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EP.163 [What Is the Crazy Little Sister Elizabeth’s Secret Technique to Control Eugene’s Miasma?] 

‘Haa... my brother’s black hair... it’s so dark and special...’ 

Little Elizabeth loved to openly watch her brother as he napped. The main reason was simply because she found him adorable and precious, but if you looked deeper, it was because she could freely touch and savor Eugene’s black hair. At that time, this was the most striking characteristic of Eugene Schneider to Elizabeth-a feature that satisfied her hunger for darkness. 

‘Why am I blonde...? I wish I had black hair like my brother... I want to resemble him...’ 

As time passed, Elizabeth began to long for black hair. She wanted to feel an extreme sense of kinship with her beloved brother Eugene Schneider. She already shared many things in common with the rest of her family. 

‘If not this, I can’t possess my brother, even as an image...’ 

It’s natural to want to imitate someone you worship and adore, but for Elizabeth, there was another reason for doing this: the limits of being family. She only learned how babies are made at age 20, but she already knew that family members can’t marry. She’d never felt that limit with her sisters or mother since they were all women, but Eugene was the only man, so Elizabeth faced an unavoidable boundary. Thus, she began to satisfy her longing by becoming more like Eugene. 

‘Black hair... Apparently, you can get it by absorbing miasma while studying black magic!’ 

So, as she began to study magic in earnest, Elizabeth searched for a way to fundamentally change her hair color to black-not just by dyeing it. She found information that witches who study black magic often develop black hair. Delving deeper, she discovered that this phenomenon was related to miasma, and that, unlike Barbarians, demons originally had red hair, but it turned black due to miasma. These facts weren’t found in ordinary magic books, but in ancient or forbidden texts locked with magical scripts. 

‘But black hair, miasma, demons... this all feels strangely connected...’ 

Thinking she could become just like Eugene Schneider with black hair, Elizabeth became even more obsessed with these keywords and dug deeper. Eventually, she reached a realization. 

‘Is my brother’s black hair just a natural human trait?’ 

She became curious about why Eugene Schneider had black hair. Of course, one could think it’s just black hair, but for the super-fan, crazy brocon Elizabeth, the story was different. She wanted to know everything about Eugene. 

‘Oh my goodness...!’ 

And so, she did it. 

‘Brother Eugene is a demon half-blood!!!!’ 

She discovered that Eugene Schneider was a demon half-blood. 

‘The ratio of red to blue in the hybrid-detection stone clearly means brother is a demon half-blood!’ 

As alchemy magic advanced, so did the technology to determine mixed-race status. But this is such sensitive information that it’s considered a state secret. But Elizabeth, a genius among geniuses, managed to create an alchemical hybrid-detection stone, even though her major was general magic, not alchemy. Her obsession with Eugene drove her to do it. She collected enough of Eugene’s black hair over time and used it to confirm his demon half-blood status. 

‘I can’t believe it... Brother Eugene... my brother is a demon half-blood...’ 

The fact that her beloved brother Eugene Schneider was a demon half-blood was certainly shocking. Especially since Elizabeth was still in her mid-teens at the time, it could have caused a major family identity crisis. 

So what did she do? Did she deny her findings, thinking her beloved brother couldn’t possibly be a demon half-blood? Or did her love fade because he wasn’t human? 

‘Why am I not a demon half-blood like my brother...? I want to be a demon half-blood too... Higuuuu...’ 

Such expectations underestimate Elizabeth’s craziness and devotion to Eugene. Elizabeth doesn’t judge Eugene Schneider by the world’s standards-he is her absolute truth, and she fits the world to him. So, Eugene’s demon half-blood status is no problem for Elizabeth. The only issue is that, despite wanting to resemble and be close to her brother, she now felt a few steps further away, which made her sad. 

‘Haaa! Finally! Finally, I, Elizabeth, have black hair now, brother!!’ 

Elizabeth’s desire for black hair exploded. But to achieve it, she had to study black magic. It was difficult to research black magic inside the ducal house, so after entering the academy, she secretly studied in her private lab and finally attained the black hair she wanted. 

‘I love this look so much... It’s like I’ve become a demon half-blood too. Or maybe a witch? Isn’t a witch more fitting with demons than a mage?’ 

Elizabeth was deeply satisfied with her new appearance-her dark, black-haired look, and her skin growing even paler from practicing black magic. As she became enamored with her new self, her identity shifted more toward something between a mage and a witch. 

‘Hmm... Mage robes are so boring. Witches wear such stylish clothes, but why do mages wear rags?’ 

She began to admire the witch’s aesthetic and tried to emulate it. In fact, the outfit she wore when she created the weapon inventory for Eugene wasn’t a mage’s robe but a witch’s. She wanted to show her changed mental state and the fact that she knew Eugene’s big secret-these dark elements all came together in Elizabeth’s performance. 

‘But why would Elizabeth study black magic? There’s no reason for her to do that.’ 

But in Eugene Schneider’s mind, Elizabeth was just eccentric, not crazy. He didn’t know she had figured out his demon half-blood status, so he saw no reason for her to study black magic. 

“Well, with all the recent research on monsters, some mages have started incorporating elements of black magic in their studies. But I’m not at that level. I’ve really studied and mastered it.” 

Anna Parisienne, seeing Eugene’s confusion, quickly provided a plausible theoretical background. As monsters move into higher and top-tier ranks, understanding miasma becomes essential. With the empire secretly preparing for outlier monsters, the core mages of the mage tower have also been conducting related research. Of course, such research rarely changes hair color, but for an outsider like Eugene, it was a convincing explanation. 

“I see... hmm...” 

As expected, Eugene was swayed by Anna Parisienne’s smooth talk. 

“I didn’t mention your demon half-blood status to discriminate or disadvantage you.” 

Sss...! 

Anna Parisienne then leaned forward and spoke in a serious, low voice. 

“Because I studied black magic so diligently, I know very well that the negative prejudices against demon half-bloods are false.” 

Now that her thoughts about Elizabeth were settled, Eugene’s focus turned to his relationship with Anna Parisienne, who had figured out his demon half-blood status. 

Anna Parisienne, having studied black magic by choice, encouraged Eugene to have an honest conversation without fear or burden. 

“In fact, the reason I studied black magic was because I had an acquaintance who was also a demon half-blood.” 

Of course, that alone wouldn’t be enough of a reason, so she added a convincing backstory. 

“They were a really good person. But they were one of those rare demon half-bloods whose miasma would flare up to a certain level. When that happened, it was tough for both them and those around them. Back then, I wasn’t skilled enough to help, but if you, Captain Eugene, are in the same situation, I want to help this time.” 

Elizabeth is a genius. She’s so crazy that people wonder why she does what she does, but everyone knows how smart she is. Elizabeth subtly created a déjà vu backstory for Eugene and those around him, persuading him. 

‘It’s a bit of an exaggeration, but my feelings aren’t any different from what I’m saying, brother. As your mana grows stronger, managing your miasma becomes even more important.’ 

This story was based on some truth. Among demon half-bloods, there are those whose miasma awakens to the point of affecting their mental state, and others who remain stable. In the former case, if they also have genius-level awakening abilities, it can lead to rampages. Elizabeth had been monitoring Eugene’s miasma and had been diligently studying black magic with the possibility of needing to manage it in mind. 

‘Maybe this is an opportunity.’ 

Elizabeth’s persuasion moved Eugene’s heart. 

‘I also want to understand my current state better.’ 

Eugene had realized that his condition was changing from when his miasma first awakened. He’d been meaning to ask Anna Parisienne about it, and now, with the right timing, he felt it might be easier to bring up. 

So Eugene Schneider said, 

“That’s right. I am a demon half-blood.” 

He revealed his secret to Anna Parisienne.