Chapter 35
-----------------------------------------------------------------
Translator: 8uhl
Chapter: 35
Chapter Title: An Unexpected Alliance
-----------------------------------------------------------------
“I would like for the House of Tiramin to put aside its animosity with the House of Cazar.”
“!!”
“Instead of being like enemies baring our fangs at one another, I hope we can become relations who pursue proper development through both competition and reconciliation. As befits the name of kindred.”
Count Tiramin was so taken aback by Chris’s words that he couldn’t muster a reply.
The two Counties.
They hadn’t been on good terms for a long time.
What began as common rivalry between branch families had escalated far beyond that level.
They were now practically enemies.
There was a reason for that.
“If our two families continue to be at odds, won’t it only benefit the Main House?”
“What do you mean by that?”
“Surely, you must be aware, Count? The Main House secretly orchestrated the conflict between our two families. They did it because it would be a threat to them if the branch families united.”
Count Tiramin drew a sharp breath.
What Chris said was true.
It was a common tactic.
To make subordinate powers fight amongst themselves to solidify one’s own control.
Both Counts knew this.
They had realized too late that they had been caught in the Main House’s scheme, but by then, the rift between their families had grown too wide to mend.
“…Are you suggesting we rebel against the Main House?”
“Of course not. I have no such intention. I’m simply saying there’s no need to be swayed by the Main House’s machinations when we know they are wrong. Just because we’ve sworn fealty doesn’t mean we have to be pathetic lapdogs.”
“…You’ve changed.”
Chris responded with a smile instead of words.
A smile brimming with confidence.
It was a smile that demonstrated his transformation more clearly than a hundred words ever could.
‘Just how.’
Count Tiramin groaned inwardly.
He knew the old Chris well.
How could that worthless scoundrel have changed so drastically?
His abilities were astounding, and his character was equally admirable.
To think he would use this opportunity to try and reconcile the two feuding families.
Though only a fifteen-year-old boy, he was no ordinary person.
“Alright, I’ll do as you say. I will contact Count Cazar separately soon. As you said, there’s no reason for us to remain needlessly at odds when we know it’s wrong.”
“Thank you.”
“So, is that all?”
Count Tiramin looked straight at Chris.
“I feel like there’s something else you truly want from me.”
He was a cunning fox, contrary to his large frame.
He saw right through Chris’s intentions.
“Yes, you’re right. There is something else I would like to ask of you, Uncle.”
Chris subtly changed his form of address to “Uncle.”
Count Tiramin noticed but didn’t comment on it.
“I intend to become a Young Lord. I ask for your support.”
“!!”
Count Tiramin’s eyes widened.
“A Young Lord? Are you in your right mind? You’re from a branch family.”
“As I understand it, there is no family law that states a branch family member cannot become a Young Lord.”
“How can you say that? Even if the law doesn’t forbid it, there has never been a case in the history of the Dark Magic Houses where someone from a branch family became a Young Lord.”
Count Tiramin was correct.
The family law didn’t forbid it.
But that didn’t mean it was possible.
The fact that it had never happened in history proved how difficult it was.
However.
“So you think it’s impossible?”
“!!”
“Because I, for one, believe I can achieve it.”
Count Tiramin couldn’t offer any reply.
Of course, Chris had shown an incredibly impressive side of himself here at the Tiramin estate.
He could see just how outstanding Chris’s abilities and character were now that he had broken out of his shell.
But a branch family member becoming a Young Lord?
No, the issue wasn’t just becoming a Young Lord.
To declare such an ambition was to challenge for the position of the next family head.
It was an impossible task.
And yet.
“I don’t believe I’m chasing a futile dream. In fact, I think I have a good chance of winning.”
“…And why is that?”
“Because I am far superior to the other Young Lords.”
Such absurd confidence.
But this was Chris’s honest sentiment.
The inherent disadvantage of being from a branch family?
An unfair starting line?
The Main House’s interference?
What did any of that matter?
He could simply overcome it all with his ability.
Above all, his ultimate goal was the pinnacle of the Magitech Empire.
The competition to become a Young Lord was merely the starting line.
“Ha.”
Count Tiramin let out a hollow laugh.
Anyone else would have scoffed at such an absurd story, but strangely, he couldn’t bring himself to laugh.
There was a strange magic to Chris’s confidence.
A determination that he would absolutely succeed.
No, watching Chris’s arrogant self-assurance that something like this was well within his capabilities, one couldn’t help but wonder if it might actually be possible.
As Count Tiramin struggled to answer, Chris delivered the final blow.
“Besides, aren’t you angry, Uncle?”
“What do you mean?”
“At Marquis Langham, I mean.”
“!!”
Count Tiramin’s face hardened.
Marquis Langham.
The man currently leading the Dark Magic Houses in place of the old lord, Nordian.
It was Marquis Langham who had orchestrated the conflict between the Tiramin and Cazar Counties.
“He must think of our branch families as nothing more than watchdogs, to have pulled such a stunt. Of course, we can’t formally protest this matter, but…”
Chris spoke meaningfully.
“If I were to seize the position of heir, it would be revenge enough, wouldn’t it?”
“!!”
The most likely successor at present, Second Prince Eshid de Baron, was Marquis Langham’s son.
Not only that, but the First Prince, the First Princess, and the Third Prince were also his children. Defeating them to become the next family head would indeed be sufficient revenge.
“…What a preposterous idea.”
“Is it?”
“But it’s strange. I’m certain it’s impossible, yet I find myself wanting to support you.”
Count Tiramin shook his head, his eyes gleaming.
“I’ll give you my answer. For now, I refuse. Your words are grand, but you have yet to prove anything. You are not yet qualified to receive the support of the House of Tiramin.”
Chris read between the lines.
That wasn’t a ‘refusal.’
“You’re telling me to prove my worth.”
“That’s right. If you can prove you have what it takes to stand as a Young Lord, the House of Tiramin will stand behind you.”
Chris grinned.
“It won’t take long. Please, wait and see.”
It was a conditional acceptance, but that didn’t matter.
He would more than prove his qualifications.
With that matter settled, Count Tiramin offered an unexpected additional reward.
“Take this Hoedan.”
“Uncle?”
It was the Hoedan he had been planning to request as a reward!
“You earned this Hoedan, so it’s only right that you take it. You can also consider it a gift from your uncle to his nephew.”
Chris did not refuse.
“I’ll gladly accept it. If you have any more gifts, feel free to give them to me.”
“What? Haha!”
Count Tiramin laughed cheerfully and actually gave him one more gift.
A Demonic Beast Summoning Stone.
It was an artifact that could store a demonic beast and summon it at will.
Since it was difficult to travel with a demonic beast, Majin who practiced Demonic Training often stored them in summoning stones like this one.
“This is a summoning stone that can store a demonic beast up to the 4-Ma Class.”
“Thank you.”
Chris said, genuinely.
The price of summoning stones increased exponentially with their class.
A 4-Ma Class summoning stone was valuable enough to be called a treasure.
‘I can’t handle a 4-Ma Class demonic beast yet, but it will be useful later on.’
Although he had dominated Karazov, that was only temporary; commanding it in battle was impossible.
To control a demonic beast and use it in combat, one had to be able to command its every move as if it were one’s own limbs.
With time, it would surely become possible.
Count Tiramin brought up another topic.
“By the way, how did you fight against the demon?”
“……”
Count Tiramin tilted his head.
“It should have been impossible for you to face a demon with your strength. How did you hold out until the demon was reverse-summoned?”
It seemed Count Tiramin couldn’t even imagine that Chris had actually annihilated the demon.
Of course. It was an impossible feat.
He was under the impression that Chris had simply fought and held on until time ran out and the demon was reverse-summoned back to Gehenna.
Even just surviving a fight with a demon was an unbelievably incredible achievement.
“That’s…”
The fact that he had used Shine Blade was a secret that had to be kept.
As he tried to come up with a plausible excuse, an unexpected voice interjected.
“I believe I will be the one asking about that.”
“!!”
The faces of Chris and Count Tiramin stiffened.
They hadn’t sensed a presence at all, but someone had suddenly appeared beside them.
And when Count Tiramin recognized the face of the newcomer, his eyes widened in shock.
“Head Butler?”
“Yes, it has been a while, Count.”
Pale as moonlight.
The man bowed, a sculpted smile on his face.
“I am Simon, the Head Butler of the Dark Magic Houses. I have come to see Young Master Christian.”
* * *
Head Butler.
That was Simon’s title.
“…Then, I will leave you to talk.”
“Thank you for your consideration.”
Count Tiramin rose from his seat with a look of discomfort.
He clearly did not like Simon.
Chris understood the Count’s reaction.
‘He does have an unsettling air about him.’
People have a certain feeling about others.
You can often tell at a glance whether someone is a good person or not.
It was an unsubstantiated feeling, but it was surprisingly accurate more often than not.
In that respect, Head Butler Simon did not seem like a good person at all.
Though it was their first meeting, he exuded a palpable sense of danger.
‘But is this really our first meeting? Why does he look so familiar?’
Christian tilted his head.
He was sure he had never seen him before, yet his face was strangely familiar.
It wasn’t a mistake.
He had definitely seen him before.
A face that looked exactly like that.
‘Did I meet him during the Age of Ruin?’
Chris murmured the name Simon.
The name, too, was somewhat familiar.
It wasn’t a name he was hearing for the first time.
He had heard it in his previous life.
‘Simon, Simon…? No way, this is crazy.’
Chris’s eyes widened as a thought flashed through his mind.
He remembered!
He remembered where he had heard the name Simon.
“Is something the matter, Young Master?”
The Simon before him tilted his head.
“…It’s nothing.”
“Hmm?”
Chris tried to hide his surprise.
His heart was pounding.
Simon wasn’t a figure who had gained great fame during the Age of Ruin.
However, there were several very famous individuals connected to him.
‘Simon… he’s the master of the Blood Shadow Demon Troupe’s leader.’
The Blood Shadow Demon Troupe.
They were the worst kind of psycho group, responsible for indiscriminate slaughter and terror against both the Magitech Empire and the Crusade Alliance.
Their leader was a Majin who had reached 8-Star, and by the end of the Age of Ruin, he had even reached 9-Star and become the tenth Demon King.
The Hero’s party had faced death countless times because of the leader of the Blood Shadow Demon Troupe.
And Simon was the master of that monstrous being.
‘And that’s not all.’
Chris swallowed hard.
In fact, being the master of the Blood Shadow Demon Troupe’s leader might be trivial compared to this.
Simon’s other identity.
‘He’s the blood relative of the Demon King of Bloodletting.’