Chapter 272
“It is because of my loyalty to His Majesty the Demon Emperor.”
“Hmm?”
“As Your Excellency the Chancellor knows, there are many groups in the Magus Empire today that dishonor His Majesty the Demon Emperor. Namely, the Four Kings’ Castle and the Mystic Demonic House.”
“…”
“As a member of the Dark Demonic House, I wish to punish them. That is what I consider to be loyalty to His Majesty the Demon Emperor. I will think about becoming the Magus Crown Prince only after all of this is finished.”
Silence fell upon the space.
The Magus Chancellor remained quiet, a faint smile on his lips as if he was displeased with something.
An indescribable pressure washed over Chris, as if to break his will.
Chris gritted his teeth and endured it.
After a moment, the Magus Chancellor’s expression twisted subtly for an instant, and then he showed an unexpected reaction.
The corners of his mouth lifted into a grin, and he suddenly spoke in a lighthearted tone.
“You’ve got some real backbone, don’t you? I like it. As expected of my descendant.”
Poof. The pressure crushing Chris vanished as if it had been washed away.
Chris let out the breath he had been holding and cautiously observed the Magus Chancellor.
‘Did I pass the test?’
That was it. Although he couldn’t guess his true intentions, the Magus Chancellor had not been serious about harming Chris just now.
“You’re going to take down the Four Kings’ Castle and the Mystic Demonic House? Are you serious?”
“Yes, I am.”
Chris gave a firm nod and continued.
“Because that is the path for the sake of His Majesty the Demon Emperor and the Magus Empire.”
“Hmm. The path for His Majesty the Demon Emperor and the Magus Empire, you say. Well, it’s true that it’s for the sake of the Magus Empire, but…”
It was a strange mumble.
The Magus Chancellor tapped his fingers on the table, as if pondering something.
“Fine. Then do your best to stop the Four Kings’ Castle and the Mystic Demonic House. We’ll think about you becoming the Magus Crown Prince after that.”
Chris looked at him with suspicion.
“Is it really alright for me to take down the Four Kings’ Castle and the Mystic Demonic House?”
“What? Haha! You’re brimming with confidence, aren’t you? You do know that with your current strength, your side doesn’t even have a one percent chance of winning, right?”
“I know they are strong. Still, I can win.”
“Haha! Even we at the Central have a headache dealing with the Mystic Demonic House, and you say you’ll win? Your confidence is something else. Do people tell you you’re crazy often?”
The Magus Chancellor burst out laughing.
“Well, it’s not bad, though. That attitude. Since I’ve taken a liking to you, how about I do you a special favor and honestly tell you what you’re curious about?”
“……”
“Listen closely, because this isn’t a lie. We at the Central truly do not care.”
The smile vanished from the Magus Chancellor’s lips. The surrounding air grew heavy.
“The bloody calamity that Azure Flow is trying to cause in the Southern Magus Nation, the Four Kings’ Castle’s attempt to overthrow the Magus Empire, the crazy schemes the Mystic Demonic House is plotting—we couldn’t care less how any of it turns out. It doesn’t matter whether you stop it or not.”
It was the truth.
Chris instantly realized it wasn’t a lie. But he couldn’t understand.
‘Should I ask?’
Chris studied the Magus Chancellor’s face. Fortunately, the Chancellor seemed to have taken a liking to him—though, in truth, he couldn’t readily believe that either.
Still, he mustered his courage, thinking that if not today, he might never get another chance.
“What is the reason?”
“The reason?” The Magus Chancellor crossed his arms.
“Because whether you win, or the Four Kings’ Castle and the Mystic Demonic House win, it will all ultimately turn out as His Majesty the Demon Emperor desires.”
“!!”
“The path and the outcome might differ slightly, but those too are under the will of His Majesty the Demon Emperor.”
Even his stopping the Four Kings’ Castle and the Mystic Demonic House was under the Emperor’s will? The explanation was becoming more and more difficult to understand.
What on earth could the Demon Emperor possibly want?
In that moment, Chris realized one thing.
Behind everything that was currently happening were the Central power and the Demon Emperor.
He had hoped that wasn’t the case.
‘Damn it.’
The Magus Chancellor rose from his seat.
“Shall I get going now? Ah, and the offer to be a candidate for Magus Crown Prince wasn’t just a casual remark. We are actually planning to appoint one. Think it over seriously.”
He snapped his fingers, and Chris’s consciousness began to fade. He was being expelled from the space.
“W-wait…!” Chris cried out urgently, but it was no use.
His vision darkened rapidly, and Chris’s figure vanished from the dark space.
* * *
After Chris left, the Magus Chancellor remained immersed in silence for a moment within the dark space.
What could he be thinking?
As he took out a tobacco pipe from thin air and began to smoke, an unexpected figure appeared in the space.
He had blazing red hair and a purple glint in his eyes. He looked to be a boy in his mid-to-late teens, but strangely, six wings extended from his back. The wings were membranous and held a bewitching, captivating magic.
“Oh, Ryong-ryong.”
[…Didn’t I tell you not to call me that?]
“Then should I call you the glorious and noble Your Highness, the Demonic Dragon King Ashtarte?”
[…Never mind.]
Surprisingly, the boy’s identity was the human form of the Demonic Dragon King, Ashtarte.
A powerful mid 9-Star Demon King and the ruler of the Northern Magus Nation. He was also the Magus Chancellor’s closest and most trusted confidant.
“So, what’s your report?”
[The Four Kings’ Castle is preparing for war. It seems they will raise their army in the near future and invade the territory of the Dark Demonic House.]
The Magus Chancellor languidly puffed on his tobacco pipe, as if he wasn't particularly interested.
“Let them be.”
[What should we do about ‘Silver Snow’? Given her personality, it’s highly likely she won’t just stand by and watch the war. We have her sealed, but we don’t know when she might break out.]
The Demon King of Silver Snow.
She was the 6th ranked Demon King and the ruler of the Eastern Magus Nation, where the Four Kings’ Castle is located. Originally, she played the role of reining in the rampaging Four Kings’ Castle, but at some point, she became a recluse, citing her poor health as the reason.
But sealed? Her health wasn’t bad; she had been detained.
“I have a use for her, so killing her would be a problem. Hmm, what to do.”
The Magus Chancellor stroked his chin and made a mischievous expression.
“Hand her over to the Four Kings’ Castle while she’s still sealed.”
[…To the Four Kings’ Castle?]
“Yes. Tell them they can use her however they see fit, as long as they don’t kill her. They can even break her if they want.”
‘Use.’
It was a chilling word.
In reality, the members of the Four Kings’ Castle, especially those who specialized in Curses and Necromancy, were masters at treating living beings as ‘tools’. Human experimentation, puppetry, necromancy, turning living beings into magical artifacts while still alive, and so on—there were countless ways the Four Kings’ Castle used living beings as tools.
In particular, the Demon King of Silver Snow was already on bad terms with the Four Kings’ Castle, as she had found fault with every single thing they did. It was impossible to imagine what would become of her if she was handed over to them with her power sealed.
[…Won’t the Four Kings’ Castle become too powerful?]
“Well, that’s true, but…” The Magus Chancellor gave a playful grin. “Doesn’t this seem more fun?”
[…]
The Demonic Dragon King was silent for a moment.
He had served the Magus Chancellor for a long time, so he could vaguely guess the Chancellor’s true intentions.
It was definitely not just for ‘fun’.
There had to be some other motive.
He couldn’t be sure, but there was one thing he could surmise: the Magus Chancellor desired even greater chaos. And that was not merely the will of the Magus Chancellor, but the will of the Demon Emperor above him.
‘Terrifying.’ The Demonic Dragon King shook his head.
In any case, he was ‘bound’. He could only obey, even if he had his own questions.
[The movements of the Mystic Demonic House are also unusual. They have mobilized the Magus-Artisan House and are preparing a large altar.]
“Hmm.”
[Also, there are signs they are targeting Grand Duchess Idrinne of the Blood Sword Demonic House. It seems their intention is to use the Grand Duchess to perform some kind of grand devil ritual.]
The Magus Chancellor stroked his chin.
“I see. You may leave now.”
The Magus Chancellor shook his head, dismissing him. The Demonic Dragon King looked as though he had more questions, but he couldn't ask and disappeared.
“Hmph.”
The Magus Chancellor took a long drag from his tobacco pipe as if frustrated by something.
“In any case, everything is under the will of the great Demon Emperor.”
Yes.
The unilateral actions of the Demon King of Azure Flow, the ambitions of the Four Kings’ Castle, the activities of the Mystic Demonic House.
Even Christian’s unexpected, impulsive actions.
Everything was under the will of the Demon Emperor.
However.
“There is one thing His Majesty might not have calculated.”
The Magus Chancellor recalled the image of Christian he had just seen. He was still weak, but the Chancellor could see through to the absurd potential hidden within him.
“Of course, for now, he is nothing more than a faint seed.”
The corners of the Magus Chancellor’s lips lifted slowly.
“I wonder if Christian will truly find his own answer and create an upheaval that transcends both the defiance of destiny and world-ending destruction.”
His cryptic words continued.
“And whether he can become the one who overturns all fate—the ‘Shatterer of Heavens’.”
* * *
When he came to his senses, he was back at the Dark Demonic House.
Without a thought of rejoining the banquet, Chris returned to his room.
‘Damn it.’
He felt horrible. To be precise, he felt suffocated.
‘I was hoping I wouldn’t have to confront the Central power.’
Chris knew his own talent well. He was certain that he could eventually become an absolute Demon King who surpassed the Blood Drenched Demon King from his past. That is, he was confident he could reach high 9-Star—an even more perfect version than the Blood Drenched Demon King.
But even a man like Chris couldn’t help but feel helpless against the Demon Emperor.
Because he was 10-Star.
The 9-Star realm is said to be a state that transcends the limits of a human. That is why it was named the Transcendent Realm. One gains the power to stand against Devils and Constellations, though this is limited to those of the mid-to-low ranks.
Then what about 10-Star?
No one knew.
Because until now, only one person, the Demon Emperor, had ever reached it.
But today, Chris had caught a glimpse of the 10-Star realm.
‘It’s a realm where a human can peek at the Throne of a Great Being.’
In the past, when he had seen the Blood Drenched Demon King or the Hero Evan who had reached high 9-Star, he had never felt this way.
But today, he had felt the despair of falling into a bottomless abyss.
It was the first time.
This feeling.
‘If the Magus Chancellor is already like this, what about the Demon Emperor?’
The worst part was that the Magus Chancellor wasn't even the strongest. There was the Demon Emperor, and the Demon Empress whose true nature had never been revealed. And it wasn't just the three of them; there were surely all sorts of monsters teeming below them.
‘…Ah, damn it, why do I have to go through all this trouble! All I ever wanted was wealth and glory!’
Chris flopped onto his bed.
‘I want to quit everything and just drink every day. Damn it all, this body can’t even handle alcohol. Is there nowhere I can get some more of it?’
As he was frowning, a transparent body slipped through the wall.
It was the pure and beautiful ghost girl, Mari.
[Young Master, Young Master? What’s wrong? Oh my, your melancholic look is so alluring. It makes me want to just snatch you away… Ohoho…?]
“……”
When Chris, unlike his usual self, let out a deep sigh, Mari tilted her head.
[Oh my, this is a rare sight, seeing the Young Master looking so down. It makes my heart flutter to see it for the first time, but… are you alright?]
Her tone was filled with concern.
[Ohoho. My dear Young Master. It’s true, you’ve been through a lot until now. At times like this, it’s up to me, your partner, to give you strength. Here, I’ll give you some supportive headpats.]
She moved to the head of the bed where Chris was lying and slid her ghostly knees under his head.
[Here, a lap pillow! And next up is a Mari-style pat-pat!]
She stroked his head with her ghostly hand. Every time Mari’s hand touched him, a chill crept up his spine.
‘…Isn’t this a poltergeist phenomenon? You’re giving me the creeps.’