
He’d started with the goal of summoning Ruina, but as he played, he got serious.
‘It’s been so long since I’ve had any fun.’
Come to think of it, he hadn't rested at all recently.
Knowing a series of hardships lay ahead, he decided to play for real while he had the chance, immersing himself in the games.
In other words, he was fleecing the casino with the intent to truly bankrupt it.
‘Well, Ruina and I are practically in the same boat, so her money is my money. It should be fine to take it all.’
Just as Chris was engrossed in his game, nonchalantly thinking something so outrageous it would make Ruina jump out of her skin…
“…Please, stop.”
A pale, strained voice reached him.
Ruina had arrived.
Having heard an urgent report that her casino was on the verge of bankruptcy.
* * *
As usual, the two went up to a hotel room attached to the casino.
Once they were alone, Ruina removed her male disguise and returned to her true form.
“How much did you just take?! Do you have some kind of grudge against my casino?!”
“Ah, I had no other way to contact you. I figured you’d show up if I played a few games. I might have taken a little too much by accident, but you’re not upset, are you?”
A little too much.
At those infuriating words, a vein popped on Ruina’s forehead.
“Gah! How long are you going to treat me like a pushover?!”
“Oh? My apologies if you’re upset. I came to you because I thought we were close, but I guess I was mistaken. I suppose I’ll have to cancel my plans to speak with the Bursen County about giving your guild exclusive rights to certain goods.”
“……”
Exclusive rights.
Ruina flinched.
Chris continued, teasing her.
“I thought we were pretty close, you and I. Seems I was the only one who felt that way.”
“N-No, that’s not it! We are close! I am your eternal, loyal servant, Young Lord!”
“Didn’t you just tell me not to treat you like a pushover?”
“Who would say such a thing?! Why does this mouth of mine always spout such nonsense? Hmph, smack, smack, it needs to be taught a lesson!”
“Don’t overdo it.”
“…Yes.”
Ruina asked cautiously.
“Are you really going to give our guild exclusive rights to goods from the Bursen County?”
“Yes. You played a part in helping Young Count Roy, so you deserve a reward.”
It was with Ruina’s help that he’d been able to abduct Young Count Roy.
‘I’m the type to settle my accounts, after all.’
The formula was just excessively skewed in his favor. Chris wasn’t the type to take without giving anything in return.
“Thank you! Please, call me your eternal pushover, Young Lord!”
Delighted by the unexpected reward, Ruina bowed a full 150 degrees in gratitude.
The disconnect between her demure, pretty face and her actions was jarring, but Ruina had always been like this, even in his past life.
Ruina began to flatter him in a sycophantic tone, like a conniving courtier rubbing their hands together.
“You have no idea what a great fortune it was for this Ruina to meet you, Young Lord. You can’t imagine how much I thank the heavens for our connection.”
“I told you not to overdo it.”
“Oh-ho-ho, but I’m being sincere. Everything in the Law Nation is proceeding exactly as you said it would. Thanks to your grace, my heart flutters so much at the thought of how much money I’ll make from this that I can barely sleep at night.”
Seeing the dream of a massive jackpot swelling in Ruina’s eyes, Chris fell silent for a moment.
‘…It’s not going to be the kind of jackpot Ruina is expecting.’
Considering only the outcome, Ruina’s expectations weren’t wrong.
She would make an enormous amount of money.
But there was something Ruina didn’t know.
About the hellish ordeal he would have to go through in the process.
‘Well, there’s no such thing as a free lunch. To pick the sweet fruit, you have to suffer for it.’
Chris thought shamelessly before speaking.
“You’re grateful to me, right?”
“Yes? Yes? Of course. This Ruina will always pledge her loyalty to you, Young Lord!”
“Then prepare the items I’m about to list.”
“……”
For a moment, Ruina’s face stiffened.
“Oh-ho-ho, what kind of items?”
“Nothing much. A few magic stones, a couple of artifacts, and maybe one relic?”
“……”
He listed the specific items, and as expected, they were all outrageously expensive.
“You… you, thief… no, esteemed thief…”
“What? You don’t want to?”
“N-No! Of course not! Oh-ho-ho!”
Ruina frantically shook her head.
‘This devil! Just you wait until this is over! I’m done with you! We’re finished, finished!!’
Seeing her inner thoughts written all over her face, Chris snickered.
“I’m not trying to take them for free. I have a conscience. I’ll pay you a fair price.”
He planned to hunt demonic beasts in Gehenna and bring her some of the valuable byproducts.
They would be incomparably more valuable than parts from terrestrial beasts, so it would be a decent payment.
“Really?”
“Yes. Have I ever taken anything from you for free?”
“…W-Well.”
Ruina replied with an awkward expression.
It always felt like she was being extorted, but looking back, Christian had paid her in his own way.
The thought of getting paid brightened Ruina’s expression, and her tone became instantly friendly.
“Oh-ho-ho. In that case, I will trust you and prepare everything. Is there anything else you need besides what you’ve mentioned?”
“Nothing else for now. Ah, how are things with the Gold Cross?”
“Just as you said, Young Lord, the ‘anomaly’ has begun to appear. We’ve also confirmed that the Law Nation is making some kind of move.”
Chris nodded.
The Gold Cross tragedy was truly just around the corner.
‘It should happen right after the Judgment Duel ends.’
It was an event that would be a crucial turning point for the future.
How this tragedy was handled would drastically alter the future.
‘This incident will have a huge impact on the Magitech Empire as well.’
Ultimately, the aftermath of this incident would lead to the Four Kings Castle making its move.
In other words, it was the event that would trigger the beginning of the Age of Ruin.
That wasn’t all.
The future of the Gold Cross—or more precisely, the Law Nation—would also change dramatically.
‘…Though I couldn’t care less what happens to the Law Nation.’
For a moment, Chris’s eyes turned cold.
It was a change so sudden it startled Ruina.
It couldn’t be helped.
The royal family of the Law Nation.
That was Chris’s original family.
The ones who had subjected him to hellish torment during his childhood in his past life.
Honestly, Chris hoped the Law Nation would fall.
Except for one person.
Olivia.
His younger sister, who had been a single ray of warmth in that hellish suffering.
If not for her, he wouldn’t have cared about the Law Nation’s future at all.
‘…I wonder if she’s doing well.’
Chris considered asking Ruina about Olivia but decided against it.
‘She must be. Now that I’m gone.’
The only flaw of Olivia, revered as the Little Law King and Saintess, had been the existence of ‘Chris’.
The most important role of the Law King was to rally the Gold Cross against the evil Magitech Empire.
But she had protected Chris, who was scorned as the seed of a demon, so how great must the political burden have been?
Now that ‘Chris’ was dead and gone, the obstacle blocking Olivia’s path had been removed.
‘If she handles this tragedy well, her future will be secure.’
Chris vowed to resolve this tragedy perfectly, if only to repay the kindness she had shown him in his past life.
‘To do that, I have to get as strong as possible this month.’
With firm resolve, he returned to the family estate.
When he arrived, Simon was waiting for him.
“The Head is looking for you.”
“Is it about using the Spot?”
“Yes.”
But Simon’s expression was strange.
A mix of trouble and anticipation.
Chris realized what was happening.
“Did the Head refuse?”
“Yes. The Spot is not a place to be used for mere training. Above all, it is too dangerous. However, he did set a condition.”
“A condition?”
“He said he will give you a test, and if you can prove your qualifications, he will grant permission.”
“A test? What exactly does it entail?”
“A duel.”
“…What?”
Simon grinned.
As if he found the situation incredibly amusing.
“A one-on-one duel with the Head. He said you must prove your worth in a fight against him.”
* * *
He headed to the secret training ground.
Merian and Count Cazar were already there, their faces stiff, and in the center of the training ground, he saw the body of a young boy—Nordian’s avatar—sitting in a chair.
As Christian arrived, the young boy’s body snapped its eyes open.
Nordian’s consciousness had descended.
“Greetings, Head of the family.”
[Did you hear the details from Simon?]
When Christian nodded, Nordian spoke coldly.
[Why do you think I set such a condition?]
“Is it not to verify my qualifications, given the danger of the forbidden zone?”
[Wrong.]
A sharp glint flared in Nordian’s eyes.
Simultaneously, an overwhelming pressure washed over him.
[It is to correct your reckless impudence.]
“!!”
[How dare you ask to use the forbidden zone? Do you not know your place?]
In truth.
Despite his wrathful tone, Nordian wasn’t actually angry.
Christian’s bold audacity was something he couldn’t see in the other pathetic members of the family.
To be honest, he even felt a certain degree of pride.
But there was a limit.
‘To ask me to open the Spot. And just to use it as a training ground?’
The forbidden zone of the Dark Magic House.
The Territory.
It was, quite literally, an intermediate zone between Gehenna and the mortal world.
As long as one didn’t cross into Gehenna’s domain, demons and the Mazoku wouldn’t appear, but all sorts of dangerous demonic beasts roamed there instead.
One had to be at least a 6-Star Master Class to ensure their safety in the Territory.
‘This child knows no limits. He’s too reckless.’
Perhaps it was because of his prodigious talent.
He took dangerous gambles far too easily.
He hadn’t failed so far, but such luck wouldn’t always be on his side.
As an elder of the family, Nordian decided to instill a sense of caution in Christian.
[I will use only 2-Star level magi, half of your own capacity. If you can manage to touch the hem of my clothes even once, by any means, I will acknowledge your victory and open the forbidden zone for you.]
It was an extraordinary offer.
But no one would think this condition was easy.
Nordian was an 8-Star Absolute Realm, an ‘Almighty’ Class.
Moreover, he was at the upper echelons of that stage, nearing 9-Star.