Episode 35

“I hope that from now on, the Tiramain Marquis family can finally clear the grudge they hold against our Kazar Marquis family.”

“!!”

“Not to remain enemies, constantly baring teeth at each other, but to become rivals who also maintain peace and work toward proper development. As true blood relatives should.”

The Tiramain Marquis seemed taken aback by Chris’s unexpected words and couldn’t respond.

The two marquis families.

Their relationship had been strained for a long time.

At first, it was just the usual rivalry between branch families, but now it had escalated far beyond that.

They were practically half-enemies.

There was a reason for this.

“Even if our two families keep feuding, who benefits but the main house?”

“What do you mean by that?”

“You must know, Marquis, that the root of our discord lies in the main house’s secret manipulations. They feared that if the branch families united, it would threaten their power, so they deliberately sowed discord between us.”

The Tiramain Marquis took a deep breath.

Chris’s words were true.

It was a common tactic.

To solidify control, the main house would pit their subordinate families against each other.

Both marquises were aware of this.

They had realized too late that they’d been caught in the main house’s scheme, but by then, the rift between their families had grown too wide.

“…Are you saying you intend to defy the main house?”

“Of course not. I have no such intention. I just believe that knowing the truth, we don’t have to be pawns in their schemes. Swearing loyalty doesn’t mean becoming miserable dogs.”

“…You’ve changed.”

Chris smiled in response.

A confident smile.

More telling than a hundred words, it clearly showed how much Chris had changed.

‘How on earth…’

The Tiramain Marquis sighed.

He knew the old Chris well.

How could that worthless wastrel have transformed like this?

His abilities were astonishing, and his character even more so.

To think he now sought to reconcile the two feuding families.

Though only a fifteen-year-old boy, he was no ordinary vessel.

“Very well. I’ll do as you say. I’ll contact the Kazar Marquis soon. There’s no reason for us to keep feuding when we both know it’s wrong.”

“Thank you.”

“So, is that all?”

The Tiramain Marquis looked Chris squarely in the eye.

“I feel like you want something else from me.”

He was a sly snake, despite his size.

He saw right through Chris’s thoughts.

“Yes, that’s right. I do have another request, Uncle.”

Chris subtly shifted to calling him “Uncle.”

The Tiramain Marquis noticed but said nothing.

“I want to become the heir. Please support me.”

“!!”

The Tiramain Marquis’s eyes widened.

“The heir? Are you serious? You’re a branch family member.”

“Being a branch doesn’t mean I can’t become heir, as far as I know.”

“Is that even a valid argument? Though not forbidden by law, in the history of the Dark Maga, no branch family has ever become heir.”

The Marquis was right.

There was no law against it.

But that didn’t mean it was possible.

The fact that it had never happened in history proved how difficult it was.

Still.

“Do you think it’s impossible?”

“!!”

“I believe I can do it.”

The Tiramain Marquis was speechless.

Of course, Chris had shown remarkable qualities this time at the Tiramain estate.

He understood just how exceptional Chris’s abilities and character were now that he’d broken out of his shell.

But a branch family member becoming heir?

No, it wasn’t just about becoming heir.

To declare one’s intention to become heir was to challenge for the position of the next family head.

An impossible feat.

Yet.

“I don’t think I’m chasing a foolish dream. In fact, I believe I have a good chance.”

“…Why?”

“Because I’m far superior to the other heirs.”

Such absurd confidence.

But this was Chris’s honest conviction.

Being born into a branch family?

An unfair starting line?

The main house’s opposition?

What did any of that matter?

He would overcome it all with ability.

More than anything, his ultimate goal was to reach the pinnacle of the Mage Empire.

Competing for heir was just the starting line.

“Sigh.”

The Tiramain Marquis let out a hollow laugh.

To anyone else, it might sound ridiculous enough to mock, but strangely, he couldn’t bring himself to laugh at Chris.

There was a strange magic in Chris’s confidence.

The certainty that he would succeed.

No, watching Chris’s arrogant confidence that this was well within his reach made the Marquis wonder if maybe, just maybe, it could be possible.

Unable to answer easily, the Marquis was struck by Chris’s final blow.

“Besides, aren’t you angry, Uncle?”

“What do you mean?”

“About Marquis Langham.”

“!!”

The Marquis’s face stiffened.

Marquis Langham.

The one currently leading the Dark Maga in place of the deceased Lord Nordian.

It was Marquis Langham who had orchestrated the feud between the Tiramain and Kazar families.

“He treated us branch families like guard dogs, so he pulled those dirty tricks. Of course, we can’t officially protest.”

Chris spoke meaningfully.

“If I take the heir’s position from him, that will be sufficient revenge.”

“!!”

The second heir, Ashid de Barron, the most likely successor, was Marquis Langham’s son.

Not only him, but the first heir, the first heiress, and the third heir were all Langham’s children.

If Chris could eliminate them and become the next family head, it would be a perfect revenge.

“…What a ridiculous notion.”

“Is that so?”

“But it’s strange. I’m sure it’s impossible, yet I find myself wanting to support you.”

The Marquis shook his head, then fixed Chris with a sharp gaze.

“I’ll give you an answer. For now, it’s a no. Your words are all show; you haven’t proven anything yet. You lack the qualifications to earn the Tiramain family’s support.”

Chris read between the lines.

That wasn’t a rejection.

“You mean I have to prove my worth.”

“Yes. If you can prove you’re worthy of the heir’s position, the Tiramain family will stand behind you.”

Chris grinned.

“That won’t take long. Please wait.”

It was a conditional approval, but that was fine.

He would more than prove his qualifications.

With that, the conversation ended, and the Tiramain Marquis unexpectedly offered one more reward.

“Take this summoning stone.”

“Uncle?”

It was the summoning stone Chris had originally planned to request as a reward!

“This stone is yours by right. Consider it a gift from your uncle to his nephew.”

Chris didn’t refuse.

“Thank you. If you have any more gifts, feel free to give them.”

“What? Ha ha!”

The Marquis laughed heartily and truly gave him another gift.

A beast summoning stone.

An artifact that stores a beast and allows its summoning at will.

Since it was difficult to carry beasts around, mages skilled in summoning often stored their beasts in stones like this.

“It can store beasts up to rank 4.”

“Thank you.”

Chris spoke sincerely.

The price of summoning stones rises exponentially with rank.

A rank 4 stone was truly a treasure.

‘Though I can’t handle rank 4 beasts yet, this will come in handy later.’

He had temporarily controlled Karajoff, but that was a fleeting feat, and using him in battle was impossible.

To command a beast in battle, one must control every move as if it were an extension of oneself.

Given time, it would be possible.

The Marquis changed the subject.

“But how did you fight the demons?”

“…….”

The Marquis tilted his head.

“You couldn’t have fought the demons on your own. How did you hold out until they were re-summoned?”

He clearly didn’t imagine that Chris had destroyed the demons.

That was natural—it was impossible.

He simply assumed Chris had fought and endured until the demons were sent back to Gehenna.

Just surviving against demons was an incredible feat.

“That’s…”

Using the Shining Blade was a secret Chris had to keep.

He tried to dodge the question, but suddenly an unexpected voice interrupted.

“I’ll take that question.”

“!!”

Chris and the Marquis stiffened.

They hadn’t sensed anyone approaching, yet someone had suddenly appeared beside them.

The Marquis’s eyes widened in shock when he recognized the newcomer’s face.

“The steward?”

“Yes, it’s been a while, Marquis.”

Pale as moonlight.

With a sculpted smile, the man bowed his head.

“I am Simon, the steward of the Dark Maga. I have come to see Master Christian.”

---

Steward.

That was Simon’s title.

“…Then let us talk.”

“Thank you for your consideration.”

The Marquis rose with a troubled expression.

He clearly disliked Simon.

Chris understood the Marquis’s reaction.

‘He does give off an unsettling vibe.’

People have a certain aura.

You can tell at a glance if someone is good or bad.

Though it’s an unfounded feeling, it’s often accurate.

In that sense, Steward Simon was definitely not a good man.

Though this was their first meeting, he radiated danger.

‘But is this really our first meeting? Why does he seem so familiar?’

Chris tilted his head.

Though he’d never seen him before, the face seemed oddly familiar.

It wasn’t a trick of the mind.

He had seen that face somewhere.

‘Did I meet him during the Age of Ruin?’

Chris murmured the name “Simon.”

The name sounded familiar.

It wasn’t the first time he’d heard it.

He’d heard it in his previous life.

‘Simon, Simon…? No way, am I going crazy?’

A sudden thought flashed through Chris’s mind, and his eyes widened.

I just remembered!

Where had I heard the name Simon before?

“Is something the matter, young master?”
Simon in front of me tilted his head in curiosity.

“…Nothing.”
“Hmm?”

Chris tried hard not to let his surprise show. His heart was pounding wildly.

Simon hadn’t been a famous figure during the Age of Ruin. But among those connected to him, a few were notorious.

‘Simon was the mentor of the Bloodshadow Demon Corps’ leader.’

The Bloodshadow Demon Corps.

A ruthless, psychotic group that carried out indiscriminate slaughter and terror, targeting both the Magic Empire and the Crusade Alliance alike.

Their leader was a fiend who had reached the rank of 8-star Demon and, by the end of the Age of Ruin, ascended to 9-star, becoming the Tenth Demon King.

Thanks to the Bloodshadow Demon Corps’ leader, the hero’s party had narrowly escaped death more times than they could count.

And Simon was the teacher of that monstrous figure.

‘But that’s not all.’

Chris swallowed hard.

In truth, being the mentor of the Bloodshadow Demon Corps’ leader might have been nothing compared to this.

Simon’s other identity.

‘He’s blood kin to the Blood-Draining Demon King.’