Chapter 169
They had taken an ordinary girl—one who had been living happily in a mountain village—and turned her into something horrific.
And it wasn’t just that girl.
Back during the Age of Ruin, Chris had seen countless scenes just like this.
If they were left alone, more and more innocent people would fall into hellish torment.
That was why Chris was going through so much trouble now.
What Chris wanted, ultimately, was his own wealth and glory.
But even so—
No matter how selfish he was, he couldn’t allow the hell he had witnessed in his past life to unfold again.
“I have to stop it.”
Of course, that wasn’t the only reason.
Chris was selfish. If he thought he was doing something only for the sake of others, he wouldn’t be motivated.
“I’ll crush the Blood-Drenched Demon King, the freaks from the Mystic Demonic House, and every last one of them—and rise to enjoy the greatest wealth and power this world has to offer!”
With that vow—
The restraints that had bound the girl, Patera’s, mind were shattered, and the dream world collapsed.
* * *
Chris’s accomplishments didn’t end with just rescuing Patera.
‘Patera doesn’t move alone. There has to be a priest with her.’
He had tasked Melin with capturing the priest.
Naturally, it wasn’t going to be easy—they were hiding well—but Chris had given Melin the perfect tool for the job:
The Demon-Chasing Jewel.
A sacred artifact of the Holy Empire capable of tracking the presence of demonic energy.
‘Of course, it can’t detect someone who constantly conceals even the residual traces of a devil’s power…’
But if someone nearby used demonic energy, the jewel would sense it immediately.
And since issuing a command to Patera involved invoking a devil’s power, the trail was there for the taking.
‘No way a high-ranking priest from the Mystic Demonic House would personally involve themselves in this kind of task. It should be someone we can capture.’
Granted, even regular priests weren’t easy opponents, but with assistance from other 5-star level warlocks from the Dark Demonic Army and the soldiers working together, the priest was apprehended.
Thanks to that, Chris obtained undeniable evidence linking the incident to the Mystic Demonic House—and with that in hand, he made his move.
He not only reported the case to the Central Court, but also spread the rumor that the Mystic Demonic House had joined forces with devils.
The entire Magus Empire erupted.
“The Mystic Demonic House made a pact with devils?!”
“No way! Then the immense power they’ve been showing all this time…?”
“You sure this isn’t misinformation?”
“No. I heard the Dark Demonic House presented evidence to His Majesty, the Archmagus of the Central Court. Said the Mystic Demonic House summoned a devil’s power and used it to attack them.”
To be clear, the Magus Empire doesn’t legally forbid contracts with devils.
And Chris didn’t report this to the Central Court expecting them to punish the Mystic Demonic House.
The Central Court doesn’t really care what happens in the outlying provinces.
Chris had something else in mind entirely.
By making this issue public, he aimed to expose the true nature of the Mystic Demonic House to the warlocks across the empire.
To make them wary. To spark suspicion.
Even that alone was a tremendous success.
Because the Mystic Demonic House had many more schemes lined up across the empire—and now, with everyone watching them closely, their movements would be significantly restricted.
In addition to checking the power of the Mystic Demonic House, there was another significant effect:
The name "Christian" echoed throughout the entire Magus Empire.
“But if they summoned the power of a devil, how did the Dark Demonic House manage to stop it without suffering a single casualty?”
“Apparently it was thanks to some young noble called Christian.”
“Who’s that? I’ve never heard of him before.”
“You know—he was the one credited during the Gold Cross incident not long ago.”
Although Chris had been involved in many recent affairs, not many people actually knew who he was.
At most, those close to the Dark Demonic House or the Four Demon Stars had heard of him.
But with this incident, countless people came to know the name Christian.
That said, not everyone welcomed it.
“What nonsense. You're telling me a young noble who just hit 5-star managed to block a devil’s power?”
“Is he supposed to be one of the Five New Stars or something?”
The Five New Stars, also called Lesser Demons , refer to heirs who possess talent and strength on par with established powerhouses.
For reference, Idrinne, the archduchess of the Bloodsword Demonic House, was counted among the Five New Stars.
“The Dark Demonic House must really be getting desperate. Spouting ridiculous rumors like this.”
“If none of their heirs are worth anything, I guess spreading wild stories is all they’ve got left.”
“Calling themselves a noble bloodline of the Magus Empire, yet the most accomplished among their heirs is only a 5-star? They should be ashamed.”
In truth, warlocks from the other great houses mocking the Dark Demonic House was nothing new.
To be clear, the Dark Demonic House wasn’t weak. Their overall military strength wasn’t especially lacking compared to other prestigious houses.
But the issue was with their direct bloodline.
They had far too few high-ranking warlocks.
Aside from Nordian, they had only two members at 7-star or above.
That was far too few compared to the other houses.
Even worse, Marquis Langham, who should have long since inherited the position of head of house, had yet to reach 8-star, and therefore couldn't take the seat.
It was plenty of reason for others to mock them.
And the performance of the other heirs wasn’t anything to write home about either.
The one most praised for his talent, Ashid, had originally only reached upper 4-star.
In other houses, that would be laughable.
After all, what defines a prestigious family?
It’s having bloodlines far superior to ordinary people.
In the other great houses, they had no shortage of true geniuses.
Not just 5-star—most heirs aiming to become the next house head were already at 6-star or higher.
“The Dark Demonic House is already in decline.”
“Once Demon Lord Nordian dies, they’ll collapse entirely.”
While the other warlocks were busy mocking—
The Dark Demonic House made an announcement.
They declared that the one who had resolved the recent incident, Christian, would be officially appointed as the Archduke.
It was the moment Christian was recognized as the official successor to the Dark Demonic House.
* * *
Christian’s appointment as Archduke was only natural.
After all, he had repelled the devil-summoning plot of the Mystic Demonic House without a single casualty.
The one who elevated Marquis Shupen’s realm—
The one who uncovered the plot of the Mystic Demonic House—
The one who devised a countermeasure—
And the one who performed the unbelievable miracle of neutralizing the monster—
All of it was done by Christian.
Had it not been for Christian, the Dark Demonic Army might have suffered immeasurable losses. In the worst-case scenario, Marquis Shupen might have been killed.
It was more than enough to earn Shupen’s recognition.
“Do you think you can handle it?”
Marquis Shupen asked as he held the letter certifying Christian’s success in the succession trial, right before stamping it with his seal.
Christian flashed a confident grin.
“Didn’t you see for yourself what kind of man I am?”
Shupen let out a deep sigh.
“To be honest, I intended to fail you in the succession trial. You understand why, don’t you?”
It wasn’t out of animosity.
In fact, quite the opposite.
Now that Christian would become the Archduke, he’d be stepping into the heart of a storm. The trials ahead would be incomparable to anything he had faced thus far.
Shupen had been worried that Christian might be crushed by those violent winds.
But—
“Don’t worry. No matter who stands in my way, I’ll smash through them all.”
“!!”
“Especially if anyone dares to harm the Dark Demonic House—I’ll make sure they regret it. As someone worthy of the name Archduke of the Dark Demonic House.”
Marquis Shupen’s eyes wavered.
He saw Christian’s face—radiant with unwavering confidence.
And now, Shupen knew.
That bold confidence wasn’t mere bluster.
Just as Christian had already proven it with actions, he would undoubtedly go on to perform many more miracles.
“Promise me one thing—never break. No matter what.”
Thud!
Shupen stamped the letter addressed to the main house.
[I, Marquis Shupen, hereby recognize Lord Christian as the next head of the Dark Demonic House and swear my loyalty to him.]
It was the official declaration that marked the end of the succession trial.
The warlocks of the Dark Demonic House erupted in thunderous cheers, celebrating Christian’s ascension as Archduke.
To them, Christian was already nothing short of a young hero.
However, that did not mean the struggle for succession was completely over.
There was still one rival remaining.
Yulian, backed by Marquis Langham, could stir up trouble at any moment.
Some were even beginning to worry:
“What if Marquis Langham himself tries to eliminate Lord Christian?”
Langham still hadn’t given up on claiming the position of head of house.
And now, Christian had been officially appointed as the next heir—the Archduke of the Dark Demonic House.
For Marquis Langham to become head of the house, Christian had to be eliminated first.
Of course, if Nordian remained firm, such problems wouldn’t arise.
But anyone in the know was already aware—
Nordian’s time was running out.
“What lies ahead…?”
Thus, sharp tension began to spread through the Dark Demonic House.
At the same time, several unexpected powers reacted sensitively to the news of Christian’s appointment as Archduke.
Surprising ones at that:
- The Destruction Demonic House,
- The Venomous Demonic House,
- And the Demon King of Azureflow.
* * *
Western region of the Southern Magus Kingdom.
In a towering mountain range stood a massive fortress.
It was the stronghold of the Duke of Bessen, of the Destruction Demonic House.
True to its reputation as the mightiest house of the southern Magus Kingdom, the fortress exuded an aura of overwhelming power from afar.
The warlocks guarding the ramparts stood with iron discipline, and the black mages trained in their signature destructive magic radiated fierce and violent energy.
And yet, an unsettling air hung over the fortress.
A subdued stillness.
To be precise, all the warlocks were on edge.
It was because their lord was in a foul mood.
Louis de Bessen, the Grand Duke.
An Upper 8-Star Warlock, and an absolute powerhouse on par with Nordian, spoke in a heavy, sunken voice:
“So that boy Christian has become the Archduke of the Dark Demonic House?”
“…Yes, my lord.”
An unexpected development.
That the head of the Destruction Demonic House would show interest in this affair?
The Destruction House was overwhelmingly superior to the Dark House in every regard—
Number of high-ranking warlocks, overall power, everything.
It ranked within the top five noble houses of the entire Magus Empire.
No matter how much Christian had made a name for himself recently, it should’ve been far beneath someone like Grand Duke Bessen’s concern.
But there was a reason.
“He killed Mysak.”
He was referring to the Third Prince of the Dark Demonic House, who had long ago been slain by Christian’s hand.
Mysak’s mother, Presia of Snowblossom, was Grand Duke Bessen’s daughter.
In other words, Mysak was his grandson.
“Not that I ever felt much familial affection for that pathetic fool.”
Still, Mysak was a valuable piece to Grand Duke Bessen—
A piece meant to place the Dark Demonic House beneath his heel.
From the start, the only reason Bessen had married off his daughter Presia to the Dark House was so that her offspring could one day inherit it.
Of course, Mysak’s aptitude had been woefully insufficient to become the Archduke of the Dark Demonic House.
But that hardly mattered.
Behind Mysak stood the Destruction Demonic House.
“Up until now, that stubborn old man Nordian has made it difficult to extend our influence into the Dark House—but that won’t last much longer.”
Once Nordian is gone, who in the Dark Demonic House could possibly defy the might of the Destruction Demonic House?