Episode 10
There was no use in pretending ignorance.
Some instructors already knew I had studied blood magic.
I decided to confront it head-on.
“I had no choice but to understand it. I studied every method that could possibly allow me to manifest dark mana. I’ve been doing that for a long time.”
“……”
“That’s also why I know blood magic is useless.”
“……”
“If it had actually worked… I would’ve shaken off the ‘underachiever’ label ages ago.”
That part, at least, was true.
Even if it no longer applied to my current self.
“But isn’t it strange…? My instincts tell me that you did use blood magic during the demonstration.”
“……”
“My instincts are quite accurate, you know.”
He smiled, wrinkles forming around his eyes.
For a moment, I forgot he was an old man—his smile was captivating.
But I had no idea how to respond in a way that would leave a good impression.
Baytenze Hamrlohren was a supporting character, so the original novel didn’t describe his personality in much detail.
Still, one thing was certain.
He was a staunch meritocrat who despised mediocrity.
If that’s the case…
“Well, if I did use blood magic, like you say… then what?”
“I’d ask how you managed it. Unless you killed around twenty people, the power you displayed would’ve been impossible.”
“Hmm…”
I tilted my head with a gentle smile.
“Even if you asked, I wouldn’t tell you.”
“What?”
“Why would I reveal a secret technique for a new spell to someone who’s not even my disciple?”
“……”
“Are you planning to become my student, Grandfather?”
In the Kadol Empire, where power determined everything and strength defined the world order…
Revealing your trump card to others was nothing short of foolishness.
Even if the other person shared your blood.
No—especially because they shared your blood, in a family of dark mages where your kin were your fiercest competitors.
At my response, Grandfather…
“Ha! Hahaha! Hahahahaha!”
Let out a loud, satisfied laugh.
It wasn’t a cheerful laugh. It sent a chill down my spine—but I waited silently for him to finish.
After some time, his laughter stopped abruptly.
“Well… it’s a shame, but I suppose I can’t become your disciple.”
“That’s fine. I don’t have any secret techniques to teach, since I didn’t use blood magic anyway.”
“So that’s how you’re playing it.”
His crimson eyes narrowed.
He still suspected I had used blood magic.
I’ll definitely have to be careful around him.
No wonder he rose to that position—he had uncanny intuition.
Judging that further probing would yield no results, he stood up.
“I’ve made you stand too long. Sit.”
“Yes.”
I sat politely in front of the table, folding my hands neatly. Leaning back against the sofa, Grandfather spoke.
“Now then… don’t you have anything to say to me?”
“……”
“You managed to get a meeting with me. Surely there’s something you want to ask?”
He smiled softly, but I knew better. That was a trap.
Personal requests, appeals to emotion…
Baytenze Hamrlohren detested such things.
He wasn’t calling me Aga (child) out of affection.
He doesn’t even remember the names of his own grandchildren.
He was simply using a placeholder since he didn’t recall my name.
Melt him with cute antics and become the beloved granddaughter?
If such naïve tricks worked, the family would already be full of ‘adorable Agas’ who melted his cold heart.
Unfortunately, this world wasn’t a romantic fantasy—it was a dark, political one.
Proof of strength.
That was the only way to survive in this family.
“No… I have nothing to ask.”
“Truly? You don’t want to return to the main house?”
“I do want to go. But I won’t ask you to make it happen.”
I met his gaze head-on.
“I’ll just… follow the rules.”
“……”
“You’ve already granted me one exception. So now, all you have to do is treat everything according to the rules. From now on.”
“……Ha.”
His lips curled faintly.
“You’re a bold one, aren’t you?”
“I hear that a lot.”
“You really are a spitting image of your father in that regard.”
“……”
Hearing that made my throat tighten.
Even if only a little… if I looked like my father in his eyes, that made me happy.
“But Aga, I still think you’re too soft.”
“Soft…?”
“Yes. If I were you, I would’ve eliminated all the competition during the demonstration.”
“……”
“Then you’d be the only candidate left to return to the main house, wouldn’t you?”
I knew that wasn’t just a hypothetical.
Baytenze Hamrlohren had actually done that.
Back when he was my age, unable to manifest dark mana until relatively late, he suddenly awakened—with explosive force.
It was said he skipped straight past level 1 and entered with a level 2 dark core.
And during the following demonstration… he destroyed the dark cores of every other child except himself.
He delivered a death sentence to what could’ve been their bright futures as dark mages.
As my face stiffened at the memory, Grandfather chuckled.
“Oh? So you’ve heard that story?”
“……Yes.”
“Ah, what a villain I must seem. Are you going to hate me now?”
Despite his words, he looked quite pleased.
As if he enjoyed seeing others flinch.
I slowly shook my head.
“You may not be a good person… but I think I understand why you did it.”
“……”
“The other kids… bullied you constantly, didn’t they?”
Even now, the Tower of Necromancy was a brutal place ruled by survival of the fittest. Back then, it must’ve been even worse.
There weren’t even rules against violence until he established them himself, later on.
I thought I could understand how he felt.
“I went through the same thing.”
“……”
“You just gave them back what they deserved. Anyone who couldn’t handle that didn’t belong in Hamrlohuren anyway.”
“If they couldn’t even endure that much… how could they expect to survive in this family?”
That was the very foundation of House Hamrlohren.
Even if the weak sought revenge for being trampled by the rules, they had no one to blame but themselves.
I thought Grandfather would just laugh it off again… but instead, his expression shifted strangely, as though something had pierced his heart.
“…Grandfather?”
“Ah.”
He rubbed his forehead and shook his head.
“Well, alright. If you insist on sticking to the rules, I’ll respect that.”
“Thank you.”
A mysterious smile crept back onto his face as he changed the subject.
“If you won’t ask for anything… I suppose I should reward you instead. Have a drink before you go.”
—
Meanwhile…
Manager Max jumped into action the moment the bell rang.
Baytenze had given him a direct order—to bring a bottle of Behemoth’s Grape to the Golden Demon’s room.
“I’ll deliver it myself. Everyone else, stand by.”
“Yes, sir.”
He loaded the wine, nestled in a bucket of ice, onto a trolley and began moving.
But as he reached a blind spot in the hallway, he deftly uncorked the bottle.
At first glance, he seemed to be wiping condensation from the glass…
But in that brief moment, droplets of violet liquid slipped inside, leaving no trace behind.
Capping the bottle again, Max resumed walking.
What he had added to the Behemoth’s Grape was an extract from a plant called Gelekcho—a rare herb capable of temporarily sealing dark mana within a dark core.
However, it had no effect on those with a dark core above level 2.
It only worked on low-level mages with unstable mana flow—like someone who had just awakened a level 1 dark core.
The target was obvious.
Kalmia Hamrlohren .
She had just awakened her core, and her dark mana would still be volatile.
If she suddenly failed to use magic tomorrow, it could be easily brushed off as instability.
Gelekcho wasn’t a combat poison—it was a research material. Few knew of its properties. And since it wasn’t deadly, it wouldn’t show up on a standard toxin scan.
A perfect trap—undetectable, and designed to drag Kalmia into ruin.
