Count’s Youngest Son is a Warlock Chapter 1 - I Remembered

 

“That’s him! That’s him!”

 

The nobles, who were gathered at the banquet, were horrified by the appearance of a boy. A young noblewoman could not help but be bewildered by the change in the atmosphere of the banquet.

 

“It’s Lucion Cronia, the son of the Cronia family I’m talking about.”

 

Next to her, a noble young man holding a glass of red wine sneaked up and pointed his finger at Lucion. It was rude to point a finger at someone in noble etiquette, but pointing at Lucion was fine as if he was an exception.

 

The young woman was intrigued by Lucion’s appearance. Lucion was wearing a black hoodie and the hoodie covered his face. Of course, he stood out as hoodies were not suitable for a noble banquet.

 

“Why is he…?” The young woman asked slowly.

 

She didn’t know much, but she knew that the Cronia family was the one who protected the border. So, the question was— Why did the Cronia family make such an appearance like that when they had the same power as a Marquis?

 

The young nobleman beside the young noblewoman answered without any hesitation. “He’s crazy.”

 

“Yeah”, she unconsciously agreed. Realizing it, she hurriedly covered her mouth. 

 

“If you think he’s not crazy enough, then listen to this and you might change your opinion about him,” he continued, “He killed his mother.”

 

“What! Really?”

 

The young woman seemed scared and the plate in her open hand started shaking lighty. She was obviously stunned at this unexpected event.

 

“Oh, you didn’t know? It’s quite a famous story”, looking at her reaction, the young nobleman beside her laughed.

 

“There’s rumor that the Count’s wife, who could not accept her son’s madness, committed suicide.”

 

Her gaze turned and fell upon Lucion. She didn’t know which Count it was, but she got to know that the case of Countess of Chronia committed suicide was quite famous. But it was her first time hearing it in a formal banquet and from the mouth of a person belonging to the social circle.

 

She then asked in a low voice, “Then… Why did he do that?”

 

“Even the Count himself doesn’t seem to know why. Otherwise, how else would they allow him to attend the banquet like that?”

 

The young nobleman approached her more and spoke boldly. It was interesting, but it was time to move on.

 

“I’m personally more interested in you, My lady, than the reason why the countess suicided.” The young nobleman said with a sly smile plastered on his face.

 

“Why don’t we go somewhere else, My lady?”

 

“…Okay.” She didn’t seem to hate the idea either. 

 

The two quietly left the center of the banquet hall and headed to the corner where the door was. 

 But suddenly…

 

Bam!

 

From nowhere, a bottle struck the young nobleman’s head. While the woman stumbled and couldn’t come to her senses, a shrill voice struck the ear of the young nobleman. 

 

“Even if you’re a nobleman, don’t think you will be able to go far.”

 

The sound of the bottle breaking stopped the music that was being played in the banquet hall and everyone’s eyes were fixated on Lucion, again.

 

The footsteps of someone walking to the noble young man were heard very loudly.

 

“…It’s Lucion.”

 

At that moment, Lucion’s gaze was at the nobleman who mentioned him and the nobleman turned his head in a hurry, avoiding looking at Lucion’s eyes.

 

“Arg! I made eye contact. The curse will spread! The curse…!”

 

Hearing the noble’s nonsense, Lucion laughed.

 

As soon as they made eye contact, Lucion suddenly started hearing the sound of a curse, a disease as he called it, from everywhere. Lucion ignored it and looked again at the young nobleman with a bottle of liquor in his hand.

 

“Are you trying to seduce a woman by mentioning other people’s family history? Even a dog in a rut won’t do that, you son of a bitch!” After saying that, Lucion smashed the liquor bottle on the head of the nobleman again but with more force.

 

Bam!

 

When the hood came off slightly, the people at the banquet stopped breathing. It really was Lucion Cronia. Although he was called by various names, such as the madman and the cursed one, Lucion Cronia was the most used one.

 

He was a tough bastard. Once he bit, there was  no way he would let you go.

 

Ttak!

 

As if he was bored of smashing him, Lucion threw the bottle of liquor. He kicked the nobleman, who had already collapsed and moaned in pain. But, Lucion was merciless and continued kicking the young nobleman like he had the intention of killing him.

 

“!!!”

 

Bam!

 

“Do you like talking about other people’s family history?”

 

Bam!

 

“Do you like to flirt with girls?”

 

Bam!

 

“Do you like it?”

 

The sudden violence in the banquet brought the count’s guards into the banquet hall. The guards were speechless when they saw what Lucion was doing. In their eyes, Lucion forgot the dignity of the aristocrat and was still beating his already fallen opponent with his feet.

 

“Sir, if you continue to do this….”

 

“Don’t stop me! I will kill that son of a bitch today!” Lucion screamed suddenly.

 

Who was Lucion talking to? The surrounding nobles, as well as the guards, started to whisper. “I heard that he was crazy but to think it was real…”

 

As many people started talking about him, their gaze toward Lucion grew sharper.

 

[ Why are you dirtying your hands because of him? ]

 

The man standing next to Lucion bent down and touched his face.

 

[ Your father told you to just go and come back quietly, ] the man continued.

 

“I did it because he was noisy!” Lucion shouted and glared at the man beside him.

 

Every noble’s eyes moved towards the direction to where Lucion was screaming at, but there was no one there. People started feeling creepy as Lucion continued to scream at the air.

 

[ I am the one to blame. Please, forgive me, Lucion. ]

 

The man reproached himself and squeezed Lucion’s hair hard.

 

[ You idiot, Russell… Why did you make fun of him when you knew your disciple was like that? ] Russell saw fear in the eyes of those who looked at Lucion.

 

It was obvious why they had this reaction. It was because they couldn’t see them— the ghosts, so they were afraid of Lucion. Only those who could see ghosts were blessed with darkness. Lucion, his disciple, was blessed with darkness.

 

[ Lucion, that’s enough. ] Russell tried to stop Lucion again.

 

Before Lucion met him, he knew that Lucion had been haunted by ghosts in this way until a month ago. But things got way too big today. 

 

Lucion looked at the guards who had come to him and said, “If you dare to grab my clothes, I will immediately cut your throats for disrespecting someone higher than your position!”

 

Seeing his worsening actions, Russell flicked his finger at Lucion’s forehead, and the anger in Lucion’s eyes subsided a little.

 

[ Calm down, Lucion. He’s not a ghost, he’s a human. ]

 

For those blessed with Darkness, Darkness took its place instead of Mana. Darkness was heavily influenced by negative emotions. Negative actions such as ruthless violence and verbal abuse, even if not necessarily emotions, led to corruption and would make that person a cruel and merciless warlock that people knew of.

 

[ If you don’t want to be a fallen warlock, take a deep breath right now. ] Russell glared bitterly at Lucion.

 

Lucion just became a warlock yesterday, so Lucion was unstable at the moment because he had not fully grasped the darkness.

 

Lucion breathed deeply to calm down, as Russell said. Then Lucion felt some gazes focused on him at that moment. Lucion was aware of that gaze. It was the cold and disgusting look that ghosts always looked at when they harassed him.

 

[ You will never be happy. You can see us because God has listened to our desire to torment you, an aristocrat, to the death. ]

 

[ Now, let’s be as unhappy as we are when we lose our necks and hearts. Hurry up and be abandoned by society and people and die! ]

 

[ Kill! Kill! Kill! Die! Please die! Please! ]

 

Lucion gritted his teeth unconsciously as the sounds of ghosts that were harassing him, reached him and became louder as time passed by. Not a minute of freedom has been given to him for decades. Lucion had to fight not to lose himself in the voices of the ghosts who talked like that every time.

 

[ …Lucion! Look forward! ]

 

Puck!

 

A fist came from somewhere and hit Lucion in the face.

 

“How dare this son of a bitch…!”

 

In a blink of an eye, another nobleman suddenly grabbed Lucion’s collar. Lucion didn’t know where the hell it came from, but Lucion couldn’t resist the power of that man who was driving him to the wall. 

 

‘What a strength…!’

 

That nobleman seemed to be a knight, but it was a mistake the knight targeted Lucion.

 

“Who do you think you are?! My brother… Argh!”

 

Lucion bit the aristocrat’s ear at the perfect time. Lucion’s sudden attack only fueled the anger of a noble who had already lost his reason.

 

Kwaang!

 

The nobleman grabbed Lucion by the neck and hit him hard against the wall. One of the ornaments that had been fixed to the wall fell on Lucion’s head due to the collision.

 

Bam! Bam!

 

There was a similar, but disparate sound in Lucion’s ear.

 

Crash! Crash!

 

In Lucion’s vision, he could see the rain falling like an afterimage.

 

‘Rain?… There’s no way it’s raining…’

 

‘Ugh.. I can’t get up.’

 

Right now, his knees were stuck to the floor helplessly, and the objects that fell nearby were never seen in the world.

 

Smartphones, credit cards, wallets…

 

‘Oh…’ Suddenly, Lucion recalled his forgotten memories.

 

Lee Ha-ram.

 

That was the name he used before he was reborn as Lucion.

 

Thud!

 

When Lucion collapsed, the banquet hall was engulfed in deep silence. There was trouble coming up. No matter how crazy Lucion was, he was still the son of Count Cronia. In this banquet hall, no one has a higher position than Lucion.

 

***

 

“Ugh!”

 

Lucion grabbed his throbbing head and opened his eyes.

 

[ It couldn’t be a problem during puberty, right? ]

 

Lucion heard Russell’s usual sarcasm sounded different today. The scenery of his room, which he always saw, also felt strange.

 

‘Damn it!’

 

Lucion closed his eyes tightly. It wasn’t the same, crappy routine as usual.

 

‘Lee Ha-ram…’

 

The moment Lucion was hit in the head, he had a ridiculous experience. 

 

A memory of spending 29 years as a Korean Lee Ha-ram passed by like a flashlight. Lucion couldn’t tell if it was really his or someone’s illusion, but it was because the memory was too clear.

 

‘If it’s true…’ muttering to himself, Lucion frowned.

 

‘Then what am I?’ Lucion looked at his hand with a confused emotion. 

 

This place was similar to the world of the novel, “The Grasp of Darkness,” that Lee Ha-ram had read. From setting up a worldview that worships light and disposes of darkness to the Tesla empire, his own family, The Count of Cronia. And himself, Lucion Cronia.

 

All of these were mentioned in the novel.

 

[ …Lucion? ]

 

Russell looked at Lucion with a worried look because of his unusual reaction. He had some bleeding because the ornaments were pretty hard, but the doctor said it would be okay.

 

[ You don’t happen to know who I am, do you? ] Russell asked cautiously. 

 

Lucion looked at Russell. 

 

Russell was startled at Lucion’s gaze, which was different from usual. It was full of confusion instead of sharpness.

 

[ What’s wrong? Are you sick? ]

 

‘Am I… a villain?’ Lucion smiled bitterly.

 

Lucion Chronia, a warlock who lost his only friend and teacher, Russell. He himself appeared as an intermediate boss in the novel. His brother Carson and the main character concealed their identities to kill him. His life ended miserably.

 

‘Why me?’

 

In the novel, Lucion was falsely accused.

 

‘Why do I have to be miserable in the novel?’

 

He could see ghosts because he wanted to. It was learned that when a person dies, they can never be a ghost and would go to the God of Light. So he didn’t know it was a ghost and just asked who he was. And that question changed his life.

 

People mocked him for being crazy, and the ghosts, who died due to the nobles, resolved the grudge through him.

 

‘Do you think I’m gonna live like that?’

 

Lucion had been feeling what daily life was like for the first time in more than a decade because Russell kicked out the ghost. It was only because of Russell, Lucion could live a decent life now.

Lucion breathed in.

 

‘This is an opportunity I’ve given myself. A chance not to repeat that life!’

 

Chiji!

 

At that moment, an unpleasant sound resounded and Lucion stopped breathing.

 

<< You recognized that you are an intermediate boss, ‘Lucion Chronia’ >>

 

Suddenly, some letters appeared in the air. Lucion quietly rolled his eyes in confusion as the world stopped.

 

Thump. Thump.

 

Lucion’s heart was beating so loudly that even he could hear it.

 

<< Would you resist your fate? >>

 

‘Resistance…?’

 

<< Or do you want to comply? >>

 

Two choices were given to Lucion. After that no other options came and Lucion could somehow hear a clock ticking, waiting for his answer.

 

Tick, tock. Tick, tock. 

 

The longer Lucion heard the ticking of the clock, the more letters vanished from Lucion’s vision.

 

“I am..”

 

Determination entered Lucion’s eyes and answered without hesitation. 

 

Lucion was finally feeling happy. He didn’t want to be taken away— to no one and by no one.

 

“I’ll resist!”

 

The moment Lucion said those words, numerous red threads coiled around Lucion.

 

<< You chose to resist. >>

 

The letters came back and appeared in front of Lucion.

 

<< Find and cut off all the red threads that are tied to you. >>

 

“Red thread?”

 

<< The various fates you will experience will appear in red and blue threads. The red thread is the fate you must cut off to resist fate. Blue thread means a relatively low-importance fate. >>

 

“So?”

 

<< Just as small things change one by one, it’s always important for you to find the red thread if you cut the blue thread. >>

 

Even before Lucion asked, the letters created a new sentence.

 

<< You are caught by fate. If you resist fate, fate itself will lose its strength and be cut off. Well, good luck! >>

 

“Come on, wait….”

 

[ Lucion…? ]

 

Lucion looked around with astonished eyes at Russell’s impatient voice. The time, which had stopped, continued. The threads that were wrapped around Lucion had also disappeared.

 

‘Resist fate? You mean, don’t follow the story?’ Lucion thought.

 

That was good. Lucion never had the intention of living as an intermediate boss.

 

‘My happiness is in my hands.’

 

Lucion took his breath and calmly called Russell.

 

“…Teacher.”

 

Ting!

 

Maybe it was because he had done something he would not do before. There was a blue thread that connected Russell and Lucion.

 

‘First of the threads to be cut off.

 

Lucion was convinced that he could cut the thread in a tight pull.

 

“I’ll learn black magic”

 

The word that he just uttered was something he would not do in the original novel and perhaps a way to change his miserable fate. 

 

Crisp.

 

The blue thread was cut off.