The Terminally Ill Prince is the Mad Dog of the Underworld (Novel) - Chapter 35

Chapter 35. The Mask of Amini Crux

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‘A mistake? That’s nonsense.’

I blocked out the whispers of fear creeping into my stiffened body. How easily it spouts weak words. But no, not this time.

“Why are you looking at me like that, little brother?”

“Baklava—”

I mentioned the name of the one who had started all of this.

“—seems to be terribly afraid of you, brother.”

“Is that what you felt?”

Verdzich smiled. His expression seemed to ask, ‘And you? Are you not afraid of me?’

“After seeing today, I realized Baklava isn’t just a particularly cowardly fool.”

Verdzich crossed his arms and leaned back in his chair.

“And why do you think that?”

“I observed the way the servants looked at you, and how our other siblings gazed at you as well.”

“Oh? And what did you see?”

“They either feared or respected you. It was mostly one or the other.”

“Hmm.”

Verdzich neither confirmed nor denied it, simply staring at me with a calmness that sent chills down my spine. I knew why.

‘From the moment I walked in, he had already spread a heavy aura throughout the room.’

It was subtle, like mist, but it had gradually hardened my body like poison.

His control over mana was terrifyingly precise. It was impossible to gauge just how powerful this man truly was.

‘He’s openly using intimidation. If it were Baklava, he would have wet himself by now.’

But no matter how scared or anxious I was, I knew how to bluff. That’s why I’d always been better at gambling than that dog Ivan.

‘My brother… The more I get to know him, the more he reminds me of the Dark King.’

That b*st*rd had been a cruel and relentless hypocrite. He ruled through fear and blackmail, swallowing an entire nation like a demon king.

Here was a seed of that same evil. Verdzich Grünewald—an angel-faced devil.

“Impressive.”

Verdzich’s gaze changed as he saw me quietly enduring all his pressure. It was as if I had finally earned the right to converse with him.

“So, shall we hear what business my little brother has with me that required a private conversation?”

“You’re not asking because you don’t know.”

I smirked, and Verdzich’s eyebrow twitched slightly. Surprised to see me smile?

‘I suppose it is surprising.’

After all, someone who had only reached the 5th stage of the Ocean Circulation Technique shouldn’t be able to withstand such pressure.

‘This is all about momentum. If you grit your teeth and hold on, it’s nothing.’

How many times do you think I’ve crossed the line between life and death? I’m Mad Dog Karzan from the underworld.

“My apologies; perhaps I was being too harsh.”

Verdzich suddenly withdrew his killing intent. Like a dam breaking open, I couldn’t help but let out a breath I didn’t realize I’d been holding.

“Haha. Seems I pushed you too hard.”

Verdzich chuckled as he looked at me. His gaze said something like: ‘Your struggle was admirable; your effort is commendable.’

‘How arrogant.’

But I didn’t lash out in anger. I’m a man who knows how reckless bravado can ruin everything.

And now was the time to retreat gracefully. The stronger party had already shown me mercy.

“It’s not easy to keep my head up in front of you, brother.”

I feigned weakness as I spoke.

“I hope my little display of bravado came across as endearing.”

“Your words are commendable indeed.”

Even while praising me, there was still an eerie sensation as if a snake were licking my skin with its tongue.

‘He’s skilled in deception. He took advantage of my slight distraction.’

The source of that chill was likely because this man had scanned my body with his aura when I briefly let my guard down.

I knew what he’d done but chose not to resist.

“Good. The more I see, the more your attitude pleases me.”

Verdzich nodded.

Was this man reading the current situation on the same level as me? I decided to assume he was. It didn’t matter—I was used to being in the weaker position.

“Now, let this brother settle the score. Let’s see, what would be good?”

Verdzich stood and retrieved something from a drawer.

It was a white mask.

“What is that?”

“The Mask of Amini Crux. It’s an artifact that changes the wearer’s appearance.”

Verdzich put on the mask himself.

“Whoa!”

His height shrank, and his face transformed until he looked exactly like Baklava. He chuckled as he observed my reaction.

“Surprised? This is what it can do. It consumes quite a bit of mana, though.”

As soon as he removed the mask, he returned to his original form.

“But why give me something so valuable? You can’t put a price on this.”

“I tormented my cute little brother, so I should pay the price, shouldn’t I?”

Verdzich approached me and whispered.

“…Nobles need secrets and shadows.”

His words carried deep meaning.

“If you found my watchful eyes so suffocating, then let this brother give you the freedom to have your own secrets.”

Look at that. Offering such a grand reward out of nowhere left me momentarily speechless.

‘Is he testing me? Or is this just arrogance?’

I leaned more toward the latter interpretation.

“Why hesitate? Don’t you like it?”

“I’m just… overwhelmed by receiving something so valuable for such a small matter.”

Accepting something too valuable requires courage of its own.

‘This is top-tier. The craftsmanship, the mana I can feel—everything.’

As the second prince of Grünewald, Verdzich had access to treasures from across the continent. In my previous life, artifacts like this occasionally appeared on the black market, but their prices were astronomical.

“If you want to refuse, you’re free to do so.”

I looked Verdzich straight in the eye.

“I won’t refuse.”

“Ah, I see.”

Verdzich’s lips curved into a smile.

Of course, this was still an artifact I couldn’t fully utilize yet. But—

‘A mask that lets you change your appearance at will?’

How could I resist? If I wanted to build my own power while moving between the underworld and noble society, this was exactly what I needed.

‘Turns out he’s quite generous.’

I almost felt a newfound fondness for him. It made me wonder if I’d been too arrogant earlier and perhaps offended him with my words.

“Brother, I’ve heard that receiving something too valuable can bring misfortune.”

“That’s generally true.”

A master who cannot handle their possessions often ends up destroyed by them.

The Dark King had the strength to wield his power; that’s why I ended up dead instead of him.

“I’ll strive so that doesn’t happen to me.”

“That would be good.”

I was a man who had roamed through the vast shadows covering this entire continent. If I couldn’t stomach poison of this level, I’d lose face.

“By the way, receiving two gifts already makes me feel guilty.”

“Neither the honey nor this mask is anything too significant, so don’t worry about it.”

“If you say so, then I won’t worry.”

Verdzich laughed again, seeming more accustomed to my manner of speaking now.

“You’re amusing.”

…And at that moment, I realized something important: This man had likely reached into the underworld long before I did.

Why wouldn’t he have? He had eyes that could kill even his own siblings if necessary. In both noble and underworld circles, people like him were the most dangerous.

“Brother, then I’ll take my leave now.”

“So soon?”

Verdzich asked.

“Without even having tea?”

“No need for that.”

“The tea isn’t poisoned.”

A joke? It was far from that. The terrifying part was that it wasn’t a joke at all.

* * *

“Young master!”

“Master Allenbert!”

As soon as I returned, Peter and Olivier greeted me as if I had come back from the dead.

“What’s with you two? People will think I came back from prison or something.”

“A-Are you alright?”

Even Olivier, usually composed, asked nervously. It was clear how infamous Verdzich’s reputation was.

“Well, it wasn’t completely uneventful.”

“D-did you perhaps… drink poison?”

“I almost did.”

“Gasp!”

Peter’s legs gave out, and he collapsed to the floor. What a pathetic guy.

“Don’t worry. I got a hefty compensation for it.”

“Huh?”

“Look at this.”

I pulled out the Mask of Amini Crux.

“Olivier, do you recognize it?”

“…It’s a mask with transformation abilities.”

“As expected, you know your stuff.”

Some nobles enjoy masquerade balls by changing their appearance, body shape, and even voice. This mask was made for such nobles.

But in my hands, it would serve a very different purpose.

“It seems like quite a valuable item.”

“Right?”

“Yes. Low-grade masks are easy to spot, but the better ones guarantee perfect polymorph. The truly exceptional ones can even change your gender.”

“That’s impressive.”

I handed the mask to Peter.

“Keep this safe.”

“Huh? Keep it?”

“It’s not something we can use right away.”

“Why not?”

“It’s only natural to assume there’s a trap involved with something like this.”

Olivier nodded in agreement with my words.

“For someone like the second prince, it wouldn’t be difficult to commission a high-ranking mage to craft an artifact with hidden trap spells.”

As expected of Olivier—he understood the ways of nobles well. No surprise since he learned under the head butler.

“Oh, I see…”

Peter nodded with a shocked expression. It wasn’t strange; as a fallen noble playing the role of a servant supporting his family, this kind of information was beyond his reach.

‘In my experience, these things usually have eavesdropping, tracking, or self-destruction spells.’

It reminded me of the jewel box I’d stolen from the Dark King’s vault. It had protective magic crafted by an 8th-tier archmage, and when I broke it open, it exploded.

‘A double trap.’

It was designed so that if someone strong enough to break through got their hands on it, they’d be better off destroying it and injuring themselves in the process.

‘What a nasty b*st*rd.’

I still wonder what was inside that box for him to go to such lengths. But I’ll never know—it blew up into nothingness.

‘Even Verdzich showing me how the mask works could have been part of a trap—a psychological game.’

It’s harmless. Try it on yourself. Don’t nobles need their secrets?

Maybe he was trying to lure me in with sweet bait. What kind of poison did he coat that bait with?

“Wisdom is knowing when to be cautious and when to be bold when lacking information.”

I decided now was the time for caution.

“I’ll store this in the safe for now.”

“Please do.”

For now, that was the best course of action.

It wasn’t as though I could immediately take it somewhere and ask someone to decode any magic on it—that would be too suspicious. I wanted to act as if I couldn’t use the mask at all.

‘Still… how fortunate.’

Despite all Verdzich’s schemes, this gift was a blessing for me.

Once I made this mask truly mine, I’d be able to extend my reach into both the underworld and noble society simultaneously.

‘It feels like I went to collect compensation and came back with a house deed.’

Of course, it’s a house deed filled with traps and poison clauses—but that’s fine. Once I unravel them, it’ll be mine.

‘…But before that.’

There was something else I wanted to do first.

“Olivier.”

“Yes, sir?”

“Soon, I’d like to inspect outside the castle walls. That should be possible, right?”

“…!”

I planned to carefully observe the city, harbor, and back alleys—under the guise of being the fourth son of House Grünewald.