Genius of the Dark Magus Family Chapter 24

Merian did not respond.

But her face said it all—it was a face that could not find words due to shock.

It was undoubtedly a pass.

“Excellent.”

Christian returned to his room and silently celebrated.

He had won Melin’s loyalty, and unexpectedly made a solid impression on Merian, a key figure in the Dark Magus family.

More importantly, this would also create a good impression on the head of the family, making it a significant event.

A solid impression?

He couldn’t be satisfied with just that.

‘I need to make Merian my ally.’

Merian was among the most influential in the family.

She was the leader of the Black Shadow Knights, one of the notorious knight orders of the Dark Magus.

Most importantly, she was the favored daughter of the family head.

Winning her over would bring tremendous benefits.

“It’s definitely possible.”

Christian had a scheming look.

He immediately went to Count Kazar with a question.

“Why do you want to know more about my sister?”

“I have my reasons.”

“Really?”

Count Kazar tilted his head slightly and answered Christian’s question.

“If it’s about her preferences…”

Hearing this, Christian hurriedly prepared.

***

“Oink, Young Master, why in the kitchen? Oink.”

“Ah, I want to try something. I can use the kitchen for a bit, right?”

“Oink, of course! Just don’t burn the mansion down, Oink!”

The chef hurriedly made space.

Christian looked at the chef silently for a moment.

“…So the chef was an orc. A high orc, known for their ferocity. And here I was eating strawberry cream cake made by an orc.”

It was plausible in a household where a banshee served as a maid, but an orc as a chef specializing in desserts was unimaginable.

Especially since Christian had been admiring the chef’s dessert skills all this time.

‘…Hopefully there weren’t any blood mixed in that strawberry juice… No, thinking all orcs are barbaric might be a prejudice.’

“Oink, what can I assist you with?”

“I’m planning to bake cookies. Could you bring the ingredients?”

“Oink, cookies?”

“…I need them. Just bring the ingredients.”

“Oink, oink. Here they are. But my cookies are really top-notch, oink. Oink.”

“……”

Seeing the chef ‘oink’, Christian felt his appetite for future desserts diminishing.

He shook his head, resolving not to think about it.

“No, it’s the effort of making them that counts.”

“Oink?”

“And.”

Christian grinned and rolled up his sleeves.

“I’m also baking a cookie.”

It was time to show off his cooking skills again.

* * *

Christian was once part of a hero’s party.

But he was non-combat personnel.

Although he had achieved a significant level of skill, he had no combat power when he joined.

So, what role did he play?

“Everything but the fighting.”

The hero’s party, like all its predecessors, consisted of the finest combat experts.

Conversely, like all other heroes, they were fools in everything else.

Christian used his versatile abilities to assist the foolish heroes.

He healed the injured with medicine, found the right paths as a guide, kept them from being cheated with his eloquence, opened safes with his thieving skills, prevented them from falling into traps, decrypted secret codes, and devised strategies as a strategist.

Christian’s hidden efforts allowed the hero’s party to achieve many feats against the Magic Empire.

Without Christian, the hero’s party would have stumbled over countless obstacles.

“There was another important role I played.”

That was, cooking.

“The hero’s party, as if by a curse, had miserable cooking skills.”

Christian being a good cook was obvious. Why? Because he excelled at everything.

Every time the hero’s party ate his cooking, they were deeply moved.

– Christian, you are the indispensable light of our party.

– Thanks to you, we can continue our dirty hero deeds.

Perhaps the hero’s party liked Christian partly because of his cooking skills.

Such was the level of his cooking skills that it elicited strong reactions from the party.

That’s why.

Christian was confident that his plan to win over Merian would likely succeed.

“This should be enough.”

Christian looked confidently at the cookies he had made.

Beside him, the high orc chef looked mesmerized.

“Oink, Oink, sir, how did you make such cookies? Oink, this tastes like… it’s imbued with a mother’s soul?”

“…Hey, who said you could just eat it!”

“Oink, but I’m a chef so I can taste food secretly, Oink?”

“……”

Could it be that you secretly stole a bite of every dessert you’ve made up to now?

Christian was confused, but since it seemed unlikely that the orc would listen to anything he said, he just packed the cookies and left the kitchen.

He vowed that once he ascended to a higher position, he would replace everyone from the maids to the chef with humans.

“Brother?”

He ran into Theren in the corridor.

“Title.”

“…Respected King Emperor Majesty Brother.”

“Where is Lady Merian?”

“She has left the mansion. Apparently, there was urgent business back home.”

Already?

That was unexpected.

He needed to catch Merian before she left.

But then, Theren frowned and began speaking in a determined tone.

“Brother.”

“Title.”

“…Respected King Emperor Majesty Brother, I actually have something to tell you. All this time, I have…”

“Sorry, I’m busy right now.”

“Brother?”

It seemed like an important discussion was on Theren’s mind, but he had no time to listen.

Christian completely ignored Theren and headed for the mansion’s main gate.

“Lady Merian!”

Merian was just mounting her horse.

Her black hair fluttered in the wind, perfectly matching the grand black horse. Only Count Kazar was beside her.

“Christian?”

Merian’s eyes widened slightly.

“What’s the matter?”

“I heard you were leaving, so I came to see you off.”

“I was trying to leave quietly because it’s late.”

Merian smiled.

“I appreciate you coming out like this, especially since you must be tired from the duel earlier.”

Her tone was much friendlier than before.

Naturally.

She had witnessed something astonishing.

And she had inquired among the mansion’s staff to confirm that Christian had indeed changed.

‘Good, the atmosphere is nice.’

Christian thought to himself and then said.

“I have prepared something for you, Lady Merian.”

“Prepared?”

“Yes.”

Christian handed her something carefully wrapped from his pocket.

It was a cookie he had baked in the kitchen earlier.

“This is?”

“I heard from father that you like cookies, so I tried baking them myself, though my skills are modest.”

Merian looked surprised.

It was true that she loved cookies.

In fact, she adored them.

Her preference had been consistent since her childhood. Even her younger brother, Count Kazar, knew about it.

But she had never expected such a gift.

“This is… quite good.”

“Not at all. I prepared it because I was glad to see my aunt after such a long time. Please accept it happily.”

At those words, Merian’s heart fluttered slightly.

Now that she thought about it, that was right.

They were related by blood.

Aunt and nephew.

Thinking this, she felt a twinge of guilt.

‘I was quite harsh at the beginning.’

She had assessed Christian strictly from the perspective of a superior in her family’s main house.

She had regarded him as a nuisance who only brought trouble to the family.

But now, he was offering a gift of his feelings as her nephew.

“…Thank you, really.”

It was a brief reply, but it held a lot of meaning.

Christian noticed that Merian’s emotions were wavering and smiled faintly to himself.

It was going as he had planned.

“But you made this yourself?”

“Yes. Though I lack skill, I tried my best, thinking of you, Aunt. Please try it.”

Merian casually popped the cookie into her mouth and then started in surprise.

It was delicious.

No, it was beyond that.

‘There are cookies like this in the world?’

As a cookie enthusiast who had tried all kinds of cookies, especially the famous ones from the southern magic kingdom, she had a discerning taste. But this cookie was truly spectacular.

Merian unconsciously ate one, then two, then three cookies before stopping herself, feeling it was unseemly.

“You may have more.”

“Er, no. You’ve given me a wonderful gift; I should reciprocate. Is there something you wish for?”

Merian asked with a softened voice.

“I have a gift for you as well.”

Christian clenched his fist.

She was nearly persuaded.

‘What should I ask for?’

There was much he could ask for.

He could request teachings of the family’s unique swordsmanship or spells. He could ask for a precious treasure or weapon.

Or, since she was the commander of the Black Shadow Knights and the most cherished daughter of the family head, he could even ask for a ‘privilege’ in the succession struggle.

But Christian made an unexpected request.

“Please be my real aunt from now on.”

“Hm?”

Merian frowned, puzzled.

“You are already my nephew. I am your aunt.”

“No, what I mean is, I want you to be my real aunt.”

Christian spoke slowly.

“Like a true family.”

Merian’s face hardened slightly.

She understood what Christian meant.

They were related by blood.

But was it truly like a real family?

Not at all.

In the Dark Magus Family, they had a strictly public relationship, perhaps even inferior to others.

In the noble families bonded by blood, this was a matter of course.

But now, Christian was asking her to become his real family.

‘No, it’s not just some naive notion.’

Merian shook her head.

More precisely, he was asking her to be on his side.

In the aristocratic magic families, that’s what family meant— the only beings within a hostile clan who could be relied upon and would stand by your side.

“Do you understand what you’re asking? It’s too much. I can’t comply.”

“The ‘elders’ at the main house must be fair to the young successors. That’s the rule.”

A rule that no one followed, though she kept this thought to herself.

Here, ‘elders’ referred to the senior members of the main family lineage who could influence the decision of the next successor.

The ‘successors’ must earn the elders’ recognition solely based on their capabilities.

But in name only, for the ‘successors’ each had their own ‘elders’ who favored them within the family.

It was well-known, for instance, that the acting head of the family, Duke Rangham, openly favored Ashed.

However, this was against the rules.

“I’m sorry, but perhaps another favor…”

“You seem to have misunderstood something.”

“Oh?”

Christian simply smiled broadly.