Chapter 91. Marco’s Proposal

“Argh!”

Marco let out a dry scream, jerking. Red blood flowed from the cut, but soon the bleeding stopped, and the wound began to heal.

“This guy won’t die. Even if he’s slashed and his limbs are twisted and broken, he’ll return to his original state.”

“……”

“Do you know why?”

The Duke looked at Aster with a crazed glint, as though he was posing a riddle. Aster could easily guess his intention.

The Duke had used Marco for experiments before trying it on himself. Marco probably wasn’t the first.

Now it seemed the Duke was even more cruel than King Autanus. The tyrant had merely used the power of the Maved Stone to slow aging and cure diseases.

He hadn’t gone as far as the Duke, who planned to embed the Maved Stone into his body.

“It’s the Maved Stone.”

“Yes, that’s right. The secret experiments I conducted with the Black Shadow were all because of this guy.”

The Duke caressed the stone embedded in Marco’s heart with a look of ecstasy. It was clear that the stone was embedded in such a way that it could be easily removed.

Aster now found the Duke terrifying. The Duke continued.

“King Autanus was foolish. If it were me, I wouldn’t have lost the Maved Stone so easily.”

The Duke spoke as if embedding it in his body would solve everything.

“How did you make it?”

Aster asked, pretending to know nothing, and the Duke answered cheerfully.

“I got it in exchange for selling my soul.”

That meant he had used the family’s secret technique to make a deal with Autanus. Autanus, being a tyrant, was no different from a demon who had fallen into hellfire.

Making a contract with such a being was akin to committing an irreversible sin. When Aster didn’t respond, Duke Blanche asked.

“Are you afraid now?”

“No.”

“Yes, you must be afraid.”

The Duke muttered as though Aster’s answer didn’t matter. It was as if he wanted Aster to fear him.

“Don’t worry. This is all for Blanche.”

Duke Blanche spoke magnanimously, like he’s doing a favor, and laughed heartily.

“Soon, the Black Shadow will bring the final piece. If I can successfully fuse it into my body, conquering the continent will be easy.”

“……Absolutely.”

Aster felt nauseous but managed to utter a flattering response. The Duke grabbed Aster’s shoulder and spoke.

“So your contribution is the greatest. We almost failed again like ten years ago.”

The reason for his relentless search for Marco wasn’t just because he was a subordinate or the leader of the Black Shadow. Although Aster suspected there was more, he never dreamed that Marco’s body housed the real Maved Stone.

‘Is that why he resonated with Camilla?’

Both had the Maved Stone in their bodies, albeit unintentionally. While he couldn’t understand the exact principle, it wasn’t an impossible hypothesis.

“Things have indeed gone smoothly thanks to Marco. He was the only one who survived with the Maved Stone embedded in him.”

“……”

“I took in a man who would have starved to death and let him live in luxury for ten years. He’ll leave this world without regrets. The problem is when I embed it into my body.”

Marco being the only one meant many lives had been sacrificed for the Duke’s benefit.

Now it seemed Marco hadn’t owed his life to the Duke but had been held as collateral. Aster barely managed to suppress his rising disgust.

The Duke, rubbing his chin and looking troubled, continued speaking, unaware it would be to his detriment.

“Actually, the stone causes severe backlash when absorbed into the body. If done wrong, it could be fatal. If I’m attacked by enemies during that time, everything will be ruined even after completion.”

The Duke was clearly overconfident. Otherwise, he would have realized the person before him was not just his biological son but an enemy.

The fact that he revealed his weakness to Aster showed how wrongheaded he was.

Aster’s eyes gleamed. This meant the best time to attack the Duke was when he was trying to absorb the Maved Stone.

Aster hid his expression to avoid revealing his thoughts. Having used so many people, the Duke had no one left to trust.

Otherwise, he wouldn’t have made such a proposal to Aster, who had been aiming for his back.

Duke Blanche spoke.

“So I want you to take charge of the family while I’m away.”

“Of course.”

“Yes. Now that it’s just you and me in Blanche, we can’t be at odds. If you wish, I can even give you a position in Francis.”

The Duke added magnanimously, thinking of Camilla. He acted as if he already had Ahivith and the entire continent under his feet.

Aster spoke, glancing at Marco,

“But will you be alright alone? Didn’t the leader of the Black Shadow deceive you and incite Paris?”

In fact, the Duke suspected Marco had deliberately sold Linux to Paris. The surprising thing was that Marco hadn’t made any excuses.

This was part of the reason he was imprisoned and beaten. The Duke’s judgment had been clouded by Isabelle’s betrayal.

“Yes. That’s why I’m asking you. I want you to protect me while I adapt to the Maved Stone.”

“If that’s the case, you needn’t worry.”

“Phew, I originally intended to take Isabelle with me. But to think she was deceiving me. I almost entrusted the fish to the cat, and it chills my spine.”

The Duke, clutching his chest, looked displeased. Being deceived by Isabelle still seemed shocking to him.

The fact that he chose Aster as her replacement showed Duke Blanche was unworthy of obtaining the Maved Stone.

“I will faithfully repay the trust you’ve placed in me.”

“Good!”

The Duke laughed heartily, pleased with Aster’s response. He took something out of his pocket.

“It’s a magic tool to summon the Black Shadow. I think it’s time you handle them.”

“It’s too much.”

“Don’t be modest.”

The Duke handed Aster the summoner, as if there was no need for false humility. The old man who intended to live long by exploiting the Black Shadow’s lives and who was now pretending to be generous, was repulsive.

The Duke then discussed his hideout with Aster. He planned to use the excuse of going for recuperation due to the current stressful situation.

“Keep a close watch on that guy. He’s tried to escape several times. Because of him, I can’t leave the castle.”

Annoyed, the Duke slapped Marco’s cheek. Marco glared at the Duke with fierce eyes.

It seemed he had nothing to lose now. Judging by his attempts to escape, he knew he was about to die.

After all, he would die once the Maved Stone was removed from his body, so he probably wanted to make a final struggle.

“Don’t worry.”

“Alright. Then I’ll trust you and step out for a while.”

With those words, the Duke left the prison. It turned out he had been confined to the castle to keep an eye on Marco.

Indeed, it wouldn’t have been easy to leave such a valuable asset behind in the castle. Aster stood before Marco only after the Duke’s footsteps could no longer be heard.

“Marco Almand.”

At Aster’s call, Marco, who had his head buried in the ground, lifted his gaze. Aster began.

“You seemed like you had something to say to me earlier. Now that the Duke is gone, speak freely.”

At Aster’s words, Marco smirked and spat out the blood in his mouth. He had been nervous, thinking Aster hadn’t noticed him not looking his way, but it was a relief. Panting, Marco said,

“Your wife hasn’t said anything, has she? Judging by how calm you are.”

“What do you mean?”

“Has she collapsed recently?”

Aster frowned at the question, which seemed to be probing despite knowing the answer.

“Get to the point.”

“You’re impatient. Cough! Haha.”

Marco laughed, coughing. Seeing his half-mad appearance, Aster stepped back, and Marco spoke.

“Stop! You’ll regret it if you leave like this.”

“Threats from a man bound hand and foot aren’t very intimidating.”

When Aster pretended to walk away, Marco, in a hurry, raised his voice.

“What if I told you I know how to remove the Maved Stone embedded in Camilla Francis’s body? Would you still not listen?”