Chapter 254
But there was no way to break a contract with a demon.
Unless a being of a rank higher than the hierarchy of the Dark Heaven forcibly canceled it.
The demon Idrene had contracted with was of an astonishingly high rank—third realm, a great power. The chance of such a miracle happening was nonexistent.
The “Rending of Delusion” preyed on her deepest fears, pushing her mind to the brink of collapse.
Yet, just when she could no longer hold on, Christian arrived.
“I’m not ready to face destruction yet.”
Idrene clenched her fists tightly.
The “Conceptual Medicine” Christian had crafted for her took root in her mind.
…Of course, it wasn’t truly medicine—it was poison. But to Idrene, it was the lifeline that could save her.
“With the help of Grand Duke Christian, I can overcome this.”
The Rending of Delusion wasn’t some special curse with unique effects.
There were countless curses that targeted mental weaknesses.
What made the Rending of Delusion infamous was its intensity.
It was a combined curse cast by the five most powerful high demons of the curse demon realm—the Five Evils—whose malevolence far surpassed any other curse.
To overcome it, one had to possess a will strong enough to resist the malice of all five high demons at once.
Practically impossible.
But—
“I won’t lose!”
A brilliant light burst forth as Idrene steeled her resolve, and the conceptual medicine within her mind shone brightly.
As mentioned before, the Conceptual Medicine served to bolster the will of those with a clear, determined spirit.
Slowly, a miracle of righteous energy began to seep into Idrene’s crumbling mind.
And it wasn’t just Christian’s medicine holding her together.
“I can’t die like this. I have a dream now.”
Idrene’s thoughts took an unexpected turn.
“I will become friends with Grand Duke Christian—no matter what!”
Yes.
That was the dream that had taken root in her heart.
Though she might ultimately face ruin,
she wanted, at least once, to stand beside Grand Duke Christian and smile brightly.
Just like everyone else. Normally.
“So I won’t lose!”
As if responding to her will to resist the Rending of Delusion, the Conceptual Medicine flared again, and a desperate battle began.
“Is it working properly?”
Christian watched Idrene for a moment.
Since he had been immersed in her mental world for so long, there was a risk his own mind might be caught in the Rending of Delusion, so he couldn’t be sure if the poison was taking effect.
Her complexion seemed somewhat livelier, but that was expected.
Whether it acted as poison or medicine, the initial healing effect came from the power of the righteous energy.
“No need to worry. It should be working as intended.”
Christian had strengthened the part of the Conceptual Medicine that condemned evil as much as possible.
If there was even the slightest impurity in her heart, it would act as poison.
Unless Idrene truly possessed a saintly spirit, she wouldn’t survive.
“We’ll see how it goes.”
Christian shook his head.
“I should get going. Time to collect the rewards from the Blood Sword Demon House and leave.”
As he turned away, he heard Idrene’s hesitant voice.
“Th-thank you…”
“!!”
Christian froze for a moment, then shook his head and left the annex.
“How did it go, Grand Duke? Any news?”
Deborah and the other members of the True Blood Clan greeted him anxiously.
Christian, feeling unusually heavy-hearted, answered in a grave tone.
“She’s been treated. But as I said before, the outcome depends entirely on Grand Duchess Idrene.”
Deborah’s eyes flickered with worry.
But she quickly shook her head.
“I believe the young lady will overcome this.”
“Is that so?”
“Yes, absolutely.”
She bowed deeply to Christian.
“We are truly grateful for your grace, Grand Duke. The Blood Sword Demon House will never forget the favor you have bestowed upon us.”
Christian remained silent for a moment.
‘That attitude won’t last long.’
As he’d said, for now, the healing effect he intended would manifest.
But over time, the Conceptual Medicine and the poison would take hold, and Idrene would eventually perish.
‘Unless she truly is a virtuous soul, death is inevitable.’
Christian shook his head.
For now, he had to gather his rewards and leave.
“I’d like to receive what was promised.”
“Of course. Here is the True Blood Serum.”
She handed over a box wrapped in silk.
It would be a great help to the Nordians.
“We have also prepared the secret teachings of the Blood Cross for you to study. However, there is a problem.”
“What is it?”
“Because it is the most important secret of our house, even for the Grand Duke, it cannot be revealed for long.”
Deborah trailed off.
“After consulting with the elders, we decided to grant you a maximum of one week. But that is far too short to fully grasp the Blood Cross’s secrets…”
Christian shook his head.
“That’s fine. I’ll do my best within a week.”
To be honest, Christian knew it was impossible to fully master the Blood Cross’s true meaning in just a week.
It was the ultimate secret of the True Blood Clan, specialized in blood magic.
‘Still, even if not perfect, I can gain some insight to aid my blood magic. More time would be ideal, but…’
It was a shame not to grasp the full truth, but there was no choice.
‘We don’t know when the medicine’s effects will show.’
At the shortest, three days; at most, five.
‘I have to leave before then. I’ll get as much insight as I can. This might be my only chance to encounter the Blood Cross.’
With resolve, he began his training immediately.
The Blood Sword Demon House had prepared a secluded training chamber just for Christian.
He faced the Blood Cross, which Deborah had brought from the clan’s main estate.
The Blood Cross was a relic-like grimoire.
Not just a book of spells, but a magical artifact imbued with dark powers.
Opening it summoned vivid illusions of the Blood Cross.
‘It feels similar to the educational illusion stones I developed.’
The difference was that this grimoire contained the power of blood magic, allowing one to instinctively internalize the essence of blood magic just by witnessing the illusions.
Flash!
As he opened the book, Christian’s consciousness was drawn into a crimson world.
In this deep scarlet realm, the Blood Cross blazed fiercely.
Merely facing it sent shivers through his dark magic.
Just by remaining there, the power of his blood magic seemed poised to advance.
‘I must gain insights from the Blood Cross that will help me.’
Pure blood.
Life and death.
Christian’s consciousness touched the source of blood magic, and his earnest study began.
Time flew by.
One hour, two hours.
Half a day, a day, two days, three days.
But there was a problem.
‘The secrets are far broader and deeper than I expected.’
Originally, he planned to selectively absorb only the insights that would help him and leave.
But facing the Blood Cross directly, it was no shortcut.
It was like staring into an abyss of unfathomable depth.
‘To truly master the Blood Cross, I need ample time to fully comprehend its secrets.’
But to master the greatest secret of a noble house in just a few days?
Even Christian couldn’t do it.
‘Should I give up?’
If he pushed too hard and delayed too long, he might face an irreversible situation.
‘If Idrene dies, the Blood Sword Demon House won’t stand idly by.’
Christian frowned.
‘There is the Arch Hall, but if they interfere before I use it, I could be trapped.’
The Arch Hall wasn’t omnipotent.
Since it involved interdimensional travel, if the Blood Sword Demon House had magical tools that could interfere with space—like Lenin’s Scissors—they could block his escape.
‘They know I have the Arch Hall, so they won’t let me flee helplessly.’
As a prestigious magical family, they likely possessed artifacts capable of spatial interference.
All things considered, dragging this out was dangerous.
Yet Christian couldn’t let go.
‘The secrets are too precious to abandon.’
The profound truth beckoned him like an abyss.
If he missed this chance, it might never come again.
‘Especially since the Blood Cross holds the power of life and death. It will create a powerful synergy with the magic I’ve learned so far.’
In the end, Christian made a decision.
He would cling to it for just one more day.
‘Even if I can’t grasp the full truth, I’ll take what I can.’
His consciousness sank deeper.
But was it arrogance?
The truth still eluded him.
Hovering on the edge of grasping it, anxiety welled up.
It was dangerous.
He really had to leave soon.
‘Just a little more. Just a little more.’
Then, suddenly, the training room door slammed open.
It was Deborah!
‘Damn.’
Christian’s face paled.
It seemed trouble had come.
‘Can I escape?’
He touched the Arch Hall and gauged Deborah’s expression.
If she had brought a spatial interference artifact to block his escape, using the Arch Hall would trap him in a void, his soul torn apart.
But Deborah’s face was strange.
There was no hostile glare.
‘…Is that gratitude?’
Then, unexpectedly, Deborah bowed deeply and exclaimed with emotion,
“Thank you, Grand Duke, for your grace!”
“…What?”
“Thanks to your treatment, the young lady has survived!”
Christian’s body stiffened at the thunderous news.
‘The Blood King of Bloodletting has come back to life?’
It was real.
Deborah and everyone from the Bloodsword Mage faction wept, expressing their gratitude to Chris.
“This can’t be happening.”
There was only one meaning behind this situation.
Idrinne truly was a virtuous person, without a trace of malice in her heart.
“The Bloodthirsty Demon Lord was really a righteous soul?”
Chris recalled the image of the Bloodthirsty Demon Lord from his past life—the one who had turned the world into a living hell.
But it wasn’t a lie.
If Idrinne hadn’t been a good person at heart, she wouldn’t have survived Chris’s poison.
“So, does that mean the Bloodthirsty Demon Lord fell from grace later on?”
That was the only possibility.
It wasn’t uncommon for a once-virtuous person to fall into a terrible demon through some tragic event.
“I don’t really know what happened at the Demon King’s Castle in my past life.”
Chris shook his head in frustration.
“But even so, there are limits to how much someone can change. That horrifying archdemon was originally a saint?”
Chris began to consider the possible reasons behind Idrinne’s transformation.