Chapter 152
An Astonishing Revelation
The ruler of the Southern Magic Kingdom, the Demon Lord of Cheongryu, was none other than that fallen High Elf.
Originally the queen of the fairy tribe, she had sold her soul to a demon long ago, then entrusted herself to the Magic Empire, earning the title of Demon Lord of Cheongryu.
But why would the Demon Lord of Cheongryu come to meet Yurian in person?
[Wasn’t it you who asked? You wanted me to use my power to prevent your identity from being exposed at the Five Kings’ Castle.]
“…I didn’t expect you to come yourself.”
[Heh. Of course, I could have manifested my power through you, so there was no real need to come. I just came because I was worried about you. You’re a child I care about. Are you alright?]
Yurian quietly shook her head.
“I’m fine.”
[Are you sure?]
“……”
Yurian fell silent for a moment.
The Demon Lord of Cheongryu slowly approached her.
With every step, the clinking of chains echoed.
The Demon Lord raised a hand and gently stroked Yurian’s head.
[Poor child. Steel your heart.]
“…There’s no need to worry. I really am fine.”
[Good, you should be. You have a rightful ‘reason’ to be angry at the Dark Maga, don’t you? Enough to sell your soul to a demon.]
“……”
Yurian bit her lip hard, until blood welled up.
[More than anything, I didn’t help you out of mere pity. Tell me, can you truly drown the Dark Maga in blood, as we promised?]
Yurian nodded firmly.
“Yes. I can. No, I will. That’s the only reason I’m still alive.”
The Demon Lord smiled, clearly satisfied.
[Good. I believe you. Oh, I have some information that might help you.]
“What is it?”
[There’s an unofficial tip from the Central Command. A disaster is about to strike the Dark Maga.]
Central Command—the direct territory of the Demon King.
“A disaster?”
[It’s a euphemism the Central uses for those arrogant bastards who don’t even obey His Majesty the Demon King. They’re so insane that even Central just watches and doesn’t try to stop them. But this time, it’s not bad news for you.]
The Demon Lord of Cheongryu grinned.
[Their targets are the Marquis of Shupen and Prince Christian. They were big obstacles to your plans. Isn’t this good news? Neither of them will escape death.]
“……”
Yurian’s chest suddenly felt heavy.
[Or would you prefer I remove Christian from their target list so you can kill him yourself?]
“…No.”
Yurian shook her head.
She despised the Dark Maga with every fiber of her being.
So much so that she often harmed herself just because her body was tainted with their bloodline.
Yet, strangely, she didn’t feel that hatred toward Christian.
They weren’t particularly close, and even she couldn’t explain it.
‘But still, I have to kill him.’
If anything, it would be better if this incident led to his death.
Chris arrived at the Shupen Marquisate.
It was located in the northeast of the Dark Maga’s territory, adjacent to the ‘Barrier’ bordering the Five Kings’ Castle.
‘The greatest threat to the Dark Maga isn’t the Gold Cross, but the Five Kings’ Castle.’
Most of the Dark Maga army was on alert against the castle.
‘The scale of this fortress is enormous.’
Chris looked on with a hint of admiration.
If the Baron’s Castle, his family home, felt like a bustling city, this place was more like a massive fortress.
The discipline among the guarding Ma-in was impeccable.
‘So these are the Dark Maga troops.’
Chris scanned the soldiers lined up along the walls.
‘Just as I heard, they’re all Ma-in trained in magic energy. For a single Dark Maga faction to command such a force…’
The Dark Maga army numbered 10,000.
An enormous force for a single family to command.
What was even more shocking was that every soldier was a Ma-in trained in magic energy.
‘Even if they were just regular soldiers, 10,000 is a huge force. But all of them trained in magic energy? Most are first-rank, but still, that’s incredible.’
The ranking system was as follows:
This was the structure of the Dark Maga army.
Their pride and strongest force.
Though they lacked high-ranking Ma-in above 7-star compared to other noble magic families, this was why the Dark Maga were not to be underestimated.
“Welcome back.”
Inside the castle, a man with a sharp face, resembling the Marquis of Shupen, greeted them.
Not just his looks, but his aura was intense.
Christian immediately recognized him.
‘One of the five generals, and the Marquis’s eldest son, Baron Saenin.’
Compared to Marquis Langham, the Marquis of Shupen had married very early.
His children had long since come of age.
The eldest son was in his mid-thirties and had recently broken through to 6-star rank, proudly becoming one of the five generals of the Dark Maga army.
‘Reaching 6-star in his thirties is impressive, comparable to Eshed.’
Eshed had reached upper 4-star in his early twenties.
Had he continued to grow without incident, he would have likely reached 6-star by his thirties, so their talents were roughly equal.
If he were a direct heir, he could have been a candidate for the duke.
No wonder Saenin’s gaze toward Christian was less than friendly.
“Your Excellency, who is this boy?”
“He is Prince Christian of the main family. He’s here for the succession exam. Saenin, show him to his residence.”
“Why not the barracks?”
Saenin asked in a peculiar tone.
“I haven’t accepted Prince Christian into the Dark Maga army yet.”
Meaning, until he was officially recognized, Christian was treated as a guest, not a soldier.
“I understand.”
“Then I’ll take my leave. Take care of the prince.”
The two men were left alone, and Saenin spoke to Christian.
“Prince Christian, please wait a moment. I will prepare a carriage.”
“No need for a carriage. I’ll ride a horse.”
An unnecessary formality.
But then—
“We cannot treat a distinguished guest from the main family so casually. Especially since you are a prime candidate for succession. This is a border region, and the roads aren’t as well maintained as at the main castle. It would be inconvenient for someone of your status to travel on horseback. We will provide a carriage.”
“!!”
Chris frowned slightly.
‘Look at this.’
On the surface, the words sounded polite.
But it was mockery.
As if to say Chris was a delicate flower who couldn’t even walk a proper road on his own.
It wasn’t an exaggeration.
You could tell by his eyes.
Saenin’s gaze was laced with contempt for Christian.
And he didn’t even bother to hide it—it was blatant.
‘It’s been a while since I’ve seen such a look. Well, he’s talented enough to be arrogant.’
Reaching 6-star in his thirties was no small feat.
Not quite on the level of the true prodigies, but talent that would shine in any family.
He would likely reach 7-star eventually, maybe even aim for 8-star.
‘No wonder he resents a rookie who hasn’t even reached 5-star yet, boasting as a prince of the main family. And since I’m originally from a collateral branch, I can understand his bitterness.’
But that didn’t mean Chris would tolerate it.
After all, Saenin would be the one kneeling before him soon enough.
“The carriage is unnecessary. I’ll go on horseback.”
“That’s not proper etiquette.”
Chris’s tone shifted.
“I said I’m fine with it.”
“!!”
Saenin’s eyes hardened.
“Or do you think my words are a joke?”
“…No.”
“Despite your answer, you seem to have many complaints.”
“……”
Chris smirked.
“Be straightforward. If you’re going to treat me as a prince of the main family, then do it properly and respectfully. Otherwise, show your teeth clearly. What’s with this half-hearted attitude? You’re not some coalition soldier trying to feel me out.”
“……”
‘Coalition soldiers.’
An insult as harsh as cursing one’s parents, especially to a proud Ma-in like Saenin.
Chris saw his fists clench white-knuckled, but he didn’t stop speaking.
“If you don’t want to, don’t force yourself to treat me like a prince of the main family. After all, I’m just assigned to the Dark Maga army.”
“…That’s impossible.”
“Is it? You’ll regret it.”
Chris curled his lips into a cocky smile and looked at Saenin.
“When I become deputy commander, I plan to treat you like a mere subordinate. You’ll regret acting so arrogantly in front of me.”
“!!”
Saenin’s blood-red eyes flared with rage.
“The prince will never become deputy commander. You do know the Dark Maga army’s rank regulations, don’t you?”
“Of course. You have to be able to defeat at least one of the five generals by force to qualify for deputy commander, right?”
Chris continued.
“Let’s make a bet. In two months, I’ll see if I can defeat one of the five generals.”
“!!”
Saenin looked stunned.
“What nonsense is this?”
“I think I can.”
Chris tilted his head with a cocky grin.
“Looking at you, the five generals don’t seem so formidable. Two months is enough time to beat you.”
“!!”
Saenin’s face flushed as if about to explode.
He was truly furious.
“…You’ll regret saying that.”
“So you’re accepting the wager? The terms are this: you put your position as one of the Five Commanders on the line. I’ll stake my title as Duke Gongja.”
“!!”
“If you lose, you hand over your spot as one of the Five Commanders to me. But if I lose, I’ll willingly give up my claim to the Duke Gongja title.”
Just knocking out one of the Five Commanders doesn’t automatically make you the Deputy Commander.
That’s merely the minimum qualification.
You still have to prove you deserve the position.
And since you can’t start from the bottom, beginning at the level of a Five Commander seems reasonable.
Of course, that’s only if you think you can win.
“Give up the Duke Gongja title? Are you joking?”
Saenin growled harshly.
“I’m not joking. Maybe you forgot, but I’m in the middle of the succession trial. If I can’t even handle this, it’s better to just let go of the Duke Gongja title.”
“……”
Saenin fell silent, his eyes clouded with confusion.
But only for a moment.
“Don’t expect me to go easy on you. You’ll regret this decision today.”
“I’m not going easy on you either. Just don’t cry when you lose your spot as one of the Five Commanders. Honestly, seeing a man in his thirties cry is a bit much for me.”
“…You!”
Chris shrugged his shoulders and said,
“That’s enough talk. Didn’t you say you’d show me to my quarters? If you’re going to, then take me to the best room in the mansion. Oh, and for meals, I want the finest beef—preferably sirloin.”
“……”
“What are you standing there for? Hurry up and lead the way.”