Episode 250
“Ah, and one more thing—I want to receive my payment in advance.”
“…Excuse me?”
“I’m about to give you a huge opportunity, so it’s only fair you compensate me separately, right? I want it upfront.”
Luina’s mouth dropped open in disbelief.
But Chris didn’t even flinch. With brazen confidence, he slid over a list of documents.
“I’m strengthening the Dark Maga’s retainers, but it looks like we’re running low on elixirs. I figured I’d get some sponsorship from your guild.”
“……”
“Here—get these items and send them to the Dark Maga. Once that’s done, I’ll be on my way.”
After Chris vanished in a flash, Luina stared blankly at the list of elixirs he’d requested—and then cursed under her breath.
“You crazy demon bastard!!”
‘Well, this should be manageable. It’s not like these are impossible to find.’
Though the elixirs were needed in quantity to distribute among the high-ranking minions of the Dark Maga, Luina was the auction house owner.
She could get them far cheaper than market price, so the guild wouldn’t suffer as much as expected.
‘Once we loot the Holy Empire, the money we make will dwarf the cost of these elixirs. They should be thanking me instead.’
Among the ingredients Luina was asked to procure were materials for a poison meant for the Bloodletting Demon King.
But interestingly, many of the requested herbs were medicinal, not poisonous—and there was a reason for that.
‘I have to create a poison using the secret technique of the Medical Immortal Sect—the “Medical Immortal Realm.”’
The poison Chris planned to use on the Bloodletting Demon King wasn’t an ordinary toxin.
It was more like an elixir.
An extraordinary elixir capable of healing the rift in the Demon King’s soul caused by the Widow’s Tear.
‘However, due to the intricacies of the Medical Immortal Realm, this poison acts as a deadly toxin to evildoers—far more lethal than any ordinary poison.’
In other words, to a virtuous person, it’s a supreme elixir; to a villain, it’s a poison deadlier than any other.
‘Since ordinary poisons wouldn’t affect the Bloodletting Demon King, I prepared this special one.’
But then, a nagging voice flickered through Chris’s mind.
The voices of Simon and Baltrock—the pure-blood vampire he’d met recently.
‘Both of them believed in the Bloodletting Demon King without question.’
Chris shook his head.
Once the poison takes effect, the truth will be revealed.
‘The greater the evil within the target, the more lethal the effect. If the Bloodletting Demon King is truly the monstrous demon I believe him to be, death will be inevitable.’
Afterward, Chris went to Count Kazaar and informed him of his plan to visit the Blood Sword Maga.
The count looked worried and tried to dissuade him.
“You want to go to the Demon King’s Castle? That’s far too dangerous.”
“It’s necessary for what lies ahead. Please don’t worry. I’ll return safely.”
Count Kazaar sighed.
“Very well. You won’t listen anyway. Just be careful.”
After preparing to leave, Chris waited for Baltrock—but an unexpected visitor arrived.
“Long time no see. How have you been?”
“Sister.”
It was Yurian—the fresh, vibrant woman!
“Weren’t you supposed to be at the Barrier?”
Yurian had been assigned by Chris to watch over Marquis Langham, who was exiled there.
“Oh, something came up.”
“What is it?”
Chris felt a sudden chill.
“I think you should reconsider going to the Blood Sword Maga.”
“Why?”
“Langham’s behavior is suspicious.”
“!!”
Yurian’s gaze darkened.
“He secretly met with someone. They’re definitely targeting you. Entering the Demon King’s domain under these circumstances is too dangerous.”
“Have you confirmed who he met?”
“I tried to spy with the Spirit’s Eye but failed. All I know is the person radiated a powerful evil aura.”
A devil’s contractor.
‘Could it be someone from the Demon King’s Castle?’
The Demon King’s Castle was the place with the highest concentration of devil contractors in the Magic Empire.
But something didn’t add up.
‘If it were someone from the castle, they wouldn’t openly radiate such a strong evil aura.’
The Demon King’s Castle was known for its tolerance toward devil contracts.
Still, no one would brazenly flaunt their contract across the continent—except one group.
‘Could it be the Mystic Maga?’
The thought sent a shiver down Chris’s spine.
It was possible.
‘The Mystic Maga and the Demon King’s Castle have always been allied. Plus, there’s bad blood from the Patera incident.’
Of course, it wasn’t certain.
But he couldn’t rule it out.
Chris’s expression grew serious.
‘If Marquis Langham really met with someone from the Mystic Maga, that’s a huge problem.’
The Mystic Maga’s threat far surpassed that of the Demon King’s Castle.
“This doesn’t feel right. You should lay low for a while.”
Sound advice.
Heading into a death trap was bad enough, but if Langham was also hunting him, it could spell disaster.
But—
“No, I’m fine. I’ll go to the Demon King’s Castle as planned.”
“You?”
Yurian looked shocked.
But Chris’s eyes were resolute.
‘This is my chance to kill the Bloodletting Demon King. No matter the risk, I have to take it.’
There was another, even more important reason.
‘Langham is an enemy that must be eliminated. I can’t afford to delay.’
Sending Langham to the Barrier was a trap to make him self-destruct.
Though his meeting with the Mystic Maga was unexpected, there were still countermeasures.
‘The Mystic Maga have restrictions on their power use.’
Thanks to the Heavenly Realm’s checks and balances.
If he exploited that, there might be a way.
Chris looked directly at Yurian.
“Besides, don’t you want revenge on Langham, that bastard?”
“!!”
A chilling murderous intent flashed in Yurian’s eyes.
Her entire reason for living was revenge.
“…Of course.”
“Then let’s finish this.”
Chris declared coldly.
“This time, we’ll eliminate Langham.”
Soon after, Baltrock arrived, and they set off for the Demon King’s Castle.
Simon couldn’t come along—too many enemies at the Blood Sword Maga.
Besides, with the Arch Hall, any extra guards would only draw attention, so only Mari accompanied them.
Their first destination was the Barrier in the Duchy of Shufen.
Whoosh!
Passing through the gate connected to their main base, a familiar face awaited.
“Long time no see, Your Highness.”
A sharp, commanding presence—the Duke of Shufen!
‘He’s truly reached the 8th Star.’
The duke had made great strides since Chris last saw him, radiating a fierce aura unlike before.
“Congratulations on your achievements.”
“All thanks to Your Highness.”
Unlike before, the duke spoke with utmost respect.
He was completely loyal to Chris.
“By the way, you’re going to the Demon King’s domain? Isn’t that too dangerous? Of course, I trust you, Your Highness.”
The duke glanced at Baltrock, who was cloaked in a robe.
Suddenly, a stern aura pressed down on Baltrock.
“Remember this—if you try anything foolish against Your Highness, I won’t spare a single one of your Blood Sword Maga’s disgusting bloodthirsty brats.”
“!!”
Baltrock paled, his fingers trembling.
Though he was a 6th Star himself, he was utterly overwhelmed by the duke’s presence.
“D-Don’t worry. I swear on the Blood Cross of the main house that I will protect Your Highness without a scratch.”
“Hmph. The scent of blood irritates me. You should leave. I have something to discuss with the duke alone.”
Once alone, the duke spoke.
“Your Highness, you truly are remarkable. Already 6th Star.”
The duke looked at Christian with admiration.
Not just any 6th Star.
He realized Chris had achieved something far beyond ordinary 6th Stars.
“You’re impressive as well, my lord duke. Now a full 8th Star.”
“No, it’s not enough.”
The duke shook his head.
“I must become much stronger—to protect the Dark Maga.”
This wasn’t humility.
Though the duke was at the lower 8th Star, a feat comparable to Duke Huam, the head of the Extreme Poison Maga, it wasn’t enough to face the coming storm.
“That’s why I have a request for Your Highness.”
“What is it?”
“Please help me become stronger.”
“!!”
The duke’s eyes burned with determination.
“I heard you helped the main house’s minions achieve their breakthroughs. Please help me too.”
Chris looked surprised.
In truth, he had a plan to help the duke advance.
But someone at the duke’s level rarely accepted advice easily, so Chris had been unsure how to approach it.
Now the duke had spoken first.
“I actually brought a gift for you.”
“Is this the famous ‘Stone of Enlightenment’ from Your Highness?”
“…I don’t recall giving it such a grand name, but yes, that should be it. Use the stone during your training, and take this medicine midway.”
“What is it?”
“A poison that inflicts fatal damage to the core.”
“!!”
The duke’s eyes widened as he examined the poison.
“Isn’t this the 7th Star poison of the Extreme Poison Maga? Even I wouldn’t survive this.”
“I know. Even you will suffer fatal wounds.”
“But?”
“Duke, it’s not easy to become stronger in a short time.”
“!!”
“Especially at your level.”
No matter how skilled Chris was, achieving the rank of an 8-star Absolute Realm demon in such a short time was impossible.
A drastic measure was needed.
‘It’ll probably take a crisis severe enough to shatter my core to make any real progress.’
Chris shrugged.
“I trust the Marquis, but if you don’t feel confident, you don’t have to go through with it. It’s definitely dangerous.”
Marquis Shupen chuckled at the thinly veiled provocation.
“…Hearing it put that way, I can’t back down now. Very well. I’ll make sure to achieve the breakthrough and put the Grand Duke in his place.”
“I’ll be looking forward to it.”
“However, we’ll postpone taking the medicine for a little while. We need to be prepared for any unforeseen events until the Grand Duke returns safely.”
Shupen sighed.
“As much as I want to accompany you myself, if I, the commander of the Barrier, move about, it’ll only draw more attention from the Demon King’s castle. So there’s no choice.”
Chris changed the subject.
“How’s Langham doing?”
“He’s being treated as a regular soldier, as punishment.”
“Sounds like he’s having a rough time.”
“He brought it on himself. Sparing his life was mercy enough. But we’re keeping a close eye on him—he could cause trouble at any moment.”
Shupen spoke with concern.
“He might even try to target the Grand Duke’s procession this time. We’ll strictly prevent any information about the Grand Duke from reaching Langham’s ears.”
“No, that won’t be necessary.”
“Huh?”
Shupen’s face twisted in confusion.
“The Grand Duke… you don’t mean—?”
Lowering his voice, Chris shared his plan regarding Langham.
Shupen’s eyes widened as if they might pop out.
Before crossing the Barrier, Chris decided to throw out some bait to lure Marquis Langham.
“Who’s in charge of Langham?”
“I am,” said the youngest of the five commanders, Baron Saenin.
He was Shupen’s son and had been soundly beaten by Chris in a previous encounter.
“Have him guide us.”
They headed toward the barracks where the ordinary soldiers of the Dark Demon Army were stationed.
“Salute the Grand Duke!!”
“Yes, sir!!!”
The soldiers stiffened and snapped to attention.
Chris patted their shoulders.
“I happened to have business at the Barrier, so I came by to thank you all for your hard work. You’ve been doing well.”
“Thank you, sir!!”
Though grateful that the Grand Duke himself was offering encouragement, the unit commanders wore tense expressions.
There was a reason for that.
Everyone swallowed hard and cautiously shifted their gaze.
Standing among the ranks was a figure who radiated an entirely different presence from the other ordinary soldiers.
It was Langham.