Chapter 21: The Poisoned Prince’s Revenge

A man with short purple hair and violet eyes stood in front of Evan’s door.

His narrow, delicate eyes glared at the door.

His name was Hilton.

As soon as he heard the news about Evan, he rushed over.

Hilton couldn’t believe it when he first heard the news.

He had clearly witnessed Evan’s final moments with his mother.

After that, he had gone to Preha to rally high-ranking noble officials from the central political sphere.

He had been juggling a tight schedule when the absurd news reached him.

‘That damned bastard came back to life?’

He had spent years trying to get rid of Evan.

‘His body was already ruined by poison—he shouldn’t have been able to recover.’

If someone in that condition got poisoned again, no priest would be able to save him—it would be fatal.

That’s why Hilton had carefully procured the poison from Arcas to deal the final blow.

He had spent a great deal of money recruiting maids who held grudges against Evan.

Fortunately, there were many maids who disliked him, so arranging the poisoning was easy.

It had been a perfect plan with not even the slightest flaw.

So how was Evan still alive—and perfectly fine, no less?

He still couldn’t believe it.

‘Not until I see it with my own eyes…’

Hilton knocked on the door.

At that moment, a very familiar voice came from inside.

“Who is it? If it’s not urgent, I told you not to bother me.”

It was Evan’s voice.

‘He really is alive…’

Hilton clenched his teeth in fury. Then, taking a deep breath, he answered slowly.

“It’s me, Hilton.”

There was a moment of silence after he identified himself.

‘What is he trying to pull?’

When Hilton didn’t hear a response, he frowned and raised his hand to knock again—

“Come in.”

A short answer came from within.

Hilton immediately opened the door and stepped inside.

“I heard you recovered, and I was so worried that I came right away…”

But upon seeing Evan, Hilton couldn’t finish his sentence.

***

Instead of the fat pig who was supposed to be in the room, there was a handsome blond man.

And judging by his well-trained body, he was in better shape than Hilton himself.

“Are you perhaps a guest of Evan?”

Hilton looked around in confusion, trying to find Evan.

He was certain he had heard Evan’s voice from inside. Evan had to be here.

Then the blond man spoke.

“You said you came because you were worried about me?”

It was Evan’s voice.

Hilton felt like he was seeing a ghost.

He rubbed his eyes, thinking he was mistaken—but nothing changed.

“Brother?”

“Why? Surprised?”

“What happened to your body?”

“Oh, that? I had a bit of magical help. Nothing serious, so don’t worry about it.”

“…Damn.”

Hilton nearly cursed out loud from how absurd it all was but managed to hold it in.

Evan smirked at the sight.

Then Evan casually added, “Still, I appreciate the concern. Seeing how fast you came running, you must’ve been really worried. As you can see, I’m perfectly healthy now.”

For some reason, that comment irritated Hilton even more.

Forcing a smile, Hilton replied, “Y-yes. I’m truly relieved that you’ve recovered.”

Evan stepped closer.

“I heard you took care of me until the end. I must’ve come back thanks to your devoted nursing.”

With a hearty laugh, Evan placed a hand on Hilton’s shoulder.

“A younger brother like you is one in a million. I’m sure I’ll need you a lot from now on, so stick close.”

Hilton’s brow twitched at Evan’s clueless behavior.

“…Is that so? That’s wonderful news.”

And when Evan gave him a condescending look, as if he were superior, Hilton’s mood soured even more.

‘Just because he was born as the eldest son of the family, he acts like he owns everything.’

Someone who was born with every right handed to him.

‘And yet, he can’t even make proper use of those blessings… a cripple who can’t use mana.’

Compared to him, Hilton had been born with mana—but a miserable fate.

He was the son of the second wife.

Because of that unclear status, he had always lived cautiously.

Hilton composed himself and returned to his thoughts.

‘I lost my temper for a moment. That’s not like me. This isn’t the time for emotions.’

Until he had confirmed Evan’s survival with his own eyes, Hilton hadn’t believed it.

No—he hadn’t wanted to believe it.

But Evan truly was alive.

Everything he had worked for was on the verge of falling apart.

‘No. That must not happen. I worked too hard to recruit those people. I can’t let some cripple who can’t even use mana ruin my plans.’

Evan had to be eliminated, no matter what.

‘How did he survive? Did Father interfere? Tch. What a fool… That guy’s existence alone is a headache, and he went and saved him? Ridiculous.’

Of course, Hilton could always try poisoning again.

But if Evan kept surviving like this, it would be meaningless—and dangerous.

The more he failed, the fewer chances he would get.

He had to find out how Evan survived.

This was the worst possible variable.

Thankfully, coaxing information out of a stupid troublemaker like Evan wouldn’t be hard.

With that in mind, Hilton asked, “Brother, I’m truly glad you’ve recovered. May I ask how you did it?”

“Why? What would you do with that information?”

Hilton resisted the urge to frown.

“Isn’t it obvious? In case something like this ever happens again, I’d like to be prepared in advance.”

There was a deeper meaning behind his words.

There was also a sense of determination to make sure something like this would never happen again.

However, Evan’s response was completely different from what Hilton had expected.

“How should I know? I just woke up and found myself in the bedroom. Would you know if it were you?”

Hilton was momentarily speechless.

That was just like Evan.

Evan continued speaking to Hilton.

“More importantly, go brew some more of that Parnah herb tea. My body’s better, but I’m still out of mana… Actually, just bring it every day from now on.”

Hilton responded in disbelief.

“Excuse me…? Every day?”

“Why, is that difficult?”

“No, not at all.”

It seemed luck was still on Hilton’s side.

Evan had recovered his health and was willingly walking into death again.

That was only good news.

‘This might actually be a pretty decent method. Even if it takes time, I can get rid of him naturally.’

With that, Hilton no longer needed to go out of his way.

He smiled slyly and replied.

“Understood. I’ll begin right away, starting today.”

Evan was thinking about Hilton.

‘He came straight to me as soon as he returned to the mansion. Must’ve been in quite a rush.’

It was an unexpected visit.

Most likely, Hilton just wanted to confirm that Evan was still alive.

Evan recalled Hilton’s status window, which he had seen with his spiritual vision.

< Hilton Kerthen >

[Alignment: Evil]

[Race: Human]

[Gender: Male]

[Affection: 0%]

[Potential Abilities: Hypocrisy, Bloodlust, Illusion Swordsmanship, Fire Affinity]

[Skills: Illusion Magic Lv.10, Deception Lv.60, Transformation Magic Lv.40, Afterimage Lv.55, Mana Sensitivity Lv.7, Mana Control Lv.5…]

*Current level too low to access soul memories.

Looking at Hilton’s status window, Evan summed it up simply.

‘A coward. So he gave up on real strength and chose trickery instead?’

Evan had seen plenty of these types of Hunters in his previous world.

Deception-based techniques.

It was a shortcut often taken by those who gave up too easily, trying to grow strong overnight.

Of course, that didn’t mean the techniques themselves were bad.

Illusion-based swordplay or unorthodox techniques could definitely be powerful.

But it all depended on the user’s mindset and purpose.

If those techniques were used purely as cheap tricks to defeat opponents…

Then it was hard to think of anything more disgraceful.

In the Hunter world, where survival was a daily struggle, it was understandable.

But in this comfortable environment, Evan could already tell what kind of person Hilton really was.

‘A worse excuse for a human than even that bastard.’

Evan would exploit all this information to deal with Hilton.

He would thoroughly prepare countermeasures against Hilton’s techniques and their weaknesses.

Knock knock

Just then, a knock came at the door, followed by Alburton’s voice.

“Young Master, dinner is ready.”

Dinner time had arrived before he knew it.

Evan wrapped up his thoughts.

“Time really flies. Alright, I’m coming.”

He was about to meet his family in this world for the first time.

‘Let’s see what kind of faces they’ll make.’

The former pig of the family had transformed.

Evan was curious to see how his family would react.

***

Outside, the sky was already shrouded in deep darkness.

Magic-powered lights illuminated the mansion, and the chandelier shone brightly over the dining room.

It was a grand and luxurious space.

The kind you’d expect to be used for parties or banquets.

A long dining table was covered in a pure white cloth, with candles decorating the top, creating an even more elegant atmosphere.

Maybe it was the setting, but the food looked even more appetizing.

Evan, however, paid it no mind and focused his gaze in one direction.

At the very end of the table, sitting at the head seat, was Clyd—the head of the family.

He had the same blond hair and blue eyes as Evan, along with a cold aura and a distinct sense of authority.

He gave off a thoroughly chilly impression.

But looking at him now, Evan realized something.

He resembled Clyd the most.

‘Still… he hasn’t even flinched.’

Evan had been staring directly at him for a while, but Clyd hadn’t reacted at all.

Despite Evan’s drastic change in appearance, he maintained a completely indifferent expression.

Evan was surprised by just how calm and unaffected Clyd was.

‘So he’s determined not to show a single emotion, huh?’

Even so, there was something Clyd couldn’t completely hide—an ancient, deep energy that lingered deep within.

‘The youngest Sword Master in the Kerthen family.’

It was the highest level a human swordsman could reach in this world.

There were more advanced classifications beyond that, of course.

But in general, achieving the level of Sword Master was considered the pinnacle.

‘He’d rank among the top-tier S-class Hunters.’

Anyone at that level would’ve sensed that Evan had mana.

‘Thankfully, I found a way before that happened.’

Thanks to mana suppression, no one had realized Evan’s mana yet.

But it also meant that all eyes were on Evan for a different reason.

Everyone was staring at him, unable to look away.

Which made sense—the fat, disgraceful noble had returned as a handsome young man.

‘Now this is a normal reaction. Still, why is no one saying anything?’

Evan stayed calm while thinking through his next move.

‘What did this scumbag usually do during these gatherings?’

He dug through the original Evan’s memories for a clue.

And soon, one surfaced.

‘There was a family dinner before.’

Even that disgrace had been surprisingly quiet in front of Clyd.

‘Or maybe he was just scared?’

The old Evan feared and resented his father.

An unfeeling figure who had abandoned him.

Someone he couldn’t bear to even speak to.

But since Evan couldn’t lash out directly, he took it out on others.

Weaker people—those who couldn’t fight back no matter how strong they were.

‘A pathetic man.’

Evan clicked his tongue and frowned.

In front of Clyd, the former Evan hadn’t dared to make a sound. He’d simply thrown a fit in his own way and eaten however he pleased.

‘Well, at least it meant he didn’t have to act polite.’

Evan wasn’t planning to act much differently now.

Sure, he’d eventually need to earn Clyd’s recognition to become heir, but formalities and etiquette meant nothing.

‘The only thing that matters is swordsmanship.’

And it would be best not to arouse any suspicion.

‘My body’s changed, but I’m still acting like the same Evan. Better to keep it that way.’

Evan picked up his fork and knife.

Clatter!

Just like the old Evan would have done.