Chapter 2
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Translator: 8uhl
Chapter: 2
Chapter Title: The Punishment Cave
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‘What should I do now?’
After regressing, Chris pondered.
The goal was set.
To rise to the pinnacle of the Magitech Empire, achieving wealth and glory while simultaneously saving the world.
To do that?
‘I need to get this Dark Magic House in my hands first.’
Fortunately, the family of the body he now inhabited, the Dark Magic House, was one of the twelve great houses that supported the Magitech Empire like pillars.
If he could bring such a powerful house under his control, he would be one step closer to his goal.
‘The problem is, I’m not from the direct bloodline, but a collateral branch.’
The name of the body he inhabited was ‘Christian van Baron Cazar’.
Coincidentally, it was similar to his original name, Chris.
The important part was the middle name.
‘Van,’ which signified a collateral branch.
In other words, he was the son of the County of Cazar, a collateral family to the Dark Magic House’s Duchy of Baron.
‘It doesn’t matter, though. The Magitech Empire recognizes the right of succession even for collateral bloodlines.’
This meant it was possible to take control of the main house even if you came from a collateral family.
Of course, there was a condition.
—If you have the ability.
To put it more bluntly.
—If you are overwhelmingly superior enough to crush the direct bloodline.
In short, he had to display abilities far superior to the numerous competitors from the direct line.
One fortunate thing was that the Magitech Empire was a place where the strong reigned supreme.
A bunch of lunatics obsessed with power.
That was what Majin were.
All I have to do is become strong.
‘First, I need to shed this scoundrel persona.’
With that in mind, he went to see his father.
Count Cazar.
The master of the County of Cazar, a collateral family of the Dark Magic House.
“What is it?”
His father, Count Cazar, greeted him.
A chilling demonic energy emanated from him.
‘A 6-Star high-ranking Majin.’
A powerhouse he rarely encountered even in his past life.
His father’s eyes were filled with contempt.
It was only natural.
‘Because I’m a complete scoundrel.’
To be precise, the original owner of this body was a complete scoundrel.
He sighed, but it was something he had to overcome.
“How long has it been since your last incident? How dare you show your face so shamelessly? Did I not tell you to reflect on your actions! Or did you lose your patience and cause trouble again?”
“…It’s not like that.”
“Then what? If you’re here to pull some trick, get lost. I feel like slitting your throat this very instant.”
His father, Count Cazar, seemed to have no desire to speak further with his son.
He spoke quickly.
“I came to apologize for the wrongs I have committed until now.”
“…What?”
“I am sorry for my past wrongdoings. Truly.”
Chris said, bowing his head.
Count Cazar froze for a moment.
Then he erupted in anger.
“You, how can you say that now! After causing such a terrible incident just the other day, what, an apology? Are you mocking me?”
A fierce pressure, sharp enough to make his skin crawl, washed over him.
It was the reaction he had expected.
Chris continued calmly.
“I understand that you don’t believe me. As you know, I have currently lost a part of my memory.”
He had fabricated the story of losing some of his memory after inhabiting this body.
“Because of that, I’ve been able to think objectively about my past mistakes and have come to reflect on them deeply.”
“…”
“I will say it again. I am sorry.”
Count Cazar stood stiffly, his mouth shut, glaring fiercely at Chris.
As expected, he didn't look like he believed him at all.
Only disbelief and anger filled his eyes.
It was only natural.
Chris hadn't expected to win his father over with a single apology.
This apology had another purpose.
It was groundwork.
“Just saying I’m sorry is meaningless. I will reflect on my past transgressions. Please send me to the Punishment Cave.”
“!!”
“For one month. I will spend a month reflecting on my past mistakes and then come out.”
For the first time, Count Cazar’s expression changed.
“Do you even know what kind of place the Punishment Cave is?”
“Yes.”
Chris knew the world of the Majin in detail.
Because there had been a Majin in the Hero’s party.
None other than the ‘Chatterbox of Darkness’.
True to her nickname, she was a chatterbox who endlessly talked about the world of the Majin, even when not asked.
‘She talked about the Punishment Cave, too.’
It was a place where high-ranking Majin were punished for their crimes, a place where not a single ray of light entered and all five senses were blocked.
A place that could shatter one’s mind after just a few days.
‘It’s the perfect place for me right now. I need a place where I can be alone for a while, away from prying eyes.’
Count Cazar wore a scornful expression.
“You want to stay in the Punishment Cave for a month? You won’t even last half a day.”
“I know it is a difficult place. But I believe I must endure it.”
“You must endure it?”
“Yes, because I need to go that far to change.”
“!!”
Chris looked Count Cazar straight in the eye.
“I will no longer live like this. I will change.”
“…”
Did he sense something different in his son’s spirit?
Count Cazar fell silent.
“You’ll change, you say?”
“Yes, I will.”
But Count Cazar let out a hollow laugh.
“Do you know how many times you’ve said that to me? Every time you commit a huge mistake, you say the same thing. That you’ll change. That I should watch you. I can remember at least ten times. And every single time, you’ve only brought me great disappointment.”
“…”
“Regardless, fine. I will open the family’s Punishment Cave. No matter how much you beg from inside, the door will not open until a month has passed. If you can’t take it, you might as well die in there.”
You might as well die.
For a father to say to his son, it was brutal, but considering this was the empire of the Majin, Count Cazar’s reaction was actually quite ‘mild.’
“Understood.”
“And one more thing.”
Count Cazar glared at Chris with piercing eyes.
“This is the last time I will overlook your disgraceful behavior. If you do not change as you say, I will disown you from the family.”
Disownment.
That meant death.
There were more than a few Majin who ground their teeth at him for all the atrocities he had committed.
The moment the family’s protection was gone, he would be torn to shreds.
“I understand. In return, if I change as promised, please grant me one request.”
“A request?”
Count Cazar looked dumbfounded.
Then he spoke fiercely.
“Fine. If you truly change, I will grant you any request. But you’d better remember this. If you disappoint me again, I won’t just disown you. I’ll throw you into the lion’s den alive.”
Count Cazar spat out coldly.
Thus, the conversation with his father ended, and Chris began to prepare to enter the Punishment Cave.
The family servants whispered among themselves, making sure Chris couldn’t hear.
“I heard the scoundrel is going into the Punishment Cave?”
“What kind of trick is he trying to pull this time?”
“Well, the incident a while back was so serious, he’s probably just trying to escape the Count’s wrath for a bit, don’t you think?”
“True, he did insult the Young Lady of the Extreme Poison House. And a direct descendant at that.”
The Extreme Poison House.
Like the Dark Magic House, it was one of the twelve pillars supporting the Magitech Empire.
To insult the direct heiress of such a place, no matter how much of a degenerate he was.
It was an act of pure madness.
“I heard the Count had to personally apologize to the Extreme Poison House to smooth over that scoundrel’s mistake.”
“Ha, the Count is not very Majin-like. If he were my son, I’d have cut off an arm and a leg long ago.”
“From what I hear, the higher-ups in the main house were also furious about what that degenerate did this time. He lost face to their rivals, the Extreme Poison House.”
“So, the scoundrel is probably going into the Punishment Cave to lay low. Of course, he won’t last long in there.”
The servants sneered.
“How long do you think he’ll last?”
“Two days at most?”
“I give him a day.”
“I say half a day.”
The members of the household made bets on how long Chris would last in the Punishment Cave.
The longest bet was two days.
Most people expected Chris to be crying and begging for his life within half a day, or even just a few hours.
Regardless of what others chattered about, Chris diligently prepared to enter the Punishment Cave.
‘Alright. Preparations complete.’
He looked at the luggage he had prepared with an admiring expression.
‘Being from a great house is nice. To get Magic Stones this easily. And all kinds of them, too.’
He just had to say the word, and his subordinates would bring him exactly what he needed.
It was something he couldn’t have even imagined in his previous life.
‘Isn’t this Magic Stone really rare? The Hero and I went through hell to get this.’
Chris clicked his tongue in amazement and stood up.
He headed straight for the Punishment Cave.
A ‘Death Knight’ summoned through necromancy was guarding the entrance to the Punishment Cave.
‘Using a Death Knight as a guard. How typical of the Magitech Empire. It’s not going to move on its own, is it?’
Chris looked at the Death Knight with a bewildered expression.
Fortunately, the Death Knight remained motionless.
Relieved, he was about to enter the Punishment Cave when an unexpected voice stopped him.
“Brother.”
He turned his gaze to see a boy who looked just like this body staring at him.
It was a familiar face.
Chris called out the other’s name.
“TERN.”
TERN van Baron Cazar.
As his name suggested, he was his younger brother.
Unlike him, the notorious scoundrel, TERN was a diligent model student.
And.
‘The one who will play a decisive role in this body’s death two years from now.’
His Majin companion, the ‘Chatterbox of Darkness,’ had told him all sorts of stories about Majin society, and among them was the story of Christian, the body he now inhabited.
She had told him what kind of scoundrel Christian was and how he eventually met a miserable end, and at the center of it all was the TERN standing before him now.
“What is it?”
It was a future event, but thinking that this person was the one who would cause his current body's death, his words didn't come out kindly.
‘Our relationship seems to be bad anyway.’
Even now, isn't it obvious he's here to pick a fight?
“Judging by your expression, it doesn’t seem like you came here out of concern for me.”
TERN’s eyebrow twitched.
“…Of course I didn’t come for that reason.”
TERN replied coldly and took a step forward.
*Step.* The distance between them closed.
As the distance narrowed, a biting tension rose in the air.
“I came to warn you.”
“!!”
Contempt filled TERN’s red eyes as he looked at Chris.
“You’re well aware that you’re the shame of this family. I don’t know what kind of scheme you’re plotting now.”
*Fshhh!*
A chilling blade rested against Chris’s neck.
“If you tarnish the family’s honor again, I swear, I will kill you myself.”
“…”
Chris glanced sideways.
The skin touching the blade stung, and a trickle of blood ran down.
‘That hurts, damn it.’
Chris swallowed the curse.
He wasn’t so much scared as he was annoyed.
‘I’ve been through hell and back. You think a threat like this is going to scare me?’
This was Chris, who had experienced all sorts of things and accumulated countless achievements during the Age of Ruin.
Of course, there was no way he would feel threatened by such a petty threat.
“Move it.”
“…What?”
“I said, move it.”