Chapter 95
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Translator: 8uhl
Chapter: 95
Chapter Title: The Bait
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“!!”
“Am I wrong? You discarded scarecrow prince of a Sword House.”
*Crack.*
Indeed, Evan clenched his fist.
So tightly that it drew blood.
“Shut… up.”
“I don’t believe I’ve said anything untrue. Weren’t you thrown into the territory of the Dark Magic House as a disposable pawn, left for dead? Surely you’re not unaware of that?”
Evan glared at Chris with a murderous look in his eyes.
But he couldn’t offer any real retort.
Because Chris was right.
A pitiful fate, born of the noblest bloodline, only to be sacrificed for the filthy desires of his family’s elders.
That was Evan.
‘He’s similar to me.’
A bitter smile touched his lips.
Chris, too, was born of the most noble lineage, yet he was forced to endure a miserable childhood under a horrific false accusation.
The difference was, Chris’s father was still alive?
Or more accurately, that his father was the one who had cast his life into the abyss?
Chris and his mother had been framed as servants of a demon because of his father’s greed.
‘Well, it doesn’t matter now.’
In any case, Chris felt a degree of sympathy for Evan, who was a reflection of himself, and wanted to alleviate some of the suffering Evan was bound to face.
So he spoke.
“Don’t you want to survive and get your revenge?”
“!!”
The corners of Chris’s mouth lifted.
A voice, like a tempting demon, flowed out.
“On those who insulted your father, and on those who cast you and your mother into the abyss.”
* * *
Evan was silent for a long time.
The dim moonlight settled heavily around them.
“…What do you mean?”
“Exactly what I said. I want you to survive and return to the Alliance.”
“…You want me to return to the Sword House and strike them down? That’s impossible.”
Evan said gravely.
“My enemies are not people I can face.”
He was right.
They were figures so far above him they seemed untouchable.
It was the reason Evan had fallen into despair.
However.
“For now, perhaps. But things will be different with time.”
“!!”
“I’m not telling you to go back to the Sword House and fight your enemies right now. No, you must not return to the Sword House for the foreseeable future.”
Chris said with emphasis.
If Evan returned to the Sword House, he would meet a terrible end in the near future.
He had to be prevented from doing so.
“Hide and build your strength. Then, go and sever the heads of those hypocritical bastards in the Sword House.”
Cutting the throats of the rotten filth in the Sword House was not just about Evan’s personal grudge; it was a necessary task for the future.
Because of those damn fools, the Sword House had failed to fulfill its role during the Great War, and the damage the Alliance suffered had grown exponentially.
‘It was something I originally planned to do myself.’
But it would be good to use it as nourishment to revive Evan’s blackened, dead soul.
Sometimes, anger becomes the greatest flame for life.
“In any case, it’s not like your situation could get any more miserable than it is now, right?”
Evan let out a low chuckle.
A deep, cold laugh, steeped in profound resentment.
“That’s true. It might be better to become your slave, your sword, than to keep acting as my enemy’s dog.”
Evan lifted his head, his eyes blazing.
“I will follow your words. What must I do?”
“First, you need to get out of this place alive.”
“…You’ll let me go?”
Evan wore a look of bewilderment.
“Yes. If you stay here any longer, you’ll die.”
It was the truth.
Even now, there were many Majin who were after Evan’s life.
There was a limit to how much Chris could protect him.
“Besides, you have to get out to follow the orders I give you.”
“…What if you let me go and I ignore your command?”
He had placed a seal of master and servant on him, but that alone wasn’t enough to compel Evan.
‘The Inferior Blood Seal is a technique for controlling retainers who lack their own will. It can’t be used to freely command a being with a will like Evan.’
If he truly wanted to force Evan, he would have to carve a separate ‘Seal of Obedience,’ but that was impossible for now.
And unnecessary.
“That’s simple. Take this pill.”
“…What is this?”
“It’s the secret demonic pill of the Extreme Poison House, the Timed Death Pill. You’ve probably heard of it. It’s a will-thought poison that will kill you if you don’t take the antidote by a set time several years from now.”
A potent ‘will-thought’ poison whose effects would manifest years later.
Moreover, it was impossible to detoxify without the specific antidote.
How had he obtained such a precious poison?
‘That’s a lie. This is just horse dung.’
But who would know?
It wasn’t like Evan knew what poison tasted like.
“Eat it.”
“……”
Perhaps feeling an instinctual reluctance, Evan hesitated.
But he soon squeezed his eyes shut and swallowed the horse… no, the pill.
“…As expected of an extreme poison. A truly vile taste.”
“…Yes. The more potent the medicine, the more bitter the taste. I’ll give you the antidote after confirming you’ve followed my orders well.”
“Alright. But how will you get me out of the Dark Magic House?”
Evan asked in a puzzled tone.
“No matter how esteemed you are as a Young Lord, you shouldn’t be able to send me out.”
He was right.
But as always, Chris had a way.
Chris leaned in and whispered his plan into Evan’s ear, and Evan’s eyes widened in astonishment.
It was time to make use of Maisac, the ever-giving fool.
* * *
Chris and Evan put their plan into action.
First, Evan put on a show of genuine submission to Chris, deceiving everyone’s eyes.
Then, they waited for an opportunity to present itself.
‘It’s about time I got a bite.’
Just as he was thinking that, someone approached.
It was the Majin mama’s boy, the fool who had given Chris everything so freely.
It was Maisac.
“…Christian.”
“What brings you to me? Aren’t you usually busy hiding behind your mother’s skirt?”
Leaning back in his chair, not even thinking of standing, Christian’s insolent reply made Maisac grind his teeth.
“Is that the fellow from the Sword House?”
“……”
“Don’t get cocky just because you’ve achieved some minuscule feat. Soon, I’ll cut off all your limbs, tear your flesh to shreds, and feed it to the dogs.”
It was a pathetic snarl that no longer elicited any reaction.
Just as Chris was about to ignore him with a bored expression, something happened that stunned everyone around them.
*THWACK!!*
A heavy thud echoed.
For a moment, no one nearby could comprehend the situation.
Even Maisac, the recipient of the sound, didn’t realize what had just happened.
That was how shocking it was.
Evan, who had been standing silently by his side, had smashed his fist into Maisac’s face.
“Y-You?!”
Maisac, finally coming to his senses, let out a furious roar, but it was useless.
In terms of pure physical combat ability, Evan surpassed even Chris.
More importantly, Evan, who had been through all sorts of trials and tribulations in the Sword House, was on a completely different level from Maisac, who had been coddled and raised in his mother’s embrace, when it came to combat readiness.
*Thwack! Thwack!*
A hammer-like fist, imbued with pure white mana, repeatedly struck Maisac’s face, as if intending to beat it into a pulp.
Naturally, he gave Maisac no chance to use his specialty, black magic.
Chris shouted out a few beats… no, about five beats too late.
“Stop!! What is the meaning of this?”
“…This cur insulted you, Master. Please permit me to execute him.”
With one hand gripping Maisac’s collar, Evan’s other fist glowed with a brilliant blue light.
4-Star Starlight.
Mana Transformation.
It was the Fighting Fist.
A power that condensed a knight’s Mana Blade.
It was obvious what would become of Maisac if that destructive force, capable of shattering boulders, were to connect with his face.
“Ugh… ugh…”
*I’m really going to die.*
Sensing the thick killing intent flowing from Evan’s eyes, Maisac let out a groan.
“Let him go. As pathetic as he is, he is still a Young Lord of the Main House.”
“…Understood.”
Evan released his grip as if brushing off something filthy, and Maisac collapsed to the ground with a thud.
“Evan, you will step back. I will hold you accountable for stepping out of line.”
“…My apologies.”
Chris sighed and approached Maisac.
“Are you alright?”
“!!”
Was his pride still intact even as he groveled on the floor?
Just as Maisac, his face a mangled mess, was about to snarl back.
Chris sneered in a low voice.
“I had my doubts, but you’re as pathetic as I thought. To be weaker than a slave I command. You worthless fool. From now on, how about you don’t come out from behind your mother’s skirt?”
“!!”
A sneer that trampled all over Maisac’s pride.
But Maisac couldn’t say a single word in response.
Chris’s gaze was pressing down on him.
The oppressive pressure of the strong looking down on the weak.
“If you want to live a long life, get lost and run back to your mommy’s skirt now!”
Maisac’s fingertips trembled, but in the end, unable to utter a single word, he disappeared like a pathetic dog.
Once the two of them were alone, Evan spoke.
“Wasn’t that too harsh?”
“Address me formally.”
“…Wasn’t that too harsh, sir? I did as you instructed, but…”
An unexpected revelation.
Evan’s intervention had been part of Chris’s script!
“He doesn’t look like he’ll let this go. From what I’ve overheard, he seems to have quite a powerful backer.”
Chris shrugged.
“You don’t have to worry about that fool Maisac’s revenge.”
Chris said with a smirk.
“That was the whole point of doing it.”
That’s right.
Today’s events were bait cast for Maisac.
The enraged Maisac would move exactly as Chris intended, and Chris planned to sacrifice Maisac to orchestrate Evan’s escape.
* * *
The time had come.
Marchioness Fresia had summoned him.
Fresia greeted him with a cold face that held not a hint of welcome.
“It’s been a while. It’s good to see you.”
“Yes, it’s good to see you too. But I don’t see Maisac.”
Chris turned his head from side to side with an exaggerated expression.
“I thought he was always by your side, being a mama’s boy?”
“…You!”
“Ah, I was just commenting on how close you two seem as mother and son. Did I perhaps offend you?”
The tips of Fresia’s fingers trembled.
But Fresia couldn’t get any angrier. There was business to attend to.
“I called you because I have a mission to assign to you.”
“What is it?”
“I’ve heard that the Gold Cross has been making some unusual movements lately. Go to the Brexis River, which flows towards the Theocracy, and observe their activities. This is a solo mission, so you will go alone.”
Chris whistled inwardly.
‘A bit too blatant, isn’t it?’
The Brexis River was the primary operational area of the Dark Demon Squad.
The intention was to use Maisac and the Dark Demon Squad to kill him.
She wouldn’t even permit him to have a companion.
Their dark intentions were so transparent it was laughable.
It just showed how desperately they wanted him dead.
Although it was clearly a trap.
“Yes, I understand. I accept the mission.”
Chris answered readily.
‘This is the mission I was hoping for.’
Did Fresia know?
That she had taken the bait Chris had thrown.
“However, may I make one request? Please allow me to take the slave from the Sword House with me.”
“The slave?”
“Yes. I plan to use him as a scapegoat in an emergency.”