Chapter 233
“...!!”
Duke Huam's eyes widened.
The others from the Venomous Demonic House who were listening in had similar reactions.
“What did you just say? You’re going to resolve this whole situation by yourself?”
“Yes. It’s possible.”
“Of course, I know how capable you are. But still, that’s a bit…”
Duke Huam trailed off, unable to accept it so easily.
It was a natural reaction.
Just then, a middle-aged woman standing nearby opened her mouth.
“There’s nothing more to discuss, my Lord. Kid, cut the nonsense and contact the elders of your House.”
Chris turned his gaze.
The woman’s face was half-covered in burn scars.
He knew who she was.
“Venom Whip” Riona. Another powerhouse of the Venomous Demonic House.
A 7-star top-tier poison wielder, she was responsible for guarding the border with the Gold Cross.
‘Unlike Yohen, who was overflowing with greed, she’s a respectable figure among the Magi.’
However...
“Nonsense, is it? Can you take responsibility for what you just said?”
“...!!”
Riona’s face stiffened.
Chris glanced briefly at Duke Huam, as if asking him to observe for a moment, then continued speaking.
“Why aren’t you answering? I asked if you can take responsibility for what you just said.”
Everyone in the room gulped.
No matter how high Chris’s position was as a Grand Duke of another House, Riona was not someone to be taken lightly.
Compared to the Dark Demonic House, her influence was on par with someone like Marquis Shupen.
Riona shook her head in disbelief.
“Kid, this isn’t your playground. Go throw your tantrums at home.”
“How disrespectful. I represent the Dark Demonic House here and now. Shall I take your remarks as an insult directed at the House itself?”
Riona fell silent.
It was true, her previous remarks had crossed the line.
“Tch. Fine. I’m sorry. I lost my temper because of the ridiculous things you said. I’ll apologize, so just go call the grown-ups.”
“I’ve already discussed it with my House. I’ll be handling this situation myself.”
“You’ve got to be kidding…”
Just as Riona furrowed her brow in irritation...
“If you find it that hard to believe, why don’t we make a wager?”
“A wager?”
“On whether I can resolve this situation or not. If I fail to resolve it within ten days, the Dark Demonic House will dispatch full support to aid the Venomous Demonic House.”
Chris stared at Riona with unwavering eyes.
“But if I succeed, then you will take full responsibility for the insults you just uttered.”
“...Responsibility?”
“Swear, as a Magus of the Venomous Demonic House, that you’ll fully cooperate with the Dark Demonic House in all matters going forward.”
Riona frowned.
As a Magus of the Venomous Demonic House...
In other words, he was telling her to become a pro–Dark Demonic House faction within the Venomous Demonic House.
“Fine. If you truly resolve this situation, I will not only offer you a formal apology, but also swear to fully cooperate with anything the Dark Demonic House undertakes, so long as it doesn't harm the Venomous Demonic House.”
At Riona’s reply, Chris inwardly cheered.
‘Perfect. Just as I planned.’
As he’d said many times before, Chris’s goal was to secure the loyalty of the Venomous Demonic House.
And to do that, there were a few people he had to deal with first.
Riona was one of them, and now, that problem was conveniently solved.
Chris turned to Duke Huam.
“As you heard, just give me ten days. If I fail within that time, I’ll request reinforcements from my House.”
Hearing that, Duke Huam could only nod.
“…Can you really pull this off?”
“Of course. Ten days from now, Your Grace will see the Lion King Maximus’s head hanging on the wall.”
“...!!”
It wasn’t just that he intended to stop the war, he was going to behead the enemy ruler.
Everyone looked stunned, unable to believe what they were hearing.
Chris flashed a smug grin, as if it were only natural.
“Of course, this won’t come free. Be prepared to pay a hefty reward.”
Naturally, Chris planned to wring every possible benefit out of this deal.
Duke Huam, staring at Chris’s devilish grin, looked speechless.
He felt a chill crawl down his back.
* * *
Duke Huam was naturally curious about what kind of plan Chris had in mind, but the latter didn’t share it.
‘It’s not something I can just explain.’
Chris rode out of the fortress alone.
Surprisingly, he was completely by himself.
Neither Melin, Alros, nor Mari accompanied him.
There was a reason for that.
After riding for quite some time, Chris finally came to a stop in the middle of a remote forest where not a soul could be seen.
“Come out.”
At his call, an unexpected figure emerged from the woods.
“…What am I, some mutt you can summon with a whistle?”
Despite her neat appearance, her expression looked as sour as if she’d bitten into something rotten.
It was Ruina.
“Good to see you.”
“…I can’t say I feel the same.”
“Still, thanks to me, you’ve gained a ton of benefits up to now. Have you already forgotten your debts?”
“You, you call that a benefit?! Have you already forgotten the crap I went through last time because of you?!”
For reference, during the Poison-Dark conflict, Ruina had fabricated evidence under Chris’s orders, only to be dragged before the Azure Demon King and interrogated.
“That happened because you were careless. It’s not like I told you to get caught.”
“Gaaaah! You really have the nerve to say that?! If I ever deal with you again, I swear I’ll change my last name!!”
“If you cooperated with me on this matter, I was going to grant you the distribution rights to the House of Medical Saint’s medicines.”
“I don’t need that crap! Wait, hold on! The House of Medical Saint’s medicines? How do you even have access to those?!”
“Ah, well, I’ve got something in the works.”
“Ohhohoho~ It’s the fool’s fault for getting played. The Grand Duke is just so brilliant! Truly dependable as a partner, always.”
“Didn’t you just say you’d change your family name if you ever had to deal with me again?”
“Oh, this cursed mouth of mine, spewing nonsense again. Tsk tsk, I suppose I must punish myself. Fine then, let’s say I do change my surname. From now on, just call me Ruine~”
Chris chuckled under his breath at Ruina’s ever-consistent antics, then turned his gaze away.
Behind a tree stood a figure.
“It’s been a while. How’ve you been?”
Chris’s lips curled up in a rare, genuine smile.
“Evan.”
At his call, a handsome young man with chiseled features stepped into view.
It was Evan, the Hero!
‘He’s gotten stronger… Already reached 6-Star?’
An astonishing pace.
‘He already had unmatched talent with the sword on this continent, and now with the blessing of the Constellation of the Sword Star, he probably rivals me when it comes to swordsmanship.’
But Evan’s reaction was strange.
He said nothing, just stood there staring intently at Chris.
Without blinking.
Chris raised a brow and shrugged, puzzled.
“What’s wrong? So overwhelmed to see your master again that you’ve forgotten how to speak?”
For the record, Evan and Chris were still bound by a master-servant pact.
“If you missed your master, you should just admit it.”
Chris chuckled and teased him playfully out of genuine joy.
Then, Evan said something unexpected.
“…Yeah.”
“…Huh?”
“It’s good to see you.”
“…Uh. O-oh. Right.”
Chris blinked, visibly caught off guard.
That… wasn’t the reaction he was expecting.
‘I thought he’d be prickly as usual.’
But no, instead...
“I’ve been hearing all about your exploits. Just like before, why are you always so reckless?”
“……”
“This time too. Saying you’ll stop this war by yourself… Are you out of your mind? It’s like you have a death wish.”
He was even scolding him.
‘…What the hell? That doesn’t suit him at all.’
Chris cleared his throat awkwardly.
Evan, despite his heroic image, had a rough past and was known for his sharp, aloof personality. This was totally out of character.
‘Has his personality changed? …Doesn’t seem like it, though?’
Far from having mellowed, Evan actually looked even more irritable than before, perhaps because of the hardship he endured while on the run.
Beside him, Ruina muttered under her breath.
“Tch. He’s all scary around me, but goes soft on that damn demon. What’s so great about him…”
“What was that?”
“Ohhohoho~ I said the Grand Duke looks ever so gallant today! Loyalty, loyalty, eternal loyalty!!”
Anyway, it was time to get to the point.
“What’s the exact situation with Gold Cross?”
“As you probably heard, the Kingdom of Kalbern made a move. Lion King, my ass. That damned cat bastard, I knew he was going to stir up trouble sooner or later.”
“You know the Lion King?”
“Of course I do! That bastard’s been extorting money from our trading company like a common thug.”
The reason Ruina, despite cursing him nonstop, continued to follow Chris was simple, he always paid up.
He constantly threw her into all sorts of predicaments, but he always compensated her generously, more than enough to make it worth the hassle.
But the world was full of scumbags who clung to power while leeching off others without giving anything in return.
The Lion King Maximus was the textbook example.
“And who’s leading the House of Medical Saint right now?”
“It’s the Medical Saintess, Michelle.”
A famous name.
One of the current leading figures of the House of Medical Saint.
“She was always considered the next head of the house… but I have no idea why she’d be involved in something like this.”
“She must be after something.”
Chris had a vague idea.
“And what are you going to do? You really plan to stop all of this on your own?”
“I’m not alone, am I? You’re here too. I’ll be moving with you.”
Moving with you.
At those words, Ruina made a face like she had just bitten into something awful.
Until now, she had always helped Chris from behind the scenes, not once had she directly gone into action with him.
“Ohhoho, what a delightful sense of humor. How could someone like me ever be worthy of accompanying the Grand Duke himself?”
“Ruina, your role is the most important.”
“…What? Don’t tell me...”
Ruina’s face twisted in horror.
A parade of past traumatic memories involving Chris flashed through her mind.
“What kind of hell are you dragging me into this time?! No! I refuse!”
“Oh, no no, this time, it won’t be difficult at all.”
“And I’m just supposed to believe that?!”
“I’m offering the distribution rights to the House of Medical Saint’s medicine.”
“Do you think I’m some money-crazed lunatic?! …Okay, fine, I am! Aaaargh! You can’t just dangle bait like that, it makes it really hard to say no!”
“I’m planning to distribute the medicine across the entire continent. I was thinking of entrusting the rights to your trading company… but if you’re not interested, I’ll find another one.”
“Ohhoho~ What would you like me to do, my lord? I’m ready to crawl on all fours if that’s what it takes! Just give the order, loyalty! And Evan! What’s with that look like you’ve just stepped in something foul? Everything you’re eating and wearing right now is thanks to my money, you know!!”
Evan turned his gaze away sharply, clearly uninterested in dealing with her.
Unlike how he treated Chris, his demeanor toward her was cold and indifferent.
Ruina fumed, then looked at Chris pleadingly.
“You’re sure this won’t be another nightmare like last time, right?”
“Right. This time, it won’t be hard.”
“Promise me!”
“I swear.”
Of course, there was a part Chris left unspoken:
‘It won’t be hard. But… your life might be in danger. Well, I’ll keep you alive, so it should be fine.’
Chris opened his mouth.
“First, we’re heading to the House of Medical Saint.”
“…To the House of Medical Saint? But how? We don’t even know where Taebong Mountain is.”
The House of Medical Saint was said to reside on Taebong Mountain, located deep in the western region of Gold Cross, within the so-called White Mountain Range.
The problem was that the White Mountain Range was a vast, snow-covered land of eternal winter.
Its location was so well-hidden that no outsider knew its exact whereabouts.