Whispers of a Scheming Demon - Chapter 89

WeTried Translations

Translator/Editor: Hydrogen B

Discord: https://dsc.gg/wetried

◈ Whispers of a Scheming Demon ◈

Chapter 89: Battle (1)

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Gawain spoke in a cold voice.

“What exactly do you want from me, Lord Johan?”

Johan’s change in attitude was deeply unsettling to him.

Johan, who had always shown him goodwill, had suddenly turned cold.

He seemed like one of the old monsters in the royal capital after casting aside the mask they had worn.

Johan slowly opened his mouth.

“I merely wish to help Your Highness.”

Wariness appeared on Gawain’s face.

“You knew the full truth behind the attack on the Third Prince’s palace, yet you joined hands with the Count. You sided with my sworn enemy. And now you say you wish to help me? It truly makes no sense.”

Johan’s expression remained calm.

“Your Highness, as I said before, there are no eternal enemies or allies in politics. The Count and I are merely using each other. Our relationship will eventually fall apart.”

Gawain gave a hollow laugh.

“In short, your claim that you wish to help me is a lie. I assume you simply wish to use me as a political means of pressuring the Count.”

The Count had once attacked royalty. It was a terrible crime.

The moment the truth became known, House Staviana would inevitably fall.

Gawain himself was the evidence of that crime.

If Johan handled Gawain well, he could easily pressure the Count.

Johan raised the corner of his mouth.

“Correct. As expected, Your Highness understands me well. I need Your Highness, and someday, my strength will be of great help to you as well. Please join me.”

Gawain spoke stiffly.

“I understand why you need me. But what about the other way around? What can you give me?”

“A good question. I will help Your Highness take revenge. Furthermore, I will restore the throne you lost.”

“The throne I lost, surely you do not mean...”

Johan nodded.

“You will become Crown Prince once more and rule as king in the future.”

Confusion filled Gawain’s face.

He fell silent for a moment. Then, after calming himself, he spoke.

“I have no intention of becoming king. Putting that aside, what gives you the confidence to talk about helping me take revenge and making me Crown Prince? You are saying nothing but pretty words. I did not know you were such a shameless braggart.”

Johan’s expression grew calm and serious.

He spoke in a low voice.

“Your Highness, do my words truly sound like empty boasting to you?”

There was an inexplicable force in Johan’s expression and tone.

“Anyone would think so...”

“Look at what I have accomplished. From the moment I arrived, I achieved many things. I protected House Myatro from the Count, and now I have brought the house into the Kingdom Council. I restored a fallen house in less than a year. Do I truly seem like a braggart in Your Highness’s eyes?”

Johan was an exceptional talent by anyone’s standards. Though not yet twenty, he had already built up considerable achievements.

Anyone who spoke with Johan could sense that he was special.

Even Gawain could not deny Johan’s ability.

Gawain spoke.

“Yes, you are right. You have shown me enough that I must acknowledge your ability. But trust is different. I cannot trust you. The moment I take your hand, I feel as though you will drag me over a cliff.”

Johan opened his mouth.

“If you cannot trust me, then we need only use each other.”

“As you said yourself, such a relationship is bound to fall apart eventually. It is a connection I do not even wish to begin.”

“You fear me. You fear being used and discarded.”

Gawain nodded.

“That is right. People like you are the ones I must be most wary of. You act solely according to your interests.”

Johan clicked his tongue.

“Do you seek only those loyal to you? Then awaken from your dream. This world is not a fairy tale. It is full of people like me. If you exclude them all, you will accomplish nothing. Forget revenge, you will not even be able to protect your own life.”

Gawain spoke calmly.

“I will keep your advice in mind, but I have my own way of doing things. I do not believe I can work with you. It was an enjoyable conversation. I should be going now.”

He wanted no further conversation.

Gawain rose from his seat.

A shadow fell over Johan’s face.

“If you leave now, Your Highness will surely regret it.”

Gawain gave a hollow laugh.

“Why? Will Lord Johan send assassins after me like the Count did?”

“There will be no need for such trouble. Your Highness will soon be executed by the Great Saint Church.”

Gawain was being corrupted by the Dread Spear Turabak.

If the Great Saint Church learned that, Gawain would never survive.

It was only a matter of time before he was discovered.

Gawain frowned.

“...Lord Johan, what are you suddenly talking about?”

“Your Highness will become a demon before long. You have contracted such an illness. Only I can help you.”

Gawain was dumbfounded.

“Ha! Now I see. You truly are a pathological liar. I judged you wrongly.”

Johan continued without concern.

“Please receive treatment in this castle. It is the only way Your Highness can survive.”

Anger rose on Gawain’s face.

He spoke while barely restraining it.

“Lord Johan, let us never meet again. I will be leaving now, so there is no need to see me out.”

Gawain turned and headed for the door.

At the same time, his steps abruptly stopped.

His expression stiffened.

Johan wiped his mouth with a napkin and rose from his seat.

“Your Highness cannot leave this castle.”

Gawain slowly turned his head toward Johan.

Creak, squeak.

His movements were deeply unnatural.

He was like an ungreased machine.

Gawain struggled to open his mouth.

“W-What have you done to me...?”

The dining room door slowly opened.

A silver-haired girl walked inside with a smile.

“I put a little something in the soup.”

She snapped her fingers.

Immediately, Gawain’s heart beat heavily.

Blood raced through his entire body at a terrifying speed.

Every vein stood out beneath his skin.

Dense blue Mana flowed through his veins along with his blood.

Gawain’s body flashed with light.

Horrific pain struck him.

It felt as though he were being engulfed in flames.

Gawain could not even scream.

He could only glare at Johan with hatred in his eyes.

“Khh, hrrrgh.”

Johan spoke.

“Please endure it a little longer. This is all for Your Highness.”

Gawain slowly raised an arm. Even in his extreme pain, he showed his intent to attack.

Ilea looked at Johan.

“Johan, His Highness will break free soon. Please leave the dining room before then.”

Poison in the soup could not subdue Gawain.

He would quickly purge the poison from his body.

Then he would immediately try to kill Johan.

Johan nodded.

“I will deal with the Royal Guard. I leave Gawain to you.”

Getting caught in the battle between Ilea and Gawain alone could cost him his life.

Johan immediately left the dining room.

* * *

The knight Yuri, captain of the Third Prince’s Royal Guard, sat atop the castle wall and looked down at the lord’s castle.

The atmosphere of the castle changed sharply the moment night fell.

The ancient castle gave off an ominous air.

Moonlight streamed over the old spires, and warped shadows blanketed the ground.

An icy chill rose from a deep well within the castle.

The wind sounded like the wails of ghosts.

Goosebumps rose across Yuri’s body.

She felt uneasy for no particular reason.

“...Hm.”

Her lord, Third Prince Gawain, was staying in that castle. He had entered enemy territory alone.

Yuri knew well about the relationship between the Count and Johan, so she could not feel at ease.

As she was consumed by worry, an adjutant approached and spoke.

“Captain, if you are going to worry this much, why did you let His Highness go in alone?”

Yuri sighed.

“What could I do when he told me not to accompany him? It is not as though I can break that stubbornness of his.”

Gawain always kept the Royal Guard at a distance. He found them bothersome.

The adjutant burst out laughing.

“If I remember correctly, His Highness also told us not to keep watch over him.”

Yuri looked uncomfortable.

“This is not surveillance. It is protection. Protection.”

“No, it is obsession. Obsession. To put it plainly, how many beings in this world can even harm His Highness?”

Gawain was a monster. He did not truly need protection.

Yuri spoke.

“You fool, I am not trying to protect His Highness right now.”

“Then what are you doing?”

“I am protecting that house from His Highness.”

“What in the world does that mean?”

The Count was Gawain’s enemy, and Johan was on the Count’s side.

Johan and Gawain might clash if things went wrong.

There was a chance that clash would lead to Gawain losing control.

If such a situation occurred, House Myatro would disappear from the map.

Naturally, Gawain would not escape punishment either.

He would have to pay the price for killing the Watcher of Narak, and a member of the Council at that.

Protecting House Myatro was the same as protecting Gawain.

Yuri waved a hand at the adjutant.

“My mouth only hurts from trying to explain it. Go drink some more.”

The adjutant grinned slyly.

“Captain, you should stop and withdraw too. His Highness is grown up now. He will soon have his coming-of-age ceremony. Must you keep him wrapped in your skirts?”

Yuri shot the adjutant a fierce glare.

“Say one more word.”

The adjutant raised both hands and stepped back.

“Then I shall disappear. Pretty ladies are waiting for me in the village. Ha ha!”

The adjutant leaped down from the castle wall.

Yuri looked toward the lord’s castle once more.

The Yin Energy surrounding the castle had become even denser.

The mist around the spires looked like Demonic Energy.

“Is it just my imagination? Why do I feel so uneasy?”

She slapped both cheeks.

Her mind cleared, but her unease did not fade in the slightest.

Instead, an even greater tension washed over her.