Chapter 103
“I, Christian, acting under the orders of Sir Merian, Commander of the Black Shadow Knights of the main house, have uncovered evidence that your uncle, Baron Bord, has been colluding with certain Maen factions in the main estate while investigating the recent human sacrifice incident.”
That was a lie.
There had been no investigation.
But it might as well have been true.
“Baron Bord’s collusion with the Maen will be revealed in due time. Because of that, the Duchy of Bursen will be branded as a traitorous state allied with the Maen, and will meet a terrible fate.”
“T-That can’t be… Even if he’s my uncle, how could he do such a thing?”
Young Viscount Roy stammered, unable to believe it.
“There’s a reason. Hasn’t your father, the Duke of Bursen, been rapidly deteriorating lately? He’s always had a chronic illness, but the decline has suddenly accelerated.”
“!!”
Roy’s face went pale.
“Y-You don’t mean…”
“Yes. It’s the curse of dark magic.”
The shocking revelation hit Roy like a blow, and he swayed in his chair.
“That’s not all. Baron Bord didn’t just collude with some Maen; he even manipulated our Dark Mage Guild.”
“What?”
“The recent human sacrifice incident? That was all Baron Bord’s doing. He dared to slander the main house, so our Dark Mage Guild intends to erase the Duchy of Bursen from the map. Since you’re responsible, the Gold Cross faction won’t dare protest.”
Though no such conversation had actually taken place, it wasn’t entirely untrue.
If left unchecked, Bursen would suffer a similar grim fate.
“T-This can’t be…”
Christian watched the pale and groaning Viscount Roy quietly.
“Do you want to stop it?”
“!!”
“If you want, I’ll help you.”
“…You? Why?”
“Well, let’s just say it’s in my interest to see this resolved smoothly. Besides, I’m not the type to enjoy seeing Maen bleed.”
Roy looked confused.
“What does it mean for you to help me? Or do you have other Dark Mage allies with you?”
“No, it’s just me.”
“Then there’s no way you can take down my uncle…”
Roy eyed Christian skeptically.
He seemed strong enough, but he was just a boy in his late teens.
What great power could he possibly have?
“You’re misunderstanding. I’m stronger than you think.”
“…Really?”
Still doubtful, Roy’s eyes narrowed.
Christian smirked.
“Of course, I’m not planning to just brute force Baron Bord down.”
“Then what?”
“I’ll use your position as Viscount.”
He meant to trap Baron Bord by leveraging Roy’s noble title.
But Roy remained unconvinced.
“That’s impossible. My uncle isn’t someone to be fooled. Even if I somehow set a trap, he won’t fall for it. And even if by some miracle I got a chance, I couldn’t defeat him. He’s a four-star knight.”
Christian nodded.
From what he’d heard, Baron Bord was no ordinary fox.
No half-baked scheme would deceive him.
And a four-star knight—someone with both strength and cunning.
Still.
“Leave it to me.”
“…What?”
“Exactly as I said. Swear to entrust everything to me and obey my orders. Then I’ll take care of the rest.”
Roy looked at Christian in disbelief.
What could he possibly trust in you?
That was the unspoken question in his eyes.
A natural reaction.
But—
“You don’t have any other choice, do you? You can either wait helplessly for your downfall or grasp the devil’s hand. The choice is yours.”
That wasn’t wrong.
Roy was desperate enough to clutch at any lifeline.
‘What on earth…?’
He stared at Christian with a mixture of annoyance and awe.
Arrogant, yet unshakably resolute.
Finally, Roy clenched his fists and said,
“…If I swear to entrust everything to you, will you really take down my uncle?”
“Yes, I promise.”
Roy swallowed hard, then spoke with determination.
“…I swear to entrust everything to you and follow your lead.”
Christian grinned.
“Good choice. I accept your oath.”
At that moment,
Christian’s eyes darkened.
A crimson magic circle flared to life.
“?!”
Roy’s vision instantly plunged into darkness, and he lost consciousness.
What happened next was astonishing.
Though unconscious, Roy’s body did not collapse.
Instead, a sly smile spread across his lips—eerily identical to Christian’s usual cocky grin.
“It’s working perfectly.”
The voice that emerged was unmistakably Roy’s, but the arrogant, irritating tone was pure Christian.
The reason was simple.
Possession.
More precisely, Christian’s consciousness had merged with Roy’s body.
One of the highest applications of the Oath of Obedience.
“Link.”
A forbidden technique that allows one to inhabit another’s body and move it as if it were their own.
Now, Christian would act as Viscount Roy to eliminate Baron Bord.
‘Link is no easy spell, even for me. Luckily, the persuasion went well, so it succeeded. If Roy hadn’t agreed at the end, I wouldn’t have been able to possess him.’
Normally, Link requires at least a six-star rank to attempt.
But with the half-demon’s pact,
the soul held as collateral,
Roy’s sworn consent,
and Christian’s insane genius to completely rework the spell, the possession succeeded.
Other dark mages would call it a miracle.
‘Still, I can’t keep this up for long. Better hurry.’
Christian moved Roy’s body and headed back to the ducal castle.
His original body was laid out in a prepared coffin. If anything happened to it, the Link would break, and consciousness would return to the original body.
But upon arrival, something felt off.
Despite the Viscount’s return, no one paid him any mind.
They ignored him.
Everyone just glanced at him sideways.
‘Even though he’s the Viscount, the treatment is terrible.’
A clear sign of Roy’s standing.
At that moment, a sharp click of a tongue sounded.
“Drunk again, Viscount? When will you ever grow up?”
The castle steward.
From prior investigation, Christian knew he was in Baron Bord’s faction.
The steward let out a disdainful sigh.
“Your father lies bedridden, yet you, his son, are always drowning in drink. Do you know how much worry that causes Baron Bord?”
“……”
“You have no idea how much trouble your uncle goes through because of you. Honestly, how did such a worthless fool become Viscount?”
The last words were muttered under his breath.
Loud enough for Roy to hear.
Christian’s lips curled into a smile.
‘Interesting.’
After all, those insults weren’t directed at him, but at the body he now inhabited.
No offense taken.
But—
‘Perfect timing to draw attention. Just right.’
“Hey.”
“Excuse me?”
The steward answered with a sharp tone, hardly respectful.
“Have you finished your little speech?”
“…What?”
“I asked if you’re done.”
“!!”
Did he sense something different?
The steward flinched but quickly masked it with feigned anger.
“I-I’m not wrong, am I? The young master shows such incompetence, unfit to be Viscount…”
Before he could finish,
Smack!
Christian raised his hand and slapped the steward’s cheek.
Not once, but twice.
The second slap was so hard the steward collapsed sideways with a crash.
“W-What is this?!”
The steward, now fully alert, tried to shout in anger but froze.
Flash.
A cold blade was pressed against his throat.
Christian smiled faintly.
“Try saying that again.”
“Th-This…”
“Why? Can’t? Well, if you had any sense, you wouldn’t be babbling nonsense. How dare you challenge the authority of this duchy’s ruler, the Duke himself.”
The steward’s face paled.
Sssslip.
The blade sliced into his neck.
Blood began to trickle.
“Or perhaps you harbor some dark thoughts in your belly?”
“!!”
Treason.
The steward’s face drained of color as he shouted,
“N-No! That’s impossible! You’re mistaken!”
“Hmm? Really? Considering what you just said, I find that hard to believe. Maybe it’s better to just execute you and hire a new steward. One who’s loyal and trustworthy.”
“!!”
The blade pressed deeper.
The blood flowed thicker.
The steward’s body trembled like a leaf in the wind.
This was different.
Cold and indifferent.
Eyes that could cut a throat without hesitation.
“P-Please. It’s a misunderstanding! Forgive me…!”
Then,
Christian chuckled.
“Just kidding.”
“…What?”
“Kidding.”
Clang.
He tossed the sword carelessly behind him.
“You really think I’d kill my steward?”
“Ah… ah… y-yes.”
“Then behave from now on.”
“!!”
“I’ll be watching.”
A chilling aura swept down the steward’s spine once more.
It was certain.
This was no longer the pathetic young viscount he had been before.
But the viscount’s transformation didn’t stop there.
“There’s somewhere I need to go. Lead the way.”
“Uh, where exactly are you headed?”
“To see my father.”
“!!”
Chris grinned.
“Figured I might as well try being filial for once in a while.”
Count Bursen.
As his name suggested, he was the ruler of the Bursen domain.
Now old and ailing, but once a lion who had earned great renown on the front lines against the Dark Mages.
‘A cursed man.’
Chris immediately recognized the count’s condition.
Though disguised by a high-level spell to appear sick, it couldn’t fool Chris’s keen eyes.
‘What a clever enchantment. No wonder no one noticed. This isn’t just any curse cast by a powerful dark mage.’
Chris quickly guessed the culprit.
‘Count Libery’s handiwork.’
Count Libery was one of the rare dark mages among the Dark Mage’s minions to have reached the sixth rank of curse magic.
‘Still, I didn’t expect Libery’s curse to be this sophisticated. Impressive.’
The curse was as delicate and intricate as a finely sculpted work of art.
This wasn’t something achievable by mere mastery of curse power alone.
It required an incredibly deep understanding of dark magic. To think Libery possessed such skill…
‘…Or maybe some other method was involved.’