Chapter 276
Chris wore a dazed expression.
When two fools got together, things inevitably got a bit chaotic.
“By the way, Prince Kashmir, are you really okay with all this?”
“Of course. Beyond the favor I once received from the Grand Prince, I firmly believe that his desire for the family’s treasures is all for the sake of the Destruction Maga.”
Chris nodded.
‘Well, everything I’m doing now is for the Destruction Maga.’
Of course, there was the minor issue that this whole crisis stemmed from Christian, but that was beside the point.
Afterward, they went through the main estate, efficiently gathering various treasures and relics.
But one thing puzzled Chris: he wasn’t just collecting items to counter the Blazing Flame.
“Grand Prince? This is the Chief Steward’s office. Why are we here?”
“There’s something I need to take.”
Chris scanned the room, and his gaze stopped at a particular spot.
‘Bingo.’
They repeated this at several key officials’ offices, gathering similar items.
Eventually, they even secured the Seven-Colored Treasure, and now it was time to obtain the Destruction Maga’s ultimate secret.
“The family’s highest secret is the ‘Void of Emptiness.’ However, it’s only passed down orally to the heir, so there’s no other way to obtain it…”
Kashmir trailed off, but Chris shook his head.
“No, there is a way.”
“Huh?”
“We just need to ask Grand Prince Schwarz.”
“…My eldest brother would never tell us.”
“If he refuses, we can just force it out of him.”
“…How?”
Chris crossed his arms and said something unexpected.
“Prince Kashmir, how about taking this chance to give that bastard a good, hard hit?”
“…What?”
Kashmir’s eyes flickered.
As an illegitimate son, Kashmir had suffered much abuse from the family’s direct line.
The cruelest tormentor was none other than Grand Prince Schwarz.
Schwarz vented the mental pressure of his position by tormenting Kashmir.
Though invisible to others, beneath Kashmir’s clothes were many scars inflicted by Schwarz.
‘What a piece of trash.’
Chris clicked his tongue.
Schwarz’s behavior had continued until recently.
Just a short while ago, after all the servants had evacuated, Schwarz forced Kashmir to serve him personally.
Despite being illegitimate, it was a humiliating treatment for a prince.
“I have a way to get the Destruction Maga’s ultimate secret—and to land a blow on that bastard.”
Chris began explaining quietly, and Kashmir’s eyes widened.
The Destruction Maga was thrown into chaos.
While the estate was empty, countless treasures had been stolen.
“Find the culprit immediately!”
But there was no way to catch them.
Chris was an expert thief. He left no trace, and with Alos as his alibi, the cover was perfect.
Normally, the Destruction Maga might have found a way to track him down, but in the current turmoil, it was impossible.
Thanks to this, the main estate, already in disarray, plunged into even deeper confusion—allowing this plan to succeed.
Thud!
In a remote spot far from the main estate, a figure fell to the ground, bound tightly in ropes.
To everyone’s shock, it was Grand Prince Schwarz!
He had been kidnapped!
“Ugh, ugh!”
Still, the reason a prince of the family was captured so helplessly was simple.
He had been poisoned by Christian’s toxin.
‘He had Kashmir slip poison into his food.’
As mentioned earlier, Kashmir was currently serving Schwarz.
It was meant as a humiliation, but it backfired spectacularly.
“Hey, long time no see.”
“Pfft! What the hell is this?! How dare you! Do you want to die?”
“You’re the one with no fear. Judging by your raised voice, you don’t seem to realize your situation.”
Swish.
A cold blade pressed against Schwarz’s throat.
His body stiffened instantly.
“You bastard…”
“Shh. Keep struggling like that and I might accidentally cut your throat. Better behave. Oops, I nicked you a little. Does it hurt?”
Blood trickled as the blade pressed deeper, and Schwarz’s face turned pale.
‘I felt this during our last duel—he’s no tough guy. No wonder he’s spent his life bullying others.’
Still, a prince is a prince, even if a sheltered one.
Schwarz tried to hide his fear and growled.
“Do you think you’ll get away with this? Release me at once, or I’ll burn not only you but the entire Dark Maga to ashes!”
“You? Ha. Lost your memory? Seems you’ve already forgotten how you knelt before our Dark Maga not long ago. And now your whole family’s about to be reduced to ashes—what revenge are you talking about?”
Schwarz gritted his teeth.
Chris shrugged.
“I didn’t bring you here just to waste time. I have a proposition.”
“What is it?”
“Tell me the Destruction Maga’s ultimate secret, the ‘Void of Emptiness.’”
“You’re insane! That’s nonsense!”
It was a secret so sacred that even if his head were cut off, Schwarz would never reveal it.
“Of course, I’m not asking for it for free. I’ll share the Dark Maga’s secret with you. A win-win deal.”
Unlike Chris, who was skilled in Destruction Black Magic, Schwarz had no use for the Dark Maga’s secrets.
“Shut up. Do you think I’d agree to such a ridiculous deal? Threaten me all you want—I’ll never speak, even if you kill me.”
Schwarz spoke resolutely.
Chris nodded.
“Fine, negotiation’s off. Then we’ll need another kind of deal. Prince Kashmir.”
Kashmir approached with a stiff expression.
“You bastard! How dare you betray me like this.”
“Betrayal? Don’t make me laugh. Think about what you did to Kashmir. By the way, don’t you plan to apologize for all the wrongs you’ve done to him?”
“…What?”
“If you show remorse and tell me the secret, Kashmir might forgive you.”
Schwarz looked utterly baffled.
What kind of nonsense was this?
But Kashmir nodded as if it made perfect sense.
“Brother, please tell Grand Prince Christian the secret. It’s the only way to save our family. I will forget all the wrongs you’ve done to me.”
“Stop this nonsense! Kashmir, I will never let you live peacefully!”
Just as expected.
“You still show no remorse. Looks like you need a lesson in repentance. Tern.”
This time, Tern stepped forward.
A sinister gray aura flickered from his hand.
It was a concentrated curse.
“…What’s that?”
“Oh, it’s the ‘Wheel of Karma’ curse. It forces you to experience the pain you’ve inflicted on others. In other words, you’ll suffer the same torment you caused Kashmir.”
“!!”
“By the way, my younger brother is a very skilled curse caster, able to recreate pain with nearly 100% accuracy. So look forward to it.”
Tern puffed up with pride at the compliment.
“All thanks to the teachings of His Majesty, the King Emperor. After reviewing Lord Kashmir’s memories, I found you to be quite the villain. I put extra effort into making this as vivid as possible. You’re going to taste hell.”
Schwarz’s face drained of color.
For over ten years, he had tormented Kashmir.
It wasn’t just sibling bullying.
He used his power and influence to treat Kashmir like a toy.
Kashmir had suffered serious injuries and even faced death more than once.
‘Because of this bastard, Kashmir endured hell.’
Chris had been close to Kashmir in his previous life, and Kashmir had drunkenly confided the pain Schwarz caused him.
Back then, Chris had wanted to strike him in the back of the head if given the chance.
Now, that chance had come.
“I’m a seven-star black mage—I won’t fall for some curse like that…”
“You will. Now, take this first.”
With a swift motion, Chris shoved a poison made of dark magic into Schwarz’s mouth.
It was a mental toxin that instantly broke down his mental defenses.
“No, no!”
Schwarz thrashed, sensing the pain to come.
“Now, it’s time for your repentance.”
Flash!
Tern’s curse pierced Schwarz’s mind.
Just before losing consciousness, a voice echoed.
“If you ever feel the desire to apologize, just say the word.”
‘Good thing this guy’s a villain.’
Chris thought to himself.
‘No matter how necessary, I couldn’t do this to someone innocent.’
As a prince, Schwarz didn’t give in easily.
But time was on Chris’s side.
‘The pain will keep repeating.’
The mental world’s sense of time differed from reality.
Like dreaming a whole lifetime in a single afternoon, Chris could stretch time far beyond the real world.
Eventually, Schwarz broke down and confessed the secret.
“Ugh! I was wrong! Please forgive me! I’ll tell you everything!”
Chris shrugged.
“Prince Kashmir, you should listen to this as well.”
“Me too?”
“Yes. Since this is an apology for the wrongs done to you, you need to hear it.”
Kashmir had his reasons to listen.
‘The faster Kashmir grows, the more it benefits me.’
In his past life, Kashmir had become a top-tier 7-star demon.
With Chris’s help, he could advance even faster and reach far greater heights.
‘And now’s the perfect opportunity.’
He planned to use the Blazing Flame to strengthen Kashmir.
‘The more pawns I have on my side, the closer I get to my dream of wealth and glory.’
Meanwhile, Kashmir was deeply moved, thinking to himself,
‘How many favors has Grand Duke Christian done for me? My life practically belongs to him.’
And so, Kashmir’s usefulness only grew stronger.
Afterward, Schwarz revealed all his secrets.
Of course, Schwarz hadn’t truly surrendered his heart.
He had his own agenda.
‘Even if I reveal the truth, there’s no way he can master it.’
But then—
“Hmm. So this is how it’s done?”
Flare.
The destructive flames Chris summoned burned the branches.
But something was off.
Instead of simply turning to ash, parts of the branches vanished entirely.
It was the ultimate form of destructive dark magic: “Annihilation.”
Chris had just partially manifested the secret technique he’d been taught—the “Void of Justice”!
“W-What? How?”
“You just taught me, didn’t you? I showed you step by step, in detail. Why the surprise now?”
Chris chuckled softly.
“Thanks for the generous and kind lesson.”