Count’s Youngest Son is a Warlock

Chapter 17

ranslated by CleiZzEdited by Joh & Schwarzel

[……?]

The ghost, who blinked with an innocent expression plastered on its face, shivered.

The ghost that grabbed his neck was also a ghost, but something was different.

He was overwhelmed with an uncontrollable fear that he forgot that a living boy could see him.

[Why, why are you like this, Sir?]

The ghost cried and stuttered.

Russell put his hand on his lips, shushing the ghost.

Only then did the ghost hurry and shut his mouth while nodding.

[There are two concepts that govern ghosts. One is obedience to the master. The other is complete domination.]

“The second way, I think there’s going to be a lot of negativity.”

[Exactly.]

Russell grinned at Lucion’s words.

[The difference between obedience and domination in black magic depends if a ghost’s intention enters or not. Whether or not it is negative is judged from that simple difference.]

The ghost alternately looked at Lucion and Russell with anxious eyes.

[I think that the difference between respecting death is similar to that of denial and non-denial.]

Russell turned to the ghost.

The ghost flinched at the gaze.

[Death is a sub-being of darkness, so when a normal warlock attacks a ghost, you know it is a concept that relieves resentment.]

The ghost freaked out at Russell’s subsequent words.

[I-I must still be here! My, my daughter is the innkeeper here. I did nothing right in my life, so I just want to see her like this, just staying by her side!]

The ghost was in tears.

[I’m really! I will never harm…]

[I won’t eat you, so relax.]

Russell untied the ghost’s hand.

“Then what do I have to do to make that ghost obey me?”

To Lucion’s question, Russell answered as if he had expected it.

[There are two ways. One, to make a contract and deal. It’s the most comfortable way. I’ll let you know the other one when we get back to the mansion. It is best to learn by doing so.]

Russell immediately asked the ghost.

[Are you afraid that the warlock will relieve your resentment?]

[That’s right.]

[Then make a deal with my disciple. I’ll keep you from getting over it.]

[Y-you, are you sure?]

The ghost reacted, baffled by the swift turn of events.

[I don’t have any reason to lie.]

After listening to their conversation, Lucion asked suspiciously.

“Is making a contract with ghosts a way for them to obey me, instead of entirely stopping the ghost?”

[That’s right. Besides, unless you’re a special ghost, the only thing you can do anyway is act as an informant. But this is already pretty cool.]

Russell grinned.

‘Isn’t it really good?’

Lucion’s eyes widened.

Although ghosts couldn’t touch people and could only move up to a certain distance from where they were rooted, the advantages overruled the disadvantage.

Information was power.

Wouldn’t it be a great benefit to have an informant who could not be caught by most people?

[If you want to prevent the ghost from being captured by other warlocks, you just need to share the darkness with that contracted ghost. Then your darkness will deflect the darkness of other warlocks.]

Although Russell spoke casually, Lucion quickly noticed why ghosts had the instinct to obey him.

It was like planting a time bomb in your body.

“By the way, is it really possible to share the darkness?”

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Lucion looked at Russell, curious about the unexpected fact.

[Light is also distributed to people to increase regeneration, so why can’t you do the same with the darkness? It will stay dormant unless you order it.]

As Lucion rolled his eyes quietly, Russell corrected one thing.

[But it will be tough if the user misunderstands the concept. Ghosts, as you know, are already dead people. Because they are dead, they need to keep the darkness indefinitely, otherwise, they can only stay for a brief time and will eventually dissipate into nature.]

“…Oh, I thought it was strange. I thought that if there was no time to distribute darkness, I could use black magic like a trap.”

Lucion replied, stroking Ratta.

[Anyway, this ghost has permitted us, so if we put in the darkness, it’s over. It’s simpler than you think, right?]

Russell gestured to him to rush as if to start right away.

Lucion peeked at the door and took out the darkness.

The speed of bringing out the darkness seemed to have increased considerably after a few days of training.

Lucion put a flag on the ghost as it was and told the direction in which the darkness would move.

— Come on, come on, move.

Even Ratta’s ears wiggled.

As soon as the darkness touched the ghost it had become an arm with an unpleasant coldness gathered around it.

A tingling sensation ensued as if the ghost was rejecting him.

[Don’t fight back, Lucion.]

But in Russell’s words, Lucion accepted the sensation he was feeling.

-[‘Daughter, my beautiful daughter. My daughter, who is lovelier when she smiles. How great it would have been if you could walk with your arm clinging to mine during the most beautiful wedding of your life? I’m sorry to make you walk down the aisle alone.’]

‘This is…’

Lucion paused at the sudden memory that appeared in his mind, leaving behind the coldness that quickly disappeared.

The ghost also looked at Lucion in surprise.

Darkness spread to the ghost.

The ghost, which dyed its whole body black, turned translucent in an instant. There was a black star engraved on the back of its hand.

[See? This is a sign that the deal has been made.]

Russell pointed at the black star.

[Please give me orders, young master Lucion.]

The ghost looked at Lucion with warm eyes.

Just as Lucion saw some of the ghost’s memories, so did ghosts.

But it did not offend Lucion at all.

He gave the order naturally.

“Keep an eye on Kran, Stra, Helon. Watch out for any strange behaviors or conversations that imply potential betrayal. Can you do that?”

[I can do it.]

The ghost nodded and left the room.

“Teacher.”

Lucion’s heart still trembled at the strange sensation he had just felt.

[It will be strange. It will also feel unfamiliar. But it’s normal. Because you are a warlock, and ghosts were human before they died.]

“…Okay.”

Lucion calmed himself down.

Then he opened his mouth again to ask.

“How do you communicate with a controlled ghost?”

Russell’s eyes turned on Ratta.

[There’s a way, but I don’t think you need to know it since there’s Ratta.]

— Oohh.

Ratta smiled pleasantly at Lucion and Russell’s gaze.

“So? Can you do it?”

When Lucion asked, Ratta agonized for a moment and pulled her tail up close.

— Ah, this is Ratta. If you can hear Ratta, reach out to this room.

The ghost’s hand appeared from beyond the wall.

[…Wow. I didn’t think it’s entirely possible, but this really works.]

Russell was awestruck.

“That ghost is number one. Remember, Ratta.”

Lucion picked the number for the ghost, so it wouldn’t be confusing.

— Yeah! Ratta remembers.

Click.

At the sound of the door opening, Ratta rushed into Lucion’s shadow.

“I’m sorry to have kept you waiting so long.”

Kran’s face, as he entered the room, wasn’t as bright as it was.

[He managed to get all the signatures.]

Russell looked at the paper that Kran brought out and opened his mouth.

“It’s okay. Honestly, it’s not an easy decision, is it?”

Lucion was a little sarcastic.

Kran held out the paper first.

“Since you did all your promises, please state your conditions.”

Lucion laughed at his words.

Hearing that, Kran’s eyes shook slightly.

“Don’t try to disclose who I am. I’ll take it as a betrayal if you do any background checks or try to follow my tracks.” 

Lucion certainly pulled it off.

This was a natural and necessary condition.

It was for this reason that Kran was introduced as the barge boss.

“Yes, I already thought about that.”

Kran replied with a nod to express that he had expected it.

“Then even if you happen to know who I am, you must have the sense of pretending not to know.”

Lucion said, putting the contract in his pocket.

He then interlocked his hands again.

[Hang on, Lucion.]

Russell was now slowly being aware of Lucion’s intentions.

He should have known from the beginning when he took his first step of creating an organization without borrowing neither Novio’s nor his family’s power.

[You have to think that through. Once you spit it out, you can’t take it back.]

Russell licked his lips with nervousness.

“I know.”

Lucion was already determined the moment he came to meet Kran.

Him as a nobleman and him as a warlock. 

These two were not something he could give up just because he wanted to, so Lucion had to take them all with him even if it was tough.

Instead, it was better to hide one from people’s eyes because both could not be carried side by side.

It was him as a warlock who had to hide.

“I’m a warlock.”

Lucion did not hesitate.

At those words, Russell closed his eyes tightly.

Even if Lucion changed, he still wouldn’t  look back.

“…….”

Kran was so stiff that he couldn’t bring up any words.

“You can let both of them know this. And I look forward to a peaceful and fruitful cooperation.”

Lucion’s voice was bright because he felt relieved after a long time of hiding it.

“Oh… Oh?”

Kran’s head slightly twisted.

Crisp.

Lucion looked at the cut blue thread.

* * *

He wanted to keep looking at his account because he had more than 300,000 Dell in it even after withdrawing 40,000 Dell.

‘This is the level of allowance for a nobleman’s son.’

He was in bliss as he compared this to  his bank account in his previous life, which had only more than 10 million won.

[You already took 40,000, and you still have 300,000 left? There’s indeed a reason why you are the son of the Count. It’s the first time I’ve had a stomach ache.]

Russell gritted his teeth.

He knew that it was the nobility who was holding and shaking the world’s economic power, but when he confirmed it with his own eyes, he couldn’t help but get angry.

“At best, it’s just pocket money.”

The smugness in Lucion’s voice couldn’t have been worse.

[For the first time, I think you’re unlucky.]

“It’s an honor.”

Lucion replied pleasantly, leaving the bank and heading back to the inn.

“Here you are.”

Lucion handed over a bundle of money in his bag to Kran.

Gulp.

Kran opened the bag as he gulped.

With the smell of money, the stiff new money welcomed him.

“…Ha.”

Kran couldn’t keep his breath from escaping his mouth.

It was real money.

It was more than they had earned after working like a dog for such a long year.

“I’ve set it at 40,000 just in case it’s not enough. So you can spend the extra money on your own.”

The extra money would be a few thousand dell at least. Kran’s voice trembled at the loud words.

“What should I call you?”

Kran’s view of Lucion changed a little.

Kran was stunned by Lucion’s revelation and even glared at Lucion as if he had met his enemy.

But he couldn’t tell him that because the contract had become a leash on his neck which was held by Lucion

Lucion also did not resolve any misunderstandings that Kran had, and instead brought the money right away.

The effect was very apparent.

‘Money’s good.’

Lucion held back a smile that seemed to leak out because of Kran’s changed attitude.

“You can call me Hamel.”

Hamel, the alias used by his brother in the novel.

He was going to use it because he would never use it again.

“Don’t forget to put ‘nim’ after my name when it’s just the two of us.”

Lucion was no longer respectful to Kran as stated in the contract where their relationship is that of an owner and a worker.

“Yes, I know. I’ll do that just like the terms in the contract.”

Kran also followed suit.

“You don’t like me. I’m sure it’s because I’m a warlock.”

At Lucion’s point, Kran flinched briefly.

[Be gentle, Lucion. Look at his face. It’s very clear that you’re holding back your anger to the point that your face is turning red.]

Russell folded his arms.

[I didn’t know if anyone would welcome the fact that the person who had to see his face in the future was a warlock.]

[I wanted to be like Lucion, but I couldn’t help but worry.]

“But the day will come when you will be proud of this choice.”

Despite Lucion’s convincing voice, Kran’s expression remained.

‘I can’t believe it right now.’

Lucion knew how capable Kran was.

Now that he learned of Kran’s status as a slave which was not mentioned in the novel, he praised him even more.

‘Kran will lead the organization no matter what the process is. I’ll just have to support myself behind the scenes and borrow the power of the organization only when I use black magic.’

Lucion quickly became satisfied at the thought of just one spoon.

“Then follow me.”

When Lucion headed to the door, Kran asked.

“What are you talking about?”

“Let’s check your skills.”

Although it was a four-member organization, including himself, it couldn’t get past the obvious event anyway.

There was a scapegoat sent from the Horaon Viscounty.

Lucion was thrilled.