WeTried Translations
Translator/Editor: Hydrogen B
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◈ Whispers of a Scheming Demon ◈
Chapter 188: Trial (2)
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Michael’s eyes wavered.
Johan, kneeling before him, was quietly pressuring him.
“Your Majesty, if you permit it, I will enter the Holy Site first and secure its safety.”
The sun would soon set.
Once darkness fell, the evils lying in wait would awaken one by one.
The Empire’s nights teemed with every kind of demon. Ancient demons sometimes lurked near Holy Sites in particular.
Holy Sites were remnants of the Great Holy War. Demons unable to forget the bitterness of their defeat in that war wandered endlessly around them.
Only inside the Holy Site was safe.
The surrounding area was more dangerous than most places.
The moment the sun set, all manner of evil would run rampant.
As Emperor, Michael needed to enter the Holy Site as soon as possible.
If he wasted time at the entrance, he would suffer through the evils all night.
He probably would not even have time to speak with Johan.
Michael opened his mouth.
“I permit it. Watcher of Narak, enter first and clear the way.”
Johan rose from his kneeling position.
“I shall obey.”
He approached the waterfall.
The raging torrent slammed against the ground.
Without the slightest hesitation, Johan pushed himself into the waterfall.
His figure vanished in an instant.
Michael stiffened.
Medein, the Sword Saint, let out a faint gasp.
The waterfall before them planted instinctive fear in people.
The fear it inspired increased or diminished according to the person’s ability to endure the trial. Even someone with a strong body or mind could not escape it.
In other words, the total fear a young boy and an experienced knight felt before the waterfall was the same.
Ultimately, the River Lovern trial measured a person’s capacity.
Even outstanding warriors sometimes broke down before the waterfall.
At the very least, they would hesitate for a long time before stepping forward.
Johan was different.
A boy not even twenty had passed the trial with absurd ease.
Michael felt needlessly ashamed and small.
Johan looked about the same age as him, yet the difference in their natural bearing was immense.
“...I truly am pathetic.”
Medein shook his head.
“Please do not belittle yourself. Your Majesty is called the First Emperor reborn, and you are destined to become the greatest ruler in history.”
Those words made Michael’s heart ache even more.
Everything Michael had achieved was, in truth, the result of Valerion I’s work.
Without his guardian spirit, Michael might never have become Emperor.
He had not been born with the makings of a king.
Michael knew that well.
“Medein, do not think too highly of me. Sometimes, that faith is a burden.”
Medein lowered his head.
“...I have overstepped.”
Michael looked at the waterfall again.
Valerion I’s voice seeped into his ear.
『 He is a very peculiar one. He does not carry the scent of Myatro. His eyes are cold, and his emotions are controlled. It is difficult to believe he is a Myatro. 』
Every member of the Myatro bloodline Valerion I knew had been bold and optimistic.
Even if five hundred years had passed, the essence of Myatro could not have changed.
The Watcher’s blood ran deep.
Even mixed with the blood of other houses, the Myatro bloodline always retained its original identity.
Johan was completely unlike them.
Michael closed his eyes.
‘Is that your assessment of the Watcher of Narak?’
Valerion I answered at once.
‘Yes. He is a very unusual boy. Unless my eyes deceive me, he is likely not a Myatro. I cannot find any of Myatro’s traits in him.’
Michael’s brow furrowed.
‘I trust everything you say, Your Holiness, but how could that be?’
‘Nothing is certain yet. It is all mere speculation. Still, I should confirm the truth for myself.’
Michael understood what he meant.
‘...You mean to speak with the Watcher of Narak directly.’
‘That is right. We must conserve the time limit of Possession as much as possible. Can you do it?’
In short, Michael had to pass the trial alone.
If Valerion I overcame the trial in Michael’s place, only about ten minutes of Possession would remain.
Passing through the waterfall alone took roughly twenty minutes.
Valerion I could not afford to waste that time.
Michael swallowed.
‘Honestly, I am not confident.’
His inborn nature was too great a shackle.
That deficiency had been created by the bargain Valerion I had made with the Sun, so Valerion I could not bring himself to scold Michael.
‘It is all because this body is so lacking.’
Michael did not answer and only stared at the ground.
The shadows cast across the earth were slowly fading.
“...Damn it.”
The sun was setting.
Medein, who had remained silent, cautiously spoke.
“Your Majesty, you must make a decision soon.”
Evil would soon run rampant.
Medein had a duty to protect the Emperor from those wicked things.
As Michael remained silent, Valerion I let out a deep sigh.
‘Michael, lend me your body.’
‘Do as you wish.’
‘I apologize in advance.’
‘For what...’
Michael could not finish his thought.
Control of his body passed to Valerion I in an instant.
Michael slowly lifted his eyelids.
A majestic weight filled his gaze.
Medein lowered his head in relief.
He had immediately sensed Michael’s change.
In that state, Michael became a completely different person.
It would not be an exaggeration to call him the First Emperor reborn.
Michael slowly opened his mouth.
“Medein, this is an imperial command.”
Medein immediately dropped to one knee.
“I obey. Please command me.”
“From this moment on, force me into the waterfall. No matter how much I resist, you must make sure I pass the trial. Do you understand?”
Medein’s eyes shook.
“Y-Your Majesty, what are you...?”
Michael thundered.
“Will you obey the imperial command?!”
His low, majestic voice struck like lightning.
Sword Saint Medein trembled.
Nearly prostrate, he shouted.
“I shall carry out Your Majesty’s sacred command!”
Michael strode toward him.
“Do it at once.”
Medein sprang up and hoisted the Emperor onto his shoulder.
At the same time, the unusual gleam vanished from Michael’s eyes.
His youthful voice burst out again.
“M-Medein! Wait, wait a moment!”
Medein used Aura to block his ears.
He deliberately ignored the Emperor’s voice.
Following the imperial command, he shoved Michael into the waterfall.
“Your Majesty! Please forgive this subject’s disloyalty!”
“N-No! You cannot! Stop! Stop this! Please!”
His desperate cries were swallowed by the raging waters.
Michael’s figure soon disappeared as well.
* * *
Intense pressure crushed his entire body.
It felt as though his skin were being torn to shreds.
He could barely breathe, and his lungs swelled as if they were about to burst.
Michael screamed and ran forward.
Within the pouring water, black demonic hands emerged and seized his arms and legs.
“G-Get away! Do not come near me! Stay away!”
Tears and mucus streamed down his face.
His youthful screams continued without pause.
Having lost all sense of direction, Michael wandered madly through the waterfall.
Time passed as slowly as an eternity.
One second felt like ten minutes.
Valerion I’s voice seeped into his ear.
‘Pull yourself together! Move your feet! Just keep moving forward!’
Michael could not focus on the mental voice.
His head throbbed painfully.
“What do you want from me?! Please get out of my head!”
Valerion I paid no heed.
‘Hans! Will you not save Hans?! That child risked their life for you! You must take responsibility!’
The moment he heard Hans’s name, Michael’s panic eased slightly.
Michael was weak-willed, but he had a sense of responsibility.
He understood loyalty and duty.
He was emotional, yet he also possessed cold reason.
Other than his weakness, Michael possessed every quality of a great ruler.
Screaming, he violently tore at his own hair.
He had to regain his senses as quickly as possible.
Once he had begun the trial, there was no way to turn back.
Michael wailed, but he moved forward.
“H-Hans! Hans! I have come! Give me courage! Let me take responsibility for you!”
He shook off the demonic hands reaching for him and ignored the screams he heard.
With tears and mucus streaming down his face, he ran at full speed.
Though his vision blurred, Michael did not close his eyes.
He stared straight ahead.
At last, he saw a ray of light.
Valerion I shouted through the mental voice.
‘That is it! There! Jump into it!’
Michael pushed off the ground.
“Hans! I have come!”
He wrapped both arms around the light before him.
His vision went dark in an instant.
When Michael opened his eyes again, an earthly paradise spread before him.
A gentle voice seeped into his ear.
‘See? You could do it. You have done very well. Leave the rest to me now.’
Lying facedown on the ground, Michael slowly nodded.
* * *
The Lovern ruins could rightly be called an earthly paradise.
Long branches stretched straight in every direction, and brilliant flowers of five colors bloomed on each one, creating a spectacular sight.
Pale fireflies drifted through the dense forest.
Even in the darkness of night, the Lovern ruins were brightly colored by nature’s own light.
Ilea, posing as Johan, looked around with interest.
The place was full of unusual plants, each one valuable research material to a Witch.
Plucking a red flower from a branch, Ilea murmured,
“It contains Mana. How unusual.”
There were many other mysterious plants as well.
While Ilea was briefly distracted, a low, majestic voice sounded behind her.
“Watcher of Narak, you have more sentimental hobbies than I expected.”
Ilea looked at Valerion I.
She was disguised as Johan, while Valerion I had possessed Michael’s body.
“Your Majesty, have you recovered yourself?”
She immediately dropped to one knee in greeting.
Valerion I strode toward her.
“I showed you an embarrassing sight. Please forget it.”
He had cried and made a complete scene during the trial.
It had not been dignified.
“I saw and heard nothing.”
“Thank you for your consideration. Now, raise your head and stand.”
Ilea rose.
Her eyes met Valerion I’s in the air.
“Your Majesty, allow me to greet you once more. I am Johan Myatro, Watcher of Narak. I greet Your Majesty.”
Valerion I held out his hand.
“It is good to meet you. I am Michael Valerion.”
Ilea clasped his hand.
“It is an honor, Your Majesty.”
At the same time, a deep smile formed on Valerion I’s lips.
“As I thought. You are not a Myatro.”
Not the slightest agitation could be seen in Ilea.
With a gentle smile, she said,
“Neither are you the Emperor of the Empire.”
Silence fell over the ruins.
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