Chapter 299
“A nine-tailed fox? Not from the Obsidian Mage faction, but from the Alliance?”
Usually, nine-tailed foxes belonged to the Obsidian Mage faction.
“Ah, there are some special circumstances.”
‘The whereabouts of the Dark Gossip are unknown. He’s probably not with the Magic Empire.’
Chris frowned.
One small relief was that when they last met, Chris had marked him with a poison spell to check if he was still alive—and so far, there had been no sign of trouble.
‘Still, we need to find him before it’s too late. The Mystic Mage faction might be targeting him again.’
Chris glanced toward Ruina’s direction.
“You’ll look into it too.”
“How much are you paying me?”
“…”
“Ah, come on! I’m really expensive, you know? You can’t just keep making me work for free… Evan, I told you not to treat me like trash!”
After some back and forth, with a bit of fuss,
Flash!
Chris, with Ruina’s help, moved toward the Triangle Alliance, while Evan headed off toward the Sky Magic Tower.
Then, unexpectedly, a figure appeared where they had been.
White silver hair.
Pointed ears. A spirit stone embedded in her forehead.
An elf girl with a beauty straight out of a painting.
It was Yvonne, the minor lord of the Mirror Ice Palace, who had been present during the duel with the Sword King but vanished afterward!
Back then, she had cast an ominous, unreadable gaze at Chris.
But that wasn’t the only suspicious thing.
“So, you’re Christian of the Dark Mage faction.”
A startling revelation.
Currently, Chris had transformed into a hero, and no one in the Alliance knew his true identity—but this elf girl did.
“This time, it’s unfortunate, but it should be fine. We’ll meet again soon in the Karn Empire.”
Yvonne smiled faintly.
A smile that sent chills down the spine.
“Everything happens according to the will of the great ones.”
The Triangle Alliance was located in the Western Magic Kingdom.
It was ruled by the eighth-ranked Demon King of Sorrow, but like other magic kingdoms, the actual governance of each territory was handled by noble mage families.
Facing the Holy Empire, the Mirror Ice Palace, and the Round Table outside, this was the place where the Alliance’s conflicts were most intense.
Because of this, the Sword, Beast, and Phantom Mage factions of the Western Magic Kingdom were more accustomed to cooperating than fighting among themselves.
Unlike other magic empires, the relationships between these noble families were surprisingly good.
The Triangle Alliance was a unique union where no one held dominance; all three families shared equal authority.
This was possible because the Sword, Beast, and Phantom families were evenly matched in strength, with no side overpowering the others.
But cracks were beginning to show in this solid alliance.
It was due to the fall of the Sword King.
‘Who will be the next head? The Beast King or the Phantom Lord?’
‘Both have been fiercely vying for the position, so neither will back down.’
They were grinding their teeth.
A strange expression, but true.
Originally, the head of the Triangle Alliance wasn’t a position of superiority over the other families.
It was merely a representative role to mediate conflicts.
But the Sword King shattered that balance.
He ruled like a king over the alliance, which deeply wounded the pride of the Phantom and Beast mages.
The ideal of equality among the three families had long been broken because of the Sword King.
‘So the Beast King and Phantom Lord are ignoring the Sword Mage faction’s request to attack the Holy Empire to save the Sword King.’
‘At this rate, the Triangle Alliance’s split seems inevitable.’
The mages of the alliance held their breath, watching the Beast King and Phantom Lord closely.
But they weren’t the only ones observing.
[Who should we choose as the next head of the Triangle Alliance?]
[The Beast King. The Phantom Lord is too cunning and difficult to handle.]
It was the Four Kings’ Castle.
Originally allied with the Sword King, their alliance collapsed after the Sword King was defeated by the hero.
Now, they needed to form a new alliance and decided to install someone who suited their own interests as the new head.
With the power of the Four Kings’ Castle, they had plenty of ways to intervene.
[Leave this matter to me.]
A dark-faced man named Navid stepped forward.
He was a key executive of the Four Kings’ Castle and the highest-ranking seven-star mage of the Curse Mage faction.
[I will make sure the Beast King becomes a puppet of our domain.]
A chilling declaration.
Not just endorsing the new head, but planning some scheme to turn him into a marionette of the Four Kings’ Castle.
Soon, the Four Kings’ Castle moved swiftly, and Navid made secret contact with the Beast King.
If things continued like this, the Triangle Alliance would be manipulated at the whim of the Four Kings’ Castle.
‘What’s this?’
Navid’s face hardened as he approached the Beast King.
A creepy sensation gripped him.
“Where do you think you’re going?”
“?!”
From the thick forest canopy above, Chris was looking down at him.
“How?”
“Ah, I knew the Four Kings’ Castle rat would try to sneak back into the Triangle Alliance. I roughly traced the dark magic waves you emitted while communicating with them.”
Navid looked incredulous, but Chris’s explanation was plausible.
Trying to hide his surprise, Navid soon scowled.
“Good. I’ll capture you alive and turn you into a test subject.”
For reference, Navid was a top-tier seven-star mage.
He radiated intense energy.
“Well then, let’s see how this goes.”
Chris smirked.
Thud!
“Ughk?”
Navid coughed up blood.
Chris’s holy sword, Ernhilt, pierced through Navid’s chest.
“W-why?”
“Why? Because you’re weak.”
Navid’s rank was lower seven-star.
Chris, on the other hand, had reached upper seven-star in holy energy.
Using holy energy alone, he could easily win.
‘Well, even without holy energy, fighting with dark magic alone, I wouldn’t have had much trouble.’
For reference, Chris’s dark magic was still lower seven-star.
But the power of his dark magic was incomparably stronger than other dark forces.
So against an equal opponent, he would never lose.
“Y-you bastard…!”
Navid tried to resist one last time, but it was useless.
Flash! Thud!
His breath was completely cut off.
“Alright, it’s over. Come this way.”
Chris contacted his allies through a communication magic tool, and soon several figures appeared.
Unexpectedly, it was Alos and Jupien.
“Y-Your Highness, the Grand Duke.”
Alos looked at Chris with anxious eyes.
‘Ugh! Why is this demon calling me again?’
Sensing something serious was about to happen, he wore a worried expression.
Meanwhile, Jupien frowned, crossing her arms.
“Why the hell did you call me? I was just getting pumped up.”
Jupien, a hot-blooded, stubborn mage, had been looking forward to the Four Kings’ Castle conflict, so she was clearly displeased that Chris had summoned her instead.
“You’re needed for something. But Jupien, watch your tone—I’m the Grand Duke now.”
“I’m your sister. You can only speak politely when you’re drinking.”
“…”
Chris always shrank back when the topic of alcohol came up.
“Anyway, what’s going on?”
“Listen up. It’s going to be interesting.”
Chris raised the corner of his mouth, and soon Jupien and Alos’s eyes widened.
It was a story they never expected.
“Well?”
“Yeah, I’m in. Sounds fun.”
Jupien brightened.
“Ahhh! No way! Kill me instead! I’d rather go to the battlefield!”
Alos screamed.
He had a good reason to be horrified.
“You want to offer us both as sacrifices to the Beast King?!”
It was, after all, an extremely dangerous mission.
“Don’t worry too much. You probably won’t die.”
“What do you mean ‘probably’?! We could really die!”
Alos looked at Jupien pleadingly.
“Princess, say something. Isn’t this way more dangerous for you than me? You could really die!”
“I’m fine. It sounds fun.”
“Huh?”
“It’s thrilling.”
Jupien then started doing push-ups.
True to her hot-blooded, stubborn nature, she never stopped training for even a moment.
“I have to get stronger before the mission. This is exciting.”
“…”
Alos grimaced, looking utterly defeated.
“Well, don’t think about it too negatively. Alos, this will be good for you too.”
“…What do you mean?”
“We’re going to fleece the Beast King, and your family’s magic art will advance to the next level.”
“!!”
For reference, the Obsidian Mage faction’s branches each had their specialties.
Alos’s family, the Tiramain Counts, specialized in Beast Control Magic.
And the master of Beast Control Magic was the Beast King’s Beast Mage faction.
“This is your chance to boast to your family.”
“…Ahhh, my life is more important than my family. I’d rather not do it…”
“Sorry, that’s not an option. You can either do it happily or grudgingly. Your choice.”
“You meanie Grand Duke!!”
And so the plan was set.
Chris asked them,
“Ah, one thing to confirm. I’m your master, right?”
“…What’s that supposed to mean all of a sudden?”
“I’m the Grand Duke. So I’m the master of the whole family, and that means I’m your master too.”
“…You’re already treating us like slaves, and now you’re asking? Fine, yes. It’s dirty and cheap, but yes.”
Alos grumbled in response.
“Jupien, what about you?”
“As Grand Duke, yeah, I’m your master. Master and little brother. But I’m busy training, so don’t ask weird questions, okay?”
Chris nodded.
The reason for asking such a strange question was simple.
“I’ve got their souls in my hands.”
He was trying to casually bind the two as his own followers.
Words spoken by a person carry meaning.
Especially when spoken to a high-ranking soul, those words carry a binding power akin to a vow.
That’s why there’s a saying: never speak carelessly to demons or the Celestial Order.
“Of course, this is a trick. But whatever. It’s not like it’s bad for them.”
Since Chris’s symbol was talent, simply becoming his follower would influence them, allowing for some improvement in their five-star ratings.
More importantly—
“I need them to catch the Beast King and the Phantom Duke.”
Chris shifted his gaze.
Toward Navid, the executor of the Four Kings, who lay collapsed and dying.
Slowly, Chris’s appearance began to change.
To look exactly like Navid.
Not just a superficial imitation.
Using the Celestial Order’s insignia and the kaleidoscope of dark magic that reached the seventh star, he replicated Navid’s very existence like a doppelgänger.
“Let’s go.”
The operation was underway.
The first target: the Beast King.
To the south of the Western Magic Kingdom lay a vast, dense forest.
This was the territory of the Beast Clan.
Unlike other prestigious magic houses, the Beast Clan had no special fortress or headquarters.
Only scattered villages dotted throughout the forest.
This was because the Beast Clan was a coalition of Ain tribes.
There were many Ain tribes—Keen-tooth, Catfolk, Silent Ones, and so on.
But the core of the Beast Clan was a single tribe.
The werewolves, the Lycanthropes.
Their village lay deep within the forest.
Large enough to rival a small city, every person wandering the village radiated the fierce aura of a warrior.
Into this village of warriors stepped a figure who stood out from the surroundings.
Chris, disguised as Navid.
He was accompanied by a cart wrapped in cloth.
“Stop! Who goes there?!”