Chapter 62
-----------------------------------------------------------------
Translator: 8uhl
Chapter: 62
Chapter Title: The Switch
-----------------------------------------------------------------
But his purpose right now wasn't to kill the man.
He had to steal the artifact without revealing any presence.
'Shouldn't be too hard. He doesn't seem like the sharpest tool in the shed.'
Chris immediately got to work.
Wandering around the area, he found the perfect targets to use.
Rock-Throwing Monkeys.
They were 1-Ma class demonic beasts.
Not strong, but they moved in groups.
[Ooki, ooki!]
The monkeys pointed and laughed at Chris.
Then, true to their name, they prepared to throw rocks, but—
"Stay still."
The monkeys' movements froze.
He had manifested the Demonic Training art to control the demonic beasts!
'This is easier than when I practiced before.'
Chris looked slightly surprised.
'It's thanks to the Dark Magi.'
His purity was a perfect ten.
Therefore, any kind of dark power he used would exhibit efficiency beyond its optimal affinity.
'Perfect.'
Chris immediately began controlling the monkeys.
*Whizz, thwack!*
"What?"
The man, who had been leaning idly against a tree, scowled as a stone suddenly flew at him.
"How dare you, mere demonic beasts."
But he hesitated.
Using poison would leave a trace.
He couldn't risk the Dark Magic House's exploration team growing suspicious.
"I'll spare you, so get lost."
It wasn't an empty threat.
The masked man flared his aura.
An aura that would instantly overwhelm ordinary demonic beasts, making them tuck their tails between their legs.
Indeed, the Rock-Throwing Monkeys backed away with frightened expressions.
The masked man sighed and leaned back against the tree in annoyance.
But then.
*Thwack!*
Another stone came flying!
"You bastards..."
The masked man ground his teeth.
From a distance, the monkeys pointed at the man, hooting with laughter.
One monkey turned its red bottom to taunt him, while another urinated in his direction.
The pièce de résistance was when one defecated right in front of him and then threw its feces at him.
Of course, this was all Chris's handiwork.
'Still holding back? Let's see how long you can take it.'
Hidden nearby, Chris controlled the monkeys.
He had to admit, this was surprisingly fun.
Under Chris's control, all the monkeys defecated in front of the man and began flinging their poop.
"..."
As the feces rained down, the air around the man grew chillingly cold.
"You goddamn things."
Just as he'd planned, the man took the bait!
The man glanced toward the artifact's location, his voice boiling with rage.
"I'll kill you all."
*Fwoosh!*
The man moved away from the artifact, creating distance.
He couldn't deal with them near the artifact, so his plan was to lure the monkeys away first.
Chris had the monkeys continue throwing feces as they followed the man.
Soon, after the man had moved a sufficient distance away.
*Hwaaak!*
As the poisoned demonic monkeys screamed.
'Now!'
Chris made his move.
When he arrived, he saw a small box.
It was a 'Sealed Box' containing the artifact.
He quickly snatched it and took out an item he had prepared in advance.
It was an identical-looking 'Sealed Box'.
He had acquired it through the moneybag, Ruina.
As an auctioneer who dealt in all sorts of treasures, she naturally had such items.
'When artifacts are first discovered, they're usually contained in similar sealed boxes.'
However, the box from Ruina was a used one that had been opened before.
He'd had a Dwarf Meister specially treat it to make it look like it had never been opened.
For the record, the switched box contained a worthless, lowest-grade artifact.
A short time later, Chris concealed himself again and vanished.
As if no one had ever been there, the artifact's sealed box, completely unchanged in appearance, glittered with the light of a Constellation's blessing.
* * *
Meanwhile, the exploration teams from the Extreme Poison and Dark Magic Houses.
The Extreme Poison House's team was on a wild goose chase, following Chris's pointless orders, while the team led by Jupien was methodically searching the Demon Realm's sectors one by one.
"There's nothing in this vicinity, Young Lady!"
"Then on to the next sector."
Jupien said curtly.
Instead of rushing, she designated sectors and searched each one thoroughly.
A by-the-book search.
Next was the northwestern region of the mountain range.
While they were searching the northwestern region, one of the Majin spoke up cautiously.
"By the way, do you think Young Master Christian is alright?"
"..."
Jupien's lips tightened.
Several days had already passed, and there had been no word from him since he left.
More than enough time for something to have gone wrong.
Jupien felt a pang of regret, wondering if she should have stopped him.
She didn't have any particularly good feelings about Chris—no, she wanted to crush him this instant—but she was still the leader of the exploration team.
And Chris was a team member she was responsible for.
She felt a sense of unease, as if her personal animosity had led her to knowingly ignore the danger he was in.
'No, he left on his own. Why is that my fault? Who cares what happens to a guy like him.'
Jupien shook her head vigorously.
Just then, a shout shattered her distracting thoughts.
"Over here! An artifact!"
!!
They had finally found it!
When they went to look, it was indeed the sealed box of an artifact.
"Is it a holy artifact?"
"It seems so."
Jupien nodded.
It was a shame it wasn't a demonic artifact, but that didn't mean a holy one was useless.
In any case, the family elders would decide the artifact's use; their job was simply to bring it back to the family.
"Let's head back now."
"Yes, ma'am! Everyone, we're heading back!"
The Majin, having succeeded in their mission, shouted energetically.
"Which way should we go?"
"We don't know what those Extreme Poison House bastards will pull, so let's go through Lankas Canyon."
It was a route where demonic beasts appeared more frequently than others.
But Lankas Canyon had a significant advantage.
It connected directly to the Dark Magic House's territory, so the Extreme Poison House wouldn't dare try anything.
"True, unless the Extreme Poison House has lost its mind, they won't try anything in Lankas Canyon. We'll head that way."
The exploration team's pace quickened without hesitation.
They arrived at Lankas Canyon.
"Phew, we're almost there."
The Dark Magic House's team looked visibly relieved.
Lankas Canyon was technically part of the neutral zone, but it was practically the Dark Magic House's domain.
But the team members tilted their heads as they saw Jupien's still-frowning face.
"Is something bothering you?"
"..."
What was bothering Jupien.
Was Christian.
'He's probably dead, right?'
Given the lack of news, something must have happened.
He had brought it upon himself.
They weren't close enough for her to feel sorry for him.
However.
"Squads one and two."
"Yes?"
"You will not return. Stay behind and find Christian."
No matter how much of a jerk he was, he was still of the main house's bloodline.
She felt it was right to at least make a show of searching for his body.
"...Do we have to?"
"Do as I say."
"...Yes, ma'am."
The team members bowed their heads reluctantly.
'Young Lady Jupien is surprisingly soft-hearted.'
'Why is she bothering with that obnoxious guy?'
"There's a high chance something has already gone wrong, so don't push yourselves. If you can't find him after three days, return."
"Yes, ma'am!"
Just as the exploration team was about to split into two groups.
An unexpected event occurred.
*Rumble!!*
Giant boulders came rolling down from the top of the canyon.
!!
Fortunately, the boulders didn't fall on top of them.
Instead, they fell in front and behind.
As if to trap them within the pile of rocks.
"This is...?"
"What?"
While the team was in disarray.
Jupien, grasping the situation, shouted.
"Everyone, hold your breath and get away! It's an attack from the Extreme Poison House!"
But it was too late.
*Fwoosh!*
From above the canyon, a deep blue poison rained down, engulfing them.
* * *
'It's over.'
The masked woman thought from her perch atop the canyon.
This was the frightening aspect of the Extreme Poison House.
They could trap their opponents and annihilate them in an instant.
'This place is near the Dark Magic House's territory, so doing this is practically a suicide mission.'
It didn't matter.
Her goal, after all, was to intentionally reveal her actions to frame Marisa.
She even used a potent poison that Marisa herself had developed.
'Blue Flower'.
It was a remarkable poison that had established Marisa as one of the potential next successors.
Once enveloped by the poison, death was inevitable unless one had reached the 4-Star realm, capable of defending their entire body with a Black Sword.
Or, if they consumed an elixir from the 'Divine Doctor Noble Family,' the Alliance's greatest medical house, as an antidote.
'They must have all died instantly.'
The woman leaped down from the canyon.
All that was left was to retrieve the artifact and place it in Marisa's lab at the Extreme Poison House's main estate.
The poison used was Marisa's.
The artifact would also be discovered in her lab, leaving Marisa with no way to escape the blame.
'I need to retrieve it quickly before the Dark Magic House shows up...'
But then, the unexpected happened.
*Clang!*
A Black Sword came flying at her.
!!
The masked woman flinched and dodged the Black Sword.
Turning her gaze, she saw a small girl vomiting blood as she forced her trembling body to stand.
"I... won't let you... get away..."
'How?' The woman's face was one of shock behind her mask.
Marisa is a genius at crafting poisons.
The poison she developed, despite being a mere physical toxin, far surpasses the power of a 3-Star.
Yet, not only was she alive, she was getting up?
It wasn't just the girl, Jupien.
The other team members also began to slowly rise.
Blood trickled from their eyes, noses, and ears, and they were too weak to properly control their bodies, but none of them had died.
'Could it be?'
The woman thought of a possibility.
"Did you take an elixir from the Divine Doctor Noble Family?"
"...What?"
"Otherwise, it should be impossible for people of your level to survive this poison!"
Observing the phenomena occurring within the team members' bodies, the masked woman was certain.
"Even the unique physical recovery reaction of the Divine Doctor Noble Family's elixirs. You really did take one."
Jupien and the other team members, however, looked bewildered.
An incomprehensible accusation.
"What... nonsense are you spouting..."
Then, Jupien suddenly fell silent.
'I did take an antidote.'
They had taken a type of antidote that boosted resistance to poison, just in case they clashed with the Majin from the Extreme Poison House.
But the antidote had felt strange.
A clear and pure sensation?
The pill looked the same as the usual ones, but it felt far more effective.
'That was an elixir from the Divine Doctor Noble Family?'
But that was impossible.
The elixirs of the Divine Doctor Noble Family are treasures sought after even by Majin.
If the family had provided such a precious item, there's no way she wouldn't have known.
She had personally checked and received it from the family's supply depot, so she was certain.
'Or... did someone switch the antidotes midway?'
That was even more ridiculous.
Who would do such a thing, and why?
Most importantly, the team had guarded the supplies meticulously.
Switching the antidotes would have been impossible.
But in that moment.
An image of one person flashed in Jupien's mind.
'...Wait. There was one person who could have.'
Jupien gulped.
'Christian, that insufferable scoundrel.'
Christian had spent the entire journey here sleeping in the supply wagon.