FANSiA Originals and KakaoPage
I Became the Genius Bastard of a Noble Dark Clan
[Author/Original: Yuin]
[TL: Dekor]
[PR: Spades]
Episode 25
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"I genuinely meant it when I asked you to be like family to me. Not some calculated request for support or anything like that."
"!!"
Marian looked taken aback, caught off guard.
"Outrageous. You really expect me to believe that's your pure intention?"
Chris spoke candidly.
"Of course, if you come to care for me as family and end up helping me out even when I didn't ask… I wouldn't exactly refuse."
"What? Haha! You cunning little—"
Marian burst into laughter at his audacious words.
Had Chris blatantly asked her to take his side, she would've refused.
Had he hidden his ambitions and feigned innocence, she'd have rejected that too.
But his clever way of being upfront about his desires while staying charming made it hard to say no.
"It's not something I'd normally allow…"
Marian plucked another cookie and bit into it with her red lips.
As expected, it was divine.
"But a nephew who makes such delicious cookies as a gift… deserves to be cherished, don't you think?"
'Yes!' Chris cheered inwardly.
It worked.
"But these cookies… can I have them again?"
"That depends on how you treat me."
"What?"
"If you disappoint me, I might get sulky, and they won't taste as good."
At his playful nudge to treat him well, Marian laughed again.
The conversation felt genuinely enjoyable.
"Then, as your real aunt, may I offer you a word of advice?"
"Please, go ahead."
"How about joining the Black Shadow Knights?"
"!!"
Chris's face stiffened.
"That's…"
"I know. You're aiming for the lord's seat? To become the master of the Dark Mana Clan?"
"Yes, that's right."
Marian continued with a heavy gaze.
"Your performance in the duel with Melin was exceptional. I've never seen talent like yours. Perhaps you even possess the potential to surpass the old patriarch himself."
"…"
"But your rivals are no pushovers. I worry you'll fall before your talent can fully bloom."
Fall.
A euphemism for death.
In the succession struggle, dying in an "unfortunate accident" was all too common across noble houses.
'She's not wrong to worry.'
He'd beaten Melin today, but it wasn't a true victory.
Without the holy sword and curse-blocking artifact, the fight would've ended in seconds.
The main family's lords were no less formidable than Melin.
'Especially at their level, their gear likely matches or surpasses mine.'
They'd have magic swords to counter his holy sword and an array of superior artifacts.
In short, if Chris fought the main family lords now, he'd lose—decisively.
For now.
"You're concerned for me, aren't you?"
"Yes. Join the Black Shadow Knights, and I'll protect you. With your talent, you could become the next commander—maybe even more. Though you wouldn't become patriarch."
Count Kazar, listening nearby, nodded in agreement.
He seemed to share her concerns.
Becoming a lord meant entering a brutal struggle.
As a branch family member, Chris would be everyone's target.
But.
"If I can't overcome such obstacles while aiming for the Dark Mana Clan, I might as well die."
"!!"
"And above all, it seems you didn't fully grasp my potential today."
Chris raised the corner of his mouth confidently.
"I don't think I'll lose."
Marian fell silent.
Such absurd confidence.
Come to think of it, he'd been like this before fighting Melin.
And then he'd pulled off an impossible victory.
'I can't figure him out.'
She should've scoffed at his outrageous bravado.
But she didn't.
Instead, she let out a wry laugh, half-convinced he might actually pull it off.
"…Fine, I understand. As a mage, I can't stop you from walking the blood-soaked path you've chosen."
"Thank you."
"But let me offer one last piece of advice, out of caution."
Marian fully mounted her horse, preparing to depart.
"Beware of the First Lady."
"The First Lady?"
Chris looked puzzled.
The main family had five lords.
Three men, two women.
The First Lady was the third-born, just below the second lord, Ashid, considered the leading candidate for succession.
"Yes. People see Ashid as the top contender, and they're not wrong…"
Marian lowered her voice.
"But among the five, the one I find truly fearsome is the First Lady, Yurian."
Chris listened carefully.
As leader of the Black Shadow Knights, who oversaw the family's internal affairs, Marian's words carried weight.
Yurian was hiding claws no one else saw.
He also noted her use of "fearsome."
There was a reason for such an ominous descriptor.
"Thank you. I'll keep that in mind."
Learning of another unexpected threat didn't faze him.
Whoever the opponent, he planned to crush them all.
"I'll see you at the main house."
Marian nodded at his farewell, spurred her horse, and vanished into the night.
"…"
Chris watched her disappear into the darkness.
'She's strong.'
Count Kazar was strong, and so was Marian.
Both 6-star.
In the Light Faction, they'd be nationally renowned.
Yet Chris had never heard their names during the Great War.
How many such powerhouses did the Magic Empire have?
'No wonder the Light Faction lost. They were outmatched in raw power.'
Chris reflected.
'I need to get stronger. Much stronger.'
He was undeniably a genius, but his journey was far from over.
To stand at the Magic Empire's pinnacle and avert the coming catastrophe.
And.
'To bask in ultimate wealth and glory!'
Chris returned to his room.
Tern tried talking to him again on the way, but he ignored him, too annoyed to listen.
His immediate goal was reaching 2-star.
---
A few days later.
"Hoo."
Chris exhaled deeply.
From his outstretched hand, a dark aura flickered.
Mana.
He could now project mana externally, marking his ascension to 2-star!
'Just over a month since reaching 1-star.'
Precisely one month and five days.
An absurdly fast pace.
Most would find it unbelievable.
But Chris looked dissatisfied.
'It took slightly longer than planned. I aimed to hit it within a month.'
Training swordsmanship and various dark magics had slowed him down.
On the upside, he'd mastered the Kazar Count's sword techniques—Clay Slash, Black Scythe, and others—to perfection.
"…Insane."
That was Count Kazar's reaction to Chris's swordplay.
In terms of form, his mastery was flawless, rivaling even Kazar's decades of practice.
That wasn't all.
'I've gotten the hang of dark magic too.'
He'd learned every dark magic in the Kazar family's vault.
Mostly curses, but also destruction, illusion, summoning, and blood magic.
Higher-tier dark magics beyond 1-star were memorized and fully understood, ready for use once his level rose.
'The amount of mana is a bit lacking. Even a genius like me can't accumulate it quickly.'
Even his talent had limits.
First, physical training.
Though he gained more from less effort than others, it still required consistent work.
Second, mana.
Same principle.
Mana was accumulated through breathing techniques.
His sharp senses let him gather more than others with less effort.
But there were limits.
The amount of mana depended heavily on time spent training.
'Unless I take an elixir or something.'
Chris mused.
The good news was, unlike physical training, there was an alternative.
'An elixir could speed up reaching higher stages too.'
Advancing through stages required several factors.
Insight, mastery.
And mana accumulation.
An elixir could drastically cut the time needed for the latter.
'Many noble families' prodigies use elixirs to advance quickly. As a scion of a magic noble house, I might get a chance. The Dark Mana Clan's famous elixir… Black Pill, was it?'
Magic noble houses each had elixirs to amplify mana.
The catch? They were reserved for direct descendants.
The best elixirs went to the main line, leaving scraps for someone like him—probably something like the Gray Pill, a knockoff with a fraction of the effect.
'Is there a way to get a Black Pill?'
Chris narrowed his eyes.
Normal means wouldn't work.
He'd need a trick.
He recalled the process of making Black Pills.
There was a periodic hunt for their raw materials.
'Actually, it's coming up soon. Is there a way?'
Just then, Mari floated over, her ghostly tail swaying.
[Congratulations… on reaching a new stage. To celebrate… a glass of virgin's blood juice?]
"…Pass."
[How about… a bloody sirloin steak? It's wagyu… top-grade.]
That tempted him.
Nothing beat beef, after all.
In Chris's culinary expertise, no dish surpassed a good steak.
'I bet an orc's steak would taste even better, somehow.'
Prejudice, perhaps, but barbecue seemed more the orc chef's style than desserts.
"Fine, wagyu steak."
[Ohoho… I'll have it prepared extra bloody.]
As he eagerly awaited his steak, an unexpected summons came.
"Young master, the count requests your presence."
"Father?"
"Yes."
Chris went to see Count Kazar.
"Father, it's me."
"Good, come in. I have something to discuss."
Chris tilted his head.
Kazar's expression was grim.
Something was up.
"What's wrong?"
"I informed the main house about the Black Sanctification Ceremony. That you and Tern would participate."
"And?"
"Tern was approved. You were not."
"…Why?"
Kazar sighed.
"They say someone who's tarnished the family's honor can't partake in the sacred Dark Mana Clan ritual of Black Sanctification."
Chris frowned.
"Whose decision was this? The acting patriarch, Marquis Langham?"
If so, resolving it would be tough.
But Kazar said something unexpected.
"No. Perhaps because of what Ashid did to you recently, Marquis Langham didn't voice an opinion."
"Then who?"
"Those scheduled to undergo the Black Sanctification with you objected."
"Those with me… you mean Loin de Barron?"
Loin de Barron.
As the "de" indicated, a direct descendant of the main house.
The centerpiece of this Black Sanctification Ceremony.