Chapter 203
“I guarantee that everyone who trains under me will advance several levels by the time the Dark Grand Tournament begins.”
A heavy silence fell over the hall.
It wasn’t the reaction Chris had hoped for.
Everyone looked as if they’d just heard nonsense.
‘No matter how great a Grand Duke he is, this is a bit much.’
‘Even if he’s a genius himself, teaching others well is a whole different matter.’
Even his own father, Count Kazar, shared that sentiment.
But this wasn’t about whether Chris had a talent for teaching or not.
If a few words of instruction could push someone beyond their limits, then who would still be struggling against their walls?
Even those who had been favorable toward Chris couldn’t accept what he was saying.
‘Just as expected.’
Chris grinned.
He had something prepared.
As he clapped his hands, a figure stepped forward onto the stage.
A girl with doll-like features—Jupien.
“Why is Lady Jupien here?”
“Because I’ve been taught by Grand Duke Christian.”
“!!”
Jupien spoke bluntly.
“Look at my sword.”
With fluid, almost artistic movements, she brought her sword to her chest.
Closing her eyes as if to focus, an astonishing sight unfolded.
Flash!
Jupien’s sword split into multiple blades.
Four swords hovered in midair.
“Is that Lady Jupien’s signature ‘Splitting Sword’ technique?”
“No, it’s different!”
First, the number.
Normally, Jupien’s illusionary swords number sixteen.
But now, only four swords floated in the air.
This wasn’t regression.
Each sword radiated a sharp, undeniable aura.
‘Could it be?’
The crowd’s eyes widened as they suddenly realized what that aura was.
‘Impossible!’
‘Lady Jupien hasn’t reached that level yet?!’
At that moment, Chris acted unexpectedly.
“Here.”
Snap!
He snapped his fingers, releasing four streams of dark magic.
Simultaneously, Jupien’s four swords moved.
They struck toward the dark magic.
This was an impossible reaction.
Jupien’s ‘Splitting Sword’ was an illusion.
Its purpose was to confuse by blurring the line between real and fake.
Illusions have no substance, so they vanish when struck by forceful magic.
Yet, the impossible happened.
Shing!
Jupien’s four swords sliced through all four streams of dark magic Chris had fired!
“!!”
The dark mages in the hall stared wide-eyed.
“Cutting through magic with an illusion?”
“That’s the fifth-star illusion technique—True Illusion, Reality Interference?!”
“No way! How?”
What Jupien had just demonstrated wasn’t overwhelmingly powerful.
She had only used four swords to cut through Chris’s relatively weak magic.
But everyone was stunned.
It meant Jupien had caught a glimpse of the fifth-star level.
Of course, she wasn’t a fifth-star mage yet.
She hadn’t even stepped fully into that realm.
She had only faintly grasped the first hints of fifth-star power.
But that was monumental.
Whether one could grasp that first thread determined if they could break through their limits or remain stuck.
‘No way. She only recently reached fourth-star.’
For reference, even Eshed—the next-generation prodigy of dark magic—hadn’t caught the fifth-star thread before gaining power through human sacrifice.
‘Lady Jupien’s talent was that strong?’
‘No, she never had that kind of talent.’
Jupien wasn’t a dullard. She was certainly among the gifted.
But compared to her stubborn, ox-like diligence and exceptional effort, her natural talent was somewhat lacking.
People suddenly recalled what Jupien had said.
They wore expressions of disbelief.
‘No matter how much she trained under him, catching the fifth-star thread so quickly? Impossible!’
Several retainers asked Jupien.
“Did you really receive instruction from Grand Duke Christian?”
Jupien nodded and answered briefly.
“Yes. It’s all thanks to Grand Duke Christian.”
“But… how?”
“Well… if you train under him, you’ll understand.”
She fell silent.
Jupien wasn’t good with words.
She glanced sideways at Christian with a crooked look.
“That guy… no, the Grand Duke is the most annoying person ever, but he’s also a madman. If it were me, I’d never miss the chance to learn from him.”
Leaving a huge impression on the hall, Jupien quickly disappeared.
A brief silence followed, then Christian grinned and looked down at everyone.
“Well, I believe that’s enough explanation. Everyone here, come to me for training starting tomorrow.”
“!!”
“By the way, this is an order from your Grand Teacher.”
And so, Chris’s teaching began.
The first step toward the rebirth of the dark mages.
Chris’s declaration quickly shook the dark mages.
Most responded with disbelief.
Understandably so.
Chris’s level was only fifth-star.
Though an unusual fifth-star, it was still fifth-star.
Meanwhile, those he was to teach had all stepped into sixth-star territory.
How could someone lower teach those above?
“No matter how great Grand Duke Christian is, this is a bit much.”
“I don’t think this will work.”
Even the common mages who supported Chris said this.
So how did the retainers targeted for training react?
“We absolutely won’t follow.”
“Even if he’s a Grand Duke, there are limits. Some things just shouldn’t be done.”
Of course, they acknowledged Jupien’s remarkable achievement, but their hearts wouldn’t open so easily.
Those who had reached sixth-star had immense pride in their own abilities.
Some were so offended they went to Nordian to complain.
Nordian’s response split them into two groups.
First, those who decided to ignore Christian.
“The Lord said it’s our choice, so I won’t follow.”
“Exactly. No reason to waste time on this clown show.”
Mostly the faction of Marquis Langham.
They were a sizable group.
For reference, there were just over twenty sixth-star master-class mages in the dark mages.
Considering how rare seventh-star mages were, that was a decent number.
Nearly half—almost ten—openly supported Marquis Langham and chose to dismiss Christian’s teachings.
The rest looked to each other.
“What will you do?”
All eyes turned to two men.
First, Count Kazar.
Second, Count Berkel of the Black Lion Knights.
Both were considered the strongest among the sixth-star dark mages.
“I will, of course, follow.”
Count Kazar spoke first.
“Not simply because he’s my son, but because I trust him. The Grand Duke has never spoken nonsense, so I’m sure he’ll pull off another crazy miracle this time.”
Merian, standing beside him, nodded.
“I agree. He’s always calling me ‘auntie’ but never baked the promised cookies—such a pain—but he’s never failed to keep his word.”
Count Kazar shot a glare at the departing Langham faction.
He seemed to hold a grudge for their insults against his son.
“I guarantee those who ignored the Grand Duke will regret their words. They’re so arrogant they don’t even realize who the real fools are.”
Others raised their hands as well.
Leon and Sanin, commanders of the Dark Mage Army’s Five Generals who had recently worked with Chris.
For context, only some of the Five Generals were present at the main base due to guarding the Demon King Star.
“We will also receive instruction.”
“General Leon?”
“Heh heh, we Five Generals know better than anyone how mad the Grand Duke is. We’re looking forward to this.”
Sanin nodded in agreement.
“Annoying, but definitely mad.”
“The other generals will take turns training as well.”
Thus, those who had previously witnessed Chris’s greatness decided to learn from him.
The rest looked to Count Berkel, leader of the Black Lion Knights.
For reference, Berkel had recently accompanied Chris as a bodyguard on a trip to the Extreme Poison Mage.
“What will you do, Commander?”
“Since the Lord has recognized Grand Duke Christian as Grand Teacher, I will receive instruction for now.”
A blunt answer, typical of someone devoted solely to the Lord.
But that wasn’t all.
“This will be a chance to see exactly what kind of man the Grand Duke is.”
“!!”
“As the next master of our dark mages.”
Everyone held their breath.
It was a meaningful statement—he intended to test Chris’s qualifications.
In truth, Berkel did not support Chris.
Though he kept it hidden since Nordian had chosen him, he had harbored doubts from the start.
Is Christian truly worthy to become the next head of the Dark Maga?
Of course, everyone acknowledged his greatness.
Still, many felt he wasn’t quite ready yet.
It was a sentiment similar to what Marquis Shupen had expressed in the past.
“But the family head chose Grand Duke Christian, not Marquis Langham.”
That was because the Nordians saw something immense within Christian.
Something capable of performing miracles that surpass mere shortcomings.
That’s why Count Berkel wanted to see for himself.
Even if Christian was still lacking in some ways.
Despite that, did he truly have what it took to be the next master of the Dark Maga?
Did he harbor a miracle that defied all logic?
“I guess we’ll find out this time.”
To grow the family members in just six months and then defeat other houses in the Dark Festival?
That wasn’t just difficult or challenging.
It was something that should have been impossible.
But if Christian could turn the impossible into reality, just as he claimed—
Count Berkel would acknowledge the miracle within him and pledge his loyalty.
Meanwhile, in a quiet room inside the Dark Maga main estate—
A woman sat calmly, sipping tea.
It was Yulian.
“The estate’s so noisy.”
“Yeah, Christian’s gone and done something crazy again.”
Opposite her was Jupien.
The two noblewomen were having a sort of tea time.
…Well, not exactly tea time.
Yulian was the only one drinking tea, while Jupien was doing push-ups right in front of her, training her strength.
At the sight of Jupien’s intense, almost foolish dedication, Yulian frowned gently.
“Don’t you think you should rest a little?”
“This is resting.”
“……”
“By the way, why did you call me? I’m still busy—I haven’t finished today’s strength training yet.”