Chapter 175

Idrine asked, seeking confirmation.

“So, you’re saying I just need to pick a fight with Prince Philip, no matter what?”

“Yeah, any excuse will do. Just wait for him to make a move, then find some reason to call him out…”

Sure enough, that moment came.

A loud noise rang out.

Smack!

The sharp slap of a hand hitting a cheek.

“!!”

Chris turned his head, frowning.

There stood Philip, the destructive mage’s prince—the very person Chris had been waiting for.

But the problem was the figure bowing his head before him: Kashmir.

Had Kashmir done something wrong? Philip raised his hand again and slapped him.

Smack!

Kashmir couldn’t say a word, taking blow after blow, until finally, he slammed a table over and was thrown back.

Whispers spread among the crowd.

“What’s going on? What happened?”

“Did the servant do something to offend the destructive mage’s prince?”

No one suspected Kashmir was a prince himself.

His shabby clothes hardly suggested noble blood, and Philip treated him like a mere servant.

‘Look at this bastard,’ Chris’s eyes darkened.

Kashmir was a prince from a collateral branch, oppressed and looked down upon.

His maternal lineage was low-born, so unlike Chris—who came from a collateral branch but was still recognized for his noble blood—Kashmir’s situation was completely different.

Still, a prince was a prince.

This treatment was excessive, especially in front of everyone.

Chris guessed Philip’s sinister motive.

‘A provocation aimed at me.’

Philip knew of Chris’s friendship with Kashmir and was trying to stir trouble.

‘How dare he.’

Chris’s gaze turned icy.

He had expected some kind of scheme, but this was far more despicable than he imagined.

Philip’s actions escalated.

He placed his foot on the fallen Kashmir and spoke coldly.

“Get up. You don’t expect mercy after such a careless mistake, do you? I’ll teach you a proper lesson right here.”

People glanced nervously at Chris.

Beyond everything else, causing such a scene in the banquet hall was a blatant insult to the host—the Dark Mage himself.

Especially to the guest of honor, Christian.

It was up to Christian to step in and stop this.

That was exactly what Philip was counting on.

If Chris intervened, Philip planned to pick a fight and crush him.

‘Might as well trample Kashmir too. It’ll be entertaining to see those two roll in the dirt together.’

Philip smirked wickedly.

Just as he was about to strike Kashmir again to provoke Chris, someone intervened.

But it wasn’t Chris.

“What do you think you’re doing?”

It was Idrine!

Whoosh!

A blood-red mist swirled, blocking Philip’s kick aimed at Kashmir.

Philip flinched as Idrine approached, her eyes cold and scolding.

“To stoop to such vile behavior… Can you still call yourself a prince of a prestigious mage family? Truly contemptible.”

Her voice was filled with genuine disgust.

This wasn’t an act.

Idrine despised the strong oppressing the weak.

“Bloodsword Mage family, is it? Who are you? I don’t recognize you.”

“I have no name to give the likes of you. Step aside immediately.”

Philip sneered, amused.

‘Who does this unknown vampire think she is?’

Since he didn’t recognize her, it was unlikely she was a significant figure in the Bloodsword Mage family.

Ignoring her, he tried to kick again—but stopped short.

“I said, stop.”

“!!”

Philip swallowed hard.

A chill ran down his spine.

‘What the—?’

Idrine hadn’t even shown any overt power.

But her steady, unwavering gaze froze him in place.

There was a reason.

Idrine’s strength was incomparable to Philip’s.

As the eldest daughter of the Bloodsword Mage family, she had reached the rank of 7-star.

If she unleashed the power granted by her pact with a demon, there would be few in the entire banquet hall capable of standing against her.

“Cease this disturbance and apologize to Prince Christian, the host of this banquet.”

Philip was too stunned to respond, frozen stiff.

At that moment, Christian stepped forward.

“Enough. Leave him be. If he had any manners, he wouldn’t have been so rude in the first place.”

“!!”

Philip’s face flushed red.

‘Arrogant brat. I won’t let this slide.’

But Philip had no idea what Christian was thinking—or what torment awaited him.

Christian approached Kashmir.

“Long time no see.”

“!!”

Kashmir’s chest tightened.

He had been looking forward to meeting Chris again.

But to be seen in such a pitiful state…

He was utterly ashamed.

“Are you alright?”

“…I’m fine.”

Kashmir bowed his head.

For him, such oppression was nothing new—it was a familiar, everyday occurrence.

But then—

“No, you’re not fine. You’re my friend.”

“!!”

“I’m not the type to stand by and watch a friend suffer like this.”

Kashmir’s eyes trembled.

A lump rose in his throat.

“…Prince.”

In truth, Chris understood Kashmir’s situation.

Philip wasn’t the only one oppressing him; the entire family did.

What could Kashmir do but shrink back on his own?

‘But it can’t stay like this.’

Kashmir had to change.

“I’ll ask again. Are you really okay? Or will you just stand there and do nothing?”

“……”

Kashmir clenched his fists tightly.

‘I’m not okay.’

He had only endured because he had no choice.

His strength was too weak.

But looking into Chris’s confident eyes, shame washed over him.

Chris was struggling too, yet he faced everything head-on and became the grand prince.

Why had he only made cowardly excuses and endured?

Chris whispered low.

“If you want to repay what he’s done to you, I’ll help you—as a friend.”

Kashmir gritted his teeth and stood.

He glared at Philip.

“Apologize for what you’ve done to me.”

“Hah? Are you crazy?”

“I’m not crazy. I’m a mage too. If you don’t apologize, I’ll make you pay.”

Philip’s face twisted in disbelief.

Then his anger flared.

“You worthless brat.”

He ground his teeth.

‘Good. This is the perfect chance to completely destroy Kashmir.’

If he ruined Kashmir, Chris would have to step in.

Then Philip could crush them both.

‘I was planning to get rid of Kashmir anyway.’

Philip hated Kashmir for a simple reason.

Kashmir was considered a genius rivaling him.

Though from a collateral branch and low-born, Kashmir’s talent was undeniable.

He began mastering magic at fifteen, after becoming a regular mage in the family.

In less than ten years, he was on the verge of reaching 5-star rank.

A speed rivaling Philip’s.

Considering Philip’s advantages as a direct descendant, Kashmir’s talent was arguably superior.

Some even said Kashmir might be the greatest genius of the next generation in the Destructive Mage family.

‘How dare a lowborn scum like him.’

Philip clenched his teeth as the informal duel began.

Dueling during banquets was common among mages, so a dueling arena had been set up in a corner.

But the crowd was indifferent.

“Just a spat between Destructive Mage family members?”

“The outcome’s obvious.”

Philip was 5-star.

Kashmir was 4-star.

Even among mages, especially dark wizards, duels rarely surpassed absolute rank limits.

But then, something unexpected happened.

“Wait a moment. This duel will be too one-sided. How about this?”

“…??”

“I’ll join the fight.”

Chris was stepping in!

Philip raised an eyebrow.

“You mean to gang up on me?”

“No, of course not. I just plan to assist Prince Kashmir slightly when he casts his spells.”

“Assist?”

“Yes. If you can withstand the strike Kashmir lands with my help, I’ll concede defeat and grant you any one thing you desire as your prize.”

Philip narrowed his eyes.

‘What’s his angle?’

In magic, one plus one doesn’t equal two.

Helping someone else’s spell usually just messes up the incantation.

Besides, the Dark Mage family wasn’t a dark wizard family.

They only dabbled in dark magic, so no matter what tricks Philip tried, he couldn’t threaten Kashmir—the genius even among dark wizard families.

“Seems you’re hesitant. If you’re not confident, you don’t have to do it.”

A jab at his pride.

“…Fine.”

Philip growled low.

“But if I win, both you and Prince Kashmir will kneel before me.”

The crowd murmured.

Demanding the future grand prince to kneel was outrageous.

But Chris smirked and replied.

“Agreed. But if you lose, you’ll kneel and apologize for your rudeness today.”

The duel had begun.

“Prince Kashmir, unleash your most powerful destructive spell. I’ll handle the rest.”

“…”

Kashmir’s face twisted in confusion.

He had no idea what Christian was planning.

I have to trust him. Prince Christian wouldn’t act without a plan.

The strongest destructive spell Kashmir could summon was the Rusted Horn.

A dark destructive magic imbued with ice, it corroded everything it touched like a swirling blade.

A formidable spell, but to Philip, a five-star mage, it was laughable.

I’ll cripple you.

Philip unleashed his own destructive dark magic.

A ‘True Strength Spell’ fueled by sheer will.

A chilling flame erupted—not just ordinary fire, but a blaze imbued with the essence of destruction.

It consumed everything it touched, burning and pulverizing into dust with terrifying ferocity.

This is over before it even starts.

No four-star spell can stand against a five-star True Strength Spell.

The onlookers shook their heads.

A fundamental law of magic:

Lower-tier spells cannot overcome higher-tier ones.

Especially when they share the same elemental attribute.

This was why duels between mages rarely broke through their limits.

But then, something unexpected happened.

Christian, who had been standing quietly behind, suddenly reached out his hand.

A thin strand of dark magic slid forward, weaving into Kashmir’s Rusted Horn.

What is he trying to do?

Is he attempting to infuse dark magic into a destructive spell?

The spectators’ eyes widened.

Trying to mix magic into an already manifested spell?

Magic was based on intricate, delicate incantations.

Behind every visible effect lay a complex web of arcane formulas.

There was no way to blend magic like that on the fly.

Christian made his next move.