Chapter 104
Chris’s gaze darkened.
‘Better remember this well.’
He carefully examined the count’s condition.
The curse was deep; it didn’t look like something that could be cured quickly.
But that didn’t matter.
After all, Chris hadn’t come to see Count Bursen for treatment.
If anything, quite the opposite.
‘I came to stir up trouble.’
A sly smile crept across Chris’s lips.
‘My goal is, after all, the downfall of Baron Bord.’
A quick note: With his current strength, Chris couldn’t just take down Baron Bord outright. Assassination might be possible if he waited for the right moment, but simply cutting off his head wouldn’t mean anything. He needed solid proof that the baron was colluding with the Dark Maga.
Even for Chris, this was no easy task.
What to do?
Simple.
‘Set a trap.’
Today’s visit to Count Bursen, Roy’s father, was all about laying that trap.
‘Looks like I’m about to make Roy an unfilial son. Or maybe, in the end, he’ll be praised as a dutiful one?’
After taking a few measures with Count Bursen to prepare the trap, Chris stepped outside.
And there, waiting unexpectedly, was a familiar figure.
A goat-like beard.
Eyes full of greed.
Baron Bord himself.
“Roy.”
“Uncle.”
Chris bowed his head slightly, suppressing a smirk.
‘Looks like he’s sweating bullets hearing that Roy has changed.’
The way Roy had acted earlier with the butler, and now coming to visit his father in the hospital—none of it matched the usual behavior of the young baron. So, naturally, Baron Bord was suspicious.
“I just came to see your face after a long time. Is everything alright?”
“Yes, Uncle. You’ve been handling everything on my behalf, so nothing special has happened.”
“…”
“I’m living quite comfortably, thanks to you.”
There was a sharp edge to those words.
Baron Bord’s expression stiffened for a moment.
“Haha, I think there’s some misunderstanding. Since your brother’s health is poor, I have no choice but to take on the burden for now. When you come of age, all this will be your responsibility.”
Chris returned the awkward smile.
“I see. There’s something I’d like to discuss with you. I recently heard a strange rumor.”
“What kind of rumor?”
“That someone in our kingdom is secretly colluding with the Dark Maga.”
“!!”
The sudden accusation hit Baron Bord like a dagger, his face hardening instantly.
“W-what do you mean by that?”
“Yesterday, while drinking, a mysterious figure approached me in secret. He claimed to be a demon from the Dark Maga and said that someone in our kingdom was conspiring with their kind.”
“Nonsense!”
“I thought so too, but he even showed me this.”
Chris glanced around as if to check no one was eavesdropping, then pulled out a piece of paper.
Appointment certificate for the Black Shadow Knights.
Signed by Merian, Commander of the Black Shadow Knights.
Stamped with a black crescent moon seal.
It was a rough, temporary appointment letter Merian had hastily scribbled and sent with Chris.
“This seal… no matter how you look at it, it’s definitely the emblem of the Dark Maga’s Black Shadow Knights. The magical energy embedded in the seal is unique to the Dark Maga, so it’s unlikely to be a forgery.”
“…”
“As far as I know, the Black Shadow Knights are like an inspection corps. It’s hard to imagine they’d spread false rumors without cause. Hmm.”
Baron Bord’s face turned pale as if drained of blood.
Chris said casually,
“But surely, it’s just nonsense, right?”
“Y-yes, it must be! Or it’s an attempt to stir up internal conflict! We mustn’t fall for it!”
“Yes, I agree. I’ll leave the investigation to you, Uncle. If there really is a traitor.”
Chris’s lips curled into a chilling smile.
The kind that sent a shiver down anyone’s spine.
“Then they’ll have to pay the price.”
“!!”
Why was it that, despite the contemptuous look on his nephew’s face, Baron Bord felt a cold sweat break out?
Back in his office, Baron Bord slammed his fist on the table.
“Damn it! What’s going on? I was promised secrecy! So why is the Black Shadow Knights already onto this?!”
The seal he’d seen earlier was definitely authentic.
Just as Chris said, the unique magical energy of the Dark Maga was present, making it hard to dismiss as a fake.
The Dark Maga had truly caught wind of the betrayal.
‘No! If this gets out, those opposing me won’t stay quiet!’
Baron Bord hadn’t yet fully secured control over the kingdom.
There were still factions against him.
He bit his lip anxiously.
‘There’s only one way. I have to become the undisputed ruler of the kingdom as soon as possible. Only then can I cover this up.’
The problem was young Baron Roy.
As the rightful heir, as long as Roy lived, Baron Bord could never claim full ownership of the kingdom.
He had to be eliminated.
‘I had planned to deal with him after securing the kingdom, but I’ll have to act faster.’
Recalling the cold, unsettling look in his nephew’s eyes, Baron Bord gritted his teeth.
‘I have to find a chance… somehow.’
He was deep in thought when a sudden shout tore through the air.
“B-Bad news, Baron!”
“What is it?!”
“Th-the…!”
A wave of dread washed over Baron Bord.
“Count Bursen has passed away!”
The pen in Baron Bord’s hand dropped with a clatter.
“…What? Say that again.”
Though he asked in disbelief,
“Count Bursen has breathed his last!”
“!!”
The sudden death of the count.
And the meaning behind it hit Baron Bord like a corpse’s chill.
Young Baron Roy would inherit the title and become the new master of the kingdom.
‘This can’t be true.’
Chris whistled quietly to himself.
In truth, Count Bursen was not dead.
The chaos was all part of Chris’s scheme.
‘I used the medicinal elixir, Giwhandan, from the Uiseon family.’
It was a potion for treating critically ill patients.
The catch was that it put the patient into a state similar to death.
It temporarily halted all bodily functions, then triggered a dramatic recovery.
Breathing and nutrition were maintained by the magical energy infused in the potion.
‘His condition was so bad that it’ll take at least a week to wake up.’
That was plenty of time.
Enough to bring down Baron Bord.
Chris opened the door and found Baron Bord standing there, his face pale as death.
“R-Roy.”
“Uncle.”
Chris said quietly,
“You’re using the wrong honorific when addressing me.”
“!!”
“I’ve been lenient so far, but since I’m about to inherit the title, you’d better be more careful from now on.”
In other words, show some respect.
Baron Bord bowed his reddened head.
“I-I will remember that.”
“Summon the retainers immediately. I have urgent matters to discuss.”
Soon, the retainers gathered in the conference room.
Chris took the seat of honor.
The count’s seat.
Until recently, Baron Bord had been sitting there in his place.
Some retainers looked surprised at how naturally Chris carried himself, as if the seat had always been his.
“Is everyone here?”
“Lord Press and those marching toward the Dark Maga haven’t arrived yet. They’ve been informed and should return within a few days.”
Chris nodded.
The two armies were on the brink of bloodshed, but this incident had prevented a clash.
“I believe you’ve all heard the news. From now on, I, Roy, will shed the misguided image I once had and change—for the sake of my late father and our kingdom.”
Reactions were mixed.
Those loyal to Baron Bord looked troubled.
Meanwhile, his opponents welcomed the young baron’s transformation.
“So, young baron, what about the funeral?”
“We will postpone it.”
“Excuse me? What do you mean?”
“We can’t hold the funeral before finding the one who killed my father.”
“!!”
The retainers stirred uneasily.
“What do you mean by that? The killer?”
“Yes. My father did not die of illness. It was the curse.”
“!!”
“Look at this.”
Chris pulled out a long rod.
A magical tool embedded with a mana stone.
“This is a device I painstakingly acquired to identify curses. It’s a rare, handcrafted item made by the High Meister of the Mage Tower. Its accuracy far surpasses ordinary detection tools.”
He had ‘borrowed’ it from the stingy fool Ruina.
“When I tested it on my father’s blood, the curse was confirmed. If you don’t believe me, you can verify it yourselves.”
“Th-that’s impossible!”
The room erupted in chaos.
If the count had died from a curse, this was no trivial matter.
“That’s not all. As I told Uncle Bord earlier, the Dark Maga secretly contacted me. They said someone in our kingdom is colluding with their demons.”
“Of course, I don’t want to believe there’s such a traitor among us. But seeing my father’s cursed state raises a chilling suspicion.”
Chris scanned the retainers’ faces.
Then, locking eyes with Baron Bord, he spoke.
“Someone may have conspired with the Dark Maga demons to curse my father.”
“!!”
“I, Roy, swear to the heavens that I will find the culprit and make them pay.”
The meeting ended amid shock and horror.
At the very last moment, Chris glanced at Baron Bord’s face and smiled.
Bloodshot eyes.
A look of panic and lost reason.
He was caught in the trap.
From then on, Chris focused on driving Baron Bord to madness.
He ordered a thorough reinvestigation of the human sacrifice incident and a comprehensive inquiry into those stationed along the border.
For Baron Bord, who had something to hide, it felt like his blood was running cold.
Just as the baron’s anxiety reached its peak, Chris threw out his final snare.
“We need to ask for help from the Law Kingdom, uncle.”
“!!”
“If it’s Princess Olivia, the saint of the Law Kingdom who carries the sacred bloodline of the Great Star’s descendants, she’ll be able to uncover the truth.”
“Th-That’s…”
Baron Bord’s face drained of color, turning deathly pale.
Princess Olivia, the next Law King of the Law Kingdom, was the era’s greatest exorcist—she truly could reveal the truth.
“I will go to the Law Kingdom myself.”
At that moment, Baron Bord’s eyes snapped open.
“Yourself?”
“Yes. The Law Kingdom is the spiritual pillar of our Gold Cross. I can’t just send anyone. I’ll go quietly with only a small group—no need to stir up trouble. Please keep this between us, uncle.”
Himself.
Only a small group.
Hearing Chris’s words, Baron Bord’s heart pounded wildly.
His eyes burned bright red.
Menacingly.