Episode 72
“Let’s do this.”
The next three months.
Chris resolved to gain the strength to break free from the constraints of his noble status.
“I have carried out your orders, Madam.”
Macfield, a high-ranking demon of the Dark Mage clan and loyal retainer to the Marquis and Marchioness of Langham, bowed deeply to Fresia.
“Did that brat Christian accept his punishment without resistance?”
“Yes, there was no trouble.”
Fresia frowned.
‘Arrogant little bastard. I won’t let him get away with this.’
Her fists trembled as she recalled Christian’s insolent attitude just yesterday.
‘Assassination would be the easiest way, but that’s out of the question. It could bring trouble to Mysaac.’
If only Mysaac would challenge Chris to a duel and kill him outright, that would solve everything without complications.
But to use my own power to assassinate him? That would be tantamount to giving up the succession.
Fresia still hoped her son Mysaac would inherit the family headship. She had to avoid anything that might harm him, even in the slightest.
‘The best outcome is for Mysaac to crush that bastard himself.’
Making Christian the scapegoat to elevate Mysaac’s honor was the optimal plan.
Fresia’s mind raced.
“Summon the tutors.”
The Dark Mage clan was known for its Black Mage Knights.
Their strength came from mastering various types of dark magic.
Therefore, as a noble heir, one was expected to specialize in all forms of dark magic.
But it wasn’t just dark magic.
The clan’s mages also learned a wide range of magical arts beyond their own family’s specialties.
“Are you planning to interfere with Christian’s education? Perhaps aiming for the competition three months from now?”
Fresia nodded.
“Yes. I will instruct the tutors to ensure he achieves no progress. At the competition, he will be utterly humiliated before the entire family.”
Noble heirs were required to present their achievements to the elders every three months.
If their performance was poor, they could be stripped of their title.
Though such judgments were rare, Fresia had the power to make it happen.
By manipulating the tutors, she would ensure Christian made no progress in the coming three months.
‘I’ll arrange for the worst possible disgrace at the competition. Especially so Mysaac can trample him then.’
In three months’ time, that bastard would be cast out of the family in utter disgrace.
‘Once he loses his heir status and is expelled, I won’t hesitate to tear him limb from limb myself.’
Fresia’s eyes gleamed coldly.
Time passed.
Chris quickly realized what trick Fresia had played on him.
“I’m assigning you a task. Study the principle of how compulsive curses break down the opponent’s mind, and research how to practically disrupt the physical balance.”
“…Understood.”
The tutors’ lessons were a mess.
No, calling them a mess was too generous.
It was more like they didn’t teach at all.
They only uttered a few key phrases and dumped the rest as assignments.
‘They’re aiming for the competition in three months. Planning to kick me out for poor performance.’
Chris smirked.
‘How perfectly tailored to my situation.’
He was already aiming for the competition himself.
This time was the annual “Grand Competition.”
A gathering not only of the family elders but also the executives.
The perfect stage to prove his excellence.
‘If they’re going to play these games, it only works to my advantage.’
Fresia’s schemes would only highlight him more.
‘Besides, this kind of teaching style suits me perfectly.’
Even if the tutors deliberately gave poor lessons, they couldn’t withhold all instruction.
So they only mentioned the absolute core points.
For example:
The principle of curses.
But that phrase alone meant nothing.
How exactly does malice become reality?
How is that materialized malice applied as a curse?
There were countless processes to understand and internalize.
The tutors’ role was to teach those intermediate steps.
‘But I don’t need any of that.’
Just hearing the core was enough for him to intuit the rest.
That was his talent.
Why waste time listening to tedious explanations?
Moreover, even the tutors’ half-hearted remarks helped Chris greatly.
‘Before, I didn’t even get this kind of half-hearted teaching.’
Compared to his past life, this was a luxurious learning environment.
And he was a noble heir.
He had access to the vast Dark Mage clan library.
Countless books on dark magic and magical arts were wide open to him.
If he didn’t achieve something in this fantastic environment, he might as well give up the title of genius.
‘There are some tutors who are actually helpful.’
Not all tutors were trash, of course.
Some, forced by the Marchioness’s pressure to follow unfair orders, still felt guilty and ashamed.
Chris treated those tutors with utmost respect.
“Thank you for your lessons today as well.”
Sebastian, the halfling deputy steward, fell silent.
He was the tutor for illusions.
“…I’m not sure I deserve such thanks from you, my lord.”
His voice was embarrassed.
But Chris shook his head.
“I understand your difficult position. On the contrary, I apologize for dragging others into this family feud.”
“……”
His words only made Sebastian more embarrassed.
“Still, it’s no lie to say your lessons have helped me. Though brief, you conveyed the correct principles without any deception. Look.”
Chris raised his hand.
An illusion of a dancing dark fairy appeared.
It was so vivid it seemed alive.
The highlight was the darkness scattering every time the fairy flapped its wings.
This wasn’t an illusion—it was real darkness.
A faint demonstration of how illusions could interfere with reality.
“Thanks to your teaching that ‘a true illusion tears through reality,’ I was able to grasp this.”
Sebastian was silent.
‘…Insane.’
The illusion technique Chris just displayed was covered in over five volumes of specialized books.
Yet, just by reading the titles, Chris had figured out the entire content on his own.
Not only that, he had perfectly internalized and was now demonstrating it.
What was even more shocking was the time.
‘…He only told me about this two days ago.’
It had taken Chris just two days to pull off this insane feat.
Sebastian recalled how long it had taken him to master that technique.
He didn’t know what expression to make.
He, once considered a prodigy, had taken six months to learn it.
‘The Marchioness is mistaken. Mysaac will never be a match for Christian.’
Mysaac was ahead now.
But how long would that advantage last?
Not long.
‘At most, half a year.’
It usually took five years to go from rank 3 to 4 stars, even for geniuses it took over three years.
Half a year was absurd.
But the more Sebastian learned, the more terrifying the boy before him seemed.
His talent was frightening, beyond admiration.
Even those blessed by demons wouldn’t match this boy.
‘I have to be careful how I act.’
Though unlikely now, if this boy pulled off a miracle and inherited the family headship…
Sebastian might pay dearly for backing the wrong side.
At the very least, he must not make an enemy of this boy.
A primal warning flashed through his mind.
“Ah, ahem. Look.”
Suddenly!
From the halfling steward’s hand, countless tiny fairies appeared, fluttering like a swarm of butterflies through the air.
A festival of fairies scattering darkness in the void.
Their laughter whispered softly in Chris’s ears.
Indistinguishable from reality.
No, it was more than that.
An illusion, yet not an illusion.
A tangible illusion.
The pinnacle of fifth-rank illusion magic.
Chris bowed politely.
“Thank you for your precious teaching.”
He meant it.
This demonstration was worth more than a hundred lectures.
“Ah, ahem. No, no. I just hope you don’t hate me too much, my lord. I’m always rooting for you in my heart. Really. Truly.”
Seeing the halfling steward sneak glances at him, Chris chuckled inwardly.
“Then I have one favor to ask. Would you grant it?”
“What is it?”
“Please keep my progress a secret from the Marchioness.”
“!!”
“Until the Grand Competition.”
The halfling flinched.
He sensed Christian was scheming something for the competition.
Looking at Christian’s faint smile sent a chill down his spine.
‘Looking back, whenever Christian moves, trouble follows.’
At the Kazar Marquis family.
At the Tiramyn Marquis family.
During the Holy Black Ceremony.
During the relic expedition.
Christian always caused major upheaval.
This time would be no different.
The only way to avoid being caught in the chaos was to not oppose Christian.
“I will remember. I will always support you!”
Sebastian bowed deeply and left, and Chris returned to his solitary chamber.
He recalled the illusions Sebastian had shown him.
‘Illusions with substance. That helped a lot. It’s a clue.’
Though he was learning various magical arts and dark magic, Chris’s main focus wasn’t those.
It was the Dark Steel Technique.
The power wielded by fifth-rank mages.
What Chris desired was precisely that power of destruction.
There was a reason he was so obsessed with the Black Steel Technique.
“No matter how much of a genius I am, overcoming an absolute difference in power is impossible.”
That was the realization he’d come to after several fierce battles recently.
Of course, his talent was unmatched.
Given just a little time, he could catch up quickly.
But that “little” time was the problem.
“The enemies are too strong. Until I grow stronger, I need a weapon that can stand against them.”
That weapon was the Black Steel Technique.
If he could infuse the Black Sword with the essence of the Black Steel Technique, it would become a deadly weapon capable of facing foes far beyond his own strength.
“The Black Steel Technique and the Black Sword are powers of completely different natures. How can I impose my will on the Black Sword, which is nothing more than a mass of demonic energy?”
Chris closed his eyes.
The illusion Sebastien had shown him earlier played vividly in his mind.
A grand feast of dark fairies filling the entire void.
The fairies’ songs whispering softly in his ears. A banquet of shadows.
An illusion so real it felt like reality.
This too was a manifestation of will, bringing illusion into the world.
A faint thread of understanding seemed to shimmer just out of reach.
Chris’s mental image settled, and time passed.