Whispers of a Scheming Demon - Chapter 80

WeTried Translations

Translator/Editor: Hydrogen B

Discord: https://dsc.gg/wetried

◈ Whispers of a Scheming Demon ◈

Chapter 80: The Count's Domain (10)

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A few hours earlier, Johan sat on the Celestial Womb, staring at the Count.

The Count had completely lost himself.

He sat rigid as a statue, staring into empty space with vacant eyes.

He was trapped in a terrible nightmare.

Johan could not discern the contents of that dream.

Only Ilea could access the hallucination.

She had the Nightmare Demon Belzarak as her Familiar.

A small Magic Formation turned like a gear within Ilea's blue pupils.

Using Belzarak, she was manipulating the Count's nightmare.

Johan looked at Ilea with an indifferent expression.

'When will this end?'

Just as he was beginning to tire of waiting, the Magic Formation vanished from Ilea's eyes. The blue Mana disappeared as well.

She opened her mouth.

“That was a satisfying performance. Well done.”

A black mass of slime burst from the Count's mouth as though he had vomited it up.

It was Belzarak.

The creature immediately wriggled toward Ilea.

Kirrururuk────!

Belzarak could not speak. It did not even have a definite form.

It was merely an existence condensed from malice.

Who would look at it and think it was a high-ranking demon?

Judging by its appearance alone, Belzarak was no more than an ordinary Lesser Evil Spirit.

Johan spoke distrustfully.

“Did you take care of it properly?”

Ilea nodded.

“Don't worry. Belzarak is more capable than I expected.”

Belzarak was nightmare itself, an entity that had existed since ancient times.

It would not be an exaggeration to call it the progenitor of Dream Demons.

It had lost some of its power now, but it had once been one of the Archdemons of the Lower Realm.

“Capable” was hardly enough to describe Belzarak.

The moment it regained its true body, it would become a considerable force for Johan.

That was a matter for the distant future.

For now, it was only a fairly exceptional Dream Demon.

It was not particularly reassuring.

Johan opened his mouth.

“Well, if you've checked it yourself, Belzarak must be useful enough.”

Ilea smiled gently.

“Trust me. The Count will have no choice but to take Johan's hand.”

Together with Belzarak, Ilea had staged the Count's nightmare.

Having watched the entire process, she was certain the Count would lose.

That gave Johan some confidence.

He said, “Fine. Anything else unusual?”

Ilea walked toward the Count, who remained stiff and motionless.

“This pendant. It was quite dangerous.”

The Count's necklace was the trigger for summoning the Archdemon Saehel.

Ilea removed the pendant and handed it to Johan.

Johan said, “It's an object that can bring forth a catastrophe called Saehel.”

Ilea let out a small gasp.

“So you already knew.”

She had learned the pendant's function through the Count's past, but Johan had possessed that information from the beginning.

He had read it in the original Inmarok.

“Aren't you used to it by now?”

“Yes. Honestly, I'm not even surprised anymore.”

“Other than the pendant, is there anything else worth telling me?”

There could have been something unforeseen.

Inmarok was an ensemble story, so it did not explore every character's thoughts and circumstances in detail.

Ilea spoke.

“...Well, do you know the hidden story behind the Count and his wife? Cromwell and Yeriyan?”

Johan did not know anything that could be called a hidden story.

“Isn't it just another love story?”

Ilea shook her head.

“It was quite interesting, and more heartbreaking than I expected. If you're interested, I'll tell you about it.”

Johan considered it briefly before speaking.

“If it is something I must hear now, summarize it.”

“It isn't important right away.”

“Then I do not need to hear it. I do not wish to waste time.”

They needed to leave soon, before more people gathered in the Shadow Realm.

Ilea clapped softly.

“Then let's do this. I'll tell you when we rest. You remember that we agreed to take a short break after this is over, right?”

Johan had certainly made such a promise to Ilea.

He said, “Yes, fine. We can do that when there is time. Prepare to leave for now.”

At his tone, as though he were trying to brush it aside, Ilea narrowed her eyes.

She let out a quiet sigh.

“All right, then. Do we only need to take that?”

She pointed inside the Celestial Womb.

Yeriyan's remains were tightly wrapped in a black cloth.

“Handle them carefully. It will be troublesome if they are damaged.”

“Don't worry.”

The cloth slowly began to rise.

It floated in the air through magic.

Johan placed a single letter where the remains had been.

The Count would likely check on Yeriyan first upon waking.

Instead of Yeriyan, he would find Johan's invitation. The Count would then come straight to the Myatro territory.

The groundwork had been laid well enough.

If Johan used the Count properly, he could achieve a great deal.

He said eagerly, “Let us return to the territory. Everything we needed to do is finished.”

Ilea and Johan put on head coverings and pulled up their hoods.

Then they left the secret chamber.

Belzarak followed after them.

* * *

On the second floor of the Shadow Realm, a large crowd had gathered inside a vast cavern.

Followers of the Cult of the Evil God, Mages, fallen knights and priests, and several strange figures of unknown origin. All of them were wary of Ilea and Johan.

A man slowly stepped out from the crowd.

In a languid voice, he said, “Well, it seems I let a catastrophe in.”

The man was Hakain, the Sword Demon. One of the seven gatekeepers of the Shadow Realm. He was responsible for allowing Ilea through.

It would not be an exaggeration to say that Hakain had caused the present situation.

Ilea spoke from beneath her hood.

“Mr. Hakain merely followed the rules. I obtained an entry pass, and you, as the gatekeeper, allowed me through. No one is at fault.”

Hakain chuckled.

“That is not wrong. But someone must take responsibility for this incident. Since I am the gatekeeper who let you in, I must set this situation right. I would like to minimize the price I have to pay.”

If something had happened to the Count, Hakain would not survive.

Ilea opened her mouth.

“How do you plan to resolve this?”

“Before that, let me ask a few questions. What happened to His Excellency the Count?”

No one had yet entered the secret chamber.

They were afraid of Belzarak.

“He is safe. Safe enough that you need not worry at all.”

Hakain stroked his bristling beard.

“That is difficult to believe. Could that floating in the air be His Excellency the Count?”

A large bundle floated above Ilea's head. Yeriyan's remains lay inside.

Ilea shook her head.

“The Count is well on the third floor. Go and see for yourself.”

“More than that, I would like to see what is inside that bundle.”

“I'm sorry, but that is impossible.”

Hakain looked troubled.

“If you will not cooperate, I cannot simply let you leave.”

Ilea smiled with her eyes.

“Can you stop me?”

Hakain had seen her power with his own eyes.

At the entrance to the Shadow Realm earlier, Ilea had slaughtered a Mage with high-level magic without an incantation or even a sign of preparation.

There was a high chance that Ilea was an Archmage.

Out of respect for a powerful person, Hakain had even spoken politely to her.

Now, he returned to casual speech.

Ilea was a potential enemy.

Hakain said, “Stopping you would be difficult. But would things not be different if we used that person?”

He pointed behind Ilea.

Someone of small stature stood there with a hood pulled over their head, just like Ilea.

It was Johan.

The amusement faded from Ilea's eyes.

“Use him? How?”

“Rather than target you, we target that person. Even an Archmage would struggle to fight all of us while protecting someone.”

From the beginning, Ilea had kept Johan behind her.

It was an instinctive action born from protecting something important.

Moreover, Johan looked considerably weak.

The Sword Demon's keen eyes had noticed all of it.

The smile vanished completely from Ilea's eyes.

The air began to settle into a cold chill.

She slowly opened her mouth.

“The moment you act, you will regret your decision to the bone for the rest of your life.”

Biting cold began to engulf the area.

Everyone's breath started to mist.

Hakain smiled cautiously.

“If he is so precious to you, would you care to protect him from me?”

He lowered his stance. His hand moved to his waist and gently gripped the hilt of his sword.

His ever-languid eyes turned sharp.

Ilea murmured lowly, “You are crossing the line.”

At once, countless formulas appeared in the air.

Bizarre shapes meshed together and turned like gears.

The moisture in the air gradually froze.

The surroundings turned white.

Every Mage gathered there panicked.

“A human?”

“How can this be...?”

Several spells of such lofty rank that they could not even be deciphered manifested at once.

Anyone with knowledge of magic could only be astonished.

The being before them was truly an Archmage.

Or something comparable.

One Mage spoke in a trembling voice.

“S-Sir Hakain. You must stop.”

Cold sweat formed on Hakain's forehead.

Yet he did not relax his stance. His grip around the hilt only tightened.

A faint desire for competition flickered in his sharp gaze.

Hakain muttered tensely, “Can I cut her? At this distance, the advantage is mine.”

Johan and Ilea were within Hakain's range.

By conventional wisdom, a Mage could not win within a swordsman's reach.

Would he trust common sense and experience, then draw his sword?

Or would he follow his strange instinct and lower his head?

The hand gripping the hilt trembled.

Ilea spoke in a cold voice.

“You threatened the person most precious to me. You have already committed a sin deserving death. I truly don't want to hold back any longer, but I'll give you one final chance. Please step aside. If you draw that sword, I will kill you and every human connected to you.”

Her blue pupils turned pitch-black.

Every Magic Formation deployed in the air began to turn together.

The weather kept changing every few seconds.

A bitter cold descended, then scorching heat.

At times, it felt as though they were submerged in water.

She was changing nature itself.

It was a realm beyond imagination.

One by one, the Mages collapsed to the ground.

They had completely lost their will to fight. Only awe remained.

Hakain understood as well.

His sword would not reach the Mage.

Hakain immediately relaxed his stance. He released the hilt.