Chapter 16

FANSiA Originals and KakaoPage

I Became the Genius Bastard of a Noble Dark Clan

[Author/Original: Yuin]

[TL: Dekor]

[PR: Spades]

Chapter 16

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Chris spoke in a calm tone.

"I'll say it again. I intend to make the Dark Mage Household submit beneath my feet."

"!!"

Count Khazar was taken aback by the sudden declaration.

"W-what are you saying…?"

"You still don't understand. It doesn't seem like a difficult concept. I'm saying that I, Christien, will become the master of the Dark Mage Household."

Count Khazar stared at him with eyes that looked as if they would tear apart.

'He's too shocked. If he heard my true goal, he'd probably faint on the spot.'

Taking control of the Dark Mage Household was merely the first step.

His true goal was to stand at the pinnacle of the magical world.

To become a Demon King.

'And not just any Demon King—I must reach the highest ranks. Only then can I prevent the Great Chaos from erupting.'

The Magic Empire did not have just one Demon King.

At the top sat the Demon Emperor, the highest-ranked Demon King, and beneath him were several other Demon Kings.

For reference, the one who had caused the Great Chaos, the Carnage Demon King, had been ranked fourth.

That meant Chris needed to become at least the third-ranked Demon King or higher.

'If I reach that level, I'll be able to enjoy wealth and glory to the fullest.'

At that moment, Count Khazar slowly opened his mouth.

"Do you truly believe it's possible for you to become the master of the Dark Mage Household? We are a branch family."

"I was under the impression that even a branch family could be recognized for succession as long as they had the ability."

"That is merely a nominal rule. More than that, aren't you the most lacking among your peers?"

He knew now that his son had changed.

But the years of debauchery could not be erased.

While Christien had wasted his time in indulgence, the other young pillars of the main family had soared to great heights.

Among them, the one who had risen the highest was Aeshid.

"Falling behind is something that can be made up for. Let me ask you one thing. Father, why do you think Aeshid tried to frame me?"

"...."

Count Khazar fell silent for a moment.

It was certainly a puzzling matter.

Aeshid was an existence so far above Christien that they could not even be compared—so why would he bother?

"…I don't know for certain. But I can guess one thing. It was likely because of your talent."

"Yes, that's correct."

Chris nodded.

"He must have envied the talent that surpassed his own."

Aeshid had long been praised as the most talented among the next generation of the Dark Mage Household's bloodline.

That was before Christien was born.

The title of greatest genius had shifted to Christien.

It was clear that Aeshid had tried to destroy him out of jealousy.

'Now that I think about it, what a ridiculous bastard. He did all this just because of that? And when there's such a big age gap between us?'

Aeshid was nearing his mid-twenties. He had nearly a ten-year age difference with his younger cousin, yet he committed such an act out of sheer jealousy.

Regardless, before Christien had fallen, he was called a genius.

And the one who now inhabited Christien's body possessed a talent that far surpassed even that of the so-called genius Christien.

"I surpass them. Overwhelmingly so."

He had never personally met or compared himself with the other heirs of the Dark Mage Household, but he was certain of it.

During the Great Chaos that would unfold in the future, there was no one in the Dark Mage Household who could be considered a genius on par with him.

No, even across the entire Magic Empire, there was no one.

It wasn't for nothing that the Hero had once said that if Chris had mastered swordsmanship or magic, the outcome of the war would have been different.

"Although I may be behind for now, I will eventually stand at the highest point. To such an extent that they won't even dare to look at me properly."

The mere young successors of the household were not his goal. To be honest, they weren't even on his radar.

Standing at the pinnacle of the Magic Empire.

That was his true goal.

Hearing such an arrogant declaration, Count Khazar swallowed a groan.

'What in the world…'

It was an utterly absurd, impossible notion.

Yet, what was that unwavering look in his eyes?

It wasn't even an expression of determination to achieve his goal.

It was simply the gaze of someone who saw it as an inevitable reality.

'Should I consider that confidence? Or is it just the delusion of someone who cannot grasp reality?'

Of course, it was undoubtedly a delusion.

It was such an absurdly preposterous claim.

And yet… was it because he was his father?

Or was it because of how firm Christien's eyes were?

Perhaps it was due to the astounding changes Christien had shown in recent days.

For the briefest moment, the thought crossed Count Khazar's mind—perhaps his son's words were not mere delusions after all.

"In that sense, I have a favor to ask of you, Father."

"A favor?"

"Yes. Do you remember when I said that once I was no longer a wastrel, I would ask you for a favor?"

Chris continued.

"Please use your authority to recommend me for the Sacred Black Ceremony in two months."

"!!"

Count Khazar's face was struck with shock.

"The Sacred Black Ceremony? But that's…!"

The Sacred Black Ceremony.

A ritual in which the bloodline of the Dark Mage Household received the blessing of their innate power—Dark Mana.

However, it wasn't simply a ritual to receive a blessing. Those who participated had to compete against one another, and according to the strict principle of survival of the fittest, the greater the individual's strength, the greater the blessing they would receive.

The stronger one was compared to their competitors, the greater the blessing they would obtain. Conversely, those who fell behind would receive no blessing at all.

'And this is also the most crucial event in selecting the Young Lord.'

Chris contemplated silently.

Young Lord.

A title given to the heirs of the great magic households.

Only by making a remarkable impression during this blessing ceremony could one earn the title of Young Lord.

"I have the blood of the Dark Mage Household as well, so don't I qualify to participate?"

"In terms of lineage, yes. But you know the rules."

Count Khazar shook his head.

"To participate in the Sacred Black Ceremony, one must have reached the level of Two-Star in Dark Energy cultivation."

This was because mastering Dark Mana only became possible from Two-Star onward.

Thus, the Sacred Black Ceremony was held once every three years, during which all direct and branch bloodline members who had reached Two-Star were eligible to participate.

"You've only just reached One-Star. It's impossible for you to challenge the upcoming Sacred Black Ceremony. You'll have no choice but to wait three more years."

That was the natural way of thinking.

Advancing from One-Star to Two-Star typically took a minimum of three years, but more commonly, it required five years or more.

For those without talent, it could take even longer.

Most members of the Dark Mage Household, blessed with outstanding talent, typically reached Two-Star by around the age of fifteen.

"I can't afford to wait three years."

"But there's no other choice, is there?"

"No, there is a way. I simply need to reach the level of Two-Star within the next two months."

"!!"

Count Khazar's eyes widened.

"What nonsense is this?"

Reaching Two-Star in just two months?

He had heard his son spout plenty of absurdities before, but nothing came close to this.

"Even the Patriarch himself, hailed as one of the greatest geniuses in the history of the Dark Mage Household, took more than a year and a half to reach Two-Star. And yet, you claim you'll achieve it in just two months? There's a limit to how much nonsense one can listen to."

Count Khazar frowned as he spoke.

Chris understood his father's reaction.

'Even the greatest genius of the Dominion of Light, the Hero, took over a year to reach Two-Star.'

To be precise, the Hero had taken just over a year, and at the time, the entire world had been thrown into an uproar over his astonishing speed.

So reaching Two-Star in just two months was indeed an impossible feat.

But Chris grinned.

"Would you like to see something for a moment?"

Chris drew his sword.

"What are you trying to do?"

"Just watch. This is Mud Swordsmanship."

"…You've never learned Mud Swordsmanship, have you?"

Mud Swordsmanship was the signature sword style of the Black Mire Knight Order. Count Khazar had never taught any of its secrets to Christien after he had become a wastrel.

"I saw it in the training grounds and observed carefully. I got a rough idea of how it's performed."

"What? That's absurd."

Count Khazar's face twisted in disbelief.

"You'll understand once you see it. Just watch."

"…Fine."

Count Khazar nodded.

Christien took his stance and began executing Mud Swordsmanship.

And as he moved, Count Khazar's eyes gradually widened.

What unfolded before him was an unbelievable, impossible sight.

* * *

'Imitating basic sword techniques like this is simple.'

As seen in Melin's case, the Black Mire Knight Order consisted of magic swordsmen—knights who wielded both swordsmanship and black magic.

In fact, not just the Black Mire Knight Order, but the entire Dark Mage Household followed this principle.

Now, here was a question.

Why was the Black Mire Knight Order named after the black mire?

Because their specialty lay in weakening and subduing opponents through cursed black magic, as if dragging them into a swamp.

Accordingly, their swordsmanship wasn't focused on raw destructive power but on restricting, disrupting, and weakening opponents.

Mud Swordsmanship was specifically designed for such control.

Once the core principles of the sword art were understood, replicating it became much easier.

Paaat!

From Chris's hands, the First Form—Mud Scatter—was unleashed.

It was perfect.

Not only the swing of the sword but also the movement of his arms, the positioning of his body, the placement of his feet, and even the flow of Dark Energy—everything was flawless.

And it wasn't just the First Form.

The Second Form, the Third Form—

Every single motion was executed to perfection.

'H-how…?'

Only someone who had truly mastered Mud Swordsmanship could recognize it.

And Count Khazar, having mastered it himself, could see it clearly—

The Mud Swordsmanship Chris was demonstrating was executed with absolute precision.

'Did Vice Commander Melin secretly teach him? No, that doesn't make sense. That's not her nature.'

Even if she had, it was still impossible.

How many days had it been since Christien abandoned his wastrel ways?

Even if he had received instruction non-stop for twenty-four hours a day, such mastery was unthinkable.

Watching Count Khazar's shocked expression, Chris smirked inwardly.

'Seriously, over something like this? It's not even that difficult.'

It was nothing more than basic swordsmanship.

All he had to do was imitate what he saw.

Of course, if the knights who spent years sweating and bleeding to properly master Mud Swordsmanship heard this, they would be furious. But for Chris, it was too simple.

So, he decided to astonish Count Khazar even further.

'Just mimicking it would be too underwhelming.'

After finishing his first demonstration of Mud Swordsmanship, Chris moved again.

And when Count Khazar saw what Chris executed next, his eyes widened even further, as if they were about to tear apart.

'It's different? But how…?'

What Chris had initially performed was the First Form, an attack that restrained an opponent's lower body by targeting their legs.

But now, there was a subtle difference.

So faint that only someone truly versed in Mud Swordsmanship would even notice.

The sword followed the same trajectory.

But the stance of his legs—

The twisting of his upper body—

These details had changed.

And as a result, the sword's movements became lighter and faster.

Perfectly aligning with Mud Swordsmanship's core principle of restricting the opponent.

It was a subtle difference, but in actual combat, it would create a massive impact.

And it wasn't just the First Form, Mud Slash.

The Second Form, the Third Form—

Chris modified each one slightly.

Without breaking the structure of Mud Swordsmanship, he made it more efficient.

"...."

Eventually, the demonstration ended.

Count Khazar remained speechless, his face frozen in a daze.

"What do you think?"

"You… you…."

Chris smirked at his father's stunned expression.

"Contact the main house. Tell them I'll be attending the Sacred Black Ceremony in two months."

His voice was so calm it was almost infuriating.

"Two months is enough. To reach the level of Two-Star."

In truth, he didn't even need two months.

For reference, in his past life within the Dominion of Light, Chris had reached Two-Star in just a month and a half.