Chapter 42
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Translator: 8uhl
Chapter: 42
Chapter Title: The Sacred Black Ceremony
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“Oh, no.”
“Aaargh! He-help me!!”
Two figures plummeted into the pitch-black darkness below.
They wouldn't actually die, of course, but they were eliminated.
“My, my, we must hurry. We're running late, so I shall increase the pace a bit.”
The halfling butler said annoyingly.
The pace quickened even more.
The faces of the remaining participants turned pale.
Eventually, another one couldn't hold on and was eliminated.
Five remained.
Excluding Chris, the one in the best condition was, unsurprisingly, Roin.
Roin was only slightly out of breath.
It was as if to prove that the direct and collateral lines were on completely different levels.
The countless elixirs consumed since childhood.
Constitution improvement.
Black magic blessings.
The unique martial arts of the direct line, and so on.
This unfair starting line created a vast gap between the direct and collateral branches, even if they were both 2-Star.
Roin leisurely wiped the sweat from his brow and turned his head toward Chris.
He had intended to sneer at Chris's exhausted state.
“!!”
Roin's eyes widened.
Chris showed no signs of exertion whatsoever.
His breathing was calm, and not a single drop of sweat beaded on his forehead.
‘How?’
It wasn't just Roin.
The other participants also stared at Chris in utter disbelief.
Roin growled, unable to accept it.
“What kind of trick are you using?”
“A trick?”
“Yes, if it's not a trick, there's no way you'd be this fine! Are you using some kind of magic tool to boost your stamina?”
“A trick?”
Chris snorted.
“Do you really need a magic tool for a mere run like this? If you'd just trained your stamina properly, this would be a breeze.”
“!!”
“If I were you, I'd be ashamed enough to keep my mouth shut. Ah, but I suppose you never had any shame to begin with.”
Roin's face turned beet red.
But he couldn't utter a single word of rebuttal.
Indeed, Chris wasn't using any magic tools.
He was enduring this hellish race with nothing but his own strength.
‘Impossible. How can that scoundrel, that piece of trash?’
Everyone looked at Chris with eyes full of disbelief.
But it was happening right before their eyes.
Roin gritted his teeth.
His pride was wounded.
Meanwhile, Chris inwardly smirked at his competitors' reactions.
‘Fools. If you don't use your head, your body suffers.’
There was, in fact, a secret to Chris's incredible display.
No matter how exceptional he was, it was impossible not to get tired in a hellish race like this.
It certainly wasn't a trick involving a magic tool.
Instead, Chris had used a different kind of cleverness.
‘I just have to twist the illusion.’
This place wasn't the real world.
It was a virtual space created entirely by illusion.
So then?
All I had to do was interfere with the illusion and change the laws of this virtual world.
‘At my current level, making a major alteration is difficult, though.’
But there was no need for a major alteration.
Chris had twisted only a single law.
[I, Chris, will not expend any stamina, no matter how much I exert myself.]
This was the law Chris had twisted.
An impossible feat in reality.
But here, in this world of illusion, it was possible.
‘Twisting a law that applies only to myself isn't hard. It's not like anyone is trying to stop me. Anyway, what a bunch of idiots. Why suffer physically when you know it's just an illusion?’
Chris sneered at his competitors, their pale faces drenched in sweat.
But Chris was mistaken in his thinking.
It was something only he could do.
Normally, only a professionally trained illusionist could accomplish such a feat.
The halfling butler, who knew this better than anyone, shot a surprised look at Chris.
‘…So that is Young Master Christian? He is indeed as remarkable as Head Butler Simon said.’
However.
Sebastian glanced away.
Roin was glaring at Christian, his face flushed red.
‘I wonder if he'll make it through the Sacred Black Ceremony unscathed.’
He was a butler.
He had a vague idea of the preparations Roin had made to target Christian during the ceremony.
Normally, such an act would never be tolerated.
But who would dare to stop him?
In this Dark Magic House, the authority of the main house's direct heir was something no one could defy.
‘No matter how brilliant a genius he is, he's still only a 2-Star. He won't be able to withstand the scheme Young Master Roin has prepared. I just hope he doesn't get seriously injured.’
Just then, the path finally came to an end.
A space of darkness, like an abyss, appeared before them.
The Sacred Ground of the Dark Magic House.
The place where the Sacred Black Ceremony would be held.
* * *
The Sacred Ground was a peculiar space.
Though they were standing on something, the ground was not visible.
Only darkness existed.
Only a faint light, like starlight, illuminated the world.
[Gree...tings, Young Masters. I am Rihyu, the administrator in charge of this Sacred Ground.]
A ghost floated up from the darkness and approached them.
It was a banshee, like Mari.
[As you all know, this place is the Shadow Dimension.]
The Shadow Dimension.
It was not another realm like Gehenna or the Celestial Realm.
This was the reverse side of the world, like the shadow of the mortal plane.
A place where the purest darkness surged.
[The Shadow Dimension is the reverse side of the world, so it is not a space normally permitted to beings of the mortal plane. However, this place is different. It is where the purest darkness in the Shadow Dimension erupts, and whenever it does, the aftershock opens a passage connecting to the mortal plane.]
This was why the Sacred Black Ceremony was held every two to three years.
The cycle of the Shadow Dimension's pure darkness erupting was two to three years, and the Sacred Black Ceremony was held to coincide with it.
[The pure darkness of the Shadow Dimension. It is also called Dark Magi. The founder of the Dark Magic House was the first to accept this Dark Magi and establish our house. In the end, he became the third-ranked Demon King.]
The Dark Magic House was a family that specialized in wielding this pure darkness from the Shadow Dimension, the Dark Magi.
Because its origin was the Shadow Dimension, Dark Magi was on a different level from other attributes of magi.
It was a supreme attribute of magi that held superiority over any other kind.
Because it was so pure, it was also called Sacred Black (聖黑).
This was the power Chris had to obtain today.
[Today, you Young Masters will obtain that great darkness. However, there is something you must keep in mind.]
The banshee continued in an eerie tone.
[The bestowment of the Sacred Black is not fair. The amount of Sacred Black that erupts is not enough for all of you Young Masters to share.]
This was why the Sacred Black Ceremony was a stage for the law of the jungle.
The Sacred Black that erupted once every two to three years was always in short supply.
On the other hand, there were many bloodlines that needed it.
Thus, the ancestors of the Dark Magic House established a rule.
The strong and exceptional would be able to claim a greater amount of the Sacred Black.
[Now, you Young Masters will each proceed along a designated path to obtain the Sacred Black. All paths are fair, with the same distance and the same trials planned. The faster you overcome the trials and reach the Sacred Ground, the more Sacred Black you will be able to obtain.]
So, it was a rule like a competition.
The faster one overcame the trials and arrived at the Sacred Ground first, the longer they would have to absorb a greater amount of Sacred Black.
Naturally, the most exceptional would obtain the most Sacred Black.
Conversely, those who fell behind in the competition would only get a meager amount. If their competitors absorbed it all, they might not get a single drop.
‘Christian, not even a handful of Sacred Black will be left for you.’
Roin glared at Christian with menacing eyes.
He had already made all the preparations.
The path Christian was to take would hold a far harsher trial than the others, and he would surely fall behind.
And any bloodline of the Dark Magic House who fails to obtain a single drop of Sacred Black during the ceremony loses the right to use the Baron name.
The Sacred Black was, after all, the very symbol of the Dark Magic House.
It was a fate similar to being expunged from the family registry.
‘I can't let trash like you tarnish the name of the Dark Magic House any longer. Prepare yourself.’
As Roin smiled, pleased with what was about to befall Christian, Christian said something unexpected.
“I have a question. What happens if an unforeseen mishap occurs during the Sacred Black Ceremony? Is it an elimination?”
[A mishap…?]
“For instance, unintentionally getting into a fight with a competitor.”
The banshee tilted its head.
[Each path leads in a different direction, so you will not encounter any competitors. Even if such a thing were to happen, it would be best to refrain from conflict. Fighting would only benefit the other competitors.]
The Sacred Black Ceremony was a race to see who could reach the source of the Sacred Black first.
Fighting someone would only slow you down and give the remaining competitors an advantage, so altercations between participants do not happen during the ceremony.
“In any case, it's not grounds for disqualification, is it?”
[…There is no such rule.]
The banshee looked at Chris with an expression of confusion as he pressed the issue.
The other challengers wore similarly puzzled expressions.
Only one, Allos, sucked in a sharp breath.
‘Don't tell me, that madman? No. No matter how crazy he is, he wouldn't do something like that during the Sacred Black Ceremony…’
Allos struggled to calm his uneasy heart.
[Rather than worrying about that… it would be wise to look after your own safety. Once the trial begins, no one will come to your aid. You could… lose your life.]
The banshee floated higher.
[Then… let us begin.]
*Fwaaa.*
A magic circle was drawn in the darkness.
Then, black lines appeared at each of their feet, leading in different directions.
[Follow the lines. The directions are different… but you will all face the same distance and trials before arriving at the same destination.]
The banshee glanced into the unseen darkness beyond.
[For your information, your futures will change depending on the results you achieve in this Sacred Black Ceremony. Please do your best. I wish you good luck.]
And so, the Sacred Black Ceremony began.
* * *
Roin moved forward with light steps.
Demonic beasts and spirits of the Shadow Dimension rushed him, but they were quickly reduced to ash and scattered.
‘Trifles like these.’
The demonic beasts that appeared were all 1-Ma or 2-Ma Class.
In contrast, Roin's level was already Upper 2-Star.
With about another year of training, he could even step into the realm of 3-Star, so beasts like these were a simple matter.
‘That bastard Christian must be having a hard time.’
Roin smiled leisurely.
In principle, each challenger's path was supposed to have the same distance and trials.
But principles always crumbled in the face of great power.
Roin had already bribed the mage who prepared the trials for Christian's path.
Of course, he couldn't change the type or number of demonic beasts.
That would be too obvious.
Instead, he had the mage arrange it so that even the same beasts would wield far greater power. A trick of that level was well within the capabilities of the mage preparing the trials.
The demonic beasts Christian would face would exhibit power of at least Middle 2-Ma Class.
‘There's no way he can withstand it.’