Chapter 198

[…And what would that be?]

Christian turned to look at Marquis Goras, his lips curling into a faint smirk.

“Second, I ask that Marquis Goras personally bow his head and apologize to me, to Lady Marisa, and to the Dark Demonic House.”

“!!”

“Right here. In front of everyone.”

To demand that the highest authority of the Venomous Demonic House bow his head—publicly, before all—was unthinkable.

The blood drained from Marquis Goras’s face.

His voice dropped, deep and cold like an abyss.

“You insolent little… Do you have a death wish? You dare spout such nonsense?”

“Nonsense?”

Christian’s expression turned frigid.

“Are you the one mocking the wrath of the Dark Demonic House? After all the crimes you've committed against our main house, you dare raise your voice?”

“……”

“Don’t forget. I stand here today as the representative of the Dark Demonic House. If you fail to show sincere repentance and proper contrition, then these negotiations will collapse—and both you and the Venomous Demonic House will pay the price.”

Christian then turned toward the Demon King of Azure Flow.

“To make it absolutely clear—if Marquis Goras does not offer a proper and sincere apology, our Dark Demonic House will not accept these terms. Furthermore, we will officially report his crimes against His Majesty the Demon Emperor to the central authority and bring them to public light.”

Silence fell over the chamber.

Marquis Goras’s hand trembled with rage.

His eyes gleamed with murderous intent, as though he could tear Christian apart at any moment.

But Christian met that gaze with calm, unwavering defiance.

Just then, a hand rested on Christian’s shoulder—firm and supportive.

“Do not forget the creed of our Venomous Demonic House, Vice-Lord. We may wield poison, but we must never act shamefully before the heavens.”

“!!”

“And Grand Duke Christian is showing you mercy. It is only proper that you respond with an apology and gratitude.”

It was Duke Huam!

Marquis Goras ground his teeth.

But in this situation, there was nothing he could do.

Christian had the moral high ground.

In the end, Marquis Goras clenched his jaw and spoke.

“…To Lady Marisa, to you, and to the Dark Demonic House—I apologize.”

Gasps of shock filled the chamber.

Marquis Goras, who ruled through fear, now bowing his head in apology—none could have imagined such a scene. The entire hall was gripped by disbelief.

Even among the Venomous Demonic House’s retainers, many stared in shock as Marquis Goras’s body trembled.

Overwhelmed by the humiliation of having shown such disgrace in front of so many, his mind grew hazy.

But Christian didn’t stop there.

“Was that supposed to be an apology? And here I thought a Vice-Lord would at least know how to apologize properly. Or perhaps—you’re not sorry at all?”

“!!”

“If you truly feel remorse, then show it. Deliver a real apology. Otherwise, the Dark Demonic House will show you no mercy.”

Everyone held their breath.

Marquis Goras’s body trembled uncontrollably.

The tension in the air was so thick it felt like it might explode at any moment—but Christian didn’t back down.

In the end, it was Marquis Goras who raised the white flag.

He lowered his head toward Christian.

“…I sincerely apologize for what I have done.”

The shock that swept through the chamber from that humiliating act was far greater than before.

And yet, Christian crushed what little dignity Marquis Goras had left—completely.

With an arrogant nod, he said:

“I imagine this incident has taught you much. I’m showing you mercy this time, so I hope you live the rest of your life in reflection and repentance.”

“!!”

Marquis Goras couldn’t even register what was happening anymore.

His mind went blank with rage, his entire body trembling. But Christian wasn’t finished.

“Wait. There’s more.”

“…What?”

“You’ve inflicted damage on my main house. Shouldn’t there be compensation for that? I’ll be requesting reparations. And the condition is this: you will pay in full from your personal wealth—not from the public funds of the Venomous Demonic House.”

Marquis Goras’s face turned pale again—this time for a different reason.

It was obvious Christian would demand a massive sum in reparations.

Even someone as wealthy as Marquis Goras would struggle to cover it.

Financially, he was about to be ruined.

‘This will hurt. Money is one of the foundations of Marquis Goras’s power.’

This wasn’t a matter of “what’s money, anyway?”.

Money was power—especially in the Magus Empire.

You couldn’t maintain authority through strength alone.

Everything required money—securing loyalty, maintaining infrastructure, influencing politics.

Sure, someone like Marquis Goras might eventually recover his wealth with time, but the damage to the very foundation of his power would be unavoidable.

Still, he wasn’t in a position to refuse.

He glared at Christian with eyes filled with murderous intent, as though swearing to kill him one day. Christian only shrugged casually.

‘He’ll probably try to kill me the moment his Penance Confinement ends. Oh well.’

By the time Marquis Goras’s sentence was over, the situation would be entirely different.

‘Because I’ve already shattered every stepping stone he had.’

Goras ruled over the Venomous Demonic House through fear.

The subordinates of the Venomous Demonic House had been too paralyzed by terror to even consider defying him.

That’s why Christian deliberately humiliated him in front of them all.

Now, after witnessing today’s events, those same subordinates would begin to think:

“Even the fearsome Marquis Goras has weaknesses—he’s just a man.”

And with his six-month isolation ahead, there would be no way for him to suppress any dissent.

Add financial ruin on top of that—

Marquis Goras’s power would suffer a devastating blow.

Through this punishment, Christian had effectively shaken the very foundation of Goras’s stronghold.

“Truly impressive…”

Elsewhere, Duke Huam, Lord of the Venomous Demonic House, silently shook his head in admiration as he looked at Christian.

Originally, this entire affair should have unfolded exactly as Marquis Goras had planned.

The Dark Demonic House would have suffered a devastating blow, and both Marisa and Duke Huam would have been ruined after being framed with the crimes.

But thanks to Christian, everything had been overturned.

From exposing the truth at the start, to completely flipping the situation with a sudden and decisive strike, and even drawing out the desired outcome directly from the Demon King himself—every part of it was nothing short of extraordinary.

“I envy the Dark Demonic House,” Duke Huam thought bitterly.

Maybe it was because his own son had betrayed him, but Christian now looked even more desirable in his eyes.

“No… perhaps it’s not too late after all?”

He glanced subtly in Christian’s direction.

Then he spotted Marisa.

Though she had been betrayed by the brother she trusted, she didn’t seem as shaken as one might expect—and there was a reason for that.

Christian had shared the truth with her beforehand and helped her compose herself emotionally.

“…If the two of them could become engaged again… No, that’s too hasty,” Huam thought, a bit embarrassed at himself.

It was clear that he desired Christian so much that he was letting his mind run wild.

“Still, if the opportunity arises later on…”

Having entertained the thought that far, Duke Huam shook his head and stood up.

The punishment for Marquis Goras was not yet over.

Now it was Duke Huam’s turn to act.

“Strictly speaking, this too was Christian’s idea… he really is remarkable.”

With renewed admiration, Duke Huam opened his mouth to speak.

“I, as head of the Venomous Demonic House, have something to report to Your Majesty.”

[What is it?]

“Our Venomous Demonic House has committed a grave sin by failing to fulfill our duties as loyal servants of Your Majesty. I offer our deepest apology.”

[That is enough. The judgment has already been made.]

The Demon King of Azure Flow waved a hand dismissively, but Duke Huam continued.

“I am grateful for Your Majesty’s boundless mercy, but I cannot overlook the weight of our guilt. Therefore, I shall take this opportunity to reform the Venomous Demonic House. As the first step, I will confess to Your Majesty the crimes our house has committed in the past.”

[…Crimes of the Venomous Demonic House?]

“Yes. Not just the matter at hand, but the sins committed over the years by our house. I will confess them all and correct our wrongdoings.”

The expressions of the demons aligned with Marquis Goras—more accurately, his faction—drained of color.

They had realized just what kind of “bomb” Duke Huam was about to drop.

“W-Wait, Lord Duke! To say such things now is—!”

“Silence! This is all out of loyalty to His Majesty. You all will keep your mouths shut!”

With the words “out of loyalty to the Demon King”, no one dared speak another word.

Even the Demon King of Azure Flow himself could not stop Duke Huam now.

How could he object to a patriarch who, out of professed loyalty, was confessing his house’s wrongdoings?

Of course, this too was all orchestrated—Christian had whispered this exact strategy to Duke Huam beforehand.

And so, from Duke Huam’s mouth, explosive confessions began to pour out.

“Baron Lore of our house conducted human experimentation on civilians in the name of poison research. This is a grave sin against Your Majesty. Out of devotion to Your Majesty, we shall see to it that proper punishment is administered without fail.”

“Baron Luc of our house assaulted civilian women and massacred the witnesses. This is a grave sin against His Majesty the Demon King…”

“And additionally, Viscount Jourdain…”

The followers of Marquis Goras had long abused their authority, acting as though they were above reproach and committing unspeakable crimes. Yet thanks to the Marquis’s overwhelming influence, they had evaded all punishment—until now.

This time, Duke Huam was seizing the opportunity to use the Demon King of Azure Flow’s authority to completely purge them all.

“Th-This is absurd…!!”

“It’s all lies!!”

Then came a voice full of disdain.

“Well, you’ve got some guts. Trying to deny your crimes right in front of His Majesty?”

“!!”

It was Christian.

He sneered, his tone annoyingly smug.

“You say it’s a lie, even when all the evidence has already been presented? Are you trying to deceive His Majesty the Demon King? Or perhaps… you’re mocking him?”

Mocking the Demon King.

The color drained from the faces of those who had been shouting denials just moments before.

That alone was a sin that could not be atoned for, even with death.

The room went deathly silent, and Duke Huam resumed speaking.

“…That concludes my report. I humbly request that His Majesty pronounce judgment on the thirteen individuals who have committed these grave crimes.”

[…Very well.]

Given the weight of their sins, there was no possibility of leniency.

All thirteen were close confidants of Marquis Goras. It was as though he had just lost thirteen limbs at once.

Among those named was even the Marquis’s eldest son—a rising star once considered the most promising candidate to succeed him, who looked down on the disgraced Hubert like trash. But now, he too was doomed.

And Duke Huam wasn’t finished yet.

He had already seen to it that Marquis Goras was dealt several severe blows, but this was the one that would inflict the deepest wound.

“To ensure that such atrocities never happen again, I vow to completely reform the Venomous Demonic House. As a sign of our absolute loyalty to His Majesty, we shall not turn a blind eye to even the smallest speck of rot within our house. We will root it out immediately. Please watch over us.”

The members of Goras’s faction in the Venomous Demonic House all drew sharp breaths.

“We will not overlook even the smallest speck of rot.”

That was a direct statement of intent to punish every sinner within the house—aimed precisely at the Marquis Goras faction.

What made it impossible to refute was that it was framed as loyalty to the Demon King.

They had no choice but to accept it.

Even the Demon King of Azure Flow himself couldn’t object.

Under other circumstances, he might have intervened. But right now, this was immediately after Marquis Goras had been exposed for committing civilian massacres—an unspeakable crime.

With Duke Huam vowing to set his house right in the name of the Demon King, what reason could there possibly be to stop him?

It was a masterstroke—turning the situation to their favor by aligning themselves perfectly with the Demon King’s authority.

“Just how did he come up with all this… Christian truly is exceptional,” Duke Huam marveled again inwardly.

After all, it had been Christian who had laid out every part of this scheme.

Thanks to him, Duke Huam now held the sword that would cleave down Marquis Goras’s entire faction.

And the Marquis himself—who might have been the only one capable of stopping it—would be away, serving his sentence in isolation for six months.

The power structure of the Venomous Demonic House would soon be completely overturned.

And it was all thanks to Christian.

“If only Christian were my son…”