Chapter 31
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Translator: 8uhl
Chapter: 31
Chapter Title: The Hunt Begins
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There were still a few days left until the Black Dan Hunt.
Chris spent that time productively.
That is... he spent it indulging in debauchery and pleasure.
“Hit!”
“Drop!”
The Majin who had followed Chris watched him, engrossed in a card game at the gaming hall, with bewildered expressions.
“Y-Young Master?”
“What?”
“Um... are you sure you should be doing this?”
“What's the big deal? We've got time to kill. You have to rest when you can.”
“...But this isn't just resting, is it?”
Card games, all sorts of other pleasures. Chris's idea of rest was a bit too excessive to be called mere relaxation.
Everything except alcohol.
Since Chris was a minor, no one would serve him alcohol. In the end, he had to play cards with a ginger ale in hand.
‘Dammit, why are all these Majin so straight-laced? I hate ginger!’
At least card games weren't illegal, which was a relief.
Historically, card games were a pastime enjoyed by people of all ages and genders.
“So what? Besides, I'm a scoundrel. What's wrong with a scoundrel acting like one?”
The Majin looked confused.
Right after showing such an impressive side at the County of Tiramin, he was back to his scoundrel-like ways.
They couldn't get a read on him.
Of course, Chris wasn't acting this way simply to enjoy himself.
‘I have to get them to lower their guard around me.’
Chris could feel eyes on him from all directions.
They were the watchful eyes sent by the County of Tiramin, worried he might pull another trick.
He needed to execute the final phase of his plan to seize the Black Dan, and for that, he had to make those watchers let their guard down.
‘And I get to have some fun while I'm at it. Man, it's been ages since I've been able to cut loose like this.’
As has been said time and again, Chris was not the hardworking genius type.
He was lazy by nature and loved to have fun.
Since he was trying to make his opponents lower their guard anyway, he decided to go all out.
It wasn't an act; he was genuinely enjoying himself.
Looking every bit the part of a scoundrel!
Sure enough, the watchers shook their heads in disapproval.
[I thought he might have changed, but he's just the same.]
[Still the same old scoundrel.]
[To think Young Lord Allos lost to someone like him.]
Of course, they acknowledged Chris's skill.
What he had shown in the duel was undeniable.
But a scoundrel was still a scoundrel.
[He seems to have talent, but in the end, he's just a scoundrel.]
[Not even worth watching. Just give a brief report.]
The watchful eyes didn't disappear entirely.
But they had become lax.
And the moment he sensed that laxness.
Chris's eyes flashed open.
It was time to move.
His destination was the forbidden ground of the County of Tiramin.
The place where the Black Dan Hunt ritual would be held.
* * *
The County of Tiramin specialized in the Demonic Training art of handling Demonic Beasts.
As such, they were backed by a vast Demon Realm.
The Kairon Mountain Range, located in the southeastern part of the Dark Magic House's territory, was the County of Tiramin's main area of activity.
The Majin of the County of Tiramin roamed the Kairon Mountains as if it were their own front yard, hunting and dominating Demonic Beasts.
And at the entrance to those Kairon Mountains lay the 'forbidden ground'.
Where no one was permitted to tread.
A place opened only when the Black Dan Hunt ritual was performed.
‘There are guards.’
Chris observed the situation from a distance.
The forbidden ground was a large cave, and there were people guarding it.
They were all Majin who had mastered Magi, and the strongest among them appeared to be a 3-Star Majin.
An opponent still difficult for Chris to defeat with his current level of Magi.
‘But avoiding their eyes is another story.’
Chris used his Magi to cast a black magic spell.
Veil of Secrecy.
It was a stealth-based black magic that concealed one's presence.
In addition, Chris employed a few other techniques.
First, he contained his Magi within himself.
Deceiving their eyes wasn't enough. If his Magi leaked out, someone with keen senses could detect him.
Containing one's Magi while using black magic was a skill only intermediate or higher-level Majin could use, but for Chris...
...it was a simple trick.
And to ensure perfection, he also concealed his presence.
He blended in with his surroundings, moving without making a sound or leaving a trace.
It was a secret technique from the most prestigious school outside the Magitech Empire, the ‘Sword Master House’. He'd stolen it from the Hero.
There were similar techniques among the Majin, so he didn't have to worry about anyone recognizing it.
‘Let's go.’
Amazingly, the Majin guarding the entrance didn't notice Chris's presence at all.
Upon entering the cave, an empty cavern appeared.
There was no one guarding the inside.
This was due to the nature of the forbidden ground.
‘An aura within.’
Chris's gaze darkened.
An eerie energy was flowing out from the depths of the cavern.
It was an energy similar to Magi, yet different.
It was more sinister, more malevolent.
It felt as if it were brimming with a thick malice.
That was only natural.
“A rift to Gehenna.”
This place was connected to Gehenna.
It was a rift linked to the Shadow Dimension, the world of demons.
‘To think there's a spot in a mere fief.’
Chris shook his head.
This world was composed of multiple dimensions.
Among them, the one where humans and various other races lived was called the Middle Realm.
As its name suggested, the Middle Realm was connected to several dimensions, the most prominent of which were 'the Celestial Realm' and 'Gehenna'.
The 'Celestial Realm', world of the Constellations and celestial beings.
And 'Gehenna', world of devils and demons.
A spot was a rift in the Middle Realm that connected to such other dimensions.
They were typically managed and guarded at a national level.
‘Isn't the security here a bit too lax?’
Chris looked incredulous.
Of course, that wasn't the case.
A complex magic circle was engraved around the rift.
A magic circle clearly inscribed with the highest level of black magic.
It served as a barrier to prevent malevolent beings from crossing over from Gehenna, while also being designed to immediately sound an alarm to both the County of Tiramin, who managed the forbidden ground, and the main house of the Dark Magic House if anyone tampered with it.
‘Anyway, I should do what I came here to do and get back quickly.’
The aura of Gehenna was making him feel uneasy.
Chris took out a bottle he had prepared and sprinkled its contents all around the cavern.
“Aphrodisiac application complete.”
Chris grinned wickedly.
It was the trump card that would mark the grand finale of the Black Dan Hunt.
After meticulously setting his 'trap', Chris once again cast the Veil of Secrecy and slipped out of the cave.
The cave fell silent once more.
But sometime after Chris had left.
A low voice echoed from the depths of the cavern.
“Hoh, truly impressive. How interesting.”
Surprisingly, it was a bat!
The bat chuckled like a person, then transformed into a human figure amidst a blood-red mist.
Sharp fangs. A crest of a blood-red sword tattooed on its temple.
It was the vampire who had been ordered by the Old Lord Nordian to watch Chris!
“I never imagined the little Young Master would be this interesting.”
The vampire, Simon, let out a dry laugh.
“He's more than I expected.”
He'd expected him to be no ordinary talent.
The fastidious Merian had praised him to the high heavens, after all.
But this was on another level entirely.
Simon recalled everything Chris had done since arriving here.
He provoked the County of Tiramin and crushed Allos.
Not only that, but he played the part of a scoundrel to make the watchers let their guard down, then snuck into the forbidden ground to pull a stunt like this?
At this point, wasn't he practically toying with the County of Tiramin, holding them in the palm of his hand?
“To think the scoundrel of a Young Master was this impressive. This is a problem.”
Simon bared his fangs and smiled.
“It makes me want to play a more severe 'prank'.”
Originally, he had planned to play a light prank.
Something to test Chris's capabilities.
Of course, it was doubtful whether Chris would consider the prank 'light', but Simon hadn't intended to cross any lines.
But what Chris had shown had piqued his interest.
“Ah, what a dilemma. This is your fault, little Young Master.”
Simon hummed as he walked lightly toward the rift.
As he drew closer, the wicked malice of Gehenna pricked his skin with a tingling sensation, but he only smiled wider, as if enjoying it.
Finally.
Simon reached his hand toward the rift, and the skin on his fingertip split open, dripping blood.
Drip. Drip.
Simon's blood fell through the magic circle and into the rift. As the number of drops increased, the blood sword on his temple glowed an even deeper shade of red.
And then.
[Betrayer... what is it you desire?]
Hearing the eerie, monstrous voice that seemed to emanate from a deep abyss, Simon's lips curled into a smirk.
The 'prank' had begun.
* * *
At last, the Black Dan Hunt had begun.
The high-pitched sound of a horn echoed throughout the County of Tiramin.
“Is everyone ready?!”
“Yes, my Lord Count!!”
“Beaters, lure the Karazov to the forbidden ground! Begin!!”
“Understood!”
The Majin scattered in perfect order.
Now, those Majin would guide the Karazov to the forbidden ground.
“Let's head to the forbidden ground.”
Chris said to Allos.
Allos, the star of the ritual, and his escorting Majin were supposed to be on standby at the forbidden ground.
Instead of answering, Allos ground his teeth, glared at Chris, then spun around and stalked off.
The other escorting Majin also glared at Chris.
The other escorts were also all young, around the same age.
The Black Dan Hunt itself was like a coming-of-age ceremony for the County of Tiramin, so experienced, middle-aged Majin did not participate.
Perhaps because they were all hot-blooded young Majin, they didn't hide their hostility toward Chris.
“Keep this in mind. This Black Dan Hunt is the business of our County of Tiramin.”
“We'll handle it ourselves, so don't you dare overstep your bounds.”
Chris just shrugged his shoulders.
When they arrived at the forbidden ground, the Majin from the County of Tiramin ostracized Chris even more openly.
“This is where you will be waiting, Lord Christian.”
“Hmm? Isn't this a bit too far from the altar where the ritual will take place?”
The role of an escorting Majin was to prepare for any unexpected incidents during the ritual.
Chris's position was at the far end of the cavern.
It was on the opposite side of the rift where the altar was located, not a position from which he could respond to any emergencies.
It was a position of blatant exclusion.
“Do not worry. Nothing will happen that requires you to step in, Lord Christian.”
“Do not leave your post until we tell you to.”
It was a check filled with wariness and hostility.
Their intention to prevent Chris from achieving anything during this Black Dan Hunt was perfectly clear.
But Chris simply nodded, unfazed.
‘They all look like fierce beasts, but they're so petty. Well, it doesn't matter to me.’
Since he was being ostracized anyway, Chris comfortably spread out on the ground and lay down.
He lay there so comfortably that he even dozed off for a bit, snoring softly.
Tsk, how could such a scoundrel...
If I get the chance, I'll show him a thing or two.
He heard such murmurs from time to time, but he ignored them.
The climax was approaching anyway.
‘Is it about time?’
Just as he let out a drowsy yawn.
A sharp cry came from outside.
“We've herded the Karazov!!”