WeTried Translations
Translator/Editor: Hydrogen B
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◈ Whispers of a Scheming Demon ◈
Chapter 70: Core
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“Please consume my Familiar, Mapheltan. Thirteenth End.”
Ilea knelt on one knee and smiled serenely.
Mapheltan looked deeply perplexed.
He did not know how to make sense of the situation.
Ilea’s actions had been too sudden. How was he supposed to respond to her? He could barely think straight.
Mapheltan schooled his expression before speaking.
“I have no idea what you are thinking.”
She was usually playful, but she seemed a little different now.
It did not feel like a joke.
Was she serious, then? But a Witch serving a god was absurd. Any reader of Inmarok would agree with Mapheltan.
Ilea spoke.
“I told you, didn’t I? That I was considering accepting Mapheltan as the Witch’s god. I mean it exactly as I said.”
Mapheltan shook his head.
“Witches do not serve gods. No, it would be more accurate to say they cannot. Is refusing any form of subordination not the instinct of your race?”
Ilea did not deny it.
“That is right. Even this world feels like a prison to me.”
Every Witch had but one lifelong aspiration.
To learn this world’s secrets and leap into a higher realm.
In other words, they dreamed of Transcendence.
They sought to surpass even the gods and venture into the vast universe.
Mapheltan spoke.
“Your ancestors were the same. You have used everything in this world as a tool for the sake of Transcendence. Yet you say you will serve me? Frankly, I find it difficult to believe.”
Ilea smiled faintly and let out a quiet sigh.
“Transcendence... There really is nothing you do not know, Mapheltan. You probably know more about this world than I do. I envy that knowledge. If I form a Contract of Subordination with you, your memories and knowledge will be shared with me as well. That is why I want to serve you as my god.”
Through a Contract of Subordination, a Witch could peer into the other party’s memories.
They could absorb every experience of their Familiar.
Every demon she had gone through so far had been her experience points.
Mapheltan frowned.
“For that argument to hold, you would need to make me your Familiar, not your god.”
Ilea shook her head.
“As long as a Contract of Subordination is formed, I can access the other party’s mind regardless of who the master is.”
This was something that had never appeared in the original work.
There had never been a case of a Witch serving beneath someone else.
Mapheltan spoke.
“I understand now. Since I will never become your Familiar, you plan to enter my service instead.”
Ilea’s lips curved gently.
“Exactly. It is not such a bad proposal for you, either.”
Mapheltan gave a hollow laugh.
How great must her obsession with Transcendence be for her to reject even her own instincts and volunteer to become subordinate?
He found it difficult to understand.
He could not fully accept it, but from a practical perspective, Ilea’s proposal was quite tempting.
To have a Witch as a bondservant.
It would be enormously helpful in everything to come.
He could not help being tempted.
The strange discomfort he felt was another matter.
Mapheltan spoke.
“Then let me ask a few more things. First, what do you mean by telling me to consume the World Tree?”
“As you know, Witches can break down their Familiars into units of Demonic Energy. A Demon Core made from that Demonic Energy is the finest elixir for demons. The moment you consume the World Tree’s Demon Core, Mapheltan, you will gain considerable growth. The Demon Core is a token of my sincerity, so please accept it without burden.”
This was the part that bothered him.
The World Tree was not something so insignificant that it should be consumed merely to make a Demon Core.
It surely had better uses.
In fact, Ilea had another purpose she wished to achieve through the World Tree.
Mapheltan spoke.
“The World Tree is too valuable to turn into a mere Demon Core. You cannot be unaware of that. Do you have some other scheme?”
Ilea answered with a calm expression.
“Scheme is a rather grand word. Let us call it my ultimate goal.”
“What is it?”
“I want to offer all evil to you. Consume every demon in this world and be reborn as the Mother of All Evil, Mapheltan.”
In the original work, Ilea had gathered countless demons in one place and created a single malice.
That was the Mother of All Evil. Primordial darkness and blind malice. That dreadful being gave the Witch power equal to godhood.
The Mother of All Evil was the foundation for Transcendence.
Mapheltan gave a dry laugh.
“In short, you need a tool masquerading as a god.”
The Mother of All Evil was ultimately no more than a means for Transcendence. It would be used and discarded, just as it had been in the original work.
For the first time, the smile vanished from Ilea’s face.
She spoke with a slightly flustered expression.
“A tool? I sincerely...”
“I refuse your proposal. Use the World Tree yourself, as you originally planned.”
In the original work, Ilea offered the World Tree as a Sacrificial Offering to open the gate to the Lower Realm.
She sought a Vessel for the Mother of All Evil.
The Imp Nahagrem. That creature had originally been the Mother of All Evil.
Ilea lowered her head slightly.
“I do not understand. This benefits both of us, so why reject it so decisively?”
“If I consume all evil, my ego and humanity will eventually disappear. Only blind malice will remain. I do not want such an ending.”
“I can help you, so that you do not lose ‘Johan.’”
“Besides, the thought of you seeing all my memories makes me uncomfortable.”
How much would she be able to read? Perhaps even everything from his life before Possession would be revealed.
It might have been excessive concern, but the possibility certainly existed.
Mapheltan could not help feeling reluctant.
Ilea spoke.
“...You were going to share them with me before.”
Mapheltan had once tried to tell her about Inmarok. The Prohibition had stopped him from opening his mouth.
“This is different. How is giving you selected information the same as allowing you to see every memory I possess?”
Ilea slowly rose from her kneeling position.
Her expression had dimmed somewhat.
“I understand what you mean.”
“Are you disappointed?”
“A little. Still, I understand. It is not time yet.”
“Thank you for understanding. It is best for our relationship to remain equal, as it is now.”
Ilea took something out.
“Then I will consider this a gift for my business partner.”
A black sphere glowed in her hand.
Mapheltan narrowed his eyes.
“Ilea, surely you did not...”
It was a Demon Core. She had already turned the World Tree into one.
Malice poured endlessly from the black sphere.
“I was careless. I should have asked for your agreement first. Still, please accept it. Do not feel burdened.”
She was telling him to devour the World Tree for free.
There was no way he could avoid feeling burdened.
Zalkarin watched Mapheltan’s reaction before speaking.
“I-If it makes you uncomfortable, this wretch will...!”
Raguel, who had been watching, let out a deep sigh.
“Think, idiot.”
He swiftly snatched up Zalkarin’s small body.
Ilea approached Mapheltan.
“If you refuse even this, I think I will be truly disappointed.”
With a resolute expression, she held the Demon Core out to him.
Mapheltan was somewhat troubled. Any demon would sell their soul to obtain this Demon Core. It was not something he could accept without compensation.
He swallowed a groan.
“I should warn you first. I have nothing to give you.”
“I said it was a gift. I do not expect anything in return. If it truly weighs on your mind, then give me a gift someday as well, Mapheltan.”
Mapheltan silently stared at the Demon Core before speaking.
“I will try. But do not expect too much.”
There was hardly any gift that could match this Demon Core.
There was a high chance Ilea’s investment would fail.
She nodded.
“I understand, so consume it now. I made it from a World Tree with only its stump remaining, but the effect should still be considerable.”
Even the evil karma gained from destroying an entire city and slaughtering every resident would likely not compare to the growth granted by the World Tree’s Demon Core.
Mapheltan had no choice but to accept it in silence.
He was in no position to be picky if he wished to grow.
He grasped the Demon Core and spoke.
“Thank you, as always. I will try to repay you.”
Then he brought the Demon Core straight to his mouth.
He felt no psychological aversion.
It was disgusting. It felt unsettling. But his situation was too desperate for him to indulge in that sort of revulsion.
Without hesitation, Mapheltan swallowed the Demon Core.
The reaction came immediately.
His red eyes flashed. Black smoke burst from every opening in his body.
Condensed malice circulated through his entire body.
Pleasure and pain came at the same time.
He could not possibly remain sane.
To avoid losing himself, he chose madness.
Mapheltan’s body crumpled like a puppet with cut strings.
Even after he fell, the convulsions continued.
* * *
“Cough, hrrrk!”
Johan bolted upright in bed. As though he had suffered a nightmare the night before, his whole body was drenched in sweat.
Breathing roughly, he looked over his body.
It seemed the sun had risen.
Johan was in his human body.
Moreover, he was in a bedroom within the lord’s castle.
He remembered nothing of what had happened.
Just as a throbbing pain began to spread through his head, a familiar sweet voice reached him.
“You woke up sooner than I expected.”
Ilea sat at the table beside his bed.
The moment he saw her, memories of the previous night came rushing back.
“What happened? What about Mapheltan?”
Ilea pretended to consider it.
“Hmm, how should I put it? You have become more dependable.”
“What?”
“Congratulations. Mapheltan is no longer an immature demon.”
It meant he had evolved into an adult demon.
He had gained years’ worth of growth in a single leap.
It was certainly welcome news.
“...Honestly, I am still in disbelief.”
“Check for yourself later. You will be satisfied.”
“How long until nightfall?”
“You are in such a hurry. It is still morning, so you can rest for the day.”
Johan shook his head.
“There is still work to do.”
“If you mean the entrance to Narak, I have already handled it.”
The Great Saint Church, having caught the scent, would one day dispatch an investigation team to Death Gorge.
The moment they detected the changes in Narak, Johan would inevitably be in trouble.
They needed to conceal it to some extent.
It seemed Ilea had handled it properly.
Johan spoke.
“Well done. Then it is time to meet Count Staviana.”
Ilea tilted her head.
“Now?”
Johan rose from the bed.
“There is no time to relax. Get ready quickly.”
Ilea would accompany him this time.
She gave a small sigh, as if he were impossible to stop.
“Just one day...”
“If we delay, we may end up facing a counterattack.”
There was a high chance the Count would connect this assault on the capital to Narak.
That would be a complete disaster.
Before anything like that could happen, Johan needed to make the first move.
Ilea rose as well.
“There truly is never any time to rest.”
Johan nodded.
“I will give you all your time off in one stretch later.”
Without realizing it, he was treating Ilea as though she were his subordinate.
Ilea looked at Johan with an incredulous expression.
“...I thought we were equals.”
Her quiet murmur did not reach Johan.
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