Chapter 177
At that brazen provocation, everyone around them held their breath.
But Märchen simply burst into laughter without the slightest hint of offense.
“Ahaha, what a charming man you are. I like you. Truly. I might even fall for you.”
Chris frowned.
‘Like hell you do.’
Märchen had been an infamous figure even in his previous life.
Just as Sherad’s “I like you” meant “I want to kill you,” Märchen’s version of “I like you” meant “I want to stuff you and turn you into a living doll.”
‘She must’ve come in person because she’s already thinking about making me into one of her puppets.’
Not that it mattered.
Chris had no intention of letting her live either.
Märchen was one of the people he absolutely had to kill.
“But why did you leave such loose ends after that duel? Not just that brat from the Destruction Demonic House, but even those from the Triumvirate. If you’re going to crush them, you should make sure they can never rise again.”
Märchen asked in a tone that hinted at amusement.
“They didn’t look like the type to let things go. I’m sure they’ll try to retaliate.”
Chris chuckled.
“That’s what I’m aiming for.”
“Hm?”
“The investiture isn’t over yet.”
‘If the ceremony ended like this, it’d be way too boring.’
The Grand Duke’s investiture was held over two days.
Today had been the banquet, which served as a sort of pre-ceremony.
Tomorrow would be the formal ritual.
Chris had left room for retaliation from the ones who had provoked him earlier—specifically for the formal ceremony.
‘For a grand ceremony, you need proper offerings.’
Those fools probably had no idea.
That the humiliation they had just experienced wasn’t the end.
“Ahaha, how splendid. I’ll look forward to seeing just how elegant your plan turns out. I suppose I’ll take my leave now.”
Märchen wore a shadowy smile on her lips.
“If I stay any longer, I might lose control and actually try to kidnap you out of sheer affection.”
It didn’t sound like a joke.
And with that, Märchen disappeared, and the banquet—filled with so much chaos—came to an end. The next day arrived.
All that remained was the main ceremony.
The day Chris would officially become a Grand Duke.
And the day he would cause an incident that would go down in history.
* * *
A vast hall was filled with countless people.
At the podium stood Nordian, the family head, alongside a demon Chris had never seen before.
A representative sent from the “Central” domain of the Demon Emperor.
Chris, dressed in a lavish ceremonial outfit unlike his usual attire, tilted his head as he studied the “representative” from the Central Domain.
‘A high-level demon lord on the level of 8 stars. But I’ve never seen them before. There’s barely any reliable information on the Central Domain.’
For reference, during the war sparked by the Blood-Drenched Demon King, the Central Domain did not participate.
They had merely observed, like indifferent spectators, as the Blood-Drenched Demon King carried out his plans.
Even without the Central Domain’s participation, the demons had claimed an overwhelming victory—proof of just how powerful the Magus Empire truly was.
‘Still, why did the Central Domain, where the Demon Emperor resides, just stand by and watch the Blood-Drenched Demon King? They couldn’t have been unaware that his and the Mystic Demonic House’s goal was Ragnarok—the destruction of the world.’
A question he hadn’t considered back when he was part of the alliance.
Why had the Central Domain, the seat of the Demon Emperor, chosen silence?
It certainly wasn’t due to a lack of power.
‘After all, the top four ranked Demon Kings are all from the Central Domain.’
For reference, the hierarchy of the Demon Kings went as follows:
Rank 1: The Demon Emperor.
Rank 2: The Demon Empress.
Rank 3: The Magus Chancellor.
Rank 4: The Grand Marshal, the Demon King of Red Heavens.
Below them, lower-ranked Demon Kings acted as viceroys, ruling over the eastern, western, southern, and northern provinces as the Demon Emperor’s representatives.
‘Eventually, the Blood-Drenched Demon King rose to the fourth rank after gaining the Demon Emperor’s recognition.’
A fact with terrifying implications.
The fact that even the fearsome Blood-Drenched Demon King had only reached rank four meant that the Demon Kings above were even stronger.
A chilling thought.
‘Even the Magus Chancellor is a monstrous existence.’
For reference, the third-ranked Magus Chancellor was originally from the Dark Demonic House.
To be precise, he was the founding patriarch of the house and had once led it through its golden age.
‘Though now, he has no ties to the Dark Demonic House at all.’
Under the Demon Emperor’s command, the Magus Chancellor had severed all personal ties and now governed the Magus Empire as the Emperor’s proxy.
‘…The only relief is that the Central Domain can’t yet be considered an enemy. They’re merely watching from afar.’
The clearly defined enemies were the Blood-Drenched Demon King, the Four Demon Stars, and the Mystic Demonic House.
The Central Domain remained ambiguous.
Whether they were enemies or not would depend on why they remained silent.
And if Chris was being honest with himself—he hoped they weren’t enemies.
‘I'll think about the Central Domain later. It’s not something I can reach for right now anyway.’
What he needed to focus on at this moment was taking full control of the Dark Demonic House.
And raising it to the top.
Today’s investiture would be the first step toward that goal.
“Step up to the platform, Christian.”
Nordian spoke.
The words were stiff, but pride toward Christian was unmistakable in his tone.
Christian grinned widely and began to walk forward.
Step.
In the silent hall, each of his footsteps echoed clearly.
Everyone held their breath.
He was simply walking—nothing more.
Yet it felt as though the shadow of a giant had fallen over them, his overwhelming presence pressing down on all.
Everyone sensed it instinctively.
That in this very moment, another great figure was being born.
Still too young, too unformed for anyone to fully realize it yet.
One day, he would stand tall across the entire Magus Empire—a true titan.
“Pay your respects to His Majesty, the Demon Emperor.”
Standing atop the platform, Chris knelt on one knee before the “Representative.”
Just like a knight receiving his investiture.
The “Representative” finally spoke.
“I, Duke Sanct, acting under the will of His Majesty the Demon Emperor and by the authority of the Magus Chancellor, have come here to carry out this duty. Christian de Barren, receive the decree.”
“I shall receive it.”
As a note, Christian’s family name was changed to “de Barren” with his appointment as Grand Duke, shedding the former designation tied to his branch lineage.
“You shall inherit the Will of Darkness. Do you swear loyalty to His Majesty, the Demon Emperor?”
“I swear it.”
“Good. If there is anyone here who objects to Christian de Barren inheriting the Will of Darkness, let them speak now.”
It was a formal part of the ceremony.
The Magus Houses were the ruling families of the Magus Empire.
So, by the law laid down by the Demon Emperor, the head of a house had to be recognized by the other Magus Houses as well.
That’s why only direct bloodline representatives of each house were allowed to attend the Grand Duke’s investiture.
‘But it’s essentially a dead tradition now.’
If another house were to reject a successor chosen by a house itself, it would be tantamount to declaring war.
As expected, no one raised an objection.
Duke Sanct, the Demon Emperor’s representative, nodded and was just about to proceed to the next part of the ceremony.
“Then, with the investiture of the new Grand Duke—”
“Wait. Please, hold on a moment.”
A stir ran through the hall as Christian abruptly interrupted him—an act that bordered on blasphemy.
“…Why?”
“It seems there are those who object to my appointment as Grand Duke.”
“…What did you say?”
Everyone looked stunned by this sudden twist.
Even Nordian standing beside him glared sharply.
‘What’s this brat doing now?’
That was the look in his eyes, but Christian simply grinned.
‘You did say I could make a scene if I wanted, didn’t you?’
Indeed, what he did at the banquet yesterday wasn’t the incident he had in mind.
This was the real plan.
Chris turned his gaze.
Toward a certain someone, jaw clenched and stiff as a board.
“Isn’t that right, Prince Philip of the Destruction Demonic House?”
“!!”
Chris curled the corner of his lips into a smirk.
“You seem to have a lot of resentment about me becoming Grand Duke.”
All eyes turned to Philip.
His face flushed so red it looked like it might explode.
‘This damned bastard.’
After suffering that humiliating defeat yesterday, Philip had been preparing to take revenge on Christian.
However, Philip had no plans of stepping forward just yet.
No matter how arrogant he might be, even Philip wasn’t reckless enough to pick a fight in front of the Demon Emperor’s representative.
But Chris wasn’t about to let him go.
‘Aren’t I supposed to be the infamous bastard anyway?’
“Why so silent? Don’t just sulk like a petty man—if you’ve got something to say, spit it out.”
“…You… you…”
“Or is it that my investiture moved you to tears? I suppose it’s understandable. I did give you a valuable lesson yesterday. I guess a little admiration isn’t out of place.”
“You…!!”
The moment Chris brought up the humiliation from yesterday, Philip finally exploded.
“That trash like you could be the Grand Duke of a Magus House!? I absolutely refuse to accept it! I, Philip, as the representative of the Destruction Demonic House, challenge your qualifications!”
The means of judgment was simple.
As Magi, it would be a duel.
But Christian pushed it even further.
“I refuse.”
“…What?”
“How could a pitiful disgrace like you possibly be qualified to judge me?”
Then, Christian turned to another group.
Three individuals wearing the same twisted expression as Philip.
They were envoys of the Tri-Alliance.
The same ones who were humiliated yesterday.
“You all seem displeased with my appointment. Why don’t you come at me together?”
“!!”
“As the future head of the Dark Demonic House, I should at least be able to trample you all at once if I’m truly worthy.”
A stir rippled through the hall.
Even Philip wasn’t an easy opponent.
Despite yesterday’s disgraceful defeat, he had the skill to back up his reputation as a genius.
The young lords and lady of the Tri-Alliance were no different.
While they weren’t the absolute top talents of their houses, all three were battle-hardened veterans, having fought on the front lines against the Holy Empire.
Their combined technique, when used together, was especially feared.
‘Reckless. Has he gone mad?’
‘Those three from the Tri-Alliance recently took down a commander of the Holy Empire’s Star Paladin Order together.’
‘To face them all at once, you’d need to be at least 6-star level. Has Christian gone completely mad from arrogance?’
Everyone looked at Christian with those thoughts in mind—but he simply turned to the Demon Emperor’s representative and spoke calmly.
“As you can see, there are those who object to my succession. I’ll prove my qualifications myself.”
“What? Hah!”
Fortunately, Duke Sanct, the representative, didn’t get angry. He simply burst into hearty laughter, then turned to Nordian.
“You’ve raised a fine one in the Dark Demonic House.”
“…My apologies.”
Nordian bowed his head.
As the Demon Emperor’s representative, Duke Sanct was due that level of respect.
Then, Duke Sanct turned to Christian.
“Very well. Go on and cause all the chaos you want.”
“Thank you.”
“But keep this in mind.”
His voice suddenly dropped, cold and sharp.
“If you show even the slightest weakness, your succession will be revoked. You’re the one who made this reckless move, so you won’t have any complaints, will you?”
A chilling warning.
There was no precedent for it, but if the central authority intervened to block a house’s succession, Christian would never become Grand Duke.
Even so—
“I don’t mind.”
Christian stepped toward the circular arena at the front of the platform.
“There’s no chance I’ll show weakness.”
Right.
Chris’s goal wasn’t something as simple as winning.
He intended to use them as offerings—to imprint on everyone exactly how extraordinary he truly was.