Chapter 29
“If you’re the one who apologizes, I’ll forgive you.”
“…What?”
“The disrespect you showed me. If you get down on your knees and apologize properly, I’ll make an exception and forgive you.”
He looked stunned rather than angry.
It was as if he couldn’t believe what he’d just heard.
Chris twisted his lips and delivered the knockout blow.
“Oh, so the blond thief doesn’t even know what honor means? Oops, maybe I shouldn’t have said that out loud.”
“You bastard!!!”
Dark Magi typically have black hair and bloodshot eyes.
But this guy was blond.
Sometimes, a child would be born with a different hair color, and people would point fingers, calling them an outsider’s seed.
‘Maybe I went a bit too far with that insult.’
But provoking someone is supposed to be ruthless and harsh.
“Judging by how worked up you are, I guess you really did steal the seed. Bringing in outside seed, no wonder you don’t know what honor is.”
“Graaah!! You bastard!!”
The effect was immediate.
He lost his composure and charged at Chris.
“Master Chris!”
“Danger…!!”
The Maids were startled by how fierce Alos’s movements were.
Fueled by rage, he charged blindly without any caution.
“I’ll kill you!!!”
A murderous intent radiated from his magic.
But Chris just smirked.
“Is that all you’ve got?”
At Chris’s next move, Alos’s eyes widened.
Chris’s right foot stepped forward.
His shoulder twisted, and just that was enough to nullify Alos’s attack.
A clean dodge.
‘How the hell did that bastard do that?’
Alos realized too late that he’d made exaggerated, sloppy moves in his anger—full of openings.
That’s why that wild bastard was able to avoid his strike.
Still, he wasn’t too worried.
After all, the opponent was Chris.
A discarded wildling from the Dark Magi family.
He could easily knock him down with his own strength…
That was the thought running through his mind—until—
“Do you really think that’s enough?”
A chill ran down Alos’s spine.
Chris’s cold gaze was fixed on him.
Only then did Alos realize Chris had closed the distance.
Chris’s arm was already stretched behind him.
At this angle and range, no matter what he tried, he couldn’t avoid the attack.
A belated realization.
‘Wait… what?’
Bam!
Stars exploded in Alos’s eyes.
It was like being hit with a hammer.
A groan escaped his lips.
Chris’s voice, sharp and cold, cut through the air.
“The wrong you did to me? If you want forgiveness, just get down on your knees and apologize anytime.”
He said it simply.
“I’m generous like that.”
And so it began.
Not a duel… but a beating.
The fight didn’t last long.
Alos was left a battered mess, unconscious and carried away.
‘Well, that was easy enough.’
Chris thought to himself.
Alos was his age.
At best, a second-rank Mage.
Moreover, the Tiramyn Count family specialized in ‘Magical Beast Taming.’
A Mage trained in beast taming fighting barehanded was like a swordsman trying to brawl without a sword.
Normally, they wouldn’t engage in such barehanded fights, but Alos had underestimated Chris and made a mistake.
“…Are you alright?”
The Maids asked cautiously.
Though the other side had started it, they looked worried that their young master from the Tiramyn Count family had been thoroughly beaten.
Chris answered calmly.
“I fought for my honor.”
“!!”
The Maids held their breath.
It was the right thing to say.
But the world rarely works that simply.
“There’s a high chance the Tiramyn Count won’t let this go quietly.”
Chris was silent for a moment.
‘Probably.’
The Tiramyn Count had never liked Chris.
More precisely, he disliked the Kazar Count family.
The Kazar and Tiramyn Counts were bitter rivals.
They snarled at each other at every opportunity, and this incident wouldn’t be overlooked.
“It’s fine.”
“My lord?”
“I have it all planned. Don’t worry.”
It wasn’t an empty promise.
Even the Tiramyn Count’s anger was part of Chris’s plan.
[Oh hoho. Our young master is truly something. My heart races at your splendid presence today, my lady.]
“Gah?!”
“A g-ghost?!”
The sudden appearance of a pure, smiling banshee startled the Maids.
Chris was just as surprised.
“Marie, when did you get here?”
[I snuck in hidden among your belongings. I’m your maid, sworn to serve you forever.]
“…I don’t need that.”
[Oh hoho. Your shy expression is adorable. I know you’ve been missing the care of your lady’s bed.]
Marie fluttered her ghostly tail excitedly, drifting through the air.
[You must be hungry, so I’ll fetch some virgin’s blood juice.]
“…No thanks. Bring the alcohol.”
[Alcohol…?]
Marie tilted her head, and the Maids looked shocked.
They expected that after giving Alos a good thrashing, Chris would stop acting like a wildling.
But Chris thought,
‘Not even close.’
The wildling plan was far from over.
And Alos’s nightmare was only just beginning.
Until Chris left the Tiramyn Count’s domain, Alos’s nightmare would not end.
[Oh hoho… then what shall we toast to?]
Marie brought the finest liquor, and everyone filled their glasses.
The price was a staggering 1,000 rupees, naturally charged to Alos.
The Maids looked bewildered, unsure if this was appropriate, but the mood swept them along.
Chris, however, had ginger ale.
Marie and the Maids protested.
“You’re underage, my lord. No alcohol for you.”
Even as ghosts, they were oddly strict about this.
‘Damn it, I want to drink too. I hate ginger.’
But there was no choice.
[Shall we toast to our master and… my future?]
“Enough.”
Chris raised his glass of ginger ale.
“To wealth and glory!”
The gathering deepened, and after a night of heavy drinking (Chris with his ginger ale), news arrived.
An invitation from the Count’s manor.
It wasn’t from Alos.
It came from the Tiramyn Count himself.
The head of the Tiramyn family and the ‘second spear’ of the Dark Magi branch had personally invited Chris.
Chris formally visited the Count’s manor.
The moment he stepped through the gate, piercing gazes fixed on him.
The Maids of the Tiramyn family.
Their hostile stares made Chris and his Maids stiffen.
But Chris shrugged it off.
“Maybe I’m just too handsome. They’re staring right through me. Well, I am pretty good-looking.”
“……”
He meant it.
Chris’s face was the epitome of a nobleman’s—arrogant and irritating, but undeniably handsome.
Chris smirked.
“Lead me to the Count.”
His unwavering confidence surprised the Tiramyn Maids.
But they soon sneered.
‘What a bluff.’
‘Let’s see if he can keep his head held high in front of the Count.’
They expected the wildling bastard to get a harsh lesson today.
Finally, Chris met the Tiramyn Count.
Beside him stood his retainers—and a battered Alos.
Gnash.
Alos ground his teeth through his swollen face.
‘Still got some fight left.’
Chris smirked and bowed.
“My respects, Count Tiramyn.”
“Ah, it’s been a while.”
The Count rose from his seat.
A towering figure cast a shadow like a mountain.
A man like a great beast.
His sharp, tiger-like eyes fixed on Chris.
“I’ve heard the story. You quarreled with Alos?”
“Yes, that’s correct.”
Chris didn’t deny it.
“Why? Even if Alos made some ‘mistake’ in treating you, it was excessive.”
Mistake.
A blatant excuse.
Chris chuckled inwardly.
‘I heard that’s just how he is.’
A big man with a small mind.
That was the Tiramyn Count’s reputation, according to the Kazar Count.
“I’ll give you a chance. Apologize for yesterday and leave immediately. Then I won’t press your fault any further.”
Chris looked the Count straight in the eye.
Then, with an arrogant tone, he said,
“I don’t know what you mean. I merely crushed a bug that didn’t know its place and crawled up.”
“!!”
“Besides, an apology? The strong show mercy and compassion to the weak. How could I possibly apologize? On the contrary—”
Chris curled his lips into a deep sneer.
“Alos should be the one bowing his head to me, begging for forgiveness. It’s the duty of the weak to bow before the strong, isn’t it?”
“!!”
His arrogance sucked the breath from the room.
The Tiramyn Maids glared at Chris as if they wanted to kill him.
The atmosphere was icy, on the verge of violence.
Chris’s Maids looked worried.
Then the Tiramyn Count twitched his brow.
At the same moment, a fierce, intangible pressure poured onto Chris—magic energy released.
For a low-level Mage, it was a heavy presence that would force them to their knees.
But Chris was different.
‘Is that all?’
He didn’t even flinch, let alone kneel.
He’d faced this kind of pressure countless times during the Age of Ruin.
His willpower could withstand it easily.
More than anything, Chris knew exactly…
Count Tiramin, despite his stinginess, would never stoop to attacking a blood relative over something so trivial.
So there was no need to be afraid.
Caught off guard by Chris’s unexpected reaction, Count Tiramin’s eyes widened slightly in surprise.
“You’ve changed.”
“…”
“But you’re still arrogant. The arrogance of a demon without the right is nothing but a disgrace. Do you really think you deserve that?”
Chris shrugged and replied smoothly, almost teasingly.
“Well, at the very least, I’d say I’m more qualified than that Alos guy.”
“!!”
Alos, who had been listening nearby, flushed bright red.
“Shut up, you idiot! I only lost yesterday because I couldn’t use my summoning technique!”
Count Tiramin nodded in agreement.
“I agree with Alos. You know the duel yesterday wasn’t fair, right? How about we have a proper rematch today?”
Chris let out a short laugh.
‘Just as I expected.’
This was exactly what Count Tiramin wanted today.
To have Chris defeated by Alos’s summoning technique in front of everyone.
It was a way to put the arrogant Chris in his place and simultaneously humble the proud Kazaar family, their longtime rivals.
“Of course, I understand that dueling a beast is a burden. So, to keep things fair, I’ll impose a penalty on Alos.”
The summoning technique was a secret art used to control beasts.
In a duel, that meant facing both the opponent’s demon and their beast at the same time, putting one at a clear disadvantage.
“No, that won’t be necessary. Instead, if I win the duel, please grant me one favor.”