Chapter 17
Johan Myatro (2)
Darkness deeper than night filled the room.
Acrid demonic energy and surging malice had seized control of the interior.
Within the darkness, which not even moonlight could penetrate, only a pair of crimson eyes made their presence known.
It was the gaze of a demon—an ominous light that drove humans into terror. Its baleful gleam paralyzed the baron’s reason.
“A-A demon. It’s a demon. Why is a demon…? A dream. This is a dream!”
Johan’s lips stretched into a wide smile.
“No. This is reality.”
A black hand shot forward and seized the face of the baron, who had collapsed onto the floor.
“Look closely. Feel it for yourself.”
Johan bent down until his face was almost pressed against the baron’s. Their gazes intertwined at point-blank range.
“Well? Are you still confused?”
More strength flowed into the hand clutching the baron’s cheeks.
His plump face was crushed and swollen as though it might burst at any moment. Bulges of flesh protruded between Johan’s fingers.
The ever-tightening grip inflicted excruciating pain upon the baron.
“M-Mmmph! Mmmph!”
Just like his groaning body, his soul began to convulse.
It was a sight visible only to the wielder of Soulslaying.
The baron’s soul had been weakened by extreme stress and the dream demon gnawing away at it. Johan could extract and tear it apart immediately if he so desired.
The moment he did so, the baron would become a puppet.
Johan’s first objective in devouring the territory would be accomplished.
He activated his authority without delay. His will spread through the demonic energy like blood coursing through veins.
The demonic energy undulating in the air abruptly stiffened. The solidified bundles of smoke flashed like sharpened scythes.
They were searching for a soul to harvest.
Gaf and the baron shuddered at the grotesque sight. Raguel, being blind, could not understand what was happening, while Ilea let out an impressed murmur.
Johan stared at the tattered soul and flicked his index finger.
“You’ve ripened nicely for the harvest.”
At the same moment, the condensed demonic energy split into four streams. They easily ensnared the baron as he tried to escape and lifted him into the air.
The demonic energy bound the victim’s limbs, resembling an execution frame prepared to tear him apart.
The baron could not even scream. Black smoke had sealed his mouth.
Now, the slightest movement of Johan’s hand would erase the baron’s personality.
“Raguel.”
With only the final step remaining, Johan looked at Raguel.
“J-Johan…?”
Numerous emotions were entangled on the boy’s face: the anguish born of his relationship with his father, his joy at Johan’s return, and his confusion about the present situation.
“I intend to extract your father’s soul and turn him into an empty puppet. For him, it will be no different from death.”
“What are you talking about? Why would you do that to my father…?”
“To devour the baronial family.”
Raguel gave an awkward laugh of bewilderment.
“D-Don’t joke about something like that.”
“I am serious. However, I would like to hear your opinion. What would happen to you if your father died before you? Could you continue living as you do now?”
Everything had happened so suddenly that Raguel could not keep up with reality.
“Answer me.”
Johan reached his demonic hand toward the baron.
The baron squealed like a pig and thrashed desperately.
Raguel had no idea what to do, but his father’s screams forced him to confront the reality of the situation. He remained silent for quite some time before speaking with unexpected composure.
“…People call me a monster. They say it wasn’t enough that I devoured my mother by being born—I also have only one eye and walk with a limp. If I caused my father’s death as well, I would no longer be able to live as a human being.”
It was none other than Raguel who had brought Johan into the castle. Tempted by the promise that his eyes would be restored, he had invited a demon inside.
The moment the baron died, Raguel would not be able to evade responsibility. He would become an unfilial monster who had killed both his parents.
He would never be able to live an ordinary life.
The boy clutched his head in anguish.
“If you intend to kill my father, then please kill me too. I don’t want to live.”
Johan shrugged.
“I cannot do that. I still haven’t restored your eyes.”
The instant he finished speaking, the execution frame restraining the baron vanished.
The huge man plummeted from the air and struck the floor. He let out a pained groan.
Ilea tilted her head.
“Johan?”
“I wanted to test my newly acquired power, but it seems that will have to wait.”
“Are you not going to finish this? He may cause trouble later.”
“It cannot be helped. I’ll have to settle matters in a somewhat imperfect fashion.”
“…May I ask why?”
“I failed to keep my promise to him. It would be troublesome if he died.”
“Not that obvious excuse.”
Her expression turned cold.
“Is it perhaps because you’ve grown attached to him?”
“Would that be a problem?”
Johan’s face also became cold.
Their gazes collided in midair. An uncomfortable tension permeated the room.
Ilea dispelled the atmosphere with an enigmatic smile.
“You truly are unusual in many ways.”
“I suppose I may appear that way.”
“What do you intend to do now?”
“I’ve thought of an entertaining solution.”
Johan approached the baron.
“Grian von Myatro.”
The terror-stricken baron merely trembled, unable to respond.
“Serve me.”
He was demanding demon worship—the greatest of all taboos.
“If you accept, I will at least spare your miserable life. What will you do?”
The baron’s eyes darted frantically.
A demon worshiper could never betray his master. The moment the contract was made, he would become the demon’s slave.
“I’ll give you five seconds to decide. If I receive no answer, I will harvest your soul immediately.”
Johan began counting.
With every passing second, the baron’s breathing grew more ragged.
His attachment to life completely smothered the faint remnants of pride and duty that remained within him.
The Watcher of the Abyss was nowhere to be seen.
Only a beggar pleading for his life remained.
“I-I’ll serve you! No—I shall serve you!”
Skepticism flickered across Ilea’s face.
“Johan, this decision will become a heavy shackle.”
A worship contract left evidence behind. It directly branded the person responsible for turning the other party into a demon worshiper.
In the baron’s case, that person was Johan.
Having chosen to serve a demon in order to survive, the baron would live with Johan’s insignia engraved over his heart.
The moment anyone discovered the brand, the baron would be doomed. After enduring brutal torture, he would be sent to the execution grounds.
His master, Johan, would not escape unscathed either. The contract would prevent the baron from revealing information about his master, but there would always be traces to follow.
The Inquisition might scour the entire southern region in search of the one behind those traces.
Johan was accepting a tremendous risk.
“Is it truly worth doing?”
“Well, that depends on how one looks at it. If I’m fortunate, I may gain something useful from it as well.”
Ilea could envision only negative consequences from leaving such a source of trouble alive, and she let out a quiet sigh.
“Please conduct yourself carefully. Your life no longer belongs solely to you.”
“Do not worry. This will not bring you any harm.”
Johan directed his demonic energy toward the baron.
“Grian, from this moment onward, you will serve me. I demand unconditional obedience and blind devotion. Do you accept?”
The baron swallowed dryly. He had no right to refuse.
He lowered his head.
Johan’s lips stretched into a broad smile.
Immediately afterward, all the demonic energy surged around the baron.
The violent backlash tore apart his clothing. Pale skin showed through the shredded remains of his tunic.
A brand had been engraved over the left side of his chest.
A ferocious demonic god wielding a scythe screamed from within it.
It was Johan’s insignia.
The baron stared blankly at his chest.
He had truly become a demon worshiper. He would now spend the rest of his life terrified of the Church.
It was a pitiful fate for the Watcher of the Abyss.
Johan spoke indifferently.
“Tomorrow morning, a ten-year-old boy will arrive at the castle. His name is Johan Myatro. He is your master and the heir to the baronial family, so welcome him with great ceremony.”
The baron did not seem to understand what he meant.
“Ilea will explain the details.”
With that, Johan turned his gaze elsewhere.
“Raguel.”
The boy flinched.
“From now on, call me your older brother.”
***
The lord’s castle, which was always gloomy, was unusually lively today.
“I nearly fainted from shock. Who would have imagined that the baron had another son?”
“Tell me about it. I screamed when I heard the news at dawn.”
The baron’s illegitimate son would be visiting the castle today.
Everyone in the castle was preparing to welcome him.
A maid arranging tableware spoke up.
“I heard he’s illegitimate?”
“Apparently. I suppose this means Young Master Raguel is the only one I feel sorry for.”
“No. Even if he didn’t have a half brother, Young Master Raguel probably couldn’t have become the heir.”
Raguel’s disabilities were too severe for him to inherit the title.
“The baron’s younger brother would have seized the territory instead. That won’t be possible anymore, though.”
“Was his name Krill? In any case, it looks like all his efforts were for nothing.”
“That’s his problem. We only need to make a good impression on our new young master.”
“I’m not so sure. Lord Krill has an army, doesn’t he? If he decides to invade, the baron won’t stand a chance.”
“You don’t really think there’ll be a war, do you?”
“Who knows? Nobles are the sort who wouldn’t bat an eye if hundreds of lives were lost over a single plot of land.”
Furthermore, the Myatro territory was fairly large.
A bloody conflict might truly erupt.
A gloomy expression passed across the faces of every maid in the dining hall.
“There you go again, chattering instead of doing your work.”
The voice had come without warning.
“Our guest will be arriving soon.”
It was one of the baron’s knights, a blond man in his thirties. His sharp eyes swept over the maids.
“This is why women shouldn’t gather in one place. Nothing gets done because you’re all too busy talking.”
Shaking his head, he looked toward Gaf.
“Don’t you agree?”
Gaf did not answer. He had too much on his mind to pay proper attention to the knight’s words.
“If you heard me, then answer.”
“I’m not an entertaining man, so don’t bother speaking to me.”
“Not a trace of sociability in you. Honestly, there isn’t a single person in this castle worth talking to.”
“Go entertain the illegitimate son arriving today. He should at least be able to play along with your jokes.”
“True. He is lowborn, so he probably won’t be too stiff. Having lived as a beggar, I imagine he’s accustomed to vulgar jokes as well.”
The knight smirked before adding,
“His mother was a serf, wasn’t she? I think I’ll prod him a little and see how he reacts. Illegitimate children are fun when they lose their tempers. My family has one too, so I know from experience.”
Gaf spoke with a serious expression.
“Do not go too far. You may find yourself in serious trouble.”
Displeasure appeared on the knight’s face.
“It seems to me that you’re the one crossing the line.”
Gaf was a commoner, while the knight was a nobleman.
An insurmountable wall stood between them.
Things might have been somewhat different if the knight had known the name by which Gaf had once been renowned. For now, however, there was no definitive proof that Gaf had even belonged to the Kandeya Mercenary Corps.
All he possessed was a single Kandeya mercenary token. An unverified piece of wood could hardly bridge the difference in their status.
Gaf responded calmly.
“I was merely offering advice. If I offended you, then I apologize.”
“I’ll let it pass this once. More importantly, have you met the illegitimate son before? You spoke as though you know him well.”
A meticulous and cunning demon.
That was all Gaf had known about Johan.
At least, it had been until now.
Ever since overhearing Johan’s conversation with Raguel the previous night, Gaf had felt an inexplicable sense of incongruity.
The two had seemed close. Their relationship had not resembled that of master and servant.
At the very least, Raguel had spoken honestly with Johan.
Johan’s actions had also been strange.
Why had he spared the baron?
He could have turned the man into a puppet and used him to devour the territory.
Johan might have had some other scheme in mind, but on the surface, it had appeared that he was being considerate of Raguel.
Gaf bit his lip.
Am I being drawn into his scheme?
Perhaps Johan intended to lower his guard by performing conspicuous acts of kindness.
Gaf would never allow himself to be swayed.
The knight gave him a puzzled look.
“I only asked whether you knew him. Did the question offend you that much?”
Returning to reality, Gaf relaxed his expression.
“No. I was distracted for a moment. I wouldn’t say I know him well… but I have met him several times.”
“How disappointing. It appears the baron trusts you more than me, despite my having served him for six years.”
The knight had never dreamed that the baron possessed an illegitimate son.
“I only discovered it by chance a short while ago.”
“Even so, this is too much. He’s given me a fine excuse to feel betrayed. Ha!”
Gaf furrowed his brow.
“What do you mean by—?”
Before he could finish, a maid came running over in a panic.
“He has arrived! Everyone, please assemble in the gallery!”
The maids stopped what they were doing and left the dining hall.
The knight and Gaf immediately headed for the gallery as well.
Most of the castle’s inhabitants had gathered in the corridor connected to the main entrance, forming two straight lines facing each other.
The baron stood in the center at the far end of the passage. He looked paler than usual.
He prayed that the doors would not open, but his wish was spectacularly ignored.
The main doors swung wide.
A silver-haired boy entered with an escort of roughly ten soldiers. Perhaps because of his neatly trimmed hair and immaculate clothing, Johan looked like a completely different person to Gaf.
The filthy beggar had disappeared.
A noble young master had taken his place.
The castle’s servants bowed their heads to the new heir.
Johan passed between them without expression.
The closer he came, the more uncomfortably the baron squirmed.
“Ahem.”
When father and son finally stood facing each other, one corner of Johan’s mouth curled upward.
“It is a pleasure to meet you, Father.”
The baron could not meet Johan’s gaze. Ilea had already explained everything to him, so he knew perfectly well that Johan was his master.
“W-Welco—”
“Please, speak comfortably.”
Sweat trickled down the baron’s face as he nervously watched Johan’s expression.
“V-Very well. Welcome.”