Episode 20
[…Thank you. Truly….]
The banshee smiled. Though a ghost, there was a faint glimmer of tears in her eyes.
Not real tears, but more like a hazy afterimage.
[Even before I died, and even after death… this is the first time I’ve received such a gift.]
It was a cheap present given on a whim, but seeing her so grateful made Chris feel a little embarrassed.
“But what’s your name? You must have had one before.”
Calling her just “Banshee” felt strange.
Since it looked like they’d be living together for a while, he needed something better.
[…….]
The banshee fell silent.
Seeing her hesitation, Chris realized something.
‘She’s a ghost, so she probably doesn’t want to remember her past.’
Ghosts are souls who can’t move on to the afterlife because of lingering regrets.
The stronger the regret, the more powerful the ghost.
And this maid before him was a high-ranking banshee—a ghost with a deep, heavy grudge.
[It’s just that….]
“No, never mind. What does your old name matter?”
Chris quickly changed the subject.
“You’re my subordinate now. I’ll give you a new name.”
[A name…?]
“Yeah. How about Mari?”
It was a meaningless name.
He just remembered that many maids he’d met in various mansions were named Mari.
‘Like how the dog is Happy, the butler is Sebastian, the servant is Hanson, the maid’s name is Mari.’
Though it was a careless choice, the banshee’s face lit up with gratitude again.
[Mari… Mari… such a beautiful name. Thank you, my lord.]
Without realizing it, Chris’s title had changed.
From “young master” to “lord.”
She truly accepted him as her master.
[With this grateful heart… I will make and offer even more delicious virgin blood juice from now on.]
“…I’m not drinking virgin blood juice.”
[But all the strawberry juice you’ve drunk so far had virgin blood as a topping, didn’t it?]
“…Please don’t make such horrible jokes.”
Mari, the banshee, laughed brightly.
Chris climbed into the carriage with a disgruntled expression.
His errands were done; it was time to return to the mansion.
‘But… I feel like I forgot something. What was it?’
He tilted his head in confusion.
“Brother!!!!!”
‘Ah.’ Chris suddenly remembered what he’d forgotten.
Tern.
The next day, Tern came over, his face flushed red, and scolded him.
“Why did you leave me behind?!”
From what Chris gathered, Tern had been through hell.
Unable to reveal his identity to protect the family’s honor, broke and on the verge of being sold into slavery, he was saved only by a chance encounter with someone who recognized him.
Chris apologized sheepishly.
“Sorry, I forgot.”
“What did you say?”
“By the way, your title is a bit off. Didn’t we make a bet yesterday? From now on, you’re supposed to call me ‘Your Excellency, the Respected King Emperor Majesty, Brother.’”
“……!”
Chris spoke in a friendly older brother tone.
“Come on, dear little brother. Say it.”
“…….”
Tern’s tightly clenched fist trembled.
“R-respected brother.”
“Exactly.”
“…Your Excellency, the Respected King Emperor Majesty, Brother.”
“That’s right! Good! From now on, show this brother the respect he deserves.”
“!!”
Tern shouted, his face bright red.
“I’ll show you what I’m really made of someday! Just you wait!!”
Watching Tern dash away like that, Chris chuckled.
‘Why is he so adorable?’
It was hard to believe that this cute guy would be the one who, in the original timeline, ended up killing him.
‘It must have been because of that Ashd guy.’
Chris’s expression darkened.
Ashd.
The legitimate heir of the family. And his enemy.
In truth, Chris didn’t harbor much hatred toward Ashd. After all, he wasn’t “Christian.”
But still.
‘I have to crush him.’
He was an obstacle that had to be trampled to achieve his goals.
‘That’s why the upcoming duel with Merlin is so important.’
No matter how talented Merlin was, he couldn’t seize the Dark Mage’s power alone.
He needed allies.
Chris planned to make Merlin his supporter through this duel.
‘To do that, I have to be able to use this Grunade.’
Chris looked at the old, antique-looking sword.
‘A holy sword once wielded by a fallen hero.’
Grunade was a very special holy sword.
Even after its owner, the hero, had fallen and sold his soul to a demon, it remained a holy sword.
In other words, this sword had a unique history of being wielded by a demon.
‘That’s why many demons coveted Grunade. Holy swords are like kryptonite to demons.’
Who were demons’ greatest enemies?
Of course, the forces of light—the Crusader Alliance.
But fights with the Alliance were rare.
Most battles demons fought were against each other.
‘Though called the Magic Empire, it’s actually divided into several factions.’
At the top was the Demon King, the strongest of all.
His direct territory was at the heart of the Magic Empire.
To the east, west, south, and north were four Magic Kingdoms.
Each ruled by a different demon lord, and Chris’s Dark Mage belonged to the Southern Magic Kingdom.
‘The Demon King is like the emperor, and the demon lords below him are like kings serving under the emperor.’
For reference, the “Bloodthirsty Demon King” who would later spark a great war ruled the Eastern Magic Kingdom.
‘Not yet, though. He’s probably the Grand Princess of the Blood Sword Mage by now.’
The Blood Sword Mage.
One of the twelve noble magic families under the Eastern Magic Kingdom.
The twelve noble families were scattered across the four Magic Kingdoms.
As you can see, demons fought endlessly among themselves.
That’s why holy swords were highly coveted weapons even among demons.
They could inflict the most lethal wounds on enemies.
‘And there’s the romance of it. The thrill of subduing a cursed holy sword.’
Holy swords symbolized heroes.
How satisfying would it be to conquer such a sword?
So many demons challenged Grunade, trying to tame it.
‘But all failed.’
Because of its rejection.
The moment a demon touched the holy sword, Grunade sensed the demonic energy and violently rejected it.
Only the fallen hero—the original owner—could wield Grunade.
So the sword became a useless relic, eventually ending up in the hands of the caravan leader, Grantel.
“Let’s see how I fare.”
Chris gripped Grunade.
So far, so good.
A powerful binding seal suppressed the sword’s power.
But with the seal on, the sword couldn’t unleash any strength.
He removed the seal.
Suddenly,
“!!”
Crackling!
It felt like grabbing a red-hot branding iron with bare hands, and he quickly let go.
The sword rejected Chris’s demonic energy.
Luckily, he avoided burns, but if he’d been a moment slower, his hand might have melted.
‘As expected, no luck.’
But Chris wasn’t discouraged.
He had anticipated this.
Still, he’d brought the sword because he believed he could handle it.
“A holy sword is just a weapon after all. An artifact inscribed with magic that allows the use of ‘Radiant Mana.’”
The meaning was clear.
If he could analyze the artifact’s mechanism that caused the rejection of demonic energy, he might find the sword’s weak point.
Of course, this was theoretical—no one had dared try.
There were many reasons.
Even if a weak point was found, it wouldn’t be an easy one to exploit.
If it existed, it would be a tiny crack, a fleeting moment to seize.
Also, it was dangerous.
One small mistake and the sword would burn the wielder alive.
But Chris thought,
‘There has to be a flaw. Otherwise, even the fallen hero couldn’t have used it. I have to find it.’
And he had a feeling.
‘I think I can do it.’
His instincts were usually spot-on.
Chris pulled something from the bag he’d brought from the castle.
An artifact hammer infused with demonic energy.
He raised the hammer and struck the holy sword.
Clang!
A loud noise rang out as the sword crackled with holy energy.
Chris memorized the pattern of the mana circuits that reacted to demonic energy, then repeated the action.
Clang! Clang!!
The hammer relentlessly pounded the sword.
Each time, the sword crackled as if protesting, as if saying, “Stop it.”
‘You don’t like this, huh?’
Eventually, the hammer couldn’t withstand the holy energy and shattered.
The sword crackled as if mocking the broken hammer.
But Chris smirked.
He shook the bag, and a pile of magical tools fell out.
Saws, knives, axes, hammers, forges—countless tools.
All designed to strike and test the holy sword.
It felt like the sword had fallen silent.
“Alright then, let’s get serious.”
Chris said teasingly.
“If you don’t like it, then surrender to me already.”
How many days had passed?
Chris had been holed up in his room all day, tormenting the holy sword.
If the sword had a consciousness, it would have begged to obey whatever he asked by now.
‘Hmm, this isn’t easy.’
Chris crossed his arms as he looked at the countless shattered magical artifacts scattered beside the holy sword.
So, a holy sword really is something else.
Even Chris hadn’t found it easy to decipher the artifact patterns embedded in the sword.
But still—
“I think I’ve got it.”
A sly smile crept across Chris’s face.
He had uncovered the sword’s weak point?!
It was incredible.
It was only possible because the holy sword was broken. Several protective enchantments had been damaged.
If not for that, even Chris wouldn’t have managed it in such a short time.
The real challenge now is using that weak point to actually wield the sword.
Here’s a question:
Did the other mages who had tried to control Grunade fail because they couldn’t find this weak point Chris discovered?
No, that wasn’t it.
They simply couldn’t exploit the weak point.
There’s no way a holy sword forged by the Constellation would be designed so carelessly.
Chris had hit the same wall.
But—
“I think I can do it.”
It was unbelievable.
Countless powerful mages had challenged Grunade.
And all of them had failed.
Could it really be possible?
Even the highest-ranking mages can’t control Grunade, but I can.
To be precise—
Only Chris could.
This holy sword was made for me.
That thought struck him just then.
The door opened.
“Are you ready?”
A woman smiled brightly.
“The appointed time has come, young master.”
Melin’s blue eyes sparkled with anticipation.