WeTried Translations
Translator/Editor: Hydrogen B
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◈ Whispers of a Scheming Demon ◈
Chapter 172: Banquet
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Johan finished his conversation with the Count and left the dining hall at once.
He was following Shaperia somewhere.
With every step they took, someone new came up to speak to them.
“Watcher of Narak! I am Richard, second son of House Maron of the Empire!”
“Sir Johan, I would like to invite you to my territory someday!”
“Would you care for a drink? My name is Twain.”
All attention was focused on them.
“Sir Shaperia, I have long heard of your renown!”
“You are truly the model of a knight! Please accept a drink from me!”
“Do you happen to have a fiancé?”
Everyone was pleasantly drunk as they surrounded the two of them.
Shaperia was not used to this.
Flustered, she looked to Johan.
“Sir Shaperia, hurry and drain a glass!”
“Here is mine as well! Drink it, then have a toast with me!”
The lively atmosphere drained her strength.
Shaperia felt as if her mind would go blank.
If she had been here without Johan, she surely would have been swept up in the mood again.
She would have drunk herself senseless.
But things were different now.
She could not make a fool of herself before her lord.
She somehow gathered herself and spoke.
“E-everyone, I apologize. There is something I must discuss with my lord.”
Johan snickered and lightly patted her back.
“Stop worrying about me and enjoy yourself.”
“But…”
“You should get used to occasions like this too. There will be many more like it in the future.”
Shaperia was Johan’s sword.
She would cut down every Apostle and earn countless achievements.
One day, all would praise her.
Shaperia had to become someone who could embrace everyone’s affection and attention, as well as their envy and jealousy.
Even this small banquet was a worthwhile experience for her.
Shaperia quietly looked at Johan, then slowly raised her glass.
Everyone around them lifted their glasses over their heads.
A roar-like cheer erupted.
“““To the Watcher of Narak and their sword!”””
Not a single person failed to empty their glass.
Their throats and stomachs burned. The liquor spread through their entire bodies.
Shaperia’s face turned reddish.
Someone laughed heartily and shouted.
“Come on, another round!”
Everyone refilled their glasses.
Glasses clinked together in the air.
More alcohol went down.
The process repeated again and again.
The banquet would not end for several days.
Everyone intended to eat and drink until they had emptied the pirates’ storehouses.
* * *
Usman Castle, training grounds. The sound of retching echoed through the air.
“Such, such disgrace. I apologize…”
Shaperia bent over as she threw up.
Johan patted her back and said,
“Shaperia, you are weaker with drink than I thought.”
After completely emptying her stomach, Shaperia drew rough breaths. She wiped her lips and spoke.
“I apologize. I never realized alcohol could be this potent.”
Shaperia had never drunk before.
Even during her days as a street orphan, she had never touched alcohol. During her time as an Ascetic, she had never even seen it.
Today was her first experience with a hangover.
It was truly terrible.
If she exaggerated a little, alcohol was more poisonous than Demonic Energy.
At the moment, she felt she would never touch another drink again.
Johan snickered.
“You accepted every drink offered to you. That is why you ended up like this. You need to learn how to discreetly avoid drinks too. I will teach you some drinking etiquette next time.”
A child who had not even undergone a coming-of-age ceremony yet was speaking like an elder with years of experience.
It should have seemed terribly unnatural, yet it somehow did not feel strange.
Johan had always been like that.
He was different even from a child who simply acted old.
He was practically an adult.
Shaperia murmured softly,
“My lord is remarkable. In many ways.”
Some intoxication still remained, and her words came out slightly slurred.
Johan spoke teasingly.
“To receive such praise from the hero who defeated an Apostle alone, I hardly know what to do with myself.”
“D-don’t tease me. I mean it.”
Johan shrugged.
“So do I.”
“…I will work even harder.”
Johan shook his head.
“No, you are already enough. I am proud of you.”
His gaze had grown calm at some point.
Without realizing it, Shaperia avoided Johan’s eyes.
For some reason, she felt a little embarrassed.
As she fidgeted awkwardly, an unfamiliar voice reached them.
“So this is where our young heroes are.”
Johan and Shaperia turned their heads.
An elderly cleric in spotless white robes was walking onto the training grounds.
Every guard accompanying the cleric was a Holy Knight.
This had to be a high-ranking cleric.
The moment Shaperia saw the cleric, she lowered her head.
“Knight Shaperia greets His Eminence Cardinal Eharam.”
The white-haired cardinal smiled kindly and approached Shaperia.
“Yes, Shaperia. You seem quite drunk. Drunk enough to forget your manners.”
The cardinal looked toward Shaperia’s legs.
Shaperia had not knelt.
Upon meeting a cardinal, she was expected to offer formal respect while kneeling.
Shaperia spoke as clearly as she could.
Being drunk, she had no choice but to choose every word carefully.
She could not make a mistake.
Her counterpart was one of the Great Saint Church’s highest authorities.
“Your Eminence, I am no longer a Holy Knight. I am an ordinary knight. A knight may kneel only before their lord. Please understand.”
The cardinal spoke with a gentle expression.
“You misunderstand me. I am not telling you to kneel. Is there not another proper observance you should uphold besides that?”
Shaperia fell into thought. What form of respect was there other than kneeling? She could not find an answer.
Listening to their conversation, Johan slightly raised the corner of his mouth.
‘Well, look at that.’
The cardinal was wearing a kindly mask while trying to suppress Shaperia’s spirit.
Johan spoke in Shaperia’s stead.
“Your Eminence, are you referring to detoxification?”
The cardinal nodded with an amiable smile.
“You are as clever as the rumors say. When facing a Holy Spirit, one must keep both body and mind pure. One should not be intoxicated.”
Holy Spirit was the term used for Great Saint Church clerics of archbishop rank or above.
Whenever one spoke with a Holy Spirit, anyone would remain fully alert.
If intoxicated, one had to use Aura to purge the toxins.
That was basic etiquette.
For that reason, nobles disliked having priests of Holy Spirit rank attend banquets.
They ruined the mood.
Shaperia hesitated before speaking.
“I-I apologize. My learning is still insufficient…”
The archbishop spoke with a puzzled expression.
“You have not detoxified yourself yet?”
Shaperia wanted to crawl into a hole.
The truth was, she lacked the ability to dispel her intoxication.
Her Dantian now produced Holy Flame rather than Aura.
Holy Flame had no ability to purge toxins.
Shaperia bowed her head deeply.
“Your Eminence, I can only apologize.”
She could not tell the truth.
The power called Holy Flame, which had awakened within her not long ago, was unknown even to the scriptures.
The Great Saint Church recognized only Aura and Holy Power as blessings from the gods.
Every other supernatural ability was heretical power.
Naturally, Holy Flame could be rejected as well.
Even Shaperia herself suspected that Holy Flame’s source lay in some being other than the Moon.
The instant the cardinal saw her intimidated manner, the cardinal’s eyes changed.
The cardinal spoke in a subdued voice.
“Knight Shaperia. Purify your body and mind at once.”
It meant that she was to use Aura to purge her intoxication.
Johan snickered.
‘Now I understand.’
Not long ago, the cardinal had personally witnessed Shaperia’s Holy Flame.
The cardinal had seen a knight burning like the Sun.
The power she wielded had clearly not been a Blessing received from the Moon.
A cardinal could certainly have noticed that.
The cardinal currently suspected Shaperia of being an Apostate.
Johan spoke in Shaperia’s stead.
“Your Eminence, I apologize, but I refuse. My knight will not use Aura.”
The cardinal furrowed their brow.
Every Holy Knight guarding the cardinal glared at Johan.
One of the Holy Knights spoke threateningly.
“Sir Johan, you are being greatly disrespectful.”
Johan shrugged.
“I apologize. However, my decision will not change.”
The cardinal spoke.
“I would like to hear the reason.”
Johan answered at once.
“It is simple. My sword will not rust in alcohol. I will not watch such a display of overcoming drink through a shortcut.”
He was spouting nonsense.
Several Holy Knights let out short laughs.
One of them said,
“Where do you think you are, making wordplay at a time like this?”
Johan frowned. He looked at the Holy Knight with cold eyes.
“Wordplay? Is that what it sounds like to you?”
The Great Saint’s Eye gleamed with an unusual light.
The Holy Knight who met Johan’s gaze faltered.
Countless emotions rushed over them.
The Holy Knight could not bring themself to argue with Johan.
The cardinal was different.
The cardinal was not greatly swayed by the emotions emitted by the Holy Relic.
The depth of the cardinal’s discipline as one of the highest-ranking clerics was unfathomable.
“Sir Johan, do you intend to violate the Great Saint Church’s laws for personal reasons?”
Johan answered calmly.
“This is not the Holy Kingdom. In the Holy Kingdom, I too will follow the ordinances of His Holiness the Pope.”
The cardinal smiled again.
“The Kingdom respects the Holy Kingdom’s laws. As a noble of the Kingdom, you should naturally place the Church’s will first.”
Johan had no intention of backing down.
The moment he accepted the cardinal’s words, Shaperia would suffer.
Johan did not want to waste strength on an unnecessary incident.
Looking straight into the cardinal’s eyes, he said,
“Before I am a noble of the Kingdom, I am the Watcher of Narak. By the Moon’s mandate, I must oversee every demonic matter that occurs in the South. In this South, even Your Eminence is merely subject to my watch. No power or authority can wield my sword in my stead.”
The cardinal slowly considered Johan’s words.
Shaperia looked at Johan with a face full of tension.
“M-my lord…”
Johan had openly challenged the authority of the Great Saint Church.
The consequences would surely be immense.
The Great Saint Church valued its dignity above all else, and Shaperia knew well that it would do anything to preserve its authority.
She was terribly anxious.
Her intoxication had completely vanished.
Johan said,
“I will handle it. Stay still.”
Shaperia lowered her head and bit her lip. She was still powerless.
The cardinal slowly opened their mouth.
“…In short, if one has come to the South, one should follow the laws of the South. Is that what you mean?”
Johan smiled brightly.
“As expected of Your Eminence. You have understood my meaning perfectly.”
The cardinal stepped closer to Johan.
The cardinal stared intently into his eyes.
Cloudy pupils flashed with an unusual light.
“Do you know? You speak as though you are a king.”
Johan answered at once.
“…Well, the Myatro clan was once royal. Perhaps that blood runs through my veins as well.”
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