Chapter 183

“…I am the eldest son of the Venomous Maga family. Even after doing something like this….”

“What does it matter? Our two families are on the brink of war anyway. Maybe it’d be better to cut off your head and pin it up during our family’s darkest days to boost morale.”

Hubert’s body trembled as he caught the cold, dark gleam in Chris’s eyes.

Then Chris let out a short, amused laugh.

“Of course, I’m not actually planning to kill you, so don’t be too scared. If you get that frightened just because a sword is pointed at you, you really do look pathetic.”

“…W-what did you say?”

“I’m just going to lock you up, so behave yourself. You seem like a useful pawn we can put to good use.”

“Y-you…! Cowardly…!”

“Didn’t you know I’m a bad guy? Then why did you come looking for me without a plan?”

Chris sneered and turned to Melin beside him.

“Take care of him. Make sure he has no foolish ideas and can rest comfortably, but lock him up tight.”

Chris wasn’t done.

“Marie, since he’ll be restrained and won’t move easily, you take special care of him.”

They only had suspicions, so outright torture was out of the question.

But torture didn’t have to be physical.

‘The most effective torture is mental, and it doesn’t leave marks.’

Marie was an expert in that field.

“If you take good care of him, who knows? Maybe the Duke Hubert, moved by your service, will spill some important secrets.”

Chris was telling Marie to use psychological pressure to get Hubert to open up.

[Understood. Since this is the young master’s request, I, Marie, will do my utmost with all my heart and sincerity to serve this one.]

“L-let me go!”

Hubert shouted, but Marie smiled sweetly.

[Oh ho ho… How cute. Do you want to die? Or should I pull out that noisy tongue of yours first?]

“!!”

A chill ran down Hubert’s face as he felt the cold aura radiating from Marie.

[Then come here. By the young master’s order, I will serve you ‘with all my heart and sincerity,’ so you can spend plenty of tender time with the young lady.]

And so, Hubert was dragged away.

From now on, he would be subjected to Marie’s relentless mental assaults during his confinement.

‘He doesn’t seem mentally strong, so he’ll probably spill something.’

An unexpected windfall.

And there was an even more surprising gain.

“What’s this?”

“These are the items confiscated from him.”

There were rows of poisonous reagents and antidotes.

But Chris’s attention was drawn to another item—a communication device.

‘Is this a direct line to the family head?’

Chris fiddled with the device.

Though it was secured with high-level encryption, Chris was determined and managed to dismantle it.

He contacted the other side.

—Hubert? What’s going on? The situation is urgent. Why aren’t you returning to the family?

A familiar voice he had heard once before.

It was Duke Huam, head of the Venomous Maga family!

“I am not Duke Hubert. This is Christian. I send my greetings to Your Grace.”

—Christian, the eldest son? How did you get hold of this communication device?

The voice sounded flustered.

Chris concealed the fact that Hubert was imprisoned.

“Duke Hubert is resting separately in my room. I borrowed this device to speak with Your Grace about the unfortunate incident between the main family and the Venomous Maga.”

When Chris mentioned the incident, a heavy tone came through the device.

—Let me be clear: this incident is not our doing but the scheming of Marquis Goras. I absolutely do not want a clash with the Dark Maga.

“Yes, I agree. The only one benefiting from this situation is Marquis Goras.”

—I appreciate your understanding. But the situation is difficult. If this continues, a conflict with your family is inevitable.

It was indeed a tough situation.

Marquis Goras had pinned the blame on Marisa.

If left unchecked, over a thousand people would die, and the Dark Maga would hold Duke Huam’s side accountable, leading to a bloody feud.

Only Marquis Goras would come out smiling.

“Don’t worry. I will handle it. I have a plan.”

—You have a plan?

“Yes.”

Surprise was evident in the voice.

“But I have something to say first.”

—What is it?

Chris lowered his voice.

“Do you remember what I told Your Grace before?”

—What you said before…?

Duke Huam suddenly fell silent.

He was recalling Chris’s words.

“You asked for forgiveness if blood had to be spilled within the Venomous Maga.”

—…Yes, I remember.

“I ask again. Would you accept it if I shed blood within the Venomous Maga?”

It was better to clarify.

Chris wasn’t trying to resolve this peacefully.

There would be a great deal of bloodshed.

—…I will accept it.

A heavy answer came.

—Sometimes, cutting out a festering wound requires pain. As head of the Venomous Maga, I ask you to help excise the rot in the main family.

Chris nodded.

“I have one more thing to say.”

—What is it?

“If I manage to resolve this perfectly…”

Chris revealed his true goal.

“Please cooperate with me in obtaining the Venomous Maga’s essence, the ‘Poison Well.’”

The Poison Well.

The source of the Venomous Maga’s power.

More than just poison techniques, it was a force that would transform Chris into a higher being.

Silence stretched over the device.

They were stunned by Chris’s request.

—…You mean the refined byproduct of the Poison Well?

“No, I mean the ‘source’ itself.”

—…Do you know what the Poison Well really is?

“Of course, I do.”

In other words,

The Poison Well was similar to the Dark Maga’s ‘Sacred Black.’

It was the source of power that turned the Venomous Maga’s magi into true poison masters.

Only the most skilled magi in the Venomous Maga could obtain it.

“Unlike the Sacred Black of the Dark Maga, the Poison Well can be accessed by those qualified even if they’re not blood relatives, so we can find some justification.”

—Is that even reasonable…?!

Duke Huam’s voice rose in anger.

—Don’t you know that anyone who isn’t an expert in the Venomous Maga’s poison arts will turn to a handful of blood the moment they touch the Poison Well?!

That was why, unlike the Sacred Black, the Poison Well was open to non-blood relatives within the family.

Absorbing the Poison Well was extremely dangerous.

One had to be highly accomplished and have a perfect personal philosophy about poison to absorb it without dissolving.

Such qualified individuals were rare, so the family allowed non-blood relatives to try.

—Absolutely not. Even if the others in the Venomous Maga oppose it, your attempt to challenge the Poison Well is suicide.

But Chris said something absurd.

“Then I just need to qualify, right?”

—…What?

“I don’t think it will take long.”

The response was incredulous.

—Not long? Even after a lifetime of poison arts training, it’s not guaranteed.

A natural reaction.

Even magi who had trained for decades struggled to challenge the Poison Well.

“You don’t have to worry. I’ll be fully prepared before I try. When I qualify, please help me obtain the Poison Well.”

—Ha.

A bitter laugh came through the device.

They thought it impossible.

But Chris didn’t back down.

‘The Poison Well is essential for what’s ahead.’

His goal wasn’t just to be a slightly stronger demon lord.

He aimed to single-handedly dominate the magical empire.

Like the progenitor of the Dark Maga, the Demon King of Annihilation.

No, even surpassing that Demon King.

But no matter how gifted, simple training had limits.

He had to take everything he could get.

‘Especially the Poison Well—it’s not just about poison techniques.’

Just as the Sacred Black had completely changed his essence, the Poison Well would transform him into another being.

Most importantly, it was indispensable for achieving his primary goal—the Diagram Realm.

—…If you put it that way, I understand. I will cooperate with you in obtaining the Poison Well.

A bitter voice followed.

—But only after this incident is resolved. Otherwise, the Poison Well and everything else will be lost.

If they failed to foil Marquis Goras’s scheme, both Marisa and Duke Huam would be finished.

Marisa would be executed for responsibility, and Duke Huam would be disgraced.

“Don’t worry. The one who will kneel is Marquis Goras.”

Chris said firmly.

“As Duke of the Dark Maga, I say this: Marquis Goras dared to manipulate the main family, and he will pay the price.”

*    *    *

They began serious preparations to resolve the crisis.

They didn’t head straight to the western territory.

There was a stop to make.

Ruina’s gambling den.

“Go.”

“All in!”

“Huh? Are you kidding? No cheating, right?”

As always, Chris was excitedly cleaning out the gambling den to summon Ruina.

‘I’ve been under a lot of stress lately. How much longer do I have to suffer like this?’

Chris frowned inwardly.

Though he had no choice but to endure the hardship, feelings of injustice kept bubbling up.

‘All I ever wanted was a cushy life as a silver spoon loafer!’

Maybe because of that frustration, he went a little overboard and cleaned them out.

Ruina appeared pale after hearing the news that a demon had appeared at the business.

“Long time no see.”

“Well… yeah, that’s true. Haha…”

“How’s Evan doing?”

“…He’s fine. He often talks about you, sir. Lord Evan is really something. Someone like you, a de—no, I mean, what’s so great about a person like you… Ah, never mind, please pretend you didn’t hear that.”

Ruina, a beautiful woman with a neat appearance, forced a smile, her face twisted in frustration.

‘Ugh! When will I ever cut ties with that guy?’

Her reaction was as if she’d just come face-to-face with a deadly plague.

It wasn’t just because they’d robbed another gambling den.

There was a reason.

‘He’s making me do this ridiculous nonsense again!!’

Ruina recalled the task Chris had assigned her and mentally tore her hair out.

‘Evan really has no sense! What, you say this demon’s true nature is actually kind? Because of this demon, I’m so stressed my hair’s falling out! I’m on the verge of baldness!’

Meanwhile, Chris tilted his head in confusion.

“Not exactly a happy face. I offered you a chance to make some serious money.”

“Are you kidding me?! You never said anything about having to do this kind of thing!”

“Why not? It’s not like it’s as tough as that Gold Cross job.”

Ruina looked like she was about to choke.

“That’s true, but isn’t this way more dangerous? This is basically turning the Venomous Maga completely against us!”

At first, she hadn’t understood.

She thought they were just going to pull some trick to rob the Venomous Maga again.

‘This is way over the line! If I’d known it was something like this, I never would have agreed!’