Whispers of a Scheming Demon - Chapter 4

WeTried Translations

Translator/Editor: Hydrogen B

Discord: https://dsc.gg/wetried

◈ Whispers of a Scheming Demon ◈

Chapter 4: Companion of Another Species

──────

Their destination was the lord's castle.

They had to ride from Taharan Village to Myatro's directly administered territory.

They could cover the distance in a day if they rode without rest, but that was unrealistic.

The horse needed rest too. Overworking it would earn them punishment. It was one of Great Saint Marziel's teachings.

Even Gaf, who was not particularly devout, lived by some of the faith's principles.

He tied the horse to a tree.

The large warhorse panted harshly, as though it might collapse at any moment.

Gaf was just as tired. He intended to spend the night in the mountains.

Dragging over a rock, he placed it in front of the campfire.

They were at the foot of a mountain surrounded by enormous trees, so there was no concern that his companion's identity would be exposed.

Gaf stared past the fire.

“Looks like you're awake.”

The demon's silhouette flickered between the flames.

“I've been awake the whole time.”

Still, communication was impossible. A human newborn's tongue could not form proper words.

“You were nodding off just fine.”

Earlier, sleepiness had truly overwhelmed Johan. There had to be a reason babies slept all day.

“It can't be helped for now.”

Johan would likely live as a human by day and a demon by night. The demon form seemed far more inconvenient, but the bigger problem for now was during the day.

An undeveloped human body was utterly helpless. It required someone else's care.

Gaf gave a hollow laugh.

“I never thought I'd have to play nursemaid for you too.”

“Think of it as part of the contract.”

“...For how long?”

“The contract?”

Gaf nodded.

“It never ends.”

It was a lifelong contract. A shadow crossed Gaf's face.

“You should've checked it more carefully.”

At the time, Gaf had only been focused on learning where his daughter was. He had not had the leisure to examine every clause.

“...Just like a damned demon. Still, I don't regret it.”

Even if he went back in time, he would make the contract again.

Johan did not respond. After being lost in thought for a while, Johan spoke.

“Well, I'll let you go when the time is right.”

Gaf let out a humorless laugh.

“When the time is right. That couldn't be more vague.”

“I keep my word. But there'd be no point if you died before then.”

If the story followed the original novel, Gaf would die soon. He would meet his end while trying to save his daughter.

Ilea would later revive him with necromancy, but it would be hard to call that a complete life. He would be nothing more than a lingering dead man.

That development was right around the corner, and Johan intended to twist the future.

“I won't die until I save Ilea,” Gaf said calmly.

“And after that?”

Gaf was slow to answer.

‘Look at that. He hasn't given any thought to what comes after.’

Johan sighed.

“Do you have a plan?”

Gaf looked steadily at Johan. Their gazes tangled in the air.

“Tell me, Gaf.”

After hesitating, Gaf opened his mouth.

“I'll infiltrate the place and get her out.”

“Be specific.”

“Under cover of night...”

Johan waved a hand.

“Stop. It's utterly crude.”

A man who had once led a mercenary company had no meticulousness at all. Had his obsession with finding his daughter paralyzed his reason? Whatever the case, his plan was rejected.

“I have another idea,” Johan said.

Doubt flickered across Gaf's face.

“Do I have to listen to you? Sounds like you're sticking your nose where it doesn't belong.”

Johan shook his head as if Gaf were pathetic.

“Idiot. Like I told you before, we're bound by fate. If you get yourself killed doing something foolish, who'll protect me?”

That was the superficial reason for helping Gaf. Johan had another objective.

Great Witch Ilea. Johan would recruit that monster.

There was no guarantee of success. Ilea was an extremely difficult person to deal with. Something about her was twisted.

If recruitment failed, Johan's survival would be better served by removing her early on.

Make her bloom or uproot her. One of those choices had to be made.

Naturally, Johan could not explain that to Gaf.

“...That damned ‘bound by fate’ line. It makes me sick every time I hear it.”

“What can I do? It's true.”

Gaf bit down on his lip.

“No matter what you say, I won't rely on a demon again. Now that I know where she is, I'll rescue her myself.”

“So you're trading your daughter's life for your pitiful pride. I only feel sorry for Ilea, having a father like you.”

Gaf slowly rose from his seat.

“Pride? What would the likes of you know?”

“Then is it faith? But Gaf, you're not that devout. Don't pretend otherwise after making a deal with a demon.”

Gaf's expression twisted fiercely.

“Even your breath disgusts me. And you're telling me to work with you. I simply cannot do that. That's the reason.”

“What a stale excuse. It makes me want to yawn.”

“Think whatever you want. Even this conversation is a waste of time. I'm going to get some sleep.”

With that, Gaf turned and walked away.

Johan murmured quietly.

“If it isn't pride or faith... I see. Is it vengeance, or resentment?”

Gaf's steps came to an abrupt stop.

He turned his head to look at Johan.

“What did you just say?”

“Exactly what you heard. Vengeance.”

Gaf's brow twitched.

“You see the demon that took everything from you in me.”

No sooner had Johan finished speaking than Gaf's face hardened.

“Was that a sore spot? My apologies.”

Gaf was a man who had lost everything to a demon. He had lost the subordinates who had stood beside him, and even his beloved wife had been murdered.

His life was stained by hatred for demons. If not for Ilea, Gaf would have taken his own life long ago.

“H-How do you...?”

“The important question is not how. Do you still not understand? My knowledge far exceeds your imagination, and you can make full use of it.”

With an exasperated look, Johan added,

“But you're trapped in such petty sentiment. Tsk. Are you planning to lose your daughter too?”

At once, Gaf's face crumpled. He drew his sword.

“You cunning demon bastard! Who are you trying to manipulate?”

The resentment he had suppressed crashed over Johan like a wave. It was an utterly negative emotion. To a demon, it was both a drug and a foundation for growth.

A rush of ecstasy surged through Johan. If Johan gave in to that pleasure, even briefly, it felt as though he would lose himself.

Johan bit down on his tongue.

“...Don't cross the line. Have you forgotten the contract? The moment you swing that sword, demonic energy will crush your heart.”

Under the contract, Gaf was obligated to protect Johan. He could not attack someone he had to protect with his life.

“Put the sword down. We need a productive conversation, not this useless nonsense.”

Gaf trembled violently. He wanted to cut down the hybrid before him immediately, but his arm would not move.

He could not stop thinking of his daughter, left all alone.

“I guarantee that without my help, you won't even get the chance to see Ilea.”

Gaf spoke in a voice that sounded as though he were swallowing the blade.

“...What exactly are you plotting?”

The demon claimed that their interests aligned, but Gaf could not simply believe it.

The tiny infant before him was an unknown existence.

It had learned to speak as soon as it was born and knew things it should not have known. Gaf had never once heard of a demon like that.

Could survival truly be a concern for this strange hybrid? Gaf did not think so. There had to be another hidden motive.

“Plotting?”

“I mean, why are you trying to deceive me?”

Johan did not understand the question's deeper meaning.

Still, Johan considered it.

‘What am I trying to gain by using Gaf? In the village, I only chose him as an expedient to survive.’

Was this merely an extension of that?

If survival was the sole objective, would there not be another way?

Johan shook his head inwardly.

No. The novel hurtled toward a cruel ending for both demons and humans.

Johan could not hide away. If he did not take part in the story's course, a terrible death awaited.

Influence and power were necessary.

Johan's red eyes flashed.

“I will have a territory.”

“What?”

“The Myatro baronial house. That's my short-term goal. Does that answer your question?”

“What are you...?”

Johan curled his lips into a smile.

“Our interests continue to align. If your contractor becomes the lord, Ilea's safety will be guaranteed as well.”

A lord. Bewilderment filled Gaf's face.

“Y-You...”

To Gaf, it sounded as though Johan intended to turn the region into a demon farm and reduce its residents to livestock.

It would make Gaf an accomplice to a horrific tragedy.

Gaf felt as though he had become entangled with the wrong being.

* * *

Baron Gryan Myatro had been unable to sleep lately.

Dreams were the problem.

Whenever the baron closed his eyes, scarlet pupils stared back at him. It had become routine to jolt awake in terror. The priest said he was overworked, but the baron barely worked at all.

There was no reason to suffer nightmares.

The baron struck the bed irritably.

“You ill-mannered bitch! Your master can't sleep at night, and you don't even care?”

The bed shook. The girl lying beside the baron sprang up in alarm.

“I-I apologize!”

“Quiet! Go fetch me some water!”

The baron slapped her hard across the face. A dull smack followed. The frail girl could not endure the strength of that massive body.

She rolled off the bed. Perhaps she had passed out, because her small body did not move at all.

“Useless bitch!”

The baron spat on her.

“There's nothing about you that pleases me!”

Most of the tribute maidens taken this time were like that. They had fallen far short of the baron's expectations.

Except for one.

Ilea. She was a flower hidden in the mud.

The baron's strength had been fading by the day, so he had not even been able to enjoy her fragrance yet. But once he recovered his stamina, he would pluck her petals.

Even for his grand undertaking, the baron needed the rest that sleep provided.

The baron lay down again and closed his eyes.

Just as he drifted into a shallow sleep, he kicked away the blankets with a scream.

A demon was staring at him from atop his stomach.

Its red eyes glowed ominously. The creature raised the corner of its mouth in a sinister smile. At the same time, a pitch-black hand seized the baron's throat.

“G-Get away from me!”

The moment the baron jolted upright in a fit, his surroundings changed.

The room was silent, and the demon was nowhere to be found.

The baron clutched his head.

“...Damn it. What does it take the Watcher of Narak for?”

The baron desperately wanted to be freed from these terrible nightmares.

* * *

Darkness settled over the foot of the mountain. The campfire had become nothing but ash, scattered by the bitter wind, and moonlight could not penetrate the dense forest.

The only light came from an intermittent red glow.

It was Johan's eyes. While everyone else slept, the demon was awake.

Smoke darker than night rose from Johan's hand.

The black haze began to form a shape no larger than a fingernail. When it was complete, it resembled a tiny fairy.

‘This is a little difficult.’

Johan was testing the powers he possessed.

The power Johan was working with was Dream Demon, a nightmare-inducing supernatural power that manifested as a fairy. It was a power permitted only to certain demons.

Because it was a special power, it was extremely difficult to control.

Like the contract with a demon, its usage had been engraved into Johan's mind, but Dream Demon required far greater proficiency.

Only after practicing for several hours had Johan finally been able to create one.

The black fairy flying around nearby was the result of that effort.

Johan gave the Dream Demon a suggestion.

‘Circle around Baron Gryan Myatro.’

To give someone nightmares, information about the target was necessary. That was no problem for Johan. Having read the novel thoroughly, Johan knew even the Myatro family's secrets inside and out.

The fairy that had received its assignment flew up. It passed through the dense forest and disappeared from view.

It must have been headed for the baron.

Johan closed his eyes again.

Red letters lined the darkness before his eyes.

Most were written in distorted languages Johan could not understand.

Only two words could be interpreted.

Contract with a Demon and Dream Demon. All the other powers were sealed.

‘There isn't enough information.’

There was no clear answer for which demon Johan had possessed, what bloodline he carried, or what sort of abilities he possessed.

Johan looked at the woman who had given birth, sleeping soundly.

What sort of demon had this woman slept with? There was no point asking. She was not in her right mind. She could barely speak, so there was no chance of receiving a coherent answer.

Johan let out a deep sigh.

‘First, survive. I can find out the rest afterward.’

Survival was the priority. A specific plan was needed to succeed.

Even one mistake would allow this world to swallow Johan whole.

Complicated worries filled Johan's mind.

As time passed, those thoughts slowly came into order.

The darkness of the night retreated, carrying those thoughts away with it.

The sun rose.

Johan picked up a small stone.

“The sun's up. Wake up.”

Johan threw it at the sleeping Gaf.

Holding his forehead, Gaf opened his eyes and stared at Johan with an incredulous expression.