WeTried Translations
Translator/Editor: Hydrogen B
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◈ Whispers of a Scheming Demon ◈
Chapter 131: Mind-Piercing Eye (2)
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“I believe I have given you plenty of time. Now, give me your answer.”
Johan pressed Horentz for a response.
He had been pressuring Horentz to give him his daughter.
Horentz could not help feeling troubled.
House Myatro was certainly an excellent marriage prospect, but that did not erase his lingering unease.
The man who would become his daughter’s husband, Johan Myatro, was no ordinary human.
His heart was far too dark for his age, and he was as wily as an old aristocratic schemer.
For a child around thirteen or fourteen, the air he gave off was far too strange.
Anyone who faced him was overcome by a sense that something was wrong.
The conduct Johan had displayed in politics recently was absolutely not that of a young boy.
He was as skilled at pressuring the royal family as Count Staviana.
The Watcher of Narak surely harbors a great snake within him. Or perhaps a demon lives inside him.
Such rumors were openly circulating.
Of course, they were only half jokes, but Horentz could not dismiss those assessments entirely.
He had certainly felt something chilling from Johan.
Even now, as he met Johan’s gaze, he was overwhelmed by a sense of unfamiliarity.
Horentz was a good judge of people.
As an experienced merchant, he had encountered all kinds of people.
Someone like Johan was rare.
His inner thoughts were impossible to read, and most things surrounding him were shrouded in mystery.
That sort of person was the first kind one should be wary of.
Horentz was uneasy about entrusting his daughter to Johan.
Before he was a calculating merchant, he was a father who loved his daughter.
Horentz put on an affable smile and spoke.
“I believe you are still somewhat young to discuss an engagement, Lord Johan. What if we speak of it again in a year or two?”
“That is too late. I need Lady Serena right now.”
In other words, he intended to obtain the Mind-Piercing Eye.
The Watcher of Narak was openly revealing his dark desire.
He had deliberately chosen to speak bluntly.
It was an unspoken proposal to lay everything out in the open.
Horentz understood Johan’s intent.
His smile faded, and he spoke with a firm expression.
“Serena is not an object.”
Johan nodded.
“Of course. Separate from the Mind-Piercing Eye, I will respect Lady Serena and cherish her above all else. I will fulfill my duty as her husband.”
He had no intention of making Serena unhappy.
Rather, Serena’s life would become happier than it had been in the original story.
Johan was confident he could make that happen.
Horentz spoke.
“Ha ha... A husband’s duty. To be honest, that is difficult to believe. Do you not intend to take other wives besides my daughter?”
The girl named Ilea, who had traveled to the Royal Capital with Johan, had become the adopted daughter of Count Staviana.
In other words, Johan intended to become the Count’s son-in-law through Ilea.
Horentz already knew that.
Johan answered calmly.
“That is correct. As needed, I will arrange multiple marriages.”
It was an exceptionally shameless declaration.
Under the precepts of the Church of the Great Saint, every human except the King could have only one wife.
No one could dare violate that law.
The Great Saint Church’s laws stood above every national law on the continent.
In a way, Johan’s statement was close to blasphemy.
Horentz narrowed his slitted eyes.
“...Are you serious?”
Johan’s expression remained blank.
“There is no reason for me to lie.”
Horentz let out a hollow breath, as if dumbfounded.
After a brief silence, he spoke.
“I will pretend I did not hear that. Would you care to stay for a meal?”
Johan answered evenly.
“I understand how you feel. With the precepts of the Great Saint Church being so inviolable, I must look like a madman to you, Viscount.”
Horentz swallowed a groan.
“Ahem, it is not exactly that...”
Johan cut him off.
“This may be somewhat surprising, but I have no intention of defying the Great Saint’s will.”
Horentz’s brow furrowed.
“To be honest, I find it difficult to understand what you mean.”
Johan spoke in a low voice.
“I intend to become a king.”
Silence fell at once.
Neither of them spoke.
The stillness continued for a long time.
Horentz’s narrow eyes slowly widened.
The gaze revealed between them trembled.
Horentz doubted his own ears.
The Watcher of Narak wanted the throne. Was he planning to commit treason? If so, why confess that fact to House Marcano? Was he asking them to join a rebellion?
All sorts of thoughts and emotions tore through his mind.
Horentz spoke in a trembling voice.
“What did you just...?”
“The Grand Duchy of Myatro. I will restore my family’s lost glory.”
In the past, House Myatro had been a grand ducal house.
Now, it was merely a noble house belonging to the Kingdom, but it had once been the true ruler of the South.
Johan would first restore that authority.
He needed independence from the Kingdom and the Empire to wield greater influence over the continent.
Horentz’s eyes shook violently.
It was difficult to dismiss Johan’s words as nonsense.
If anyone could truly seek to become a Duke-King, it was the Watcher of Narak.
Johan’s actions supported that conclusion.
Before he was even twenty, he had rebuilt his fallen house. Within mere weeks of arriving in the Royal Capital, he had completely seized control of the political world.
Now, his grasp was reaching for an even higher goal.
The Grand Duchy of Myatro was highly likely to be established.
Horentz’s mind raced.
He had to decide his position and course of action as quickly as possible.
Only after quite some time did Horentz finally speak.
“...Lord Johan, why are you telling me this?”
Unlike Horentz, who had agonized over the matter, Johan answered at once.
“Well, it was a stream of consciousness.”
“Pardon? What do you mean...?”
“Were we not discussing the Great Saint Church’s precepts? I merely wished to say that even if I have multiple wives, I will not violate the Great Saint’s law.”
A Duke-King was also a king.
Kings and emperors could keep numerous wives.
Even the Great Saint recognized that exception.
The moment Johan became a Duke-King, the precepts of the Great Saint Church would no longer bind him.
Horentz gave a bitter laugh.
“So you did not bring this up because you intended to ask House Marcano for cooperation?”
Horentz had believed Johan needed Marcano’s power.
However, he had been wrong.
Johan spoke with an indifferent expression.
“Regardless of Marcano’s position, the Myatro territory will eventually become a Grand Duchy.”
The Kingdom’s nobles and royal family could not prevent the establishment of a Grand Duchy.
The problem was the Empire.
For Johan to become a Duke-King, he needed the Emperor’s approval.
Horentz had no connections to the imperial family.
Whether House Marcano stood with Johan or not would not greatly affect him.
Horentz murmured in a low voice.
“...You are already looking beyond the target.”
To Johan, his engagement to Serena and matters concerning the Kingdom’s political world were now only steps toward achieving a greater result.
He was already moving far ahead.
Horentz felt an inexplicable emptiness.
Johan looked puzzled.
“What did you just say?”
Horentz slowly shook his head.
“It was nothing. More importantly, do the Count and His Majesty know of your intentions?”
Johan nodded.
“His Excellency is already helping me, and His Majesty will accept any demand I make.”
Johan had King Roderic firmly on a leash.
As long as Archmage Lumina existed, the King was an absolute ally.
Horentz stared blankly at Johan before speaking.
“...Then, to return to the original matter, do I truly have the option of breaking off this marriage proposal?”
Within the Kingdom, Johan possessed unlimited power.
If he wanted, the Marcano family could truly be destroyed.
Through their conversation just now, Horentz had fully realized that fact.
Johan spoke in an even voice.
“As I told you before, I have absolutely no intention of forcing anything upon you, Viscount. The choice belongs entirely to you and Lady Serena. If you reject my proposal, I will simply find another way.”
Find another way?
Those were truly frightening words.
To Horentz, Johan’s final words sounded like a threat.
Horentz felt a chill run through him.
In contrast, Johan’s expression remained calmly composed.
Horentz slowly opened his mouth.
“Please give me just a little more time. I will give you my answer by tomorrow morning.”
He needed to discuss it with Serena as well.
Johan shrugged.
“Very well. I will respect whatever decision you make, so take your time and let me know.”
Johan smiled gently.
Horentz could not bring himself to smile.
He was suffering under an inexplicable pressure.
Forcing his expression to relax, he said, “Then let us leave it at that for today. Would you care to have breakfast with me?”
“I appreciate the offer, but I believe I must decline. I have breakfast scheduled with His Majesty.”
Johan intended to meet King Roderic right away.
He needed to discuss the matter of becoming a Duke-King with Roderic.
Johan rose from his seat.
Horentz sighed inwardly in relief.
He felt that he would truly suffer indigestion if he ate with Johan now.
Horentz forced a smile.
“What a shame. I will arrange another occasion later.”
Johan gave a slight bow and left the reception room.
Horentz remained where he was for a long time.
* * *
A day passed quickly.
The morning Horentz had promised to give his answer had already come.
Rather than sending word, he sent someone to the Myatro estate.
A woman dressed in an elegant gown entered the estate.
Serena Marcano. The woman called the Kingdom’s gold had come to see Johan.
The estate servants could not take their eyes off her.
Even Butler Haman could not hide his agitation.
Just as the rumors said, Serena possessed overwhelming beauty.
If Haman had not become accustomed to beauty, he would have frozen stiff.
Fortunately, he had encountered someone named Ilea several times.
In fact, Haman had frozen the first day he saw Ilea.
He had never seen such a beautiful person before.
That Ilea was standing at the entrance to the estate, facing Serena.
The two stared directly at one another.
They looked like statues.
Every servant watched the sight while holding their breath.
Ilea spoke first.
“You are truly beautiful, just as the rumors say. I am Ilea.”
Serena smiled softly.
“I am Serena Marcano. It is an honor to meet you, Lady Staviana.”
Without answering, Ilea merely gazed at Serena.
Deliberate killing intent was mixed into the smile in her eyes.
Serena spoke calmly.
“Is there something you wish to say to me?”
No answer came.
A strange tension filled the air.
Out of habit, Serena activated the Mind-Piercing Eye.
At that moment, Serena was overcome by a sensation she had never experienced in her life.
The space around her stretched taut like a rubber band.
It felt as if her soul were leaving her body.
Amid the dazed feeling, a sweet, clear voice reached her ears.
“If you use that on me one more time, I will kill you.”
At the same time, time rapidly fast-forwarded.
The strange sensation suddenly vanished.
Ilea had already passed her and was walking out of the estate.
Serena turned and looked at Ilea.
“W-what was that just now...?”
Ilea smiled with her eyes.
“It was nice meeting you, Lady Serena. Let us have tea sometime.”
Leaving only those words behind, she departed.
Watching the two of them, Johan swallowed a groan.
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