Chapter 205
After struggling through the illusions to their fullest, Merian would surely be able to break through her current barrier.
“Even if she’s not quite at Father’s level, Aunt Merian has built up enough capacity. By the time of the Dark Ceremony, she should be able to step into the realm of the seventh star.”
Besides them, Captain Leon and Sanin also received the Illusion Stones.
However, compared to the first two, their time spent at the sixth star was shorter, so their foundations weren’t fully formed yet. Reaching the seventh star was still out of reach.
Still, they could advance several steps beyond where they were now.
“That’s as far as the Illusion Stone teachings go.”
Chris didn’t intend to use the Illusion Stones to teach everyone.
Inducing enlightenment through illusions isn’t easy.
In fact, it’s almost impossible.
You need an intuition sharp enough to pinpoint exactly where someone is lacking.
You have to understand precisely how to guide that deficiency according to each individual’s circumstances.
And you must subtly adjust the illusion to provoke the right response.
Only Chris could pull off such a crazy feat.
But even for him, this was only possible because he knew his subjects inside and out. It wasn’t something he could do for just anyone.
“The rest will have to be taught through direct experience. Less efficient, but it’ll have to do.”
Soon, the next student appeared.
A man exuding a stern, cold strength.
Count Berkel, commander of the Black Lion Knights.
“Count Berkel. I have something important to discuss.”
Chris lowered his gaze.
Berkel was practically the figurehead of the neutral faction.
If Chris could win Berkel’s loyalty, he could sway the minds of the other neutral-minded Ma-in as well.
“The problem is, I don’t think he likes me very much.”
That was the impression Chris got.
“Still, his loyalty to the Dark Maga is genuine.”
Berkel’s dislike stemmed from his unwavering devotion to the Dark Maga.
He probably judged Chris as unfit to be its master.
Before beginning the lesson, Chris brought this up.
“It seems you’re reluctant to receive my teachings.”
As usual, Berkel replied bluntly.
“I only follow the will of the House Lord.”
“I’m not asking about your loyalty to the House Lord, Count Berkel.”
“!!”
“As I said before, what I want from you is not loyalty to the House Lord, but loyalty to me.”
“……”
“Now, I’ll ask you directly. What do you think of me? Be honest.”
Berkel was silent for a moment, then revealed his true thoughts.
“Of course, I recognize that the heir is a genius with rare talent. Given enough time, I believe you will become the greatest House Lord in history. But for now, I think you still lack what it takes to be the master of our Dark Maga.”
Chris shrugged.
“Such an old-fashioned view.”
“!!”
“Did you know? Many others have thought the same before you.”
That was true.
Marquis Shupen, the five captains, even the former Nordian and Count Kazar—all shared that doubt.
But they all changed their minds.
Why?
Because they witnessed Chris’s greatness, something beyond explanation.
“Well, you’ll see for yourself soon enough.”
Chris lifted the corner of his mouth.
“Through this lesson, you will come to recognize me as the next master of the Dark Maga.”
A confident declaration.
At last, the teaching began.
Berkel inwardly scoffed.
“I wonder what kind of lesson inspires such confidence.”
A cynical thought: Let’s see how impressive it really is.
“I hope the lesson lives up to even a fraction of that confidence. Though I doubt it.”
Berkel didn’t believe Chris’s teaching could help him in the slightest.
“First, show me your Will Manifestation.”
“Will Manifestation?”
“Yes. I’ve seen you train at the main estate’s practice grounds before, but to accurately assess your condition, I need to see your Will Manifestation.”
Berkel frowned.
It wasn’t a pleasant request.
But it wasn’t unreasonable either—not asking him to reveal secret techniques or insights, just to show his Will Manifestation.
Besides, Chris was the heir of the loyal family.
Berkel soon unfolded his Will Manifestation.
“Destructive dark magic-based Will Manifestations.”
They were powerful techniques combining Black Steel Qi and destructive dark magic.
Each swing of his sword shook the practice grounds as if an earthquake had struck.
“That’s enough. I have a rough idea.”
“…You say you understand?”
Berkel looked baffled.
What could one glance possibly reveal?
But Chris wasn’t lying.
“Ah, I’m a genius with sharp eyesight, after all.”
Berkel gave him a look that clearly said, What nonsense is that?
Ignoring it, Chris replayed the scene he’d just witnessed in his mind.
“Extreme destructive power. As expected, Berkel has reached the peak of the sixth star.”
What stood out even more was the establishment of his microcosm.
Unlike Count Kazar, who hadn’t yet formed his own world, Berkel had built his microcosm to some degree.
That’s why his Will Manifestation was more powerful than others of similar rank.
He was clearly ahead of Kazar.
“No, maybe not ahead. It might even be a poison.”
Chris pinpointed Berkel’s problem.
“A flawed microcosm is worse than none at all.”
Chris spoke up.
“Here’s the first piece of guidance: practice a first-star destructive dark magic spell a thousand times every day.”
“…What did you say?”
“A thousand repetitions of a first-star basic destructive dark magic spell. The type doesn’t matter, but you must reach a thousand.”
“What?”
Berkel looked incredulous.
For context, his destructive dark magic was at the sixth star level.
Not only his dark magic, but his destructive dark magic was also at an extraordinary level.
So being told to practice a first-star spell sounded absurd.
“Are you mocking me?”
Berkel asked stiffly.
“Do I look like I’m mocking you? You clearly don’t understand your own problem.”
“!!”
“Do you know why you haven’t reached the seventh star despite having established your microcosm? It seems you haven’t even found a clue.”
Berkel faltered.
Each star level requires a different kind of enlightenment.
At the fifth star, you must materialize your will into reality.
At the sixth, you must conceptualize your will and challenge reality’s limits.
At the seventh, you must establish your own world, your microcosm, through your will.
Yet Berkel, despite having formed his microcosm, couldn’t interfere with the laws.
It was baffling.
He’d been stuck at this wall for a long time, unable to grasp why.
But Chris offered a simple answer.
“Your microcosm is incomplete, so it’s no wonder you can’t influence the laws.”
“!!”
Berkel looked as if he couldn’t accept it.
“Are you saying there’s a flaw in my microcosm? Mine is built by combining darkness and destruction…”
“I’m not saying your microcosm is wrong. In fact, it’s very solid. It embodies the will to annihilate any enemy.”
“Then what do you mean?”
“The problem lies in your dark magic.”
Chris twisted his lips.
“You, as the master of darkness, do not truly control ‘destruction’.”
Berkel stiffened as if struck by lightning.
“…What do you mean?”
“Exactly what I said.”
Chris explained carefully.
“You seem to misunderstand. Dark magic isn’t just the power of a magic swordsman. It’s the power to dominate other darknesses.”
That’s right.
Many, including most of the Dark Maga, were mistaken.
Dark magic isn’t merely the ability to wield various powers with ease.
It’s the power to subjugate other darkness beneath you.
“But how about you? Can you say you truly control destruction with your darkness? It looks like you’re so focused on raising the will of annihilation that your darkness is being consumed by destruction.”
“……”
“It’s not about how advanced your destructive magic is. What matters is whether, as the master of darkness, you truly command destruction.”
Berkel gritted his teeth.
“This is nonsense.”
He couldn’t accept that he was being controlled by destruction.
He wanted to scold Chris for making such arrogant claims after only a single glance.
Chris shrugged.
“You find it hard to accept, but go practice the basic dark magic a thousand times as I said. You’ll naturally come to understand whether you truly control destruction.”
“……”
“That’s all I have to say. I’m busy, so I’ll be going.”
Offended, Berkel turned on his heel and left.
Afterward, other Ma-in came seeking guidance, and Chris gave them similar lessons.
They all reacted like Berkel.
Who do you think you are, they thought.
Their pride stung, and they swallowed their anger.
“No matter that he’s the heir, isn’t this a bit too presumptuous?”
“He claims to know my flaws just by watching my Will Manifestation a few times? Hah, what a remarkable genius he must be.”
“Only a five-star, and yet you think you know everything?”
It wasn’t an overreaction.
From their perspective, it was only natural they couldn’t accept it.
But a few days later, Count Berkel returned.
This time, with a face full of shock—completely different from before.
“How was it?”
“…The Grand Duke was right.”
Count Berkel bit his lip tightly.
“You said I wasn’t mastering destruction, and you were right. I was the one being controlled by the power of destruction.”
He had repeated the spell a thousand times.
Even a basic one-star black magic spell wasn’t easy.
He had to push himself to the absolute limit.
His mana was depleted, his stamina and mental strength completely drained—he was utterly exhausted.
Driven by his resentment toward Christian, refusing to give up, he stubbornly cast the one-star destruction black magic.
And then, Count Berkel realized.
He wasn’t mastering destruction.
Instead, he was desperately craving its power, letting it control him.
“Tell me this—do you want to transcend your limits through darkness? Or through destruction?”
“…Through darkness.”
“Then now you know what’s been wrong.”
Count Berkel clenched his fist.
If he were a demon who had mastered the red mana of destruction, this wouldn’t have been such a big problem.
But he was a demon of dark mana. Black mana was his essence, yet he had neglected it.
So it was no wonder he couldn’t transcend his limits.
‘…How did he figure this out?’
Count Berkel felt a deep reverence for Christian.
No one else had noticed this truth—not even Berkel himself.
Yet with just a single sidelong glance, Christian had seen it all.
‘Is this the greatness the head of the family saw in the Grand Duke?’
It wasn’t just exceptional talent.
He was a monster.
On a whole different level.
Count Berkel bowed his head.
His attitude now completely changed from before.
“Thank you. Thanks to you, Grand Duke, I’ve come to realize my mistakes.”
But his expression was grim.
‘I’ll have to start over from scratch.’
He had built a flawed microcosm within himself, and now he had to tear it down and rebuild it.
He couldn’t even begin to imagine how incredibly difficult that would be.
‘Maybe I’ll never reach seven stars no matter how hard I try.’
He thought bitterly and said,
“From today, I’ll start fresh and rebuild my microcosm. Thank you once again.”
Then Christian said something unexpected.
“Hm? Why rebuild your microcosm?”
“Well, obviously because I built it in the wrong way…”
“Can’t you just improve it?”
“…Improve it?”
Count Berkel was dumbfounded.
This wasn’t like repairing or modifying a piece of furniture—how could you ‘improve’ a fully formed inner microcosm?
It was absolutely impossible.
“Of course, normally it’s impossible. But do you know who’s standing in front of you? Me, Christian. Nothing is impossible for me.”
“!!”
“If you only point out problems without offering solutions, you’re no good as a teacher. Didn’t I say I’d help you grow several levels beyond where you are now?”
Christian grinned.
“Be grateful to the heavens that you’ve met such an excellent teacher as me.”
It was absurd.
But somehow…
Hearing those boastful words, he felt something completely different from before.
With this mad Grand Duke, maybe—just maybe—it really could be possible.
“There is, however, one condition.”
“What is it?”
“You must follow everything I say without question while you’re under my guidance.”
Christian’s voice took on an eerie, almost ominous tone.
“It might be… well, a little difficult.”
“??”
Count Berkel tilted his head, then replied,
“What do you take me for? I don’t care if training is tough.”
“Good. Then I’ll teach you without holding back. Again, I warn you—it might be just a little, tiny bit difficult.”
“Don’t worry. I may look like this, but I’m the captain of the strongest knight order in my family.”
Christian’s lips curled into a smile.
For some reason, it felt wicked.
“Then you promise not to blame me?”
And so, the real training began—and Count Berkel was left utterly stunned.
Christian’s lessons were exactly as expected: an endless series of wonders.
There was just one problem.
‘Damn it. This is what he calls a little difficult?’
Count Berkel swallowed his curse.