REAPER SCANS

I Became the Genius Bastard of a Noble Dark Clan

[Translator – Jreaming]

[Proofreader – Harley]

Chapter 12

With a crash, Count Kazar burst into Chris's room, his aura seemingly ablaze with darkness. Chris, his face already flushed with drunkenness, greeted his father.

"Father? Hicc."

"What are you doing?!"

"Doing? I'm merely enjoying a daytime drink. Day drinking is the best, after all. Would you care for some, Father?"

Count Kazar clenched his fist tightly at the sight of his son, deeply intoxicated. The atmosphere was so tense that the employees around them held their breaths. Count Kazar turned his back on him, his shoulders slumped.

"...Do as you please. I will not expect anything from you anymore."

‘Hmm... I feel slightly guilty, but I couldn't have warned him beforehand.’ 

His current demeanor was merely a facade, a trap set to ensnare the unsuspecting rat.

Upon seeing Chris revert to his old ways, the rat would make its move. That was when Chris planned to strike back and eliminate the pest.

However, he couldn't divulge his plan to Count Kazar.

'It's said that to deceive your enemy, you must first deceive your ally.' 

If Count Kazar discovered the plan prematurely, it would inevitably leak, reducing the chances of the rat falling for the trap. Despite the discomfort of seeing his father like this, Chris knew that what he was doing was for the good of Count Kazar.

Just then, the banshee approached from the side.

[Ohoho... Are you worried... about your father? What a... super filial son... you are.]

"...Stop saying super, please!"

[But you... are super filial. Why are you... acting this way? Here, have some... ‘alcohol’.]

The banshee used her poltergeist powers to pour Chris a drink. Receiving drinks from a banshee was an experience he never wanted to repeat.

[By the way... Your plan is truly... impressive. I admire you... young master.]

The banshee had agreed to cooperate with Chris's plan. In return, Chris agreed to grant her one favor, as long as it wasn't too demanding.

[It's truly remarkable... how you've managed to modify... the 4-star curse, 'Binding Seal'... and in such a short time, too.]

Over the past two weeks, Chris hadn't been solely focusing on physical training. He had also been immersing himself in the study of various dark magic spells. He had mastered the fundamentals of 1-star dark magic spells, and even the formidable 4-star curse, 'Binding Seal'.

Even for a genius, mastering a 4-star spell as a 1-star was an unheard-of accomplishment. So, how had he done it? 

He had ingeniously modified it, making it accessible even at the level of a 1-star.

"I told you, I'm a genius," Chris nonchalantly declared as he raised his glass. Then, he grimaced. "Damn, I really want to drink real alcohol."

Actually, what he was drinking wasn't real alcohol. The banshee, who had agreed to cooperate, wouldn’t allow it.

[Ohoho... Young master, you... are underage. You can't drink... real alcohol. Please be content... with the pretend stuff.]

"...I'm a bastard anyway, so why should it matter?"

[Even so... underage drinking is not allowed... Absolutely not. Ohoho...]

Despite being a ghost seeking virgin blood, the banshee was surprisingly principled on this matter. Thanks to her, Chris had to drink alcohol-free wine made using alchemical knowledge from his previous life. His drunkenness was merely an act, a skill he had honed in his previous life, allowing him to feign inebriation without actually consuming alcohol.

'Anyway, I should take this opportunity to rest. Though, it's a shame it's not real alcohol.'

He enjoyed lazing about and indulging in pleasure. Since he was pretending to be a wastrel, he planned to take a good rest.

'Great! It wouldn’t be a bad thing if the rat takes a bit longer to fall into the trap. I can have more fun, eat, drink, and laze around.'

Just as he was about to fully enjoy his long-awaited rest, the door flew open with a loud noise. Chris turned to see an unexpected person.

'Thern?'

It was his younger brother, Thern. Thern was glaring at him, fuming.

'What’s his problem?' 

Chris was slightly taken aback. Thern stomped over to him with an angry expression on his face and grabbed his collar.

"!!"

"What do you think you're doing?!" Thern burst out in anger. "Is this all you've got?! Did you act all high and mighty just to end up like this?!"

Chris was taken aback. He could see sincere anger in Thern's eyes. It was unexpected.

'Doesn't he hate me?'

He probably did, but it wasn't just simple hatred. Otherwise, he wouldn't show such genuine anger. It was disappointment. Disappointment that came from having expectations, expectations of change.

'He thought of me as his brother in his own way.'

With that realization, Chris came to a conclusion. As expected, Thern wasn’t the culprit. The rat was someone else.

'In that case, I should utilize Thern.'

Chris spoke up.

"Unhand me."

"...What?"

"Let go."

Just as Thern was about to explode with rage, their eyes met.

"!!"

Thern's pupils trembled faintly. He felt something amiss. While Chris appeared drunk, it was different from his previous wastrel days. The same imposing weight he felt from Chris before was pressing down on him again.

Chris raised his hand and released Thern's grip on his collar. To Thern's surprise, he couldn't resist Chris's touch and helplessly retreated, not due to physical strength, but the overwhelming aura Chris emitted.

"I have one question for you. What am I to you?"

"......"

Thern closed his mouth. He was the disgrace of the family, a loathsome blight on the bloodline. That was how Thern had thought of his older brother. But after their bare-handed duel, Thern's thoughts began to waver.

After some contemplation, Thern answered, "To me, you were nothing more than garbage that disgusted me every time I looked at it. I wished you would disappear forever."

It was a brutally honest confession.

"And now?"

"...Someone I want to defeat properly."

Chris chuckled. Thern had acknowledged him as a worthy opponent in his own way, and now he was angry to see Chris in this pitiful state.

"So, Thern, do you think I've become the same disgusting trash as before?"

"......"

Thern knew it wasn't true. So why was he behaving this way?

"...Is there a purpose behind this?" he asked.

"Indeed. I suspect there is a rat in our family."

"!!"

Chris briefly revealed his plan. Thern's eyes widened.

"Is it true that there is a rat in our family?"

"Yes. I can't say exactly who it is yet, but I am certain there is someone."

"How dare...!" Thern gritted his teeth.

"So I have a favor to ask of you."

"What favor?"

Chris looked straight into Thern's eyes. Unlike Chris, the bastard, Thern was the ideal heir recognized by the family, yet he was free from the scrutiny of others due to his youth. He was the perfect candidate for this job.

"Come closer."

Chris whispered into Thern's ear. On hearing the details, Thern's eyes widened in shock.

* * *

Reaper Scans

Translator – Jreaming

Proofreader – Harley

Join our discord for updates on releases!

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Afterwards, Chris enjoyed his reckless lifestyle. He slept, ate, and drank as much as he wanted. He couldn't actually drink due to the banshee's restrictions, but everything else was pure bliss.

‘As expected of a prestigious family. The food is delicious.’

Except for the fact that his servant was a ghost, everything else was perfect. Of course, he didn't completely waste his time. He studied dark magic while pretending to laze about in bed.

‘Since I've read all of those books in the library and memorized the contents, I can simply practice and master them in bed.’

His magical prowess grew exponentially, and before long, he mastered numerous 1-star dark magic spells. He could now call himself a 1-star dark mage wherever he went.

In between, he also stirred up some trouble. If he simply ate and drank without causing a commotion, he wouldn't seem like a bastard. He acted convincingly enough to provoke the rat into action through his trap.

"What is this?"

"Why? Why are you doing this, young master?"

"This isn’t the wine I asked for. Summon the butler!"

"Th-the butler is currently busy..."

"Busy? Then I'll go find him myself. Hiccup."

When Chris arrived at the office, Cox, the butler, rose from his seat, his face drained of blood.

"Young master, wh-what is the matter?"

Instead of answering him, Chris...

Sploosh!

Chris splashed wine on the vampire butler, staining his pristine white suit red. Cox flushed red with anger. Seeing his reaction, Chris laughed inwardly.

'I can't just cause trouble for anyone.'

So he focused his mischief on Cox, whom he suspected the most. He would confront him, scold him, and make a fuss.

'Can he keep calm this time as well?'

His finely groomed goatee trembled, but surprisingly, Cox contained his anger once again.

"Perhaps... is there something troubling you that leads to this behavior? If there is something wrong, I will resolve it."

Chris was amused. To be able to withstand having wine poured on him... His patience was admirable.

"The servant brought me the wrong wine. Could it be that the butler is looking down on me?"

"Certainly not! I shall order them to bring you the correct wine at once!"

"Bring it to me yourself."

"...Excuse me?"

"I said don't order the servants to get it. The butler should do it himself."

Cox hesitated, his eyes flickering anxiously. Chris didn't fail to notice where his gaze landed—his paperwork.

"That is… I had some matters I was attending to."

"You would attend to the matter in that outfit? You’re going to have to change anyway, aren’t you?"

Cox trembled, maintaining a smile all the while. Having been the one to spill the wine, it was quite the statement. It seemed like he was barely restraining his rising anger.

"I am asking the butler to go for his own sake. Don't worry, I will be watching things over here, so just go and bring it here. Or are you really looking down on me?"

"N-no, of course not! Then, I’ll fetch it right away."

Startled by Chris's outburst, Cox had no choice but to leave the room. He was convinced that the hapless Chris could never understand the documents and thus left without a care.

Now alone, Chris's eyes gleamed.

'Let's see what kind of tricks he's playing.'

Chris was almost certain that the butler was the rat.

'If not... I'm sorry, but no. It has to be him.'

If the butler truly was a rat in Count Kazar's house, it was highly likely he was up to something on the administrative side. Unlike the fiends who didn’t take the time to learn other skills, Chris could understand those documents very well.

He understood what the numbers meant. He could tell which parts were suspicious just by looking. He saw it all at a glance. And in the short time it took for Cox to change and bring the wine...

"Bingo."

Chris smiled mischievously.

He had found what he had been looking for.

* * *

Reaper Scans

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