Chapter 116
An Arrogant Tale
But it was true.
Nordian shook his head in disbelief, then asked gravely,
“Why do you think I went out of my way to train you in this secret training ground?”
“…”
“Do you believe you can bear the weight of it?”
Nordian had kept this secret out of consideration for Christian.
Being favored by the head of the family wasn’t all sunshine and roses.
A double-edged sword.
His number of enemies would skyrocket.
Other heirs were already rivals, so that was expected.
But the Marquis of Langham would begin to openly oppose him.
Christian narrowed his eyes.
He couldn’t afford to be mistaken.
The competitors vying for control of the Dark Magic House weren’t limited to the other heirs.
The ultimate adversary was the Marquis of Langham.
Though Langham didn’t yet see Christian as an enemy, once it became official that Nordian favored him, everything would change.
Langham would start to actively oppose Christian.
The hardships to come would be unlike anything he’d faced before.
“It’s fine. This is a mountain I have to climb anyway.”
[!!]
“No matter who stands against me, they will eventually kneel before me. Don’t worry.”
Did Nordian sense Christian’s bold spirit?
His gaze deepened.
Then, a laugh escaped Nordian’s lips.
It started low but grew louder and more intense, sending a shiver down Christian’s spine.
“Good. I accept your request. From now on, you will be my official disciple.”
“Thank you.”
[But.]
Nordian’s tone turned cold.
“You won’t embarrass yourself in the upcoming duel, will you?”
He meant the judgment duel against Eshed.
To be the family head’s disciple and then lose would be utterly disgraceful.
“Don’t worry. I will live up to the name of being the family head’s disciple.”
[Heh heh. You talk a good game. I’ll be watching.]
Nordian turned to Simon.
“Open the gate to the Forbidden Zone for Christian. The time limit is one month. Remember this: until that time is up, no matter how much he wants to return, he can’t. He must endure no matter what.”
Extreme conditions.
But exactly what Christian wanted.
“I will return.”
And so, the path to the border of Gehenna was opened.
It was time to grow stronger.
After Christian left for the Forbidden Zone,
At the top floor of the mansion,
In the family head’s office,
The acting family head, Marquis Langham, was reading documents.
“Prince Christian has departed for the Forbidden Zone.”
“The Forbidden Zone? Who authorized this?”
“Since the chief steward carried out the ‘unlocking,’ it seems likely it was the family head’s will.”
Langham fell silent for a moment.
Annoying.
In truth, Langham hadn’t paid much attention to Christian.
Though he was making waves among the heirs, he was too insignificant for Langham to bother with.
But,
The family head has been paying attention to that kid for some time.
Langham tapped his pen and thought again.
Annoying.
From the very beginning, Christian had been poking at Langham’s nerves.
The problem was it was ambiguous.
Annoying, yes, but not enough to take direct action.
So Langham had only observed.
He might become a variable in my plans.
If—though unlikely—Christian won the judgment duel against Eshed in a month,
He would be one step closer to becoming the grand prince.
A scenario Langham did not want.
It might be better to deal with him soon.
Sensing his master’s mood, Macfield spoke coldly.
“Just give the order. I will personally cut that insolent brat’s throat. Since he’s in the Forbidden Zone, it will be easy to eliminate him without drawing attention.”
Langham had the authority to unlock the Forbidden Zone, not just Nordian.
But he shook his head.
“It is strictly forbidden by law for senior family members to directly interfere with heirs. I cannot let you act.”
“Then?”
“It’s cleaner if the heirs settle their own problems.”
“You mean entrust it to Prince Eshed?”
Macfield asked, puzzled.
“No. Summon Sherard.”
“!!”
Macfield flinched.
Sherard, the first prince.
A madman by reputation.
Even Macfield, a six-star master, got chills facing Sherard’s madness.
He behaves quietly within the family, but who knows what he does outside its walls.
Sherard soon appeared.
“What is it, Father?”
His silver hair fluttered as he smiled slyly.
“Who am I supposed to kill this time?”
A chilling question.
This wasn’t the first time he’d been asked to kill.
Langham often secretly used Sherard’s hands to eliminate targets.
No matter how psychotic Sherard was, entrusting a murder to one’s own son was a sign of how ruthless Langham truly was.
“You know I don’t take just any job. If the person doesn’t pique my interest…”
“Christian.”
Sherard’s eyes darkened.
A long, cruel smile spread across his lips.
“Now that’s… a very interesting proposal.”
“I’ll open a spot for you to enter the Forbidden Zone. The pretense is that you’re going in for training, just like him. Once inside, find the right moment to kill Christian.”
Langham said it as if handling routine paperwork.
“Since it’s inside the Forbidden Zone, there will be no repercussions.”
“Indeed. Heh heh.”
“Then go.”
Langham returned his gaze to the documents.
Sherard’s smile vanished as he stepped outside.
His expression was icy cold, radiating a terrifying aura.
“This is troublesome.”
He muttered softly.
“A rare delicacy that caught my interest… I wanted to let him grow a bit more before killing him.”
Whoosh!
Passing through a narrow opening with a rush of water, a wide-open space appeared.
“This is the Forbidden Zone.”
Christian looked around.
It was a barren wasteland devoid of life.
The strange thing was its gray hue.
The sky, the ground, even his own body seemed gray.
The light was distorted, making it impossible to distinguish colors.
A borderland between the surface world and Gehenna.
A territory.
More precisely, it’s closer to the surface side.
A gray zone in between.
Not fully Gehenna, so no demons or devils appeared.
But it was by no means safe.
Powerful monsters influenced by Gehenna roamed here.
The monsters are a problem, but the greater danger is the evil energy seeping from Gehenna.
A chilling, spine-tingling sensation crept over him.
The malevolent aura of Gehenna began to invade his mind.
Christian steeled his will and drove the evil energy away.
It’s not unbearable.
Because this was the gray zone, closer to the middle realm.
Though the evil energy flowed, with strong willpower, it was manageable.
In other words, the perfect environment for training.
What Christian needed, as he’d said before, was to build a foundation.
Specifically, the foundation of willpower to advance to the five-star Elder class.
This place, with its evil energy and powerful monsters, was ideal for forging that will.
If I push myself hard enough, I’ll find the answer. Honestly, I’m not a fan of such brutal training methods, but it can’t be helped.
Strong will is only honed in extreme environments.
I’ll keep my eyes on the prize—the wealth and glory I’ll enjoy once all this is over!
Just then, monsters began to appear, wandering about.
True to the borderland, they were four-star level beasts.
Without hesitation, Christian drew his holy sword.
Flash!
The radiant mana within the holy sword transformed into an aura blade, severing the monsters’ necks.
I don’t have to insist on using demonic mana. My goal is to strengthen my will.
By honing the aura blade, the power of will, he would naturally develop a strong will as a mage.
After all, whether it’s dark demonic mana or pure light mana, the master is still Christian.
“Haah!”
Time passed in a blur.
He cut down countless monsters, survived countless life-or-death moments, and his parched mouth was so dry he couldn’t even salivate.
Then, an unexpected voice spoke.
“Wow, you really are something.”
“!!”
Christian’s eyes snapped open.
Turning his head in surprise, he saw an unimaginable figure standing there.
Sherard?!
The Blood Shadow Demon Lord. No, the first prince, Sherard.
“How did you get into the Forbidden Zone?”
“Ah, my father opened the gate for me.”
“Marquis Langham?”
“Yeah. He told me to kill you.”
“!!”
Sherard casually stated his purpose.
“Honestly, I don’t dislike you. But you seem to really get on my father’s nerves.”
“…”
Christian remained silent.
He had expected Langham to keep an eye on him as he rose.
He had even prepared countermeasures in case an assassin was sent.
But sending Sherard was beyond his expectations.
“To be honest, I don’t really want to follow that order. I find you… interesting. I’ve wanted to be close to you for a long time.”
Christian frowned.
Sherard’s “interest” meant a desire to kill.
The more Sherard felt murderous intent, the less likely he was to act immediately.
Like aging a fine dish, he watched for a long time, sometimes even helping his target grow stronger, before striking at what he deemed the perfect moment.
“In his previous life, Sherard was most interested in the hero, Evan. There were countless chances to take his life, but he never did.”
— “It’s a shame to kill someone as intriguing as you so soon, right? I’m sure he’s looking forward to it, so please come back stronger next time.”
That was always what Sherard said when he let the hero Evan go.
Sherard had said something similar to Chris as well.
— “Hmm, what a pity. If you had mastered swordsmanship or magic, I might have found you more interesting than that hero.”
Chris clenched his fists tightly.
“Damn bastard.”
He thought of all the people who had been sacrificed to that man.
Even the Dark Chatterbox, who was especially close to Chris, had been killed by him.
Rage boiled up inside him.
When the Dark Chatterbox died at that man’s hands, it was the first time Chris truly regretted his own lack of strength.
“I have to kill him. No matter what.”
The problem was power.
“Can I really beat Sherard?”
Though he had grown rapidly stronger, it still felt impossible.
“I still can’t even guess how strong he really is.”
The meaning behind those words was clear.
Chris’s strength didn’t come close to Sherard’s.
At the very least, Sherard was a five-star upper rank.
He might even have reached six stars.
“But I have to find a way, no matter what. If he makes a contract with a demon and gains a blessing, then it’ll be a truly terrible disaster.”