Episode 100
“Of course, there’s no way to prove it from the outside, so we can’t hold them accountable just yet.”
Eshed spoke to Marquis Langham.
“I think we should interrogate Christian as well.”
“Yes, that’s right. I’ve heard that Tern, Christian’s younger brother, has recently achieved something remarkable. Both of them are suspicious.”
Count Riberi chimed in, and Marquis Langham nodded.
“Understood. Detain Christian for now. As for the conflict between the Bursen County and the Kazahr Marquis family…”
Langham paused, deep in thought.
Since guilt hadn’t been confirmed, it was a delicate matter.
But—
‘This might be a good opportunity to wipe out the Kazahr family.’
He had long aimed to weaken the collateral branches of the family.
For his own purposes.
In other words, this was a conspiracy that aligned Eshed’s and Langham’s intentions.
“Until the situation becomes clearer, the main family will not intervene.”
It was essentially a verdict sentencing the Kazahr family to extinction.
Events escalated rapidly.
The Kazahr Marquis family and Bursen County were on the brink of war, and an order was issued to detain Christian.
“This is absurd!”
“Y-Yes, but there’s no way—Christian, or rather, the young lord, may be rude, but he wouldn’t have committed human sacrifice!”
“Oh hoho. How dare you speak such nonsense about our young master? This is infuriating. Should I… just crush them all?”
Melin, Alos, and Mari each shouted in anger.
But Christian calmly soothed them.
“It’s okay. Calm down.”
“Calm down? Now’s not the time—!”
At that moment, an unexpected voice spoke.
“Yes, this situation is serious. There’s no time to be complacent.”
It was Marian!
She entered Christian’s quarters wearing the Black Shadow Knights’ uniform.
“Are you here to arrest me, Aunt?”
“Yes. It’s my duty as the Inspection Corps to handle criminals within the family. But whether you’re guilty or not… I have no idea.”
She spoke in defense of Christian.
In truth, Marian had no intention of detaining him.
On the contrary—
‘Damn it. How dare he pull such a stunt?’
Marian gritted her teeth in fury.
Using underhanded schemes during the succession struggle wasn’t entirely condemnable—political maneuvering was a necessary skill for the head of the family.
But there were limits.
This crossed the line.
“The head of the family is also enraged. He’s considering breaking the ‘taboo.’”
Christian’s eyes widened in shock.
That meant breaking the vow not to interfere in family affairs.
“But that—”
“It would overturn the principles the head has upheld until now. That’s how furious he is over what Eshed has done. Or perhaps…”
Marian swallowed the rest of her words.
‘Maybe he’s angry because it’s your matter, Christian.’
In fact, there had been uglier incidents in the Dark Maga.
Many, in fact.
But even then, Nordian had remained silent.
What made this outrage so exceptional was—
‘The head cares deeply for that boy.’
Perhaps even Nordian himself wasn’t fully aware of it, but he already regarded Christian differently from the other bloodlines.
Then Christian gave an unexpected answer.
“I don’t need the head’s help. Actually, to put it differently, the head must not get involved.”
“Why?”
“Because if he steps in, I’ll lose my chance to crush Eshed myself.”
“!!”
Marian flinched.
Christian was smiling coldly.
His eyes gleamed with icy resolve.
Only then did Marian realize.
Christian hadn’t been calm—he was furious.
And rightly so.
Because they had attacked his family.
Of course, they weren’t his ‘real’ family.
But Christian cherished them.
They had treated him more like family than his own ‘real’ family from his previous life.
“And this isn’t entirely bad. In fact, I’m grateful to Eshed.”
“…What do you mean?”
“Because he crossed the line recklessly, he gave me a chance to deal a heavy blow. I intend to inflict a fatal wound on him with this.”
If this had been an ordinary conspiracy, even if it backfired, it wouldn’t have caused such a critical hit.
But this was human sacrifice.
A taboo even among the mages.
Does Eshed realize what kind of pretext he’s given me?
“…Do you think it’s possible? Eshed’s backing is probably the Riberi family. It won’t be easy to find evidence.”
Marian said with concern.
“Count Riberi has already covered up all traces of their involvement. He’s meticulous when it comes to these things.”
Christian knew that well.
Riberi was more of a strategist than a warrior.
No matter how much they investigated, no evidence would surface.
‘Even if I expose Eshed, there’s no way to prove human sacrifice from the outside.’
It was like how demon contractors were impossible to identify at a glance.
But—
“That’s fine. I have a way.”
“!!”
Marian’s face showed confusion.
‘What on earth?’
Christian’s expression showed not a hint of worry.
He was confident he could pull it off.
The problem was that his confidence didn’t seem baseless.
Because it was Christian.
He had repeatedly achieved impossible miracles with unbelievable talent and cunning.
‘This kid really is something…’
Marian shook her head.
“Are you sure you can do it?”
“Yes.”
Marian hesitated for a moment, then did something surprising.
She handed Christian a black crescent-shaped amulet hanging from a collar.
“I’m granting you temporary status as a Black Shadow Knight. This amulet symbolizes my authority delegated to you. Until this incident is resolved, you will have the same authority as I do.”
Christian’s eyes widened.
“But Aunt, what about—?”
This was a political risk for Marian.
Originally, Christian planned to escape on his own and resolve everything by his own strength.
“This is fine.”
“Why?”
Marian frowned, as if annoyed by the question.
“You’re my nephew. The only one who dares call me ‘Aunt.’”
“!!”
“So accept your aunt’s gift.”
Christian’s heart stirred slightly.
In truth, he had called Marian ‘Aunt’ to gain an advantage.
Marian probably knew this.
Yet she treated him like genuine family.
“…Thank you. I’ll be sure to bake you some delicious cookies in return.”
“Hmph, you always say that. I wonder when you’ll actually bring those cookies.”
Christian smiled sheepishly.
“Go quickly before others bother you.”
“Yes, I will. Oh, one more thing—could you please deliver a message to the head of the family?”
“What is it?”
Christian spoke gravely.
“I’m about to cause a big incident. Please ask for his forgiveness.”
Incident.
That meant bloodshed.
Christian moved swiftly.
He wasn’t heading to the Kazahr Marquis family where the incident had occurred.
To resolve this, he had to go somewhere else entirely.
‘The problem is protecting the Kazahr family.’
Christian pondered.
‘The power of Bursen County surpasses the Kazahr family.’
More than anything, the strongest knight serving Bursen County, Sir Press, was the issue.
A six-star upper-rank Master Knight.
Though the Kazahr Marquis was also six-star upper-rank, Press was said to be slightly superior.
If a fight broke out, the Kazahr Marquis’s life wouldn’t be guaranteed.
‘Before a full-scale clash happens, I need to resolve this as quickly as possible, but I should set up some safeguards.’
Christian called Mari.
“Oh hoho… What is it, young master? Could it be your heart is aflame for me before this big event?”
“I have a favor to ask.”
Christian spoke seriously.
Mari tilted her head.
“I need your strength. Protect my father and Tern.”
“!!”
Was it just his imagination?
Mari’s usually carefree ghostly face stiffened.
Her usual lightheartedness vanished.
Christian felt a chill run down his spine.
He instinctively sensed the tension in Mari’s hidden true nature.
‘What kind of power does Mari really have?’
Christian still hadn’t grasped the extent of her strength.
One thing was certain: it was far beyond what he could comprehend.
“Oh hoho… I’ve already devoted my body and soul to you, young master, but I’m sorry… manifesting my power is beyond the scope of our contract.”
Mari’s contract only bound her to serve as a maid.
“I know. But I’ll give you something in return.”
“Oh hoho… A reward, you say?”
Mari chuckled softly.
“Your gift, young master. My heart races with anticipation, but it’s still impossible. You’re not yet qualified to make an additional contract with me.”
“!!”
An unexpected answer.
Not qualified, huh?
What level of true rank does Mari possess?
‘So it’s impossible.’
Christian fell silent, but Mari smiled faintly.
“But… I can make an exception for this request.”
“Why?”
“Oh hoho… Because it’s to protect your father-in-law. As a daughter-in-law, I can do that without a special contract.”
Christian’s face twisted in discomfort.
“Father-in-law? Daughter-in-law?”
“Your embarrassed expression is just too adorable. I know all about your sincere and burning feelings for me, young master.”
“No, I’m not. Just go already.”
[Yes, I’ll hurry to protect Father-in-law.]
Maria giggled and disappeared.
This time, Melin and Alos approached Chris.
“Master, what should we do?”
“I-I think I should just return to the Tyramin estate…?! Please, give me an order too!”
Alos tried to slip away, but after catching Melin’s sharp glare, he took a deep breath and shouted. He had clearly been thoroughly trained by Melin.
One unusual thing was that the sullen-looking girl, Jupien, had come along with them.
Jupien gave Chris a sideways glance, as if silently asking, “Need any help?”
Chris scratched his head.
“Jupien, you… um, why did you come?”
“…You’re so rude.”
“No, I’m just genuinely curious. You know that if you come to help me, you’ll be at odds with the Ashid side, right?”
Jupien replied sullenly.
“I don’t care about that.”
“……”
“I just act according to what I believe is right. So I won’t dishonor my father’s name—he who died an honorable death for the Dark Mage.”