WeTried Translations
Translator/Editor: Hydrogen B
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◈ Whispers of a Scheming Demon ◈
Chapter 168: Play (2)
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A few hours earlier, Johan spoke to Nedval in the reception room of Usman Castle.
“I am the Thirteenth Apostle of the End. Can you serve me?”
Nedval’s eyes wavered.
It was difficult for Nedval to understand Johan’s words.
“...Watcher of Narak, what kind of bullshit is that?”
Johan looked human in every way.
He did not resemble an Apostle in the slightest.
There was no connection between the two.
Johan spoke calmly.
“Exactly what it sounds like. I am a Half-Demon. I shift between demon and human depending on whether it is day or night.”
Nedval stared at Johan, then scoffed.
“I think I understand. Watcher of Narak, you are what humans call a lunatic.”
Open hostility toward Johan flowed from Nedval’s eyes.
Parazael, the parasite truly controlling Nedval, reacted to the Great Saint's Eye and radiated blind killing intent.
Any demon would have no choice but to hate Johan.
Johan clicked his tongue.
“You will be difficult to use.”
Ilea spoke with a regretful expression.
“In the end, putting you down is the answer. What a waste.”
Nedval turned sharply toward Ilea.
“Master of Magic, surely you do not mean to kill me?”
Ilea nodded.
“That is right. Your hostility toward Johan is too great. I do not think we can possibly work together.”
Nedval’s face filled with bewilderment.
“This is deeply confusing. Why would a Witch like you go so far to protect a mere human?”
Ilea answered calmly.
“As I told you, Johan is the Thirteenth End.”
Nedval looked incredulous.
“How can you make such a joke...”
Ilea cut Nedval off.
“Whether you believe it or not makes no difference to me. You are not valuable enough for me to waste time explaining.”
Blue Mana flowed from her body.
Several Magic Formations appeared in the air.
Ilea had truly decided to kill Nedval.
She was not putting on an act.
Nedval clearly sensed her killing intent as well.
Sharp ice spikes emerged from the Magic Formations.
Nedval cried out urgently.
“Wait! Please, wait a moment!”
Ilea tilted her head.
“Do you have something left to say?”
“I believe you. Master of Magic, I can trust everything you say.”
Ilea frowned slightly.
“Parazael, I am not the one you should believe in and follow. This person is.”
She pointed at Johan.
Johan stared at Nedval with a dry expression.
A mixture of emotions arose on Nedval’s face.
Bewilderment, disbelief, hostility, doubt, and more. Nedval could not understand the situation at all.
“...Are you truly the Thirteenth End?”
Johan clicked his tongue.
“You keep making me repeat myself. I will tell you one last time. I am an Apostle of the End. Parazael, can you serve me?”
Nedval glanced between Ilea and Johan.
Both were utterly calm.
They would surely take Nedval’s life without the slightest hesitation.
Nedval, no, Parazael, had to handle matters carefully from now on.
Parazael intended to grovel as much as possible to gain a chance to escape.
Nedval abruptly rose.
They bowed deeply toward Johan.
“...I greet the great Apostle, the Thirteenth End of this world.”
Johan watched Nedval silently, then gave a faint laugh.
“There is something you must do.”
Nedval deliberately avoided Johan’s gaze.
They were struggling to contain their rising killing intent.
“Command me as you wish.”
“I intend to put on a play. First, gather all your subordinates.”
“A play? What kind of...”
Johan frowned and cut Nedval off.
“Do not ask questions. Just do as you are told.”
Johan intended to use the figure of Viscount Usman, turned into a demon’s puppet, to reveal the South’s dire situation to the world.
Once the approaching Subjugation Force saw the state of Usman Castle, they would surely feel some degree of alarm.
Wolfgang in particular would conclude that the South required exceptional measures.
The moment he put his influence behind the matter, the Kingdom would have no choice but to appoint someone to take overall charge of the demonic crisis in the South.
Johan would claim that position.
He would prepare even a small play and achieve his goal without a hitch.
The corner of Johan’s mouth rose slightly.
Ilea smiled gently.
“It seems you have thought of an interesting plan.”
“It is an improvised plan, but if things go as I expect, it should produce quite a good result.”
“Is there anything I can do to help?”
“Of course. I need you.”
Ilea smiled with her eyes.
“Please, do not feel burdened. Just tell me. I will lend you my strength.”
The moment Johan heard the word burdened, he suddenly felt something was wrong.
For some time now, he had felt no burden at all over Ilea’s kindness.
He had come to take her help for granted.
Somewhere along the way, Johan had forgotten that every interaction with a Witch was a transaction.
‘...Since when?’
An inexplicable anxiety rose in his heart.
Johan stared at Ilea before speaking.
“Write this in the ledger as well. I will repay the debt.”
Ilea shook her head.
“There is no need. Being with you is enough for me.”
Johan could not clearly understand her feelings.
“You are saying something you do not mean.”
He turned and left the reception room.
Ilea watched Johan’s retreating figure with a bitter smile.
“...I mean it.”
Her quiet murmur did not reach Johan.
Nedval stared at Ilea with an expression of incomprehension.
A Witch and the Watcher of Narak. What kind of relationship did they have?
There was no answer.
Nedval was deeply confused.
They muttered quietly.
“I simply cannot understand it.”
Ilea abruptly turned her head.
Her icy gaze settled on Nedval.
“Do you have time to relax? Parazael, if you want to live, prove your value.”
Ilea’s demeanor had completely changed.
The somewhat wistful smile had vanished without a trace.
Nedval swallowed dryly.
“...Understood. As the Apostle commanded, I will gather all of Usman’s forces. We shall meet at the training grounds.”
Nedval immediately left the reception room.
Ilea fell into thought for a while.
She remained there for quite some time.
* * *
Usman’s forces, hundreds of pirates, were scattered throughout the castle, drawing bizarre scribbles on its walls and floors.
They had received one order from Nedval, Viscount Usman.
Inscribe the symbol I now show you throughout the entire castle.
The paper Nedval had shown them contained a spell formula made of grotesque shapes.
At first glance, it resembled a heretical magical formula.
Everyone found it strange, but they could not defy their lord’s command.
Pirate hierarchy was clearer than that of any other group.
For people who sailed the isolated seas for months at a time, a systematic chain of command was essential.
Even minor insubordination could become a disaster on the vast open sea.
Every member of the force began to work at their superior’s command.
“We were supposed to eat and drink for a few days. Why are we suddenly doing this?”
“Idiot. The castle is too plain, so we are decorating the banquet hall.”
“We are decorating the castle with these grotesque scribbles? I think you are the idiot.”
“The Admiral must have a plan. Stop complaining and fill in that empty section over there.”
They called Nedval the Admiral.
“Damn it. I do not know. Does the Admiral not seem a little different from usual lately?”
Since the last voyage had ended, Nedval’s personality had changed somewhat.
The once boisterous Nedval had become quite calm.
A few of them were certainly suspicious.
“Here! Switch partners with me! If I keep working with this idiot, we will not finish this section on time!”
The ones who had complained soon resumed working.
The small number of objections was quickly buried.
Everyone drew the scribbles like machines.
Johan sat atop a castle tower and looked down at them.
He spoke to Ilea.
“This should be enough.”
The spell formulas they had drawn were crude beyond measure.
Even if Mana were poured into them, no curse would activate.
The formulas before them were merely a pretext.
The connection between House Usman and the demonic crisis. So long as Johan could show that connection to the Subjugation Force, nothing else mattered.
Ilea spoke.
“Let us finish up soon. The Subjugation Force will arrive shortly.”
“We should prepare as well. I am counting on your acting.”
Using the disguise magic she had developed before, Ilea would impersonate Johan.
She would surely do well.
“Do not worry. We have done this once before.”
Ilea had once disguised herself as Johan and attended an audience with King Roderic.
No one had noticed Ilea’s true identity that day.
Johan nodded.
“Come. Let us move.”
He descended from the castle tower.
Then he headed straight inside Usman Castle.
The sun would soon set, and Johan would undergo demonic transformation.
He had to hide that sight from everyone.
* * *
Several hours later, a chilling voice echoed through the pitch-black night sky.
『 Struggle all you like. To this body that will live for eternity, your existence will be but a fleeting amusement. When I eventually grow tired of you, my little toy, I shall personally sever your throat. 』
It was the voice of Mapheltan, the Thirteenth End.
After cursing the Watcher of Narak, he disappeared into the darkness.
Even his presence vanished completely.
Silence fell.
Johan (Ilea) silently stared into the air.
Every member of the Subjugation Force watched his back.
A heavy burden rested upon the boy’s small shoulders.
Shaperia spoke cautiously.
“...My lord, are you all right?”
It was difficult for her to fully understand what was happening.
Her heart was simply in turmoil from worry over Johan.
Johan spoke calmly.
“I am fine. I am only disappointed that White Horn escaped.”
Shaperia looked up into the air.
“Someday, I will surely judge that creature. Please believe in me and leave it to me.”
Johan gave a faint laugh and lightly patted Shaperia’s shoulder.
“You are dependable. I will look forward to it.”
Shaperia gestured to the Subjugation Force.
A soldier rushed over and handed her a bundle.
Shaperia unwrapped it.
Something enormous appeared.
It was the head of Beris, the Twelfth End and Apostle.
Shaperia knelt on one knee and held up Beris’s head.
“Knight Shaperia, having obeyed your solemn command, has judged the Twelfth End of this world. I offer all that glory to my lord. Please accept it.”
Johan silently looked down at Shaperia, then placed a hand on Beris’s head.
“As a clan that watches over Narak, we must take responsibility for every demonic crisis that has occurred in the South. Subjugating Beris was merely our duty. There is no glory in it. If we have put an end to one End, we need only move on to the next. Knight Shaperia, my sword, even if you break, do not bend until every End in this world has vanished.”
Shaperia lowered her head deeply.
“Obeying my lord’s command, I shall judge every Apostle in this world.”
Johan smiled warmly.
Moonlight poured over their heads.
The bright moonlight was part of the display created by Ilea’s magic.
The Subjugation Force watched them both in breathless silence.
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