Chapter 102
“But, Lord Christian?”
“Yes?”
“About what you said earlier… are you really going to go through with it as planned?”
Christian asked casually, but Ruina’s face was twisted with frustration.
“It doesn’t cost money, but… what you’re about to do—isn’t it a crime?!”
Not just any crime.
“Kidnapping the Young Marquis?!”
Christian grinned slyly.
“I just want to get close to him.”
‘An accomplice… or rather, someone to use.’ Baron Bord was the younger brother of Count Bursen, the ruler of Baekguk.
With Count Bursen bedridden and near death, Bord was effectively the true power behind the throne.
Taking him down wouldn’t be easy.
They needed someone to cooperate.
‘The Young Marquis fits perfectly.’
Young Marquis Roy.
The tragic protagonist, stripped of power by his uncle, Baron Bord.
He was drowning in despair, living recklessly day by day.
He was the perfect candidate to be their accomplice.
“Ruina.”
“…Yes?”
“You know it’s too late to back out, right? If you’re scared, you should have stepped away from the start.”
“…You never told me you’d go this far! You only said to lure the Young Marquis to the gambling hall!”
Ruina tore at her hair.
‘Ugh, why did I have to get involved with a devil like this?’
But Christian was right—it was already too late.
They were partners in crime now.
“I’m not responsible! I only lured the Young Marquis here. If anything goes wrong, you deal with the rest!”
“Yeah, yeah. Don’t worry about it.”
Christian answered dismissively and moved forward.
Passing under a sign that read ‘Dear Trading Company,’ they entered, revealing a familiar gambling hall.
The Union also ran an auction house and gambling den.
They headed to the innermost VVIP section, where a figure was slumped over, clearly drunk.
Young Marquis Roy.
“Hey! Bring me more—more alcohol!!”
“Your Highness, you’ve had enough already.”
“Shut up! What are you just standing there for?! Are you ignoring me?! Do I have to teach you a lesson to get your attention?!”
Christian chuckled and sat down in front of Roy.
“Who are you, huh?”
“Just a passing gambler. Care for a game?”
“Me? Hic… you want to play with me?”
“Yes. I may look like this, but I’m skilled enough to serve the Young Marquis well.”
Roy seemed intrigued.
“Alright then. Let’s see what you’ve got. Hic. Show me your skills.”
The game began.
Christian, a professional gambler, skillfully picked Roy’s pockets little by little.
“Heh, not much to it.”
“Your skills are impressive, Your Highness. One more round.”
Bit by bit, Roy kept losing.
Christian made it seem like Roy was about to win, only to snatch it away at the last moment.
“What?!”
“Jack of Spades Cross. Such a rare hand—I must be blessed by the heavens.”
“Again! Again!”
Before Roy knew it, he was completely cleaned out.
“More… more…!”
“You already owe me 500,000 rupees. Even for the Young Marquis, this is the limit. If you want to keep playing, you’ll have to put up collateral.”
“Collateral? What kind?”
“Well… what would be good? I can’t exactly ask the respected Young Marquis to put up something important. Hmm…”
Christian pretended to ponder, then smiled mischievously.
Like a devil tempting his prey.
“How about this? Like the opera ‘The Tragedy of Selde’ that’s popular in the Karn Empire, why not wager your soul?”
The opera tells the story of a noblewoman who sells her soul to the devil and suffers a tragic fate.
“So, I’d be the devil, and you’d be the gambler challenging me. Sounds poetic, doesn’t it? And no financial burden at all.”
Roy, already drunk, took Christian’s words as a joke.
As long as Christian wasn’t a real devil, he couldn’t actually take his soul.
In reality, it was like lending money without collateral.
Roy smiled, thinking Christian was just trying to be considerate.
“Heh, sounds fun. I like it. Fine! I wager my soul!”
“Swear it.”
“You talk like a devil. Fine, I swear it. If I lose this game, I’ll give you my soul. Now, let’s go again, Mr. Devil.”
“Very well. Let’s continue.”
The game resumed.
The result was an all-in.
Roy was utterly ruined.
“Th-this…”
“No more, really.”
“I can put up any collateral! This castle is all mine!”
“Is this castle really yours?”
Christian looked Roy straight in the eyes.
“I don’t think so.”
Roy’s face flushed bright red as he understood the meaning.
But he couldn’t say a word.
Christian’s presence was intimidating beyond reason.
“The game’s over. Time to collect the collateral.”
“What? That’s ridiculous. Ha! How are you going to take my soul? Cut the devilish nonsense.”
But—
“How am I going to take your soul? Simple.”
Christian’s eyes darkened.
Suddenly, Roy’s vision blackened.
“!!”
Like a beast devouring its prey, darkness swallowed his consciousness whole.
A blood-red magic circle appeared in the air and was imprinted onto Roy’s heart.
Christian checked briefly to confirm the spell had taken hold, then nodded.
The Mark of Obedience was sealed.
He had succeeded in enslaving Roy by staking his soul as collateral.
The operation had begun.
‘Luckily, it went well. I thought something like this might be possible after the hero’s business.’
Usually, enslaving someone’s soul as collateral is impossible unless you’re a top-tier dark mage.
It’s not just about the complexity of the ritual.
It’s about the rank of the soul.
To claim someone’s soul as property, your soul must be of a higher rank.
‘So, the principle behind the enslavement ritual involves hypnosis, mind control, forced obedience, and so on. It’s less about turning someone into a true slave and more about suppressing their will to force them to act like one.’
But Christian was different.
His soul was of half-demon rank.
Like a real demon, he could claim another’s soul as his own.
‘Thanks to that, I could perfectly seal the Mark of Obedience.’
The Mark of Obedience was an advanced blood magic technique.
Depending on mastery, the level of forced obedience varies.
Christian’s skill was only enough to issue simple commands, but by owning Roy’s soul, he could seal a much stronger mark.
Commands that could compel anything except self-harm.
‘But this alone isn’t enough. I need Roy to fully submit to me.’
Even with the same mark, there’s a world of difference between forced obedience and genuine submission.
For my plan to work, Roy must truly surrender himself to me.
“Hey. Time to get up.”
Christian tapped Roy’s cheek.
Roy frowned, then suddenly snapped awake.
He was sitting in a warehouse-like room.
Only a dim lantern cast faint light in the darkness.
“W-what is this?”
“Calm down and stay seated for now.”
“Sh-shut up! Let me out of here—!”
“Sit down.”
Roy tried to stand but froze in place.
His body stiffened as if bound.
“W-what’s happening?”
Fear spread across Roy’s face.
“I’ll explain. Look at me.”
Footsteps echoed, and the lantern light revealed Christian’s face.
Jet-black hair.
Eyes glowing a dark crimson in the shadows.
A beautiful yet chillingly intimidating boy looked down at Roy.
“You. You’re the one from the gambling hall, right?”
“Yeah. I took your soul as collateral. That’s why you’re in this state.”
“N-no way…! Unless you’re a devil, you can’t take someone’s soul!”
Roy’s protests died on his lips.
His body trembled.
“Y-you’re…?”
“I’m not a devil.”
Christian smirked.
“My name’s Christian van Barren Kazaar. You know that, right?”
Roy’s eyes widened in shock.
Van Barren!
The bloodline of dark mages.
“N-no… this can’t be. Then what about the gambling hall?”
“Exactly. I approached you on purpose.”
Fear overtook Roy’s face.
“Why? Why? Are you trying to kill me?”
“No. If I wanted you dead, I wouldn’t bother with all this trouble. Besides…”
Christian sneered.
“What benefit would killing a worthless worm like you bring to our Van Barren dark mage family?”
“!!”
“Am I wrong? A cowardly Young Marquis with no real authority, living every day under his uncle’s thumb.”
Roy’s face burned with shame.
But he couldn’t deny it.
Christian was right.
He had been stripped of all power by his uncle, Baron Bord.
He drowned his days in alcohol out of despair.
“You’re still alive for now, but not for much longer. The moment your uncle, Baron Bord, takes full control of the Baurcen Duchy, you’ll be as good as dead. Or you’ll be stripped of your family’s castle and cast out.”
“…So, what exactly are you trying to say?”
The young duke growled.
“Cut the crap and tell me what you want. You wouldn’t have come to me without some kind of demand.”
At that harsh tone, Christian’s eyes flickered with surprise for a moment.
“So he’s not a complete coward after all. Well, that fits with what I saw in my past life.”
In fact, Christian had known Roy before.
It was just a passing acquaintance.
But since they were in similar situations, they had connected on some level.
— If only I had had the power back then.
Roy’s final words.
— I could have prevented the Baurcen Duchy from falling into such ruin.
That was why Christian had been able to come up with this plan.
Saying something like,
“If you want, I can help you.”
Meaning,
“I can help you stop the destruction of the Baurcen Duchy.”
“W-what do you mean? The destruction of the Baurcen Duchy?”
His eyes filled with confusion.
“It’s because of your uncle, Baron Bord. You didn’t know? Your uncle has been secretly colluding with some of the dark mages in our order.”
“!!”
“Look at this.”
Christian pulled out an amulet, and fortunately, Roy recognized the emblem immediately, fitting for a young duke.
“Is that… from the Dark Mage Order’s Black Shadow Knights?”
“Exactly. It’s a treasure symbolizing their authority to oversee and investigate.”