WeTried Translations
Translator/Editor: Hydrogen B
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◈ Whispers of a Scheming Demon ◈
Chapter 63: The Moonshadow Mausoleum (5)
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“Show me you were worth the investment, Raguel.”
Mapheltan leaned against a withered ancient tree, his voice mixed with groans.
He was clearly smiling, but he did not actually look at ease.
His entire body was covered in wounds. His wings resembled torn scraps of cloth, and the carapace covering his skin was cracked in several places.
Raguel panicked and began babbling.
“W-Worth the investment? What do you mean by that? More importantly, are you really Johan, no, Mapheltan? What happened to all those wounds? What in the world is going on right now?!”
He was far too confused. Every piece of information entering his vision was throwing his mind into chaos.
A strange gray forest and a vicious demon before him. Reality was far more fantastical than anything he had imagined while blind.
The world he had encountered again after several months had completely abandoned common sense.
Mapheltan spoke with difficulty.
“I don't have time to say this twice, so listen carefully. You probably already expected it, but you're no longer human. You are an Elf, and more specifically, a High Elf. You have been reborn as a one-of-a-kind being in this world.”
Raguel murmured softly.
“E-Elf.”
“Yes, an Elf. It is probably an unfamiliar word to you.”
For five hundred years, the Great Saint Church had steadily erased information about the forgotten Thirteen Races. By the current age, almost no records of them remained.
Only the race known as Witches still circulated in rumor.
Raguel said, “I've never heard of them. But somehow...”
“You feel like you understand their essence?”
“Yes. Until just now, I was dreaming about Elves.”
A sorrowful look passed over Raguel's face.
Mapheltan spoke.
“Good. That makes this easier.”
Just as in the original work, it seemed consuming a World Tree Seed also absorbed the Elves' memories and emotions.
In the original work, another person, a member of a collateral branch of House Myatro, had swallowed the seed. Yet the result had been the same.
Tension filled Raguel's face.
“It seems you have something for me to do.”
Mapheltan nodded.
“If you agree, you will join me in countless tasks from now on. Though first, we must deal with the immediate crisis.”
Raguel looked at Mapheltan with a rather serious expression. His jade-colored eyes shone with guileless innocence.
“Does that task involve destroying humanity?”
He had learned of the countless atrocities humans had committed against Elves.
Burning forests, Elves dragged away as slaves, endless abuse and exploitation. Having witnessed such scenes, he could not help but feel disgust toward humanity.
Mapheltan spoke solemnly.
“Raguel, do you wish for every human to disappear?”
Raguel lowered his head.
“...No.”
No matter how directly he had witnessed humanity's cruelty, he was not consumed by such extreme thoughts.
Not all humans were evil.
Many among them pursued goodness.
Raguel had encountered many noble stories through reading.
Mapheltan said, “I feel the same. I have no intention of killing every human.”
“Then what will we do together? An Elf who hates humans and an Apostle of the End.”
A familiar voice abruptly cut in.
“Do not leave out this body, the Hellfire of Narak!”
Zalkarin sprang from Mapheltan's embrace.
Raguel's eyes widened.
“C-Could it be Zalkarin?”
This was his first time seeing Zalkarin.
The red ball of fur known as an Imp wore a proud expression.
“Surprised? So, what do you think after beholding this body's august form?”
Raguel admired the Imp with an innocent expression.
“You're much smaller than I expected. You're insignificant and cute.”
Zalkarin's face turned bright red.
“W-What did you say?! Insignificant?! How dare you!”
Mapheltan frowned.
“Is this the time to exchange idle chatter?”
His voice had turned cold.
Zalkarin could not continue.
“My apologies. I was thoughtless.”
Raguel scratched his head.
“I was just fascinated, that's all... I'm sorry.”
Mapheltan clicked his tongue.
“Let us return to what we were discussing. Raguel, did you ask what we would do together from now on?”
“Yes. If it is not the destruction of humanity, what will an Elf and an Apostle do together?”
Elves wanted revenge against humanity. Though he had not completely assimilated their feelings, Raguel certainly felt disillusioned with humans.
An Apostle was a being born to cry out for humanity's End.
If the two came together, there was only one thing they could do.
Exterminate humanity. Yet Mapheltan had continued to deny it.
Mapheltan spoke.
“Preserve humanity, and furthermore, prevent the end of the world. That is what you and I will do from now on.”
Confusion spread across Raguel's face.
“I don't understand. Mapheltan, you're a demon.”
A demon protecting the world. It was a contradiction beyond all contradictions.
“Have you forgotten? Red blood flows through my veins as well.”
He was a Half-Demon.
“...That is true.”
He did not look entirely convinced.
“You are the first step of my plan, Raguel. Beginning with you, I intend to restore all the remaining races as well. I need your strength and theirs. It may sound vague for now, but I want you to trust me and follow me.”
In short, he was asking for blind support.
Raguel's expression grew still.
“As I told you before, I have no other choice. Now that I have even become an Elf, I cannot live an ordinary life anymore. Somehow, the path Mapheltan offered has become my life. I will trust you and follow you, so please do not betray that trust.”
He had already been ensnared by a demon. There was no turning back now.
Mapheltan spoke with equal seriousness.
“I promise. No harm will be brought upon this world. So take my hand. Within an eternal covenant, we will create a new destiny.”
Black Demonic Energy had congealed in his hand.
Raguel swallowed hard.
“D-Don't tell me...”
“A Contract of Subordination. Raguel, can you serve me?”
A Contract of Subordination was entirely different from an ordinary Demon Pact.
While a Demon Pact took the form of a transaction in which both sides paid a price, a Contract of Subordination possessed the nature of one-sided devotion.
The moment he entered such a contract, Raguel would become Mapheltan's bondservant.
Like Gryan and Zalkarin.
Conflict clouded Raguel's face. Even if he trusted Mapheltan, a Contract of Subordination was not something he could easily accept.
Zalkarin, who had been listening, said, “Brat, you may not understand, but countless evil spirits are after our lives right now. To resolve this situation, we need the connection between you, a High Elf, and Mapheltan, the great End. Enter End's embrace. Since I'm the right hand, I'll concede the left to you.”
Raguel glanced at Mapheltan, silently asking if it was true.
Mapheltan shrugged.
“Well, that is not wrong, but I have no intention of forcing you. Whatever you choose, I will respect it.”
Even if Raguel refused, Mapheltan had a fallback plan.
Still, Mapheltan wanted to use this chance to bind Raguel to him completely.
So that he could never run away.
Zalkarin, reading the room, spoke again.
“Lord End truly cherishes you. Do you not wish to repay that?”
Raguel lowered his head. His fists trembled.
Only after a long time did he speak.
“...This is my choice.”
Zalkarin said, “I hope it is a wise one.”
“It has nothing to do with you! I was not swayed by what you said either.”
Raguel glared at Zalkarin.
Zalkarin flinched.
“Ahem. So, what is your decision?”
At the same time, Raguel clasped Mapheltan's hand.
“Mapheltan, I will be with you.”
The corner of Mapheltan's mouth rose.
The gathered Demonic Energy surged upward.
Black mist enveloped them both.
An unwritten law was being inscribed upon Raguel's soul.
Within the pitch-black darkness, a grim voice echoed.
“Raguel, I demand blind faith and unconditional loyalty from you. Will you accept?”
Raguel answered in a trembling voice.
“...I accept.”
The surging Demonic Energy seeped into Raguel's body all at once.
A demon's mark began to be engraved upon the noble High Elf.
A sinister god of slaughter wielding a scythe. Mapheltan's symbol appeared in Raguel's left eye.
He was now an Apostle's bondservant.
Mapheltan said, “You will not regret this choice. I will tell you what you must do now.”
* * *
Within the dead wasteland, there was one being that possessed life.
A boy walked alone through the gray-white forest. His hair scattered amber light like ripened barley, and his eyes were as pure as a clear, deep lake.
Wherever he stepped, life breathed again.
Withered flowers and vegetation regained their green vitality.
Because of the harsh environment, that green soon withered and returned to emptiness. Yet nature clearly responded to the High Elf.
To Raguel, every sight was new and heartbreaking.
“...They are all crying.”
All of nature within the mausoleum was screaming. To a High Elf, their cries were unbearably vivid.
“Now that you're an Elf, have you become lost in sentiment?”
Zalkarin poked their head out from Raguel's embrace.
“You know nothing.”
“Hmph. I am not curious. I have only one concern. The only thing that matters to me is whether you can carry out your mission properly.”
From this point on, Raguel had to carry out the first order he had received from Mapheltan.
Anxiety filled Raguel's face.
“...It will work.”
“Yes, you only need to do as Lord End commanded. Do not be so nervous.”
Raguel abruptly stopped.
A pure white curtain stretched out before him.
It was a Holy Barrier erected to buy time. Its surface was cracked and splitting apart.
It would soon break.
Cold sweat ran down Raguel's face.
“They are beyond that, right?”
All kinds of noise came from the other side of the barrier.
Scratching, striking, and pounding. Terrible screams blended together into a bizarre harmony.
Zalkarin said, “Yes. I shall hide again for now. I wish you good fortune.”
Zalkarin burrowed into Raguel's embrace.
“Y-You coward!”
Raguel felt as though he had been left alone.
He took a deep breath and stared at the barrier.
Its surface was now completely warped.
Raguel stepped back.
At the same time, the barrier shattered.
Crash!
Terrible howls shook heaven and earth.
Countless monsters filled every corner around him.
“Find the Horned Demon!”
“Where is he hiding?!”
“We will tear him to pieces and use him as fertilizer for Mother!”
Resentment and fury toward Mapheltan echoed throughout the mausoleum.
Every monster began to charge.
Raguel stood frozen in a daze.
Zalkarin shouted from within his embrace.
“You fool! Are you just going to stand there and watch?!”
Only then did Raguel come to his senses.
He shouted with all his strength.
“I picked and ate the fruit!”
Sinister gazes immediately turned toward Raguel.
“S-So let's talk...”
He swallowed hard.
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