Chapter 123
For now, Chris turned his thoughts elsewhere.
“What could Princess Yulian be thinking?”
She must have sensed the tension in the banquet hall, yet Yulian remained as composed as ever.
That warmth she radiated didn’t seem like an act.
Which made it all the more strange.
A deep sense of unease settled over him.
“I need to find out what’s really going on.”
Since he and Princess Yulian were bound to become serious rivals soon, it was important to understand who she truly was.
Just then, an opportunity presented itself.
She stepped out alone onto the balcony, seemingly to get some fresh air.
Chris followed her quietly.
But just as he was about to enter the balcony, he hesitated.
“Is that… a magical veil?”
A faint curtain-like barrier stretched inside the balcony, as if to block the view from the banquet hall.
“What could she be hiding in there?”
This was his chance to uncover Yulian’s secret.
Silently, Chris manipulated his magic to disable the veil’s protective effect without her noticing.
“What the—?”
His eyes widened in surprise.
She wasn’t doing anything secretive.
Princess Yulian was clutching the railing, retching violently.
“Ugh…ugh.”
Her face twisted in disgust, as if she’d just encountered the most revolting thing in the world.
Caught off guard by the unexpected sight, Chris froze—something he rarely did.
“What are those scars?”
Yulian usually wore clothes that covered her body completely.
But now, her outfit was disheveled from the nausea, revealing patches of skin marked with countless small scars.
These weren’t battle wounds.
Looking at their shape, they were self-inflicted.
“Those scars… they’re severe.”
It was as if she had tortured her own body.
Princess Yulian barely managed to stop vomiting.
Then, she cast a dark magic spell to erase all traces of it and returned to her usual composed self.
The face everyone knew—the beloved and respected princess of the Dark Mage clan.
Sensing someone’s presence, she stiffened slightly and asked,
“Is someone out here?”
“…It’s Christian.”
“Ah, come in.”
Yulian dispelled the magical veil.
She didn’t seem to realize Chris had been spying on her.
“What brings you here?”
“I came to speak with you, Princess.”
“Sis.”
“…Yes?”
Yulian smiled faintly.
“I told you before to call me ‘sis.’ We may be rivals, but there’s no need to sharpen our claws at each other.”
“……”
“To be honest, I don’t dislike you.”
Chris was silent for a moment.
He recalled the expression she’d worn earlier.
Endless pain.
And a deep, simmering hatred.
What was she so full of rage toward?
And why had she made a pact with a demon?
“It wasn’t just greed that drove her to it.”
That much was clear from what he’d just seen.
Yulian had her reasons.
Circumstances that forced her to offer her soul to a demon.
It wasn’t good news.
Those who made deals with demons out of simple greed had nothing to fear.
But if there was some deep, hidden reason—
If a pure soul had a reason to fall, and thus earned a demon’s favor—
They received a remarkable kind of ‘blessing’ from the demon.
“I don’t dislike you either, Princess.”
“Sis. If you don’t stop calling me that, I won’t talk anymore.”
“…Sister.”
Yulian chuckled softly.
Her clear laughter reminded Chris of a fairy’s.
“Alright, what brings my little brother to see me?”
“Nothing special. Just came to pay my respects.”
“Is that so? Thanks. Actually, I had something to say to you too.”
“Something to say?”
“Mm.”
Yulian nodded and whispered,
“Thank you for ruining Ashd, brother.”
“!!”
A chill ran down Chris’s spine.
Though Yulian’s lips held their usual smile, an invisible, chilling loathing seemed to flicker beneath it.
“So, you and Prince Ashd weren’t on good terms.”
“Ah, yes. Though we came from the same ship, he’s hard to like.”
Yulian smiled slyly.
“If it weren’t for you, I would have taken care of it myself. Human sacrifice? I couldn’t stomach that kind of filth.”
“I see.”
Chris nodded slowly.
Yulian laughed playfully.
“Don’t look so scared. Like I said, I don’t hate you. Maybe I even find you a little cute. So, I think we could be good siblings.”
Chris didn’t respond.
He wasn’t sure if she was sincere.
“I can’t quite read her.”
That was unusual for Chris, whose ability usually let him see through people instantly.
“Well, at least I’ve gained some insight into Princess Yulian’s true feelings.”
Seeing the abyss stirring within her, it was clear she had received a genuine ‘blessing’ from a demon.
He had to be cautious.
“Shall I be going? Come visit me sometime. I’ll have plenty of sweet cakes and your favorite ginger juice ready.”
“…I’ll pass on the ginger juice.”
Stepping back outside, Chris tilted his head in confusion.
The atmosphere had shifted.
The lively chatter had abruptly stopped, and even the music had faded into silence.
Chris quickly realized why.
A stranger had appeared in the banquet hall.
A mountain of a man.
An aura sharp as a blade.
An overwhelming presence that dominated the room.
Chris murmured the name with a hint of surprise.
“…Marquis Shupen?”
The head of the Shupen family, the foremost branch of the third-tier nobility, and commander of the 10,000-strong Dark Mage army guarding the clan’s outer defenses.
A formidable 7-star rank.
Alongside Marquis Langham, one of the Dark Mage clan’s strongest.
“Why is Marquis Shupen here?”
He wasn’t the type to attend a mere celebration for a newly titled prince.
“Could it be…?”
Chris’s eyes widened as Marquis Langham, seated at the head table, spoke.
“What is the matter, Marquis of the Borderlands?”
“I have a report. There’s been an incident in Gold Cross.”
A murmur spread through the hall.
Everyone sensed this was no ordinary matter.
“What happened?”
“The ‘Shattered’ Black Plague has broken out in Gold Cross.”
“!!”
The Black Plague.
A horrific contagion.
But the word ‘Shattered’ before it was even worse.
It meant the plague was unleashed through dark magic.
More deadly and cruel than the natural disease.
“What? The Shattered Black Plague? How could this happen?”
“Surely there’s some mistake, Your Grace?”
The family retainers voiced their doubts.
Marquis Shupen shook his head.
“Our Dark Mage army has confirmed it. The Shattered Black Plague is real.”
“Who would do such a thing?”
The retainers looked baffled.
“We don’t know who’s behind it yet. But what matters is Gold Cross’s reaction.”
Marquis Shupen’s eyes flashed like lightning.
“Pentagel III, the Law King of Gold Cross, has accused our Dark Mage clan of being responsible.”
“!!”
“How dare they slander our great Dark Mage clan! This is an insult we cannot tolerate.”
Marquis Shupen turned to Marquis Langham.
“For the honor of the Dark Mage clan, grant me permission to mobilize the Dark Mage army and punish the Gold Cross scum.”
Everyone swallowed hard.
This was the herald of a bloodstorm to come.
And so began the first prelude to the coming age of destruction—the Gold Cross catastrophe, the ‘Fall of the Star’ incident.
“It’s finally begun.”
Chris’s gaze darkened.
The course of history was unfolding as it had before.
Over 30,000 innocent lives would be lost in this incident.
Between the plague’s victims and those caught in the ensuing conflict between the Dark Mage clan and Gold Cross.
And that was just the beginning.
“This will irreversibly corrupt Gold Cross. Ultimately, the Four Kings will gain a great advantage.”
He had to stop it.
The first priority was to prevent open conflict between the two armies.
“If the Dark Mage clan and Gold Cross go to war, it means the true mastermind behind this is succeeding.”
After the urgent news, the banquet ended and a family council was convened.
Because full-scale war was a real possibility, even the Nordians attended—an unusual move.
Still, they seemed content to observe quietly from the sidelines, leaving Marquis Langham to take the central seat and lead the meeting.
Initially cautious of the Nordians, the retainers soon raised their voices with strong opinions.
“We must mobilize the army immediately!”
“How dare they accuse our Dark Mage clan of such treachery!”
The mood was largely aggressive.
After all, Gold Cross had thrown the first stone.
But some urged caution.
“We must not underestimate Gold Cross. Though they’ve been shaky lately, they remain a core member of the Crusade Alliance. If we’re careless, our clan will suffer heavy losses.”
The three great powers of the Crusade Alliance were:
The Karn Empire.
The Holy Empire.
Gold Cross.
Together, they were known as the Triumvirate of the Alliance.
There were smaller but not insignificant powers like the ‘Swordsmanship Clan,’ the ‘Mirror Ice Palace,’ the ‘Medical Lineage,’ the ‘Fanatical Cult,’ the ‘Round Table,’ the ‘Sky Magic Tower,’ and the ‘White Tiger Corps,’ but the backbone of the alliance was those three great nations.
Gold Cross’s military strength was noticeably weaker compared to the other major powers, but it was still not something to be taken lightly.
“After such an insult, you expect us to just stand by as mages?! If we join forces with the Venomous Mage, we can definitely take on Gold Cross!”
“If we move alongside the Venomous Mage, it will be an all-out war! We need His Majesty the Demon King’s approval first!”
“Isn’t it enough just to get that approval? The ‘Azure Demon King’ wouldn’t oppose it!”
“The Venomous Mage wouldn’t object to joining forces either!”
At that moment, Marquis Langham sharply knocked on the table.
“Enough. Everyone, calm yourselves. This is before the head of the family.”
“…”
All the retainers immediately fell silent.
Marquis Langham turned to Nordian.
“What decision would Your Grace like to make?”
“Heh heh, why ask me that? I’ve said it many times—I’ve entrusted full authority to the Marquis. If you judge that a full-scale war is necessary, then proceed as you see fit. I will follow your lead.”
“…”
The retainers exchanged glances, carefully reading Nordian’s expression.
From their long experience serving him, they sensed his displeasure with their suggestions.
Sure enough, Nordian spoke again.
“However, out of an old man’s concern, there is one thing I worry about.”
“What is it?”
“What do you think it might be?”
As the retainers looked at each other uncertainly, Christian finally spoke up.