REAPER SCANS

I Became the Genius Bastard of a Noble Dark Clan

[Translator – TinTin]

[Proofreader – echo]

Chapter 10

Mellin looked at him incredulously.

He was asking for a pledge of loyalty. The request was outrageous, especially for a single duel fought with restrained power. Above all, she had already pledged her loyalty to the main family of the Dark Magic Clan, and the lord she had sworn allegiance to was none other than the head of the clan himself: Duke Nordian the Demon Monarch, an Absolute stage 8-star fiend.

She shouldn’t even have to say it. "You do realize that's an impossible condition, right?"

"Well, I don't see it that way." Chris shrugged. "If I were to become a young lord of the Dark Magic Clan, then it wouldn't be impossible for you to follow me."

Within the Dark Magic Clan, the term “young lord” referred to those in their bloodline who were recognized as potential successors. Currently, there were five of them, each forming their own factions and vying for succession within the family. Naturally, all five were from the direct line and none were from the branch families.

"For you, a member of the branch family, to become a young lord? That's impossible."

"Do you truly believe it will be impossible for me?" Chris's lips curled into a smirk at Mellin’s startled reaction as he lowered his voice. "Because I think it’s very possible."

Mellin unconsciously swallowed hard. Something had changed. There was a palpable tension in the air, a heaviness she couldn’t quite shake. The words fell from her mouth as if she had been hypnotized.

“A dominating presence…”

Then, her face scrunched in disbelief. Without knowing why or how, she had put to words the nature of the aura she sensed emanating from Chris. She knew he had changed, that the entity before her was no longer the scoundrel he used to be, but how could he have such a dominating presence? 

It wasn't simply a matter of talent anymore. Someone normally had to rise to a high position to possess such an intimidating aura. Yet somehow, the young man before her had no standing to speak of, so if not that, then...

‘Is it an innate trait?’

Mellin's breath caught.

From time to time, there came beings of that nature. Beings born to rule over others—rulers by birth. As they grew and aged, they naturally developed a dominating presence that allowed them to look down on others.

Mellin was unable to hide her confusion and shock. ‘How in the world…?’

Meanwhile, Chris observed Mellin's reaction and internally shrugged. ‘Sorry, but our difference in experience is too big.’ 

Deputy Commander Mellin. Because she used dark energy to suppress her aging, she looked youthful, but in truth, she was almost 40 years old. That was older than Chris's age in his previous life.

Regardless, Chris had lived through a whole decade of the Great War. He had undergone trial after trial and achieved a great many feats until his faction fell to the Magic Empire. In fact, before joining the Hero's Party, his exceptional abilities had briefly seen him as the leader of a large group. Exhibiting an aura of dominating presence to suppress Mellin was child’s play for him.

Chris was certain he had almost won Mellin over, so he decided to put the final nail in the coffin. "Of course, I understand that this is not an easy decision to make and that it's not something that should be decided based on a restricted duel. So let's do this instead."

Hesitantly, Mellin asked, "What are you suggesting?"

"Let's have another duel a month from today. But this time, it will be a proper fight without any restrictions."

Shock flashed across her expression, quickly followed by confusion. She couldn't comprehend the proposal at all. "If we don't restrict our powers, there's no chance of you winning," she stated.

"More than likely," Chris said, not disputing the assertion. Despite his genius, the odds of him defeating a 4-star opponent within a month were virtually non-existent.

'In my previous life, it took me three years to reach 4-stars.' 

Status, denoted by stars, became exponentially more challenging to attain as one progressed, and the skill gap correspondingly increased. However...

"Sometimes, an egg can crack a boulder." Chris looked straight into Mellin's astonished eyes. "Why don’t you watch me for the next month? Watch how I act, what I achieve, and ultimately, how I've changed. Then decide whether I am worthy of your loyalty or not."

Mellin fell silent, lost for words. What could he possibly do in just one month? It was such a short period of time. No matter how much of a genius he was, there were limits to what he could do.

That would be common sense, but...

"All right..." Mellin replied eventually, not understanding why she was doing so. "I will observe you for a month."

For some reason, she had a hunch that the entity in front of her could achieve unbelievable things.

Chris grinned widely. "I promise not to disappoint you."

* * *

Reaper Scans

Translator – TinTin

Proofreader – echo

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Upon returning to his room, Chris celebrated in his mind.

'Perfect!'

Everything he had set out to do during the duel that day, he had achieved. He had demonstrated his strength, altering the perceptions of the knights. He got to see the Mud Swordsmanship in action, analyzing it up and close. Most importantly…

'I managed to sway Mellin.'

Getting Mellin on his side would give him a mighty piece to move. Unlike the other knights, she was a fiend from the main house of the Dark Magic Clan. Chris's plan was to take over not only the House of Count Kazar but the entirety of the Dark Magic Clan, and having her on his side would be a significant advantage.

'Plus, Mellin is destined to become highly renowned.'

During the Great War, Mellin had risen to the esteemed 6-star, a level known as Master. He absolutely had to get her on his side. While she hadn’t completely come over to his side yet, he had enough time to change that. He had promised her a month, within which he planned to accomplish several objectives.

'First things first, the Black Swamp Library.'

The Black Swamp Library was where House of Count Kazar’s secret dark magic spells were stored.

Chris went to find the count, his father.

"Here is a recommendation letter from Deputy Commander Mellin,” he said, handing the now-dumbfounded count the letter. “I obtained it after emerging victorious in a duel with her."

Chris could hardly blame the count for his confusion. The man had been contemplating disowning his son one day, then woke up the next to find his son had completely transformed.

“…You defeated some fiends of the Black Swamp Knights in a fight?” the noble head of the house said eventually.

"Yes, their lack of basic skills led to my victory. The Black Swamp Knights proved to be not much trouble. They should pay more attention to their training."

Count Kazar shook his head in disbelief. Not much trouble? He had heard of the opponents his son had defeated. Their dark energy levels might not have been high, but they were dedicated to their training and had a solid foundation of skills. They were not to be dismissed lightly.

That was also before mentioning that among the opponents Christian defeated, one was truly unbelievable. He had even won against Deputy Commander Mellin. The count found it hard to accept even now. Regardless of the restrictions on her powers, it was something that should never have been possible.

In fact, when he first heard the news, he went to confirm it with her out of sheer disbelief. She admitted it honestly: she had lost. And she didn’t leave her assessment of their duel there.

'She thinks he is a genius?'

She had even gone so far as to describe him as unthinkably talented after witnessing it.

Count Kazar looked at his son with suspicion. 

"Why are you staring at me like that, Father?" Chris asked. 

"I was thinking about the recent rumors about you."

"The rumors that I am a genius? It's true. I didn't realize it before, but I think I am a genius."

Not an ounce of modesty was present in his words. Count Kazar was quiet for a moment, then allowed a hollow laugh to escape him.

'His cocky attitude makes me think he has not changed.'

No, that wasn't entirely accurate. His arrogance remained, but the boy had undeniably changed. The old Christian was a cruel, mean-spirited individual, yet he was also a pathetic bastard who couldn't even meet his father's gaze. The young man standing before him now was so brash that he radiated an air of dignity. If a comparison had to be made, his arrogance was comparable to the audacity of a predator.

Calling his son of all people a predator. Had he lost it?

Count Kazar forced himself to acknowledge the absurdity of it all. He was forcing himself to think ill of the boy because he had been repeatedly disappointed by him in the past. Even so…

The count narrowed his eyes.

'He might have really changed this time.'

His son had pretended to have changed in the past. That had lasted as long as… what? A week, ten days, half a month? Regardless of the duration, however, something jumped out at the count, some crucial difference that hadn’t been present before.

It was none other than that gaze. His son had never once had such a look in his eyes.

“Here…” the count said, still reluctant. “It is the key to the library. I will remind you, the books within must never be taken outside."

Chris nodded and shifted toward the door. "Then I'll be on my way."

“…Alright.”

But then, as he was about to exit the room, Chris heard a hesitant voice from behind.

“Can I trust you this time?”

He turned his head to meet the eyes of his “father.”

There, in his eyes, Chris noticed a faint tremor in Count Kazar's gaze. It was a display of fatherly love. 

'I guess even fiends have familial bonds,' thought Chris. Despite their skewed values, fiends were still human, after all. 'He might be a much better person than my real father.’

Chris fell into comtemplation, his mind drifting to his birth father from his past life. His real father was a man who was highly regarded in the public eye, but in truth, he was human scum. A man who abused him, his own child. In comparison to that trash, Count Kazar was much more of a fatherly figure, even if he was a fiend.

Perhaps that was why he gave voice to that fleeting thought.

"You can look forward to it," Chris said with a grin. "I'll surprise you."

He wanted to see those eyes filled with astonishment.

* * *

Chris made his way to the Black Swamp Library, where a librarian greeted him. However, the librarian was a banshee. 

[Ohoho… young… master… wel… come...]

Chris's face soured. Why on earth was the librarian a ghost? And the same banshee who served as his maid, to boot!

“Aren’t you my maid? Since when did you become a librarian?"

[Oh… could it be… you're… possessive over me? My heart… flutters… at the thought.]

"…Shut up."

[Your coarse words too… are… captivating.]

The banshee chuckled eerily at Chris’s silence.

According to her, she had originally been the guardian and librarian of this place. She was then ordered by Count Kazar to also attend to Chris, as a punishment for his frequent violence towards the servants.

[If the young master… wishes to… monopolize me… I will… serve… only you… Ohoho….]

“No, that won’t be necessary. Go back to your duties.”

[The thought of being monopolized by the young master… sets my heart… racing.]

Chris's face twisted in revulsion.

‘As soon as I shed this notoriety, I'm hiring a new maid. Definitely a pureblood human! No vampires either! This isn't the luxurious life of a prestigious household I had envisioned!’

Before his return, he had imagined how the luxurious life of a noble would be, where he wouldn't have to lift a finger and all his needs would be catered to by servants.

His current situation was somewhat similar. The problem was that these services were provided by a ghost.

Every morning, he was awoken by the banshee's eerie whispering that sounded like a curse. His meals were served via poltergeist-like phenomena, and he was helped into his clothes by the chilling touch of a spirit. The banshee had even tried to assist him with his baths, although he had managed to refuse.

It was far from the opulent, silver-spoon lifestyle he had aspired to.

‘She might be a pretty ghost, but that just makes it all the more unnerving!’

* * *

Reaper Scans

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