Episode 81
“Yes, there will be some commotion. Perhaps, it could even be an opportunity for your guild.”
Ruina’s eyes widened.
Right now, Chris was leaking classified information to her—intelligence he had uncovered through the internal government of the Dark Mage Guild!
‘Technically, it’s knowledge I had before my regression.’
A massive catastrophe was about to strike the Gold Cross.
A disaster that would shake the entire continent.
Chris planned to intervene in that calamity.
‘But to do that, I’ll need someone inside Gold Cross to lend a hand. It’d be best if Ruina prepared for it in advance.’
“If you play your cards right, your guild could benefit greatly.”
Ruina’s face lit up with genuine emotion.
“Oh hoho, I always believed in you, Lord! I truly think deciding to become your right hand in this life was my best choice!”
“Didn’t you just tell me to pay damages a moment ago?”
“Oh my, who dared speak such nonsense to the great Lord? I must have been out of my mind. I’ll have to shut that wicked mouth of mine again. Shoo, shoo.”
Smack, smack.
Watching Ruina’s overly dramatic antics, Chris stifled a chuckle.
‘She won’t be saying things like that once she’s caught up in the mess.’
Ruina was about to go through a lot of hardship.
Not just a little trouble—she was in for an enormous ordeal.
But since it would ultimately bring her great benefit, Chris chose to turn a blind eye.
“I’ll contact you later about how you should act within Gold Cross. For now, let’s get going.”
“Oh hoho, please take care! Loyalty, loyalty, loyalty!”
When he returned to the mansion, an unexpected figure was waiting for him.
“Are you ready to depart?”
Pale.
Beautiful, yet somehow chillingly handsome.
Simon, the chief butler, smiled faintly and bowed.
“I will accompany you to the underground garden, Lord.”
To avoid any show of force between factions, it was customary to keep the number of attendants at the Lord’s conference to a minimum.
After entrusting Alos’s training to Melin, they set off quietly.
Clatter, clatter—the carriage rolled forward.
The underground garden was quite a distance away, so it would be a fairly long journey.
‘The Destruction Mage Guild is located west of the Southern Mage Kingdom.’
Looking at the map of the Southern Mage Kingdom, it was arranged like this:
Dark Mage Guild to the east.
Extreme Poison Mage Guild in the center.
Destruction Mage Guild to the west.
Like a tricolor flag.
But looking closer, a massive mountain range cut across to the right of the Destruction Mage Guild.
In other words, the Destruction Mage Guild had established its own territory west of the mountains, while the Extreme Poison and Dark Mage Guilds were locked in territorial disputes in the center and east.
‘First, I need to use the gate that leads into the Destruction Mage Guild’s territory. I wonder how long that will take.’
They had to travel by carriage to reach the gate.
‘Still, this is inconvenient.’
Only Simon and Chris were inside the carriage.
Princess Jupien was part of the group but refused to ride.
“Why aren’t you getting in?”
“I need to train my stamina.”
“…Alright.”
Jupien was following the carriage using lightness skill, not stopping for hours on end.
Judging by her performance in the last competition, she was surprisingly hardworking.
Thanks to that, Chris was alone with Simon.
‘He hasn’t done anything bad to me since we first met, but it’s still uncomfortable. Sitting face-to-face with someone who looks like the Bloodthirsty Demon Lord.’
But Simon seemed to think otherwise, smiling broadly as he struck up conversation.
“I’ve wanted to serve you, Lord, so I’m glad this opportunity has come.”
“Why do you want to serve me?”
“Well, you’re interesting.”
Chris blinked in confusion.
That probably wasn’t a compliment.
Simon had a notorious past.
‘How many relatives did he kill when he left the Blood Sword Mage Guild?’
The vampire clan was a bloodthirsty race, inherently cruel.
Simon was one of the most dangerous among them.
‘Still, he’s not someone to be avoided entirely.’
For whatever reason, Simon held goodwill toward him.
If Chris could get information about the Bloodthirsty Demon Lord through this, it would be beneficial.
‘The question is how to dig it out.’
As he pondered, Simon unexpectedly spoke.
“You seem to have something you want to ask. Go ahead. Unless it’s about Baronka’s secrets, I’ll tell you anything.”
An unexpected offer.
Chris didn’t refuse.
“Could you tell me about Countess Idrynne, the Grand Princess of the Blood Sword Mage Guild?”
That was the current title of the Bloodthirsty Demon Lord.
His heart pounded.
‘I don’t actually know much about the Demon Lord’s personal affairs.’
Maybe he could get an unexpected clue to help when facing the Demon Lord.
Simon looked surprised by the question.
“Hmm? You’re interested in our Idrynne?”
“…She’s one of the Five New Stars of the Twelve Noble Mage Families.”
Among the many lords and ladies of the Twelve Noble Mage Families, the five most outstanding were called the Five New Stars.
They were not just promising rookies but true powerhouses beyond their years.
“My goal is to defeat her someday.”
He meant it.
His journey wouldn’t end until he killed the Bloodthirsty Demon Lord.
“Indeed. Our Idrynne is famous. What exactly do you want to know?”
“Everything. Anything.”
“Hmm.”
Simon frowned, as if recalling.
A complex expression flickered across his face.
“She’s a cute and lovely girl.”
“…Excuse me?”
Chris was dumbfounded.
Did he just say that?
“She’s kind-hearted, unlike me. It’s hard to imagine she was born from the same womb as a scoundrel like me.”
“……”
Chris made a grimace.
That was the most ridiculous nonsense he’d ever heard.
“Please don’t joke.”
“Hmm? I’m serious. Though she’s rumored as the ‘Blood Little Princess’ and has a bad reputation, that nickname comes from the deadly atmosphere of the Demon Lord’s castle. In reality, it’s not true at all. She still often contacts me, worried about how I’m doing.”
“…She contacts you often?”
“Yes, I even got a letter from her recently.”
The more he heard, the more absurd it became.
Simon grinned.
“Come to think of it, you and the Lord seem well matched. Different species and age gap aside, you’re actually similar in age. You’d be a good match for Idrynne. If you’re interested, I could arrange a marriage.”
“Cough!”
Chris choked and cleared his throat.
‘Are you insane?’
Marrying the Bloodthirsty Demon Lord? Just the thought sent chills down his spine.
“Please don’t say such pointless things.”
“Hmm, I’m serious.”
“P. L. E. A. S. E. D. O. N. T.”
Chris said firmly, and Simon clicked his tongue in disappointment before falling silent.
‘Still, that’s unexpected.’
The Demon Lord is kind?
Though it sounded absurd and hard to believe, it wasn’t just idle talk.
‘One of two things: either her nature changed after the demon contract, or she’s so hypocritical she hides her terrible true self completely.’
Either was possible.
Many demon contractors who caused bloodshed originally had shining souls.
‘That doesn’t mean I have any sympathy for them.’
No matter the backstory, the horrific crimes committed by demon contractors were unforgivable.
Still, Chris thought it necessary to investigate the Demon Lord’s background.
It might reveal an unexpected weakness.
Secondly, noteworthy information:
Simon and the Bloodthirsty Demon Lord—no, Countess Idrynne of the Blood Sword Mage Guild—were not on bad terms as of now.
‘That’s strange. If they’re not enemies, why does Simon meet such a death?’
Chris knew how Simon would die.
‘Simon the chief butler is killed by the Bloodthirsty Demon Lord.’
Not just killed.
The Demon Lord would dismember Simon’s limbs one by one, inflicting excruciating pain before death.
Such a cruel execution was infamous even among the allied forces.
‘There’s something I don’t know.’
Chris frowned deeply.
Meanwhile, at the western edge of the Southern Mage Kingdom.
A massive fortress perched atop a sheer cliff.
The Destruction Mage Guild’s Grand Duke family, the Beths.
The castle towered like a giant’s body, casting a shadow over several buildings below on the cliffside.
Those were the dwellings of lower-ranked demons who couldn’t stay inside the castle.
Among them, one building looked particularly shabby.
Old and worn, it seemed like it could collapse in a strong wind.
A handsome man with a strong presence approached.
“Mother.”
“…Kashmir.”
The man was Prince Kashmir of the Destruction Mage Guild.
But why was his mother living in such a dilapidated place?
There was a reason.
He was an illegitimate son.
Born of a lowly bloodline.
His father, a direct descendant of the Destruction Mage Guild, had a one-night fling with his mother, a maid, and immediately cast her out.
Afterward, Kashmir entered the Destruction Mage Guild as a common demon and showed such dazzling talent that he earned the title of prince.
But that was as far as it went.
A nominal prince with no future, constantly checked by the direct line.
He couldn’t even get medicine to cure his sick mother.
‘If only I could get medicine from the Medical Virtue family, I could save her.’
Kashmir’s face twisted in anguish.
With the power of the Destruction Mage Guild, he could easily obtain medicine—but not for him.
Still, he couldn’t just abandon everything and run off to join the alliance.
There was no guarantee he could even find the elusive Uiseon clan, which had been hiding their stronghold for centuries. And the moment he left the Destruction Magi, an assassin sent by his own bloodline would kill his mother.
“I brought some medicine,” someone said.
It was only something to ease the symptoms.
“I’m fine. You don’t have to worry about me… cough… cough.”
But when blood mixed with his mother’s cough, Kashmir’s expression darkened.
‘At this rate, she won’t last much longer. I have to find the Uiseon clan’s medicine, no matter what.’
Just then, a sharp presence cut through the air from outside.
Kashmir’s face hardened.
When he stepped outside, a man with a haughty expression was waiting for him.
It was Schwarz, the eldest prince of the Destruction Magi.
“Brother.”
“Brother? Who the hell calls you that?”
Smack!
Schwarz slapped Kashmir across the face.
Not once.
Smack! Smack!
Kashmir’s lips split open.
He didn’t even try to dodge or defend himself.
That was his reality.
Beaten and trampled, he had no choice but to endure it—the prince in name only.