WeTried Translations

Translator/Editor: Hydrogen B

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◈ Whispers of a Scheming Demon ◈

Chapter 52: Walk in Their Shoes

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A week passed quickly.

The weather had grown noticeably colder over the past few days. The fallen leaves had been scattered by the biting wind until none remained in sight.

Winter was just around the corner.

It was weather for tightly fastened clothes, yet Johan was completely naked. Despite the cold air, sweat streamed down his body.

“...That damned mercenary. I asked him to teach me spearwork, and instead...”

His elbows bent. His upper body touched the ground. His entire body trembled.

He was doing push-ups.

For the past week, he had done nothing but bodyweight exercises on the training ground.

“You need to build your strength and stamina first. I’ll assign you exercises, so meet your quota every single day without fail.”

After saying that, Gaf had left the lord’s castle and had not shown his face once. At Johan’s request, he had been following Maira and Kembell.

Only Johan, left behind alone, was being worked to death.

He collapsed heavily onto the training ground, ragged breaths bursting from his mouth.

Twenty laps around the training ground at a quick jog, four hundred push-ups, three hundred sit-ups, three hundred squats, and hanging from the pull-up bar for as long as possible.

Johan had completed his quota for the day, and his body was utterly wrecked.

Since he had not skipped training for even one day, the accumulated fatigue was considerable.

He felt like he was about to die, but he had no intention of stopping.

Had he not fully realized his own helplessness in the Southwestern Quarantine Zone? He had to develop his human body somehow, until he could at least protect himself.

There was no choice if he wanted to survive in this damned world.

Johan gritted his teeth and raised himself.

‘One more set.’

He drove his exhausted body onward.

Every part of him ached, but he did not feel as bad as he expected.

* * *

Gaf leaned against a large pine tree and watched the training ground.

His blunt gaze remained fixed on the small boy.

‘...He’s serious.’

Johan was desperate by anyone’s standards. Even after finishing his quota, he did not rest for a moment. He pushed his slight body to its limit. It almost looked as if he were struggling in a corner with nowhere left to run.

Gaf knew that kind of determination well.

It was the instinct to survive. A desperate struggle not to die, the kind seen in mercenary society.

Johan was fighting to stay alive.

‘From what, exactly?’

That Half-Demon had even handled Apostle Beris however he pleased. No matter the situation, Johan never lost his composure. Even when they had first met, when Johan had been at his weakest as an Imp, he had shown no fear. He had simply overwhelmed everyone around him with his relaxed attitude.

But now was different.

Johan no longer seemed composed or relaxed. All Gaf could see was fierce determination.

As he watched, Gaf was gripped by countless questions and unfamiliar emotions.

What was Johan guarding against that he pushed himself so hard? Was this human effort proof that red blood truly flowed through his veins as well?

He could not find the answer, but he knew where these sudden questions came from.

It was because his feelings toward Johan had changed, if only slightly.

During the week he had followed the knights, Gaf had encountered countless residents.

Their expressions had visibly brightened. Shadows still remained, but hope had clearly begun to mix with the darkness.

The atmosphere of the territory had changed greatly.

The daughters who had been taken away had returned, and the fear of war had faded. Since there was no conscription, the harvest work had been completed normally. This year, even the taxes had been reduced.

The oppression weighing upon the common people had grown lighter.

He hated to admit it, but it was all because of Johan’s rule.

It was thanks to a demon.

When that thought reached him, Gaf let out a hollow laugh.

‘I've really fallen far.’

The way demons beguiled humans was simple.

They used immediate gains and fleeting happiness as bait to steal away a person’s clear judgment.

He could not fall for those sweet whispers. The moment he felt any fondness for a demon, it would be over.

‘Get a grip.’

Gaf opened his eyes wide and stared at Johan.

At that moment, their eyes met.

Johan was dragging his tired body toward him.

“You’ve been nowhere to be seen. Were you watching me from there every day?”

As always, Johan spoke in a confrontational tone.

Gaf answered gruffly as usual.

“My body isn’t split in two like yours. I’ve been busy enough cleaning up after you.”

Gaf had been following the Count’s knights and had not even had time to come to the lord’s castle.

“So you were too busy to report for an entire week.”

“What could I do? Those bastards are diligent. They went around the villages without resting for even an hour. Every night, they gathered the residents and bought them drinks.”

“Find someone to use as a messenger. As you know, interim reports are essential.”

“I’m already looking.”

“Let’s move past that for now. Did you figure out what they intend to do?”

“They intend to dig up every detail about the territory. Rumors about you, along with every trivial story related to the lord’s castle.”

It was roughly what Johan had expected.

“You must have found a few odd details.”

Gaf nodded.

“Betra’s sudden disappearance, Gryan’s change in attitude, and the rumors surrounding Knight Rail. Those things could become fatal for you.”

Betra was the prostitute who had been used as a Sacrificial Offering for the Corruptive Formation, while Rail was the knight Johan had turned into a puppet.

If the truth behind those incidents was revealed, Johan would be ruined. Both were evidence that he was a demon.

Of course, the knights would not reach the truth. Still, the mere fact that someone might grow suspicious was a major risk for Johan.

It could give them a pretext to begin investigating the Myatro territory.

A Great Saint Church inquisitor had already infiltrated the territory once. The Ominous Book incident had conveniently diverted the inquisitor’s attention, but the same thing could happen again at any time.

Johan needed to prepare, and he already had something in mind.

‘The kingdom’s attention is already focused on the south. Even if I keep a low profile, it’ll only slow my growth. I won’t escape their attention anyway.’

He intended to move first.

Since he had already drawn notice, he only needed to make more active use of it.

Johan said, “For now, they’re only suspicions. Before they develop into something fatal, I just need to bury them beneath a bigger incident.”

“I’m sure you’ll handle it.”

“Obviously. I’m not especially worried, but there’s one thing I need to confirm. How much have they learned about me?”

“Nothing at all, of course.”

To everyone, Johan was an enigma, an illegitimate child who had appeared out of nowhere. His birth, the circumstances of his life, his relationships, and so on. Almost no information about Johan had come to light.

“That’ll only make them more suspicious.”

As Johan said, the information had been hidden so thoroughly that it only fueled their doubts.

When people dug into anything, they were bound to find at least a single thread. Yet not even the smallest speck could be found in Johan’s case.

Gaf said, “It’s worse than that. They’re properly fixated on you. They’ll probably keep digging until the end.”

“...They’re still in the territory?”

Gaf shook his head.

“They left the direct domain. They intend to visit the other villages instead.”

The direct domain referred to Forn Village, which belonged directly to the lord’s castle. The remaining villages were called dependent fiefs, and Taharan Village, where Johan had first arrived after taking possession, was among them.

House Myatro had numerous dependent fiefs besides that. In terms of sheer scale, House Myatro was not merely a baronial house.

In fact, until two hundred years ago, the Myatro Barony had been called a duchy, and the Watcher of Narak had been recognized as a Duke-King.

Now, however, the Watcher of Narak was no more than a noble of the kingdom.

Johan muttered, “...They’re going to visit every dependent fief. They’re more persistent than I thought.”

There was evidence in Taharan Village that Johan was a Half-Demon. There were witnesses who had seen him. Their mouths had been shut, but unforeseen variables could arise at any time.

Gaf asked, “Are you going to leave those two knights alone?”

“I’ll deal with them.”

“How?”

“For now, just track their movements. I have a rough plan in mind.”

“Fine.”

“Is that everything you had to report?”

As though he had suddenly remembered something, Gaf added, “Oh, right. Some bastard was lurking around in front of the gate. He caused a scene, insisting that he had to meet you. He reeked of blood. There was something unsettling about him overall. I locked him in the dungeon for now, so go down and see for yourself.”

There was no one Johan could think of who would come looking for him right now. And someone reeking of blood with an unsettling air did not make the visitor’s identity any easier to guess.

Johan frowned and thought for a moment.

After a brief pause, something suddenly crossed his mind.

The corner of Johan’s mouth rose slightly.

“Things are going to work out faster than I thought.”

Gaf only looked confused.

“What are you talking about all of a sudden?”

“Bring him to the basement. You can handle him roughly. He’s probably a vicious bastard.”

It seemed the Imp had completed its mission.

Johan immediately headed for the basement.

* * *

“Murder of an itinerant slash-and-burn farmer and his daughter, mutilation and disposal of their corpses, blasphemy against the Scriptures, habitual robbery, and the rape of four boys! O great End! I have brought you a demon wearing human skin! As you said, this is a person even the Great Saint would abandon!”

At the center of the underground study, a youth knelt bound in restraints.

Johan, Ilea, Gaf, Raguel, and the Imp stood around him.

Johan spoke first.

“There must be no mistake. Are these facts properly confirmed?”

He could not use an innocent human as a Sacrificial Offering for the Corruptive Formation.

The Imp answered with a confident expression.

“Shall we hear it directly from him?”

At Johan’s gesture, Gaf removed the gag from the youth’s mouth. Gaf had already heard the general outline of the matter. He understood the situation in full.

Now able to speak, the youth shouted, “It is an honor to meet the retainers of the Thirteenth End! Call me Gote! Like you, I came here to serve End!”

No one answered them.

They simply stared at them blankly.

The youth looked around and asked, “But where is End? I would like to meet End and offer my formal greetings.”

Johan gave a quiet laugh.

“Before that, prove your worth. What contributions have you made so far toward the end of the world?”

A foul smile spread across Gote’s face.

“A fine question. I have taken more than ten living souls, and most of them begged and screamed until the very brink of death. I adorned End’s requiem with harmony. Not long ago, after raping a boy, I did something to his rear...”

Johan clicked his tongue.

“That’s enough.”

There was no need to hear more.

Gaf ground his teeth.

“He deserves to be torn apart.”

“Gaf, insert this into them.”

A milky-white mass of flesh.

Johan handed the Great Saint’s Intestines to Gaf.

Holding the intestines, Gaf walked steadily toward Gote.

Thud. Thud.

Gote still did not seem to understand what was about to happen to them.

“What is that in your hand?”

Johan answered, “Something to insert into you. Just as you violated that boy, that big fellow is going to show you some affection now. I’m greatly looking forward to the requiem that will come from your mouth.”

Gote’s face darkened slightly.

“W-What does that...”

Before he could finish, Gaf seized Gote’s hair with a grab! and shouted, “Show me your back!”

Gote struggled, but he could not escape Gaf’s grip.

Ilea gently covered her eyes. Raguel covered his ears.

The Imp danced with delight. To demons, human wails and screams were nourishment.

A terrible requiem echoed through the basement.

‘At least the Great Saint’s Eye is a Holy Relic that’s easy to transplant.’

Johan found that deeply fortunate.

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