Chapter 113: The Birth of an Unholy Masterpiece [Part 1] (Magic Castle Bonus)

Chapter 113. The Birth of an Unholy Masterpiece [Part 1] (Magic Castle Bonus)

Morning sunlight spilled through the partially open study door and landed directly across my face.

I frowned.

Whoever invented mornings deserved to be dragged into a laboratory and forced to explain why sunlight needed to be so damn aggressive.

I reluctantly opened my eyes, expecting to see the familiar ceiling of my bedroom. Instead, I saw parchment. Lots of parchment. There was a feather pen beside my cheek, several complicated magical diagrams scattered beneath my arms, and a rather beautiful drawing of the Holy Relic staring back at me.

Ah... Right. I’d fallen asleep at my desk.

Not so cool.

I slowly straightened my back and stretched, raising both arms above my head. Something warm slipped from my shoulders and slid toward the floor.

"Hmm?"

I caught it before it fell.

A blanket.

I stared at the soft fabric for a moment.

Apparently, someone had visited my study while I was sleeping. And considering the fact that the blanket smelled faintly of the floral, I had a fairly good idea who that someone might have been.

One of my wives.

I smiled.

Honestly, those women. I had deliberately escaped my bedroom to avoid being forced into bed, only for them to find me anyway.

My security system was becoming increasingly ineffective against beautiful women. A terrible weakness for a villain. I should probably do something about it. Preferably after receiving a few kisses as compensation.

I stretched again, expecting the familiar consequences of sleeping in a terrible position. A stiff neck. An aching back. Perhaps shoulders that felt like someone had beaten them with an iron rod. After all, spending an entire night slumped over a desk wasn’t exactly recommended by any respectable physician. But... Nothing.

My shoulders felt fine.

My neck moved normally.

Even the lingering exhaustion from yesterday’s enchanting marathon had almost completely disappeared.

I blinked. That was suspicious. My gaze wandered across the desk until it settled on a small crystal placed beside my papers.

A pale, translucent gemstone. Its surface shimmered with delicate silver-blue light, and several tiny crystalline veins pulsed gently within its core.

I recognized that.

A healing crystal.

And not an ordinary one.

This particular crystal was exceptionally rare, capable of continuously releasing restorative energy into its surroundings. Unlike conventional healing artifacts, it didn’t require constant activation. Its natural resonance could ease physical fatigue, accelerate minor recovery, and stabilize strained mana pathways. It was also one of Liora’s personal treasures.

I remembered it.

During one of Rey’s worst curse episodes, when the pain had become so unbearable that even moving his fingers felt impossible, Liora had brought this crystal to him. She’d tried using it to ease his suffering. Unfortunately, the curse hadn’t responded particularly well to conventional healing energy. But she’d kept trying. Even after realizing that the crystal couldn’t cure him.

I reached out and gently touched its cool surface.

The faint healing energy surrounding it felt surprisingly comforting.

"So it was you..."

My lips curved.

Liora.

That woman really did have a talent for taking care of someone while pretending she was merely performing a practical task.

I could almost imagine her standing beside my desk last night, looking at my sleeping face with that familiar mixture of concern and exasperation.

She probably wanted to scold me. But instead, she’d covered me with a blanket and left one of her precious healing crystals nearby.

My lovely, terrifyingly competent wife.

I would have to thank her properly. Preferably in a way that made her lose that elegant composure of hers.

A kiss on the forehead? Too ordinary.

A kiss on the cheek? Acceptable, but lacking ambition.

Or... I could kiss my way down to somewhere that’d make her moan my name. Yeah, now that’s more like it.

Then I saw it. A mug. It sat on a small side table beside my desk. And there was steam rising from it.

I tilted my head.

Huh?

I approached it and immediately caught the familiar fragrance of warm milk and honey. The mug itself was handmade pottery, with a slightly uneven surface and a pair of adorable fox ears decorating its rim.

The craftsmanship wasn’t particularly refined.

In fact, one ear was noticeably larger than the other. But that somehow made it more charming. Beneath the mug sat a small enchanted coaster. Its surface contained a simple heating formation that continuously maintained the drink’s temperature.

Nia.

Who else would leave a fox-eared mug in my study?

I picked it up and examined the tiny decorations.

It was cute. And considering Nia’s usual behavior, I suspected she’d become absolutely insufferable if I told her that. She’d probably grin, wag her tail, and demand a reward. Possibly several rewards. And knowing that shameless fox, she’d somehow turn a perfectly innocent thank-you into something else.

I took a sip. It was warm and sweet. The honey blended nicely with the milk, leaving a pleasant richness on my tongue. I rarely drank milk like this. Coffee was usually my preferred companion during research, especially back in my previous life.

But this? This was good.

I glanced between the healing crystal, the blanket, and the mug.

Liora and Nia. One had made sure my body recovered. The other had prepared something comforting for when I woke up. And neither had disturbed my sleep.

For several moments, I simply stood there, holding the warm mug between my hands. It was strange. Even now, after everything we’d been through, these little gestures could still catch me off guard.

I’d spent so much of my previous life believing that being useful was the easiest way to earn someone’s attention. Produce results. Solve problems. Become indispensable.

But my wives didn’t seem particularly interested in whether I’d completed another magical experiment. They just wanted me healthy. Alive. Preferably sleeping somewhere that wasn’t a desk.

What troublesome women.

I folded the blanket carefully and placed it on a nearby chair. Then, carrying my mug, I walked toward the study door. I peeked outside. The corridor was quiet. I gently closed the door and turned the lock.

I took another sip of honey milk before returning to my desk.

Now, then.

Where was I?

Ah, yes. Corrupting the Light Temple’s most sacred artifact.

I sat down and examined the papers I’d prepared last night.

The theoretical framework was complete.

I’d already mapped the likely flow of Light Mana through its amplifier, identified several potential points of interference, and outlined the properties an external artifact would need to influence that circulation.

The calculations weren’t perfect. But they were sufficient for a preliminary experiment.

My gaze shifted toward the two unenchanted accessories I’d left on the worktable.

I reached for one.

A huge gold pendant.

Its design was simple, but the metal itself was of excellent quality, refined from an ore containing naturally conductive magical particles. More importantly, its golden color closely resembled the framework supporting the Holy Relic’s crystal. Of course, color alone meant absolutely nothing in magical engineering. But the material’s mana conductivity and structural stability made it a promising starting point.

I turned the pendant between my fingers. "Hmm... You’ll do."

The actual Holy Relic’s amplifier was far more sophisticated than this little accessory.

I wasn’t foolish enough to believe that a simple gold pendant could perfectly reproduce an SSS-rank artifact’s internal structure. But I only needed something capable of holding a controlled amount of corrupted energy while imitating the behavior of a Light Mana amplifier.

I placed the pendant at the center of my desk. Then I set down my mug.

Time to work.

I raised one hand.

[Abyssal Formation Creation].

Dark violet light spread from my fingertips.

"Seal."

Twelve magical formations appeared simultaneously.

They unfolded around the study in concentric layers, their intricate runes rotating slowly before locking into position.

One formation covered the floor.

Another spread across the ceiling.

Several reinforced the walls, while the remaining layers overlapped around my worktable.

The entire room trembled faintly as the formations synchronized.

This was similar to the containment system I’d previously used to seal the Maledict Sovereign Crystal. But there was one important difference. That formation had been designed to imprison the crystal itself. This one was designed to imprison anything released inside the room.

Inward containment.

If something went wrong, the energy wouldn’t be allowed to escape.

I examined the completed formations with Abyssal Eye, checking their connections and making sure there were no gaps between the layers.

Stable.

Now came the interesting part. I extended my hand toward the empty space above the desk.

My Dimensional Storage Ring shimmered. And the Maledict Sovereign Crystal appeared.

Even after everything I’d learned about it, the sight remained fascinating.

The crystal was dark, almost black, with deep crimson veins pulsing beneath its surface. Its internal corruption seemed to twist endlessly, like something alive struggling against the boundaries of its own existence.

A truly beautiful nightmare.

I smiled. "Good morning, you horrible little thing."

Naturally, it didn’t answer. Which was probably fortunate. If the Dark Lord’s crystal suddenly started talking, I would have several extremely uncomfortable questions.