Episode 73
About three months later.

As the Grand Competition drew near,
Chris suddenly snapped his eyes open.

He blinked a few times,
trying to gauge how much time had passed.

‘How long has it been?’

Over the past three months,
Chris had kept a strict routine.

He studied various dark magics and black martial arts,
improving his mastery of the castle’s techniques,
and in his spare time, he researched the Black Steel Technique.

Thanks to his steady training, he had reached mid-level 3-star rank,
and his achievements in multiple dark magics and martial arts had improved dramatically.

To reach mid-3-star in less than three months—
more precisely, he was at the very edge of mid-3-star, just shy of upper 3-star.

It was an insane pace, but frustratingly, the key to the Black Steel Technique still eluded him.

Then, the moment of enlightenment came.

Without any warning.

He had slipped into a trance, and only now was he opening his eyes.

‘Has it been two days?’

He felt like he’d only closed his eyes briefly, yet two days had passed.

He couldn’t recall clearly.

Only the memory of endlessly chasing something—
a thread that wouldn’t let go.

And the instant he grasped that thread with his will, he snapped back to awareness.

Chris checked his condition,
lightly surrounding himself with magical energy.

‘What’s this?’

His face lit up with surprise.

He had reached upper 3-star!

Far faster than expected.

But even more importantly, something else had happened.

Instinctively, Chris spread his hand.

A black sword materialized.

But that wasn’t all.

He stared at the black sword, and—

Flash!

To the naked eye, it looked the same—still a black sword.

But Chris could feel it.

His will was now infused into the black sword.

It was no longer just a physical weapon;
it had become an extension of his will, a manifestation of his intent in the world.

‘Still, it’s too costly to use recklessly. Infusing will consumes a lot of magical energy. Its power is about half that of a 5-star demon’s Black Steel Technique.’

Half the power of the Black Steel Technique—that was immense.

Unimaginably strong for a demon still bound by the 3-star limit.

‘And it’s not just the Black Steel Technique I can wield now.’

Suddenly, Chris’s constitution shifted.

The darkness within him faded, replaced by a clear, radiant energy flowing through his body.

And—

Flash!

An aura of light, equal in power to the Black Steel Technique, shimmered from his hand!

He had gained the ability to use the Aura Blade.

‘So this is the realm of Radiant Brilliance, the “True” 5-star stage.’

He wasn’t truly 5-star yet.

He was still 4-star, but had surpassed its limits enough to faintly wield aura, which is called the “True” stage.

If a 5-star could faintly wield “willpower,” that would be 6-star True, and so on.

The term comes from military ranks—though not officially promoted, one might be called “True Captain” when assigned the role.

In other words, he hadn’t fully broken free from 4-star, but was stepping into 5-star territory.

His union-level power had grown significantly.

‘Good, the timing is just right.’

Chris checked the calendar.

One week until the Grand Competition—just enough time.

“Mary? Are you there?”

[Young master?]

Mary appeared suddenly, as if passing through the wall, then stopped abruptly.

[You seem… somehow more impressive?]

She instinctively sensed Chris’s newfound strength.

“Anything happen in the last two days?”

[Nothing major. Ah… I’ve investigated the First Princess, Yurian.]

Chris’s eyes gleamed at the mention.

The First Princess was his most dangerous rival.

This was important.

“Did Yurian have any special past?”

Demon contractors often had tragic, desperate backstories.

Demons coveted souls that had shone brightly but then suffered terrible fates and fell into despair.

When a wounded, shattered soul cried out in misery, demons gladly offered their “blessings.”

If Yurian was such a case, she must have had a notable past.

But—

[Nothing special, apparently.]

“Hm?”

[Princess Yurian was born as the youngest daughter of Marquis Langham and his former wife. She grew up with plenty of care and never experienced any painful hardships.]

A well-raised noblewoman.

That was all Mary had found about Yurian’s past.

“Is that so?”

Chris looked surprised.

‘If there’s no special reason for her to contract with a demon, maybe she just did it out of greed.’

If so, there was little to worry about—those who contract with demons out of greed have clear limits to their power.

But somehow, he doubted that.

It was a gut feeling.

‘There’s definitely something the family doesn’t know.’

He’d need to dig deeper.

Then Mary shared an unexpected detail.

[Oh, and there’s something strange.]

“What is it?”

[Princess Yurian’s personality suddenly changed at one point.]

Mary tilted her pretty, innocent face.

[About five years ago… after a few days of high fever, she became a completely different person. Originally, she was known as a ruthless, arrogant villainess who was cruel to her subordinates. But from that moment on, she changed entirely—matured, and developed a warm nature.]

Chris blinked.

That was odd.

A personality change after a fever?

‘For now, I’ll keep an eye on Yurian.’

He shook his head.

There wasn’t enough information to make a clear judgment.

“Alright, good work.”

[Got it…]

“Yeah, got it.”

Mary smiled sweetly, and Chris brought up another matter.

“I have one more favor. Could you deliver this letter to Ruina… no, Rubid, the head of the Rudolph Trading Company?”

The same trading company that had shaken him down during the relic expedition.

[Is there a particular reason?]

“Ah, I have a request for them.”

Chris grinned.

The reason was obvious.

He needed more money.

‘To carry out my plan, I’ll need a big sum again.’

He glanced out the window.

Beyond the mansion—where the Noga Lord’s annex stood.

Yes.

Chris planned to use the Noga Lord to cap off the Grand Competition.

---

A few days later.

Noga Lord’s annex.

Merian and Nordian were talking.

“Christiang, what is that boy up to?”

Merian tried to hide her surprise.

Over the past three months,
Nordian had asked about Christiang’s whereabouts whenever he could.

An interest unseen in any other noble.

“No significant changes. He’s been learning dark magic and martial arts from the family tutors.”

“I see. And that Presia girl? Still the same?”

“Yes, she’s using her power to isolate Christiang.”

Noga Lord clicked his tongue, displeased.

Was it at Presia’s petty tactics?

Or at Christiang, who endured unfair treatment without complaint?

Nordian’s expectations for Christiang were not this.

“Maybe I expected too much. To see him so powerless, just taking it all. I thought he was a lion cub, but maybe he’s just a straw stalk.”

A harsh and unfair judgment.

But Simon suddenly interjected.

“Maybe he’s not powerless.”

“Oh? Then what?”

“Perhaps he’s sharpening his claws.”

“Christiang, that boy?”

“Yes. If that brat is this quiet, he must be planning something.”

Nordian frowned deeply.

“You, redhead, you know more, don’t you?”

Simon just smiled.

“I just have a feeling something interesting is about to happen. We vampires are always wary of silence.”

Noga Lord clicked his tongue again.

As the tension eased, Merian cautiously presented a box.

“What’s that?”

“It’s a gift from Christiang to the family head.”

“…To me? A gift?”

“Yes. As a token of gratitude for your teachings, from grandson to grandfather.”

Yesterday, Christiang had secretly asked Merian to deliver the gift box to Noga Lord.

‘…I’m worried this might backfire.’

Merian felt uneasy.

Nordian looked like he might explode with anger at any moment.

“Pointless nonsense…”

As expected, the reaction was negative.

Merian quickly took back the gift before Christiang got into more trouble.

“I’ll return this. I’ll make sure he never does something like this again…”

“No, leave it.”

“…What?”

“Give it to me.”

Merian handed over the box, bewildered.

Noga Lord still scowled, clearly displeased.

‘Told him to get stronger, and he does this nonsense.’

But there was a reason Noga Lord accepted the gift.

A phrase written on the box:

—I’m sure you’ll be satisfied with this gift.

Noga Lord chuckled.

‘How audacious.’

He decided to at least see what the gift was.

Inside was chocolate.

“…Huh?”

“…He heard you like chocolate and prepared it himself.”

Nordian’s gaze turned icy.

Merian broke out in a cold sweat.

‘Damn it, that reckless Christiang… why would he do something like this?’

She felt more anxious than when reporting a failed mission.

Nordian looked like he was about to ignite the chocolate with magic and summon Christian just to scold him.

Thankfully, he didn’t.

It was because of that one phrase.

“I’m certain this is a gift you’ll be pleased with.”

‘He probably didn’t expect me to be satisfied with something as trivial as chocolate.’

Of course, it was true that Nordian liked chocolate.

But no matter how heavenly the taste, there was no way he’d be truly satisfied with this gift.

Because what he wanted from Christian wasn’t something like this.

And yet, Christian wasn’t the type to be clueless about that. So why pull a stunt like this?

Anger welled up, but at the same time, he couldn’t help but wonder what ridiculous idea had driven that cunning brat to do something like this.

Nordian glared sharply at the chocolate, then raised a finger and popped it into his mouth.

If it was just a simple, tasty piece of chocolate, he was ready to give Christian a serious scolding.

But the moment the smooth texture touched his tongue—

A refined sensation spread across his taste buds.

It was as if the finest patissier had poured their utmost skill into this creation.

Yet Nordian frowned.

‘He made this himself? Was he just playing chef instead of becoming a sage?’

He swallowed the chocolate with a mix of disappointment.

Then, an unexpected twist unfolded.

Suddenly—

His vision shifted.

‘…An illusion?’

This wasn’t the guesthouse anymore.

He was standing on a vast plain.

Before him rose a towering mass of dark magic—its true form.

And there, a figure stood.