WeTried Translations
Translator/Editor: Hydrogen B
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◈ Whispers of a Scheming Demon ◈
Chapter 134: Serin (3)
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Serin had never felt another person’s touch.
Having been trapped inside the mirror almost from the moment she was born, she did not know the feeling of skin against skin.
There had been no one else in the world within the mirror.
Serin had always been alone.
But this was different.
Someone had seized her from behind.
A rough hand had snatched her up.
Serin could not resist.
She could not even scream.
With her mouth sealed, she could only be dragged away helplessly.
“S-sis!”
Her younger sister, Serena, stared at Serin with a terrified expression.
That face gradually grew distant.
The sisters were powerless.
They could not shake free of the demon’s grasp with their combined strength.
At last, Serin was swallowed by the darkness.
Then she heard a voice that was terribly chilling, cold enough to freeze her bones.
“Child, do not be frightened. I am not a terrifying monster. I am a friend who will soothe your loneliness. I will fill what you lack.”
It sounded gentle at first, but its essence held a deep, thick darkness.
Serin trembled all over in fear.
Then her body was abruptly turned around.
Scarlet eyes shone within the darkness.
“H-hiiik...!”
Her entire body stiffened.
No words escaped her lips.
Overwhelmed by terror, she could only let out strange, strained noises.
The vicious being slowly pulled his lips into a long smile.
“Before that, though, you must pay the price for watching this body.”
The moment the demon finished speaking, Serin lost consciousness.
She simply could not hold on to her sanity.
* * *
Her vision gradually brightened.
As usual, a pink ceiling came into view.
Serin stretched and turned her head.
Rose-colored bedding lay before her.
She had awakened in her own room.
“...That was a strange dream.”
She sat up and looked around.
No one was there.
She was alone in the splendid yet somehow empty pink bedroom.
Just as always.
Serin let out a sigh.
“I was really scared, Towa.”
She spoke to the small rabbit doll.
“A scary monster was bullying me.”
Naturally, there was no response.
“He was really trying to kill me.”
Usually, that was how it went.
“No, he would have played with me first, then slowly taken my life. Definitely.”
But today was different.
A quiet snort and an unfamiliar voice came from somewhere.
“Why would I do such a thing to you?”
Startled, Serin looked toward the voice.
Someone was walking into the bedroom.
A boy with black hair and dark eyes. She had definitely seen him somewhere before.
Serin cried out in confusion.
“W-who are you? How did you get in here...?”
No one could enter the world within the mirror.
Not a single visitor had come here in over fifteen years.
This was a space meant only for Serin.
The boy spoke calmly.
“My name is Johan Myatro. You may call me Johan.”
He casually sat down on a pink wooden chair.
Serin’s eyes shook wildly.
“Y-you’re the Watcher of Narak! The monster that shifts between demon and human!”
Johan nodded.
“So my assumption was correct. You had been watching me.”
Serin already knew Johan and Mapheltan’s identities.
One day, through the mirror, she had seen Mapheltan transform into Johan.
Serin snatched up a pillow and threw it at Johan.
“You monster, stay away! Get out of here right now!”
Johan easily caught the flying pillow.
Then he rose and approached Serin.
“A monster? Even I would be a little hurt if you called me that.”
Serin stared at Johan with trembling eyes, then buried her face in her knees.
“D-don’t come closer. I said go away!”
Johan paid no heed to her desperate cry.
“Look at me carefully. Do I still look like a monster to you?”
When Johan came right up to the bed, Serin burst into tears.
“I-I’m sorry. I was wrong. Please do not hurt me. Please. I’m begging you.”
Johan stopped short.
‘...Well, this is awkward.’
He looked down at Serin with an embarrassed expression.
‘Now I really look like the bad guy.’
Anyone who saw them would think Johan was the criminal and Serin the victim.
Everyone would think the same thing.
Johan swallowed a groan and spoke.
“Serin, I will not harm you. I swear it, so please raise your head.”
Serin only curled up further.
“Hic... hiiik...”
Johan let out a deep sigh.
‘This is troublesome.’
Serin was more fragile than he had expected.
She was completely different from Serena.
It was likely because she had spent so many years trapped here without any social interaction.
Serin truly was a child, just as she appeared.
Fortunately, Johan was fairly good with children.
He still had the experience of looking after the younger children at the orphanage.
Johan looked at the rabbit doll on the bed.
‘It has been a while. Shall I give this a try?’
After clearing his throat, he spoke.
“Towa, could you help me?”
Naturally, the doll gave no response.
Johan continued without concern.
“Please clear up Serin’s misunderstanding about me. I want to become friends with Serin.”
Serin raised her head slightly.
The instant their eyes met, she buried her face in her knees again.
Johan spoke.
“Towa, do I look like a monster to you as well? It is not entirely wrong. I hate myself like this too. A Half-Demon, born between demon and human. Who would like a mixed-blood who belongs nowhere? Even I find myself disgusting.”
Johan was speaking from the heart.
Children were moved by sincerity.
In fact, Serin’s sobbing had eased somewhat.
Still curled up, she pricked up her ears.
Johan said, “But, Towa, I want to change my own fate. I want to cleanse my dark red blood until it is clear and red. I may be only half human, but I have tried to preserve that humanity.”
Serin slowly raised her head.
She watched Johan carefully.
She was still wary.
Johan looked at Towa and spoke.
“I do not wish to live as a monster. Please tell Serin that.”
Johan placed Towa in Serin’s arms.
Serin silently looked at the rabbit doll, then spoke.
“...It is hard to change the fate you are born with. I have been alone since I was born, and I always will be.”
Serin could not leave the mirror.
Johan had been mixed-blood from birth.
Their fates had been decided from the moment they were born.
Johan shook his head.
“Fate is no more than a limit one sets for oneself. Its shape can change in any way, depending on one’s will. I have proof. Would you like to hear it?”
Serin turned her gaze toward Johan.
She was somewhat interested in what he had said.
“W-whose story is it?”
Johan gave her a gentle smile.
“It is the story of my younger brother, Raguel.”
He calmly told her about Raguel’s life.
* * *
At some point, Serin became completely absorbed in Johan’s story.
Raguel seemed like the protagonist of a fairy tale.
A boy born disabled, with one eye missing and a limp. Abandoned by his father and looked down on by everyone, he endured every trial and overcame his pain.
Now he had been reborn as a High Elf and was living a new life.
Serin envied Raguel.
She wanted to overcome her own predetermined fate, just as he had.
She wanted to leave the world within the mirror and roam freely across the world.
But it was more difficult for Serin.
She felt jealous.
With a sulky expression, she said, “...Lies. You made all of that up. There are no Elves in this world.”
Elves were one of the forgotten ancient races.
In this age, even the word “Elf” no longer existed.
Johan gave a quiet laugh.
“I can show you all the proof you want. Come with me.”
He held out his hand to Serin.
Serin looked at it, then quickly turned her head away.
“I cannot go anywhere.”
“You can go to the Mirror Room, can you not?”
“The Mirror Room?”
Johan nodded.
“Let us find Raguel together. You should be able to find him.”
Serin could access every mirror in the world.
Through them, she could observe countless people.
Serin asked, “I-is what you said really true?”
Johan shrugged.
“See it with your own eyes. I do not lie.”
Johan held out his hand again.
Serin did not take it.
She simply rose from the bed with a prim expression.
“If you made it up, I will never speak to you again.”
By then, there was barely any fear of Johan left in Serin.
That was a very positive development.
Johan gave a quiet laugh.
“Good. Let us go.”
The two headed straight for the Mirror Room.
* * *
Countless mirrors covered the ceiling, walls, and floor.
Light reflected between them, making the room dazzlingly bright.
No, Johan felt as though his eyes were about to burst.
Frowning, he said, “I feel as though I am going to lose my mind.”
Serin, on the other hand, remained calm.
“Wait a moment. You said your younger brother’s name is Raguel?”
To observe a particular person, she needed specific information about the target.
Serin already knew Raguel well.
She closed her eyes.
Every mirror lost its light.
At the same time, only one mirror began to glow and moved toward Serin.
Johan relaxed.
His eyes no longer hurt.
His expression brightened a little.
Raguel stood on the other side of the mirror.
It was a very welcome sight.
“That is him. My younger brother, Raguel.”
Serin’s eyes widened.
“H-his ears really are long! His hair is glowing too! And his eyes are green!”
Raguel clearly was not human.
He was so resplendent that he seemed alien.
That was because he was a High Elf, even among Elves.
Johan gave a quiet laugh.
“He is working hard.”
Raguel sat at a desk, diligently writing something.
Piles of documents were stacked beside him like a mountain.
As the agent managing the territory, Raguel was handling all the work in Johan’s place.
After studying his face closely, Serin spoke.
“...He seems a little pitiful.”
Long shadows stretched across Raguel’s pale, translucent skin.
They were dark circles.
With such a terrible workload, he was probably suffering quite a bit.
Johan swallowed a groan.
‘Come to think of it, I never sent him reinforcements.’
He had meant to send several administrative workers, but had completely forgotten.
His mind had been too crowded lately.
Johan cleared his throat.
“Well, Raguel is probably happier than he has ever been.”
Serin looked gloomy.
“No, he looks miserable. More than anyone I have ever seen.”
Johan immediately changed the subject.
“Anyway, I have proven that I was telling the truth. Will you acknowledge my sincerity now?”
After thinking for a moment, Serin spoke.
“What you said was not a lie.”
It was a somewhat ambiguous answer.
Johan nodded.
“Let us ask him directly. Can you speak to him from here?”
Apart from proving his sincerity, Johan wanted to speak with Raguel.
He simply missed him.
Serin wore a thoughtful expression, then opened her mouth.
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