Chapter 7
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Translator: 8uhl
Chapter: 7
Chapter Title: Like a True Majin
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‘What in the world?’
TERN’s movements hadn’t been bad.
No, they were more than just not bad; they were excellent.
His form was so well-grounded in the fundamentals of combat that it was hard to believe his young age.
One could guess the grueling training he had endured just by watching his movements.
On the other hand, that scoundrel’s movements were…
‘A mess. Like he didn't even know the basics of fighting.’
And yet. Despite that.
‘He was strong. Overwhelmingly so.’
Melin realized the reason and was aghast.
‘He completely saw through the flow of the battle.’
TERN’s attacks were strong and fast.
But they never landed.
Conversely, Christian’s attacks were a mess.
But they struck TERN without fail.
It was because Christian had predicted TERN’s every move.
Whether through intellect or instinct.
‘That’s impossible without a natural genius for combat.’
But the true reason for her astonishment was something else.
‘At the last moment. He struck the weakest point of the magi and disrupted it.’
It was unbelievable.
Theoretically, it was possible.
If one possessed incredible perception, the reaction speed to respond in a split second, and the sense to never miss that vulnerability…
If all those things came together.
It was essentially the same as saying it was impossible.
‘And that scoundrel, who hasn't even properly accumulated magi, pulled it off?’
She couldn't believe it.
Even now, she wondered if she had been seeing things.
A single word popped into Melin’s mind.
‘Is he… a genius?’
It wouldn't be strange.
The bloodlines of the Dark Magic Houses were all born with talents superior to others.
That was why they were one of the twelve pillars supporting the Magitech Empire.
‘Come to think of it, I heard that scoundrel was called a genius when he was young. Hard to believe now.’
To be called a genius in a prestigious magic family meant one was truly exceptional.
‘But even for a genius, is something like that possible?’
Melin was confused.
She couldn't even begin to guess how exceptional a genius would have to be to make that possible.
‘Perhaps his talent surpasses even that of Young Lord Eshid de Baron.’
Eshid de Baron!
As the middle name ‘de’ suggested, he was of the direct lineage of the Dark Magic Main House.
He was called the greatest genius among the younger generation of the Dark Magic Houses and was considered the de facto heir.
‘No, that’s going too far. How could I compare him to that man?’
Even if Christian were such a genius, it was too late.
While Christian had been wasting his time in debauchery, other rivals his age were soaring.
An insurmountable gap had already formed.
‘Though it seems he’s finally come to his senses.’
Melin glanced over at Chris.
He was diligently running laps in the training yard.
How many was that?
Twenty laps? No, it might have been over thirty. He had been running without rest for a while now.
An unexpectedly tenacious display.
Melin shook her head.
“What a pity. It’s already too late.”
When one began their training was a critical factor in their achievement.
The later one started, the less pure their core would be, and the more their blood vessels would have hardened.
There was a limit to the heights they could reach.
Chris was fifteen, an age that was far too late to begin.
‘The best he can do is probably become a mid-tier Majin of 3-Star or 4-Star.’
That was what Melin thought.
‘How long will it take him to reach 1-Star? At least a year, right? No, since he started late, it might take well over two years. Plus, he has a handicap.’
A handicap.
In the past, Christian had learned to use magi.
The level he had reached back then was an astonishing 2-Star.
His unprecedentedly rapid achievement had caused a stir even in the Dark Magic Main House, but the genius grew arrogant, and his dissolute lifestyle caused him to dissipate all the magi he had accumulated.
Once magi is lost like that, it becomes several times harder to build it up again.
‘What a waste of talent.’
Melin clicked her tongue as she watched Chris.
* * * * * *
A few days later.
‘So this is 1-Star.’
Chris took a deep breath inside his room.
A new vessel, one that hadn't existed before, had formed in his core of darkness.
He had reached the 1-Star level in the Demonic Path.
‘It took a while because I’m not used to magi.’
It took a while.
Anyone else who heard that would have their jaws drop and curse him.
Even for the most talented individuals, achieving 1-Star took at least half a year.
‘The remnants of magi this body had learned before were still there, so it took even longer. If it weren't for that, I would have reached it faster.’
Chris tried gathering magi in his hand.
“This feels awkward.”
A faint black energy gathered before scattering.
‘Can’t I use both at once?’
Chris tried to manifest the ‘mana’ of light and the ‘magi’ of darkness in each hand.
It worked.
A bright, luminous energy gathered in one hand, while a pitch-black, dark energy gathered in the other.
‘It puts a strain on my blood vessels, so it’s still too risky to use in a real fight. Using both powers at once will have to wait until I reach a higher level.’
Chris leaned back in his chair and rang a buzzer.
An eerie voice soon followed.
[Did… you call… Young Master?]
A faint body, like a ghost.
No, it wasn't ‘like’ a ghost. It was a real ghost.
The infamous evil spirit, a Banshee, had appeared!
Chris silently cursed.
‘Crazy bastards, using a Banshee as a maid. Even for a magic family, this is too much.’
He was more or less used to it now, but he had been scared out of his wits the first time the Banshee appeared, claiming to be his maid.
What’s more, the Banshee had a pure, pretty face and was even wearing a maid outfit, which only made it more unsettling.
‘I definitely have to change this later. To a human servant.’
Even in the Magitech Empire, it wasn't common to employ ghosts as servants.
The maid who originally tended to him had been human.
But after the scoundrel he was had repeatedly abused his servants and maids, the furious Count Cazar had assigned the Banshee as Christian’s exclusive attendant.
[Young… Master… what… did you call… for?]
“Get me some juice.”
[Shall I… make it with… a virgin’s blood… juice?]
“…Strawberry juice.”
[But… virgin’s blood… juice… is the best, you know?]
“…I said strawberry.”
No Majin drank virgin’s blood juice.
The Banshee was trying to be playful in her own way, but coming from a ghost, it didn't feel like a joke at all.
The Banshee cackled and vanished, reappearing shortly after with strawberry juice.
‘This part is nice, though.’
Chris thought as he sipped the strawberry juice through a straw.
‘This opulence. This is what I wanted.’
Whatever he wanted, he got.
His clothes, bed, and food were all excellent.
Except for the Banshee maid, this was exactly the life he had dreamed of in his past life.
‘But I can’t be satisfied with just this. I’ll rise to the pinnacle of the Magitech Empire and enjoy the greatest wealth and glory.’
And save the world, too.
With that resolve, Chris stood up from his seat.
He intended to go to the training ground.
To be honest, he was the lazy genius type and didn't enjoy such strenuous training, but with a goal in mind, he had no choice.
‘Wealth and glory, fighting!’
He shouted the cheer in his mind and headed for the training ground.
But before he could leave the mansion, a voice called out to him.
“Are you heading to the training ground again, Young Master?”
A chillingly pale complexion.
Sharp fangs.
It was Cox, the half-vampire butler of the Cazar county.
True to his vampire lineage, he had sharp features, but a gentle smile played on his lips, softening his overall impression.
“Yeah, I was just about to.”
“I’m worried you might be overdoing it.”
Cox quickly shook his head.
“Ah, of course, I am overjoyed and proud that you are working so hard, Young Master. This Cox, even when everyone else pointed fingers at you, I never gave up and kept believing in you.”
Chris simply smiled at those words.
‘Look at this guy.’
His words were quite presumptuous.
His eyes… pretended to be concerned for Chris, but what were his true intentions?
“Believing in what?”
“Pardon?”
“I don’t recall asking you to believe in me. Who are you to believe in me, or talk about giving up on me or not?”
“!!”
Cox gasped.
Only then did Cox truly see Chris’s appearance again.
His aura was completely different from before.
The image of the pathetic scoundrel was nowhere to be found.
His eyes were confident, and a noble grace, previously hidden by his unseemly behavior, flowed from him.
A lofty gaze, as if looking down from above, pierced Cox.
“Be careful next time.”
“I-I apologize.”
Cox, the butler, hastily turned and disappeared. Chris’s eyes deepened as he watched his retreating back.
‘That one smells fishy.’
Deciding to keep an eye on him, he headed for the training ground.
The training ground fell silent upon his arrival.
Everyone glanced at him from the corners of their eyes.
‘Well, their gazes are much softer than before.’
As time passed and he didn’t cause any trouble, quietly training in a corner, they had begun to see him in a different light.
Some even held favorable feelings.
‘Could it be, that scoundrel has really changed?’
‘He’s different than before.’
But not everyone felt that way.
“He’s just putting on a show. It won’t last.”
“Just you watch. He’ll be back to his lazy self before long.”
It hadn't even been a week.
It was too short a time for opinions to change.
The Majin of the knight order jeered at Chris openly, just as before.
“If it weren't for his status, I’d beat that little bastard half to death.”
The Majin who had spoken so crudely was chuckling when he received an unexpected response.
“You there, are you done talking?”
“!!”
It was Chris.
The Majin who had just been badmouthing him sucked in a breath.
“You, what’s your name?”
“…It’s Canin. I am a Squire of the Black Swamp Knights.”
Squire, meaning an attendant.
Chris nodded.
“Alright, Canin. Why don’t you repeat what you just said to me.”
“……”
Canin’s face hardened.
Chris smirked.
“What? Is it hard to say to my face? Squire Canin, do you know what they call people like you?”
“……”
“A cowardly craven.”
“!!”
Canin’s face flushed with anger.
“That’s harsh, sir.”
“Harsh? Do you, who were just badmouthing me behind my back, have any right to say that?”
Chris shrugged and said.
“Pick up a wooden sword.”
“…Pardon?”
“You and I, both our honors have been slighted. There’s only one way to resolve this, isn’t there?”
Chris’s lips twisted into a sneer.
“We’ll have to settle this with strength. Like a true Majin.”
It was about time he started winning the hearts of the Majin.
With force.
* * * * * *
The sudden duel caused a commotion in the training ground.
“Vice-Commander, that…”
“Leave them be.”
“What? But…”
The Majin who tried to intervene was bewildered.
This was different from the last duel.
They were using wooden swords, and there were no restrictions on magi.
Christian could get seriously hurt.
But Melin spoke coolly.
“They’ve put their honor as Majin on the line, so they’ll handle it. If he has the strength, he will protect his honor.”
Melin looked straight at Chris.
“If he doesn’t have the strength, he will pay the price.”
In truth, Melin wanted to see.
Just what kind of hidden power Chris would reveal.
‘Really, I’m getting my hopes up for nothing.’
Melin shook her head at her own thoughts.
No matter how outstanding his talent had seemed during the last duel, what kind of ridiculous expectations was she having?
No, she wasn't even sure if she had seen things correctly last time.
It had been just that unbelievable.