Chapter 25
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Translator: 8uhl
Chapter: 25
Chapter Title: The Sacred Black Ceremony
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“I was genuinely asking you to be like family to me, Aunt. It wasn't a calculated request for you to become my strength or anything of the sort.”
“!!”
Merian looked taken aback.
“How audacious. Are you saying your request was truly that pure?”
Chris spoke honestly.
“Of course, if you were to grow fond of me as family and subtly help me out, even if I didn't ask for it... I wouldn't be able to refuse.”
“What? Haha! You cunning boy.”
Merian burst into laughter at Chris's bold words.
If Chris had blatantly asked her to be on his side, she would have refused.
Conversely, if he had feigned purity and completely hidden his ambition, she would have refused as well.
But the cunning way he spoke, without hiding his ambition, made her not want to refuse.
“This isn't something I should normally do, but…”
Merian picked up another cookie and bit into it with her red lips.
As expected, the taste was fantastic.
“For a nephew who makes and gifts such delicious cookies… it’s only right that I cherish him.”
‘Yes!’ Chris cheered inwardly.
It worked.
“In return, this cookie… can I taste it again?”
“That depends on what you do for me, Aunt.”
“What?”
“If you disappoint me, I might get sulky, and I don't think I'll be able to make them taste this good.”
At his request to treat him well in the future, Merian laughed again.
The conversation was delightful.
“Alright. In that case, may I say something to you as your true aunt?”
“Please, speak.”
“How about joining the Black Shadow Knights?”
“!!”
Chris's expression hardened.
“That is…”
“I know. You desire the position of Prince? You're aiming to become the master of the Dark Magic House?”
“Yes, that's correct.”
Merian continued, her gaze heavy.
“Your performance during the duel with Melin was outstanding. I have never seen anyone with talent like yours. Perhaps you truly possess a talent that surpasses even the Old Lord.”
“……”
“But your competitors are not to be underestimated. I worry you will perish before your talent can fully bloom.”
Perish.
It meant death.
Dying in an ‘unfortunate accident’ during a succession struggle was a common occurrence in any family.
‘It’s not an unfounded concern.’
Although he had defeated Melin today, it couldn't be called a proper victory.
Without the holy sword and the treasure that defended against curses, the match would have been over in an instant.
The princes of the Main House were by no means inferior to Melin.
‘Especially since those at the level of Prince won't have gear any worse than mine.’
Their magic swords capable of countering a holy sword and various other auxiliary magic tools would be beyond comparison.
In other words, if Chris were to fight the princes of the Main House now, he would surely lose.
At least, for ‘now’.
“You're worried about me, Aunt.”
“Yes. If you come to the Black Shadow Knights, I will protect you. You would be more than capable of becoming the next Knight Commander. No, you could achieve even more. Though you wouldn't be able to become the Head of the House.”
Count Cazar, who had been listening to their conversation from the side, nodded in agreement.
It seemed the Count had been worried as well.
Becoming a Prince meant stepping into a vicious free-for-all.
Especially since he was from a branch family, he would become a target for everyone.
However.
“If I aim for the Dark Magic House but can't overcome such a trivial obstacle, I might as well go die.”
“!!”
“And more importantly, Aunt, I don't think you saw my true worth today.”
Chris raised the corners of his mouth confidently.
“Because I, for one, don't think I'll lose.”
Merian fell silent.
Such absurd confidence.
Come to think of it, he had been the same way before fighting Melin.
And then, he had achieved an unbelievable victory.
‘…I just don’t understand.’
She should be scoffing at his ridiculous self-assurance.
But she wasn't.
Instead, a dry laugh escaped her as she thought that maybe, just maybe, it could really happen.
“…Alright, I understand. You are a Majin, so I cannot stop you from walking the bloody path you have chosen.”
“Thank you.”
“However, let me offer one more piece of advice out of concern.”
Merian was fully mounted on her horse.
She was about to depart.
“Be wary of the First Princess.”
“The First Princess, you say?”
Chris looked puzzled.
There were five princes and princesses in the Main House.
Three men and two women.
The First Princess was the third of the five, the younger sister of the Second Prince, Eshid, who was considered the most likely successor.
“Yes. People consider Eshid the most likely candidate. That's not wrong, but…”
Merian spoke softly.
“In my opinion, the most fearsome of the five children is the First Princess, Yurian.”
Chris listened carefully to Merian's words.
Merian was part of the Black Shadow Knights, who monitored the inner workings of the family.
So her words were likely accurate.
The First Princess, Yurian, was hiding claws that others didn't know about.
He also noted that Merian had used the word ‘fearsome.’
There had to be a reason she used such an ominous term.
“Thank you. I’ll keep that in mind.”
He had learned of another unexpected, powerful rival, but it didn't matter.
He planned to crush them all, no matter who they were.
“I will see you at the Main House.”
Merian nodded at his farewell, then spurred her horse and vanished.
“……”
Chris watched her back disappear into the darkness for a moment.
‘She’s strong.’
Both Count Cazar and Merian were strong.
A remarkable 6-Star.
In the Light Faction, they would be powerful figures renowned on a national level.
Yet Chris had never even heard their names during the Great War.
Just how many powerful individuals like them did the Magitech Empire have?
‘There’s a reason the Light Faction lost. They were completely outmatched in terms of power.’
Chris thought.
‘I must become stronger, much stronger.’
Though he was an undeniable genius, he still had a long way to go.
To stand at the pinnacle of the Magitech Empire and prevent the coming catastrophe.
And.
‘To enjoy the greatest wealth and glory!’
Chris returned to his room.
He ran into Tern again, who seemed to want to ramble on about something, but Chris found it bothersome and ignored him.
First, he planned to reach 2-Star.
* * *
A few days later.
“Hoo.”
Chris exhaled a long breath.
From his outstretched hand, a burst of dark energy flared up.
It was magi.
The stage where one could emit magi outside the body—he had reached the level of a 2-Star!
‘It took a little over a month since I reached 1-Star.’
To be exact, it took one month and five days.
An unbelievable speed.
It was a story others wouldn't believe if they heard it.
But Chris looked unsatisfied.
‘It took a bit longer than I expected. I originally planned to cut it down to a month.’
It was because he had been training in swordsmanship and various black magic spells simultaneously.
Thanks to that, he had mastered the swordsmanship of the Cazar County, including the Mud Cleaving Sword Style and the Black Scythe Sword Style, to a level of perfection.
—…Crazy.
That had been Count Cazar's reaction upon seeing Chris's swordsmanship.
In terms of form, which measured swordsmanship proficiency, it was perfect. It was on par with Count Cazar, who had trained for decades.
And that wasn't all.
‘I've gotten used to black magic too.’
He had learned every black magic spell in the archives of the Cazar County.
While curses were the main focus, he had also learned other black magic from the schools of Destruction, Illusion, Summoning, and Bloodline.
He had memorized all the black magic spells for 1-Star and higher. Since he understood them perfectly, he would be able to use them once he reached the appropriate level.
‘The amount of magi is a bit lacking. Even if I'm a genius, it's hard to accumulate magi quickly.’
There were two things even his talent couldn't overcome.
First was physical training.
Of course, he gained more from less training than others, but he still had to train consistently.
The second was magi.
It was the same story.
Magi was accumulated through breathing techniques.
His exceptional senses allowed him to accumulate a far greater amount with less effort than others.
But there was still a limit.
The amount of magi one possessed was absolutely dependent on the time spent training.
‘Unless I take an elixir or something.’
Chris thought to himself.
Fortunately, unlike physical strength, there was an alternative.
‘If I take an elixir, I'll be able to reach the Star levels faster too.’
Reaching the levels represented by Stars required several conditions.
Enlightenment, proficiency.
And the accumulation of magi.
Taking an elixir could drastically reduce the time needed to accumulate this magi.
‘In fact, many talents from noble families raise their levels quickly through elixirs. Since I'm of a noble magic lineage, will I have a chance to take one? Among the famous elixirs of the Dark Magic House… there was the Black Dan.’
Each noble magic house possessed its own elixir to amplify magi.
The problem was that only the direct line monopolized them.
The truly good elixirs were monopolized by the legitimate successor, and it was certain that only dregs would fall to him.
‘At best, I'll probably only get something like a Gray Dan, a counterfeit elixir with less than a quarter of the effect. Is there a way to obtain the Black Dan?’
Chris narrowed his eyes.
He couldn't obtain it through normal means.
He had to use some kind of trick.
He recalled the process of making the Black Dan.
There was a period when they periodically hunted for the raw materials of the Black Dan.
‘It happens to be soon. Is there a way?’
Just then, Mari approached, her ghostly tail swaying.
[Congratulations... on reaching a new level. To celebrate... how about a glass of virgin's blood juice?]
“…No thanks.”
[Or, how about... a sirloin steak, drenched in blood? Beef is... the best, after all?]
That was tempting.
After all, the pinnacle of all food was beef.
From the perspective of Chris, who also had an exceptional talent for cooking, there was no dish in the world that could surpass beef.
‘And somehow, beef cooked by an orc feels like it would be even more delicious.’
It was probably a stereotype, but barbecue suited an orc chef better than dessert.
“Alright, beef is the best.”
[Ohoho… I will have them prepare it to be as bloody as possible.]
As he was happily waiting for his beef, he received an unexpected summons.
“Young Master, the Count is calling for you.”
“Father?”
“Yes.”
Chris went to find Count Cazar.
“Father, it's me.”
“Yes, come in. I have something to tell you.”
Chris tilted his head.
Count Cazar's expression was dark.
It seemed something was wrong.
“What is it?”
“I sent word to the Main House about the Sacred Black Ceremony. That you and Tern would be undergoing it this time.”
“And?”
“Only Tern was approved. They said they cannot permit you to participate.”
“…Why is that?”
Count Cazar let out a sigh.
“The reason is that they cannot allow you, who has sullied the family's honor until now, to undergo the Sacred Black Ceremony, a holy ritual of the Dark Magic House.”
Chris furrowed his brow.
“Whose opinion is that exactly? Is it the will of the Acting Head, Marquis Langham?”
If so, it would not be easy to resolve.
But Count Cazar said something unexpected.
“No, it's not. Perhaps because of what Eshid did to you, which was recently revealed, Marquis Langham didn't express any particular opinion.”
“Then?”
“It seems those who are scheduled to undergo the Sacred Black Ceremony with you voiced their opposition.”
“Those who will undergo it with me… you mean Roin de Baron?”
Roin de Baron.
As the ‘de’ in his name suggested, he was of the Main House's direct bloodline.
The star of this Sacred Black Ceremony.