Chapter 117
The Uninvited Guest
The sun would soon set when a guest arrived.
He had been sent by the House of Marquis Leonar—and he was an uninvited guest.
He had come to someone else’s home late in the day without any prior notice.
Naturally, the owner of the house could hardly welcome such behavior. Someone particularly sensitive to etiquette might even feel insulted.
Johan, however, felt differently.
More than anything, he found the situation puzzling.
The House of Marquis Leonar had abandoned its own principles and planted a spy beside Johan.
Now, they had even forgotten their manners and chosen to impose upon him uninvited.
They were completely different from the House of Marquis Leonar depicted in the original novel.
Just what had turned those noble knights into petty schemers?
Johan wanted to resolve that question immediately.
He looked at Haman.
“How long until sunset?”
Haman answered uncertainly.
“I-I’m not entirely sure, but the sun should set within an hour.”
Johan turned his gaze toward the window.
Twilight was beginning to descend.
‘About thirty minutes, then.’
That was enough time for a brief discussion, as long as they stuck to the point.
Johan said to Haman,
“Escort our guest to the drawing room.”
Haman looked worried.
“...Will you be all right?”
He had spent the previous night at the manor.
The manor at night was unmistakably different from how it was during the day.
It felt eerie and sinister.
Perhaps, as the rumors claimed, Johan truly was researching forbidden sorcery at night.
Johan stared at Haman.
“What are you worried about? Are you afraid the Marquis might discover my true identity?”
Haman was visibly flustered.
“Y-Your true identity? What do you mean by—”
Johan chuckled.
“It was a joke. Don’t worry and show our guest in. Nothing will happen.”
Haman forced an awkward smile.
“Ha-ha. Then I shall do as you command.”
He immediately left the office.
Johan headed to the drawing room as well.
The moment he opened the door, a suit of dazzling golden armor seized his attention.
The emblem of a black lion emblazoned across its breastplate seemed to stare directly at him.
The knight’s gaze was every bit as imposing as the lion’s.
The knight inclined his head slightly toward Johan.
“It is an honor to meet the Watcher of Narak. I am Mamon Leonar, a knight of the Royal Guard.”
Since ancient times, the Leonar family had served no one but the royal family.
Any knight who bore the Leonar name inevitably belonged to the Crown.
Among them, the members of the Royal Guard prioritized the royal family even above their own house.
In other words, the knight before him had not come to visit Johan as a representative of House Leonar.
He had come to the Myatro baronial residence as a representative of the Crown.
Johan was somewhat taken aback.
‘The King sent someone to see me?’
The current King of Artelga was completely indifferent to politics.
He probably did not even know that the Watcher of Narak had arrived in the capital.
There was no reason for such a puppet king to take an interest in Johan.
Although Johan found the situation puzzling, he showed no sign of it.
“It is a pleasure to meet you, Sir Mamon. I am Johan Myatro. Please, take a seat.”
Following Johan’s invitation, the two sat across from each other at the table.
The knight spoke.
“Allow me to begin by apologizing. I have been discourteous by visiting at such a late hour. I am sorry.”
The young knight genuinely appeared apologetic.
His gaze trembled faintly.
‘Is he ashamed?’
Johan could not understand the knight’s behavior.
Visiting another person’s home so late was indeed discourteous, but it was hardly something that should make one writhe with shame.
If the matter was truly urgent, arriving without prior notice was perfectly understandable.
Moreover, the knight was here as a representative of the Crown.
No matter where he went, he was expected to act with confidence and dignity.
Yet there was nothing dignified about his current demeanor.
The knight could not conceal his shame.
There was likely another reason for it.
Johan spoke calmly.
“Not at all. If the Crown has paid me an unexpected visit, there must be a good reason for it. I understand, so please do not concern yourself too much.”
The knight swallowed heavily and stared at Johan.
His wavering eyes gradually settled.
A certain resolve appeared within them.
‘What is this?’
The knight slowly opened his mouth.
“...You are correct. There is a reason I came to see you at this hour.”
The atmosphere changed completely.
“Please, tell me.”
“It has already been more than three days since the Watcher arrived in the capital. Is that correct?”
“I believe it has been about that long.”
The knight’s gaze sharpened.
“Then why have you not sought an audience with His Majesty?”
Completely unexpected words left the knight’s mouth.
‘Why haven’t I met the King?’
The reason was simple.
The King was nothing more than a puppet.
Every decision in the kingdom was made by the Council, and the King approved whatever the Council decided without even reviewing its contents.
There was no reason for Johan to meet him.
Spending time with the King would truly be nothing but a waste.
Naturally, he could not say that to the knight before him.
Johan found himself briefly at a loss for words.
After considering his response for a moment, he spoke.
“I heard rumors concerning His Majesty’s illness. As I understand it, His Majesty is currently in no condition to attend to affairs of state.”
The knight replied,
“I am not speaking of affairs of state. As a noble of the kingdom and a member of the Council, the Watcher has a duty to seek an audience with His Majesty and inquire after his health whenever he visits the capital. Why, then, have you not once presented yourself before His Majesty?”
The knight’s argument was correct.
Even if the King was confined to his sickbed, Johan should at least have demonstrated his intention to meet him.
He ought to have given the King the option of refusing the meeting.
Instead, Johan had not considered the King at all.
He had thought that any time spent on the King would be a complete waste.
Johan said,
“It has not been long since I arrived in the capital, and I have been rather occupied. I will visit His Majesty soon, so please do not take offense.”
Johan had no intention of engaging in a contest of wills with the knight over the King.
He wanted to end the subject and move on to the main issue.
The sun would set soon.
The knight furrowed his brow.
“His Majesty is deeply displeased. Why not visit him immediately?”
Johan was overcome with suspicion.
He had assumed the knight was merely mentioning the royal audience to put him under psychological pressure before moving on to his real purpose.
His prediction had been wrong.
The knight’s true purpose was the royal audience itself.
Johan found it extremely strange.
There was no possibility that a king who found everything troublesome would want to meet Johan.
Even if Johan requested a private audience, the King would probably refuse.
Johan spoke calmly.
“His Majesty wishes to see me now?”
The knight nodded.
“That is correct. He commanded me to bring the Watcher of Narak to the royal palace as quickly as possible.”
It was nonsense.
The King would never give such an order.
Having read the original novel, Johan was certain of it.
He quietly examined the knight’s expression.
‘He doesn’t seem to be lying.’
Had the King perhaps been possessed by a ghost?
Otherwise, the current situation made no sense.
Johan opened his mouth.
“It is already quite late. For now, I will arrange an audience for tomorrow.”
The knight’s expression hardened with determination.
He spoke in a low voice.
“Must I declare this a royal command before you obey?”
Johan was dumbfounded.
‘Why is he being so persistent?’
At this point, it almost felt as though they had set a trap and were waiting for him to enter it.
Johan swallowed heavily.
“If it is a royal command, I will obey. Please give me some time to prepare.”
Johan had no grounds on which to refuse an order from the King.
At the very least, he needed to buy himself some time to think.
The knight nodded.
“Very well. But do not keep His Majesty waiting too long.”
Johan immediately left the drawing room.
His mind raced at tremendous speed.
He replayed their entire conversation.
‘That knight was definitely ashamed.’
The knights of House Leonar valued their nobility above their own lives. They did not tolerate even the slightest cause for shame in themselves.
If one of them had openly displayed his shame, there had to be a reason for it.
What could it possibly be?
After losing himself in thought, Johan reached a conclusion.
—The knight is currently participating in a scheme because of an order he cannot disobey.
There was a high probability that this assumption was correct.
If so, the source of that order was also obvious.
It was the King.
The knights of the Royal Guard obeyed only the King’s commands.
To them, the King took precedence even over Marquis Leonar, the head of their house.
Marquis Leonar’s orders alone could never crush the convictions of a knight of the Royal Guard.
Only a royal command could stand above their principles.
That raised several questions.
How—and why—was that puppet king plotting something?
Could the King also have been the one who sent Verdan the Schemer?
Whatever the case, the King was undoubtedly involved in this affair.
Johan clicked his tongue.
“This has become troublesome.”
He had to seek an audience with the King immediately.
Even if he managed to postpone it for the night, the King would continue pressuring him.
Johan did not even know why the King was behaving this way.
A far greater variable than expected had emerged.
Without the original novel’s help, Johan would have to navigate the current situation using only his own abilities.
***
In the underground prison of the baronial residence, Johan stared through the bars.
Verdan lay naked and facedown on the floor.
Johan gazed at him and muttered,
“It looks like I’ll have to use this bastard.”
By using the Schemer’s ability, he could put out the immediate fire.
Since Johan could not move about at night, he could send Verdan to the royal palace disguised as him.
It was undoubtedly his best option.
That did nothing to ease the strange sense of unease he felt.
For some reason, Johan suspected that someone had deliberately guided his thoughts toward this conclusion.
The unexpected gift known as Verdan had suddenly fallen into his hands, and shortly afterward, a situation had arisen in which he had no choice but to use him.
The sequence of events was far too coincidental.
Johan might already be dancing in the palm of someone’s hand.
‘Am I reading too much into this?’
Johan swallowed heavily.
His anxiety and suspicions continued to mount.
After straining his mind so much, his thoughts were gradually becoming sluggish.
“Damn it!”
He cursed and picked up a pair of iron pliers.
For now, he had to hurry and pull out a fingernail.
After sunset, he would no longer be able to pull out “Johan’s” fingernail even if he wanted to.
He would transform into Mapheltan.
Johan placed the pliers against the nail of his ring finger.
He had already done it once before, but he was still afraid.
Even if his soul had grown stronger, that did nothing to lessen the pain.
Johan squeezed his eyes shut.
Then he yanked the pliers.
Crack.
A sickening sound rang out.
A pale fingernail was clamped between the jaws of the pliers.
“Kh—haaagh!”
Johan gasped harshly.
Blood poured from his hand.
‘I’ll never get used to this.’
The pain was truly horrific.
As he groaned, the pain suddenly vanished.
Power began surging throughout his entire body.
A pitch-black claw grew from the place where the fingernail had been torn away.
Johan had transformed into a demon.
Mapheltan tossed Johan’s fingernail through the bars.
“Swallow it. I have a task for you.”
Whatever the circumstances, he had no choice but to use Verdan in the current situation.