Chapter 277
There was a reason why he grasped the essence so quickly.
“Destructive dark magic is a familiar field.”
It was different from when he had to learn blood magic, a completely unfamiliar discipline.
Destructive dark magic was one of the core specialties even within the Dark Mage faction.
If the pinnacle of destructive dark magic was the Destruction Mage faction, then the Dark Mage faction ranked just below them in skill.
Though their level was somewhat lower, the Dark Mage faction also possessed techniques that produced effects similar to “annihilation.” So, just hearing the explanation once was enough for him to pick it up easily.
But there was something even more surprising.
“Prince Kashmir, would you like to try it yourself?”
“Yes, I will. Is this how it’s done?”
A sudden whoosh.
The same annihilation effect occurred!
Of course, Kashmir’s attempt was far weaker compared to Chris’s.
So faint it was almost invisible unless you looked closely.
But the fact that he succeeded at all was hugely significant.
“As expected, Kashmir is no ordinary person.”
He had grown this far without any formal instruction, just by watching from the sidelines.
His talent was quietly regarded as the greatest genius in the Destruction Mage faction.
Recently, he had been exchanging letters with Chris, gaining insights that deepened his understanding of destructive dark magic, allowing him to catch on quickly.
“…Th-this can’t be.”
Schwarz muttered, stunned.
Chris casually addressed him.
“Well, we’ll be relying on each other in many ways from now on, so I look forward to working with you.”
There was something chilling about those words.
“…What do you mean by that?”
“We’re in this together now. We have to keep each other’s secrets, right? If today’s incident comes to light, you’ll be the one in trouble, not me.”
Schwarz’s face went pale.
That was right.
No matter the reason, he had leaked the family’s greatest secret. If this got out, Schwarz wouldn’t get off unscathed.
At best, he’d be disgraced.
He’d lose everything.
“You—you won’t get away unscathed either…”
“Really? What exactly can your Destruction Mage faction do to me, the Dark Mage’s Grand Duke?”
“……”
“I can just make up some excuse and walk away.”
That was the truth.
If the Dark Mage faction had been weak before, maybe it would have been different.
But now, if Chris just brushed it off and refused to cooperate, the Destruction Mage faction had no real way to punish him.
In other words, Schwarz had just become vulnerable to Chris.
Chris grinned and extended his hand.
“From now on, I expect your full cooperation, Schwarz.”
It was a threat.
“You—damn demon.”
“Why the sour face? Where else can you find a kind-hearted demon like me? Now, listen carefully. I’ll tell you what you need to do.”
Chris leaned close to whisper in Schwarz’s ear.
Schwarz’s eyes widened as if they might pop out.
“W-what? Why?”
“No need to know the details. It’s all for your Destruction Mage faction’s benefit.”
Confusion flickered in Schwarz’s eyes.
Suddenly, a loud rumble echoed.
Kurrurur.
“!!”
Everyone’s faces stiffened.
“Brother, what’s that?”
Chris nodded.
“It’s the second eruption.”
The operation was entering its final phase.
Fortunately, no major incidents occurred.
Grand Duke Besen and the senior members of the Destruction Mage faction barely managed to suppress the volcano’s eruption.
“The first two eruptions are just warm-ups. The real one is the third.”
The problem was that even the second eruption wasn’t mild.
“The Destruction Mage faction must be reaching their limit.”
Chris headed toward the crater where the sealing formation was located, accompanied by Schwarz.
Besen and other senior Destruction Mages were scattered around, their faces pale and exhausted.
They looked completely drained from overexerting their power.
“Thank you all for your hard work.”
“!!”
At the sound of that irritating voice, the Destruction Mages’ faces twisted in displeasure.
“What are you doing here again?”
“Ah, I have business. I came at the request of Grand Duke Schwarz.”
When Schwarz was pointed out, he glared at Chris as if ready to kill him, but Chris just smiled slyly, as if daring him to behave, and Schwarz said nothing.
“…That’s right. I called upon Grand Duke Christian.”
“Why all of a sudden? And where have you been until now, Grand Duke Schwarz?”
Chris answered.
“I was tracking the thief who broke into the residence recently. Isn’t that right, Grand Duke Schwarz?”
“…Yes. I asked Grand Duke Christian to catch the culprit.”
Schwarz recited the prearranged script.
“Why ask Grand Duke Christian of the Dark Mage faction for that?”
“…I’ve secretly admired Grand Duke Christian for some time, so I asked him personally. I believed he would catch the culprit.”
Whether from shame or humiliation, Schwarz’s face flushed deeply.
“Damn it. How dare you make me say such things! I will never forgive you.”
Chris had a reason for this act.
He was laying the groundwork for the ‘accident’ that would come.
“Schwarz, don’t you realize this isn’t the time for such stories, you fool!”
Grand Duke Besen raised his voice.
Schwarz’s face turned white as he suddenly drew his father’s wrath.
Chris stepped forward.
“I didn’t come just because of the thief. While investigating the castle due to the theft, I found an important clue related to the rampaging volcanic flames. I’m here to report it.”
“…What do you mean?”
“We’ve identified the culprit behind this incident.”
“!!”
Everyone in the room widened their eyes.
“What? How?”
As mentioned before, the Destruction Mage faction had no clue who had broken the sealing formation.
Chris had used Ruina’s relics to erase any traces left by the fanatical cult priests, but there was a more decisive reason.
“There were traitors within the Destruction Mage faction.”
“!!”
“The traitors deliberately left gaps in the deployment of the mages guarding the sealing formation, allowing the culprit to damage it.”
That was the key.
From the start, there had been a hole in the defenses protecting the volcanic flames.
The Destruction Mages raised their voices in disbelief.
“No way! Who would dare?!”
“Here is the evidence.”
Chris pulled out several items.
They were various objects he had taken when he raided the cult’s base: ledgers, writing tools, and miscellaneous items.
“They look ordinary, but if you examine them closely, faint magical patterns remain. These were the means by which the traitors communicated with the culprit. Please, take a look.”
Those who received the items tilted their heads.
They couldn’t sense any traces.
But when it was Jessica, the vice head of the family’s household, her eyes widened.
“No way! Isn’t this the trace of remote code dark magic? Please check, Lord Besen.”
Grand Duke Besen examined the tools and his face hardened.
“You two recognize it, then. Yes, that’s right. The culprit and the traitors communicated regularly through these tools.”
They were enchanted with magic to transmit coded messages.
Used for secret communication, the higher the caster’s skill, the more perfectly the magical traces were concealed.
Jessica, an 8-star dark mage, had to concentrate hard just to notice it, meaning whoever cast the magic was on an incredibly high level.
“The culprit used this dark magic to exchange codes with the traitors. From my interpretation, they revealed gaps in the volcanic flame’s security deployment.”
Chris relayed the decoded message based on the magical patterns extracted from the tools to Jessica and Grand Duke Besen.
“Who on earth would do such a thing?”
“Well, from now on, we can question the traitors directly.”
Chris’s gaze shifted to several mages whose faces had turned pale.
The chief steward of the Destruction Mage faction, Ashilet, and the captain of the Flame Knights guarding the volcanic flames, Panika.
“These items were found in your rooms. What do you have to say?”
“!!”
Both denied it desperately.
“We don’t know anything…!!”
But Jessica snapped.
“Kneel those two down immediately!”
The Destruction Mages subdued them.
They frantically shook their heads.
“It’s a false accusation!”
“It’s the scheming of that treacherous Dark Mage!”
Chaos erupted.
Both had been loyal to the Destruction Mage faction for a long time.
It was hard to accept.
Some even cast suspicious glances at Christian.
Chris shrugged and looked at Schwarz.
“Some of you don’t trust me. What do you think, Grand Duke Schwarz?”
“…I, Schwarz, swear on my position as Grand Duke that Christian is telling no lies.”
With Schwarz’s solemn vow, the crowd’s attitude shifted.
Jessica’s gaze sharpened.
“You two! Tell us who you conspired with! If you cooperate, considering your past merits, I’ll grant you a painless death!”
Crackle.
Torture was Jessica’s specialty to force confessions.
Black lightning flickered.
But Chris intervened.
“Wait, stop. There’s a high chance of a magical seal. Forcing them to speak will ruin everything.”
Jessica’s expression darkened.
Judging by the magical traces on the tools, that was very likely.
Their opponent was clearly someone on a level not inferior to her.
“No, maybe even beyond. Who could it be?”
Among the 8th-rank black mages, there were few who had reached a higher level than her, even within the Magic Empire.
“Maybe even higher than the head of the family.”
For a moment, a figure flashed through Jessica’s mind, but she forced herself to shake her head.
Hoping her suspicion was wrong, she spoke up.
“Do you have any way to handle this?”
“No. Even I don’t have a method to break the gold seal on a black mage of this caliber.”
“Then what?”
“However, I do know someone skilled in matters like this. He will come.”
Soon, a deep, calm voice echoed through the hall.
“Leave it to me.”
Everyone’s faces showed surprise.
A middle-aged man with the composed demeanor of a scholar.
It was Duke Huam, head of the Geukdok family!
“What? How did the head of the Geukdok family end up here?”
“Archduke Christian sent an urgent request, so I came. After all, Archduke Christian is a benefactor of the Geukdok family. And there’s more.”
Duke Huam fixed a sharp gaze on the two kneeling figures.
“I could not stand idly by when I heard that the culprit who mocked our main family had also extended their claws into the Hwaegae family.”
“!!”
Not long ago, the Geukdok family had faced near extinction due to the appearance of a jade-green poison spirit. That incident was well known.
But the full details had never been revealed—there was a mastermind behind it?
“What do you mean, Your Grace? Are you saying that the one behind the release of the jade-green poison spirit in the Geukdok family is the same entity causing trouble with the blazing flames in our Hwaegae family?”
“Well, we’ll find out soon enough.”
With a flick, a chilling green aura rose from Duke Huam’s hand.
“Please wait a moment. It won’t take long.”