Chapter 171
“No, I only had one drink!”
Chris wore a face full of disbelief.
If he’d drunk a lot, maybe it would make sense.
But to be in this state after just one drink?
“How weak am I when it comes to alcohol?”
A sudden wave of anxiety washed over him.
Maybe he was just the type who couldn’t handle alcohol at all.
“But didn’t I drink a lot back when I was a wild kid? Could it be that I got completely wasted and caused a scene after just a little now?”
Chris shook his head, trying to dismiss the thought.
“I’m still young. Maybe once I’m an adult, things will change.”
But by now, his physical age was already seventeen.
He doubted there would be much difference in his tolerance even a year from now when he officially became an adult.
“…I can’t believe I’m this bad with alcohol. This can’t be real… it just can’t.”
Chris looked utterly defeated.
He loved drinking.
He had been counting down the days until he became an adult just so he could enjoy alcohol properly, and this news felt like a thunderclap.
Unaware of Chris’s despair, those around him casually tossed out remarks.
“This won’t do. From now on, if you’re going to drink, you have to get permission from this sister first, baby.”
Jupien shook his head with a wry smile.
“Ha ha! How about a drink with me, Your Highness? I, Alos, would love to share a glass with you!”
Alos was bouncing around excitedly.
“Ahem. Well, I must say, seeing this unexpected side of you was quite delightful. So… your drunken state was rather cute.”
Merlin cleared her throat awkwardly.
‘Enough noise! Everyone out!’
Chris didn’t even have the energy to shout; he just motioned them away.
Mari caught on and let out a low chuckle.
“Oh ho ho. Everyone, please leave now. The young master and I are about to have a sweet, private moment.”
“…Mari, could you leave too?”
“You’re embarrassed, aren’t you? Ah, how adorable. Our young master is just so lovable. I’ll prepare a special virgin’s blood juice to cure your hangover with all my affection.”
Chris had no energy left to argue and collapsed back onto the bed.
“This can’t go on. I need to find some secret technique to increase my alcohol tolerance.”
He doubted such a technique even existed, but he was serious. He couldn’t live in a world where he couldn’t drink.
“What good is becoming the Demon King and enjoying the greatest wealth in the world if I can’t even drink! I have to find a way, ugh.”
As nausea rose again and he swayed unsteadily, a voice full of disbelief cut through the room.
“…Passing out after just one drink? You’re such a rookie.”
“!!”
It was Marquis Shupen!
He appeared out of nowhere, looking down at Chris with eyes full of disdain.
“I hope from now on you’ll show the dignity befitting a Grand Duke.”
“…Does that really matter?”
Chris grumbled, trying to compose himself.
“What brings you here?”
“I came to speak before entering my seclusion training.”
Marquis Shupen was currently at the advanced 8th rank but hadn’t yet reached full mastery.
He planned to enter seclusion training to heal his internal injuries and perfect his power.
Once his training was complete, the Dark Maga would gain another top-tier 8th rank Almighty-class demon.
The problem was time.
“I don’t know how long the seclusion will take. I’ll hurry, but with the injuries to heal, it’ll be at least half a year.”
When Chris entered Patera’s mind, Shupen had endured the power Patera emitted and suffered serious internal wounds.
Healing would take considerable time.
“I won’t be able to protect you during that time. Are you sure you’re okay with that?”
Shupen’s concern was genuine.
There was no helping it.
Because of the ‘restrictions,’ the Nordians couldn’t be Chris’s real strength.
No matter what happened, Chris would have to face it alone.
But—
“You say you’ll protect me? Sir, you’re saying strange things. It’s the other way around.”
Chris shook his head.
“You pledged loyalty to me. So the one who must be protected isn’t you—it’s me.”
“!!”
“The lowly submit to the high, and the high protect the low. That’s the loyalty between a demon lord and his subordinate.”
Chris continued.
“Not just you, but everyone in the Dark Maga—I will protect them. Because the Dark Maga will be mine.”
He wasn’t just saying that.
Becoming Grand Duke meant he was the heir to the family head.
More bluntly, it meant he was the next master of the Dark Maga.
Chris was a greedy man who would never tolerate anyone coveting what was his.
“Of course, I know I’m still lacking. But don’t worry. No matter what storms come, I will protect the Dark Maga.”
In truth,
Chris’s plans went far beyond that.
He intended to elevate the Dark Maga above all other magical noble houses.
‘My goal was never just to take over the Dark Maga.’
His aim was to reach the pinnacle of the magical empire.
He had only just taken his first step.
“Trust me and rest easy. By the time my seclusion ends, many things will have changed.”
His voice brimmed with confidence—bordering on arrogance.
Shupen sighed.
“Seeing you like this, moaning from a hangover, it’s hard to take you seriously.”
“……”
“Well, I’ll trust you. Because I said I would.”
Chris scratched his head.
“Will you enter seclusion training right away?”
“Yes. I’ve taken care of most things, so it’s time.”
“Before you go, could you do me one favor? Please let me keep my position as deputy commander.”
“!!”
For reference, the succession test rules were as follows:
So normally, one had to become deputy commander first, then receive loyalty.
But Chris had gained loyalty before officially becoming deputy commander.
Since rules were rules, Shupen promoted Chris to deputy commander, then had him swear loyalty.
So now, Chris was nominally the deputy commander of the Dark Maga army.
“Why? You’re going back to the main family anyway, right?”
“That’s true, but this title might come in handy.”
“Hmm?”
Shupen’s eyes flickered with suspicion.
He sensed Chris was scheming something using the deputy commander title.
“…What are you thinking?”
“It’s hard to explain in detail, but it’s for the Dark Maga’s sake.”
Soon,
A major incident would erupt between the Dark Maga and the Venomous Maga.
At that time, Chris planned to use the Dark Maga army’s power.
“…Understood. Do as you wish. Just remember one thing: be careful…”
“You don’t have to tell me that. I’m well aware. No need to worry.”
Chris grinned.
“When I finish my seclusion, you’ll be the one looking up to me.”
He meant it.
By the time Shupen’s seclusion ended, Chris’s status would be unrecognizable compared to now.
Shupen wouldn’t be able to treat Chris so casually anymore.
‘Starting with the Grand Duke’s investiture ceremony.’
Chris lowered his gaze.
It wasn’t just a celebration.
All the powerful figures of the magical empire would be watching and judging him.
‘This isn’t a good situation.’
Chris knew his reputation within the empire wasn’t great.
But,
‘It’s okay. It’s actually an opportunity.’
That day,
Everyone in the magical empire would learn who Chris really was.
He planned to announce his presence spectacularly through the Grand Duke’s investiture.
The entire empire would be shocked.
The investiture ceremony for a magical noble house’s Grand Duke was a grand event.
In the alliance, it was comparable to the coronation of a crown prince in a kingdom.
This wasn’t an exaggeration. Each magical noble house wielded power greater than several small kingdoms combined.
Though demons generally disliked pomp and ceremony, the investiture was different.
Invitations were sent across the empire, and the event was a lavish display of the family’s prestige.
Chris’s investiture was no exception; invitations from the Dark Maga spread throughout the empire.
Especially important guests were the other twelve great magical houses.
All the noble houses, even the hostile Four Kings’ Castle, received invitations from the Dark Maga.
But most of the invited houses responded with indifference.
They secretly looked down on the Dark Maga.
This was especially true of the ‘Triangular Alliance’ houses from the western magical countries, far from the Dark Maga.
“Chris… I’ve heard some grand rumors recently.”
“Well, he’s only 5th rank now. What’s there to pay attention to?”
“They say he reached 5th rank in just two years. If that’s true, it’s impressive.”
“Of course, if that rumor is true, it would be remarkable. But it’s nonsense. If the Dark Maga are going to brag, they should do it properly. Even our family’s Ghost Sword King couldn’t have advanced that fast in his prime.”
An elder from the ‘Ghost Sword Maga’ spoke, and others from the Triangular Alliance—the ‘Beast Maga’ and ‘Phantom Maga’—nodded in agreement.
For reference, the Triangular Alliance houses had better relations and cooperation than other magical noble houses.
“Then who should we send?”
The choice of envoy was a clear indicator of how a house evaluated its counterpart.
“By tradition, we’re supposed to send a direct heir.”
“Normally, it would be appropriate to send a duke of the same rank or a senior family member, but is that really necessary? The movements of those fanatical lunatics in the Holy Empire have been anything but ordinary lately.”
“And the Mirror Bing Palace and those Round Table fools have been buzzing like flies, too.”
The decision was made quickly.
“Let’s send suitable princes from the second tier.”
Meaning those princes who were relatively distant from the family’s line of succession.
For the Dark Maga family, this was a humiliating choice.
But there was no other option.
Their prestige had sunk so low that this was the only course of action.
If the Dark Maga family still held the power and influence they once did in their prime, they would never have made such a decision.
A declining family.
One destined to fall once the Nordian lifespan ended.
That was the common perception of the Dark Maga.
Other families had also begun sending representatives to the investiture ceremony.
The Destruction Maga.
“Don’t forget. We must inflict the worst possible humiliation on that Christian bastard.”
“Don’t worry.”
Philip glanced toward Kashmir, who was waiting for him in the distance, a smirk tugging at his lips.
Philip hated Kashmir.
He planned to use this opportunity to humiliate Christian alongside him.
“That bastard will be thrown into the gutter in front of everyone.”