Chapter 104
Chris lowered his gaze.
‘I should remember this.’
Chris calmly examined the Count’s condition.
The curse ran deep—it looked difficult to treat in a short time.
It didn’t matter.
After all, today’s visit to Count Burssen wasn’t for treatment.
In fact, the opposite.
‘I came here to stir up trouble.’
Chris smirked.
‘My goal is nothing less than Baron Bord’s downfall.’
Here’s the question:
With Chris’s current strength, taking down Baron Bord wasn’t possible.
Assassination might work if he waited for an opportunity, but simply cutting off his head meant nothing.
He needed to completely ruin the man and secure evidence that he had colluded with the Dark Demonic House.
Even for Chris, this was no easy task.
So what to do?
Simple.
‘Trap him.’
Today, coming to visit Roy’s father, Count Burssen, was all for setting up that trap.
‘Looks like I’ll be making Roy out to be a terrible son for now. Though, later, they might praise him as a dutiful one.’
After setting a few things in place for the trap with Count Burssen, Chris stepped outside.
As the door opened, an unexpected figure was waiting.
A goatee.
Eyes full of greed.
It was Baron Bord.
“Roy.”
“Uncle.”
Chris lowered his head slightly and smirked.
‘So, hearing Roy changed must’ve had you clenching your teeth in panic, huh?’
The attitude he showed the butler earlier.
Coming to visit his father like this.
All of it was behavior unlike the usual Young Count Roy, which must have raised suspicion.
“I just came to see your face. It’s been a while. Everything fine?”
“Yes. Thanks to you, Uncle, handling everything in my place, there’s nothing to worry about.”
“……”
“Thanks to Uncle, I’ve been living quite comfortably.”
A loaded statement.
Baron Bord’s face stiffened for a moment.
“Haha, it seems there’s been a misunderstanding. With your father unwell, I had no choice but to step in. But when you grow up, it’ll all be your responsibility.”
With that awkward laugh, Chris smiled in return.
“I see. There’s something I’d like to discuss with you, Uncle. I heard a strange story recently.”
“What kind of story?”
“That someone in our Burssen Domain has been colluding with the Dark Demonic House.”
“!!”
At the sudden, sharp stab of a dagger-like remark, Baron Bord’s expression instantly stiffened.
“W-What are you talking about?”
“While drinking yesterday, a mysterious figure approached me in secret. He claimed to be a Magus from the Dark Demonic House and said someone from our Bursen Domain was colluding with them.”
“W-What kind of nonsense is that?”
“I thought the same, but he insisted it wasn’t a lie—and even brought this seal.”
Chris pretended to look around and then pulled out a sheet of paper.
—Appointment Letter for a Black Shadow Knight.
—Commander of the Black Shadow Knights, Merian.
Along with this information, a seal in the shape of a black crescent moon was stamped on it.
It was a provisional appointment Merian had scribbled out roughly when sending Chris.
“This seal… No matter how I look at it, it seems to be the emblem of the Black Shadow Knights of the Dark Demonic House. And judging by the magical energy unique to the Dark Demonic House imbued in it, it doesn’t seem forged either.”
“……”
“From what I know, the Black Shadow Knights are like the Inquisition. I doubt a Magus from that order would lie so casually. Hmm.”
Baron Bord’s face turned pale.
Chris spoke casually, as if unaware.
“Still, it’s probably just nonsense, right?”
“Y-Yes! That must be it! Or maybe it’s just an attempt to stir up internal discord! We mustn’t fall for it!”
“Yes, I think so too. I’ll leave everything to you, Uncle. Please investigate thoroughly—if there really is a traitor.”
Chris lifted the corners of his mouth into a smile.
That same smile that sent chills down anyone who saw it.
“They’ll have to pay the price.”
“!!”
Why was it?
It was clearly just the face of that scorned nephew, yet it sent shivers down his spine.
Back in his office, Baron Bord slammed his desk.
“Damn it?! What the hell is going on?! They promised to keep it secret! So why does the Black Shadow Knights already suspect?!”
What he’d seen earlier was definitely the seal of the Black Shadow Knights.
Just as his nephew said, the trace of magical energy peculiar to the Dark Demonic House was embedded in it, making it difficult to consider it a forgery.
The Dark Demonic House had truly caught on to the collusion.
‘No! If this comes to light, my political opponents will never let it go!’
Baron Bord had not yet fully taken control of the Bursen Domain.
There were still opposing factions.
Baron Bord anxiously bit his lip.
‘There’s only one way. I must become the undisputed ruler of Bursen as soon as possible. Only then can I bury this matter.’
The problem was Young Count Roy.
As long as Roy, the rightful heir, remained alive, Baron Bord could never fully claim the domain.
He had to be eliminated.
‘I was planning to deal with him after seizing complete control… but now I’ll have to move faster.’
Recalling his nephew’s chilling gaze just moments ago, Baron Bord gritted his teeth.
‘I must find a way… no matter what.’
He was in the middle of deep thought.
Suddenly, a piercing shout rang out.
“L-Lord Baron, it’s an emergency!!!”
“What is it?!”
“T-The thing is…!!”
Baron Bord was seized by an unknown sense of dread.
“T-The Count of Burssen has passed away!!!”
Thud.
The pen in Baron Bord’s hand dropped.
“…What? Say that again.”
He asked again, as if he couldn’t believe it.
“Count Burssen has drawn his last breath!”
“!!”
The sudden death of the Count.
And when Baron Bord realized what that meant, his face turned pale as a corpse.
It meant that Young Count Roy would inherit the title and become the new master of the Burssen Domain.
* * *
‘It’s a lie, though.’
Chris whistled inwardly.
In truth, Count Burssen wasn’t dead.
The commotion had all been orchestrated by Chris.
‘I used the Rebirth Pill from the House of Medical Saints.’
It was a miraculous elixir used to treat critically ill patients.
The issue was that it placed the patient into a state similar to death.
It worked by halting all bodily functions, then inducing a dramatic recovery.
Vital functions like breathing and nutrient intake were replaced by the magical energy infused in the pill.
‘His condition was quite severe, so it should take at least a week before he wakes up.’
That amount of time was more than enough.
Enough to bring Baron Bord to ruin.
When he opened the door and stepped out, Baron Bord stood there with a ghostly pale face.
“R-Roy.”
“Uncle.”
Chris spoke calmly.
“I believe you addressed me incorrectly just now.”
“!!”
“Until now, I let it slide, but I’ll be inheriting the title soon. I think you’d best watch your language from now on.”
He was telling him to speak with proper respect.
Baron Bord bowed his head, his face flushed red.
“I-I will bear that in mind.”
“Gather the retainers immediately. There’s something urgent we need to discuss.”
Soon, the retainers gathered in the meeting room.
Chris sat at the highest seat.
The Count’s seat.
Until recently, it had been occupied by Baron Bord.
As if it had always been his rightful seat, Chris's natural air of authority left some of the retainers visibly startled.
“Is everyone here?”
“Except for Lord Press and those currently marching toward the Dark Demonic House. They’ve been informed of the Count’s death and should return within a few days.”
Chris nodded.
At the moment, both armies had been on the verge of bloodshed, but this incident had prevented that clash.
“I believe everyone’s heard the news. From now on, I, Roy, will cast aside the disgraceful image I once showed and change. For my late father—and for the Burssen Domain.”
Reactions were mixed.
Those who followed Baron Bord looked troubled.
In contrast, those who opposed him welcomed the Young Count’s transformation.
“Then, Young Count, what about the funeral?”
“We’ll postpone the funeral.”
“Pardon? What do you mean?”
“We haven’t even found the one responsible for Father’s death. We can’t hold a funeral before that.”
“!!”
The retainers grew uneasy.
“What do you mean by that? Responsible? Are you saying—?”
“That’s right. My father didn’t die from illness. He was cursed.”
“!!”
“Take a look at this.”
Chris pulled out a long rod.
It was a magic tool embedded with a magic stone.
“This is a rare tool I went through great lengths to acquire, capable of detecting curses. It’s a custom piece crafted by a High Meister of the Magic Tower—its accuracy is incomparable to standard identification tools.”
Sponsored—no, taken—from that miserly pushover, Ruina.
“When I tested it on Father’s blood, the tool reacted. A curse was confirmed. If you don’t believe me, feel free to verify it yourselves.”
“T-This is outrageous!”
The meeting hall erupted.
If the Count had died from a curse, it wasn’t something that could be overlooked.
“That’s not all. As I mentioned earlier to my uncle, Baron Bord, I received a secret message from the Dark Demonic House. They claim that someone within our Burssen Domain has been colluding with their dark mages.”
“Of course, I don’t want to believe that such a vile traitor exists among us. But seeing my father’s cursed state raises one chilling suspicion.”
Chris slowly swept his gaze across the retainers.
Then, he looked directly at Baron Bord and spoke.
“!!”
“That someone colluded with the dark mages of the Dark Demonic House… and cursed my father.”
“!!”
“I, Roy, swear to the heavens—I will find the one responsible and make them pay the price.”
Amid the shock and horror, the meeting came to an end.
And in the final moments—
Chris glanced over at Baron Bord’s face and smiled.
His bloodshot eyes.
His reason slipping into panic and anxiety.
He had walked right into the trap.
* * *
After that, Chris focused on driving Baron Bord to the brink of madness.
He reopened the case on the human sacrifice incident and ordered a sweeping investigation of those guarding the borders.
For Baron Bord, who had skeletons in his closet, it must have felt like his blood was drying up.
Just as Bord’s anxiety reached its peak—
Chris threw the final snare.
“We must seek help from the Holy Kingdom, Uncle.”
“!!”
“If it's Princess Olivia of the Holy Kingdom, the Saintess who carries the Starblood, descendant of the Great Star—she should be able to reveal the truth.”
“Th-That’s…!”
Baron Bord's face turned deathly pale.
Princess Olivia, the Holy Kingdom’s next Pontiff, was the greatest Spirit Exorcist of her time—she really could uncover the truth.
“I’ll go to the Holy Kingdom myself.”
At that moment, Baron Bord’s eyes lit up.
“You’ll go personally?”
“Yes. The Holy Kingdom is the spiritual pillar of our Gold Cross, so we can’t just send anyone. I’ll go quietly, with only a few people, to avoid unnecessary commotion. So please keep this between us, Uncle.”
Personally.
With only a small group.
Hearing Chris’s words, Baron Bord’s heart began to pound.
His eyes flushed red.
With murderous intent.