Chapter 193
Märchen’s eyes turned cold.
“Sherad, it might be fun to turn you into a doll too. You’re not exactly my type, but your face is pretty enough. I could use you as a plaything and torture you whenever I’m bored.”
“I feel the same. I have no interest in you, but I’ll entertain myself a bit. With this level of synchronization—even as a doll—you’ll still feel the pain just the same.”
Ironically, they had similar tastes. Both shared a terrifying disposition—deriving pleasure from the suffering of others.
In detail, one was a taxidermy fetishist, the other a psychopathic killer—but their essence was the same.
Their auras clashed violently.
But the surprise lay on Sherad’s side.
Märchen’s true body was a high-ranking demon at the 7-star level, and the doll she inhabited was made from her own bloodline—the very first of its kind—also holding power equivalent to 7 stars. Yet Sherad didn’t falter in the slightest.
Sherad had reached 7 stars as well!
It was the effect of his contract with a devil.
No—more precisely, it was the power of the devil-granted authority called “Soul Eater".
Sensing the abnormality, Märchen’s face stiffened. Sherad twisted his lips into a crooked smile.
“Let’s see how this goes, shall we?”
A sinister devil’s brand appeared on Sherad’s temple.
“I wonder… if devouring this doll will satisfy my hunger.”
* * *
And so, in a place no one knew, Märchen’s doll and Sherad clashed in a deadly battle.
The result—Sherad’s victory.
Though Märchen’s doll barely escaped destruction and fled, Sherad wasn’t unscathed either. He suffered a grave injury.
A ridiculous case of mutual destruction between enemies.
Christian, unaware of it all, simply tilted his head in puzzlement.
“Is it over just like that? I was expecting more…”
This operation had been extremely dangerous in many ways.
Especially since he had left the shadow of his House and entered enemy territory—if someone had wanted to target him, it would have been the perfect opportunity.
“I did prepare some countermeasures though.”
Chris gently stroked the sword at his waist.
It was Andril.
“I was able to partially lift its seal through the Gold Cross, which means I can now use a portion of its authority.”
Of course, it could only be used once, and its application was extremely limited.
The moment he used it, Chris himself would be exposed to mortal danger.
That’s why he had never used Andril’s power before. But if an unexpected crisis arose, he was ready to draw it.
Yet… nothing happened. It was quiet.
“Well, that’s a good thing.”
Chris shook his head.
There was no time to waste on pointless thoughts.
“The battle may be over, but the incident isn’t resolved yet.”
In fact, one could say the real fight was only beginning now.
Through the victory agreement, he needed to make Marquis Langham pay for his crimes.
No—just collecting a price wasn’t enough.
Through this incident, Chris intended to use the momentum to subjugate the Venomous Demonic House beneath his feet.
The news of what Chris had accomplished spread like wildfire.
Both Houses were thrown into chaos.
First, the Dark Demonic House.
“Grand Duke Christian has occupied the territory of the Venomous Demonic House?!”
“Yeah. While the main family was dithering, he secured evidence and secretly moved the Dark Demonic Army to launch a lightning-fast assault on them.”
“Then the rumors about him collapsing from poisoning in the western territory…?”
“Of course, that was all just a ploy to lower the Venomous Demonic House’s guard. I believed in the Grand Duke from the start. As expected, our Grand Duke is insane—in the best way!!”
“Who was the bastard that doubted the Grand Duke back then?!”
“All hail Grand Duke Christian!!!”
Roars of fervent cheers erupted.
Every demon of the Dark Demonic House, without exception, raised Christian’s name in praise.
“This isn’t the time to sit idle! We need to go assist Grand Duke Christian!!”
“Our territory will lend its full military strength!!”
“I’ll join as well!!”
Thus, demons began pouring into the occupied regions to support Christian.
* * *
Meanwhile, the Venomous Demonic House was gripped with disbelief.
“What nonsense is this?! Four territories have fallen? Not just Valmont and Lodrac, but even Cessia and Kalia?!”
“That’s impossible! There must be some mistake in the reports!”
The first reaction was denial.
Naturally so.
Four territories had been lost in the blink of an eye.
But when the reports were confirmed as true, the entire House was thrown into shock.
Especially once the full details of the events were revealed—no one could believe it.
“How on earth…?”
“Even if it was a surprise attack—”
They had powerful poisonous defense formations in place.
Even the lords of the territories were 6-star Master Class, yet all of that had been breached.
And it was all because of one single person.
“You’re saying it was Grand Duke Christian who broke through Lord Groven’s poison formations and even defeated Countess Cessia?”
It sounded like admiration for an enemy—but the feats Chris had pulled off were so shocking, they felt unreal. Even the demons of the Venomous Demonic House forgot to be angry, too overwhelmed by the impact.
In particular, the more experienced and skilled poison users were, the more they understood just how utterly absurd Christian’s actions were—and were left in stunned disbelief.
“We must send reinforcements immediately!”
“We must make those who violated our territory pay the price!”
“Deploy the Assassination Squad!”
Such furious responses broke out—but it wasn’t so simple.
“Have you forgotten what the territories of Cessia and Kalia hold? What if Grand Duke Christian snaps and pulls something reckless after we mobilize?”
The territory of Cessia housed mountains, storage sites, and refineries where the core poisonous herbs of the Venomous Demonic House were cultivated.
And in Kalia lay the dam supplying water to the entire region.
If cornered, Christian would have no hesitation in destroying both.
And why wouldn’t he? He could simply return to the Dark Demonic House’s territory afterward.
It was no different than having a blade pressed to their throats.
Opposition within the Venomous Demonic House was also growing rapidly.
First, the House Leader, Duke Huam, publicly voiced his dissent.
“Before we even think of raising an army, we need to first uncover the truth of who spread poison within the territory of the Dark Demonic House.”
After all, the entire reason Christian had mobilized his forces in the first place was because of the poison that had spread through Dark Demonic House lands.
Especially since, right after occupying the territory, Chris had already exposed clear evidence that Marquis Goras’s faction was responsible for distributing the poison, the demons of the Venomous Demonic House had been thrown into disarray.
And it wasn’t fake evidence fabricated as a pretense for war.
Countess Cessia and Countess Kalia had directly instigated the incident, and traces of the crime had remained in their territories—Chris had seized it all.
“Are you saying Marquis Goras, our Vice House Leader, really did that?”
“No, it’s being said that it was Countess Cessia and Countess Kalia who led the operation.”
“But isn’t that the same thing? Those two only ever act on the Vice House Leader’s orders.”
A large portion of the Venomous Demonic House still followed Marquis Goras.
But even those loyal to him couldn’t deny that this time, what he had done was utterly inexcusable.
Spreading poison to massacre civilians—no matter how you look at it—was a blatant atrocity.
“…I can’t believe the Vice House Leader would go that far.”
“Even if it’s him… hasn’t he crossed a line this time?”
If it was truly revealed that Marquis Goras was behind it all, then it was clear—he would suffer a massive political blow.
* * *
At that moment, deep within the central estate of the Venomous Demonic House, in a secluded office, one demon knelt in silence.
“The subordinate demons are becoming unsettled, my lord.”
At those words, a figure in the shadows slowly turned his gaze.
It was Marquis Goras.
A chilling aura seeped into the air, weighing down the surroundings under his cold stare.
“The subordinates are becoming unsettled?”
“Yes, sir. Blasphemous as it may be… there are even some who are beginning to doubt you…”
“Insects dare to question me?”
“!!”
The aide flinched.
Marquis Goras wore a smiling expression—
—but his eyes were ice-cold and sinister.
‘Well, of course. The Vice House Leader has never once cared about public opinion or reputation.’
Marquis Goras hadn’t reached the summit of the Venomous Demonic House because of his popularity.
It was because of overwhelming power—
—and his terrifying nature that disregarded morality or limits in pursuit of his goals.
He never gave room for dissent. To those who opposed him, he offered a simple choice:
Death or obedience.
Refusing obedience didn’t just bring death to the dissenter—it meant that even their precious families would be targeted through subtle, calculated schemes. He made refusal an impossible option.
In short, Marquis Goras had subjugated the Venomous Demonic House through sheer terror.
“Tch… Pathetic lower creatures. Always like bugs. Shaking over something so trivial.”
“…Yes, sir.”
“Still, I’ll need to come up with a countermeasure. If I leave things as they are, my plans will collapse.”
Marquis Goras had originally orchestrated this incident to bring down Duke Huam, the House Leader.
But because of one unexpected madman who had appeared out of nowhere—
everything had been turned upside down.
The real problem, though, was that this situation wasn’t easy for Goras to resolve either.
Because the enemy this time was none other than…
the Dark Demonic House.
A gleaming blade was now at Marquis Goras’s throat.
But he wasn’t concerned.
There was a way out.
“What’s the Dark Demonic House’s current move?”
“They’re remaining quiet while holding the occupied territory. It seems they’re waiting for us to lower our heads first.”
Neither House could afford to escalate this into an all-out war.
It had to be resolved through negotiation—but with the Dark Demonic House holding the upper hand, the Venomous Demonic House would be forced into a humiliating deal if things continued like this.
“Contact the Dark Demonic House. Let’s propose talks to settle the matter.”
“...They’ll likely demand impossible conditions.”
The aide spoke with clear concern, but Marquis Goras said something unexpected.
“No, it’ll be the opposite. It’s the Dark Demonic House that will be forced to bow their heads.”
“...How?”
“Request mediation from the Demon King of Azure Flow.”
“!!”
The aide flinched.
“But if we involve the Demon King of Azure Flow, wouldn’t that just make things worse for us?”
The Demon Kings were the proxies of the Demon Emperor.
So any decision made by a Demon King—regardless of content—was absolute and had to be obeyed.
And the Demon King of Azure Flow, before pledging loyalty to the Magus Empire, had once been the exalted Fairy King.
Because of this, she was still known for her unwavering fairness and integrity.
And since this incident was clearly the fault of Goras’s faction, the Demon King of Azure Flow would undoubtedly rule against him.
“It’s fine. I have a plan.”
“...Understood.”
The aide couldn’t argue further. He bowed his head and withdrew.
Left alone, Marquis Goras let out a faint, mocking laugh.
“The so-called glorious Fairy King? What a joke. She’s nothing more than a hideously corrupted monster now.”
In truth, the one truly behind this entire incident wasn’t Marquis Goras.
It was the Demon King of Azure Flow herself.
‘Not just this time, either…’
Goras knew very well what kind of “goal” the Demon King of Azure Flow harbored—
And the horrifying things she was plotting to achieve it.
There was no way she wanted this situation to end like this.
She would ensure Marquis Goras came out on top.
* * *
News that the Demon King of Azure Flow would mediate the negotiation was soon delivered to both Houses.
Everyone reacted with shock.
“Why would the Demon King of Azure Flow step in?”
“She almost never interferes in noble affairs.”
Each Demon King ruled their own vassal territories according to their own policy, but the common principle across the board was noninterference.
This was the Demon Emperor’s will—and the Demon King of Azure Flow was known to be the most indifferent of all.
In the past ten years, she hadn’t intervened in noble affairs even once.
The Demon King’s sudden involvement sparked suspicion and wariness from all sides—
All except one.
Christian remained utterly composed.