Chapter 199
It was just as he was casting another covetous glance at Chris that Christian spoke unexpectedly.
“It seems we’re about done here. Now, let’s discuss what compensation the Gukdok Maga side will offer the Amheuk Maga.”
“…Compensation?”
“The judgment His Majesty the Demon King handed down only determined the punishment for Marquis Goras’s crimes. Gukdok Maga still owes Amheuk Maga some form of recompense. Surely they’re not planning to weasel out of it?”
Chris’s voice was laced with a teasing edge.
“Especially since the clan head seems to feel a heavy responsibility for this incident, I’m sure he’ll make the right compensation.”
In other words, since they’d received something from him, they’d better cough up an equal amount in return.
Duke Huam let out a dry chuckle.
‘No loose ends. Impressive. No wonder he’s someone you don’t want to let slip away…’
“Very well. This matter is clearly the fault of the main house, so we’ll make sure Amheuk Maga receives proper compensation.”
At that, Chris’s lips curled into a sly smile.
Malicious.
A chill ran through his grin.
Then, after hearing Chris’s next words, Duke Huam’s eyes widened.
They wiped away all his previous admiration.
A demand that was downright thieving.
After the agreement was finalized, Chris met privately with Duke Huam.
“…I truly appreciate what you’ve done. I owe you a great debt.”
“Not at all.”
“But isn’t this going too far? To squeeze compensation like this—”
Chris shrugged.
“When you can squeeze, you squeeze as much as possible.”
Duke Huam sighed and offered a teacup.
“Here, drink.”
“Thank you. This isn’t poison tea, is it?”
“Honestly, I’m tempted to add a few drops right now.”
Even Duke Huam, who was generally favorable toward Christian, was taken aback by how thoroughly Chris extracted compensation.
First, there was a massive sum of money.
“Wasn’t the money supposed to come from Marquis Goras?”
“That was the restitution. For Gukdok Maga, I demanded mental damages.”
On top of that, Chris had wrung out a pile of relics owned by Gukdok Maga, and Amheuk Maga would take ownership of three of the four occupied territories—excluding the Kalia region, which held the water source.
Handing over those three territories was a painful blow for Gukdok Maga.
“Well, don’t think of it too negatively. It’s not all bad for His Majesty either.”
“Not bad?”
“Yes. This way, Marquis Goras’s faults are highlighted even more.”
It was true.
Marquis Goras was the root cause of this whole mess.
And Gukdok Maga had accepted these harsh terms only because Christian demanded them in exchange for a light punishment for Goras.
Goras’s position would only grow weaker.
“The treaty that the poisonous herbs from the Sesia territory must be supplied exclusively to Gukdok Maga will be honored, right? If that treaty is broken, the territories won’t be transferred.”
“Of course. As long as the price is right.”
By the way, this deal was to be conducted through Rudolph’s caravan from Ruina.
This was both to reward Ruina for their efforts and to allow Chris to skim some off the top.
‘I did all the hard work, so if Amheuk Maga gets all the profits, that wouldn’t be fair. I’ll make sure half the profits slip into my back pocket through Ruina.’
Of course, once he fully took control of Amheuk Maga, its wealth would be his anyway—but the more he could stash away now, the better.
Still uneasy, Duke Huam listened as Chris continued.
“And anyway, Gukdok Maga and our Amheuk Maga will become one family, won’t we?”
“!!”
Duke Huam flinched.
This was about the Dark Alliance.
“I heard talk of rebuilding the Dark Alliance. Are you serious?”
“Absolutely.”
“Do you think Gukdok Maga will follow?”
Duke Huam held great goodwill toward Christian, especially after the immense favor he’d just received.
But even so, he couldn’t agree to Gukdok Maga bowing beneath Amheuk Maga.
“You will follow. Otherwise, Gukdok Maga won’t survive the storms ahead.”
“…What?”
“Of course, I don’t intend to force this. We have no intention of harming or antagonizing Gukdok Maga, so there’s no need to be wary. But in the near future, Gukdok Maga will choose to kneel beneath Amheuk Maga on its own.”
Duke Huam frowned.
The idea that Gukdok Maga would willingly submit was absurd.
But Chris just smiled.
‘Duke Huam has no idea what’s coming for Gukdok Maga.’
Though the “Poison-Amheuk Conflict” had passed without incident, the real disaster for Gukdok Maga was yet to come.
The “Jinnok Rebellion” was the true threat.
‘An event that will shake Gukdok Maga to its core.’
Chris planned to resolve the Jinnok Rebellion and secure Gukdok Maga’s loyalty.
“Let’s talk about the Dark Alliance later. For now, there’s something else to settle.”
“The Poison Well?”
The source of Gukdok Maga’s power.
“Yes. As promised, please arrange for me to have a chance to claim the Poison Well.”
“Are you really going to challenge the Poison Well? Do you understand how dangerous that is?”
“Yes. I’ll handle that part myself, so don’t worry.”
Duke Huam shook his head.
“Honestly, it won’t be easy for you to challenge the Poison Well. You’re an outsider, so there will be much opposition. There’s only one way.”
“What is it?”
“You must become a member of Gukdok Maga.”
“…What do you mean?”
“It’s simple. You need to reunite with Marisa.”
“!!”
“Even a son-in-law who isn’t a blood relative can qualify to challenge the Poison Well. Of course, you can’t become a son-in-law, but I’ll use my authority to grant you the qualification somehow.”
Duke Huam said this in a low tone.
“Weren’t you and Marisa already engaged? Even aside from the Poison Well, reuniting you two wouldn’t be bad for either Gukdok Maga or Amheuk Maga.”
But Chris shook his head firmly.
“I refuse.”
“…Why?”
“I have no intention of marrying yet.”
He had a long road ahead—what was the point of an engagement now?
‘Marriage can wait until after everything is settled and I have time.’
Besides, Chris was secretly a romantic at heart and didn’t want an arranged marriage.
‘Why am I going through all this trouble to save the world? I want everyone to live happily and well. No to arranged marriages!’
“There must be other ways besides an engagement. I’ll become a disciple of Gukdok Maga.”
“…A disciple?”
“Yes. Even if you’re not a blood relative, becoming a disciple grants the right to challenge the Poison Well.”
Duke Huam’s eyes widened.
Gukdok Maga allowed anyone with skill, even non-relatives, to challenge the Poison Well.
So Chris wanted to become a disciple to qualify.
“You, the crown prince of Amheuk Maga, want to become a disciple of Gukdok Maga? Do you think that makes sense?”
“Of course, I don’t intend to belong to Gukdok Maga. Just temporarily, for a few months.”
Chris shrugged and continued.
“There’s no precedent, but it’s not impossible. It’s all about how you justify it. We can say it’s for fostering goodwill between the two houses, a cultural exchange of sorts. I’ll leave the details to His Majesty.”
Duke Huam looked incredulous.
“But even if you become a disciple, how will you gain the right to challenge the Poison Well? You know disciples have to pass a test, right?”
If you were a blood relative, gaining the right was relatively easy—with the clan head and elders’ approval.
That was why the engagement with Marisa was suggested.
But for ordinary disciples, the conditions were much tougher.
They had to pass the “Path of Poison” exam.
And it wasn’t an easy test.
Even those who had studied poison arts for decades struggled to pass.
You needed to be at least a five-star, usually six-star poison master.
“You won’t pass the ‘Path of Poison’ exam even if you try the next one in two years.”
“I’m not planning to try in two years.”
“Then you mean the one four years from now? That’s impossible. Maybe in six years, if you’re a prodigy, you might have a chance.”
But Chris said something that made Duke Huam’s ears perk up.
“What are you talking about? Of course I’ll challenge it this time.”
“…What?”
“The ‘Path of Poison’ exam is scheduled soon, isn’t it? That’s when I’ll qualify.”
“!!”
Duke Huam looked stunned.
“No, that’s nonsense. Or are you secretly mastering poison arts deeply without anyone knowing?”
“I only know the basics.”
“Then?”
“I’m a genius.”
“…”
Duke Huam was left speechless.
Chris smiled slyly and said only this:
“Don’t worry. Passing that exam is well within my reach. Your Grace, please do what you can to make me a temporary disciple of Gukdok Maga.”
Though Duke Huam thought it was impossible, he nodded at Chris’s insistence.
He seemed to think, “Since it won’t happen anyway, let him have his way.”
“You’ll become a temporary disciple and come to the main house in a month. I’ll need time to persuade those who oppose it.”
Chris nodded.
He figured he could use the month to handle matters within Amheuk Maga.
“You’re only a temporary disciple, so we should set a fixed period for your training. How long do you think you’ll need?”
“Two months.”
“…Two months?”
“Yes. Two months is more than enough.”
Duke Huam looked utterly baffled.
Two months wasn’t even enough time to get a basic introduction to poisons.
Yet Chris spoke with complete confidence, as if he were spouting nonsense without a care.
“For a genius like me, that’s an incredibly long time. More than enough to master the poison vial.”
“…I see.”
Duke Huam didn’t know how to respond to such blatant arrogance, so he just nodded dumbfoundedly.
“But are you sure that’s wise?”
The duke’s voice was laced with concern.
“Even if it’s temporary, if you become a disciple and come to the main house, you might run into serious trouble.”
Chris understood the duke’s worry.
He was the eldest son of the Dark Poison family, a rival clan.
And he had even managed to humiliate Marquis Goras, the head of the largest faction within the Dark Poison family. That would surely earn him many enemies.
“I’m fine.”
Chris bared his teeth in a fierce grin.
“If anyone ignorant enough to pick a fight with me shows up, I’ll just crush them all.”
“!!”
He meant every word.
‘The truth is, I’m not becoming a disciple of the Dark Poison family just for the poison vial.’
If it were only about the vial, there was no need to go through the trouble of becoming a disciple.
His real goal was what they called ‘breaking the seals’—to prove his greatness to the Dark Poison family.
He intended to make the Dark Poison family bow before him.