Whispers of a Scheming Demon - Chapter 34

WeTried Translations

Translator/Editor: Hydrogen B

◈ Whispers of a Scheming Demon ◈

Chapter 34: Evil Book (2)

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At the center of the underground study stood a single enormous stone slab.

It did not look like an ordinary piece of rock. Its surface was ominously black, while the engraved letters were as red as blood.

More than ten skulls clung tightly to the slab, as if trying to conceal the inscription.

Johan was slightly taken aback, but he spoke as calmly as possible.

“So you found the Forbidden Archive after all.”

The slab before him was an object that had slept within the Forbidden Archive.

“The darkest place is under the lamp, as they say. I never expected it to be sitting so openly beneath the lord’s castle.”

The Myatro territory was vast. Since it included Narak, some people assumed House Myatro’s treasure vault had been buried there.

That was why no bandits or tomb raiders had dared target it easily.

Ilea was different.

Not only did she not fear Narak, she had even roughly determined the location of the Forbidden Archive.

It was thanks to the legacy of the Great Witch Rahel.

The Forbidden Legacy sleeping in the Forbidden Archive had continuously drawn Ilea toward it.

It was as though she possessed a guide. Through it, Ilea had become the first to discover the Forbidden Archive in the original work.

“You found it sooner than I expected.”

“You don’t seem very surprised.”

“I knew you would find it eventually. It just happened earlier than expected.”

“It’s all thanks to young master Raguel.”

Ilea smiled with her eyes and looked toward the round table.

Raguel was seated there. He flinched and lowered his head.

“J-Johan. I’m sorry. I didn’t mean to...”

To enter the Forbidden Archive, one needed the blood and fingerprints of the Myatro family. Even Ilea could not have entered without Raguel’s help.

Ilea patted Raguel’s back.

“Johan, don’t scold him too much. Young master Raguel had no choice because of the suggestion I placed on him.”

It seemed she had used some kind of magic on him.

‘She used Baron Gryan in the original work, but this time it was Raguel.’

The development had changed somewhat.

That level of change did not matter.

“Raguel, don’t be discouraged. I have no intention of blaming you.”

Ilea let out a quiet exclamation.

“You’re quite magnanimous. Since you’re that kind of person, you won’t object to sharing the Forbidden Archive with me, will you? That place truly... cannot be described in words.”

Desire flickered in her eyes.

Anyone who witnessed the Forbidden Archive would likely feel the same.

As a Witch, she could not help but find it even more fascinating.

Johan sank into thought for a moment.

‘Ilea finding the Forbidden Archive was an inevitable development.’

He had prepared himself for it long ago.

He had considered several solutions and run simulations for every situation, but there was only one conclusion.

‘It’s impossible to keep the Forbidden Archive for myself.’

He had no justification for restricting entry, and forcibly blocking her would only create serious conflict.

Since they were working on the same side, he should avoid damaging their relationship.

For now, sharing it was the right choice.

Johan nodded.

“You found it through your own efforts, so you have a right to the Forbidden Archive as well.”

“That’s a surprisingly generous response.”

“Still, we need rules, since we’ll be using it together.”

“I agree. What kind of rules?”

“We can discuss that later. For now, I want to hear about the Ominous Book.”

Johan looked at the enormous slab.

“As expected, you recognize it.”

The slab was the Ominous Book.

More precisely, it was the original Ominous Book. Its first chapter.

“Why did you bring it out?”

“To investigate your true nature, Johan.”

“With the Ominous Book?”

“Yes. It will be the first step of my research.”

The Ominous Book was an abomination that automatically recorded deeds contributing to the end of the world.

If the Bible was a hymn for heroes and gods, then the Ominous Book was a requiem for demons and Apostles.

What kind of research could she conduct with such a thing? Johan could not understand.

“Explain it so I can understand.”

Ilea nodded with a gentle smile.

“Before that, I’ll tell you a few of my suspicions.”

She stepped closer to Johan.

The sun had already set, and Johan had transformed into a demon.

“Like now, your race changes depending on whether it’s day or night. It’s a constitution without precedent. On top of that, you could speak from the moment you were born and possessed perfect awareness. At least, that’s what my father said. Is that correct so far?”

There was another reason for Johan’s language and awareness, but he could not tell her the truth.

He could hardly confess that he had possessed the body of a character in a novel.

“You’re correct.”

“On top of that, you can directly interfere with souls. You blackmailed Baron Gryan with that power and turned the knight Rail into a puppet.”

It was true. As a secondary effect of the power Soul Erasure, Johan could even see other people’s souls.

He could identify even a Witch’s Ghost Soul.

Johan’s gaze naturally fell to Ilea’s chest.

“You can see it. My true form.”

A dark crimson Ghost Soul flickered there.

“I won’t deny it.”

“Don’t stare too openly. It’s embarrassing.”

She smiled playfully and covered her chest.

Johan sighed.

“We’re getting off track. What does directly interfering with souls have to do with anything?”

Seriousness returned to Ilea’s expression.

“To put it bluntly, your power is deeply sacrilegious. It challenges divine authority. According to scripture, the body may perish, but the soul is eternal. Once the body dies, the remaining soul ascends to heaven. Yet your power takes away even that opportunity. It denies the very doctrine of the Great Saint Church.”

The people of this world believed in an afterlife.

Soul Erasure deprived them even of the chance to return to the divine embrace.

From a religious perspective, it was undoubtedly a most vicious power.

“It is difficult to see it as a power granted to a mortal.”

“And what is your conclusion?”

“One last thing. You were not overwhelmed by an Apostle’s presence. Rather, you seemed to be crushing the Apostle instead.”

No matter how strong-minded an intelligent being was, they would naturally feel intimidated before a great existence.

Johan had not shown the slightest sign of that.

It was incomprehensible.

“Considering all of this, I arrived at one hypothesis.”

Ilea pointed to the Ominous Book.

“Would you touch it? If I’m correct, it will surely react.”

Only Apostles could read the original Ominous Book.

“...I understand your hypothesis.”

Ilea suspected Johan was an Apostle.

“But you’re wrong. Only twelve Apostles exist in this world. It’s an unwritten rule.”

Ilea shook her head.

“We don’t know even a fraction of this world. There are too few puzzle pieces for us to be certain of anything. If we remain bound by truth or unwritten rules, we’ll never even grasp the outline of this world.”

She was not wrong, but Johan remained skeptical.

There was a valid reason why there were twelve Apostles.

He knew because he had read the original work.

Ilea, watching Johan’s expression, said,

“There’s nothing to lose by trying. At worst, we waste a few minutes.”

Johan shrugged.

“Well, it’s only a few minutes.”

It was not a significant loss.

Johan approached the enormous slab.

He slowly reached out his hand.

A subtle anticipation filled Ilea’s eyes.

Johan, on the other hand, remained expressionless.

The moment Raguel hiccupped, Johan’s hand touched the Ominous Book.

* * *

In a dark alley late at night, after the curfew had begun, a man and woman in black hoods whispered to one another.

“Is that all there is to report?”

“Yes, Inquisitor. It’s only the first day, so there’s nothing particularly noteworthy.”

“No, that’s enough. The fact that the Baron does not know Rail’s whereabouts allows for quite a few deductions.”

“...To be honest, it would make sense for the Baron not to know.”

“What do you mean?”

“The true authority in the lord’s castle was not Baron Gryan Myatro. He had stepped back from the forefront of power.”

“Have you identified the one acting in his place?”

“Not with certainty, but I believe it’s the Baron’s eldest son. I spoke with that boy about nearly everything.”

“The Baron’s eldest son should still be a child. And blind besides.”

“I heard that an illegitimate son was taken in because of the succession issue. His name is Johan Myatro. Though quite young, he was exceptionally clever and appeared fully capable of governing the territory.”

“It seems he left quite a good impression on you. I hope that’s not merely a subjective judgment.”

“...His reputation within the castle was excellent as well.”

“I see.”

The Inquisitor muttered quietly.

“A Horned Demon appearing in the south, an Apostle manifesting for the first time in five hundred years, and an illegitimate son suddenly appearing and taking control of a territory. That once-peaceful backwater has become chaotic in many ways.”

The Inquisitor raised his gaze as though looking toward distant mountains.

The enormous lord’s castle filled his vision.

“It feels ominous.”

The old castle, weathered by time, was more antique than decrepit, but it was too sinister to call beautiful.

The fog coiled around it like a serpent, and the silence spread everywhere resembled someone’s soundless scream.

The Inquisitor shuddered at the eerie feeling.

He spoke.

“Shaperia, we’ll stop here for today. Continue investigating the knight Rail. I’ll keep working outside as I have been.”

“Understood. I will take my leave...”

She stopped.

“By the way, Inquisitor, what is that in your breast pocket?”

Purple light was leaking from the Inquisitor’s chest.

He immediately searched through his robes.

A black book sprang out.

Shaperia’s expression filled with bewilderment.

“W-why is the Ominous Book...?”

“Shh. Keep your voice down.”

Possessing an Ominous Book was classified as one of the seven deadly sins. If discovered, one would be bound to a torture rack.

There were exceptions, of course.

Heretic Inquisitors were not punished for possessing an Ominous Book.

Because of the nature of their work, they often confiscated Ominous Books from heretics. They also sometimes used them when disguising themselves as heretics.

The Inquisitors and the Ominous Book were inseparable.

Shaperia knew that well.

There was another reason she was shocked.

“...Why is the Ominous Book glowing?”

“I do not know. This is the first time I have ever seen such a thing.”

The Inquisitor stared at the Ominous Book. Ominous purple light continuously poured from the black book.

“Step back for a moment.”

He swallowed hard and opened it.

The expressions beneath their black hoods turned to shock.

New words were being written in the Ominous Book.

『 Chapter 13, Book of Deception and Chaos 』

─ All evil, raise your head, and let us sing of the thirteenth end.