Chapter 29
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Translator: 8uhl
Chapter: 29
Chapter Title: Raising the Stakes
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“No, you should be the one apologizing. Do that, and I'll forgive you.”
“…What?”
“The disrespect you’ve shown me. Get on your knees and apologize, and I’ll make a special exception and forgive you.”
Rather than anger, the man looked dumbfounded.
His reaction was one of disbelief, as if wondering if he'd heard correctly.
Chris twisted his lips into a smirk and delivered the final blow.
“Ah, is it because you’re a blond bastard from a stolen seed that you don’t know the meaning of honor? Oh wait, was I not supposed to bring that up?”
“You son of a bitch!!!”
The Dark Magic Houses are characterized by black hair and blood-red eyes.
This man, however, had blond hair.
Occasionally, someone is born with a different hair color, and they are often pointed at and accused of being the product of an outside seed.
‘Was mocking him about that a bit too much?’
But a proper taunt should be merciless and severe.
“Seeing you fly off the handle like that, I guess the rumors are true. You were sired by an outsider, so of course you wouldn't know a thing about honor.”
“Graaaah!! You bastard!!”
The effect was instantaneous.
The man finally lost his composure and charged at him.
“Young Master Chris!”
“Look out…!!”
Allos's movements were so vicious that the Majin cried out in alarm.
A figure charging recklessly, blinded by rage.
“I'll kill you!!!”
A maddening killing intent was infused into his demonic energy.
But Chris just snickered.
“Pathetic.”
At Chris's subsequent movement, Allos's eyes widened.
Chris's right foot took a step forward.
His shoulder twisted, and with that simple motion, Allos's attack was nullified.
A clean dodge.
‘How could that scoundrel?’
Allos belatedly realized that in his rage, his movements had been too wide. Full of openings.
That was why the scoundrel had been able to dodge.
But he wasn't too worried.
His opponent was Chris, after all.
The discarded waste of the Dark Houses, a mere ruffian.
He could beat him down with his own strength any time he wante—
Just as that thought crossed his mind.
“You think that’s enough?”
A sudden chill ran down Allos's spine.
Chris's cold gaze was fixed on him.
Only then did Allos realize that Chris had entered his range.
That Chris's arm was already drawn back.
He realized that at this angle, at this distance, there was no way to avoid the coming attack.
It was a late realization.
‘Wai…t?’
*Pow!!*
Stars exploded in Allos's vision.
The impact was like being struck by a hammer.
A groan escaped his lips involuntarily.
Chris's sardonic voice reached him.
“The wrong you've done to me. If you want forgiveness, you can get on your knees and apologize anytime.”
He said curtly.
“I'm a generous man, after all.”
And so.
The duel... no, the beating began.
* * *
The duel didn't take long to conclude.
Allos was beaten to a pulp and carried away unconscious.
‘Well, this much is simple enough.’
Chris thought to himself.
Allos was his peer.
At best, a 2-Star Majin.
Moreover, the specialty of the County of Tiramin was 'Demonic Training,' the art of handling demonic beasts.
A Majin who practiced Demonic Training fighting bare-handed was like a swordsman getting into a fistfight without his sword.
Normally, he would never engage in such a bare-handed fight, but he'd made the mistake of underestimating Chris.
“…Will you be alright?”
The Majin asked cautiously.
Although the other party had been the one to start it, they seemed worried that he had so thoroughly beaten the young master of the County of Tiramin.
Chris answered nonchalantly.
“I was merely fighting for my honor.”
“!!”
The Majin gasped.
He was right.
But the world wasn't so simple.
“It's highly likely that Count Tiramin won't let this go.”
Chris was silent for a moment.
‘Probably.’
Count Tiramin never liked Chris to begin with.
To be precise, he hated the County of Cazar.
The County of Cazar and the County of Tiramin were rivals, sworn enemies.
They snarled at each other at every opportunity, so there was no way they would let this incident slide.
“It's fine.”
“Young Master?”
“I have a plan. Don't worry.”
These were not empty words.
Even Count Tiramin's rage was part of Chris's plan.
[Ohoho. My young master is truly one of a kind. My little heart is pounding at the sight of your magnificent form today.]
“Hic?!”
“A-a ghost?!”
The Majin were terrified by the sudden appearance of the beautiful, ethereal Banshee.
Chris was just as surprised.
“Mari, when did you...?”
[I hid in your luggage. I am the maid who promised you eternity. I must attend to your needs.]
“…I don't need you to.”
[Ohoho. You're so adorable when you're shy. I know you've been missing my bedtime services.]
Excited, Mari flapped her ghostly tail and floated around in the air.
[You must be hungry. I'll go fetch some virgin's blood juice.]
“…Forget it. Alcohol.”
[Alcohol…?]
Mari tilted her head, and the Majin also looked surprised.
They had expected him to stop acting like a scoundrel now that he'd taught Allos a lesson.
But Chris thought.
‘Not yet.’
The grand scoundrel plan.
And Allos's nightmare had only just begun.
His nightmare wouldn't end until Chris left the Tiramin county.
[Ohoho… Then what shall we toast with?]
Mari brought the finest alcohol, and everyone filled their glasses.
The price was a whopping 1,000 Rupee. The bill, of course, was sent to Allos.
The Majin looked bewildered, wondering if this was really okay, but they were swept up in the mood.
However, Chris had ginger ale.
Mari and the Majin had protested.
“The young master is a minor, so alcohol is strictly forbidden.”
For a Majin and a ghost, they were strangely prim and proper about certain things.
‘Damn it, I want a drink too. I hate ginger.’
But there was nothing he could do.
[A toast to my master... and our future?]
“Forget it.”
Chris raised his glass of ginger ale.
“To riches and glory!”
As the night wore on and they drank their fill (Chris with his ginger ale), the news he'd been waiting for arrived.
An invitation came from the count's mansion.
The sender wasn't Allos.
Count Tiramin.
The master of the County of Tiramin, the 'Second Spear' of the collateral Dark Magic Houses, had personally invited Chris.
* * *
Chris paid a formal visit to the count's mansion.
The moment he stepped through the main gate, piercing gazes focused on him.
They belonged to the Majin of the County of Tiramin.
Faced with gazes full of fierce hostility, the faces of the Majin accompanying Chris hardened.
But Chris spoke as if it were nothing.
“I must be too handsome. They can't stop staring. Then again, I am quite good-looking.”
“……”
He was serious.
Christian's appearance was the very model of a young nobleman. His arrogant and obnoxious impression was his only flaw.
Chris snickered and said.
“Now, lead me to the Count.”
Seeing his completely unshaken demeanor, the Tiramin Majin looked slightly surprised.
But they soon sneered.
‘All bravado.’
‘Let's see if he can hold his head that high in front of the Count.’
The Majin of the County of Tiramin thought that today, that scoundrel would finally get what was coming to him.
Before long, Chris came face to face with Count Tiramin.
Beside him were his vassals and Allos, who had been beaten up the day before.
*Gnash.*
Allos could be heard grinding his teeth, his face swollen.
‘He's still got some fire in his eyes.’
Chris snickered and bowed his head.
“An honor to meet you, Count Tiramin.”
“Yes, it has been a while.”
Count Tiramin rose from his seat.
His mountain-like frame cast a large shadow.
He was a man like a great beast.
His sharp, tiger-like eyes turned to Chris.
“I heard what happened. You fought with Allos?”
“Yes, that's correct.”
Chris didn't deny it.
“Why did you do such a thing? Even if Allos made a slight ‘mistake’ in his hospitality, you went too far.”
Mistake.
He was blatantly taking his side.
Chris snickered inwardly.
‘I heard this was his personality.’
A petty man, a waste of a large frame.
That was Count Cazar's assessment of Count Tiramin.
“I'll give you a chance. Apologize for yesterday's incident and leave this place at once. If you do, I will not pursue the matter of your fault any further.”
Chris looked Count Tiramin straight in the eye.
Then, in a voice dripping with arrogance, he spoke.
“I don't know what you're talking about. I merely crushed an insect that didn't know its place and tried to crawl up to me.”
“!!”
“Besides, an apology? The only things the strong can bestow upon the weak are tolerance and mercy. How could I possibly apologize? On the contrary.”
Chris gave a thick sneer.
“Allos, that whelp over there, should be the one bowing his head to me and begging for forgiveness. Bowing one's head to the strong. Isn't that the duty of the weak?”
“!!”
At those arrogant words, everyone in the hall gasped.
The Majin of the County of Tiramin glared at Chris as if they wanted to kill him.
The atmosphere was tense, like walking on thin ice, ready to shatter at any moment.
The Majin who had come with Chris wore faces fraught with worry.
Just then, Count Tiramin's eyebrow twitched.
Simultaneously, a fierce, formless pressure poured down on Chris. He was releasing his demonic energy.
A heavy pressure that a low-level Majin wouldn't be able to withstand without falling to their knees.
But Chris was different.
‘Is this all?’
Far from kneeling, he didn't even flinch.
He had experienced this kind of pressure countless times during the Age of Ruin.
He could withstand it easily with his mental fortitude.
Above all, Chris knew.
That even if Count Tiramin was petty, it was unthinkable for him to harm a fellow kinsman over something like this.
So there was no need to be afraid.
At Chris's unexpected reaction, Count Tiramin's eyes showed a hint of surprise.
“You've changed.”
“……”
“But you're impudent. The arrogance of an unqualified Majin is nothing but a nuisance. Do you have the right to be so arrogant?”
Chris shrugged and answered smoothly.
“At the very least, I'd say I'm more qualified than that Allos fellow.”
“!!”
Listening from the side, Allos's face flushed crimson.
“Shut up, you bastard!! Yesterday I only lost because I couldn't use my Demonic Training!”
Count Tiramin also nodded.
“I agree with Allos. You must know that yesterday's duel was not fair. How about a proper duel today?”
Chris snickered.
‘Just as I expected.’
This was Count Tiramin's objective for today.
To have Allos defeat Chris in front of everyone using his Demonic Training.
It was a way to teach the impudent Chris a lesson while also humbling the rival County of Cazar.
“Of course, I understand that a duel involving a demonic beast may be burdensome. So, for the sake of a fair duel, I will give Allos a penalty.”
Demonic Training was the secret art of handling demonic beasts.
Therefore, in a duel, one would have to face both the opposing Majin and their demonic beast, which was naturally a disadvantageous fight.
“No, that won't be necessary. Instead, if I win the duel, you must grant me one request.”
