WeTried Translations
Translator/Editor: Hydrogen B
Discord: https://dsc.gg/wetried
◈ Whispers of a Scheming Demon ◈
Chapter 81: Cromwell Staviana (1)
──────
“You drew your sword.”
Ilea’s dry voice sank low.
Hakain realized his mistake and immediately sheathed his sword.
He raised both hands.
“I had no choice, haha. You understand too, don’t you?”
Hakain had drawn his sword to protect Johan.
The moment Johan was hurt, disaster would descend.
Hakain had no choice.
Ilea looked at him with cold eyes.
“I understand, but I have no choice but to keep my word. Pay the price with your life.”
Deep blue Mana rippled around her.
Hakain twitched.
“Hey, are you serious?”
“Yes. You will die here.”
Her voice was calm and firm.
Johan found it strange. He whispered to Ilea.
“Why are you getting so worked up? This isn’t like you.”
“He should be punished for speaking carelessly.”
“Let it go. Causing a scene will only hurt us.”
“But...”
“I said stop.”
Ilea’s veil curled slightly. She was biting down on her lip.
‘What has gotten into her? Why is she acting so emotional?’
It was unlike her.
Hakain spoke.
“It seems I must have made some other mistake. I sincerely apologize. But if you insist on killing me, I won’t just stand still either. Be prepared to lose a wrist.”
Ilea stared at him before taking a deep breath.
“I’ll step back for now, with the patience of a monk. We’ll settle this next time.”
All the turbulent Mana around her vanished.
Hakain wiped away his cold sweat.
“I have no intention of meeting you again.”
“You never know what life will bring.”
Johan and Ilea started walking.
As he watched their backs, Hakain muttered to himself.
“Is he some cherished disciple of hers? Whatever he is, that took ten years off my life.”
* * *
The city of Beldana was still full of life. Its streets were crowded with busy people, and its markets were packed.
Merchant ships poured in through the canals like waves.
The incident in the Shadow Realm had not affected Beldana at all.
The world in the shadows and the world in the light were separate.
Most people in the light lived without even knowing the shadows existed.
Thanks to that, Johan and Ilea were able to leave the city without trouble.
At the foot of a deep mountain, Ilea lowered her veil and spoke.
“You must have felt stifled, right? No one is following us, so I think you can take off your hood now.”
Johan threw back his hood.
“What about you?”
Ilea was still wearing hers.
“I have no clothes underneath.”
Come to think of it, Ilea had given her clothes to some woman at the entrance to the Shadow Realm.
She was naked beneath that hood.
Johan spoke expressionlessly.
“You’ve shown me a lot of new sides of yourself these past few days.”
She had helped a woman she had never met before, someone who had been abused by a Mage.
It was probably out of sympathy.
That emotion did not suit a Witch very well.
“Maybe it’s because I’m at that age. You know how people say that when you enter your teens, you get confused while trying to find yourself?”
Johan snorted.
“That period is called puberty. So Witches go through puberty too.”
The younger children at the orphanage used to act unlike themselves when they reached around Ilea’s age.
Johan was familiar with it.
“Puberty? I’ve never heard that before.”
“Your emotional agitation earlier was probably because of puberty too.”
“What do you mean?”
“What happened with Hakain earlier.”
Ilea immediately shook her head.
“That was different. Hakain touched my reverse scale. Regardless of puberty, it was a situation where I had no choice but to be angry.”
Johan looked puzzled.
“Your reverse scale?”
“You. Hakain threatened your life.”
Hakain had intended to use Johan against Ilea.
To Ilea, that had been deeply unpleasant.
Johan fell into thought for a moment.
He was trying to infer her feelings in his own way.
Then he said,
“...You certainly had reason to be upset. My life is directly connected to yours.”
If Johan died, Ilea would die as well.
Johan truly was Ilea’s reverse scale.
Ilea stared directly into Johan’s eyes.
“Aren’t you usually perceptive?”
“Well, no one has ever called me unperceptive.”
“Not this time. If someone heard our conversation, they’d probably say you have no clue.”
Johan narrowed his brow slightly.
“What does that mean?”
“It’s nothing.”
Her tone was needlessly sulky.
Even that reminded him of the younger children at the orphanage.
Without realizing it, Johan tousled Ilea’s hair.
“You really are going through puberty.”
Ilea stiffened slightly. Her cheeks flushed a little.
“W-What is this all of a sudden?”
Johan’s hand stopped.
“Sorry. I did it without thinking.”
He took a few steps back.
A shadow had fallen over his expression.
Belzarak’s illusion had come back to him.
“Big brother, could you stop touching me? Honestly, it makes me sick. I’m scared it’ll rub off on me and I won’t awaken either. Please disappear from my life. I’m begging you.”
He knew it had been an illusion, but for some reason, those words had lodged themselves in a corner of his heart.
When Johan’s expression darkened, Ilea looked worried.
“Johan, what’s wrong? Are you okay?”
“It’s nothing.”
Ilea watched him quietly, then smiled with her eyes.
“Then keep doing it. I like this.”
She took Johan’s hand and placed it on top of her head.
Her small hand gently stroked her silver hair.
Ilea smiled happily.
Johan cleared his throat and pulled his hand away.
“The sun is setting.”
“What does the sun have to do with anything all of a sudden?”
“It’s time to move. We need to get back to the territory quickly.”
The two had been waiting for nightfall.
Flying in demon form at night was much faster than riding through the day.
With the Authority of Nightfall Immersion, there was no risk of revealing their presence.
Ilea spoke in a deflated voice.
“That’s disappointing.”
The moment she finished speaking, the sun completely set.
A pitch-black demon appeared. Spreading his wings, he said,
“I’ll stroke your hair as much as you want. For now, let’s go back.”
A little pampering was easy enough to indulge.
After all, he had received so much from her.
Ilea beamed.
“You have to keep that promise.”
She climbed onto her broom.
The two immediately rose into the night sky.
* * *
The second floor of the Shadow Realm had the atmosphere of a house of mourning.
Everyone gathered there either sighed or swallowed groans.
Their minds were filled with questions and worry.
First, there was the matter of the Apostle. They had no idea where Mapheltan had gone after descending.
Even the Apostle’s purpose for manifesting in this land was unknown.
Why had he answered the summoning?
The Cult of the Evil God needed to learn the truth before it could decide how to proceed.
If they could serve Mapheltan as a god, betraying the Count’s household would hardly matter.
The Cult of the Evil God held no loyalty toward the Count’s household.
The two factions were merely bound together by mutual interests.
Of course, they could not abandon the Count immediately.
They did not know the relationship between the Apostle and the Count.
The Cult of the Evil God did not even know what had happened in the secret chamber on the third floor.
What on earth had happened inside?
Everything was a question.
For now, they could not even confirm whether the Count was alive.
There was no way to enter the secret chamber.
No one there could handle Belzarak.
Only an elder from the Cult of the Evil God’s main church could resist Belzarak, even briefly.
A message had already been sent to the main church.
It would take at least a full day for an elder to reach the Shadow Realm.
Until then, everyone in the Shadow Realm could do nothing but wait.
Hakain dropped heavily into a chair.
“We have to wait. What else can we do?”
He sank into thought.
If the Count fell like this, Hakain would need to find another way to survive.
At the very least, he would have to leave Beldana.
Perhaps it would be better to act now.
Just as he seriously considered fleeing, someone cried out.
“Y-Your Excellency! Are you all right?!”
The Count was slowly walking out of the secret chamber.
The Count looked as dignified as always.
The Count’s clothing was immaculate, and their expression was calm.
There was not the slightest sign of emotional agitation.
Hakain rose and clapped slowly.
“As expected of Your Excellency. You faced an Apostle and remain unharmed.”
The Count adjusted his white hair and spoke.
“There was no Apostle.”
Confusion crossed the faces of several Cult members.
Hakain opened his mouth.
“That cannot be. We received a report that an Apostle entered the third floor.”
“I heard the same, but there was only a boy and a girl. Belzarak had disappeared as well.”
Murmur, murmur.
Unease spread among the followers.
Hakain spoke.
“...Did you see their faces? Especially the Mage’s.”
“And if I did?”
“I would like to know their appearances.”
Hakain had no choice but to avoid that Mage for the rest of his life.
“See them with your own eyes.”
“Pardon? What do you mean?”
“I am going to meet those two right now. You will accompany me.”
Hakain forced a smile.
“Ha ha, I’m sorry, but I will not be of any help.”
“Whether you are useful or not is for me to decide.”
“W-Well, there are circumstances...”
The Count cut Hakain off.
“Stop complaining and follow me.”
The Count intended to visit the Myatro territory with only Hakain.
Hakain alone would be enough as an escort.
The Count immediately started walking.
Hakain followed behind him with the expression of a man being led to the slaughterhouse.
‘I’m completely ruined.’
The Mage’s words came back to him.
“I’ll step back for now, with the patience of a monk. We’ll settle this next time.”
He had never imagined that “next time” would come so soon.
His head began to throb.
* * *
There was nothing to do for the time being.
He could truly rest for a few days.
For now, Johan planned to sleep all day.
He needed to recover.
For the first time in a while, he lay down in a bed.
The moment he closed his eyes, drowsiness swept over him.
Just as he was falling asleep, someone threw open the door.
Johan shot an irritated look toward it.
“Couldn’t you at least knock?”
Gaf spoke.
“I knocked several times, but you didn’t wake up.”
It seemed he had already fallen asleep.
Johan sighed.
“So, what is it? If it isn’t important, come back later.”
“The Count is here.”
Confusion appeared on Johan’s face.
‘Already?’
It had not even been two days since Johan arrived in the Myatro territory.
There was no physical way the Count could have arrived already.
Unless the Count had flown here like Johan, there was no explanation.
Johan let out a hollow laugh.
“I don’t understand. Are you sure?”
“The Count is waiting in the reception room. Go down and see for yourself.”
Johan stared at the ceiling for a moment.
It felt as if someone was deliberately driving him to his limit.
‘This is exhausting. Truly.’
He sat up.
“...Fine. Let’s go.”
Rest was a luxury in his fate.
Johan immediately headed to the reception room.
Ilea and the Count were already sharing tea.
The moment the Count saw Johan, the Count said,
“I will accept all of your conditions. In exchange, please grant me one request.”
Join our discord at https://dsc.gg/wetried
