Chapter 146

Olivia crossed her arms on her hips and shot him a sharp look.

“We’re bound by a sacred pact. If you don’t take proper care of yourself and something goes wrong, wouldn’t that jeopardize our contract? Neglecting your own well-being like this is…”

She raised her voice, but then suddenly paused, a soft “Ah” escaping her lips.

She realized she’d been a bit too harsh.

Her cheeks flushed faintly.

“Of course, I’m only saying this because I care about your safety as my pact partner. Don’t get the wrong idea.”

“Yeah, yeah.”

“Well, hurry inside. I’ve prepared some restorative herbal dishes for you.”

“You really don’t have to go to all that trouble.”

“I told you—I’m not just your pact partner, you’re also a benefactor to our kingdom. If anything happened to you, it would be a disaster.”

Christian chuckled softly and nodded.

“Alright then, I’ll accept your kindness. As your pact partner and benefactor.”

Watching Christian turn and walk away, Olivia bit her lip tightly.

Lately, her feelings toward Christian had been confusing.

Every time she saw him, her heart fluttered.

She wondered if this was what love felt like.

After all, aside from the fact that he was a demon, Christian was undeniably charming.

Given how much he’d helped her recently, it wouldn’t be strange if her heart was swayed.

But Olivia firmly dismissed that notion.

“This isn’t love. Not at all.”

If anything, it was something else.

“…Brother.”

Strangely, when she looked at that demon, she saw her brother.

---

While recovering, Christian took on additional tasks.

More precisely, he helped Olivia, now the next Law King, consolidate her control over the kingdom.

To be exact, he assisted in rooting out the corrupt elements within the kingdom.

‘This kind of work is my specialty.’

Christian’s mind was filled with detailed records of the crimes committed by the kingdom’s rotten officials.

Many, like Miek, had committed grave offenses that could one day topple the Gold Cross.

He gathered evidence and handed it over to Olivia.

She would use it to purge the kingdom’s corruption.

Though he had some concerns, he trusted she would handle it well.

‘She’s not the powerless Olivia of the past.’

She was no longer just an heir.

Olivia had become the supreme ruler of the kingdom—the Law King.

Moreover, having recently stopped the plague and the descent of the Fallen, she was hailed as a hero by the people and enjoyed overwhelming support.

Her own determination to reform the kingdom was fierce, so both the kingdom and the Gold Cross would change for the better.

Christian also helped ensure that Olivia wouldn’t get entangled with other powerful Gold Cross nations.

‘The kingdom isn’t the only one with weaknesses.’

He secured damaging secrets from various countries.

These would become Olivia’s weapons.

Olivia hadn’t just received help—she gave Christian an unexpected gift.

“What’s this?”

“…Open it.”

Christian unwrapped the cloth and his eyes widened in surprise.

It was a holy sword!

Not a flawed one like Grunade, but a genuine, proper blade.

“It was kept in the kingdom’s vault. It’s called ‘Ernhilt.’”

“Is it really okay to give this to me?”

“Of course not. But it was stored in a vault only I, as Law King, can open, so it won’t be discovered. Besides, it’s been unused for a long time.”

It wasn’t the highest-grade holy sword.

Those were sacred symbols within the kingdom and couldn’t be taken out.

Still, it was an incredibly valuable weapon for Christian.

“Thank you. I’ll put it to good use.”

Olivia also gave him another gift.

Not exactly intended for him, but ultimately a gift for Christian as well.

She cleared the unjust accusations against the cursed prince—Christian—in the eyes of the world.

Without any lies, she revealed the truth.

That former Law King Pentagel III had conspired against Princess Sistanya and Christian, and that neither had committed any crime.

“I want to restore my brother’s honor.”

‘…It’s a pointless gesture.’ No.

It wasn’t pointless.

Though it was all in the past now, the false charges that had tormented him in his previous life were finally erased.

More importantly, their mother’s honor was restored as well.

“……”

The revelation of the cursed prince’s truth caused a bigger stir than expected.

The Karn Empire’s royal family reacted immediately.

Princess Sistanya, Christian’s mother, had been the most beloved daughter of the previous Karn Emperor and the current emperor’s close sister.

She had been disowned from the royal lineage but was promptly reinstated, and Christian was recognized as part of the Karn royal bloodline.

Though he was already dead and it meant little practically, Christian had become a legitimate heir to the Karn throne.

‘It’s about time I left.’

His recovery had taken longer than expected, forcing him to stay.

Though not fully healed, he couldn’t delay any longer.

Before leaving, there was one last place he needed to visit.

Late at night, Christian left his room.

He headed to a remote cemetery on the kingdom’s outskirts.

A place where criminals were buried.

Where his mother was laid to rest.

‘I should pay my respects.’

Though they parted when he was young, Christian never forgot.

He vividly remembered his mother holding him.

He placed the anemone flower he had brought on her grave.

‘It’s all over now. Rest in peace.’

Just as he turned to leave, a soft voice stopped him.

“Anemones were Princess Sistanya’s favorite flowers.”

“!!”

A chill ran down Christian’s spine.

He hadn’t sensed anyone approaching.

Slowly, he turned around to see a slender woman clad in light armor.

She looked to be in her late twenties.

Her presence wasn’t overwhelming.

But that was because she was perfectly concealing her mana.

Christian knew exactly who she was.

He swallowed hard.

“It’s Aslan, the Vice Captain of the Karn Empire’s Royal Guard—the Radiant Sword.”

A seven-star knight!

One of the Karn Empire’s strongest.

Though she appeared young, her youthful looks were preserved by powerful mana; in reality, she was much older.

‘Why is she here?’

Tension rose, but Christian shook his head.

She wasn’t here to attack him.

More importantly, he knew Aslan well.

She wasn’t the type to blindly oppose demons.

She was one of the few remaining beacons in the sinking Union.

“I see you recognize me. It’s unexpected that the Prince of the Dark Mage Clan would know who I am.”

“If you didn’t know the Radiant Sword of the Karn Empire, you wouldn’t deserve to be a demon.”

That wasn’t the real reason.

Christian had a deep connection with Aslan from his previous life.

‘She was my loyal retainer during the Age of Destruction.’

Loyal retainer.

An awkward phrase, but true.

Before joining the hero’s party, Christian had once led a massive faction on the brink of collapse.

Of course, it was brief and under a hidden identity—revealing himself as the leader would have made him a target for assassination.

‘That’s why the hero party never knew I was once the head of a major faction. It was a secret.’

Aslan had been the one who helped him then.

She even gave her life for him.

When Christian’s faction was about to be wiped out, Aslan sacrificed herself to buy him time.

Without her, he wouldn’t have survived.

Though glad to see her again, Christian kept his feelings hidden.

‘She must be here to see my mother. I heard they were very close. She was originally my mother’s bodyguard, right?’

Aslan averted her gaze and placed a single flower on the grave.

An anemone, just like Christian’s.

After a moment of silent prayer, Aslan did something unexpected.

She bowed deeply to Christian.

“Thank you.”

“!!”

“I heard you revealed the truth. Thanks to you, I can now ease the sorrow of someone very dear to me.”

For a seven-star knight of the Union to bow to a demon—that was extraordinary.

But Aslan’s actions didn’t stop there.

“If there is anything you desire, I will repay you to the best of my ability.”

“…Are you serious? I’m a demon.”

“Of course, others might criticize me for this. But I believe it’s worse to ignore a kindness received. That said, please understand I cannot fulfill unreasonable requests due to my position.”

It was an awkward offer.

But this was Aslan’s nature.

A sword of light who saw others without prejudice.

‘That’s why, despite her skill, she doesn’t have much influence within the Karn Empire.’

Christian pondered.

‘A favor, huh? What should I ask for?’

It was an opportunity too good to pass up.

‘The best outcome would be to have her as an ally.’

Not now, but someday he’d need to operate within the Karn Empire.

It was one of the Union’s two most important powers, alongside the Holy Empire.

‘But if I just asked outright, she’d probably refuse.’

Then a good idea struck him.

‘Ah, I just need to earn her trust first.’

Any partnership is built on trust.

If Aslan came to trust him, she’d naturally become his ally.

And there was a perfect way to do that.

“When you return to the Karn Empire, keep a close eye on the Crown Prince.”

“!!”

Aslan’s expression stiffened.

“What do you mean by that?”

“I can’t go into details, but our Dark Maga intelligence intercepted some strange information. I was debating what to do about it, and since I happened to meet Lord Aslan, I thought I’d let you know.”

Chris added briefly, “Even though I’m a Ma-in, I can’t just turn a blind eye to an impending disaster.”

And disaster was no exaggeration.

Soon, a major incident would shake the Karn Empire.

There was nothing they could do for now, but if they could enlist Aslan’s help, it might make a difference.

“…”

Aslan fell silent, clearly unsure how to take the news.

Chris shrugged nonchalantly.

“It’s not a difficult request, is it? As a royal guard, it’s only natural to keep an eye on the crown prince’s surroundings.”

“…That’s true.”

“You’d simply be fulfilling your duty. And if you ‘happen’ to uncover something bad, you’d act accordingly, as your responsibility demands.”

Aslan shook his head.

“You’re different from other Ma-in, aren’t you?”

“…”

“In any case, I understand. I’ll keep watch as you say.”

That was settled.

Given Aslan’s abilities, they could likely prevent the worst from happening.

And it would be a good chance to earn his trust as well.

“Well then, I’ll be going.”

Chris felt Aslan’s gaze on his back but didn’t look back, heading straight to his quarters.

‘Ugh, I’m exhausted. It was just a quick trip, so why do I feel this drained?’

His body felt worse than he expected.

‘Well, I did endure the backlash from the constellation’s destruction. If this keeps up, I might be stuck nursing internal injuries for months. That’s serious.’

Chris wore a grave expression.

A few months wasn’t a long time, really.

But for him, it was different.

For Chris, a few months was enough time to work countless miracles.

‘More importantly, once I return to the Dark Maga, the second trial will start immediately. If I’m in this condition, it’ll definitely affect my performance.’

He recalled the details of the second trial.

The succession trials for the clan head were steeped in tradition, with set formats.

The second trial was generally much easier than the first.

It was rare for someone who passed the first trial to fail the second.

‘But that’s for a typical successor. I’m different.’

Usually, challengers for the Dark Maga succession trial were at least six-star level.

Chris was barely over five stars—more like upper four stars in actual achievement as a Ma-in.

For context, don’t think “only upper four stars?”—he’d reached that level in just a year and a half since his regression.

Considering that most prodigies take years of training from infancy to reach four stars before twenty, Chris’s rapid progress was remarkable.

‘Still, compared to past successors, my level is far behind.’

So, the second trial would feel significantly harder for him than for others.

‘Given my current standing, the second trial might actually be tougher than the first.’

And now, with his body in poor shape, it was a clear disadvantage.

‘I need to recover as quickly as possible once I get back.’

Fortunately, he had access to the secret techniques of the Uiseon clan.

If he brewed a few elixirs, he could shorten his recovery time.

‘Which elixirs would be best…’

Lost in thought, he gradually drifted off to sleep.

His poor condition had drained his stamina quickly.

Silence settled over the room, bathed in quiet moonlight.

Then, something unexpected happened.

A faint mist crept across the room, and a figure began to take shape.

It was unbelievable.

Chris’s senses were extremely sharp; no matter how tired he was, he never failed to notice someone approaching—even if they tried to sneak up on him.

But this time, the figure made no effort to hide their presence, yet Chris remained completely unaware.

There was a reason.

Just then, the moonlight slipped through the clouds, illuminating the figure’s face.

A stunningly beautiful young girl.

She looked just shy of adulthood, her youthful features still intact, yet her beauty was so breathtaking it seemed to steal the very breath from the air.

Her skin was pale as snow, her delicate features sculpted as if by the heavens themselves—exquisite and noble.

Her blood-red hair cascaded to her shoulders, and her violet eyes were mesmerizing.

A glimpse of sharp fangs behind slightly parted crimson lips revealed her true nature: a vampire.

But not an ordinary one.

A blood cross was etched on her forehead.

A symbol of the highest-ranking pureblood vampires—the noblest of the noble, the mark of a ruler.

The Vampire Princess.

Idrinne, the Grand Duchess of the Bloodsword Maga, had appeared.

She would one day be known as the Blood-Drinking Demon King.