Chapter 65
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Translator: 8uhl
Chapter: 65
Chapter Title: Duke Huam
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"...I'm fine now, so you don't have to keep coming."
Chris said with a look of discomfort.
Ever since that day, Jupien had been visiting every single day.
And she would just sit there without saying a word.
It was the same now.
"...."
She just stared at Chris, sitting there sullenly.
'...Is she coming just to make me uncomfortable? Revenge?'
It was a petty yet powerful form of revenge! And incredibly uncomfortable.
Mari, clearly displeased, let out a chilly "Ohoho" and spoke.
[Would you care for a drink, Young Lady? Shall I prepare some virgin's blood... juice?]
"No, I prefer the blood juice of a bachelor. From a handsome one, if you please."
[...Bachelor's blood juice isn't my specialty.]
Jupien was a formidable opponent, indeed.
She answered without batting an eye, leaving Mari to reply dejectedly.
'...When is she going to leave?'
He had nothing particular to say, and her reactions were lukewarm when he did speak, so he remained quiet.
After some time, Jupien prepared to stand. Chris inwardly brightened.
"I don't like you. One day, I'll crush you."
"...I see."
"Still."
Jupien's voice grew quieter.
She turned her head away and said.
"...Thanks for your help this time."
"...."
Was it his imagination, or did her pale earlobes seem faintly flushed?
Chris looked surprised for a moment.
Then, he grinned and said.
"I can't quite hear you. You might have to speak a little louder."
"...If you didn't hear me, then forget it."
Jupien replied coldly again.
"Don't get the wrong idea. I'm just acknowledging what you did."
"Well, I did do something incredible. If you understand that, you're welcome to treat me as your savior from now on."
"...."
Jupien shot Chris a glare and said.
"Things will be different once you become a Young Lord. Remember that and don't get too cocky."
Chris understood what she meant.
It was a warning.
'It will certainly be different from how things have been.'
Until now, Chris and the other Young Lords and Ladies had been on completely different levels.
A being not even worth crushing.
But once he became a Young Lord, the situation would change.
He would stand on equal footing with them.
That meant the others would try to crush him with all their might.
'Well, that doesn't matter.'
Chris intended to crush them just the same.
The most likely candidate, the Second Prince Eshid.
The First Princess Yurian, who was hiding a secret.
The notoriously cruel and frenzied Third Prince.
The mad First Prince, Sherard.
They were all targets he had to crush.
'And does that list... include Young Lady Jupien?'
Chris tilted his head as he looked at Jupien, who sat blankly before him like a doll.
He had helped her this time, but that didn't mean they had grown closer.
Once he became a Young Lord, he would have to compete with Jupien as well.
However, he didn't harbor any particularly strong ill feelings toward her.
It was probably because of her disposition.
She seemed rude, but she didn't possess a twisted nature.
This was especially evident considering the circumstances of her future death.
In his original life.
Jupien dies during the First Great War.
At the time, the Dark Magic House had submitted to the Demon King of Bloodletting and was following her orders. He'd heard that Jupien was thrown alive into a demonic beast cage and killed after refusing the Demon King's command to slaughter a small village in the Alliance.
It was an unusual incident, so it stuck in his memory.
"What are you staring at? Am I that pretty?"
"...."
Jupien seemed to be in her own little world.
"If not, whatever. I'm leaving."
As the sullen Jupien stood up, Chris said one more thing.
"You should practice separating your illusions from your ego."
"...."
"Otherwise, your illusions will never be able to move and live on their own."
It was advice based on the dividing sword technique Jupien had used against the masked woman.
Jupien stared blankly at Chris for a moment.
"...Do you know a lot about illusion arts?"
"I've studied it for about three months."
For reference, Jupien had been training in illusion arts for over five years.
"You're arrogant."
"Geniuses are meant to be arrogant."
Jupien frowned slightly and then left the room.
'Did she get it?'
It didn't seem like she had ignored it.
'It's uncertain if she'll gain an epiphany from that one comment. Well, she'll figure it out on her own.'
It was a whimsical offer of help, so whether she achieved something or not didn't really matter to him.
'Anyway, I need to get better quickly too.'
Chris made a weary face.
He felt he could recover quickly using the secret arts of the Divine Doctor Noble Family, but he couldn't use them with others watching.
[Ohoho... Now that the pest is gone, you can spend some quality time with me again.]
"...You get out too."
[Ohoho... I'll bring the ginger ale you like, Young Master. A romantic drink with me? What do you say?]
"...I hate ginger. And what kind of damn romance..."
As he was grumbling, there was another knock on the door.
[...Could it be that annoying Young Lady again?]
"I don't know. Who could it be?"
This was a villa near the conference hall, not the Dark Magic House's main estate, so there was really no one else who would visit besides Jupien.
Mari opened the door with a face that said she was dealing with yet another pest.
But it wasn't Jupien.
An unexpected face.
It was Marisa of the Extreme Poison House!
She stood before Chris with an awkward expression.
"...What is it?"
"...Are you okay?"
"...More or less? It still hurts quite a bit."
That was it.
Marisa pressed her lips together and didn't say anything else.
A complex emotion flickered through her jewel-like emerald eyes.
'...Why is she here now? If she came to visit, she should talk. Is she also here to make me uncomfortable?'
The ghost Mari spoke as if to tell the intruder to disappear.
[Ohoho... If you have nothing to say, please leave. Our Young Master needs my tender care.]
But then Marisa said something unexpected.
"There's someone who wants to see you."
"Who?"
"My father."
"...What?"
For a moment, Chris could only ask back blankly.
He couldn't help it.
"Your father... you mean..."
"Yes, that's right."
Chris swallowed hard.
Marisa's father.
The head of the Extreme Poison House and an 8-Star Demonic Lord, Duke Huam.
* * *
Chris followed Marisa out.
He was still recovering, but he could manage simple movements.
"Was His Grace Duke Huam at the conference hall? I thought only the working-level staff attended."
"He didn't attend the conference directly. He was just coordinating from behind the scenes."
"...I see."
Chris nodded.
It was an unexpected meeting with a big shot.
'I thought I'd never meet him.'
Like the Old Lord Nordian, Duke Huam dies before the First Great War.
It was an event only one or two years away.
But then, Marisa, walking ahead, said something unexpected.
"...Are you really okay?"
"Hmm? More or less."
"...Right."
Silence again.
Chris tilted his head.
It seemed like she had more she wanted to say.
"Why?"
"...Can I ask one thing? You anticipated this conspiracy and made those preparations, didn't you?"
"Yes, that's right. Just as I testified at the conference."
Marisa pressed her lips together again.
"...Then, subduing me was also...?"
Chris didn't deny it.
"I did think that if someone from the Extreme Poison House was plotting something, you might be targeted. The succession situation in your house is complicated, after all. So, I subdued you just in case, for good measure."
"...I see."
A complicated light surfaced in Marisa's eyes again.
Thinking back, Chris had gone out of his way to pick a fight with her then.
At the time, she'd cursed him as a bastard she wanted to kill, but looking back, he had been considerate of her in his own way.
It was humiliating, but thanks to being subdued by Chris, Marisa had been able to avoid any suspicion.
Otherwise, she would have had a hard time explaining that she truly had nothing to do with the incident.
'...I owe him.'
Marisa glanced to her side.
She saw Christian's face.
For some reason, her heart felt fluttery.
Marisa frowned at her own incomprehensible feelings.
"...Anyway, thank you. If it weren't for you, I would have been in big trouble."
Looking at Marisa, Chris thought to himself.
'At least she's grateful. That's a relief.'
It was about time to start making Marisa his pushover.
He began his work.
"Don't mention it. You're an important person to me."
"...What did you just say?"
Thump.
Marisa's heart skipped a beat.
For no discernible reason, her heart started pounding like crazy.
Blood rushed to her head, and she found herself stammering in fluster.
"Wh-what?"
We're already over. If you act like this...
She was about to say something along those lines, but the words wouldn't come out. As she struggled, Chris continued.
In an indifferent tone.
Devoid of any emotion.
"There will be many dealings between the Extreme Poison House and the Main House in the future. So, I'd like for you to become a political ally. For the benefit of each other and both our families."
"...."
It wasn't a bad proposition, but Marisa's expression turned cold.
Chris tilted his head.
"Is this because of our past relationship? You don't have to worry about that. I have absolutely no intention of getting back together or reversing our broken engagement. We're complete strangers."
He emphasized the point to reassure her, but her reaction was strange.
She grew even icier.
"...Marisa?"
"...I'll accept your proposal. For the benefit of both our families."
That was it.
Marisa said nothing more.
"???"
"...."
Chris kept tilting his head in confusion, but she remained tight-lipped, offering no response.
He was puzzled, but he didn't have the leisure to dwell on it.
They had arrived at their destination.
It was time to meet the head of the Extreme Poison House, the Demonic Lord Duke Huam.
* * *
Duke Huam was gazing out the window.
His age was around mid-fifties?
He was about the same age as Marquis Langham.
'An 8-Star Majin.'
However, he didn't feel the same crushing pressure as when he first saw the Old Lord Nordian.
He was probably erasing his presence on purpose.
His impression was also gentle, not at all like a Majin.
He had the appearance of a typical scholar.
But that didn't mean he could be underestimated.
Duke Huam was an absolute master of poison, capable of annihilating a great army with a single gesture.
Beneath that gentle exterior, an unfathomable abyss was surely coiled.
"My Lord, I've brought Christian of the Duchy of Baron."
Duke Huam turned his gaze.
A smile graced his lips.
"Ah, Risa. But didn't I tell you to call me Dad?"
"...My Lord."
"You keep putting up a wall. It makes your old father sad."
"We have a guest. Please compose yourself."
Duke Huam chuckled.
"Alright, I understand. I was being silly. Instead, let's have dinner together later. I've already ordered them to prepare the deer dish you like."
"...Very well."
Marisa turned and left, and Duke Huam watched his daughter's departing back with a warm gaze for a moment.
'...Unexpected.'
Chris looked surprised at the affectionate scene between father and daughter.
'So this is the kind of person Duke Huam is.'
In his previous life, Chris had never met Duke Huam.
But he knew a great deal about him.
He had to.
Because he was a very famous figure.
In the Alliance, Duke Huam was actually far more famous than the Old Lord Nordian.
Because he was strong? No.