WeTried Translations
Translator/Editor: Hydrogen B
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◈ Whispers of a Scheming Demon ◈
Chapter 135: Serin (4)
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“Can we speak to him from here?”
Johan wanted to speak with Raguel again after a long time.
After thinking for a moment, Serin replied,
“That’s impossible.”
It was quite disappointing for Johan.
If they could communicate with the outside from here, many things would become easier in the future.
For one, distance would no longer be an inconvenience.
He would be able to contact anyone and speak with them in real time, regardless of where they were.
But Serin firmly said it could not be done.
Johan could not help feeling regretful.
“Wasn’t it possible with Serena?”
“That’s because Serena’s mirror is special. I can only communicate with Serena from here.”
It seemed the mirror in Serena’s room was a magical artifact.
Johan clicked his tongue.
“That’s quite unfortunate.”
Serin studied Johan closely.
“...You must be very close to your younger brother?”
Her gaze seemed to be testing him, as though she were trying to measure something.
Johan clearly understood what she was thinking.
‘Does she feel a sense of kinship? I might be able to use that.’
He shrugged.
“Well, we have a relationship too special to be explained by simply calling us close. We aren’t related by blood, though.”
It was not a lie.
Johan and Raguel truly had a special relationship.
They were bound as master and servant.
Serin gave a faint smile. It was the first time she had smiled.
“I’m also incredibly close to Serena. My little sister is my only friend and my support.”
Serin only interacted with Serena.
She did not exchange a single word with her father, Horentz.
After discovering the mirror’s power, Horentz had once tried to use Serin politically. Serin had seen through her father’s intentions.
From that day on, she kept her distance from him.
Serena alone was Serin’s entire world.
Johan nodded.
“I understand how you feel. Serena must be all you have. That must be why you opposed my marriage to Serena. You were trying to protect her.”
Serin’s expression darkened.
With a gloomy look, she said,
“That’s right. Honestly... I’m still afraid of you.”
She had seen Mapheltan’s form.
Anyone who saw that vicious demon would tremble in fear.
Johan spoke calmly.
“I’m startled when I look in the mirror sometimes, too. I may look human now, but at night, something hideous is reflected in the mirror. Anyone with a human heart would find it revolting.”
Serin quickly shook her head.
“I, I don’t find you revolting! You’re just so black and huge that... well, I suppose I feel intimidated? It’s hard to explain, but you aren’t that hideous.”
She was softhearted.
She did not want to hurt Johan.
A certain closeness had already formed between Serin and Johan.
Serin cautiously watched his reaction.
Johan smiled gently.
“Whatever the case, I know one thing for certain. Serin, you have a very warm heart. You are the first person to tell me I’m not hideous.”
After thanking her, he gently stroked her hair.
Serin flinched in surprise, but she did not reject his touch.
“Y, you don’t need to thank me. I only said what I felt.”
Perhaps embarrassed, she avoided Johan’s gaze.
Conversations and gestures like this were unfamiliar to Serin.
Johan gave a quiet laugh.
“Then let me ask again. Do I still look like a monster to you?”
Earlier, Johan had calmly spoken of his beliefs.
Through Raguel, he had proven that his words were true, and he had shown sincere affection for his younger brother, Raguel.
It was morning now, and he looked like an ordinary boy.
Johan did not seem like a monster at all.
Serin carefully shook her head.
“...No. I’m sorry for calling you a monster.”
Johan rejoiced inwardly.
‘She’s more transparent than I expected.’
Put badly, she was easy to handle.
Johan spoke playfully.
“Are you truly sorry?”
Serin slowly nodded.
“I think I said something too harsh.”
A strange smile touched Johan’s lips.
“I’ll forgive you, but I want you to grant me one favor.”
Unease appeared on Serin’s face.
In a shrinking voice, she asked,
“W, what is it?”
Johan smiled softly.
“Let’s be friends. What do you say?”
Serin was slightly startled.
In a trembling voice, she murmured,
“...Friends.”
For Serin, friends were something from a distant world.
She had Serena and Towa, but the two were little different from imaginary beings.
One was someone who lived outside the mirror, while the other was merely a rabbit doll. She could not truly interact with either of them.
Johan was different.
He was truly standing before Serin’s eyes.
He had entered the world within the mirror and was interacting with her.
Johan could truly become Serin’s friend.
Johan nodded.
“Yes, friends. I think we’ll get along quite well.”
Serin’s expression brightened a little.
Something she had only dreamed of was becoming reality.
Anticipation filled her.
Johan calmly observed Serin’s expression.
‘Has she completely fallen for it?’
As he rejoiced, sudden doubt appeared on Serin’s face.
She spoke.
“I would like that, but... honestly, I don’t understand. Is there really any reason for you to be friends with me?”
Johan had countless relationships.
He did not particularly need Serin.
If Johan wanted her, he surely had a hidden motive.
That was what Serin thought.
Johan clicked his tongue without showing it.
‘She truly is of Marcano blood.’
Even without any social experience, a Marcano was still a Marcano.
Serin was naturally quick to notice things.
Johan spoke calmly.
“It’s embarrassing to say, but I don’t have anyone I could call a friend either. Everyone around me is tied to me through work or politics. It’s difficult to become friends with them. The moment I reveal my true feelings, they’ll seize upon my weakness and use it against me.”
Human relationships tended to be like that.
People who exposed their weaknesses were eventually torn apart.
Johan had always kept that truth in mind.
Serin listened carefully before murmuring,
“That sounds a little sad.”
Johan shrugged.
“I suppose it is. But Serin, you are different. You live alone in this space. I think I could reveal my true feelings to you, at least.”
Serin was cut off from the outside world.
No matter what he told her, he would not need to worry about it getting out.
Serin’s expression sank sadly.
“...You must have many wounds. I read in a book that the stronger and more mature someone appears, the more pain they bury deep in their heart.”
Johan gave a quiet laugh.
“Do I look strong and mature?”
Serin answered at once.
“Yes. Much more than others your age.”
Serin had watched countless people through the mirror.
Many of them had been boys, but none had given off an atmosphere like Johan’s.
Johan was unusual in many ways.
He smiled gently.
“We have much in common. Regardless of how you look, you are nearly a young lady inside.”
Time flowed very slowly in the world within the mirror.
Though she looked like a little girl here, Serin was actually a young lady in her late teens.
Looking down at her body, she said,
“I am what I look like. People grow through experience, but I have never experienced anything.”
Johan shook his head.
“Serin, you have more depth than old monsters with a wealth of experience. I will prove it. We can certainly become good friends.”
He held out his hand.
Serin looked at it and hesitated.
“B, but...”
“I’ll be your first for everything. In return, become the friend I can reveal my true feelings to.”
Serin stared intently at Johan.
His eyes were calm and deep.
An inexplicable sense of trust filled Serin’s mind.
Slowly, she raised her hand.
“...All right. Let’s get along.”
The two shook hands.
Johan smiled softly.
“From now on, call me Johan.”
“O, okay. Johan.”
Serin’s face reddened slightly.
Calling someone by name felt embarrassing to her.
* * *
A full day had passed since Johan vanished into the mirror.
Ilea and Lumina had worked without rest, absorbed solely in their research.
They had to find a way to bring Johan out.
They needed to create an exit for Johan to leave the world within the mirror.
After tremendous effort, the two finally found a solution.
Lumina let out a long sigh.
“Was the Watcher of Narak always like this?”
Johan had entered the mirror without a plan.
Even though there was no exit yet, he had not cared.
Ilea had grown fairly accustomed to his attitude.
“He can be rather headstrong. It’s best to simply accept it.”
Lumina gave a disbelieving laugh.
“Simply accept it? What would he have done if we had failed to make an exit?”
Ilea replied calmly.
“I think Johan was certain we would succeed.”
Lumina looked dumbfounded.
“From what I can see, you blindly trust the Watcher of Narak. Based on what, exactly? It’s not as though he possesses precognition like Lord Muel.”
Ilea smiled gently with her eyes.
“If you spend time with Johan, Lady Lumina, you’ll understand how I feel. He always speaks through results.”
Lumina gave a hollow laugh.
Just as she was about to say something, a sharp alarm rang out.
Lumina immediately changed the subject.
“Wait. It sounds like something has happened outside.”
They were currently working in a pocket dimension created by Lumina.
Ilea rose from her seat.
“Let’s go outside, quickly.”
At the same time, Lumina’s spatial magic was dispelled.
The two were transported to the Myatro Baron’s manor.
* * *
Several knights stood in formation at the entrance to the manor.
A gold coin-shaped crest was engraved on the breastplates of their armor.
They were all knights of House Marcano.
A woman stood facing them.
She was Ilea’s guard knight.
The young female knight spoke.
“What is the meaning of this disturbance? Lady Staviana is currently at the Baron’s manor. Leave at once.”
A woman stepped out from the Marcano knights.
It was Serena Marcano.
“I have no business with Lady Staviana. I must see the Watcher of Narak at once. Clear the way.”
The female knight did not step aside. She had been ordered by Ilea not to let anyone in.
“Lady Staviana is meeting the Watcher of Narak in private. Return another time.”
Serena did not intend to let the matter pass.
She had to find her missing older sister.
“I will wait here.”
The female knight frowned.
Just as she was about to shout something, the doors of the Baron’s manor opened.
Ilea was walking out.
She swept her gaze over the knights and spoke.
“For an ordinary visit, you have brought quite a large force. Lady Marcano, can you offer a reasonable explanation for this situation?”
For some reason, the air around them grew cold.
An unknown pressure bore down on them from every direction.
Suppressing the pressure, Serena stepped forward.
“No. You should be the ones to explain yourselves first. The Watcher of Narak and Lady Staviana. What exactly are the two of you?”
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