Chapter 106
Christiang grinned slyly.
“Well then, I’ll be off. Make sure you handle things just like I told you.”
“…Alright.”
Just as Christiang leapt up to the window.
“Wait. There’s something I want to say.”
“What is it?”
Roy hesitated, then spoke quietly.
“…Thank you.”
Christiang’s expression flickered with surprise, then he chuckled.
“Sorry, what was that? Say it again, but with a little more respect and sincerity.”
“…Thank you! You damn devil. You’re my benefactor.”
Christiang chuckled softly.
“We’ll meet again soon.”
“…What?”
Roy’s face hardened.
Again? Why?
Wasn’t the job done?
“There’s going to be a big incident at Gold Cross soon.”
“W-wait, what do you mean? Another incident?”
“Yes. It’ll make this one look like nothing. Be prepared.”
A disaster at Gold Cross was imminent.
And Christiang planned to use Roy once more.
“Well then, I’m off. See you again.”
“W-wait?!”
With a startled expression, Roy watched Christiang disappear out the window.
“Damn it. What the hell?”
The recent troubles in the Bursen County had been no small matter, and now something even bigger was coming.
One thing was certain: it wouldn’t be anything minor.
Roy’s instincts screamed at him not to get involved.
“…Well, it should be fine. It’s Gold Cross’s problem, not mine. I’m a minor noble; I should focus on the county’s affairs…”
But then.
Roy froze.
He suddenly remembered something he’d been forgetting.
“…Wait, what about my soul?”
His face went pale.
Instinctively, he knew.
Ownership of his soul still belonged to Christiang.
In other words, whether he liked it or not, Roy had to obey Christiang’s orders.
Cold sweat trickled down as he recalled Christiang’s last words.
—See you again.
It felt like a grim prophecy of the dark future awaiting him.
Christiang didn’t stop, pushing his horse to full speed.
Before long, he crossed the border and arrived at his destination.
The Kazar County.
“Young master?!”
The retainers of the county, seeing Christiang after a long time, cried out in surprise.
“Father?”
“I’m here.”
A deep, familiar voice answered.
A middle-aged man, bearing a strong resemblance to Christiang, parted the retainers and stepped forward.
It was the Kazar Count.
But something was off about his face.
Half of it was missing.
‘Did this recent incident take a heavy toll on him? I didn’t think he was the fragile type.’
As Christiang wondered, the Count explained.
“What happened? I heard you were missing.”
“Huh?”
One of the retainers whispered.
“Count, you thought the young master was dead and were preparing to take revenge on Prince Eshed of the main house and the Liberry family.”
“I see.”
Christiang understood the situation.
He had deliberately hidden his whereabouts.
The Count had mistaken his disappearance for an ambush.
‘Considering the scuffles with Eshed’s trackers, it’s an understandable misunderstanding. Sorry about that.’
The Count examined Christiang carefully, then let out a deep sigh of relief.
Feeling how much the Count had worried about him, Christiang felt awkward.
He wasn’t used to anyone caring for him.
In his previous life, most around him had wished for his death.
“I’m sorry. I had some business and had to stay hidden.”
“Business?”
“Well…”
Christiang briefly explained what had happened in Bursen County.
How he uncovered Baron Bord’s collusion with the Liberry family.
“How did you manage that?”
The Count’s face showed great surprise.
To accomplish that in just a few days?
“…I was lucky.”
He skirted around the details of possession and such, and the Count clicked his tongue.
He realized his son had become an even more formidable force.
‘As expected of my son.’
Suppressing his pride, the Count asked.
“But why didn’t you reveal the truth to the main house immediately?”
“Because that wouldn’t have dealt a proper blow to them.”
“!!”
“Even if the truth came out, Eshed and the Liberry family would use their power to sweep it under the rug.”
A sharp observation.
“…So, you’re planning to—”
“Yes, that’s right.”
Christiang nodded firmly.
“Blood punishment from the retainers.”
“!!”
“I intend to make them pay in blood myself.”
He meant to strike the Liberry family down!
‘Hah.’
The Count clenched his fist tightly.
He had heard from the messenger, Alos, sent by Christiang.
—Prince Christiang has ordered preparations to strike the Liberry family.
Honestly, he hadn’t understood it at first.
How could they attack the Liberry family?
It wasn’t a matter of strength.
It was a matter of justification.
If they struck without cause, the Dark Mage of the main house wouldn’t stand idly by.
It would become a public enemy of the Dark Mage.
But thanks to what Christiang had done in Bursen County, the situation had changed.
They now had justification.
“The Liberry family not only colluded with the Union scum but also framed our Kazar family. We have the evidence. Even if we exact blood punishment, no one can object.”
Christiang had also used a clever trick.
He concealed the fact that the truth had been revealed, blinding the Liberry family.
They would be caught off guard, thinking the Kazar family was still busy fighting Bursen County.
“…Truly impressive.”
The Count’s voice was filled with renewed admiration.
There was nothing about his son that wasn’t remarkable.
He wanted to shout to the world that this amazing child was his son.
“When you said you wanted to become the main house’s prince, I worried. But it was needless worry. There’s no one more suited to be the master of the Dark Mage than you.”
Christiang smiled slyly.
“But are you sure about this?”
“What do you mean?”
“This will be a bloody affair. If you don’t want it, I can handle it another way.”
“You brat.”
The Count chuckled and ruffled Christiang’s hair.
“What do you take me for? I’m the Kazar Count. Do you know how many heads of the Union scum I’ve taken?”
“……”
“More importantly, they’re the ones who tried to harm you.”
“!!”
The Count’s eyes grew cold.
“Since you went missing, I’ve wrestled with the thought of cutting their throats. I held back only because I wasn’t sure what happened to you. If you’d appeared even a little later, I wouldn’t have hesitated.”
Christiang kept silent.
This care for him.
He wasn’t used to it.
He awkwardly touched the hair the Count had tousled.
Feeling a sudden wave of sentimentality, he turned his head away.
“Then let’s depart immediately. You’re ready, right?”
“Yes, everything’s prepared. Everyone, mount up! Our target is the Liberry family!”
“Waaah!!”
The retainers of the Kazar Count’s Black Swamp Knights cheered.
As Christiang mounted his horse, someone hesitated and approached.
His younger brother, Tern.
“…Brother.”
“Address me properly.”
“…My respected King Emperor Majesty, brother.”
“Alright, what is it?”
“……”
Tern hesitated, then spoke softly.
“I’m glad you returned safely.”
Christiang looked at him with a new tenderness.
Tern’s face was also half-damaged from the stress of Christiang’s disappearance.
Embarrassed, Tern stammered.
“I-I wasn’t worried! It’s just… if something happened to you, no one would be left to help with my curse magic! That’s the only reason I said it. Selfish and calculating, nothing more.”
“Is that so? Then why are your eyes red? Did you cry worrying about me?”
“Absolutely not!”
Huh?
His reaction seemed like he really had been crying.
Christiang pictured Tern looking at the moon outside, tears falling as he thought of him, and felt a bit dazed.
“…Thank you for worrying.”
“I’m not worried…!”
“As thanks, let’s spar next time.”
“…I’ll pass on the sparring.”
Tern’s face went pale, recalling their last duel before parting.
Back then, Tern had been beaten badly and bedridden for a long time.
“Why? Didn’t you enjoy getting beaten by me? I’ve gotten stronger and can beat you properly now.”
“Ah, come on!”
Tern snapped and turned away, leaving Christiang chuckling softly.
It was a clear, genuine smile, unlike usual.
Christiang silently admitted it.
These were his family.
Late at night.
The outer castle of the Liberry family.
Low-ranking retainers yawned repeatedly.
“This is boring. Should we play cards or something?”
“Are you serious?”
“Why not? No one’s going to attack us here.”
“True.”
The Liberry family’s castle, like the Kazar’s, was near the border with Gold Cross.
It was the frontier with the Union scum, enemies of the Mage Empire, so tension should have been high.
But the opposite was true.
It had been a long time since a major war with the Union.
At most, there were occasional border skirmishes, but enemies storming the castle was a distant memory.
‘The border near the Demon King’s Castle is far more dangerous.’
It was laughable, but true.
The most tense border in the Mage Empire was the one with the Demon King’s Castle itself.
The border with the Gold Cross territory was so peaceful that everyone had let their guard down.
“It’s late at night anyway, and this is getting boring. How about we have a little fun?”
“Yeah, I even brought some booze.”
“Heh, isn’t this getting a bit too serious?”
They were joking around like that when—
Thud.
Suddenly, one of the minions collapsed forward.
“What’s wrong with you… ugh.”
It was an ambush!
“!!”
Two of them were taken down in an instant. The last remaining minion tried to sound the alarm, but it was too late.
Thrust!
A sword pierced through the last minion’s heart.
In the darkness, a captivating woman’s face emerged.
It was Melin!
She had been infiltrating the Liberi Count’s castle under Chris’s orders—and now she was making her move!
This wasn’t her first time; her body was drenched in blood.
“Filthy scum. And they call themselves minions of the Dark Mage.”
Melin cast a look of contempt before leaping down from the battlements.
Behind the castle gate.
The minions guarding the locked gate were startled and shouted,
“W-who’s there?!”
“Who else? The enemy. Is that even a question?”
Whoosh!
A storm of blood and steel swept through.
Melin was a 4-star upper-rank minion, soon to reach the 5-star level.
There was no way the ordinary gate guards could stand against her.
The guards shouted desperately,
“Enemy! It’s an attack!!”