WeTried Translations
Translator/Editor: Hydrogen B
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◈ Whispers of a Scheming Demon ◈
Chapter 98: Decision
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On average, it took two years to open one’s Dantian.
That was only if one possessed some degree of talent.
Those with little talent often failed to awaken Aura even after training their entire lives.
Even a genius needed at least a year of training to open their Dantian.
Shaperia was different.
She had released Aura in just one day.
She had not merely opened her Dantian. She had drawn Aura outside her body.
Johan could hardly believe it.
Uncharacteristically, he stammered.
“C-Could you try it again?”
He intended to confirm it once more.
“Of course.”
Shaperia closed her eyes. Her grip tightened around her sword. The tip of the blade trembled faintly.
At the same time, transparent ripples spread in every direction.
Johan’s hair fluttered.
He could no longer deny reality.
‘She is a genius.’
No, even that description was insufficient.
Shaperia possessed talent comparable to an ancient God of War.
She was truly beyond even the heavens.
A hollow laugh escaped Johan’s lips.
“My lady is truly... astounding.”
He was sincerely impressed. He did not even feel jealous.
Shaperia scratched her cheek, looking embarrassed.
“I am relieved that you are pleased.”
Johan calmed himself as best he could.
His expression settled as he spoke.
“However, Lady Shaperia, where did you learn how to open your Dantian?”
There was a specific method to Aura training.
One could not open their Dantian through their own efforts alone, without a manual or teacher.
Even Shaperia could not have done so.
Shaperia looked toward the office window.
In the small training ground outside, Gaf was sitting cross-legged, nearly naked.
Shaperia looked at him as she spoke.
“The captain of the guard was training in Aura. I stayed beside him and persistently asked how to do it.”
Gaf had recently been focusing on activating his Energy Channels.
It was because of Johan’s order.
Johan had told him that he would find a replacement for his ruined Dantian, so he should resume Aura training.
Johan muttered quietly.
“Gaf, that bastard did something useful.”
Without Gaf, Shaperia’s talent might have gone to waste.
She would have been corrupted into a demon by Johan.
Naturally, Shaperia would not have been able to use Aura if she became a demon.
She looked puzzled.
“I did not quite hear you. What did you say?”
Johan shook his head.
“It was nothing. More importantly, Lady Shaperia, my sincere congratulations. You have proven that your talents are unmatched. You lack nothing as a knight.”
Shaperia’s face brightened.
Her voice trembled with anticipation.
“D-Does that mean...?”
Johan nodded.
“As the head of House Myatro, I recognize your knight’s oath.”
Shaperia immediately went down on one knee and held out her sword with both hands.
“I offer this sword to the Watcher of Narak. Even if its blade dulls, my loyalty and oath will never rust.”
Johan rose from his seat and accepted the sword.
He gently placed the blade against Shaperia’s shoulder.
“From this moment onward, you are my sword and the guardian of Narak. Protect this territory with all your strength, and watch over Narak.”
Shaperia lowered her head.
“I shall obey your command with body and soul.”
Johan withdrew the sword from Shaperia’s shoulder.
He returned to his seat and began writing something on parchment.
He was drafting an official knight appointment letter.
Once this letter was sent to the Royal Capital, Shaperia would become a knight officially recognized by the Kingdom.
Her social status did not matter.
As a member of the Council, Johan possessed the authority to appoint knights.
Having received her appointment from him, Shaperia was no longer a commoner.
She would hold a rank just below that of a baron.
When Johan finished writing, he spoke.
“Shaperia, I grant you the power of summary judgment over every matter that occurs within this territory. The moment you discover anything that may threaten the territory, including bandits and heretics, act first and report afterward.”
Lesser Evil Spirits and bandits currently filled the south.
The Myatro dependent fiefs had suffered considerable damage because of them.
Shaperia would be more than capable of dealing with those nuisances.
Her voice shook slightly.
“...I will obey.”
Shaperia still could not fully believe that she had become a knight.
Johan spoke.
“I will provide you with troops immediately. Sweep through the borderlands. This is your first mission.”
He intended to send Shaperia outside for a while.
It was still difficult for her to remain with him in the lord’s castle.
There was too much to hide.
Shaperia was Johan’s knight, but she was not Mapheltan’s bondservant.
The moment she encountered anything related to Mapheltan, an extremely awkward situation would arise.
For the time being, Johan had to keep Shaperia away from the lord’s castle.
Shaperia looked puzzled.
“If I leave now, what will happen to His Highness?”
Shaperia was necessary for Gawain’s treatment.
Now, however, the situation had changed completely.
He could not expend someone as talented as Shaperia as a mere sacrifice.
Johan spoke.
“I have found another solution. You should focus on your own duties.”
It was a lie. He still had to think of one.
Shaperia did not question him. She simply seemed convinced.
“...Understood. I will obey your command and patrol the territory.”
Johan nodded.
“Root out every evil infesting this territory. Do not return until you have done so.”
The Myatro territory was extremely vast.
Shaperia would likely patrol the borderlands for quite some time.
That would be enough time to deal with most of the problems before him.
Shaperia rose from her kneeling position.
“Should I leave immediately?”
“Go find Gaf in about an hour. He will prepare the supplies you need.”
Shaperia lowered her head.
“I will do so.”
“You may leave now. I will see you again before your departure.”
After saluting with her sword, Shaperia left the office.
Hakain, who had been beside him, spoke.
“Congratulations, Baron. You have acquired quite a monster.”
“Well, that is true.”
The problem was Gawain. No way to deal with him came to mind.
Hakain cautiously opened his mouth.
“Gawain, His Highness the Third Prince. Is he truly that important?”
Gawain would one day become humanity’s central figure.
Johan intended to manipulate him from behind the scenes and gather every power on the continent under one banner.
If Gawain became corrupted into a demon, that plan would turn to dust.
Johan would have to find another piece for the board.
‘...Is there anyone else?’
Someone who possessed strength as overwhelmingly transcendent as Gawain’s, yet could spread a positive influence. Johan could not think of anyone.
Johan clicked his tongue.
“He is important. Very important, but...”
* * *
In the lord’s castle’s Forbidden Archive, Johan tore away the talismans plastered across Gawain’s face.
Gawain’s face was revealed.
He spoke in a dying voice.
“...Johan Myatro. What exactly do you want from me? Speak. Hurry.”
Perhaps because he had neither eaten nor slept for days, Gawain’s presence had weakened considerably.
Johan let out a long sigh.
“What I want? If I tell you, can you accept all my demands?”
Killing intent passed through Gawain’s eyes.
Before long, resignation replaced his hostility.
“Let’s hear what you have to say first. Why are you doing this to me?”
Johan had imprisoned Gawain without offering any explanation. He had not even killed him.
Gawain was frustrated to the point of madness.
Johan spoke.
“You will soon turn into a demon. It is the truth, without a trace of falsehood.”
Johan’s gaze was calm.
Gawain felt a strange sense of trust.
Johan’s words did not sound like a lie.
“You said something similar before. Why would I become a demon?”
Johan replied evenly.
“The Holy Spear Espada engraved upon your soul has been corrupted into the Evil Spear. As a side effect, you are being consumed by corruption. Do you know the story of Zepeto, the specter of the duchy?”
In the past, someone named Zepeto had suffered the same phenomenon Gawain was experiencing now.
In the end, Zepeto could not be healed and became an Evil Spirit.
Zepeto, the specter of the duchy. It was a well-known tale.
Naturally, Gawain knew it as well.
His eyes wavered slightly.
“...Espada was corrupted? Then bring me proof.”
Johan nodded.
“See it with your own eyes. The time has come.”
The moment he finished speaking, Johan’s form dispersed.
Black Demonic Energy swirled where he had vanished.
The black mist soon began to take shape.
Gawain’s pupils widened.
He cried out as though having a seizure.
“Y-You!”
A vicious being stood before Gawain.
White Horn. The Thirteenth Apostle of the End.
Mapheltan slowly opened his mouth.
“It has been a long time, Gawain.”
Gawain began trembling violently.
His body shone pure white.
Holy Power slowly seeped through the restraints.
Mapheltan widened the distance between them.
‘Does he still have strength left?’
If so, he needed to leave this place.
That Holy Power was far too deadly to demons.
Mapheltan watched the situation for a moment.
The radiance began to fade.
Gawain, who had been convulsing, settled down again.
It seemed his stamina had finally run out.
It was only natural.
Since fighting Ilea, Gawain had not been given time to recover.
He was completely exhausted.
He was human, after all.
Gawain looked weakly at Mapheltan. Only hostility remained in his unfocused eyes.
“...What exactly are you?”
Mapheltan answered calmly.
“I am the Watcher of Narak and the Thirteenth Apostle of the End. It may sound like wordplay, but it is true.”
Gawain stared blankly at Mapheltan.
Silence lingered for a while.
Then Gawain suddenly burst into hollow laughter. His empty laughter echoed through the Forbidden Archive.
“Ah, ah! So that was what happened! You really did take my spear! The darkness I saw then was you!”
Previously, Gawain had tried to retrieve the Holy Spear, only for blood to pour from all over his body and for him to lose consciousness.
The unknown being he had encountered then had been Mapheltan.
Pitch-black darkness began condensing in Mapheltan’s hand.
“That is right. I corrupted your spear into the Evil Spear.”
Mapheltan held an ominous, massive spear.
After laughing for some time, Gawain coughed repeatedly.
Suppressing his emotions, he spoke.
“...Now the pieces fit together. You were deceiving everyone. And I stupidly walked into the tiger’s den on my own.”
Mapheltan shrugged.
“Thanks to that, we can now speak openly about every secret. Well, do not blame yourself too much.”
Gawain let out a bitter laugh.
“Fine. Since things have come to this, let us speak frankly. White Horn, what exactly do you want?”
He was more straightforward than Mapheltan had expected.
Mapheltan stretched his lips into a wide smile.
“Become a demon. Fall into corruption and live as my bondservant.”
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