Whispers of a Scheming Demon - Chapter 42

WeTried Translations

Translator/Editor: Hydrogen B

◈ Whispers of a Scheming Demon ◈

Chapter 42: Awkward Reunion (1)

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The open space at the center of the village was packed with people. Holy Soldiers of the Great Saint Church, several Holy Knights, priests, monastics, and even the villagers. Around a hundred people stood assembled in neat ranks.

All their eyes were fixed on a single hut.

It was because of the strange behavior of a noble boy who had burst through its door.

As though giving alms, he threw something before the Church forces.

A small red Imp.

The moment they confirmed its form, every soldier drew their swords.

All their blades pointed at the Imp.

“Bind it!”

An iron cage resembling a small birdcage fell over the Imp. Trapped inside, the creature stared at the hut with a vacant expression.

More precisely, it was staring at the boy.

The moment the Imp was captured, all eyes returned to Johan.

The swords pointed at him as well.

A knight in holy armor rode forward.

“State your identity! Until your identity is verified, I will not show you respe...”

The knight could not finish speaking. The moment he saw Johan’s eyes, an unfamiliar feeling swelled within him.

For some reason, he felt that Johan had to be treated with respect.

“Cough. Ahem.”

The Holy Knight immediately composed himself. He could not be swayed by a personal impression. As an agent of divine punishment, coldness was not a choice but a duty.

The Holy Knight said,

“State your name and house at once!”

The boy before him was clearly a noble. Even his clothing was different from that of the villagers.

Johan gave a slight bow.

“My name is Johan Myatro. I greet a hero of the Holy War.”

Upon hearing the surname, the Holy Knight dismounted. He still looked down at Johan because of the overwhelming difference in height. He also appeared to weigh at least three times as much as Johan.

“You are one of those who watch over Narak. I am Holy Knight Keinak Jahad. Forgive me, but do you have any means of proving your identity?”

Johan clicked his tongue quietly so those around him would not hear.

‘He’s being awfully strict.’

Should he have brought the family seal? As Johan hesitated, a woman stepped out from among the troops.

“Sir Keinak, I will vouch for his identity.”

Her red hair fluttered in the night wind. Johan knew who she was at once.

‘Shaperia. So she was here after all.’

She would have moved the moment she saw the Church beacon. Even after losing all her power, she was not a woman who would break. She would probably live by her beliefs until the day she died.

Johan felt slightly uncomfortable. The bitterness he had forcibly buried rose again.

Would it have been better to kill her then? He did not know. Whatever choice he had made, mental karma would have followed.

Johan had to carry it and move forward.

Johan said,

“Sir Shaperia, you were here after all.”

“I came as soon as I saw the beacon. But how are you here, Sir Johan?”

There was quite a distance between Myatro territory and this place. Even Shaperia, despite her training, had barely made it here after focusing solely on traveling. Yet Johan had arrived even sooner.

They had not encountered each other on the way, either. It was strange.

Johan said,

“I was in a nearby village on business when the beacon went up. I couldn’t simply ignore it, so I came at once.”

Nobles had a duty to answer the Church’s summons.

Sir Keinak gave a quiet exclamation.

“Impressive at such a young age. House Myatro has a bright future ahead.”

Shaperia made the holy sign.

“Saint Marziel. The Great Saint will recognize Sir Johan’s faithfulness.”

Johan made the holy sign in reply.

Keinak nodded with satisfaction before speaking.

“Young mas... No, that would be discourteous. Your identity has been confirmed. I have a few questions, and I would appreciate your cooperation.”

“Of course. Ask whatever you wish.”

Keinak pointed to the caged Imp.

“First, I would like an explanation about that creature. How exactly did you capture it?”

Even an Imp was still a demon. An untrained ordinary person, especially a young boy, could not easily subdue one.

It would be different if Johan possessed Aura or Holy Power, but Keinak could not sense any special ability from him.

Mature for his age, but still an ordinary boy. That was Keinak’s assessment of Johan.

Johan said,

“I was fortunate. It approached me and whispered in my ear, but I was not swayed. Faithfulness aside, it simply had a terrible way with words.”

“It could not have been easy to reject a demon’s temptation, but you did well. You truly possess the mental strength expected of the Watcher’s bloodline. But did it not use physical force?”

Even such a small Imp could easily kill a young boy.

“It had exhausted all its Demonic Energy. It approached me after failing at a previous hunt. It was already completely worn out from the start.”

“It is fortunate that it was so inept. You were nearly in grave danger. From now on, make certain to travel with an escort. These mountain wilds contain many dangers besides demons.”

“I will keep that in mind.”

Keinak slowly nodded and gestured to the troops behind him.

A man dressed in white clerical robes stepped forward.

Keinak asked him,

“Anything unusual?”

“Nothing. At the very least, no traces of White Horn have been found among the residents.”

The Great Saint Church had divided its forces into several units to search inside the Holy Power Sealing Formation. They were searching for White Horn, who had vanished like smoke.

Keinak let out a deep sigh.

“If it did not hide within a human body, where in the world did it disappear to?”

“Please do not be too impatient. It is a rat in a trap. We will soon receive good news.”

“You are right. After suffering a fatal wound from His Highness’s spear, it should not have the power to tear through the barrier. We must capture White Horn somehow during this opportunity. If it truly is an Apostle, this may be our last chance.”

As expected, the Great Saint Church also suspected Johan of being the Thirteenth End.

‘Sigh.’

He was supposedly an Apostle, yet he did not even have the power to break the Holy Power Sealing Formation. Even if Gawain had not injured him, Johan would not have been able to tear through the barrier.

His reputation made his enemies stronger and more cautious, but he himself was still weak.

He had to find a way to become stronger.

The priest said,

“I agree. We should not be impatient, but we should hurry to some extent. Our business here is done, so we must continue moving.”

Keinak nodded.

“One final matter. Who is the village chief here?”

An elderly villager stepped forward from among the neatly assembled residents.

“That would be me, sir.”

It was the elder who had looked after Johan.

“Forty-one in total. Is that the full number of residents?”

Before the village chief could answer, Johan interrupted.

“There is one more, Sir Keinak.”

Keinak looked at Johan.

“Where?”

“There is a child sleeping in the hut I came out of.”

Keinak cast a heavy gaze at the chief.

“I told you to gather everyone.”

“Th-that is...”

Johan spoke in place of the flustered chief.

“That child was the Imp’s first victim. The child collapsed from exhaustion after resisting its Demonic Energy and has not yet regained consciousness.”

The chief’s face turned pale. His grandchild had been harmed by a demon. It was something he had never even imagined.

The moment Johan finished speaking, Keinak gestured to the priest.

The priest hurried into the hut.

A short while later, he came back out and shook his head at Keinak.

The village chief fell to his knees in despair.

“Ah, Great Saint! How could you take even my grandchild from me?”

The priest said to Keinak,

“I can only sense faint Demonic Energy. There are no traces of White Horn.”

Then he looked at the village chief with an expressionless face.

“The child is not dead, so get up.”

“T-then...”

“I have taken measures to ensure the child wakes soon. An investigation will be necessary.”

The chief had no time to rejoice at hearing his grandchild was alive before falling into despair.

The Church’s investigations were infamous.

Torture was standard, and many people died during questioning.

There was no choice but to fear it.

The village chief trembled.

“W-what could my grandchild possibly have done to deserve an investigation?”

“Traces of contact with a demon were found. The child may have lent his body to a demon during that encounter, so an investigation is naturally necessary.”

If the host had allowed a demon to possess him, he would have no grounds to protest even an execution. Possession required mutual consent, making the host an apostate who had been seduced by a demon.

In truth, the boy had lent his body to a demon. At the end of the investigation, death awaited him.

Johan said,

“I guarantee the boy’s innocence. He resisted temptation until the end and collapsed from exhaustion.”

“That is not enough. A few words cannot simply...”

The priest could not finish speaking. The moment he met Johan’s eyes, trust toward him swelled within the priest.

“If the demon had successfully possessed him, how could I have pulled it out?”

Keinak, who had been listening to their conversation, nodded.

“There is no ordinary way to remove a demon after it has possessed someone.”

A specialized exorcism ritual was necessary. It was not something an ordinary person could handle.

Johan was only an ordinary person, but he had clearly held the Imp in his hands.

By appearances, it was reasonable to conclude that no possession had taken place.

The priest said,

“...Having heard both of you, I believe I was too hasty. An investigation will not be necessary.”

“I agree.”

“Thank you for reconsidering.”

Color slowly returned to the village chief’s face.

“Thank you! Thank you so much! I will never forget this kindness, sir!”

He repeatedly bowed his head toward Johan.

Keinak said,

“We have been delayed for quite some time. It is time to move.”

The moment he finished speaking, the troops began arranging themselves in perfect order.

A Holy Soldier quickly approached and picked up the iron cage containing the Imp.

Johan said,

“Will you not deal with it immediately?”

The Imp clutched the iron bars tightly and stared intensely at Johan.

It seemed to be telling him to keep his promise if it made it back alive.

Keinak said,

“All demons captured within the Sealing Formation will be interrogated first. There may be even the slightest connection to White Horn.”

“I do not know much about it, but making demons talk will not be easy.”

Demons were surprisingly tight-lipped. Physical pain alone could not make them say what one wanted to hear.

“I am skeptical as well. But those are the Church’s orders, so I will follow them.”

Johan nodded. Soldiers were all alike, and Holy Knights were not much different.

“I hope you find good results.”

“I hope so as well. Take care of yourself, and I hope we meet again someday.”

Just as Johan was about to respond, someone shouted loudly.

“I greet His Highness, the Third Prince!”

At the same time, the entire force dropped to one knee.

A man was walking between the huts ahead.

His short purple hair swayed with every step.

‘Gawain!’

The moment Johan saw him, he too dropped to one knee.

The slash-and-burn farmers threw themselves to the ground in panic. They could not think straight. Royalty were beings they could only see in dreams.

Despite all the commotion, Gawain paid it no mind.

He only continued muttering as he approached the group.

“It should be around here. It abruptly cuts off here, though. Ha, I can’t make sense of it. This has never happened before.”

He stopped before Keinak.

Still on one knee, Keinak said,

“Your Highness, have you still not found it?”

“Ah, Sir Keinak. That’s right. I can hear Espada crying, but I can’t determine its location at all. It’s a little troubling. This is the first time I’ve experienced anything like it.”

The Holy Spear Espada never left its owner’s hand. No matter how far it was thrown, the holy spear would always return to its owner.

This time was different.

Espada had not returned to Gawain. He could not even determine the spear’s location.

Keinak said,

“We are continuing the search as well. We will send word immediately if we find it, so please do not worry too much.”

“Sir Keinak, please focus only on finding White Horn. I will handle Espada myself.”

Having said that, Gawain continued looking around the area.

“It is definitely somewhere around here, but it cuts off completely. This is truly troublesome.”

As he looked around, his gaze suddenly stopped in one place.

“Wait a moment.”

He was looking down at Johan.

Gawain bent at the waist and met Johan’s eyes.