Chapter 181
An emergency council meeting was convened immediately.
“We pay our respects to the Lord of the House.”
As Nordian entered, Marquis Langham rose from his seat and offered a formal greeting.
At the time, Marquis Langham had been seated in the Head of House seat.
This was not unusual—Nordian often attended such meetings only as an observer, sitting silently in the rear without voicing his opinions. That’s why Langham had taken the central seat in the first place.
But then, something unexpected happened.
“I’ll be leading today’s meeting.”
“!!”
Marquis Langham flinched.
“Why? Is there a problem?”
Nordian’s tone was calm, but heavy with intent.
“…No, Lord of the House.”
Marquis Langham moved to the second seat on the right. And then—Nordian said something even more surprising.
“That seat belongs to the Grand Duke, Marquis.”
“!!”
“The Grand Duke is the heir who will succeed me. The second-in-command of the Dark Demonic House. I expect you to show him proper respect.”
A collective sharp inhale filled the chamber.
Technically, Nordian was right.
Marquis Langham was not a Deputy Lord—he was merely acting as a temporary stand-in for the Lord of the House.
That was never an official title.
He had simply been fulfilling the duties of leadership unofficially, in Nordian’s place.
So, according to the formal hierarchy of the house, Christian, the heir, was indeed ranked above Langham.
Still—
“To declare it so directly, in front of everyone like this…”
The retainers could clearly read Nordian’s intent.
First, it was a public reaffirmation that Christian was the legitimate successor to the Dark Demonic House.
Second—
“A warning to Marquis Langham.”
Nordian had no intention of passing the lordship to Langham.
Which meant: if Langham wanted to become the next Head, he would have to eliminate Christian.
So this was Nordian’s way of sending a warning in advance:
This child is my chosen heir. Don’t even think about doing anything foolish.
“Now then… how will Marquis Langham respond?”
Tension gripped the room.
Had he taken this as an insult?
For a moment, Langham said nothing.
Then—
“Please take the seat to the right, Grand Duke.”
“!!”
His tone was calm and composed as always.
But everyone present sensed it instantly.
Marquis Langham was furious.
He simply chose not to show it.
“Whew. The air in here is suffocating. Sitting in that seat feels like it’s going to invite all sorts of hell later.”
Of course, Christian wasn’t someone who would shrink away.
“No, please, Marquis—this seat is yours. Just from your years of hard work alone, you’ve more than earned my respect.”
“……”
A collective gasp passed through the retainers once again.
At first glance, it sounded like a respectful statement.
But if you paid closer attention, it wasn’t that at all.
Referring to “years of hard work” subtly framed Marquis Langham as someone whose time had already passed.
And for Christian, the Grand Duke and designated heir, to say such a thing—it was no less than a direct provocation.
Marquis Langham gave no visible reaction.
A chilling silence spread, like a sheet of ice cracking underfoot.
But Chris’s expression remained perfectly calm.
‘No reason to be scared.’
As long as Nordian was still alive, Marquis Langham wouldn’t dare move openly against him.
‘In fact, I need to draw out his weaknesses.’
Chris’s gaze sharpened.
Langham’s rebellion—it was a future already set in stone.
He would rise up.
‘I need to throw off his timing. Create a crack in his otherwise flawless preparation.’
Because Langham was the meticulous type, he wouldn’t show an opening easily. That’s why Chris had deliberately provoked him.
To make him act out of spite.
But Langham wasn’t one to be baited easily.
He responded by saying nothing and simply sat in the seat to Nordian’s right, his face expressionless.
Chris just shrugged and sat calmly in the seat to Nordian’s left.
And so, the meeting began.
“Let’s hear the report. The western territory falls under Count Faiben, doesn’t it?”
“Yes, my lord. I’ll handle the report.”
Count Faiben was the noble in charge of the western border region and a 6-Star Master Class sorcerer.
“We’ve had a sudden outbreak—over 500 people in the territory are now ill. The death count is still low, but many are in critical condition. Fatalities are expected to rise rapidly.”
“Is there any possibility this is a naturally occurring epidemic?”
“Very unlikely. It doesn’t match the pattern of any known disease.”
“What’s the basis for suspecting the Venomous Demonic House?”
“Because honestly, no one else would pull off something this foul.”
It sounded simplistic—but there was logic to it.
Only two Demonic Houses had the ability to unleash such large-scale plagues: the House of Curses and the Venomous Demonic House.
But the work of the Curse Demonic House always left behind traces of black magic.
Since no such traces were detected—only the Venomous Demonic House remained.
“Moreover, when we had alchemists analyze the water from the Tenne River, which flows through the western territory, they found traces of an unknown contaminant.”
The Tenne River was the main source of drinking water for the western lands.
It originated in the lands of the Venomous Demonic House, and they had caused trouble through it before.
“That contaminant—are we sure it’s the cause of the illness?”
“…It’s presumed to be.”
“Why only presumed?”
“…We administered it to a criminal, and the symptoms didn’t appear.”
Nordian frowned deeply.
It was… inconclusive.
However, the fact that the contaminant didn’t trigger symptoms upon ingestion wasn’t enough to rule out the Venomous Demonic House.
There were many types of toxins that worked through complex mechanisms.
“Judging by the surrounding circumstances, it’s still most likely the work of the Venomous Demonic House.”
The voices of the retainers began to rise.
“There’s nothing more to discuss! It’s definitely those Venomous bastards—we should strike them immediately!!”
“We can uncover the truth after we spill their blood!!”
Typical responses from Magi—those who walk the path of magic and might.
Nordian’s gaze darkened.
It wasn’t that he sought peace.
He simply feared for the future of the Dark Demonic House.
If they went to war against the poison-wielding Venomous Demonic House, massive casualties were inevitable.
He wanted to avoid a fight if it could be helped.
“What is the Marquis’s opinion?”
“I believe we must strike the Venomous Demonic House without delay.”
A firm and resolute answer.
“Isn’t that too hasty of a decision?”
“The more we hesitate, the harder this situation will be to contain. Even now, the number of infected in the western territory is rising.”
Not an incorrect point.
The Dark Demonic House didn’t have the means to identify or counter the venom.
Dragging things out would only increase the casualties. Swiftly eliminating the source was, in principle, the correct solution.
But Nordian still felt uneasy.
He turned to Christian.
“What does the Grand Duke think?”
“I agree. I believe we must strike the Venomous Demonic House.”
“…I see.”
Even Christian siding with military action made Nordian give a heavy nod.
But then, Christian added something unexpected.
“However, I believe we must first be certain who we are fighting.”
“What do you mean?”
“We need to know who in the Venomous Demonic House is responsible. Only then can justice be served.”
The chamber instantly fell silent.
A critical truth they had overlooked came back to the forefront.
“The Venomous Demonic House is currently divided into two factions.”
The faction of Duke Huam, the Head of House.
And the faction of Marquis Goras, the Deputy Lord.
So who among them was behind this?
“I know the answer to that.”
It was Marquis Langham who spoke.
“I happened to receive intelligence that the Venomous Demonic House was in the process of developing a toxin with symptoms nearly identical to this plague.”
“!!”
“The developer is a young noblewoman of the Venomous Demonic House, a prodigy in toxicology known as ‘Little Poison Empress’—Marisa. She’s likely the culprit.”
A name no one expected to hear.
Excited murmurs spread around the room.
“Marisa? Isn’t she the biological daughter of Duke Huam, the Head of House? Then… does that mean Duke Huam is behind this?”
“They say Duke Huam pretends to be friendly with us on the surface—only to commit such horrific deeds behind our backs!!”
“We must strike Duke Huam’s side immediately! Even his rival, Marquis Goras, won’t stop us!”
As the others shouted in anger, only Christian remained calm, thinking things through.
“It’s a lie.”
This wasn’t Marisa’s doing.
Christian knew exactly who the real culprit was—and why this entire incident had been orchestrated.
So why did Marquis Langham lie?
“He’s made a deal with the true culprit. That’s why he’s been pushing for war since earlier.”
The true mastermind behind the outbreak was Marquis Goras, the Deputy Lord of the Venomous Demonic House.
A member of the opposing faction.
His goal was to pin this crisis on Duke Huam—the Head of House—and drive him from power.
“In exchange for helping carry out that scheme, Marquis Langham must have received something.”
Most likely, the Amulet of Dusk—a powerful artifact he failed to obtain in his previous life.
It had been the key that allowed him to surpass Nordian in strength.
“Alternatively, it could be a by-product from the Poison Well.”
Whatever Langham had received, it had to be stopped.
“To be sure, I’ve discreetly contacted Marquis Goras’s faction. If Duke Huam is truly behind this, Marquis Goras’s capabilities should be enough to uncover the truth.”
Everyone nodded in agreement at Langham’s words.
But then Christian’s mocking voice rang out across the chamber.
“Leaving the fish to be guarded by the cat, are we? And you expect us to trust Marquis Goras?”
Langham’s brow furrowed slightly.
“And do you claim to have a better idea? Unless you’re from the famed Medical Clan, analyzing poison from the Venomous Demonic House is impossible.”
It wasn’t wrong.
But then—
“I can do it.”
“…What?”
“I’ve studied poisons before. I’ll uncover the truth myself.”
For a moment, disbelief spread through the room.
The retainers looked at Christian as if he’d lost his mind.
“Even if he’s a genius, this is too much…”
Everyone knew how extraordinary Christian was.
But still—why had the Dark Demonic House given up on even trying to investigate?
Because the poisons of the Venomous Demonic House were peerless on the continent.
They were fiendishly intricate, and only the Medical Clan, said to be their natural enemy, could properly analyze them.
“Enough nonsense. Has becoming Grand Duke made you so arrogant? Watch your tongue.”
“This isn’t nonsense. I swear it on my title as Grand Duke—I can do it.”
Gasps rippled through the retainers at his declaration.
Even Nordian was visibly surprised—but seeing Christian’s subtle gaze, he said nothing.
Langham responded coldly.
“You’re swearing on your title as Grand Duke? Don’t make promises you can’t keep.”
“I mean it.”
“You’re saying… if you fail to uncover the truth behind this incident, you’ll forfeit your position as Grand Duke?”
“Yes, of course. But I have one condition.”
Christian curled his lips into a smirk.
“Since I’m staking my position as Grand Duke, it’s only fair that Your Excellency puts something equivalent on the line as well. If I succeed, I want you to grant me part of your authority as Acting Lord.”
“!!”
“In particular… ‘personnel authority’ would suffice. And at the same time, I’ll be taking the position of the House’s Great Instructor.”
The hall stirred—this time with a very different kind of tension.
The Lord held multiple rights—financial authority, military authority, diplomatic authority, administrative authority, and more.
Among them, personnel authority was the most vital.
It gave control over everything regarding the House’s magi—making it the true power of leadership.
“Now that I’ve become Grand Duke, it’s about time I started claiming actual authority too.”
Christian was planning to strip Marquis Langham of his powers one piece at a time—until they were his.
The retainers, grasping Christian’s intentions, all wore tense expressions.
But it was his demand for the position of Great Instructor that truly left them baffled.
Traditionally, the Lord also held the title of Great Instructor, which symbolized being the teacher of all within the House.
However, the position had long since lost any real purpose and had become little more than ceremonial.
“Why would he ask for a title like that?”
“Surely… he doesn’t actually plan to teach?”
No matter how much of a genius he was, Christian was still only at the 5-star level.
It would be absurd for someone at that level to serve as the Great Instructor.
“Maybe it’s just for the prestige?”
“Or he’s got some strange scheme in mind. He’s always pulling off outrageous things.”
Most assumed Christian had some clever ploy behind his unusual request.
But in truth, he didn’t.
There was no hidden motive.
He genuinely wanted to teach the magi of the Dark Demonic House.
“We need to raise the strength of the entire House. And with my guidance, we can.”