Chapter 158
“He’s perfect. At this rate, I believe he’ll grow into the greatest master the Dark Demonic House has ever had.”
It wasn’t the answer Nordian had been hoping for.
“Lord, I disagree. No matter how fierce the coming bloodshed may be, I don’t believe entrusting the future of the house to a boy who hasn’t even fully matured is the right decision.”
[Hasn’t matured, huh. We’ll see.]
Nordian murmured in a strange tone.
[Does that boy look like an ordinary child to you?]
“……”
[That child isn’t just a genius. He’s a monster.]
Marquis Shupen fell silent.
Nordian chuckled quietly.
[Well, it’s fine. I thought the same as you in the beginning.]
“……”
[You’ll have no choice but to acknowledge it once you spend more time around him. See for yourself what kind of unfathomable monster he really is.]
With those words, Nordian’s form began to blur. He was returning.
Left alone, Marquis Shupen took out a cigarette and lit it.
“…Unbelievable.”
Looking down from the spire, he saw Christian’s figure.
No matter how monstrously talented he may be, entrusting the future of the house to such a young boy was something he still couldn’t agree with.
But at the same time, he began to understand why Nordian was taking such a desperate gamble.
With a deep sigh, the cigarette smoke scattered in the air.
“You really don’t have much time left. You’ve held on longer than anyone expected.”
Nordian was growing anxious—
At the approach of his own end.
* * *
As promised, Sanin relinquished his captaincy, and Christian inherited the position.
‘Of course, it’s unusual to hand over an official post through a duel, but since Marquis Shupen approved it…’
Sanin handed over the emblem with a pained expression.
“…This is the insignia representing the position of Fifth Captain. From now on, you are one of the Five Captains.”
There was no strength in his voice.
The shock of defeat still weighed heavily on him.
His inner demons had worsened as well.
‘This isn’t good.’
He may have been unpleasant, but he wasn’t an enemy.
He was a useful pawn meant to be exploited.
‘Now that I’ve made him kneel, I should help him pull himself back together.’
“So what are you planning to do now?”
“Huh? Nothing in particular.”
“Become my adjutant.”
“!!”
Sanin’s face turned red.
After stealing his captaincy, now he was being told to become his aide?
It was a remark that dug into his pride.
“That’s…”
“What’s the problem? Even your father, Marquis Shupen, will eventually have to kneel before me.”
“!!”
“Seems you’ve forgotten, but I’m destined to become the Head of House. Does bowing to someone like that hurt your pride?”
Christian leaned back in his chair and crossed his legs.
Arrogantly.
“Sanin, look into my eyes.”
“……”
“Come on. Properly.”
Sanin bit his lips hard.
He was just a young boy.
But the pressure was overwhelming.
Thick, heavy.
Those deep crimson-black eyes bore down on him, almost crushingly, and asked—
“I’ll ask again. Sanin, do you still refuse to acknowledge me?”
“……”
“If so, I won’t look back at you either. I have no use for someone too stubborn to discard pointless pride.”
Sanin clenched his fists tightly.
Once again, it struck right to the heart.
The reason Sanin had looked down on the sons of the main family was because he thought he was better than them.
But now?
Christian had defeated him.
And that wasn’t all.
That pressure he was exuding now.
It wasn’t just the pressure of overwhelming power.
Sanin could feel it instinctively.
That this boy was truly something far greater than himself.
He had been ignoring it out of pride.
“…No, I acknowledge you.”
Sanin lowered his head.
“You are more than worthy for me to serve.”
And as he accepted Christian in his heart, the tightness in his chest loosened like a dam breaking.
The inner demons that had been twisted by his inferiority complex began to unravel.
“But don’t get the wrong idea. Losing once doesn’t mean I’ve lost forever. Next time, I will defeat you.”
Sanin spoke again, eyes burning with the will to challenge.
It was a competitive spirit that felt pure—unlike before.
“Challenges are always welcome.”
Christian smirked.
“Though no matter how hard you struggle, defeating me is something that will never happen in your lifetime.”
And with that, Christian made Sanin his adjutant.
‘Perfect. I’ll leave all the tedious work to Sanin.’
After all, the position of captain was just a fleeting post.
Once he earned enough merit and became Deputy Commander, he would hand the position back to Sanin, so for the most part, he planned to leave the duties to him.
‘I have more important things to do.’
Chris’s gaze sank.
He needed to use his authority as captain to find a way to save Marquis Shupen.
The day Marquis Shupen would be killed by an unidentified fiend was fast approaching.
* * *
The Dark Demon Army was divided into five divisions.
Each division consisted of 2,000 soldiers, and the one Chris had taken command of was the Fifth Division.
‘It’s a rear division tasked with guarding the command.’
So, unlike the front-line units stationed at the wall, the nature of their duties was somewhat different.
They were primarily responsible for support roles such as supply, maintaining order, gathering intelligence, and providing internal assistance.
‘This works perfectly. It’s exactly the role I need in this situation.’
He didn’t know exactly how Marquis Shupen would die.
His body had been discovered after heavy decay, so not even the exact time of death was known.
The only thing he knew was that the death occurred not at the wall, but somewhere near Marquis Shupen’s territory.
‘That means the fiend will first infiltrate the Shupen territory. Then it’ll wait for the chance to strike when the marquis is alone.’
Marquis Shupen was not just a commander, but a high lord who frequently traveled throughout the region.
Whenever he moved, he was accompanied by only a small number of bodyguard demons, so honestly, there were many openings.
‘But that doesn’t mean we can ask him to move around with a large escort every time.’
Unlike the Union, demons—even high-ranking ones—didn’t usually take large escorts with them.
They trusted in their own power.
It was a matter of pride as well.
‘More than anything, even heavy escorts won’t help. The fiend will wait until the marquis’s guard is lowered.’
It wouldn’t be easy.
But that didn’t mean it was impossible.
Chris swiftly filled out some documents and visited Marquis Shupen.
“What’s this? A proposal to improve rear defenses?”
“Yes, now that I’ve taken command, I’ve noticed quite a few gaps.”
“Gaps?”
Fortunately, Marquis Shupen, being cool-headed, didn’t get angry.
“Explain in more detail.”
“The wall’s defense is flawless. The coordination between the front-line garrison and the rear reserve unit is executed perfectly.”
It was a system that had developed thanks to the long war.
“However, comparatively, the rear defenses here are vulnerable. Frankly, they’re in terrible condition.”
“Why would rear defense be important? Our job is to protect the wall, isn’t it?”
Not a wrong statement.
However—
“If the Demon King’s Castle sends high-ranking demons to disrupt the rear, there’s no effective countermeasure in the current system.”
Marquis Shupen’s eyebrow twitched.
It was a plausible scenario.
In fact, during periods of heightened tension with the Demon King’s Castle in the past, such things had happened before.
“The atmosphere in the Demon King’s Castle is growing worse by the day, so I believe it’s necessary to prepare in advance before anything happens.”
Of course, the reason Chris was making this proposal was because of the upcoming death of Marquis Shupen.
He was trying to establish a system that would allow for immediate deployment of reinforcements.
Since he didn’t know the exact location where the incident would occur, he had to make sure they could respond quickly no matter when or where it happened.
“If we strengthen the security forces at a few key points in the rear and reinforce the communication network, I believe we can handle emergencies sufficiently.”
“Not a bad idea.”
Marquis Shupen nodded after reading through Chris’s proposal.
It wasn’t a suggestion to mobilize large forces. Reallocating troops was not something that could be decided lightly.
The key was reinforcing the central strongholds and systematizing the communication lines.
If something happened, the troops at the nearest stronghold would respond first to buy time.
During that window, a message would be sent to the Fifth Division under the command center, and either the Third or Fourth Division stationed further back—whichever was closer—would be deployed for support.
‘It’s solid.’
Marquis Shupen was quietly impressed by the detailed plan.
It wasn’t just a good idea—
The locations of each division, key strongholds, and travel routes had all been meticulously considered.
At this rate, they could respond in time to any emergency that broke out in the rear.
‘Did he study military strategy too?’
Among demons, it was rare to find anyone well-versed in military science since they generally relied only on their own strength.
“I’ll see to it that this proposal is implemented as soon as possible.”
“Thank you. There’s something else I’d like to request.”
“What is it?”
“While I’m serving as the captain of the Fifth Division, I’d also like to take on the role of Guard Commander for the Shupen territory.”
“Hm?”
Marquis Shupen looked surprised.
The Dark Demon Army and the Shupen territory were not the same.
The Dark Demon Army was a military force under the main house.
Marquis Shupen was merely acting as its current commander.
‘But the distinction isn’t that clear-cut.’
The wall was within the Shupen territory, and many of the Dark Demon Army’s senior officers were retainers of the Shupen family.
So it wasn’t unusual for the one serving as a division captain to also take on the responsibilities of Guard Commander for the Shupen territory.
“Why are you so eager to take on the role of Guard Commander? It’s not like there’s much for you to gain from it.”
The Guard Commander position didn’t offer much in the way of achievements and only involved tiresome, menial work.
“To oversee the people directly.”
“Hm?”
“Because I’ll become the head of the Dark Demonic House one day. Earning merit is important, but I also believe it’s important to take care of the people when I have the chance.”
Marquis Shupen’s eyes briefly gleamed with interest.
“For a brat, you say some admirable things. Fine, I’ll appoint you as Guard Commander.”
“Thank you.”
Chris bowed his head.
‘Of course, it’s a lie.’
There was another reason he wanted that position.
‘The culprit will first infiltrate the Shupen territory.’
If all went well, he might be able to catch their tail.
“I have one more request to make.”
“Another one?”
Chris nodded.
‘This is the most important matter.’
“Would you be willing to spar with me once a day?”
“Sparring?”
“Yes. I’d like to receive your guidance, Your Excellency.”
Marquis Shupen looked surprised.
“That’s not a problem. Very well.”
Marquis Shupen actually thought this was a good opportunity.
‘It’d be nice to use this chance to break that arrogant brat’s spirit a little.’
It wasn’t out of ill will.
Marquis Shupen didn’t dislike Christian.
If anything, he secretly held a certain admiration for him.
After all, he was a future pillar who would one day lead the Dark Demonic House.
So, this idea came from a place of genuine care.
‘It’s better for his future to teach him some humility now.’
“But don’t think I’ll go easy on you just because it’s a sparring session. If you’re not confident you can handle it, it’s best to back out now.”
A warning that he intended to seriously put him in his place.
But Christian simply nodded calmly—then said something completely unexpected.
“May I say one more thing as well?”
“What is it?”
“If I manage to land a hit on Your Excellency during the sparring match, would you grant me one request?”
For a moment, Marquis Shupen doubted his own ears.
What kind of nonsense was this brazen fool spouting now?
‘So he’s not just looking to receive guidance.’
Chris’s eyes had grown sharp.
There was an important reason behind his request for this daily sparring.
A reason that Marquis Shupen couldn’t even imagine.