WeTried Translations

Translator/Editor: Hydrogen B

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◈ Whispers of a Scheming Demon ◈

Chapter 9: The Witch

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“How interesting.”

Ilea’s voice settled over the room. It had gone cold. So cold that it sent a chill down his spine.

Raguel could not speak. It was because of her expression. Though he could not see it, it was easy to imagine. Her beautiful face must have been terribly twisted.

“...A witch.”

As Ilea savored the word, her trailing voice seemed to press down on Raguel. At least, that was how the boy felt.

He grew anxious.

He wanted to change the mood somehow.

“I-I’m sorry. I didn’t mean to...”

“I don’t like that.”

Her voice was completely different from before.

“I won’t accept your apology. You’ve already hurt my feelings.”

It sounded youthful and sweet. The frigid air vanished in an instant.

“I-Ilea...?”

Raguel could not hide his confusion. It was difficult to keep up with the sudden shift in mood.

“So you knew my name. When you shouted ‘witch’ at me, I thought you didn’t.”

Her words barely registered.

Raguel was flustered, and another thought had seized his mind.

Ilea’s sudden request. Introduce his friend? It was too out of the blue. They were not close enough to have such a conversation, and Raguel did not have friends.

He was the very definition of a loner. Everyone in the castle would agree, so there was no way Ilea did not know.

“What are you thinking so hard about?”

His thoughts broke off.

Then she added in a gentle voice,

“You don’t seem afraid, even with a witch before you.”

At the word witch, the boy flinched. His lips began to move soundlessly.

“If you’re curious about anything, you may ask. I’ll answer you sincerely.”

After hesitating, Raguel steeled himself. He sat up from where he had been lying, took a deep breath, and spoke.

“Ilea, I absolutely don’t mean to insult you.”

“That’s quite a tense opening. Please, speak freely.”

“I-I really am only asking just in case. Um...”

As he trailed off, Ilea let out a small sigh.

“Yes, that’s right.”

“W-what is?”

“I’m a witch.”

She added calmly,

“And you’re a contractor, Young Master.”

At that moment, footsteps sounded.

Ilea turned around. A huge man wearing leather armor stood at the doorway.

“It’s good to see you again, sir.”

It was Gaf.

His gaze shook as he looked at Ilea.

Ilea slowly rose from her chair.

“A guest has arrived, so I should be going.”

Raguel could not respond at all. He only sat rigidly, frozen in shock.

Ilea smiled gently at the boy.

“We can finish the rest of our conversation later. It was enjoyable.”

Then she turned away.

Just as she passed Gaf, her steps abruptly stopped.

Waaah.

A baby cried.

Panic flickered across Gaf’s face. Has that demon bastard lost his mind? He could not understand why Johan was drawing attention to himself.

Waaah.

Ilea turned her head. She was staring at Gaf’s cloak.

The mercenary reacted swiftly as well. He twisted at the waist to face Ilea, trying to hide it.

Gaf smiled awkwardly.

“Sometimes I return to my childhood.”

Waaah.

“Perhaps that’s the voice of your heart.”

“I’ve been learning ventriloquism lately.”

“You’ll need a doll, then.”

“Haha, well...”

Ilea clapped her hands dramatically.

“Oh, is that it?”

A baby was peeking out from within Gaf’s cloak.

Waaah.

“How adorable.”

Gaf swallowed a groan.

“May I take a look?”

There was no longer any way to evade her. With a troubled expression, he said,

“Ilea, no. This child is...”

Ilea’s smile disappeared.

“I need to see.”

Her expression had become stiff as wax. It was such an unfamiliar sight that Gaf hesitated for a moment.

In that time, Ilea approached the baby.

Only the small face was visible. The baby appeared to be secured to Gaf’s back, likely tied there with straps or cords.

She gave a kind smile.

“Hello.”

After greeting the baby, she whispered beside its ear.

“I’m your big sister, whether you’re a boy or a girl.”

The baby only looked at her and showed no particular reaction.

Ilea poked the baby’s cheek with her index finger.

It was neither dry and rough like a doll nor hard like a demon. It was simply plump and soft, an ordinary sensation.

With an odd expression, she murmured,

“What a cute, pretty baby. So very ordinary.”

Gaf stepped back.

“You’ve seen enough, haven’t you?”

Ilea nodded.

“I’ve seen enough.”

Then she slightly lowered her head.

“It was an impertinent request. Thank you for granting it.”

Gaf looked down at his daughter with a complicated expression. After a moment, he turned away.

“I should be going now.”

Ilea pointed toward Raguel’s room.

“Isn’t it this way?”

“I took a wrong turn. I’m not familiar with the layout yet.”

Gaf walked back down the corridor he had come from. Today, he would not be leaving Johan in Raguel’s room.

Something about it felt wrong.

Ilea watched Gaf walk away.

‘A blind man, a baby, and a mercenary. What a strange combination, Father.’

* * *

“Holy Hero Kazan said to Zepeto, the duchy’s specter, ‘I understand your desire for revenge. I, too, was once consumed by resentment and spilled innocent blood. In the end, only regret remained. Do not walk the same path as I did. I beg you.’ Zepeto cackled.”

The demon’s reading echoed through the study.

“He... a pitch-black blade toward Kazan...”

Thud.

Johan closed the book he had been reading. Sitting at the round table, he looked down at Raguel.

“You can’t focus at all.”

The boy, stung by the remark, sighed.

“I keep thinking about yesterday.”

“Didn’t I tell you? You have no particular reason to worry about it.”

“She found out I’m a contractor. How can I not worry?”

“It was bound to happen eventually. You can’t deceive a witch’s eyes.”

After hesitating for a while, Raguel spoke.

“...Is she really a witch?”

“As I’ve told you many times, she is.”

“I don’t understand.”

Witches were a vanished race.

Fifty years had already passed since Rahel, called the last witch, had disappeared.

They had been powerful, but before the Empire’s overwhelming violence, they had been crushed like ants.

That was how the last of the minority races fell.

Now, only humans and demons remained in this world. They were the only sentient races.

And yet, a witch? It was hard to believe.

Johan spoke.

“If I wanted you to understand, talking day and night wouldn’t be enough. Just remember one thing. Ilea is the last witch.”

Raguel said with a sullen expression,

“But I want to hear it.”

“I don’t want to tell you. It’s troublesome.”

A silent battle of nerves followed. Raguel’s shoulders drooped as if he had given up.

“Yes, well. A demon who knows everything wouldn’t care about my curiosity.”

Johan snickered.

“Indeed. Whether you’re curious or not, I have no interest.”

Just as Johan was about to open the book again, Raguel spoke.

“Then just one question.”

Johan clicked his tongue.

“Make it quick.”

“Ilea can use magic, then?”

“That’s obvious.”

Raguel stammered in surprise.

“Th-then she has a demon under her command...”

Johan was rather impressed.

“How do you know that?”

“I read it in a book. Witches command demons, plunder their demonic energy, and convert it into mana.”

“It seems even this study contains forbidden books. If you go around saying things like that, the Inquisition will drag you away.”

Raguel swallowed dryly.

Johan added,

“Anyway, you’re right.”

Ilea likely had a slave under her command.

Raguel nodded as if he understood.

“Then that explains why she noticed the contract.”

“The demon under her command must have told her. Or perhaps she saw through it herself.”

In truth, it was both.

“Wait. Didn’t Johan meet Ilea yesterday too?”

“In front of your room.”

“Then she must have discovered that you’re a half-demon.”

That was unclear. This was also why Johan, in his infant state, had deliberately drawn Ilea’s attention.

Could she truly see through his nature? There was no way to know without testing it. No half-breed in the original story could shift between human and demon.

In short, there was no precedent.

Johan murmured,

“She didn’t seem to know. At least, not yet.”

“That’s fortunate.”

“Why?”

“Because witches are demons’ natural enemies.”

“In a way, they have a symbiotic relationship.”

Raguel asked with a puzzled expression,

“Do you perhaps want Ilea to command you, Johan?”

Thinking about it, that seemed likely. Though Ilea had discovered that Raguel was a contractor, Johan had not treated it as a serious matter.

He had acted as though whatever happened, happened. Ilea might trace things back through Raguel and discover Johan as well, yet the demon remained calm.

That was how it appeared to Raguel.

There could only be one reason.

Johan wanted to be commanded.

Johan let out a disbelieving laugh.

“By that little girl?”

Raguel carefully said,

“...But Johan is tiny and young as well, aren’t you?”

“You damned brat. This small body contains the knowledge of all ages. I’m not so shallow that I’d be swayed by a young girl.”

Johan paused before continuing.

“Besides, my time as an imp is over.”

He looked down at the floor of the study.

A massive spell formation had been drawn there. A Corruptive Formation built with black blood. It was an altar meant to corrupt a sacred relic.

Johan had copied it from a spellbook brought from the Forbidden Archive.

Because it used demonic blood, he had fainted several times from blood loss, but the result had been satisfactory.

After countless trials and errors, the perfect Corruptive Formation had been completed.

Now he could leave his fledgling stage behind.

The moment he defiled Kazan’s Ring, Johan would evolve.

Raguel swallowed a groan.

“I don’t know what it is, but it seems you’re planning something bad again.”

The blind boy could not see the Corruptive Formation.

“Nothing more than a minor evil.”

Raguel considered asking how there could be degrees of evil, but stopped himself. Few things could be more foolish than debating morality with a demon.

“Anyway, I need a witch to finish this. Since I must meet her eventually, why bother hiding my identity?”

Mana was needed to activate the Corruptive Formation.

Johan would need to procure a mage or a witch.

Both were rare.

Mages worshipped demons and were considered major criminals in this world. Since they hid deep in the shadows, Johan could not find one at present.

Witches were even rarer.

There was only one in the world. Coincidentally, she was nearby.

Johan would have to make use of her.

Raguel’s expression darkened.

“I have no idea what you’re plotting that requires a witch.”

“That’s not all.”

“Pardon?”

Three conditions were required to corrupt a sacred relic.

The first, the formation itself, and the second, mana, were more or less prepared.

Only the third had not yet been secured.

After thinking for a moment, Johan spoke.

“Raguel, let me ask you one question as well.”

His voice was lower than before.

It sounded ominous for no particular reason. Though slightly uneasy, Raguel nodded.

“...Yes, anything.”

The demon’s red eyes flashed.

“Is there a human you want to kill, or one who must die?”

The third condition required a human sacrifice.

“Choose one from within this castle.”

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