LGHTNOVELBOOK Chapter 5
Chapter 5
Creak. The sound of the door opening rang out, particularly grating to the ears.
It was the result of his nerves being on edge, anticipating the sight of his son.
‘It must be a mess.’
Count Khazar clenched his teeth.
Crushing even the smallest sliver of expectation, he pushed the door open completely.
“!!!”
Count Khazar’s eyes widened.
“You…?”
An unbelievable sight unfolded before him.
“You’ve arrived.”
His son, Christien, was seated.
With a demeanor different from before—calm, composed, and with deep, unwavering eyes.
“I’ve been waiting for you.”
* * *
A heavy silence filled the room.
Count Khazar stared at him for a long time, as if he could not believe what he was seeing.
‘Of course he’d be shocked. He never would have imagined that I’d endure unscathed.’
Chris curled his lips into a smirk and spoke.
“Didn’t I tell you? That I would return changed.”
“……”
Count Khazar did not respond.
Contrary to his worst fears, there were no signs of him being dazed or intoxicated by the Phantom Dream Stone.
No, in fact, what was with those confident eyes?
‘Have I ever seen that brat look at me like that before?’
He couldn’t recall.
Not since long ago, when Chris was a bright-eyed child brimming with spirit.
But Count Khazar did not let his expression soften.
To believe in his son just because of a single change in appearance? The years of accumulated disappointment were far too great for that.
“You managed to endure. Or perhaps the curse of the Punishment Cavern suited you well.”
“I’ll take that as a compliment.”
“It means don’t get ahead of yourself.”
Count Khazar’s voice remained cold.
“I still don’t trust you.”
“……”
“There’s no telling when you’ll fall back into your foolish ways. Just like before.”
Truthfully, this wasn’t the first time his son had shown signs of remorse.
But every time he let his guard down and placed a sliver of hope in him, Chris would only shatter it, bringing back disappointment tenfold.
‘But this time… seems a little different… No, no. What am I thinking? Am I really about to hope again?’
Count Khazar forcibly suppressed the creeping sense of expectation rising within him.
Chris shrugged.
“I have a request for you, Father.”
“A request?”
“Yes. Since I endured in my own way, I believe a small favor should not be too much to ask. Grant me permission to use the training grounds of the Black Mire Knight Order.”
“!!”
Count Khazar’s face showed his surprise.
The Dark Mage Household commanded three branch knight orders.
It was called the Trident of Darkness, and one of its three branches was the Black Mire Knight Order under Count Khazar’s command.
“The Black Mire Knight Order is not a place for someone like you to enter at will.”
The Black Mire Knight Order belonged to Count Khazar’s branch of the family, yet at the same time, it was under the jurisdiction of the main household.
Even as Count Khazar’s son, Christien could not simply walk in and use its facilities as he pleased.
Permission from the Dark Mage Household’s main family was required. And for someone infamous as a scoundrel, there was no way they would grant it.
“I’m not asking to be taken in as a squire. I’m only requesting access to use the training grounds.”
“……”
“I feel like I’d be inspired by watching the Black Mire knights in action. Surely, that much is possible?”
First and foremost, he needed to build up his stamina.
Even though he had undergone Rebirth, physical conditioning was still necessary.
But that wasn’t his only reason.
By training alongside them, he intended to pick up the Black Mire Knight Order’s secret techniques.
How?
Simple.
‘I’ll just steal them.’
No one would willingly teach the family’s secret techniques to someone with his reputation. So, he planned to observe and steal the basics first.
This wasn’t new to Chris. He had always learned more from keen observation than from formal instruction.
Count Khazar stared at Chris for a long time before finally responding.
“If you disgrace yourself in front of the Black Mire Knight Order, you’ll pay the price.”
Chris grinned.
It was permission.
“There’s one more thing.”
“What is it?”
“Grant me access to the Black Mire Archives.”
The archives.
A place where books and records were stored.
However, the Black Mire Archives were different from ordinary libraries.
‘It’s where the Khazar branch family’s black magic techniques are collected.’
Naturally, only authorized individuals were allowed access.
Count Khazar let out a dry laugh.
“You want me to open the archives to you? You must be out of your mind.”
“I am still of the family’s blood. That alone gives me the right, does it not?”
“You threw that right away yourself. Have you already forgotten how you once tried to sell the archive’s secret manuals on the black market?”
“……”
Count Khazar even began to wonder—was his son’s sudden composed demeanor just a ploy to gain access to the archives and steal from them again?
It might have been excessive suspicion, but with Christien, anything was possible.
“Bring me a recommendation letter from Melin. Then I’ll grant you access.”
Melin.
The vice commander of the Black Mire Knight Order.
Melin was a dark being from the main house of the Dark Mage Household, known for her exceptionally cold and ruthless nature. She viewed the weak—especially useless scoundrels—as nothing more than filth.
Being told to obtain Melin’s recommendation letter was essentially the same as refusing him access to the archives altogether.
However—
“Understood. I’ll do just that.”
Chris nodded.
As if it was something he could accomplish with ease.
“In that case, I’ll be off. I assume I can start using the training grounds today?”
“…Fine.”
Chris turned and walked toward the estate, disappearing from sight. Watching his son’s steps—so vastly different from before—Count Khazar was left in a state of confusion.
* * *
After washing up and having a meal, Chris immediately headed to the training grounds.
The moment he arrived, the entire area fell into a dead silence.
All training ceased, and every gaze fixed on him.
‘Seeing this many dark beings gathered in one place feels strange.’
As expected of the knight order that the Dark Mage Household took pride in, all of them were elite warriors.
Not just humans—this was the Magic Empire, after all. Many of them were beings of darkness.
Lycanthropes, vampires, dark elves…
Most of them seemed to be at least Two-Star, with many at Three-Star and even a few Four-Star warriors scattered among them.
‘To think this is just a branch knight order. Outside of the empire, only the greatest knight orders of the kingdom could match this level.’
As Chris shook his head in disbelief, he heard rough voices from the knights.
“What the hell? Who’s this bastard?”
“Isn’t that the idiot young master? Why is he here?”
Despite being the son of a count, they openly hurled insults at him.
Unthinkable behavior in other nations. But this was the Magic Empire.
Here, power was law.
The weak received no respect.
Even if they were of noble blood.
Especially if their actions had been as disgraceful as his past self’s.
‘Even I never dared to act out in front of the Black Mire knights.’
At that moment, a sharp, biting voice rang out.
“How dare someone like you step foot in this place? Get out at once.”
Turning his head, Chris saw a familiar face.
His younger brother, Therne.
‘So he’s been training with the Black Mire Knight Order. Well, he is being treated as the true heir in my place.’
Therne glared at him, his eyes burning with rage.
“This is not a place for filth like you to set foot in.”
Chris crossed his arms.
He wasn’t particularly intimidated.
‘Letting him keep barking like this is getting annoying.’
“Therne, are you really insulting Count Khazar with those words?”
“…What did you just say?”
Chris curled his lips.
A mocking smirk.
“It was Count Khazar who granted me access to the training grounds. But listening to your words… it almost sounds as if you’re criticizing his decision as a mistake.”
Therne was left speechless.
Though he might become a notorious dark being in the future, for now, he was still just a fledgling. Matching Chris in a battle of words was beyond him.
But then, another voice cut in.
“I respect the Count’s decision, but to be honest, I don’t find you particularly trustworthy.”
“!!”
Chris flinched.
An overwhelming surge of dark energy pressed down on him, far beyond what he had sensed from the others.
Turning his head, he saw a bewitching woman with an air of deadly beauty standing before him.
‘Vice Commander Melin!’
The infamous vice commander of the Black Mire Knight Order.
Melin wore a gentle smile, but the sheer force of her presence crushed down on Chris.
She was trying to suppress him with her aura alone.
The old Christien would have been paralyzed with fear.
But Chris merely steadied his breath and calmly lowered his head.
“I greet the Vice Commander.”
“……”
For a brief moment, Melin’s gaze changed.
‘He withstood it?’
She had intentionally unleashed her aura in full force.
She hadn’t been pleased with the idea of sharing the training grounds with the disgraceful young master. Though she had nodded along to the Count’s orders, her real intent had been to scare him so badly that he would run away on his own.
Yet, he didn’t even falter.
Chris secretly smirked at Melin’s momentary surprise.
‘This kind of intimidation? I’m used to it.’
The strong always liked to flaunt their power.
During the Era of Destruction, he had been subjected to this kind of oppressive force so many times that dealing with it had become second nature.
“Well, in any case, I understand. Since even the Vice Commander has doubts, let’s set conditions. I’ll prove that I deserve to use this training ground.”
“Prove it?”
“There’s only one way a dark being proves themselves.”
Chris shrugged.
“Through strength.”
“!!”
“I’ll fight one of the dark beings here—right now—and claim victory.”
The training grounds erupted into murmurs.
Everyone was reacting as if the insane scoundrel had finally lost his mind.
Melin’s expression turned displeased.
“You’re going too far. Even as the esteemed young master, you don’t actually believe you can insult the Black Mire Knight Order and walk away unscathed, do you?”
She clearly considered Chris’s challenge to be nothing more than an arrogant joke.
“This is no joke. However, I have two conditions. First, the duel must be fought purely with physical ability—no use of dark energy. As you know, I lost my vessel for mana due to my indulgent lifestyle.”
“……”
“Oh, and it would be preferable if we fought unarmed as well. As you also know, I haven’t held a sword in ages.”
Melin looked utterly dumbfounded.
“You certainly ask for a lot. And the second condition?”
“I get to choose my opponent.”
Melin nodded.
Even if Chris picked the weakest knight here, they would still be several times stronger than this useless scoundrel.
Chris then turned to the young boy standing beside Melin, his face scrunched up in displeasure.
“Therne, it’s you.”
“…What?”
“You’re my opponent.”
Therne’s expression went blank.
Chris grinned.
“This is a perfect opportunity for some deep brotherly bonding.”
Of course, he meant bonding through fists.
* * *
Silence fell over the training grounds.
Everyone simply blinked, unable to process what they had just heard.
Then, after a brief pause—
“Has the crazy young master finally gone completely mad?”
“Is this how scoundrels choose to end their lives these days?”
The knights of the order whispered in astonishment.
Every single one of them thought Chris had lost his mind.
Therne, the one being challenged, had turned red with rage.
His face contorted with extreme fury, clearly feeling utterly humiliated.
“Y-you dare…”