Whispers of a Scheming Demon - Chapter 114

WeTried Translations

Translator/Editor: Hydrogen B

Discord: https://dsc.gg/wetried

◈ Whispers of a Scheming Demon ◈

Chapter 114: Verdan

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The false Haman vanished in an instant.

Johan stared irritably at the spot where he had disappeared.

“He vanished.”

Serena remained calm.

“Don't worry. I've learned everything, including Verdan's movements, identity, and the real Haman's location. If you wish, we can capture him immediately.”

Her words were hardly comforting.

Johan was annoyed simply by the fact that he had become entangled in this matter.

Clicking his tongue, he muttered,

“This has become troublesome.”

He had mountains of more urgent work.

Johan did not want to spend much time on such a trivial matter.

Serena, who had been watching his expression, spoke.

“You don't seem particularly concerned. I suppose you're not very curious about what happened?”

She found Johan's indifferent attitude somewhat strange.

Even after Haman's true identity had been revealed, he did not show the slightest sign of agitation.

Johan shook his head.

“Of course I'm curious. I simply find it a little bothersome. I hate to ask this of you, my lady, but could you explain the current situation as concisely as possible?”

He wanted to resolve this matter quickly and attend to other business.

Serena watched Johan thoughtfully, then gave a quiet chuckle.

“You truly are an unusual person. You're far too unfazed by shocks.”

Since his Possession, Johan had faced far too many crises and unexpected developments.

A sudden Apostle Awakening, Kaiaje's appearance, Gawain's fall, and so on. Compared to those, the matter involving Haman was minor.

It could not stir Johan emotionally at all.

With a calm expression, he said,

“I may be surprised after hearing the full story. For now, please explain.”

Serena nodded.

“You'll probably find it somewhat interesting. I'll explain it as concisely as I can.”

She began telling Johan what she had learned through the Mind-Piercing Eye.

* * *

In a shabby warehouse in a back alley of the Royal Capital, the false Haman collapsed onto the floor, breathing heavily.

A curse burst from his lips.

“Damn it, where did the information leak from?”

Serena knew his identity.

The false Haman could not understand it at all.

There had been no possible source of leaked information.

Verdan the Mimic always worked alone.

Since he had no companions, his secrets were kept thoroughly secure.

At the very least, there could have been no mistake on Verdan's end.

After briefly sinking into thought, he muttered,

“...Could it have been the Marquis?”

Not long ago, Verdan had received a job from House Leonar.

The noble house had asked him to investigate the Watcher of Narak, and Verdan had readily accepted.

They had promised him an enormous reward.

Verdan had begun the job before the Watcher of Narak came to the Royal Capital.

After obtaining information about the Myatro estate, he thoroughly investigated the servants' personal particulars.

Among them, the butler named Haman had caught his attention first.

A butler was in the position closest to the master of a household.

Using the butler, Verdan could easily extract information about the Watcher of Narak.

Verdan promptly kidnapped Haman and disguised himself as him.

Using his Authority, Mimic, Verdan could become Haman himself.

His appearance, speech, personality, minor habits, even his scent. Verdan had absorbed every small detail and copied his target perfectly.

A disguise created through Mimic existed on an entirely different level from ordinary disguises.

The moment he activated his Authority, Verdan became a completely different person.

No one could recognize his true identity.

Serena was different.

She had uncovered every fact.

This had never happened before.

Verdan bit down on his lip.

“The Marquis. Yes, the information leaked from House Leonar.”

Otherwise, there was no explanation.

Verdan slammed his fist down on the floor.

“Careless fools! Damn it!”

The sound woke someone who had been unconscious, and a groan followed.

“S-Save me! Please! Please!”

In the corner of the warehouse, someone sat in a chair with a sack over his head.

Verdan's face twisted fiercely.

He rose from the floor and walked over.

“Shut up! You dim-witted idiot!”

Verdan yanked the sack away.

A man was revealed.

As if reflected in a mirror, his face was identical to Verdan's current appearance.

Only his expression was different.

The young man with dark red hair trembled in fear.

It was Haman, the butler.

He cried out desperately.

“S-Sir! Please show me mercy! I'll do anything you ask!”

Verdan struck Haman hard across the cheek.

“You brainless bastard! Because of you, I came under needless suspicion! They said you graduated top of the Preparatory Academy, so how can you be this stupid?!”

Haman was far too scatterbrained.

The moment Verdan copied him with Mimic, Verdan became an idiot too.

More precisely, it became difficult to resist the urge to act stupid.

It was a characteristic of Mimic.

Because it sought to imitate a target completely, even Verdan's personality became similar to the target's.

Even now, Verdan was struggling against Haman's sense of self.

He wanted to act foolishly like Haman.

“I-It is all my fault! I'm sorry! I'm sorry!”

Shouting, Verdan seized the skin of his face and tore it away.

“Damn it! I can't tolerate this any longer!”

The skin tore away like rags.

The shredded flesh turned into smoke and scattered.

Mimic ceased operating.

Verdan's true appearance was revealed.

He was a young man with a smooth bald head, narrow slitted eyes, and a crooked mouth. He had a thoroughly treacherous look.

The instant Haman saw Verdan's true appearance, he began foaming at the mouth and shaking violently.

Whenever Verdan returned to his original form, Haman suffered intense pain.

His fingernails would be pulled out again.

Verdan needed a target's fingernails in order to use Mimic.

Haman clenched both fists tightly.

He desperately hid his fingernails.

“I-I don't want it to hurt! Please don't! Please!”

He screamed in panic.

A series of instinctive reactions surfaced as though by reflex.

Verdan grabbed Haman's hair tightly and shook him back and forth.

“Shut up! I said shut up! You stupid, useless fool!”

He was under immense stress.

His identity had been discovered, and he had ruined the job.

He wanted to blame it all on Haman.

“Ugh, ughhh!”

The beating began.

Verdan struck Haman wildly.

Bound to the chair, Haman could not offer even the smallest resistance.

He could only be broken down beneath the merciless violence.

His screams echoed for a long time.

Verdan's breathing grew rough.

Only then did the beating stop.

Verdan spat out phlegm.

“A beating is the best medicine for a fool.”

Haman hung limp like a rag.

Much of the anger had left Verdan's face.

He felt somewhat refreshed.

Most of his reason had returned.

It was time to deal with the situation.

He looked at Haman and sank into thought.

‘...First, I'll kill him and leave this place.’

Since he did not know how far the information leak had spread, he had to stop the job entirely.

After erasing all evidence, Verdan planned to avoid even looking toward the Royal Capital for some time.

He would lose the payment from House Leonar, but it could not be helped.

His life mattered more.

Verdan drew a dagger from his clothes.

He slowly approached Haman.

His face swollen, Haman watched him.

“Goodbye, idiot.”

He had only wanted to live diligently.

He had only studied with all his might.

Yet his reward was a miserable death.

Tears streamed down Haman's cheeks again.

The dagger drew closer.

At that moment, a tremendous blast erupted from somewhere.

Verdan sharply turned toward the sound.

The warehouse door had been destroyed.

A knight clad in plate armor slowly walked inside.

Drawing their sword, the knight said,

“...Verdan the Mimic. Is that you?”

A seal shaped like a gold coin was stamped on the knight's breastplate.

It was the crest of House Marcano. In other words, this uninvited guest was a knight from a Council-affiliated house.

They surely possessed overwhelming strength.

Verdan had no chance of handling a knight.

His face turned pale.

“H-How did you find this place?!”

This location had been thoroughly concealed.

Even House Leonar did not know of it.

It was a hideout known only to Verdan.

There should have been no way to find it, yet the knight was clearly standing before him.

Verdan could not accept the current situation at all.

Had his memories truly been read?

As he stood frozen stiff, the knight swung their sword.

A violent gust swept through the warehouse.

Verdan was hurled away and embedded in the wall.

Crying out in pain, he looked ahead.

The knight was slowly approaching.

“Verdan the Mimic, you dared humiliate a member of the Council. You will pay for that crime with your life.”

The knight stomped on Verdan's chest with an iron sabaton.

Verdan ended up in the same state as Haman.

Unable to offer even the slightest resistance, he was dragged away by the knight.

* * *

The underground prison of the Myatro barony.

Johan stared into a cell.

A naked man was bound in chains, trembling.

It was Verdan the Mimic.

“B-Baron, please spare me! Show me mercy just once!”

Johan said nothing.

He was considering something.

‘How should I use him?’

Verdan was a spy sent by House Leonar.

Not every detail had been revealed, but that fact was certain.

House Leonar had acted against Johan.

The reason was not yet clear.

Johan slowly opened his mouth.

“Verdan, I have a few questions for you.”

Verdan nodded quickly.

“I will answer with complete sincerity.”

He wanted to survive somehow.

“Before that, I'll confirm one thing.”

“I'll do anything faithfully!”

Johan tossed something into the cell.

“Swallow it.”

A pure white fingernail lay at Verdan's feet.

Johan's little finger was tightly wrapped in bandages.

Verdan looked back and forth between the fingernail and Johan.

“W-Why are you giving this to me...?”

Johan's expression darkened.

“I don't wish to waste much time on someone like you. If you pretend not to know something as you are now, or try to deceive me, I'll twist your neck immediately.”

Verdan made his decision quickly.

He pressed his head to the floor like a dog.

With his limbs restrained, he had no other way to carry out Johan's command.

Verdan swallowed Johan's fingernail.

At the same time, his skin began to soften like clay.

Before long, his appearance changed completely.

A naked Johan stood chained in Verdan's place.

The false Johan's lips curled into a long smile.

“How is it? Flawless, isn't it?”

His manner suddenly became relaxed.

His way of speaking and expression were far too similar to Johan's.

The real Johan gave a quiet laugh.