Chapter 161
“What is it? Speak.”
This wasn’t ordinary information, so Chris expected the other person to make a significant request.
But—
“When you become the Archduke, I hope you can ease the hostility toward our Blood Sword House, even if just a little.”
“!!”
Chris looked surprised.
The girl continued, gazing straight into his eyes.
“If we are to stand against the Curse of Command, it would be better for our two Houses not to be at odds.”
Chris fell into brief thought.
‘There’s no need to treat the Blood Sword House as an enemy just because of the Blood-Drenched Demon King. They’re not the same.’
It was an unexpected topic, but the Blood Sword House was not aligned with the Blood-Drenched Demon King.
In fact, the opposite.
Idrine, who was originally the Archduchess of the Blood Sword House, for some reason betrayed her House midway and joined the Anax faction.
Later, after conquering the Demon King's Castle, she brought a horrific bloodbath upon the Blood Sword House.
‘Ria, was it? That girl also met a gruesome death.’
Chris remembered the name ‘Ria’ because she met a horrifying end at the hands of the Blood-Drenched Demon King.
He recalled what the Gossiping Shadow once said.
— No one knows why Idrine, who was once the Archduchess of the Blood Sword House, betrayed her family and joined the Anax faction.
Or why she inflicted such cruel deaths upon blood relatives who were close to her.
The Blood-Drenched Demon King was said to have been especially cruel toward blood kin she had personal ties with.
There had been all sorts of speculation back then regarding her madness.
‘There’s no need to try to understand a demon’s state of mind.’
The Blood-Drenched Demon King's cruelty couldn’t be described with a mere label like ‘villain.’
Her horror was no different from the demons of Gehenna.
‘In the future, forming ties with the Blood Sword House to keep the Blood-Drenched Demon King in check might not be a bad idea.’
“Alright. If I become the Archduke, I’ll reconsider our relationship with the Blood Sword House in a positive light.”
“Thank you! I knew I could talk with you.”
The girl, Idrine, beamed brightly with a beautiful smile.
It was a radiant smile that showed she was genuinely happy with Chris’s response.
‘Innocent.’
Chris shrugged.
Though she looked stoic, there was an unexpectedly pure feeling about her.
“Oh, and I have one thing to say in return.”
“What is it?”
“Beware of your House’s Archduchess, Idrine.”
“!!”
Idrine’s face stiffened.
“What… do you mean by that?”
“Just what I said. Idrine is like a dreadful demon—you’d best be cautious.”
From Idrine’s perspective, it was an utterly absurd statement.
“I… no, the young lady isn’t like that. She’s a good person.”
“Kind? Idrine? That lunatic drenched in blood? That’s the kind of joke that would make the specters of the Demon King's Castle laugh.”
At Christian’s mocking tone, Idrine shook her head.
“Th-That’s not true! I… no, the young lady is absolutely not like that!!”
“…You must really admire Archduchess Idrine, huh?”
“She’s the person I respect most in the world!! There’s no one greater than her in all of existence!”
Idrine, flustered, shouted louder than necessary.
‘…No point saying more.’
Chris thought back to what Simon had said—Idrine seemed to be hiding her horrific true self with utter perfection.
“Well, I’ve said what I needed to. Do as you will.”
“What do you….”
“Anyway, come along. I’ll get you out of the castle.”
As Chris turned his back and walked away, Idrine let out a long sigh.
‘Well, I guess it makes sense. It’s not strange for Lord Christian to think badly of me.’
She was infamous in the outside world.
She’d always stood at the Blood Sword House’s vanguard, soaked in blood.
The Butcher of Blood.
The Vampire of Carnage.
The Princess of the Bloodbath.
Those were the nicknames her enemies gave her.
‘But it’s not like I wanted to be that way.’
She composed herself and thought,
‘I’ll clear up Lord Christian’s misunderstanding no matter what.’
There was only one way.
She decided to get closer to Christian.
For the future of both Houses, it would be best if they became friendly.
‘When the time comes that I reveal my true identity, I’ll make him apologize for what he said about me.’
Idrine made a quiet vow to herself.
“Let’s go now.”
Before leaving, she held out her hand to Christian.
It was a handshake offer.
“We’ll be seeing each other often. I hope we get along.”
Chris didn’t take her hand, only stared at it.
“I don’t think we’re close enough for that. I still don’t fully trust you.”
“Ah… My apologies for being so forward.”
Her face flushed red.
She had gotten ahead of herself, thinking they needed to become closer.
Chris looked at her face and let out a faint laugh.
You know that kind of person, right?
The kind that just makes you want to tease them when they’re nearby.
She was exactly like that.
“I won’t shake your hand.”
Chris folded his arms.
“But depending on what you do from now on, we might end up having a decent relationship.”
Did she understand what he meant?
Idrine answered with a smile.
“Don’t worry. I’ll become your friend, no matter what.”
“…Friend?”
“Yes. I’ll make it happen, without fail.”
Christian let out a small laugh.
“Alright, I’ll be watching.”
* * *
After that, Christian parted ways with the vampire girl.
‘Patera, huh.’
Christian’s gaze turned cold.
A test subject of the Mystic Demonic House.
Christian hadn’t met them often either.
Since it involved summoning demonic energy into a vessel, it wasn’t easy to find suitable candidates.
But Christian knew quite a bit about the test subjects.
Perhaps more than most members of the Mystic Demonic House.
There was a reason.
‘Because the Gossiping Shadow was one of those test subjects.’
Originally, the Gossiping Shadow was a gumiho from the Obsidian Demonic House, but due to certain circumstances, she was captured by the Mystic Demonic House and made into a test subject.
Whether it was fortunate or not, the Gossiping Shadow was a failed experiment. She escaped just before being discarded and later joined the Hero’s party.
‘I need to make sure she doesn’t become a test subject in this life.’
Christian thought as he recalled the Gossiping Shadow.
The problem was, he didn’t know how she had ended up in the hands of the Mystic Demonic House.
As talkative as she was, she rarely spoke about herself, so he knew little about her past.
‘All I know is that she was exiled from the Obsidian Demonic House.’
At any rate, thanks to her, Christian had detailed knowledge of what those test subjects were.
‘There’s a weakness worth targeting. Of course, it won’t be easy.’
It wasn’t just difficult—under normal circumstances, it was impossible.
But for Christian, it was something he could attempt.
‘But I have to do it.’
Beyond saving the Marquis Shupen, he had another reason to see this through.
This could be a golden opportunity.
A chance to become Archduke for sure.
‘If I can stop the Mystic Demonic House’s monster with my own hands and save the Marquis Shupen, no one will be able to oppose me passing the succession trial.’
It would seal the deal.
That wasn’t all.
‘It’s also a chance to make the Magus Empire aware of the danger posed by the Mystic Demonic House. Most magi don’t even know what they really are.’
Patera was born through a horrific process.
He planned to capture her and secure evidence to expose the atrocities of the Mystic Demonic House.
‘I can do this.’
With that thought, he started moving.
First, there was something he had to take care of.
“You’re here?”
A man exuding a sharp, blade-like presence.
The Marquis Shupen greeted Chris with a cold voice.
The guided sparring session had begun.
Before facing the monster of the Mystic Demonic House, Marquis Shupen’s level had to be raised.
* * *
Flash!
A streak of black energy flashed from Chris’s hand.
It carried a fierce power incomparable to ordinary aura, but the Marquis Shupen blocked the attack without the slightest disturbance.
He didn’t even make a large movement.
He simply blocked it with a hand covered in demonic energy, and Chris’s black aura scattered into nothing.
A moment that showed the difference in their level.
Yet Chris didn’t give up—he unleashed black aura again and thrust his sword.
The Marquis Shupen frowned and waved his hand as if brushing off an insect, and something astonishing happened.
Though he hadn’t even touched him, Chris coughed up blood and was thrown backward.
‘As expected, he’s incredible.’
Chris wiped the blood from his lips as he thought.
That last move by the Marquis had seemed light, but it was imbued with a technique that twisted ‘laws’ themselves.
That’s why he had taken damage despite no contact.
‘To so effortlessly wield a power that bends the laws... Just as I thought—he must be standing at the peak of 7-star.’
To put it in a metaphor, his vessel was already filled to the brim.
He had everything required to ascend to 8-star.
The only problem was the wall.
It was this wall that countless high-level magi failed to overcome, unable to go beyond the end of 7-star.
‘But that doesn’t mean it’s insurmountably difficult. With just the right catalyst, the wall can be crossed.’
The catalyst acts like a stepping stone to help surpass the wall.
The Marquis Shupen already had everything in place.
Like water spilling over a full cup with a single shake, he might cross the wall with even a trivial trigger.
That was why he requested this guided sparring session.
Christian planned to become that trigger the Marquis needed.
“Get up. You’re not going down from just this, are you?”
“Of course not.”
Christian stood and pointed his sword again.
After that, similar scenes played out over and over.
Christian tried everything he could to land a hit, but nothing worked.
Talent aside, the gap was simply too vast.
The Marquis Shupen frowned.
“You should stop now.”
“Not yet.”
“No matter how much you struggle, there are limits you can’t overcome.”
It wasn’t even worth the breath to say.
This match had never been one where Christian could hope to be an equal opponent.
But then—
“Who decided that?”
“…What?”
“I’m asking who decided it was impossible—who set that limit.”
Chris lifted the corner of his mouth in a smirk.
He looked utterly beaten and worn out, but the light shining in his eyes hadn’t faded.
Eyes full of confidence, to the point of arrogance.
“I’ve never once lived my life drawing lines like that. Isn’t setting limits before even trying something the act of a coward?”
“!!”
“Or are you saying, Your Excellency, that you’re such a coward?”
The Marquis Shupen’s face turned cold.
It was clear he didn’t like what he just heard.
“Insolent brat. Don’t come crying in regret later.”
“No need to worry. I’ll make sure to land a hit on you, Your Excellency.”
The spar resumed.
But the same scenes repeated again.
No matter how desperately he tried, no matter what technique he used, Chris’s sword still couldn’t reach the Marquis Shupen.
“This really is the end.”
At last—
Just as the Marquis Shupen was about to finish it—
A blast of black aura came flying.
Completely different from before.
A sharp strike that caught him off guard and slipped through, forcing the Marquis to quickly move his hand.
Clang!
A demonic energy shield unfurled from his fingertips, and Chris’s black aura was knocked back again.
But unlike before, the Marquis couldn’t keep his indifferent expression.
He had involuntarily activated his demonic barrier.
‘He’s improved? In just that short time?’