Episode 54
It wasn’t a vague, blind feeling—like a blind man touching an elephant—but a clear, confident realization.
In that moment, Christian knew.
He had reached the rank of Third Star.
“It’s thanks to you, Master. Without your help, I wouldn’t have advanced to Third Star this quickly.”
Christian spoke sincerely.
Without Nordion’s guidance, it would have taken much longer—at least two or three more months.
[……]
Nordion was at a loss for words and remained silent for a long while.
It was the most bewildering situation he’d faced in nearly a decade.
In the end, all he could say was this:
[Now, the real instruction begins.]
“…Instruction?”
Christian tilted his head in confusion.
Isn’t this enough? What more is there to teach?
[You’ve only learned the hand seals. You still need to learn how to properly wield dark magic.]
“Oh.”
Of course, that was the natural next step.
Simply handing over the hand seals wasn’t true teaching.
At the same time, Nordion felt a twinge of regret watching Christian.
‘I shouldn’t have let him learn the hand seals on his own. Even if he’s talented, I never expected him to be this exceptional.’
He never imagined Christian would master the hand seals of dark magic all by himself.
The problem was that Christian had succeeded in learning them alone.
Without proper guidance, he must have developed countless bad habits or misinterpretations of the seals.
‘I have to correct every mistake perfectly.’
Then Nordion said:
“Show me your dark magic.”
Christian unleashed his dark magic.
The moment Nordion saw it, he was stunned once again.
‘No mistakes?’
Well, not exactly.
Christian had deliberately used the incorrect hand seals Nordion had taught him—but he performed them differently.
The problem was, this wasn’t a bad change.
‘…He improved the seals far more efficiently. He rewrote them on his own?’
“Following the task you gave me, I modified the hand seals in my own way.”
[…Task?]
“Wasn’t it a task?”
Christian said something strange again.
He thought the incorrect seals were given so he could experiment and improve them!
Nordion sealed his lips once more.
He lost count of how many times he’d been left speechless in front of this kid.
‘Changing the hand seals on your own… What kind of trouble could that cause?’
Each hand seal connects to the entire magic technique.
Even a slight mistake can cause fatal problems.
But he couldn’t find any issues with Christian’s changes.
In fact, it wasn’t just that there were no problems.
‘…Doesn’t it actually look better than the original?’
It was absurd to say that a child’s quick fix was better than the centuries-old hand seals passed down in a noble family—but to Nordion, an Eighth Star mage, Christian’s modifications showed no obvious flaws.
To be honest,
‘…It’s like looking at a score composed by a genius of the highest caliber.’
It wasn’t the work of a seasoned master.
Instead, it was a flash of brilliance that transcended the traditional path.
Of course, this wasn’t something to judge lightly.
The hand seals of a mental technique must consider not only immediate efficiency but also their impact as one’s skill advances.
Still, it didn’t seem like Christian’s changes would have negative effects later on.
‘…Unbelievable.’
Nordion swallowed hard.
He knew the boy’s talent was overflowing.
But genius?
It was on a whole different level.
How many times had he been surprised now?
This was an unfathomable prodigy.
Nordion himself was a genius, but this was a different league.
Two feelings welled up inside him.
At first, a pounding excitement.
How long had he waited for a child like this?
But alongside that came a chilling sense of caution, like a bucket of cold water.
‘I have to guide him properly.’
This was a single ray of hope after a long wait, even using forbidden magic to extend his own lifespan.
He could never let it be wasted.
‘I must teach him thoroughly.’
Originally, Nordion had decided to teach Christian partly out of curiosity.
He wanted to see just how exceptional a vessel Christian was, having absorbed over 90% of the Dark Star.
But his mindset had changed.
He was determined to teach sincerely and properly.
…Of course, this wasn’t necessarily good news for Christian.
Nordion was an old-fashioned teacher with no talent for teaching.
He would make things difficult, give confusing lessons, and then wonder why his student didn’t understand.
Nordion even resolved:
‘I’ll have to raise the difficulty of training far beyond what I originally planned.’
It was already brutal—how could he possibly make it harder?
Still, the good news was that Christian was the perfect student.
No matter how tough the lesson, he absorbed it perfectly.
[Prepare yourself. The lessons I’m about to give won’t be easy.]
“The harder it is, the more grateful I am.”
[What do you mean?]
“I believe every hardship is a challenge you’ve prepared for me, Master.”
Christian answered sincerely.
After the previous two lessons, he had come to trust Nordion completely.
No matter how cold or venomous his true feelings might be, Nordion’s teachings were genuine.
Christian had rarely experienced such pure guidance before, so he was honestly thankful.
‘Of course, you’re teaching me because you want me to be an asset to the family. Still, I’m grateful.’
Nordion scoffed at Christian’s response.
[You speak well. But once the real training begins, you’ll regret it. And by then, it’ll be too late.]
“That’s fine. I trust your teaching, Master.”
[Hmph. We’ll see about that.]
For a moment, their eyes locked fiercely in the air.
And so,
The worst teacher met the best student.
The result?
An endless parade of astonishment.
Two more months passed.
That made three months since the wager with Marquis Langham.
“The deadline is almost here.”
Marquis Langham glanced at the calendar.
Only one day remained.
“And Christian?”
“He’s still training.”
“With Master Nordion?”
“…That’s the assumption.”
Langham frowned deeply.
Only a select few, including Langham himself, knew Christian was receiving instruction from the Master.
But Langham didn’t care much.
‘It’s unfortunate he’s learning from Father.’
Langham had trained under the Master before.
It was nothing but hardship with no achievement—a total waste of time.
Now Christian was wasting his tight three-month window under the Master’s tutelage.
He thought the kid was just unlucky.
By the way, Christian’s progress was still unknown to Langham.
‘Maybe that’s for the best. If he fails now, he won’t have to take the second test.’
The second test Christian would face was no joke.
In fact, Langham planned to use the test as a pretext to eliminate Christian.
Not just out of spite.
‘The Dark Mage needs sacrifices. He’s just the right candidate.’
Just then, a report came from outside.
“Your Excellency, envoys from the House of Huam are expected to arrive.”
Langham’s eyes darkened.
The House of Huam.
The family of the “Deadly Poison” mages.
A rival neighbor.
Langham planned to sacrifice Christian in the conflict with the House of Huam, using the test as an excuse.
For the benefit of the Dark Mage.
Creak.
The training hall door opened, and Christian stepped outside.
‘It’s been a while since I’ve been outside.’
He stretched his limbs.
There was something different about him now.
His eyes were deeper, more focused.
He had surpassed the initial stage of Third Star and fully reached the rank.
To be precise, he was at the very end of the lower Third Star.
To reach the brink of the middle rank in just two months—that was an absurd speed.
[…Don’t get cocky just because of a small achievement. You’ve only just taken your first steps.]
Nordion spoke gravely.
Though his voice carried a cold intensity, Christian just grinned.
For the past two months, Nordion had only repeated the same warning: don’t get arrogant.
Why?
Because Christian was good at everything, and there was nothing else to say.
‘I think Master is a little surprised by my genius.’
As the dignified head of the family, he didn’t show it outwardly.
But even if he didn’t say it, couldn’t he feel it?
Later, Christian could even see Nordion trying to keep a straight face, which almost made him laugh.
Christian bowed his head toward Nordion.
“Thank you for your guidance.”
He meant it.
It had been a huge help.
Above all, Christian was grateful to have someone who taught him solely for his growth.
‘Is this… what a teacher is?’
He wouldn’t dare call the Master his teacher, though.
Nordion seemed to sense the sincerity in Christian’s words and fell silent for a moment.
[Don’t get the wrong idea. I’m not teaching you because you’re special.]
“I know. Still, thank you.”
Nordion frowned in displeasure.
[Enough with the pointless talk. Go now.]
“Yes, sir.”
Watching Christian walk away, Marian said,
“Isn’t he truly amazing?”
[Impressive, really. And this is just the very beginning.]
Though he muttered the words, it was clear he didn’t truly mean them.
Over the past two months, Merian had witnessed firsthand just how shocked Nordian had been by that kid.
“…Aren’t you going to help?”
[Help with what?]
“…….”
Merian fell silent.
Now, Christian was about to face every obstacle his family could throw at him.
The chances were high that he wouldn’t soar into the sky as planned, but instead, be crushed under the weight of it all.
[If he can’t overcome such trials, then he’s nothing more than a weakling from the start.]
“…Lord of the house.”
[More than anything,]
Nordian said indifferently,
[I don’t like it, but he’s my disciple. If he can’t get through this, then he doesn’t deserve to be called one.]
Merian’s eyes widened.
Disciple.
Nordian had taught many before, but this was the first time he’d used such a word so directly.
Christian didn’t know it yet, but Nordian considered him his own student.
‘I should report to Marquis Langham and then just relax. It’s been a while since I’ve had time to lounge around.’
He was naturally a lazy genius type.
After pushing himself hard for the past three months without rest, he was exhausted.
The second test wouldn’t start immediately, so until then, he planned to laze about in bed, taking it easy.
On a whim, he asked a servant to stop by the liquor cellar and grabbed a few bottles of expensive alcohol.
‘I’m done with ginger ale!’
He wasn’t planning to drink it, though.
Mary, the strict ghost maid, wouldn’t allow it, so he intended to let the alcohol’s scent linger and enjoy it as a non-alcoholic experience.
Just as he was settling in to rest, a voice he’d never heard before called out.
“Christian?”
“??”
It was a girl he’d never seen before.