FANSiA Originals and KakaoPage
I Became the Genius Bastard of a Noble Dark Clan
[Author/Original: Yuin]
[TL: Dekor]
[PR: Spades]
Episode 30
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"What's that?"
"If I win this duel, let me join the Black Pill Hunt as a guardian mage, not just a driver."
Count Tyramine frowned.
A guardian mage was a critical role, standing watch during the hunt's final ritual.
As vital as the hunt's leader.
"You know how important a guardian mage is, don't you?"
"I do. My pride won't let me settle for being a mere driver. As the eldest son of the great Kazar family, I should at least be the second lead, right?"
"What? Haha! You're absurdly arrogant."
Count Tyramine burst into incredulous laughter.
But it faded quickly.
His voice turned cold.
"I hope your strength is even half your arrogance."
Chris shrugged.
"You'll see."
And so, the second duel began.
---
As befitting a beast-taming family, the Tyramine estate had a vast training arena.
Word spread, and the Tyramine family's mages flocked to watch.
"That Kazar disgrace is dueling Young Master Alos? How long will the fool last? One minute? Two?"
"Last? That notorious trash? He'll be lucky not to wet himself in fear at the beast's might."
"If he does, we'll make the Kazar lot clean it up."
The Tyramine mages snickered.
No one imagined Alos could lose.
It was obvious.
This was Chris.
The infamous failure, known not just in the Dark Mana Clan but across the Magic Empire.
Those close to Chris knew he'd changed, but outsiders didn't.
To them, he was still a pathetic disgrace.
Sure, he'd beaten Alos yesterday, but they chalked it up to Alos's carelessness.
With proper Demon Training, Alos couldn't possibly lose.
That was the Tyramine family's consensus, and they settled in to enjoy the show with smug confidence.
Some even taunted Chris's escorts.
"Hey, Kazar dogs. Shouldn't you stop your young master?"
"Beasts don't go easy on precious lords. What if he wets himself?"
But the Kazar mages' reactions were odd.
They didn't get angry.
Nor did they agree.
Instead.
"Blind idiots."
"…What?"
"Shut up and watch with your eyes wide open."
They sneered at the Tyramine mages.
"Let's see who ends up pissing themselves."
The Tyramine mages were dumbfounded.
Then, Chris and Alos stepped into the arena.
Alos wasn't alone.
He brought a massive beast.
"My beast is the Dark Horse."
True to its name, it resembled a horse but was different.
Nearly twice the size of a normal horse, it felt less sleek and more like a boar.
Alos leaped onto its back.
He planned to fight mounted.
"Let me be clear—Demon Training doesn't allow for mercy in a duel. Kneel and apologize now, and I'll forgive you."
Chris didn't reply, instead twirling a staff.
For this duel, he'd chosen a wooden staff over a sword.
For several reasons.
First, a staff's wider range was better against beasts.
"Mind if I say something?"
"…What?"
"Don't cry when you get thrashed. I won't go easy even if you do."
"!!"
Alos's face flushed red.
"You insolent—! You'll regret this!!"
Neigh!!
The black beast charged.
Despite its bulk, it was fast.
A charging attack combining speed and weight!
Enough force to crush bones in one blow surged forward.
Alos smirked, certain of victory.
'Huh?'
Chris vanished from his sight.
Alos panicked.
He was right there—where'd he go?
And then.
WHAM!
"Argh!"
Alos's head reeled.
A sharp pain hit his face.
Stars danced in his vision.
He belatedly realized Chris's staff had struck him.
Through the pain-blurred sight, he saw Chris wagging the staff.
"Hurt?"
Chris grinned infuriatingly.
"Don't cry or give up yet. We're just getting started."
Another reason Chris chose the staff.
It was perfect for beating someone down.
---
The arena fell silent.
The Tyramine mages were speechless, eyes wide.
A shocking—no, unbelievable—scene unfolded.
WHAM!
"You—?!"
WHAM!!
"Gah!"
Alos was getting pummeled endlessly.
It was practically a mockery.
'Am I seeing things?'
'How's that disgrace doing this?'
It wasn't that Alos's Demon Training was lacking.
If anything, fueled by gritted teeth, Alos was in peak form.
But it didn't work on Chris.
The Dark Horse charged fiercely.
Yet Chris blocked or dodged its attacks with absurd ease, then struck Alos.
The cycle repeated endlessly.
"How…?"
Alos stammered.
He couldn't comprehend it.
Anyone else, maybe.
But Chris?
The trash disgrace!
'How's that failure doing this?'
Chris slung the staff over his shoulder and answered smugly.
"I'm a genius."
"!!"
"Dealing with a dullard like you is child's play."
"You—!!"
Alos urged the Dark Horse forward again, fiercer.
But the result didn't change.
WHAM!
Stars burst in Alos's eyes again.
This time, he didn't even see the hit coming.
A deathly silence settled over the arena.
"Is that all?"
Chris snorted and tossed the staff aside.
Clang!
The sudden move drew puzzled looks.
"Seems you're not up to par. From now on, I'll fight you barehanded. Oh, and if you so much as touch my clothes, I'll call it your win."
An utterly humiliating taunt.
"You… you…!!"
Alos's face blazed with rage.
Surrendering after such an insult would strip him of any right to call himself a mage.
"I'll kill you!!"
Alos's attacks grew fiercer.
As if sensing its master's fury, the Dark Horse's movements turned wilder.
Chris dodged fluidly, thinking.
'Perfect. Just as planned.'
He had a goal for this duel.
Becoming a guardian mage?
Proving his strength publicly?
Those were aims, but there was a bigger one.
'I need to steal and learn the Tyramine family's Demon Training.'
His ultimate goal was to steal the Black Pill.
To do that, he needed to master their secret technique, so he'd orchestrated this duel.
It wasn't enough yet.
To fully dissect Alos's Demon Training, his eyes sank deeper, unnoticed.
'The flow of mana controlling the beast.'
He saw threads of mana extending from Alos to the beast.
A dark magic of binding and domination.
Unlike the Light Faction's similar skill, Taming, the Magic Empire's Demon Training was different.
Taming bonded with monsters to make allies.
Demon Training dominated and compelled through force.
'The higher the skill, the less mana needed for efficient control.'
The pinnacle of Demon Training belonged to the Beast Mana Clan, one of the Magic Empire's twelve noble houses.
The Tyramine family's version wasn't at that level but was still advanced.
'Their core is reinforcing control with dark magic formulas. Subtle spells like confusion, fear, and excitement numb the beast's reason. I'm starting to get it.'
Understanding this much in such a short time?
Most would call it absurd, impossible.
But it was true.
What Chris grasped was the essence of the Tyramine family's Demon Training.
'Of course, I can't master every detail yet. But knowing the core is enough for now.'
Chris thought.
'Now I just need to learn the technique for stealing the Black Pill.'
The Black Pill came from the Karazov beast.
Killing it normally yielded the Gray Pill, but a special ritual produced the Black Pill.
That ritual required the Tyramine family's secret technique.
'Hell's Ecstasy.'
A technique that forced "death" on the beast.
Chris decided it was time to end the duel.
"Got my hopes up, but you're pathetic. Can't even touch my clothes. This is all you've got?"
"You… you…"
"More won't change anything. Why not give up?"
Chris spoke smoothly.
"Kneel and beg now, and I'll generously forgive you. Heck, I'll even make you my little brother."
"You—!"
Alos ground his teeth.
"I'll… I'll kill you!!"
'Bingo.' The taunt worked.
Alos pushed the Dark Horse with all his might.
Every nuance of the mana controlling it burned into Chris's mind through his retina.
'Not yet. More.'
Neigh!!
The Dark Horse charged with frenzied force, rearing high.
It aimed to crush him with its front hooves.
Spikes studded like nails on its hooves glinted ominously.
Battle frenzy.
The beast's eyes, bloodshot under mana's grip, glowed red.
Chris sensed Alos's control peaking at this moment.
'Now!'
He didn't dodge.
Instead, he cast dark magic.
[Fear of Death]
A sensation like a blade slicing the neck, blood spraying.
The terror of death stabbed into the beast's mind like a dagger.
The Dark Horse froze, paralyzed by fear.
"W-what…?"
"Fear of Death."
Chris deliberately named the spell.
"Your shoddy Demon Training can't overcome it."
"!!"
"Give up. Admit defeat."
"Shut up!!"
Alos squeezed out his last reserves.
A thick thread of mana surged toward the beast.
He was about to use the secret technique to force death.
Exactly what Chris wanted.
Chris focused, watching.
The mana's flow—what formulas powered it.
The patterns they formed.
The mana's density and wavelength.
How it dominated the beast's mind.
What effects each formula triggered, and how they forced death.
Greater fear.
Followed by ecstasy.
Submission.
The Tyramine family's secret technique, *Hell's Ecstasy*, etched itself fully into Chris's mind.
"Got it! Brace yourself!!"
The moment the beast overcame the Fear of Death—no, the moment death was forced.
WHAM!
Chris's fist, darting like lightning, smashed Alos's face.
Slump.
Alos collapsed, unconscious, pathetically.
"…"
Utter defeat.
Chris shrugged at the stunned, horrified Tyramine onlookers.
"See you at the Black Pill Hunt."