Chapter 251
Langham’s eyes were icy, as if he had already guessed the reason for Christian’s visit.
At that moment, Mari, who had followed Christian, spoke up with a teasing tone.
“Oh ho ho, young master. There’s an old soldier over there shooting you a nasty look, isn’t he?”
“!!”
As Mari smiled and pointed at Langham, everyone held their breath.
“How dare you give my beloved young master such a cocky glare? Should I pluck those arrogant eyes out? Turn them into some middle-aged blood juice?”
As expected of Mari—she was relentless, even when the target was Langham.
Christian shook his head.
“Forget it. He’s always been a lost cause. A man who doesn’t even care about the fate of his own family—what manners could you expect from him?”
“!!”
Langham clenched his lips tightly.
Christian sneered and took a step toward him.
“Long time no see. You’ve been through a lot, haven’t you?”
“…”
“How’s it going? Holding up alright?”
His tone was completely condescending, as if speaking to an inferior.
Langham’s face drained of color from the humiliation.
“No answer? Are you dissatisfied with something?”
“…No.”
“Judging by your face, I doubt that. You look full of resentment. I don’t understand how you have the nerve to hold your head so high.”
“!!”
Langham bit his lip hard, trembling with rage.
But Christian wasn’t finished.
“Do you not understand what I’m saying? Or have you forgotten why you’re here in the first place?”
“…No.”
“Then why, as a criminal, do you dare show such insolence toward the Grand Duke? If you’re a prisoner, you’d better show proper respect.”
The attitude expected of a criminal.
He was telling Langham to kneel.
Crunch.
Langham ground his teeth, his whole body trembling with fury.
The surrounding soldiers held their breath, tense.
But Christian didn’t back down.
“You still don’t get it, huh? Or should I take your attitude as proof that you harbor rebellious thoughts in your heart?”
In the end, Langham had no choice but to obey.
Kneeling and bowing his head, a murderous glare burned fiercely in his eyes.
But his ordeal wasn’t over yet.
“Oh ho ho, I see that glare all too well~ Young master, this one shows no remorse at all.”
With a swift motion, Mari brought her face close to Langham’s bowed head and tattled.
Christian sighed, resigned, then turned to Saenin, who had followed him.
“Such an impure attitude. I’m beginning to doubt his loyalty to the main family. Don’t you think so?”
“That’s right, Your Grace. He’s already a problematic soldier under close watch by the main Ma Army.”
Saenin nodded respectfully.
“When the soldiers are suspected of harboring ill intentions, how does the Dark Ma Army handle them?”
“They’re locked away in the dungeons to investigate any collusion with enemy forces. After thorough interrogation confirms no issues, they’re returned to the barracks.”
“Then you know what to do with this troublemaker.”
Baron Saenin nodded firmly.
“Take this soldier to the dungeon.”
“!!”
The commanders exchanged glances and approached Langham.
He clenched his fists tightly but didn’t resist.
After shooting Christian a deadly glare, he was dragged away to the dungeon.
Once Langham disappeared, Saenin asked,
“I did as you ordered, but are you sure this is wise? He won’t stay quiet.”
There was no way Langham would endure such humiliation silently.
“Probably not. That’s exactly what I want.”
Christian deliberately provoked Langham.
“What do you mean?”
“The Dark Ma Army will need to prepare for what’s coming.”
Christian lowered his voice, and Saenin, initially startled, soon grinned.
And so, the trap to strike Langham was set.
* * *
Afterward, they crossed the barrier and headed toward the estate where the Bloodthirsty Demon King resided.
They couldn’t use the warp gate, and they had to avoid detection by the forces of the other Four Demon Kings, making the journey perilous.
One small relief was that Christian’s previous life had included work as a guide.
He was better than anyone at moving unseen through others’ watchful eyes.
“Impressive. Have you been to the main family’s territory before?”
‘Not my first time,’ Christian thought.
He had once accompanied the hero party to raid the Four Demon Kings’ fortress.
The outcome hadn’t been good.
“Anyway, thank you. We, the Blood Sword Maga, will never forget the Grand Duke’s kindness.”
“…Don’t mention it.”
Not wanting to engage in lengthy conversation, Christian kept his reply brief.
Fortunately, they arrived safely at their destination.
“This is the main family’s estate.”
Deep in a forest blanketed with black trees stood a modest manor.
‘Is the Bloodthirsty Demon King inside?’
Christian recalled the bloodshed caused by the Demon King in his previous life.
The thought of that horrific archdemon lurking beyond sent a chill through his chest.
‘Stay calm. What comes next is what matters.’
Soon, the creak of a door opening revealed a group of figures.
Vampires.
‘All purebloods. A formidable force.’
Their numbers weren’t large, but each was powerful, likely to protect the Grand Duchess.
At least four-star rank or higher.
Five- and six-star warriors were common, and the middle-aged woman leading them radiated a chilling aura.
‘At least upper seven-star. Who is she?’
Christian had no memory of seeing her face in his previous life.
Baltrock whispered,
“She’s Lady Deborah, commander of the Blood Cross Knights—the main family’s elite force.”
“!!”
A well-known figure indeed.
‘One of the Blood Sword Maga’s strongest.’
But Deborah was famous for another reason.
‘She was one of the few to meet a particularly brutal death at the hands of the Bloodthirsty Demon King.’
Not long after, Idrinne, who betrayed the Blood Sword Maga and sided with the Dark Lord and the curse, unleashed a horrific bloodbath on her own family.
She dealt especially cruel deaths to those close to her, and Deborah was among the victims.
‘Idrinne’s childhood nanny, wasn’t she? A tragic figure.’
As Christian clicked his tongue inwardly, Deborah approached him.
“You must be Christian, Grand Duke of the Dark Maga.”
“That’s right.”
Deborah fixed him with a steady gaze.
Then, suddenly, she knelt and bowed her head.
“Thank you so much for coming. Please, save our lady!”
Not just Deborah.
All the pureblood vampires behind her knelt and cried out in unison,
“Please save the Grand Duchess!”
Christian frowned at their desperate plea.
Curious about the Bloodthirsty Demon King, he asked,
“I’ll do my best. But I’m surprised by your loyalty to the Grand Duchess. It’s quite remarkable.”
The Blood Sword Maga exchanged glances, then nodded.
“She is our benefactor.”
“…Benefactor?”
“Yes. None here has ever been without her aid. The Grand Duchess is the pillar and hope of the Blood Sword Maga—our savior.”
So.
Originally, the Blood Sword Maga had been divided into factions, locked in brutal civil war.
Simon, the chief steward, had killed his own kin during that chaos and fled to the Dark Maga.
‘But it was Idrinne who quelled that turmoil?’
Not only that.
She didn’t earn such respect by seizing power alone.
Idrinne forced her opponents to kneel, but made it a principle to minimize bloodshed.
Of course, those guilty of unforgivable crimes were punished harshly, but others were shown mercy and won over.
She then reigned as the Vampire Princess of the Blood Sword Maga, personally overseeing and aiding her followers.
Almost like a benevolent ruler.
‘…What nonsense.’
Christian’s face twisted uncomfortably.
He could see the vampires’ eyes filled with reverence for Idrinne.
The story of the Bloodthirsty Demon King was more complicated than he had imagined.
Especially troubling was one thing.
‘Deborah’s gaze.’
No matter how much a public figure hides their true self, it’s hard to completely conceal it from close confidants.
Yet neither Simon nor Deborah had noticed Idrinne’s hypocrisy.
That left two possibilities.
Either she was a perfect hypocrite even to those close to her—
‘Or it’s not hypocrisy at all.’
Perhaps, for some reason, she had truly changed.
‘If I administer my poison, I’ll find out the truth.’
Shaking off his confusion, Christian changed the subject.
“I assume the reward is guaranteed?”
“Of course. If you heal the Grand Duchess, we will grant you the Blood Cross’s secret and the treasure, the True Blood Serum.”
Christian nodded.
“Then please lead me to Grand Duchess Idrinne.”
“This way.”
But at that moment, something unexpected happened.
“Wait… everyone, stop.”
“!!”
Everyone flinched.
Suddenly, a sinister aura filled the room.
Colder than ice.
Unpleasant, sending shivers down their spines.
Christian recognized the source and swallowed hard.
‘Death Qi!’
Not the evil energy of Gehenna.
This was the unique aura wielded by those who command death itself.
When I turned my head, a monstrous figure stood there, exuding a murky, deathly white aura.
[It seems a rat has crawled into the domain of the true nature. Care to verify?]
It was the skeletal silhouette of a lich, cloaked in a robe.
A lich of the Death Mage faction.
A lich.
Among the Death Mages, it refers to the highest-ranking necromancers who have refused death itself and transformed into undead beings.
By immersing their souls in the river of death, they gain the ability to wield deathly powers far stronger than when they were alive.
“This is the main reason the Death Mage faction rose to dominate as one of the two strongest houses in the Arcane Empire, alongside Cheonwaecheon (Heaven Beyond Heaven).”
Originally, the Death Mages had never truly stood out.
Though their command over death and undead was formidable, their limits were clear.
They held overwhelming advantage on large battlefields, but in small-scale duels between top-tier mages, they often found themselves at a disadvantage.
But about 150 years ago, everything changed.
With the completion of the lich’s dark arts, the story took a new turn.
The highest-ranking mages no longer died; instead, they continuously transformed into undead, accumulating their forces.
This led to an explosive growth in the Death Mage faction’s power.
Today, they possess the second strongest force after the Mystic Mage faction, wielding enough strength to single-handedly overwhelm the Karn Empire—the strongest nation in the alliance.