Chapter 196
“Good?” That answer was utterly incomprehensible.
But it was sincere.
Because the schemes of Marquis Goras only ended up helping Christian.
“…What on earth are you plotting?”
“Oh, it’s nothing grandiose. All we have to do is prove Marquis Goras’s guilt in front of everyone. Simple, right?”
The Duke of Huam let out a hollow laugh, clearly not understanding what was so simple about it.
“May I just say one thing in advance?”
“What is it?”
“I intend to bring Marquis Goras to his knees during this agreement. But in the process, I will do things that might make Your Grace uncomfortable, so I ask for your understanding beforehand.”
The Duke frowned slightly.
“What do you mean? Could you explain in detail?”
Christian silently nodded and spoke in a low voice.
As the Duke listened, his eyes widened as if they might tear apart.
Then, the agreement began.
The venue was a large hall specially prepared in the Gukdok Maga.
Upon entering, countless Ma-in already seated there fixed their gazes on Christian.
Most seemed to be part of Marquis Goras’s faction, and their hostile energy pressed down on Christian.
The faces of Count Kazar and Count Berkel of the Black Lion Knights, who had come as his guards, stiffened, but Christian just shrugged his shoulders.
‘Trying to intimidate me with numbers? Cute little trick. Well, that works in my favor.’
Christian lifted the corner of his mouth.
‘The more spectators there are for what I’m about to do, the better.’
Marquis Goras had no idea.
Christian had chosen Gukdok Maga as the venue precisely to make the Ma-in there witnesses to what was about to unfold.
‘Isn’t there anything more humiliating than being disgraced in your own home, in front of your subordinates?’
Christian moved forward with a relaxed gait and soon came face to face with a man whose cold, snake-like gaze sent a chill down his spine.
It was Marquis Goras.
‘Impressive presence.’
Christian smiled faintly at the prickling sensation.
This man was clearly a few levels above Duke Huam.
An aura of subtle pressure radiated from him, as if trying to intimidate Christian.
His body instinctively trembled, but Christian controlled his reaction and remained unmoved.
‘No matter how much you try to scare me, you know you can’t do a thing here.’
Not just enduring it, he smirked.
“Indeed, the influence of the Deputy Lord of Gukdok Maga is remarkable. So remarkable, in fact, that the Deputy Lord here seems utterly indifferent to the arrival of His Majesty, the Demon King.”
“!!”
Marquis Goras flinched.
Though the Demon King of Cheongryu had not yet appeared, drawing power in a place presided over by him could be seen as a blatant insult.
It was like taking a hit before the main event even began.
“……”
Marquis Goras said nothing and quickly averted his gaze.
Christian shrugged and fell silent as well.
Now, all their attention was on the figure about to appear.
Tick, tick—the seconds passed.
And at the exact moment the clock struck the hour, something strange happened.
The sound vanished.
Not just sound.
The faintest breeze, the rustling of leaves, even the movements of the people—all stopped.
‘What is this?’
A chill ran down the spines of those present, a moment too late.
Though the figure had yet to appear, an overwhelming presence filled the hall.
Then, something unbelievable occurred.
A brilliant light flared.
The scene inside the hall transformed.
The indoor negotiation room was replaced by a gray, desolate landscape.
“A h-illusion?”
“What is this?”
The Ma-in shouted in confusion.
Only a few who knew the truth remained calm and silent.
‘This is no mere illusion.’
Christian’s face hardened.
‘The power of a Nine-Star. Genesis Descent.’
It was the transcendent power of a Nine-Star creating a small world of their own.
A withered World Tree rose above a barren thicket, and atop it appeared a figure.
A beautiful fairy woman with a chilling appearance, her entire body pierced by thin chains.
Everyone in the hall knelt before her.
“Your Majesty, the Demon King!!”
The Demon King of Cheongryu had arrived.
The Demon King of Cheongryu silently looked down at those kneeling before her.
Christian bowed his head, clenching his fists.
‘So this is the Demon King of Cheongryu.’
It was their first meeting.
In his previous life, she had died before the era of destruction arrived.
‘Such a level of Genesis Descent.’
Christian was no stranger to the Nine-Stars.
The hero Evan and the archmage Lanya, who always traveled with him, were both Nine-Stars.
He also knew several of the Seven Lords of the Union.
So he could roughly compare the power levels among the Nine-Stars.
‘She’s close to the top among the Nine-Stars.’
Not all Nine-Stars were equal; there were vast differences in strength.
For example, the former Bloodshed Demon King had once defeated four of the Union’s Seven Lords alone.
‘Her power is far greater than I expected. Seventh in rank, and yet this strong.’
There was a reason he took this seriously.
Christian planned to resolve all the turmoil in the Southern Magic Empire and would eventually face the Demon King of Cheongryu herself.
His primary goal—the formation of the Dark Alliance—would be completed by cutting down the Demon King of Cheongryu.
‘Of course, I have a plan, but this is going to be much harder than I thought.’
At that moment, the Demon King’s voice echoed.
[Everyone, please raise your heads. The agreement will now begin. Representatives of both houses, please come forward.]
Christian and Marquis Goras stepped forward.
The Demon King leaned lazily against the World Tree, a long pipe in her mouth.
[State your claims. I will listen to both sides before making a decision.]
Christian was the first to speak, revealing the truth he had uncovered.
He accused Marquis Goras’s faction of poisoning the western territories of the Dark Maga and said he had secured evidence.
“All lies.”
Marquis Goras retorted coldly.
“This is a staged act by Grand Duke Christian of Dark Maga and Lady Marisa of the main house.”
[Do you have proof for that claim?]
“Of course. First, evidence that Lady Marisa orchestrated this.”
Marquis Goras presented various documents and witnesses.
He had planned from the start to pin the blame on Marisa, so the evidence was flawless.
[And what proof is there that Grand Duke Christian staged this?]
“Christian fabricated evidence to frame loyal retainers. We have witnesses for that as well. Bring them forward.”
Soon, a pale figure appeared.
But it was someone completely unexpected.
“Ugh!!”
It was Ruina, the poised beauty!
‘…Why is she acting like that?’
Christian looked bewildered.
He never imagined Ruina would be caught.
‘She should have been more careful.’
If Ruina heard that, she’d be furious.
But Christian truly hadn’t expected her to be captured.
‘I thought the trail would lead to some shady criminals who forged the evidence.’
So he had deliberately asked some crooks with a history of fraud to fabricate the evidence, even if they suffered in Gukdok Maga.
But somehow, Ruina had been caught instead.
‘Well, it’s not my fault.’
Seeing Ruina glare at him resentfully, Christian shrugged.
‘That’s on her for not being careful. I never intended to put her through this.’
Anyway, it didn’t seem too bad.
Thanks to her usual savvy, she didn’t look like she’d been mistreated.
‘She must have spilled everything as soon as she was caught.’
As expected of Ruina.
There was no loyalty to be found.
As soon as her gag was removed, she shouted:
“It was all ordered by that demon Christian!! I only did what I was told!”
“……”
“Damn Christian!! Long live Gukdok Maga!! Long live Marquis Goras!! Long live His Majesty, the Demon King of Cheongryu!!!”
Without anyone pressing her, Ruina continued confessing endlessly how she had forged the evidence under Christian’s orders.
“Loyalty! Loyalty! Loyalty!!”
Marquis Goras frowned at her wild display and had her gagged again.
“With such clear evidence, it’s obvious Lady Marisa and Grand Duke Christian conspired to slander me.”
Marquis Goras spoke coldly.
“Especially the attempted massacre of civilians is an unforgivable crime. I humbly request that Your Majesty, the just Demon King, sentence Lady Marisa and Grand Duke Christian to the severest punishment.”
All eyes turned to Christian.
If things continued like this, he would be forced to take the blame.
But Christian made an unexpected objection.
“I object. How can you trust this woman?”
Judging by the looks of it, Ruina hadn’t been exposed as Rudolf & Deer, the leaders of the two merchant guilds.
In the Magic Empire, she had used the artifact ‘Mask of a Thousand Faces’ to appear as a man.
Christian spoke with a crooked smile.
“Isn’t it possible she’s lying under the orders of Gukdok Maga? Just looking at her, doesn’t she look like a con artist?”
“Ugh, no! It’s all because of that terrible Christian! Long live the Venomous Maga! Long live Marquis Goras! Long live His Majesty, the Demon King of the Azure Stream!”
“Look at that frivolous attitude. His testimony cannot be trusted.”
Ruina looked like she was about to burst with frustration.
At that moment, Marquis Goras spoke up.
“After verification, the woman’s testimony is entirely true. Do you not realize that baseless denial only harms your own case?”
Even Count Kazar and the others from the Dark Maga faction looked baffled.
It was an undeniable fact that Christian had tampered with the evidence. Denying it like this was utterly pointless.
Yet Christian continued with his incomprehensible claims.
“We cannot trust this witness’s testimony. Therefore, I humbly request that His Majesty, the Great Demon King, permit the use of the Venomous Maga’s ‘Confession Elixir.’”
A sudden commotion erupted in the hall.
The Confession Elixir was a seven-star ‘heretical poison.’
As its name suggested, it forced the drinker to speak the truth—not through painful torture, but by a completely different mechanism.
Through ‘heresy,’ it could determine whether the person was telling the truth, and if they lied, it would dissolve them in their own blood.
The key point was that it verified the authenticity of statements.
Because it interfered with the laws to perfectly discern truth, anyone who consumed the elixir could not utter a single lie.
“The Confession Elixir is a treasure of the main house. It cannot be used lightly.”
Marquis Goras said, clearly displeased, and Christian sneered.
“It seems the Venomous Maga side is taking this lightly. After all, thousands of innocent people were nearly slaughtered.”
Marquis Goras was momentarily at a loss for words.
But then he nodded.
He didn’t know what Christian was planning, but from Goras’s perspective, the proposal wasn’t a bad one.
If Ruina took the Confession Elixir, it would only make it clearer that Christian had fabricated the evidence.