Chapter 181
An emergency meeting was called immediately.

“We have the head of the family with us.”

As Nordian entered, Marquis Langham rose from his seat and bowed respectfully.

Langham had been sitting in the patriarch’s chair.

Nordian often attended meetings silently, observing from the back without voicing any opinions, so seeing him already seated was unusual. Then, something even more surprising happened.

“I will be presiding over today’s meeting.”

“!!”

Langham flinched.

“Why? Is there a problem?”

“…No, Head of the Family.”

Langham moved to the second seat on the right, but Nordian made an even more unexpected statement.

“That seat belongs to the Grand Duke, Marquis.”

“!!”

“The Grand Duke is the second-in-command of the Dark Maga who will succeed me. I expect you to show proper respect.”

Everyone held their breath.

Technically, Nordian was correct.

Langham was not the deputy head but the acting head of the family.

The acting position wasn’t official—he was just tacitly carrying out the patriarch’s duties.

So, in the family’s official hierarchy, Christian, the next heir, was rightly seated above Langham.

But to say it so bluntly, in front of everyone—

The retainers guessed Nordian’s intent.

First, to publicly reaffirm that Christian was the designated successor.

Second,

“To warn Marquis Langham.”

Nordian had no intention of passing the patriarchal title to Langham.

For Langham to become head, he would have to kill Christian.

So this was a preemptive warning: this child is my chosen heir, so don’t entertain any foolish ambitions.

What would Langham’s reaction be?

A tense silence filled the room.

Was he feeling humiliated?

Langham said nothing for a moment.

Then, in his usual calm tone, he said,

“Please, Grand Duke, take the seat on the right.”

“!!”

Everyone sensed it immediately.

Langham was angry.

He was just hiding it.

‘Whew, the atmosphere is brutal. Sitting there might bring terrible consequences.’

But Christian wasn’t the type to back down.

“No, Marquis, please take that seat. Your past efforts alone make you more than worthy of my respect.”

“…….”

The retainers inhaled sharply again.

On the surface, it sounded polite.

But on closer inspection, it was anything but.

The phrase “past efforts” subtly dismissed Langham as a has-been.

Especially coming from the Grand Duke, it was a provocation.

Langham didn’t respond.

A chilling tension lingered, but Christian remained composed.

‘No need to be afraid.’

As long as Nordian lived, Langham wouldn’t dare make a move against him.

‘Instead, I need to expose his weaknesses.’

Christian’s gaze darkened.

Langham’s rebellion was inevitable.

It would happen for sure.

‘I have to provoke him somehow, to create a crack in his perfect plan.’

Knowing Langham’s meticulous nature, Christian deliberately provoked him—to make him reveal his grudge.

But Langham was no pushover.

He didn’t respond and sat expressionlessly in the right seat.

Christian shrugged and took the left seat of the patriarch.

The meeting began.

“Report on the situation. Is the western territory under Count Faiben’s jurisdiction?”

“Yes, Head of the Family. I will report.”

Count Faiben was the lord of the western borderlands and a six-star master-class Magi.

“Suddenly, over 500 patients have appeared in the territory. Deaths are still low, but many are in critical condition, so fatalities are expected to rise rapidly.”

“Is it possible this is a natural epidemic?”

“Unlikely. The symptoms differ from any known disease.”

“Why suspect the Venomous Maga?”

“Because no one else but those sinister bastards would do something like this.”

It sounded simple, but there was reasoning behind it.

Only the Cursed Maga and the Venomous Maga could cause such a large-scale epidemic.

But traces of dark magic were found in the case of the Cursed Maga, so the only remaining suspect was the Venomous Maga.

“Moreover, alchemists analyzed the water of the Tenne River, which runs through the western territory, and detected unidentified foreign substances.”

The Tenne River was the main water source for the west.

It originated from Venomous Maga territory and had caused problems before.

“Are you sure those substances caused the epidemic?”

“…It’s presumed so.”

“Why only presumed?”

“…Because when the substance was administered to prisoners, no symptoms appeared.”

Nordian frowned.

It was ambiguous.

But the absence of symptoms after ingestion didn’t rule out the Venomous Maga.

Many poisons work through complex mechanisms.

‘Given all the circumstances, it’s reasonable to blame the Venomous Maga.’

The retainers’ voices grew louder.

“There’s no need to discuss further! It’s definitely the Venomous Maga’s doing. We must strike immediately!”

“We can investigate the truth after spilling their blood!”

Typical Magi reactions.

Nordian’s eyes darkened.

He didn’t want bloodshed—not out of a desire for peace, but because he worried about the future of the Dark Maga.

A war with the Venomous Maga, masters of poison, would cause massive casualties.

He wanted to avoid any fight that could be prevented.

“What does the Marquis think?”

“Of course, I believe we must strike the Venomous Maga.”

A firm answer.

“Isn’t that too hasty?”

“The longer we hesitate, the harder it will be to contain the situation. Patients are still increasing in the western territory.”

He wasn’t wrong.

Given the Dark Maga’s abilities, finding a cure for the poison was nearly impossible.

Delaying would only increase casualties, so striking the source quickly was the solution.

Still, Nordian couldn’t shake his doubts and turned to Christian.

“What is the Grand Duke’s opinion?”

“I agree. We must strike the Venomous Maga.”

“…I see.”

With Christian also advocating war, Nordian nodded gravely.

But then Christian added something unexpected.

“However, I believe we must clearly identify the true culprit before fighting.”

“What do you mean?”

“We need to find out which faction of the Venomous Maga is responsible to hold the right party accountable.”

The room fell silent.

They had overlooked one fact.

‘The Venomous Maga are currently split into two factions.’

The faction led by Duke Huam, the head of the family.

And the faction led by Marquis Goras, the deputy head.

Which side was behind this?

“I know about that.”

Langham spoke up.

“I’ve heard intelligence that the Venomous Maga are developing a poison with symptoms similar to this epidemic.”

“!!”

“The developer is Marisa, the young princess of the Venomous Maga, known as the ‘Smallpox Poison’ for her genius in poison crafting. She must be the culprit.”

An unexpected name.

Excited murmurs broke out.

“Marisa is Duke Huam’s own daughter, isn’t she? So Duke Huam is behind this?”

“Duke Huam pretends to be friendly to us, but he’s committing such a horrific act behind our backs!”

“We must strike Duke Huam’s faction immediately! Marquis Goras, the opposition, won’t stand in our way!”

As everyone shouted in anger, Christian alone remained calm.

‘It’s a lie.’

This wasn’t Marisa’s doing.

Christian knew exactly who the real culprit was and why this was happening.

But why did Langham lie?

‘He’s allied with the real culprit. That’s why he’s pushing for war.’

The true culprit was Marquis Goras.

The opposition to the head of the family.

His goal was to pin the blame on Duke Huam’s faction and bring them down.

‘Langham must have received something in return for cooperating with Goras’s scheme.’

Most likely, the “Twilight Amulet” he failed to obtain before.

In his previous life, it was the key tool that allowed Langham to surpass Nordian’s power.

‘Or maybe he’s getting byproducts from the Poison Well.’

Whatever Langham was promised, it had to be stopped.

“To be sure, I’ve secretly contacted Marquis Goras’s faction to verify if Duke Huam truly orchestrated this. With Goras’s abilities, the truth will come out quickly.”

Everyone nodded at Langham’s words.

Then Christian’s mocking voice cut through the room.

“Entrusting fish to a cat, is it? How can you trust Marquis Goras?”

Langham narrowed his eyes.

“Then do you have a better way? Unless you’re from the Uiseon clan, no one can analyze Venomous Maga poison.”

He wasn’t wrong.

But then—

“I can do it.”

“…What?”

“I’ve studied poisons before. I will uncover the truth precisely.”

For a moment, the room was filled with disbelief.

The retainers looked at Christian as if he’d lost his mind.

‘No matter how genius the Grand Duke is, this is a bit much.’

Everyone knew Christian was exceptional.

But why would the Dark Maga give up on uncovering the truth without even trying?

The Venomous Maga were the continent’s top poison artisans.

Their poisons were notoriously complex and difficult to analyze.

Unless it was the righteous and virtuous noble family known as the Yi Seon clan—renowned as the natural enemy of the extremely poisonous Maga—uncovering the truth behind this crisis was impossible.

“Don’t spout nonsense. Has becoming the Grand Duke blinded you with arrogance? Refrain from such reckless talk.”

“This isn’t nonsense. I swear on my position as Grand Duke—I can do it.”

Christiang’s bold vow, staking his very title as Grand Duke, stirred murmurs among the retainers.

Even Nordian, surprised, fell silent under Christiang’s subtle, piercing gaze.

Marquis Langham spoke coldly.

“You stake your position as Grand Duke? Don’t make promises you can’t keep.”

“I’m serious.”

“If you fail to uncover the truth behind this incident, you’ll relinquish your title?”

“Yes, absolutely. But I have a condition.”

Christiang lifted the corner of his mouth in a faint smile.

“Since I’m putting my title on the line, it’s only fair that Your Excellency offers a reward in kind. If I succeed, grant me a portion of the Acting Head of the Family’s authority.”

“!!”

“In other words… the power over personnel decisions would be ideal. And at the same time, I’ll take on the family’s ‘Grand Master’ position.”

The room buzzed with a different kind of tension.

The Head of the Family wielded various powers—financial, military, diplomatic, administrative.

Among them, the authority over personnel was the most crucial.

It was the true power to decide the fate of every Maga under the family’s banner.

‘Now that I’m Grand Duke, it’s time to start seizing real control of the family,’ Christiang thought.

He planned to carve away Marquis Langham’s powers one by one and make them his own.

The retainers, sensing Christiang’s intentions, wore anxious expressions.

However, everyone was taken aback by his demand for the ‘Grand Master’ position.

The Head of the Family traditionally held this role as the family’s supreme teacher.

But it had long since become a ceremonial title with little real meaning.

‘Why would he ask for that position?’

‘Surely he doesn’t actually intend to serve as a teacher.’

No matter how gifted, Christiang was still only a five-star rank.

It was absurd to think he could fulfill the role of Grand Master.

‘Maybe he’s just after the honorific.’

‘Or perhaps there’s some strange ulterior motive. He’s known for scheming all sorts of outlandish things.’

Everyone assumed Christiang had some hidden agenda behind this odd request.

But Christiang had no schemes.

He genuinely wanted to teach and guide the Maga of the Dark Maga family.

‘We need to raise the Dark Maga’s combat strength. With my teachings, it’s definitely possible.’