WeTried Translations

Translator/Editor: Hydrogen B

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◈ Whispers of a Scheming Demon ◈

Chapter 40: Confusion

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In the thick darkness, Johan stood frozen in a daze. Countless thoughts filled his mind.

‘What the hell am I supposed to do...?’

The sun had set, and Johan would soon transform into a demon.

Countless people would witness his transformation.

Johan could not leave a single one of them alive. To survive, he would have to kill innocent people.

Nausea welled up inside him.

He could not bring himself to stain his hands with blood.

Since inhabiting this body, he had experienced direct and indirect killing several times, but he could not bring himself to do this.

The people before him were innocent, oppressed, and powerless. They had even shown him kindness.

The moment he massacred them, Johan’s humanity would disappear forever.

He would live the rest of his life as a cruel demon.

Johan clutched his head with both hands.

“...Fuck.”

If he did not want to give up on being human, he had to let the witnesses live.

One day, Johan would likely pay the price with his life.

Could he bear that? Honestly, he was not sure. He did not have the resolve to massacre every fire-clearing settler before him, nor did he have the resolve to leave witnesses behind and walk away.

Caught in a terrible dilemma, he could not make a decision.

It felt as though his brain would burst.

As he stood there unable to do anything, someone cautiously approached him.

“A-are you all right, my lord?”

It was the old man who had cared for Johan.

Johan turned sharply toward him, his face filled with fear.

The thought that he might have to kill the old man made Johan tremble.

“Has this lowly one somehow offended you...?”

Though puzzled by Johan’s behavior, the old man bowed deeply.

It was a way of dealing with nobles learned through experience.

Rather than trying to learn the reason and provoking their fickle tempers, lowering his head like this generally led to better results.

Johan was taken aback by the old man’s behavior.

He could not sense emotions such as fear or terror from him.

The same was true when he looked around.

The people watching Johan showed only wariness and confusion. There was no fear or disgust toward demons.

It was strange.

The sun had set, so he should have transformed into a demon. From the settlers’ perspective, they should have suddenly encountered one.

At the very least, there should have been screams.

Yet there was no commotion at all.

‘What...?’

Johan immediately checked his palms.

They were not black. All he could see was pale skin and small fingers.

When he touched his face, he felt only soft skin.

There was no carapace as hard as armor.

This was not a demon’s body.

The shock spread through his entire body as though he had been struck by a hammer.

Johan stood there blankly for quite some time.

* * *

As soon as Johan came to his senses, he returned to the hut.

‘...I didn’t transform into a demon.’

Though the sun had set, he was still human.

Nothing like this had ever happened since he had inhabited this body.

What could be the reason? One possibility immediately came to mind.

‘Did the demon body die?’

It had been pierced by Holy Spear Espada and died.

It was entirely possible.

Holy Spear Espada left demons with permanent wounds and constantly burned their bodies with highly concentrated Holy Power.

That dreadful sacred relic had remained lodged in Johan’s body until the end.

No matter how sturdy a demon was, it would be difficult to avoid a fatal wound. It would not be strange if it had died.

Once his thoughts reached that point, faint hope and slight concern crossed his mind.

‘Could I live as a human from now on?’

The hope that he might no longer need to feign evil and concerns about what lay ahead came rushing in at once.

The thought of no longer having to act like a demon was certainly satisfying.

The problem was what he would do from here on.

With even his immediate chances of survival uncertain, could he prepare for the coming End in the body of a young human?

Johan was doubtful. Of course, there might be a way, but the tower he had built so far would surely collapse.

He would have to make all his plans again from the beginning.

That was not the end of his troubles.

His relationship with Ilea was also in danger.

The Witch was surely interested in Johan because he was a demon. If demon Johan had disappeared, he could not rule out the possibility that her favorable attitude would change completely.

Depending on the situation, he might have to endure Ilea’s hostility.

It was an enormous burden.

The contract they had made was also a problem.

Under the contract, Ilea had to protect Johan.

The one she had contracted with was Johan in his demon state. If demon Johan had died, she might have to pay the price for failing to fulfill the contract.

In other words, Ilea might already be dead.

Of course, this theory was only possible if human Johan and demon Johan were separate beings.

If human Johan and demon Johan were considered one being, Ilea would not die even if demon Johan did.

Human Johan was still alive, after all.

Johan swallowed a groan.

Nothing was certain.

To begin with, he did not even know whether demon Johan was dead or alive.

‘Should I find Ilea first?’

If she was dead...

As that thought crossed his mind, Johan frowned.

A strange sense of suffocation came over him. Imagining Ilea’s death made him feel somewhat unpleasant.

Was it because he regretted losing the chance to use the Witch’s power, or had he somehow grown attached to her? Johan could not tell.

He let out a long sigh.

‘For now, let’s move.’

No answer would come from sitting here and worrying all day.

To solve the problems he had considered, he needed more information and evidence.

Johan immediately called for the old man.

“May I see your grandson?”

“Of course, but what is the reason...?”

“Your grandson saved me, so I’d like to reward him. I also have a few questions.”

“If that is the case, I will bring him right away. However, my grandson is still young and uneducated, so he may offend you. Please be generous with him, my lord.”

The old man even bowed as he showed Johan respect. Even considering his way of dealing with nobles, it was excessive.

Come to think of it, he had been like this from the start.

The old man’s eyes had been full of goodwill toward Johan, despite them having only just met.

Johan realized the reason after only a brief thought.

‘The Great Saint’s Eye.’

Because of the implanted Holy Relic, any human who met his gaze felt great goodwill toward him.

It was an extremely useful power.

Someone’s goodwill could sometimes be worth a fortune, and Johan could make use of that advantage without much effort.

Demons would hate him for it, of course, but considering the Holy Relic’s benefits, it was a penalty worth enduring.

Hiding his pleasure, Johan said,

“Don’t worry. Please bring him. I’m not someone bound by etiquette.”

The old man replied with an easy smile.

“Then please wait a moment. I will bring him now.”

* * *

A short while after the old man left, a small, grimy boy approached the hut’s door.

Though it was his own home, he could not easily enter.

He merely lingered outside while watching Johan’s mood.

Johan said to him,

“This is your home. Why are you standing there? Come in.”

Only then did the boy slowly approach Johan.

“E-excuse me.”

The moment he entered the hut, he fell to his knees and bowed his head. He did not even meet Johan’s eyes.

He seemed to be deliberately avoiding his gaze.

Johan found his behavior strange, but did not ask why.

“I should thank you first. Thank you for taking care of me. If it weren’t for you, I might have fallen prey to beasts or bandits. I will reward you generously for this.”

The boy only lowered his head further without answering. His body trembled now and then.

Johan said,

“You seem uncomfortable here. I’ll get straight to the point. There are a few things I want to ask you.”

“I-I will answer sincerely.”

“What is your name?”

“My name is Raon.”

“Very well, Raon. Was there anything unusual near the river where you found me?”

“Anything unusual...?”

“A strange creature’s corpse, a huge spear, a mirror as large as a person, and so on. Anything is fine. Did you see any objects or phenomena you had never seen before?”

He meant demon Johan’s corpse, Holy Spear Espada, and the original copy of Chapter 13 of the Ominous Book, in that order.

“I am sorry, but I did not find anything like that. The bag over there was the only luggage you had with you, my lord.”

The boy pointed toward a corner of the room.

Johan’s backpack was there.

“I-I did not open it.”

“There was nothing important inside, but you did well. You are a proper child in many ways.”

“No. I am only sorry that I could not help you.”

Johan shook his head.

“You have done enough already. I have only one final question. Can you read a map?”

“My hunter uncle taught me, so I know a little.”

“That is good.”

With that, Johan took a large map from his backpack.

“Can you point out where you found me?”

The boy began to study the map closely.

After a moment, he pointed to a spot on it with his index finger.

“It was near here.”

Johan clicked his tongue.

‘It is still inside the Holy Power Sealing Formation.’

After Gawain struck him and he fell into the river, he appeared to have stopped at the riverbank not far away.

In other words, this place was inside the Great Saint Church’s search area.

They could come to this village at any time.

Johan asked,

“Then where is this village?”

The boy dragged his index finger across the map and pointed to a spot.

“Here.”

Johan frowned.

“Are you certain this is the place?”

“Yes.”

This village was at least fifteen kilometers away from the riverbank where Johan had collapsed.

“You carried me this far?”

The boy before him was extremely small. He appeared to be around Johan’s age, but his build was much smaller.

This frail boy could not have carried Johan fifteen kilometers.

Not in just a few hours.

“Answer me. Did you really move me?”

“Y-yes.”

The boy answered in a trembling voice, his head hanging low.

“By yourself?”

“Well...”

Johan stared at him for a while before speaking.

“Raise your head.”

The boy lifted his upper body, but he still avoided Johan’s gaze.

“Look into my eyes.”

The boy could not bring himself to meet Johan’s gaze. He looked around anxiously before lowering his eyes again.

Finding it strange, Johan immediately grabbed the boy’s chin and tilted it upward. Only then did their gazes meet.

Johan spoke.

“Did you really carry me by yourself?”

The moment he finished the question, the boy’s expression twisted sharply.

An unfamiliar voice leaked from his mouth.

“Ah, ah! I don’t want to look into your eyes. It makes me want to defy you and tear you to pieces.”

The voice was not the boy’s.

Unlike before, it was an extremely unpleasant shriek.

Startled, Johan released the boy’s chin.

At the same time, the boy’s eyes lost their color. Like ink spreading through water, pitch-black darkness covered the whites of his eyes.

“O Great End! Please allow this vile creature to gouge out your eyes!”

The boy’s hand slowly reached toward Johan.

It was aiming for the Great Saint’s Eye.

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