WeTried Translations
Translator/Editor: Hydrogen B
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◈ Whispers of a Scheming Demon ◈
Chapter 61: The Moonshadow Mausoleum (3)
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Several hours earlier, crimson eyes gleamed from the ceiling of the mausoleum.
That ominous gaze continuously watched the ash-gray forest below.
More precisely, it followed the Elves' trail.
Dull white creatures climbed over one another as they raced through the dense woods.
‘Disgusting.’
High in the sky, Mapheltan frowned.
The massed white Elves resembled a swarm of termites. Moving blindly toward a single purpose, they were no different from insects.
They were in an extreme state of excitement. They had acquired Raguel, the finest fertilizer for the World Tree Seed.
They probably wanted to place Raguel on the altar immediately. They likely did not even have the leisure to worry about another uninvited guest.
It was a welcome situation for Mapheltan. If he simply followed them from behind, he would reach the World Tree's hidden cradle.
Bringing Raguel along had been a good choice in many ways.
Mapheltan curled his lips into a smile and slowly descended.
The white swarm on the ground gathered at one point.
A massive rock wall stood before them.
“It seems to be the entrance.”
As Zalkarin said, the Elves began disappearing one by one.
They entered a small cave at the base of the rock wall.
Mapheltan nodded.
“It must lead to the seed's cradle.”
The rock wall was tightly wrapped in strange vines.
They were bundles of roots stretching from the World Tree.
The World Tree's roots spread like a web throughout the First Zone, supporting the mausoleum. They supplied the dead wasteland with the bare minimum of nutrients.
The place that received the greatest benefit from them stood before Mapheltan.
Inside the rock wall, within that cave, was surely the Elves' sanctuary.
Mapheltan fully descended to the ground.
The gathered monsters all turned to look at him.
Zalkarin immediately shouted.
“Lower your eyes at once! Do you have any idea who stands before you?!”
“Enough. Stay still.”
“B-But...!”
Mapheltan raised an arm to stop Zalkarin, then spoke to the Elves.
“So, do you like the gift?”
One Elf stepped out from the ash-gray mass. The desiccated creature watched him warily.
“What business does a Horned Demon have in this land?”
“I believe I asked the question first.”
The Elf slowly looked behind them. Raguel was caught in a monster's grasp and being dragged into the cave.
“If you mean a gift, you speak of that one. The Watcher's bloodline.”
Mapheltan nodded.
“Make good use of him. There is no need to thank me.”
“...Why?”
“What?”
“Why hand him over to us?”
“Nothing special. I simply wish to join your long-held desire.”
The Elf's brow drew tight.
“Our long-held desire? What do you know of it?”
“The rebirth of the World Tree. More precisely, you seek to revive the Seventh Apostle of the End.”
A stir spread among the Elves. Mapheltan had struck the heart of the matter.
They intended to germinate the World Tree Seed and create a new World Tree.
That World Tree would inherit the position of the Seventh Apostle.
Alquines, the Seventh Apostle of the End. The World Tree, the Elves' god and mother, was one of the Archdemons who sang of the End.
Because of the Moon's Prohibition, she had fallen from an ancient god to an Apostle.
The same was true of every Apostle except Mapheltan.
Five hundred years ago, Marziel, victorious in the Holy War, cast all twelve divine thrones except his own down to the earth.
In the end, the twelve gods became tainted and corrupted. They became Apostles who cried out for humanity's destruction.
That was why only twelve Apostles could exist in this world.
There were thirteen forgotten ancient races in total, and among them, the Witches did not believe in gods.
Therefore, the god worshipped by each of the remaining twelve races was one of the twelve Apostles.
One question remained.
Mapheltan was not an ancient god, so why was he an Apostle?
It was still an impossible question to answer.
The Elf spoke.
“What are you, that you claim to join our great wish?”
Mapheltan answered calmly.
“I am Mapheltan, the Thirteenth End, of the Seat of Deception and Chaos.”
Silence fell over the mausoleum.
No one spoke.
It felt as though time had stopped.
Then the commotion erupted at once.
Several Elves began snickering. Soon, all of them burst into laughter.
“The Thirteenth End? Never in my life have I heard of such a thing!”
“Young demon, there is no Thirteenth Apostle in this world!”
“They say those on the surface have forgotten history. It seems that is true!”
“You have one horn, and yet you dare impersonate an Apostle?!”
“Your arrogance knows no bounds!”
“Go back where you came from at once!”
Insults and ridicule poured from every direction.
Mapheltan remained calm.
‘It seems they have never read even a single line of the Ominous Book.’
There was probably no Ominous Book in the mausoleum itself. If there had been, they could not have failed to know of the Thirteenth End.
Zalkarin screamed as if having a fit.
“Great End! Give the order, and I shall burn every one of those insolent fools!”
A small flame leaked from Zalkarin's mouth with every syllable. Thin fire shot into the air before quickly scattering.
Mapheltan was slightly surprised.
‘Did Zalkarin have an ability like that?’
Zalkarin seemed to have grown after continuously absorbing Narak's Demonic Energy.
Zalkarin also looked slightly flustered.
“W-What is this...?”
The Elves burst out laughing.
“What kind of trick is that?”
“A Lesser Evil Spirit, an Imp! Perhaps we should eat it!”
“It has been hundreds of years since we last laughed like this!”
Among the snickering Elves, only one remained frozen.
It was the Elf who had represented the group in speaking to Mapheltan.
The creature suddenly let out a strange scream.
Kieeeeeeek!
At the same time, everyone fell silent.
The Elf approached Mapheltan.
“...I do not believe your words. A Thirteenth Apostle cannot exist. However, I cannot deny that you carry a scent similar to theirs.”
Mapheltan spoke without expression.
“So what is your point?”
“I want to speak with you. Wait here for a while. I will return after the ritual is finished.”
“I will enter the cave and wait with you.”
This was why he had revealed himself before the Elves.
The Elf answered firmly.
“No one but us may enter the cradle.”
So it was impossible after all.
Mapheltan shrugged.
“Well, it is unfortunate, but it cannot be helped.”
He had tried to make this easy, but failed. It would be a little troublesome, but he had another way.
“Stay here. I will return soon.”
The creature immediately turned away.
Most of the Elves followed them.
Only one enormous sentry remained behind to watch Mapheltan. A single guard was rather meager protection for the sanctuary's entrance, but it was no concern.
The cave was a complicated maze, and countless monsters lived within it. Even if an outsider defeated the guard and entered, they could not reach the sanctuary.
Under normal circumstances, that was.
Unexpected situations always existed.
The Elves, isolated for five hundred years, had forgotten to be wary of such variables.
* * *
Mapheltan sat cross-legged and closed his eyes.
He intended to control the Dream Demon.
The Dream Demon was a fairy that ruled the unconscious. It acted when its target fell asleep or lost their reason.
Until recently, the Dream Demon Mapheltan had attached to Raguel had been dormant.
Now was different.
The Dream Demon began to move.
Raguel had fallen into a panic.
It was time to use the Dream Demon.
Through it, Mapheltan interfered with Raguel's mind.
His proficiency with his Authority had improved considerably. He had tested it on Baron Gryan several times.
Within his mind, Mapheltan faced Raguel. He intended to provoke the boy as much as possible.
‘I need to push him harder.’
He dragged out Raguel's sore spots and scratched at them relentlessly.
The results began to prove quite satisfying.
Mapheltan immediately rose and walked toward the cave entrance.
The enormous ash-gray creature spoke in a threatening voice.
“Take one more step, and I will break that horn.”
Mapheltan's expression twisted.
“Your words have been thoroughly disrespectful from the start.”
He began acting like an Apostle.
The creature held its club upright and slammed it into the ground.
“Even if you are a Horned Demon, you are nothing but a brat. You dare speak to me of disrespect?”
Its jade eyes blazed with hostility.
Mapheltan clicked his tongue.
“Insignificant insect, even an Archdemon that has existed for a thousand years knelt before this body. Do you think you will be any different?”
He was referring to Kaiaje, the Scribe of the Ominous Book.
The creature bared its teeth like a beast.
“Make me kneel, then.”
At the same time, a chilling voice flowed from Mapheltan's mouth.
“Crawl on all fours like a beast. Crawl and lead this body to the seed's cradle.”
Black mist surged from Mapheltan's body.
Dense Demonic Energy began surrounding the area.
Absolute darkness swallowed everything around them.
The creature looked slightly flustered.
“What is this?!”
Crimson eyes flickered in the darkness.
Mapheltan's command transformed into ancient demonic language.
“An insect crawls on all fours to the cradle (Kar’mesh zul’gar Velyaz ul thorgal).”
The Word of Authority was being engraved.
The creature dropped to one knee. A look of alarm crossed its face.
“What...?!”
Resistance was impossible.
Its upper body was immediately forced into the ground.
Its eyes shook as it looked up at Mapheltan.
“...You, who are you?”
Mapheltan slowly opened his mouth.
“Did I not tell you? I am the Thirteenth End.”
Zalkarin's shoulders rose proudly.
“As expected of the Lord of All Demons!”
* * *
Deep underground stood a lush green forest. Neither ash-gray brush nor rotten rivers existed here.
The forest had forgotten the despair of the past and still held the melody of fresh life. Instead of the stench of death, it was filled with the scent of trees.
Clear water flowed between the thick vegetation.
It was all due to the World Tree's grace. Its roots had pierced the ground and spread life force throughout the area.
Long hanging vines wrapped around the World Tree's roots as if embracing memories of the past, while fireflies drifted beneath the roots, tracing the brilliant past.
Dew gathered on blades of grass and occasionally fell with soft taps, singing of life.
This was the Elves' final sanctuary.
Ironically, the one thing that did not suit this forest was the Elves themselves.
They climbed over one another, stretching toward the cave ceiling.
A small sun shone from the ceiling. It was the World Tree Seed, spreading life throughout the sanctuary.
“Mother of the Earth, swallow the moon's gaze and give birth to peaceful shade.”
At the top of the tower formed from their bodies, an Elf reached toward the seed.
The creature held a boy in its grasp.
Raguel was being offered as fertilizer for the seed.
“Take root once more and claim the children of the moon.”
The roots wrapped around the seed slowly opened.
They writhed like tentacles before beginning to bind Raguel.
“Mother is satisfied!”
“The day of revenge shall come!”
Raguel's body drew closer and closer to the seed.
The boy was defenseless, and so was the seed.
All the roots protecting it had opened.
The moment the seed and Raguel touched, a piercing sound cut through the air.
A pitch-black silhouette shot through the air.
A chilling voice echoed from high above in the cavern.
“Yes, now! Bite it!”
The black fairy casually pulled off Raguel's Barrier Mask.
The boy's body lurched forward. He opened his mouth wide.
Then, Crunch!
He bit into the glowing seed and swallowed it whole.
The boy's heart pounded heavily.
Blue blood was being transfused into the veins carrying red blood.
* * *
“How does it feel, High Elf? To be reborn.”
The first thing the blind boy saw upon opening his eyes was truly bizarre.
A being that embodied every kind of evil in the world stood before him.
His eyes were as red as juice squeezed from humans, while his skin was so dark that it resembled a swamp made of malice.
The Demonic Energy surrounding his entire body fluttered like a flag representing all evil.
That vicious being was Mapheltan.
There were many other monsters underground, but Raguel could not even see them.
Mapheltan's presence was simply too overwhelming.
Raguel went rigid.
Mapheltan frowned.
“Hey, say something about how you feel...”
Before he could finish, Raguel's head suddenly dropped.
The shock had been too great. He had fainted.
Mapheltan let out a hollow breath in disbelief.
‘That hurts a little.’
Just as he sighed, a terrible noise shook the underground space.
All the Elves began screaming at once.
Their eyes were dyed with immeasurable hatred.
Kieeeeeeek!
Countless monsters lunged toward Mapheltan.
Mapheltan took flight. His wings covered the air.
From high above, the Apostle looked down at the evil spirits.
“Children of the earth, scream as much as you wish. From this moment on, I will hold the World Tree's funeral.”
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