Chapter 96
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Translator: 8uhl
Chapter: 96
Chapter Title: The Lottery Ticket
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Fresia did not refuse.
Evan had beaten Maisac.
So, naturally, the plan was to deal with Evan as well.
“Well then.”
When he stepped outside, Maisac was glaring at him, an ominous aura radiating from him.
Chris snickered.
“I was wondering where you'd gone. As expected, you were hovering around your mother.”
“...”
Maisac didn't answer.
Instead, he just ground his teeth and shot him a murderous look.
A chilling killing intent flowed from him.
Feeling the unfiltered desire to kill him, Chris shrugged.
‘This will be the last time I have to deal with that brat's whining.’
With this plan.
Chris intended to kill Maisac.
But on a sudden whim, he spoke.
“Hey, Maisac. There's something I want to say.”
“...What is it?”
“Have you ever thought about apologizing for all the wrong you've done to me?”
“What nonsense is this?”
“I'm just giving you a chance.”
“Shut your mouth. You should be the one looking forward to what's coming.”
Maisac growled fiercely.
“I'll put you in such a terrible state you'll regret ever being born.”
A cruel sense of triumph gleamed in Maisac's eyes.
It was only natural.
He had the Dark Demon Squad on his side, after all.
Maisac flashed a truly wicked smile, perhaps imagining the pain he would inflict on Chris.
“Well, if you say so.”
Chris walked out of the mansion.
Evan was waiting for Chris, kneeling.
Chris snickered and said playfully.
“You're starting to look like a proper slave now, aren't you?”
“...Shut up.”
“My, what a foul mouth for a slave speaking to his master. Do I need to get the whip?”
Evan's glare turned icy.
Chris chuckled and patted Evan's shoulder.
“Get up. Let's go.”
It was time to get Evan out.
* * *
Gold Cross was located on the southern border of the Dark Magic Houses' territory.
Chris rode his horse, surveying the road.
‘I'll have to come back here soon enough.’
The disaster set to befall Gold Cross was not far off.
It was a catastrophe that would ultimately lead to unrest in the Four Kings Castle, so it had to be stopped.
‘Is this the Brexis River? If I follow this river, it leads to the capital of the Law Nation, right? It's been a while since I've seen this green water.’
Looking at the emerald-colored river, a faint, distant look momentarily filled Chris's eyes.
The beautiful color of the Brexis River had been his only solace during his childhood in his previous life.
‘Ah, there was one more thing.’
His younger sister.
The kind child who had called him "older brother" and looked after him, even when everyone else pointed fingers and called him the devil's seed.
‘She suffered so much because of me. Now that 'I' am dead and gone, I wonder if her life has gotten a little easier.’
When he regressed into a different body, the 'original' Chris had died.
‘Since she's a kind child, I wonder if she was a little sad. I miss her.’
He would likely meet his sister when he stopped the impending disaster at Gold Cross.
Of course, it was a meaningless event.
He and his sister had no relationship anymore.
Even if they met, revealing his identity was impossible.
‘Perhaps because of causality, it's impossible for me to reveal my past identity.’
In any case, that wasn't important.
‘The best I can do for my sister is to prevent the disaster at Gold Cross. After all, she's the one who will suffer the most from it.’
As he was thinking this.
Evan, riding beside him, gazed intently at Chris's face.
“...You.”
“??”
“...Never mind.”
Chris looked puzzled.
‘What's with him all of a sudden?’
This wasn't the first time Evan had acted this way.
No, it happened quite often.
He would often look at Chris with an incomprehensibly complex expression.
As if he were reading his innermost thoughts.
‘...It's not like he has the Mind's Eye or anything. No way.’
As far as Chris knew, Evan awakened the Mind's Eye only after being recognized as the Hero and making a contract with a Constellation.
That was still a long way off.
‘Well, it's not important.’
Chris asked about something else.
“By the way, why did you come to the territory of the Dark Magic Houses?”
“...”
“Even if you were deliberately abandoned in a place where you were meant to die, you must have been given some kind of mission, right?”
He had asked before, but Evan had never answered.
But after a moment of silence, Evan gave an unexpected reply.
“No need to worry about it. It was a nonsensical, ridiculous, and trivial mission.”
Chris tilted his head.
Just then, in the distance.
He could see the helper who was waiting for them.
It was Ruina.
* * *
“Greetings, Young Lord Christian.”
“Have you been well? It's good to see you.”
“...Yes.”
Ruina replied in an ambiguous tone.
Ambiguous, because Ruina's expression was neither welcoming nor resentful, but a complex mixture.
To be precise, both emotions were blended together.
The welcoming part was because,
‘I did make a huge profit last time.’
The jewel Chris had brought from the underground garden had sold for an unimaginable price to a high noble in the Holy Empire.
That wasn't all.
Just as Chris had tipped her off, she had confirmed that something suspicious was happening in Gold Cross.
She could smell money—a huge profit if she played her cards right.
He had brought her such a great fortune, yet the reason for Ruina's still-sour expression was simple.
‘Still, this is too much. Trying to fleece me again. Am I your personal piggy bank?!’
Ruina seethed inwardly, grinding her teeth.
Chris had summoned her today and told her to bring a certain 'item'.
As always, it was an incredibly expensive item.
“You brought the item I asked for, right?”
“Ohoho, yes, of course. But... may I ask what you plan to use this expensive item for?”
“Why? Is the money a waste?”
When Chris asked bluntly, Ruina quickly shook her head.
“Not at all!”
‘Of course it's a waste, you bastard! Do you know how much this costs?!’ But she couldn't reveal her true thoughts and spoke cautiously.
“It's just that this item is mainly used to cover up crimes... so I was curious what you needed it for...”
“To cover up a crime.”
“...Pardon?”
“You said it yourself. It's an item used to cover up crimes. I told you to get it for its intended purpose, didn't I?”
Ruina snapped her mouth shut.
“Ohoho... I-I see. As-as expected of the great and wonderful Young Lord.”
“And here.”
Chris handed Ruina a letter.
“This is the next piece of information about what's going to happen in Gold Cross.”
“!!”
“It tells you how you should act, so use it as a reference.”
Ruina received the letter as if it were a sacred relic and bowed deeply to express her gratitude.
“Loyalty, loyalty, loyalty!! From now on, I will only trust in His Majesty, Young Lord Christian!”
‘Hmm, it's not something to be that happy about.’ Chris inwardly scratched his head.
If she followed the letter, it was true she could make a lot of money, but she would also be completely entangled in Chris's plans.
In other words, it meant she would suffer immensely.
‘Well, money is the most important thing to Ruina. As long as I let her make money, it should be fine.’
“And I have one more gift for you.”
“What is it? If it's from you, Young Lord, I would gladly accept even poison!”
“It's not poison. It's a lottery ticket. One that'll hit the jackpot if it pays out.”
“Pardon?”
“Here, this guy.”
Chris pointed to Evan.
Ruina looked confused for a moment, then her eyes widened.
She had recognized Evan's identity.
“Could it be, this person is...? From the renowned sword family?”
“Yes, that's right.”
Chris said magnanimously.
“I'll give you the chance to put this guy in your debt.”
* * *
It went without saying, but secretly crossing the border between the Magitech Empire and Gold Cross was no easy task.
Both sides watched it like a hawk.
But there was one person.
Who could cross the border as if it were her own home.
Ruina, the master of the Rudolph-Deer Merchant Guild.
She had been doing business crossing between the Alliance and the Magitech Empire through a miraculous, secret route unknown to others.
‘She uses an artifact. A legendary-grade one, at that.’
It was a method of travel using a legendary-grade artifact that far surpassed the Vampiric Ring Chris had obtained in the underground garden.
‘Using that artifact, it's possible to smuggle Evan out without leaving a single trace.’
However, Ruina's reaction was not good.
Ruina quickly pulled Chris aside and exclaimed.
“Lord Evan isn't a lottery ticket, he's a bomb!”
“A moment ago, you said you'd gladly accept even poison.”
“That was just business flattery! What am I supposed to do if I help Lord Evan and earn the hatred of the renowned sword family?!”
In the Alliance, the influence of the renowned sword family was extraordinary.
On par with royalty.
No, royalty only held influence in their own countries, but the renowned sword family's influence spread across the entire continent, so one could say they were even greater than royalty.
‘They're even called one of the Four Great Bloodlines of the Alliance.’
The four noblest bloodlines in the Alliance were as follows.
The imperial family of the Karn Empire.
The imperial family of the Holy Empire.
The Star Clan of the Law Nation, the spiritual heart of Gold Cross.
And among them was the renowned sword family, the Meyer family.
“I can't do it! Absolutely, never! Are you trying to ruin my business?!”
“But it's also a chance for your merchant guild to grow by leaps and bounds.”
“...”
“If Evan becomes the head of the renowned sword family, that is.”
Ruina snapped her mouth shut.
“As you know, Evan is still a successor.”
“But... it's only in name. Honestly, the chances of Lord Evan becoming the head are slim.”
“Well, I don't think so, but it's certainly a risky business. If you're only looking at the monetary aspect, it might not be a profitable venture.”
Chris nodded.
“If your goal is simply to hoard money like a miser, then you don't have to get involved. But is that really all there is to it?”
Chris looked Ruina straight in the eye and said.
“For some reason, I think you have another purpose.”
“!!”
Ruina's eyes trembled.
That was right.
The reason Ruina acted so greedily, like a money-grubber who valued money over her own life, wasn't simply due to avarice.
It was to achieve some goal with that money.
That was why she treasured money above all else and was accumulating it.
“...What do you know about me?”
“I don't know anything. It's just a guess. A great merchant like you is bound to have some other goal. In any case, make your choice.”
Chris said.
“Whether to scratch the lottery ticket or not.”
Ruina bit her lip.
It was a difficult choice.
Literally, the odds were as slim as a lottery ticket.
Worse, if it was a losing ticket, there was a risk of suffering a huge loss.
But.
“...I'll do it.”
If she won the lottery.
If Evan succeeded in becoming the master of the renowned sword family.
She could take a giant leap closer to her true goal.
So, she couldn't refuse.
Above all.
‘...That scoundrel wouldn't push for something with no chance of success.’
Funnily enough.
Ruina trusted Chris.
It was because of the unbelievable miracles he had shown her so far.