WeTried Translations
Translator/Editor: Hydrogen B
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◈ Whispers of a Scheming Demon ◈
Chapter 29: Apostle and Angel (1)
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The sudden appearance of an Apostle threw the camp into chaos. Screams and cries echoed from every part of the ridge.
Amid the pandemonium, Johan and Gaf headed for their destination.
At the very center of the camp lay a wide clearing. A single white coffin stood alone in the barren field.
It surely contained one of the Great Saint's corpse fragments.
There were no guards. From the Great Saint Church's perspective, even deploying several dozen guards would not have been excessive. Yet there was not even an ant in sight.
Gaf spoke in a puzzled tone.
“It looks like even the guards protecting the coffin joined the battle. I understand, since an Apostle appeared, but I never expected them to leave no one behind.”
The Pilgrimage Party's main purpose was to safely transport the Great Saint's corpse fragment to the Holy See.
No matter that an Apostle had appeared, someone should have guarded the coffin.
Gaf spoke again.
“Either way, this makes things easier. If we take that coffin, this damned mess will be over, won't it?”
Just as he was about to step forward, Johan spoke.
“Stop. You'll die if you cross that line.”
Gaf turned sharply toward Johan.
“What?”
“Look carefully at your feet.”
A faint groove had been carved into the yellow earth. It was so thin that no one would notice it without looking closely.
Gaf stared at the ground.
The narrow line formed a circle around the coffin.
Johan spoke.
“It's a Holy Barrier Formation. A barrier spell strong enough to replace hundreds of guards.”
In the original work, a sixth-tier Holy Magic spell protected the Great Saint's coffin.
The formation activated when an unauthorized person approached. If Gaf had crossed the line just now, his body would have turned to dust in an instant.
Gaf cleared his throat and took several steps back.
“...Is there a way around it?”
“The formation itself isn't a problem.”
The sacred relic Johan had taken from the Forbidden Archive was more than enough to neutralize a spell like that.
The problem came afterward.
“Opening the coffin is the real issue...”
Blue chains were wrapped tightly around the white coffin.
They were commonly called Wolsaea. A fifth-grade sacred relic, it could only be handled by someone with the relevant knowledge or someone capable of using unlocking magic.
Johan met neither condition. Wolsaea was a nuisance.
‘There is a second-best option, but it will throw the plan off course.’
He could steal the coffin itself, flee with it, and slowly research a way to open it later.
That was not the best option.
If the coffin vanished, the Holy See would search the entire south as thoroughly as if hunting rats. Their reach might eventually extend to Myatro Territory.
That would be a burden for Johan, a Half-Demon.
‘If only I could open the coffin, there would be nothing to worry about.’
The best choice was to remove only the corpse fragment and close the coffin again.
As long as the coffin remained in its place, Johan could ensure that the Great Saint Church never even realized the corpse fragment was missing.
There was a way to do that.
Johan clicked his tongue.
‘But if I can't open the coffin, it's all nothing but wishful thinking.’
For now, he had no choice but to accept the second-best option.
Even if it meant taking on some risk.
‘It can't be helped. We'll take the coffin and run.’
Johan took an ornate, jewel-encrusted box from his backpack.
Then he rummaged through it.
A rather unimpressive gray key, considering the box it had come from, rested in Johan's hand.
“Gaf, move farther away from the formation.”
Johan held the key out into the air.
At the same time, thin white lines spread in every direction from the key.
The hidden barrier revealed itself.
Distorted formulas began to writhe wildly.
The barrier was breaking apart.
A sacred relic capable of neutralizing even a sixth-tier Holy Magic formation. The key Johan held was an artifact that controlled every holy barrier of the sixth tier and below.
Gaf could not help being overwhelmed by the sight before him.
Spells and magic of the sixth tier and above lay beyond human comprehension. They inspired awe in ordinary people.
As the barrier and key clashed, nature itself shook.
A violent wind surged, and the ground trembled.
Scattered Holy Power poured down like rain.
Broken formulas dispersed into the darkness.
Johan, too, found his eyes drawn to the spectacle, but he did not show any agitation.
After calmly observing the phenomenon, he spoke.
“It is finished.”
Stillness had returned to the convulsing world.
The barrier was gone, leaving only the white coffin behind.
“Don't just stand there. Let's move.”
Gaf regained his senses and began to step forward, only to hesitate.
Johan gave a small laugh.
“They call you the Lion of the East, yet you're worse than a deer.”
Then he moved first.
As expected, nothing stopped Johan.
The two safely reached the coffin.
Gaf spoke.
“How are you planning to carry that back to the territory? It's quite large.”
Johan shrugged.
“We'll tie it to a horse and drag it. What else can we do?”
“...The Great Saint's body, you mean?”
“You're a demon's partner. What's a little thing like this to you?”
Gaf wore a troubled expression and made the sign of the cross.
“Please do not forgive this blasphemer. I shall pay for it in hell.”
Clicking his tongue, Johan took out a large black cloth.
They could not let people see the coffin, so he intended to cover it before moving it.
Just as he was about to drape the cloth over the coffin, a familiar voice came from above.
“My, my. You certainly have nerve. You've gotten yourselves into something truly enormous.”
Gaf and Johan looked up at the night sky.
A silver-haired girl sat astride a broom, looking down at them.
Gaf cried out in surprise.
“Ilea!”
“Yes, Father. It's been a while. Have you been well?”
The two had remained distant since what happened in the inn room. An awkward air had lingered between father and daughter ever since.
Gaf spoke.
“I am always the same. More importantly, what are you doing here?”
Ilea turned her gaze toward Johan.
“I came to help Johan.”
Johan spoke without expression.
“Didn't you refuse, saying it was reckless?”
“I still think it's reckless. But I realized this is something Johan truly needs. You made a contract with Young Master Raguel, didn't you? You promised to restore his sight.”
“...Do you think the holy relic inside the coffin is the Great Saint's Eye?”
“Am I wrong?”
Johan silently watched her. After a brief pause, he spoke.
“No. Your guess is correct.”
“And yet, you didn't tell me the circumstances. I had no choice in the matter anyway.”
If Johan failed to uphold his contract with Raguel, he would die.
The moment he died, Ilea would not survive either.
They were bound by the Contract of Protection.
Johan spoke.
“I did not need your help badly enough to force you into this.”
If he kept using the Contract of Protection as leverage to exploit Ilea, she might eventually resist fiercely.
A Witch was still a Witch. He had put a leash around her neck, but he could not let his guard down.
If she ever decided to break her contract with Johan, she would eventually find a way.
He needed to make cooperation, not coercion, the basis of how he dealt with Ilea.
“I understand exactly what you mean.”
She added with a playful smile.
“Then I suppose you don't need my help right now.”
Johan gave a quiet cough.
“Since you're already here, I'd appreciate a hand.”
Ilea pretended to think it over, then clapped her hands.
“Fine. But I have a condition.”
She seemed to be proposing a deal. Johan found that more comfortable as well.
“If it is reasonable, I will agree to it.”
“Later, I want to study Johan's body.”
Johan narrowed his eyes slightly.
“My body?”
“Yes. As you know, Johan is unusual in many ways. Everything about you is shrouded in the unknown. From your birth to how you came to be where you are now. You are full of things that stir my curiosity.”
Johan was certainly excellent research material for a Witch. Anyone who sought to explore the unknown would drool at the sight of him.
“Let's uncover Johan's secrets together.”
Johan felt somewhat uneasy. Entrusting his body to a Witch could mean being dissected and suffering the indignity of having every part of his body separated.
When Johan did not speak, Ilea chuckled.
“I promise. Nothing harmful will happen to you, Johan. I won't hurt you. And I'll share everything I learn. I'm sure it will benefit you as well.”
Honestly, it was not a bad offer. Even Johan did not know his own identity. He would need to investigate it someday. If a Witch helped him, there could be nothing more reassuring.
After thinking for a long time, Johan spoke.
“I accept your offer. But promise me one thing.”
“Anything.”
“I will always have control over the research. If I want to stop, you will take your hands off my body, regardless of the reason. Do you agree?”
There would surely be secrets uncovered during the investigation that Johan could not share with Ilea.
That was why he was drawing the line in advance.
“That condition is a little troublesome, but... fine. I agree.”
With that, Ilea jumped lightly from her broom.
Her body fluttered in the night wind as if defying gravity, then descended to the ground.
“So, what would you like me to help with?”
Her eyes were already fixed on the chains around the coffin.
Johan spoke.
“Open the coffin. You should be able to do it.”
Ilea carefully examined the chains, then spoke with a skeptical expression.
“It's Wolsaea. A top-grade binding artifact. Honestly, it would be difficult to release it here and now.”
Johan handed Ilea the box from which he had taken the key.
“Can you do it now?”
Interest appeared on Ilea's face as she checked its contents.
“It looks like these are items from the Forbidden Archive.”
“That is right.”
“Will you take me there someday, too?”
“Someday.”
Ilea slowly nodded.
“I can open the coffin. Thirty minutes will be enough.”
Johan cheered inwardly.
He could leave the coffin here and steal only the Great Saint's Eye.
Ilea's arrival had allowed him to choose the best option.
He felt quite pleased by the unexpected stroke of luck.
“I will wait quietly.”
But his joy lasted only a moment. A strange pressure began to weigh down the entire area.
“Damn it! Again!”
Gaf cursed and fell to his knees.
Johan, who had been sitting and waiting, sprang to his feet.
Ilea looked toward the forest path with an unusually tense expression.
A black figure was slowly approaching.
Johan swallowed a groan.
“...Have you already finished?”
The uninvited guest's form came fully into view.
A bizarre being in an ash-gray robe. Beris, Apostle of the End, was staring at Johan.
Ilea spoke in a whisper.
“You do have a way to control them, right?”
Ilea had realized from the beginning that Beris's appearance was Johan's doing.
Johan spoke quietly.
“Well, it's not as if I have no way.”
Ilea frowned slightly.
“What kind of vague answer is that?”
At the same time, a grotesque voice pierced the three of them like a needle.
“Who do you think you are to whisper beneath an Apostle? Kneel at once and welcome the Apostle!”
As Gaf coughed up blood and writhed, killing intent filled Ilea's eyes.
“...Father.”
But even a Witch could not stand against an Apostle.
Remaining on her feet was all she could manage.
Johan spoke.
“I am not one of your followers yet. There is no reason for me to kneel. Have you already forgotten our contract?”
Beris's small mouth split all the way to the ears. Beris burst into mad laughter.
“Kihahahaha! Are you talking about that red-haired bitch? She's been dead for quite some time!”
“Was she completely erased?”
Beris's expression suddenly hardened as Beris roared.
“Why are you asking again? That bitch was torn to pieces before omnipotence! Her upper body was ripped away!”
“Is that all?”
“What?”
Johan raised the corners of his mouth.
“I ordered Shaperia's complete erasure. Yet you only split her in half.”
“What are you talking about...?”
“An Apostle cannot even fulfill a contract with a mere mortal. Are you not afraid of the price you will pay?”
The moment Johan finished speaking, a blue flash rose from the cliff beyond the forest path.
The surroundings brightened as if dawn had arrived.
The rising radiance soared higher and higher, eventually reaching the full moon.
Beris's eyes shook violently.
“Th-this is!”
Johan immediately spread his wings.
“Do your best in round two. If you lose, you will pay dearly for failing to fulfill the contract.”
Then he tucked Ilea and Gaf beneath each arm and flew into the air.
Beris roared.
“Mortaallllllllll!!!!!!!!!!!”
A blue flash fell from the full moon like lightning.
The descending radiance slashed across Beris's body in an instant.
Black blood burst forth like a fountain.
With half of Beris's face torn away, Beris stumbled back in shock.
Beris's pupils trembled.
“...An angel.”
The Messenger of the Great Saint stood before the Apostle.
A Valkyrie with four pairs of wings and a massive execution sword. The angel wrapped in moonlight declared,
“I, Grand Holy Knight Shaperia, sentence the Apostle of the End to death.”
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