Chapter 301
There was a specific reason why Alos had been entrusted to them.
“I need to use Alos as a stepping stone to eliminate the Beast King.”
However, since the reckless werewolf men might try to harm Alos, a stern warning was issued in advance.
— “Grand Duke Christian is to be used as a valuable test subject at the main estate later. Do not lay a finger on him.”
— “If Grand Duke Christian is injured, the Beast Magus Maga will be held responsible.”
After leaving the territory of the Beast Magus Maga, the magic was lifted, and he returned to his original form.
The next target was the Illusion Magus.
Along the way, he met a few people.
He summoned Yulian and Melin beforehand and assigned them certain tasks, and he also met Ruina.
This was to give instructions for what needed to be done in the Karn Empire after the current triangular alliance was over.
“Wait, stop. Did you just say what I think you said? Are you out of your mind?”
“Why? Didn’t I tell you earlier? That I’m going to interfere in the imperial succession struggle.”
“I knew that much, but this? This is unheard of!”
Ruina’s voice rose sharply.
“You’re going to impersonate a member of the royal family and challenge the throne yourself?!”
That was exactly why Ruina was having a meltdown.
Christian was about to pull off another insane stunt.
And this time, it was on a whole different level of madness.
Not just supporting one of the royals, but impersonating a royal himself to become the main contender for the throne.
“You weren’t trying to help the Crown Prince?”
“Realistically, it’s impossible to put the Crown Prince on the throne in the current situation. You know that too, right?”
“No, but you becoming a royal yourself and aiming to be emperor? What kind of nonsense is that? And how do you even plan to impersonate a royal without the Imperial Soul?”
The royal family of the Karn Empire possessed a unique trait in their souls.
It was called the Imperial Soul, used to identify true royals.
It was an impossible trait to fake, making impersonation of the royal family utterly unfeasible.
“Well, I don’t need to fake it. My soul is still that of the Karn Empire’s royal bloodline.”
In his previous life, he was born from the bloodline of the Law Kingdom’s legal family and the Karn Empire’s royal family.
More than that, he was a direct descendant of the current emperor, making his lineage the most noble on the continent.
Of course, he couldn’t reveal that, so he gave a vague excuse.
“Don’t you know who I am? Faking that is nothing. Prepare a fake identity for me.”
“A fake identity?”
“Yes. The hero I’m currently playing has an unknown origin, so we’ll say he’s a hidden bloodline of the current emperor. Since the emperor is known as a notorious womanizer, it wouldn’t be strange if an illegitimate child suddenly appeared.”
Ruina’s face turned pale.
At the same time, she felt a chill run down her spine.
The current ‘hero’ was causing a massive stir within the alliance.
And now, that ‘hero’ was supposedly the emperor’s bloodline?
It was certain to cause a huge upheaval in the Karn Empire.
“Are you serious? You’re not really trying to become emperor, are you?”
“Well? I have my reasons. Just do as I say.”
Ruina swallowed hard.
“Crazy bastard. What the hell am I doing teaming up with a demon like you?”
She had no idea what Christian was thinking.
She hoped he wasn’t really trying to become emperor, but one thing was certain.
A massive storm was about to hit the Karn Empire.
That demon would seize whatever he wanted in the eye of that storm, just as he always had.
But now, there was no turning back.
Ruina had her own ‘goal’—something she couldn’t achieve without Christian.
“Fine, I understand! I’ll trust you!”
“Oh, and there’s something else you need to prepare.”
“…What is it?”
“If we’re going to impersonate royalty, let’s do it properly. It’ll cost a bit, though.”
“……”
After hearing Christian’s plan, Ruina snapped.
“‘A bit’? You bastard! Who do you think you’re going to bleed dry?!”
“Well, if I succeed, you’ll benefit too. Think of it as an investment. Once this is over, the returns will be huge. You might even become the continent’s top merchant. You should be thanking me.”
“Ugh! You can’t even say that properly! You demon!!”
Ruina stormed off, and Christian turned his gaze elsewhere.
What happened in the Karn Empire could wait.
First, he had to deal with the matter at hand.
The next target was the Illusion Duke.
Unlike with the Beast King, Christian arranged a secret meeting with the Illusion Duke.
“It’s an honor to meet the renowned Illusion Duke. I am Christian of the Dark Magus.”
The Illusion Duke was a man in his sixties.
He had a sharp, piercing gaze.
“What business does the Grand Duke of the Dark Magus have? I don’t think the main family and the Dark Magus are on such friendly terms to casually exchange greetings.”
“I came with urgent news.”
“What is it?”
“I have information that the Beast King is conspiring with the Four Kings’ Castle to strike against Your Highness.”
“!!”
The Illusion Duke’s expression hardened.
“What nonsense is this? Do you want to die?”
A fierce aura surged.
But Christian met his gaze steadily and continued.
“Don’t you suspect something? The Beast King’s movements have been unusual.”
The Illusion Duke fell silent.
As Christian said, he had already sensed something was off.
“So, what is it you want to say?”
“I’m here to propose an alliance.”
“…What?”
“Join forces with our Dark Alliance and strike down the Beast King. You, Illusion Duke, will become the leader of the triangular alliance.”
For a moment, the Illusion Duke’s eyes flickered with a deep, unmistakable greed.
‘He’s been eyeing the leader’s position anyway.’
But he didn’t nod easily.
“I cannot agree. I won’t allow internal strife within the triangular alliance.”
“Aren’t you afraid of the Beast King?”
“!!”
Christian smirked.
“The Beast King is already planning to strike you. And you want to cling to pacifism while the enemy’s blade is pointed at you?”
“……”
“Isn’t that just a coward’s excuse?”
“…Silence.”
With a burst of anger, the Illusion Duke flared his magical energy.
But Christian didn’t stop speaking.
“I understand. Honestly, Your Highness is no match for the Beast King, isn’t that right?”
“…You insolent brat.”
A fierce pressure slammed down.
Unlike the common perception of him as snake-like, he was visibly shaken.
Christian had hit a sore spot.
‘Among the three lords of the triangular alliance, the Illusion Duke is the weakest.’
For reference, both the Beast King and the Illusion Duke were at the mid-level of the 8th rank.
But even within the 8th rank, they weren’t equal.
The general consensus was that the Beast King was one or two steps ahead.
If the Illusion Duke had barely reached mid-8th rank, the Beast King was nearing the upper 8th rank.
“Well, if you really lack confidence, you could just kneel before the Beast King. If you go to the Beast Magus Maga and bow your head right now, the Beast King might show mercy.”
“You bastard!!”
“Isn’t that the most realistic option? Or do you hate the idea of bowing your head too?”
The Illusion Duke gritted his teeth, unable to let go of his greed for the leader’s seat.
‘Such greed.’
Christian chuckled inwardly.
‘From my perspective, that’s not bad. He’s easy to use.’
Christian spoke again.
“Don’t worry. If you join us, we can definitely take down the Beast King.”
“How so? Are you saying the head of the Nordian family will come to help?”
“No, that won’t be necessary.”
“…Not necessary?”
“I will be the one to help. Taking down the Beast King is something I can handle.”
“!!”
The Illusion Duke looked as if he’d heard madness.
“What nonsense is this? Who do you think you are?”
“Who do you think caused the Demon King of Cheongryu to vanish? Haven’t you heard?”
The Illusion Duke fell silent.
‘Now that you mention it…’
The biggest recent scandal in the Magic Empire was the disappearance of the Demon King of Cheongryu.
It was the fall of a Demon King.
Even more unbelievable was that this arrogant young man before him had played the decisive role in defeating the Demon King of Cheongryu.
— “If it weren’t for my grandson Christian, we would have lost.”
Nordian had said so, and both the Grand Duke of Besen and Duke Huam had agreed.
Unbelievable, but true.
“Whether you believe me or not is your choice. But remember this: if you refuse my help, you will forever bow your head to the Beast King.”
The Illusion Duke glared at Christian with bloodshot eyes.
He hesitated.
‘It’s well known that the Illusion Duke has a complex about the Beast King.’
He had lived his whole life being subtly looked down on by the Sword King and the Beast King.
So crushing the Beast King was his lifelong ambition.
Still, when the Illusion Duke hesitated, Christian shrugged.
“I’ve said this much, and you hesitate? What a pity. I must have misjudged you. Since the Beast King will become the leader of the triangular alliance anyway, I’ll go pay him a visit.”
That stung the Illusion Duke’s pride again.
“…Fine. I’ll follow your lead.”
Finally, the Illusion Duke nodded.
“Good.”
Christian whistled inwardly.
“However, I must ask again: do you really have a way to eliminate the Beast King?”
“Of course. But I’ll need your cooperation.”
“…Cooperation?”
“Yes. There’s something we need to prepare to catch the Beast King.”
Christian revealed another objective he had in the Illusion Magus’s territory.
“Allow me to absorb the Illusion Saint Stone.”
The Illusion Saint Stone was a magical gem containing the essence of the Illusion Magus.
Chris had a way to elevate the art of illusion to an entirely new level.
Naturally, the Duke of Hwan refused at first, but Chris explained why the Hwanseong Stone was essential to capturing the Beast King.
“With the power of dark magic alone, I can’t assist Your Highness. This is strictly an internal matter within the Triangular Alliance. If it became known that an outsider like me interfered in the leadership struggle, it would put Your Highness in a difficult position.”
He was right.
There was only one way.
“I will internalize the Hwanseong Stone and use illusion magic to aid Your Highness.”
“…What nonsense is this?”
“It’s possible. Please, hear me out.”
After listening to Chris’s explanation, the Duke’s eyes widened in disbelief.
It was an unbelievable claim.
“…You’re saying that’s actually possible?”
“You must have heard of what I’ve accomplished so far. This is well within my capabilities.”
In the end, the Duke nodded and granted permission to use the Hwanseong Stone.
‘Bingo.’
Of course, Chris’s request was driven by his own personal desire.
‘Without an opportunity like this, internalizing the Hwanseong Stone would be impossible.’
That said, it was also genuinely necessary to capture the Beast King.
“Then I will prepare the troops to strike the Beast King.”
“No, no troops are needed. To take down the Beast King, only Your Highness and I are required.”
“…What?”