Episode 154
“Seriously. And all he does is train his body all day long?”
“I just don’t get it. I heard he’s a genius among geniuses.”
“Well, geniuses tend to think differently, don’t they?”
“…But honestly, he doesn’t look all that impressive. I’m only a three-star, so maybe I shouldn’t say this, but his fundamentals seem a bit lacking.”
“No way. That can’t be true.”
“I’m telling you, it’s true. You should go see for yourself.”
The dark demon army’s officers, naturally curious, had come to sneak glances at Christian’s training.
After all, the training grounds were open to all demons.
But those who watched were disappointed.
Christian’s training didn’t live up to the fearsome reputation of the Dark Demon Army as a whole.
Even now, it was the same.
Panting heavily, Christian lay sprawled on the ground.
“Ugh, damn it. I’m dying here. This kind of grueling effort just isn’t my style. I dreamed of wealth and glory, so how did I end up stuck doing this crap?”
He wanted to quit this miserable grind immediately and just kick back, grilling some steak and sipping on cold strawberry juice.
Mari, standing nearby, whispered with a worried smile.
“Master, are you alright? Should I bring you some young man’s blood juice to boost your strength? Or maybe some refreshing maiden’s blood juice?”
“…No thanks.”
Jupien tilted his head, watching.
“Already tired? You’re only on your 57th lap. Weakling.”
“You’re the one who’s a stamina monster.”
They’d been running the same laps, but Jupien’s face hadn’t changed a bit.
It wasn’t just endurance.
As expected, Christian was outmatched by Jupien in every basic ability.
He even tried arm wrestling—and didn’t last a tenth of a second.
Well, Jupien was a training addict, so that wasn’t surprising.
“Even Alos is still standing strong?”
“…Damn it.”
Surprisingly, Alos had strong basic physical abilities.
He’d been trained rigorously since childhood in the strict Tiramin noble house.
“Hahaha. So even that devil has his weaknesses. Who would’ve thought his stamina was this poor?”
Alos, feeling energized for the first time in a while, smirked.
“How about a sparring match, young master? Of course, with your magic sealed, relying purely on physical ability.”
‘Time to vent some frustration!’ Christian sighed low and—
Bam!
He knocked Alos down with a single blow.
“W-why?”
Alos lay on the ground, muttering in disbelief, while Melin clicked her tongue in disdain.
“Fool. This is exactly what makes the young master so formidable.”
For example, even punches using the same muscle strength can have wildly different effects depending on timing, striking point, and target area.
In the same way, Christian always managed to get the best results despite his lacking abilities.
Melin said to Christian,
“Honestly, seeing you like this sends a chill down my spine. To think you’ve shown such greatness with such basic skills. Even if you were using magic.”
Christian’s weak fundamentals had been hidden by his magic.
He enhanced his physical abilities by manipulating magic energy.
Of course, other demons did the same.
But Christian’s magic enhancement was on a whole different level.
Thanks to his innate magic control and perfect understanding of his body, he achieved maximum efficiency with minimal magic.
So, while others might get only 0.5 physical boost from 1 unit of magic, Christian got over 10 times that.
That’s why his physical stats never looked inferior compared to others of similar rank.
But now, with his magic completely sealed, he had no such aid, and his weak fundamentals were laid bare.
‘His basic abilities barely reach a three-star level. To think he’s shown such greatness with so little.’
Melin shook her head.
She was curious, though.
If his fundamentals were this weak yet he was this strong, how much more could he achieve if his basics were perfect?
‘The problem is time.’
Fundamentals improve with training.
Given enough time, Christian’s basic abilities would become as strong as anyone else’s.
‘But there’s no time.’
Melin sighed.
“Master, a letter has arrived.”
“A letter?”
“Yes, from Prince Kashmir of the Destruction Demon Clan and Princess Marisa of the Extreme Poison Demon Clan.”
Those names hadn’t been heard in a while.
Since parting ways in the underground garden, they’d occasionally exchanged letters.
The first was from Kashmir of the Destruction Clan.
[I’ve heard of your achievements at Gold Cross. Truly, you are a prince among princes! I also heard you’re taking the grand prince succession exam. I know it’s difficult, but I believe in you. I haven’t forgotten the favor you showed me, and I’m working hard to be someone worthy of you. I look forward to the day we meet again, and I hope your succession exam goes well…]
The letter went on, mostly filled with long-winded encouragement for Christian’s exam.
‘Why does he always write so much nonsense?’
Finding no useful information, Christian skimmed and moved on.
The next was from Marisa of the Extreme Poison Clan.
Her letter was just as unhelpful.
[Why didn’t you reply last time? I’m sending this to confirm our political alliance, so don’t misunderstand… I heard you’re taking the grand prince exam. I’m rooting for you, so please pass. Of course, I’m supporting you as part of our alliance…]
‘Why does she always send such trivial letters? I heard she’s busy as the head of the Ten Thousand Poisons Bureau, but does she really have this much free time?’ Christian wondered.
For reference, Christian had agreed to cooperate with Marisa.
There would be major events in the Extreme Poison Clan soon.
From conflicts with the Dark Demon Clan to the bloody rebellion in Jinrok.
He planned to use Marisa then.
‘But why is she sending letters now?’
Christian looked puzzled as he opened another letter.
The senders weren’t just Marisa and Kashmir.
Olivia of Gold Cross had also sent a letter.
Of course, it had to be kept strictly confidential.
The sender was anonymous, and neither Olivia’s nor Christian’s names appeared anywhere.
It had even passed through several third countries, resembling a spy operation.
But the content was minimal.
[I’m writing to check on your safety as an ally…]
The letter was full of nagging concern, oddly similar yet different from Marisa’s tone.
‘…Sounds like the scolding I used to get from my older brother.’
Christian cleared his throat.
There was one curious phrase.
[I have something I must ask you. We must meet someday…]
‘That won’t be easy anytime soon.’ Christian shook his head.
Without special reasons, it was difficult for a demon like him to meet the Law King like her.
‘Maybe when I have business with the Crusade Alliance.’
He burned Olivia’s letter with dark magic.
Anyway, he had no time to worry about letters.
He handed Marisa the letters from Kashmir and Marisa, who had been lingering nearby.
“Mari, you know my handwriting, right? Write a proper reply.”
“Oh hoho. Leave it to me. Especially… I think Princess Marisa deserves a particularly fiery response.”
Mari read Marisa’s letter and somehow gave off a chilling vibe.
Christian ignored it and got up, starting to jog again.
He staggered occasionally, completely drained.
It was a stark contrast to his usual perfect self.
Melin watched him and shook her head.
‘The direction is right, but defeating the five generals in two months might be impossible.’
She thought to herself.
No matter how much of a genius, everyone has limits.
This might be Christian’s first real setback.
But Melin hadn’t noticed one thing.
Christian’s movements during basic training were improving in real time.
And it had only been a few days.
Unbelievably so.
Between the Demon King’s Castle and the Dark Demon Clan lay the ‘Black Mountain Range,’ a gray zone of a magical wilderness.
Not very tall, but crawling with all kinds of monsters.
The ‘Barrier’ was built at a strategic point in the Black Mountains.
The Shupen Marquisate was located behind the Barrier, with a towering spire built using demonic engineering to overlook the Barrier’s status.
“The Dark Demon bastards are suspiciously quiet.”
The Shupen Marquis muttered, peering through a dark magic-infused telescope at the Barrier.
“What is Prince Christian doing?”
His son, Baron Sanin, replied,
“He’s doing basic training.”
“Basic training?”
“Yes, in the training grounds used by the demon soldiers.”
The Marquis adjusted the telescope.
He saw Christian, training in a complete mess.
“Hmm.”
What exactly did he see through?
For a moment, the Marquis of Schuppen’s gaze lingered on Ischae.
Meanwhile, Saenin, misreading his father’s silence, let out a sneer.
“Now he talks about basic training? I don’t know what he’s thinking. He was supposed to be a genius, but I guess all those rumors were nonsense.”
“Foolish.”
“…Pardon?”
“You’ve reached the sixth rank, yet you still don’t understand why Prince Christian acts the way he does?”
Saenin’s face stiffened at the cold rebuke.
“Of course, it’s natural to strengthen one’s fundamentals. But to focus on basic training at this stage—that’s just too late…”
“Silence.”
The Marquis sighed and pulled out a cigarette.
“Saenin.”
“…Yes, Your Grace. No, Father.”
By calling him not by his title but by name, the Marquis signaled a more personal conversation between father and son.
“You have no idea. You don’t understand just how extraordinary Prince Christian’s talent truly is.”
“!!”
“His abilities are on a completely different level from yours.”
Saenin bit his lip, pride clearly wounded.
Ignoring his son’s reaction, the Marquis continued.
“But when I first saw Prince Christian, I was disappointed.”
“…Why?”
“His talent was immense, but he was so desperate to achieve results that his balance was completely off. His overwhelming talent was actually a poison.”
The Marquis raised his telescope again to observe Christian.
“But now, he seems to have fully grasped his own weaknesses. Or perhaps, this was his plan all along.”
There was a note of admiration in his voice, causing Saenin to raise an eyebrow.