Chapter 15
Growth
The moment the authority known as Soulslaying awakened within him, Johan arrived at a single conclusion.
The body I’ve possessed never appeared in the original story—not even once.
No being in the novel The Record of Demons and Men could unilaterally annihilate another person’s soul. Even evil gods and apostles possessing overwhelming power were incapable of directly interfering with the spirit.
Johan was different. The power he had awakened defied the rules of the original story.
An irregular.
The half-demon Johan was an alien existence within this world.
He looked at the woman sitting on the bed in the inn room.
“Just who did you sleep with?”
As always, no answer came. The Wild Plains woman merely stared at Johan with vacant eyes.
He suppressed a groan.
If only I knew my bloodline, I might at least find a clue.
For now, he could not lift even a single layer of the veil surrounding his identity.
While he was lost in thought, a loud noise rang out.
The door had been flung open.
“Ilea has disappeared—”
It was Gaf. His words tRaeled off as he stared at Johan in shock.
“You look as if you’ve seen a ghost.”
In truth, a fiend was standing before Gaf.
The bean-sized imp was nowhere to be seen. In its place stood an adolescent demon.
Such astonishing growth in only a few days left Gaf gaping in disbelief.
“Pull yourself together and close the door first. Are you trying to advertise what we are?”
The moment any of the other guests saw what was inside the room, they would all be in trouble.
Returning to his senses, Gaf immediately shut the door. He had not fully recovered from the shock, and his eyes were still trembling slightly.
Johan clicked his tongue.
“You’re late.”
Ordinarily, Gaf took Johan to Raguel before sunset. It was safer to travel with Johan while he was still in human form.
He could hardly stroll around the castle with Johan after sunset, when the boy had transformed into a demon.
Today, however, was different.
The sun had already set, and Johan was in his demonic form.
As if only just remembering why he had come, Gaf shouted,
“I was searching for Ilea! She’s nowhere to be found!”
It had already been three days since she departed for the Abyss.
“Do you know where she is? I’m asking about my daughter.”
“She went on a journey. She said she would return in three weeks.”
Gaf’s expression twisted at Johan’s casual attitude.
“What are you talking about? A journey?”
“Ask Ilea for the details yourself. I would rather not reveal another person’s secret with my own mouth.”
To explain Ilea’s destination and purpose, Johan would also have to reveal that she was a witch.
He had no desire to do that. He could already imagine how emotionally exhausting the ensuing conversation would be.
Gaf, however, saw things differently.
“I want to hear it now. Tell me what you know.”
“No. Every time a conversation with you drags on, I find myself overcome with exhaustion.”
Gaf stepped forward with a threatening expression.
“You damned demon!”
Johan let out a derisive laugh.
“You claimed you needed no help from a demon, yet you keep trying to rely on me. Instead of making one-sided requests, why not propose a transaction? If you’re willing to sell your soul, I may be willing to tell you.”
Gaf’s entire body trembled. He repeatedly clenched and unclenched his fists before sharply turning toward the door.
“I won’t fall for your schemes again. I’ll find out myself.”
“Do as you please. But before that, there is something we must settle. Let’s terminate our protection contract.”
Gaf turned only his head to stare at Johan.
“…What are you plotting?”
Why would the demon suddenly release his soul when he had wielded the contract like a weapon until now?
“I’ve acquired a new protector. You’re free now. Congratulations.”
Something about Johan’s sly smile filled Gaf with an ominous sense of danger.
“Don’t tell me you…”
“Ilea. I made the same contract with your daughter.”
Gaf’s face immediately contorted like that of a malevolent spirit.
The demon before him had finally extended his claws toward his daughter as well. Gaf instantly lost all reason.
“Terminating the contract requires mutual consent. Will you agree?”
The instant Johan finished speaking, Gaf launched himself forward.
His massive frame closed the distance like an arrow, and his fist shot out.
Bam!
A violent impact thundered through the room.
“You’re not as impressive as I expected.”
Gaf’s fist had been swallowed by Johan’s black hand.
He could not hide his bewilderment.
“Y-You…!”
“You hardly live up to your title, the Lion of Kandeya. Is it because your mana core was destroyed?”
Gaf, commander of the Kandeya Mercenary Corps, had once had his mana core shattered by a demon. As a result, he could no longer wield the Aura he had cultivated throughout his life.
The martial prowess that had once brought even high-ranking knights to their knees had vanished without a trace.
Johan released his fist.
“In any case, don’t do anything foolish. As I told you, your daughter is now my protector. If anything happens to me, Ilea will not survive either.”
Gaf’s face flushed so deeply that it looked ready to burst. Murderous intent overflowed from his bloodshot eyes.
But he could not move. His loss of reason had been momentary; he now understood the reality of the situation.
From this moment onward, his daughter was Johan’s hostage.
Johan swallowed his pain.
He nearly broke my wrist.
Even with a demon’s durability, it was difficult to withstand Gaf’s monstrous strength. To possess such raw power without Aura—he was little different from a beast.
Had that punch struck Johan when he was still an imp, his head would have burst apart.
Dynamic vision, reaction speed, agility, strength, durability—all his physical capabilities had improved. Yet even now, he was not confident that he could defeat Gaf in a direct fight.
Suppressing the pain, Johan spoke with as much composure as he could muster.
“Even an idiot like you should understand the situation. Furthermore, you don’t have the right to refuse the termination. In exchange for protecting me, Ilea demanded that I dissolve my contract with you.”
In other words, the moment Gaf refused to terminate the contract, Johan would die. Then both Gaf and Ilea, having failed to protect him, would die as well.
Gaf had only one choice.
He had to relinquish his duty to protect Johan.
The corners of Johan’s lips rose.
“Once again, congratulations. You’ve regained your freedom through your daughter’s sacrifice.”
***
Three weeks felt like an eternity to Gaf. He could not remember getting a single proper night’s sleep because of his worries about his daughter.
Ilea and Betra traveling alone together—this world was far too dangerous for two women to wander through it by themselves.
Bandits infested the mountains, while evil spirits swarmed in the shadows. Leaving the territory without an escort was tantamount to suicide.
It was common knowledge to every resident of this world, so no one believed that the mother and daughter had simply gone on a journey.
The two must have fled from the baron. There was also the possibility that Betra had kidnapped Ilea and intended to sell her in another territory.
Their letter claiming that they would return after wandering for a while failed to convince Baron Grian in the slightest.
The baron flew into a rage and dispatched a pursuit party.
They found nothing.
Trained soldiers had lost track of two women.
It was absurd. Unless they had flown into the sky or vanished beneath the earth, they should inevitably have been caught.
Yet even now, at the end of the third week, there was still no word from them. Gaf and everyone else found the situation baffling.
Where in the world did they go?
Biting his lip, Gaf grasped the doorknob of the inn room.
The mother and baby were probably asleep inside. It had been a very long time since he had visited, so he was slightly worried.
The mother might even have died alone. If she had died, that would place Gaf in a difficult position. She was the only person capable of caring for Johan while he was an infant.
Come to think of it, Gaf had not brought Johan to Raguel once during the past three weeks.
The moment he entered the room, that fair-skinned baby would probably glare at him with bright, intelligent eyes.
Damned demon.
Gaf sighed and turned the doorknob.
The room was revealed, and Gaf froze like a statue.
He had spotted neatly arranged silver hair.
“Y-You…”
“It’s been a while, Father.”
“Why are you here?!”
Ilea was sitting in a chair.
“I wanted to meet my stepmother.”
She looked toward the woman sleeping soundly on the bed.
“She’s quite beautiful. I suppose she’s your type.”
Gaf was so flustered that he could not even open his mouth.
“I’m sorry. Was my visit too sudden? If it makes you uncomfortable, I’ll come again another time. Tell me whenever you’re ready. I’m prepared to welcome my new family.”
Ilea rose from her seat and headed toward the door.
As father and daughter passed each other, Gaf seized Ilea’s wrist.
“Wait!”
“You’re hurting me, Father.”
“I-I’m sorry. But please don’t leave. There’s so much I want to ask you.”
“Ask me anything. I’ll answer everything.”
“Where in the world have you been? Are you hurt anywhere? And how did you find this place…?”
“Slowly, one question at a time. I’ll begin by explaining how I found this place.”
Ilea smiled gently and added,
“I followed the scent.”
“The scent?”
“A wicked and sinister lingering fragrance.”
A peculiar light flashed in her eyes.
“The scent of a demon.”
Gaf swallowed dryly.
“…W-What are you talking about?”
“Witches are sensitive to malice. Its lingering trace guided me here.”
“I don’t understand a single thing you’re saying.”
“I’m confessing that I’m a witch.”
The calm declaration struck Gaf like a blow to the head.
“I’ve revealed my secret, so now tell me yours, Father. You were contracted to a demon, weren’t you?”
Just as Gaf had suspected, Ilea and Johan had already made contact.
“Ah, I suppose that’s no longer the case. You must have terminated the contract.”
The longer their conversation continued, the dizzier Gaf became. These abnormal revelations flowed far too calmly from his daughter’s mouth. Ilea discussed demons without the slightest hint of emotion, as though they were talking about what she had eaten for breakfast or whether she had slept well.
“The daughter is a witch, and the father is a first-class apostate. We truly are one dysfunctional family.”
The Holy Church classified anyone who contracted with a demon as a first-class apostate.
“Is Mother normal, at least? It would be a relief if she were, but somehow I have my doubts. Birds of a feather tend to flock together.”
As though something had suddenly occurred to her, Ilea clapped her hands.
“Oh, I nearly forgot my younger brother.”
She pointed toward the mother’s arms. Johan was sleeping there.
“What do you suppose he is?”
Gaf was overcome with dizziness. He had to say something, yet he could not force his mouth open.
“I wonder if he’s truly ordinary… I’m very curious.”
Ilea stared intently at Johan. She sensed nothing from him. He appeared no different from an ordinary baby.
“Please answer me. What kind of people are our new family members?”
If both her younger brother and stepmother were hiding secrets, there would not be a single normal person in this family.
They would rank highest among the Church’s targets for eradication—a family whose very existence was a sin.
“Come now. Why won’t you say anything?”
Gaf felt as though he were being interrogated. Overwhelmed by shock and pressure, he wanted to flee.
He pinched his thigh hard. This was no nightmare.
“W-What in the world is all this…?”
“Sadly, it’s reality, and the time has come to accept it. Let’s at least be honest with one another. We’re family.”
Pale as a sheet, Gaf shook his head.
“Th-This is all the demon’s scheme. You must not involve yourself any further. Your father will handle everything. Ilea, my daughter, you must forget all of this and live an ordinary life. Everything that has happened until today, please…”
Ilea’s expression settled into calmness.
“No. You cannot resolve anything with your strength alone, Father. You didn’t even know that I had been abducted. We relied upon a demon’s help from the very first step. It’s too late to change course now.”
Gaf looked at his daughter as though he were about to cry.
Ilea gently embraced him.
“We can’t cross the waves alone. We must cooperate even with sailors we dislike. We’re already aboard the same ship.”
Then she smiled playfully.
“That way, once the waters grow calm, we might get an opportunity to push the sailor we dislike into the sea, don’t you think?”
“Ilea, I…”
“Although someone might feel a little hurt if he heard that.”
Gaf’s gaze shifted slightly toward the baby.
Ilea’s lips curved into a mysterious smile.
“He looks just like an angel when he sleeps. Have you given him a name?”
“N-Not yet.”
“That’s terrible.”
Ilea pretended to think before speaking.
“How about Johan? Don’t you think it suits such a fair-skinned baby rather well?”
Gaf did not know Johan’s name. An awkward expression appeared on his face.
“It’s a fine-sounding name.”
“Let’s ask the baby too.”
“What are you—”
At that moment, the baby on the bed floated into the air.
It was magic—a power forbidden by the laws of the kingdom. After enduring one shock after another, Gaf’s expression froze completely.
The airborne baby settled into Ilea’s arms.
“Now, shall we hear his answer?”
She took out a small glass bottle and dripped a single drop of transparent liquid into the baby’s mouth.
Immediately afterward, a few strands of hair sprouted from his bald head. His short arms and legs lengthened ever so slightly. His entire body displayed faint signs of growth.
It was the sap of the World Tree—an elixir of an ancient race.
Ilea smiled.
“Johan, do you like it?”
The baby moved his lips before slowly opening his mouth.
“Bring me more.”