Chapter 46
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Translator: 8uhl
Chapter: 46
Chapter Title: The Prank
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In the past, the 'Chatterbox of Darkness,' a member of the Hero's party, used it only once.
During a fierce battle with the 8-Star Majin, the leader of the Blood Shadow Demon Troupe, the Hero's party faced annihilation. The Chatterbox of Darkness used Demonization to barely overcome the crisis.
And… as a price for that power, the Chatterbox of Darkness lost her life.
It was a secret art that was naturally impossible for Christian to use at his current level.
However, Christian had modified the art of Demonization in his own way.
He excluded all the parts that would aid in actual combat, such as Magi reinforcement and physical enhancement, from the formula.
He also prevented any wickedness from seeping in.
Thanks to this, the difficulty of casting the formula was drastically reduced.
The Magi needed to cast the formula was replaced by the abundant energy of the Shadow Dimension surrounding him.
As a result, he barely managed to succeed in casting the formula.
'Now, it's possible.'
Chris took a deep breath.
Darkness does not clash with darkness.
Unlike before, the Sacred Black surged into Chris's body without any resistance.
It was a flow that seemed to find its rightful place.
Chris accepted the Sacred Black without letting a single speck of energy escape, and once again, a miracle began to unfold.
Beyond ninety percent, to one hundred percent.
All of the Sacred Black was absorbed, and the nature of Chris's Magi was completely transformed.
Pure Dark Magi, unmixed with any other foreign elements.
He had accomplished something no one in the history of the Dark Magic House had ever achieved.
That wasn't the end of it.
*Crack, snap.*
A change occurred in Christian's body.
'Don't tell me it's Bone Metamorphosis again?'
It wasn't.
It wasn't a change that particularly improved his musculoskeletal structure.
His frame was already perfected by two instances of Bone Metamorphosis, so there was nothing left to improve.
The area around his shoulder blades changed subtly, a transformation for which he could not discern the reason.
That wasn't all.
A black, moon-shaped crest appeared on his temple before vanishing without a trace.
At the same time, his eyes grew hot.
Chris couldn't see it, but the light in his pupils had changed.
His eyes were originally a vivid, blood-red.
But now, a black light flickered within them, turning them a deep, dark crimson.
[...Unbelievable... To think something like this could happen.]
The demon's voice echoed through the empty space.
"...What's wrong?"
[...As a price for accepting perfect darkness, your... spiritual rank has risen. In other words... you have attained a rank equivalent to a Half-Demon.]
Chris looked surprised.
A Half-Demon!
It is said that upon reaching the pinnacle of the 9-Star level, one transcends the spiritual rank of a human.
They become human, yet possess a spiritual rank comparable to a transcendent being.
However, because they are human, it is impossible to possess a rank perfectly equal to that of a demon or a Constellation.
Thus, they are called 'Half-Demons,' meaning they are halfway to being transcendent.
'I've become a transcendent being like that?'
Chris opened his hand.
Nothing seemed particularly different.
It seemed that only his spiritual rank had risen as a result of accepting the perfect Sacred Black.
'It doesn't seem to have any major significance.'
No.
It couldn't be meaningless.
He didn't know how to utilize it for now, but it was sure to become a great power.
[Kukuk... How interesting. The emergence of a new Half-Demon...]
"......"
Chris stared blankly beyond the darkness from where the voice came.
It seemed like a rather noisy demon.
Listening to it, even the demon's inherent pressure felt less intense.
'It must be intentionally holding back for my sake. If I were constantly exposed to a demon's evil energy, even I would have a hard time remaining unharmed.'
A peculiar demon.
Still, no matter what kind of demon it was, it was surely a wicked and detestable being.
[...An unworthy mortal... with the rank of a Half-Demon... It doesn't suit you, but...]
The demon's voice faded.
It seemed to be disappearing.
[...You are promising. I hope... you will continue to amuse me in the future.]
Soon, the demon's presence vanished completely.
Chris raised his middle finger.
He didn't welcome the demon's interest in the slightest.
'Anyway.'
Chris lifted his head.
Far, far above.
Light was seeping in.
It was time to leave the darkness and return.
'How much time has passed? Everyone will be surprised.'
His sense of time wasn't exact, but it felt like at least seven days had passed.
Considering that the Old Lord Nordian took four days to absorb the Sacred Black, the Dark Magic House would be turned upside down when he returned.
'Wait a minute.'
Christian's lips curled into a smirk.
'This is a chance to mess with them, isn't it?'
A mischievous thought came to mind.
'It's no fun to just go back quietly. Should I play a little prank?'
The target was the entire main house of the Dark Magic House.
More precisely, it was a chance to land a blow on those high-and-mighty direct descendants.
As he left the Shadow Dimension, Chris cast black magic on himself.
[Curse of Exhaustion.]
[Curse of Deterioration.]
And so on.
Chris's appearance became wretched.
As if he had barely survived and made it back alive.
And for the final touch.
[Secret Art of Disguise.]
It was a secret art that made his condition appear disguised to others.
Originally, it was a secret art from a renowned sword style used by the Hero, but since it was difficult for Chris to use perfectly at his level, he combined it with black magic.
He subtly mixed in the principles of illusion.
He didn't cast an actual illusion. If he used one so openly, it would be seen through at once.
The root of illusion is, after all, trickery of the eye. He secretly blended that basic principle with the secret art of the renowned sword style.
To properly use the subtleties of illusion, a purple-colored Magi attribute was necessary, but things were different now.
Now, Chris could use any type of black magic as if it were his own attribute, without distinction.
In fact, he could use them even more powerfully than those who originally possessed that Magi attribute.
*Fwoosh!*
A faint purple light blended into the secret art of the sword style, and Chris's body—or more precisely, the state of his Core—was altered to appear precarious to others.
It was the beginning of his 'prank' to get one over on them.
***
The east wing of the main house's mansion.
Inside the garden, Majin warlocks were yawning.
"Just how long do we have to wait? That scoundrel is probably dead already, not even a corpse left behind."
"The Old Lord said to wait just one more day."
"The Old Lord?"
The other man looked surprised.
The Old Lord hadn't shown any interest in family affairs since his seclusion, so why would he care about a scoundrel like him?
"He must be concerned because even trash like him is family. How merciful of him. The time is almost up, so just be a little more patient."
Just as they were gossiping and badmouthing Chris,
the passage suddenly began to vibrate.
"?!"
"W-What was that?!"
The warlocks jumped in surprise.
And then.
*Whoosh!*
A figure emerged from the passage as if being spat out of an egg.
"Young Master Christian?! No way?! How did you return alive?!"
"His condition is critical! Call a healer!"
The warlocks were thrown into a panic.
No matter how much of a scoundrel he was, he was still a young master who carried the blood of the main house.
Now that he had returned alive, they couldn't just leave him be.
"He's in a state of extreme exhaustion. It seems he barely made it back with his life."
A healer diagnosed Chris's condition.
"And his Core?"
asked a middle-aged man with a stern expression who had just appeared.
His name was Macfield.
A 6-Star Majin, he was one of the core members of the main house.
"I can feel Dark Magi, but... it's murky. It seems something went wrong."
The healer said with a troubled expression, and those who heard him nodded.
'Of course. There's no way that scoundrel could have absorbed over eighty percent of the Sacred Black.'
'Looks like his greed got the better of him and caused problems. He must have forced himself to endure and barely made it back alive.'
When Christian returned alive, a startling question had popped into the Majins' minds.
Since he returned after more than a week, they wondered if he had absorbed over eighty percent of the Sacred Black.
But as expected, that wasn't the case.
"Hmm."
Macfield gazed at the exhausted Christian's Core.
Just as the healer said, it was incredibly murky.
Of course, it was a disguise.
The 'Secret Art of Disguise' that Christian had cast on himself was from a renowned sword style. Moreover, it was a secret art used by the infamous Shadows.
The reapers of the Alliance who approached stealthily and took lives without anyone knowing.
He had exquisitely blended the principles of illusion into their secret art, deceiving even the gaze of a high-ranking Majin like Macfield.
"Take him inside and treat him for now. I will report to Marquis Langham."
Macfield said coldly, thinking to himself.
The time had come to dispose of that trashy scoundrel from the Dark Magic House.
***
The highest floor of the Dark Magic House's main building.
In a large office with a panoramic view of the estate, a middle-aged man was attending to his duties.
His expression was blank, his demeanor incomparably cold. His steel-rimmed glasses added to the frigid impression.
He was the 7-Star Majin and Acting Head who effectively led the Dark Magic House, Marquis Langham.
"Your Excellency."
Macfield bowed his head.
"Young Master Christian of County Cazar has returned from the Holy Land."
Marquis Langham continued to look at his documents.
He reacted as if he had no interest in Macfield's report.
It was only natural.
For Marquis Langham, the second-in-command of the Dark Magic House, the scoundrel Christian was far too insignificant to warrant his attention.
"Will you not punish him?"
"......"
Only then did Marquis Langham spare him a glance.
"He must be held accountable for the disturbance he caused at the Sacred Black Ceremony."
Marquis Langham set down his documents.
He adjusted his steel-rimmed glasses.
'Christian, is it.'
A trashy scoundrel who tarnishes the honor of the Dark Magic House.
That was the entirety of Marquis Langham's perception of Chris.
He was an annoyance, but he hadn't crossed a line that warranted direct intervention, so he'd been left alone.
'He's starting to become a nuisance.'
Marquis Langham recalled recent events.
His son, Eshid, had been caught up in a dishonorable scandal after his attempt to slander the boy was revealed.
It was entirely Eshid's fault, but that wasn't what was important.
What mattered was that a needless blemish had appeared on Eshid, who needed to be perfect as the next heir.
'He also caused unnecessary trouble with County Tiramin.'
It was Marquis Langham who had driven a wedge between County Cazar and County Tiramin.
Why?
Because it benefited the main house.
But now, there were reports that because of that Christian brat, the relationship between the two houses was showing signs of improvement.
That wasn't all.
'Roin was supposed to become a Young Lord and serve as a sacrificial lamb for the upcoming plan against the Extreme Poison House, but he ruined that plan as well.'
Roin, who was eliminated by Chris.
And his sister, Jupien.
The two were of the direct line, but not of Marquis Langham's blood.
Marquis Langham had intended to use the two as sacrificial lambs in a certain plot targeting the Extreme Poison House, but with Roin's elimination from the Sacred Black Ceremony, the plan had unexpectedly gone awry.
And crucially.
'My father has been showing interest in him.'
He met with Christian separately and even prevented the passage to the Shadow Dimension from being closed.
Something unimaginable for the usual Nordian.
'I don't like this.'
Marquis Langham wishes to lead the Dark Magic House without any discord. He does not want any disturbances that escape his control.
A slippery eel like Christian was not welcome.
He would normally just observe, but the boy had already crossed the line several times.