WeTried Translations
Translator/Editor: Hydrogen B
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◈ Whispers of a Scheming Demon ◈
Chapter 25: Assault (2)
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A few hours earlier, Gaf and Johan lay prone atop a high cliff, watching the valley below.
Just as expected, a long procession entered the valley.
It was the Pilgrimage Group.
Though it was the dead of night, bright light surrounded them. Pure white Holy Power protected the procession.
The Radiance of Evil's Bane. Lesser demons would go blind the moment they saw the Pilgrimage Group.
Gaf glanced at Johan.
“Are you all right? That's Holy Power.”
“It’s just cheap glow-in-the-dark paint.”
The monstrosity known as Kazan's Ring was blocking the Holy Power.
‘It was a good thing I corrupted it first.’
It truly had many uses. Without the ring, even Johan would have found it difficult to endure.
Gaf shook his head in amazement.
“You're the first demon I've ever seen who looks down on Holy Power.”
“Don't be surprised every time. You'll experience many things beyond common sense from now on.”
As they spoke, the procession began to split apart.
A dreary group broke away from the white-clad procession and took the fork in the road.
Kryll and his subordinates.
There were roughly ten of them. They turned toward their southern base, while the Pilgrimage Group, bound for the royal capital, continued north.
Gaf spoke.
“This time, things are following common sense.”
There had been no unexpected development. Just as Johan said, Kryll and the Pilgrimage Group parted ways at the end of the valley.
It was a route anyone could have predicted.
If Kryll did not turn here, he would lose a considerable amount of time.
He would have had to take the long way around the mountain.
Johan nodded.
“We don't need to worry about the Pilgrimage Group anymore. Let's follow Kryll.”
They intended to strike during camp. If they attacked while the group rested, there was a high chance the others would fail to respond in time.
Gaf climbed down the cliff and mounted his horse.
“Kryll is an experienced warrior. If we tail him openly, he'll notice. Follow from a little farther back. I'll take the lead this time.”
Naturally, mercenaries were familiar with tailing people. Gaf could pursue Kryll without being noticed.
“Fine. Get moving.”
Gaf and Rail kicked their horses' flanks at the same time.
A moment later, Johan spread his enormous wings.
* * *
Late at night, at the foot of the mountain, a soldier standing guard died without even letting out a final scream.
Gaf's iron sword had pierced his heart in an instant.
Gaf immediately surveyed the area.
The other guard was nowhere in sight.
Guards normally worked in pairs, but there was no sign of anyone nearby.
‘We need to find him quickly.’
The moment that man discovered the body, all of Kryll's guards would go on alert.
The difficulty of the job would rise sharply.
‘Where are you?’
As Gaf whipped his head around, a sharp whistle cut through the air.
Whoosh.
An arrow flew down from above.
“Damn it!”
Gaf quickly twisted his body.
The arrow buried itself in the ground.
His gaze moved toward a towering tree.
A soldier in leather armor stared down in shock through the thick leaves.
How had he dodged an arrow from his blind spot? The target's reflexes were beyond human.
Deciding he could not win, the soldier immediately pulled out a whistle.
Just as he was about to sound the alarm, Gaf threw a dagger.
The flying blade pierced the back of the soldier's hand.
He dropped the whistle and fell.
Gaf sprinted like an arrow.
He intended to finish the man at once, but it was impossible.
The soldier was rolling down the slope.
‘If I chase him, I won't make it back in time.’
The plan was for Rail and Gaf to split up, kill every guard in the area, then regroup at Kryll's camp.
If he went down the slope, he might be late to the rendezvous.
Gaf immediately looked up at the night sky.
Fortunately, Johan was sitting on a cloud with an indifferent expression.
“I'll leave him to you.”
Gaf pointed down the slope, then ran toward the camp.
Johan was dumbfounded.
‘Did he just dump the lousy job on me?’
It seemed grunts were all the same in every world.
Clicking his tongue, Johan descended.
It would not be too late to complain after he dealt with the task at hand.
After landing, Johan swept his gaze across the area.
A narrow forest path. A soldier lay sprawled amid the thick brush.
Their eyes met.
“D-Demon!”
The soldier scrambled to his feet. His left arm seemed dislocated, and he cradled it against his body.
His eyes were filled with fear and wariness.
The being before him was not some common Lesser Evil Spirit.
A strange creature with a single horn. Judging by its size, it was still only a subadult, but it was undoubtedly a dangerous demon.
The soldier drew his sword.
“The Great Saint is watching over me! Begone, spawn of evil!”
Johan took one step after another without replying.
The closer he came, the more the soldier's expression twisted with fear.
“W-What do you want from me?!”
The soldier backed away.
His fear gave Johan a small measure of pleasure.
“Sorry. It’s nothing personal.”
At the same time, Johan kicked off the ground. His wings spread wide to either side.
The distance between them vanished in an instant.
Johan swung his arm, and long crimson claws rushed toward the soldier.
Clang!
A scraping sound burst out. The soldier barely managed to defend himself, but his sword shattered into pieces.
The powerful impact sent him falling backward. He could not rise again. He seemed to have lost all will to fight.
The difference in strength was overwhelming. Johan stared down at the soldier with a deeply bewildered expression.
The human before him was far too weak. He was surely one of Kryll's elite soldiers, yet he was not even a match for Johan.
To overpower a trained human so easily. And as a subadult demon.
Johan could not help growing more curious about the bloodline of the body he had possessed.
“P-Please spare me!”
While Johan was lost in thought, the soldier began to cry out. His eyes pleaded for his life.
‘He has to die.’
Mercy would leave trouble behind.
There could be no witnesses.
Johan bit down on his lip.
It was not his first killing, but this was clearly different from Betra.
This time, he had to personally end someone's life.
He would tear through human flesh and stain his hands with blood.
The weight of murder pressed down on Johan.
He clenched his fist tightly.
‘Even if not today, it's something I'll have to face eventually.’
If he had decided to survive, he needed to become accustomed to killing.
Survival in this world meant someone else's death.
Johan raised his arm.
“P-Please!”
Squelch.
A spray of blood rose. Johan's long claw had sunk into the soldier's throat.
The soldier died instantly, unable even to close his eyes.
At the same time, a terrible thrill swept over Johan.
A sense of accomplishment born from instinct. As always, Johan began to convulse.
He laughed as he cried.
His body twisted wildly as though he would faint at any moment.
He wanted to resist the pleasure.
He wanted to suffer from guilt like a human being.
Convulsing, Johan flew into the air.
* * *
Kryll doubted his own eyes.
The soldier who had gone to relieve himself returned with his head severed, and an unexpected figure emerged from the brush.
“...Are you not Rail?”
Blood and flesh clung to the knight's sword.
Kryll's last subordinate shouted.
“Sir Rail! Was this your doing?!”
No answer came.
Rail merely stared at Kryll with empty eyes.
Kryll spoke.
“What on earth happened? You vanished without a trace, then suddenly appeared and committed such treachery.”
Rail approached in silence.
Sensing something was wrong, the soldier immediately blew his whistle.
No one answered.
“I-I believe they've all been killed.”
Every last one of them was dead.
Kryll shouted.
“Draw your sword!”
The soldier could not even grasp the hilt.
An iron sword flying from behind pierced his spine.
“Urk!”
He coughed up a mouthful of blood and collapsed.
Kryll spun around.
A huge man wearing a black mask was walking toward him.
“Who the hell are you?!”
When the man removed his mask, Kryll's brow furrowed.
“You were at the castle...”
“I am Rainerus of the Kandea Mercenary Company.”
Rainerus was Gaf's mercenary alias, a name any knight or warrior would have heard at least once.
Kryll gave a disbelieving laugh.
“You're the Lion of the East?”
“I've been called that.”
Kryll's gaze swept over Gaf as if assessing him.
His appearance was similar.
Hair spreading in every direction like a lion's mane, an overwhelming build, a balanced physique. Appearance alone could not confirm that the man before him was Rainerus, but Kryll was certain he was a powerful warrior.
“How can a man like you serve beneath my brother? Come to me. I promise suitable rewards and treatment.”
“I have a demon and a witch with me. Can you handle that?”
“What?”
“You can't.”
Gaf pulled the iron sword from the soldier's body.
“It would be troublesome if you killed me.”
“I have no intention of killing you.”
At the same time, Gaf charged at Kryll.
The huge iron sword carved a semicircle through the air, aiming for Kryll's neck.
Kryll bent backward to evade it, but he could not defend against the follow-up attack.
Thud!
Gaf drove his foot into Kryll's solar plexus.
“Damn it!”
Kryll clutched his abdomen and staggered back.
Before he could catch his breath, something flew through the air and wrapped around his neck.
“Ghk!”
It was a rope thrown from behind.
Rail's surprise attack. Kryll could not withstand it and fell backward.
He struggled desperately to break free, but it was impossible.
Every time he thrashed, the rope dug into his throat.
Groaning, Kryll glared at the traitor.
His bloodshot eyes spoke of his rage.
Rail did not care about his resentful gaze.
He merely carried out his assigned task like a machine.
“...Y-You!”
Kryll could not understand Rail's actions at all.
He wanted at least an explanation.
Cruelly, Rail dragged Kryll away without a word and began tying him to a tree.
Kryll's entire body was bound.
Only then did Gaf loosen the rope around Kryll's neck.
“Why?!”
The moment he could speak, Kryll roared.
Rail did not answer. A chilling voice spoke in his stead.
“Because a demon stole his soul.”
Everyone looked up.
A demon with a white horn slowly descended.
Shock spread across Kryll's face. His eyes trembled.
“A-A Horned Demon!”
A Horned Demon was a demon with a horn.
Such creatures only appeared occasionally in the north. They were not beings one could see in the south.
When it landed, black Demonic Energy rose in place of dust.
The demon spoke.
“Do you remember the conversation we had a few days ago?”
Kryll had never faced a Horned Demon even once in his life, much less spoken to one.
“I warned you. If you didn't give up the barony, you would die the moment you set foot in your base.”
At the same time, Johan's threat flashed through Kryll's mind.
“You'll become a corpse the moment you leave Myatro territory and arrive at your base, Uncle.”
His nephew had certainly said that.
“I came to keep my word.”
Kryll could not process what was happening.
Just as doubt began to arise, Johan flicked his index finger.
The Demonic Energy in the air began to ripple.
“Don't resent me too much. I didn't want this situation either.”
As a reader, Johan had liked Kryll quite a lot.
He did not want to kill him.
Feelings and reality were separate matters.
Kryll had to disappear for Johan to survive.
“I'll take your soul.”
The Demonic Energy stiffened all at once.
The frozen smoke reflected the moonlight and gleamed sharply.
Kryll swallowed dryly. He could not even imagine what would happen next.
“Goodbye.”
Then the Demonic Energy clawed at Kryll's heart.
Like a sickle harvesting grain, the sharp smoke cut out Kryll's soul.
Soul Erasure. It was a power that annihilated a target's soul.
The light vanished from Kryll's eyes.
Like Rail, he had become an empty puppet.
At the horrific deed, Gaf looked away.
Johan spoke indifferently.
“There is a way to avoid responsibility even after killing Kryll.”
“...What are you planning to do?”
“Use someone else's hand.”
Johan looked at Kryll.
“Kill yourself.”
Having become a scarecrow, Kryll had no choice but to obey Johan's command.
Just as he tried to bite through his own tongue, Johan shook his head.
“No. Do it in front of your subordinates.”
Kryll would return to his base and kill himself.
Once everyone witnessed that sight, no one would be able to hold House Myatro responsible.
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