Chapter 18
Johan Myatro (3)
There was not the slightest trace of affection or joy in the father and son’s first meeting.
Only awkwardness flowed between them.
Amid the uncomfortable atmosphere, the middle-aged head maid made a suggestion.
“The baron has prepared a banquet in honor of Young Master Johan. Perhaps we should proceed to the dining hall first.”
“I appreciate the warm reception. A banquet, you say? I look forward to it.”
At Johan’s response, the head maid spoke without expression.
“You need not speak politely to us servants. Please address us comfortably from now on.”
Johan was the heir to the baronial family.
His position had not yet been officially announced, but everyone in the castle had already realized it.
The timing of Johan’s appearance was simply too convenient.
The crippled Raguel had no right of succession, while the baron’s younger brother continued to pressure the territory.
Driven to the edge of a cliff, the baron had been forced to make a decision.
Rather than let his younger brother seize the family, he had chosen to appoint his illegitimate son as the heir.
Lowborn or not, a bastard carrying his blood was preferable to a brother he regarded as an enemy.
That was what everyone in the castle assumed.
Johan nodded.
“Very well. I’ll speak informally to you from now on.”
For a child raised as a commoner, he showed remarkably little hesitation. Treating his inferiors as such appeared perfectly natural to him.
The baron’s knight let out a hollow laugh and spoke to Gaf.
“He’s already acting like the master. What an amusing boy.”
“That is simply the sort of person he is. He is always composed.”
Gaf had never once seen Johan flustered or shaken.
The boy was always brimming with confidence, as though every situation remained under his control.
Now was no exception.
Johan had entered the lord’s castle less than five minutes ago, yet he showed not the slightest discomfort.
“Lead the way. I’m hungry.”
The head maid blinked before bowing her head.
“P-Please follow me.”
Everyone left the gallery and headed toward the dining hall.
The mouthwatering aroma of food drifted through the air. A wide variety of dishes covered the table.
The baron sat at the head of the table, and Johan took the seat diagonally beside him.
The knight, treasurer, administrator, and priest also took their places.
Gaf’s seat was at the very end.
The maids and tribute girls were not permitted to sit at the central table.
They went to separate tables prepared on either side of the hall.
No one picked up their utensils first. It had been a long time since they had enjoyed such a banquet, and they wanted to begin eating immediately, but everyone was staring at the baron.
The meal could not begin until he gave his permission.
The baron glanced nervously at Johan.
“My son says he is hungry. Let us begin with the meal. Everyone, pick up your utensils.”
The moment he grasped his fork, Johan spoke.
“Before we eat, there are several matters I would like to propose.”
“…What are they?”
“First, send the tribute girls home.”
Everyone’s eyes widened.
The matter of the tribute girls was forbidden territory. Speaking about it was practically equivalent to challenging the baron.
Johan had crossed the line.
He might be the heir, but he was still merely a young illegitimate child.
The flustered administrator adjusted his spectacles.
“That cannot be done.”
“You must be responsible for conscripting them. Explain why it cannot be done.”
“W-Well…”
As the administrator tRaeled off, the baron’s knight smirked and interrupted.
“It seems the young master who arrived today feels sorry for those wenches.”
He pointed toward the table on the left.
The small, fRael girls lowered their frightened gazes.
“You are still young, so I will be understanding. You also appear to have received little education, so allow me to offer you some advice.”
The knight continued arrogantly.
“Just as people differ in status, appearance, and sex, they also differ in how they live. Farmers tend their crops, while knights serve their lords. People fulfill their assigned duties and derive meaning from them. What about the tribute girls?”
The knight looked at the girls.
“Answer him. When do you feel happiest?”
The tribute girls replied as though in a chorus.
“Our happiness lies in the baron’s pleasure.”
There was not the slightest wavering in their voices or tones. They sounded like machines devoid of emotion.
Apparently satisfied, the knight smiled.
“You heard them. They find meaning in serving their master. There is no reason whatsoever to pity them.”
“You’ve misunderstood my point. I have no interest in whether they are happy or miserable. I merely wish to determine whether keeping them provides any practical benefit.”
Johan looked toward the bald, middle-aged man sitting beside him.
“Treasurer, how much do their food and lodgings cost each month?”
“…Approximately eight Casilian silver coins.”
Johan turned back toward the knight.
“That would be enough to purchase twenty iron swords.”
Currency frequently played an important role in The Record of Demons and Men. As an avid reader, Johan naturally possessed a thorough understanding of its monetary values.
“Is this expenditure truly worth that much?”
The smile vanished from the knight’s face. He had intended to humble the illegitimate child, but the task was proving difficult.
“Value depends on the one assigning it. Do you know how much a saintess’s handkerchief fetches on the black market? The price would astonish you. It may be nothing more than a discarded scrap of cloth, but to some, it is worth its weight in gold.”
Johan chuckled.
“Instead of offering honest counsel, you even invoke a blasphemous example to defend your lord’s mistake. We should be saving every coin we can to strengthen our military. Why, then, are time and money being wasted on personal indulgences? Are you perhaps attempting to blind and deafen my father?”
The knight’s brow furrowed sharply.
“What nonsense are you spouting?”
“The scent of war hangs over this territory. Unless you harbor some ulterior motive, I cannot understand how a knight such as yourself could remain so optimistic.”
The knight slammed his hand against the table.
“Did you just accuse me of harboring ulterior motives?”
Johan raised the corners of his mouth.
“I’m telling you not to behave in a manner that invites suspicion. Those who mislead their masters with sophistry are usually flatterers or traitors.”
The knight trembled violently, resembling a volcano on the verge of eruption.
None of the servants could hide their bewilderment.
A ten-year-old boy was effortlessly controlling that notoriously arrogant knight.
Johan’s eloquence was cold and ruthless beyond his years.
His words were like daggers.
It was chilling, but from another perspective, it demonstrated the qualities of a family head.
“I cannot overlook such an insult! How dare you call me a traitor?”
“My assessment can improve at any time, depending on your conduct. For now, let us resolve the matter of the tribute girls.”
Johan looked at the baron.
“I would like to hear your opinion, Father. Will you continue throwing eight silver coins into the rubbish every month?”
Every gaze turned toward the head of the table.
Ordinarily, the baron would have begun by roaring in anger. Today, however, he seemed to lack even the strength for that.
All he could do was sweat profusely.
“Please answer me, Father.”
The baron forced an awkward smile.
“That matter…”
Johan’s expression abruptly darkened. He stared directly at the baron.
“Yes?”
The baron flinched. Memories of the previous night’s terror began creeping back into his mind.
“Y-You are right. I will send the tribute girls home.”
Gasps of astonishment arose throughout the hall.
Everyone was stunned.
The baron was consumed by possessiveness and obsession, yet he had surrendered his playthings with astonishing ease.
It was almost impossible to believe.
Johan looked toward the administrator.
“Take care of it as soon as possible.”
The administrator adjusted his spectacles and replied,
“Understood. I will send all of them home before the end of this month.”
The tribute girls froze like statues.
Their greatest wish had come true, yet they could not even shed tears of joy. It did not feel real.
“Really…?”
“W-We can go home?”
Johan nodded.
“Return home and live happily. Forget everything that happened here.”
The tribute girls stared at Johan as though he were a great saint.
To them, he was nothing less than a savior.
Gaf, who knew Johan’s true nature, could only feel bewildered. The girls’ grateful gazes toward a demon filled him with a strange sense of incongruity.
Johan smirked at Gaf.
“You’re making a foolish face.”
Gaf immediately corrected his expression. Returning to his usual stern countenance, he spoke stiffly.
“…The food is getting cold. Let us begin eating.”
Johan shook his head.
“There are still several matters I wish to propose.”
Grinding his teeth, the knight asked,
“What else do you want?”
“It concerns my uncle.”
The baron’s younger brother and Raguel’s uncle, Krill Myatro, had been watching for an opportunity to seize the family.
He was a major obstacle to Johan.
If Johan wished to devour the baronial family, he first had to deal with Krill.
Johan looked at the baron.
“I would like to meet my uncle. Please invite him to the castle.”
The knight snorted.
“Are you planning to lure him here and kill him? Perhaps you don’t understand because you were raised as a commoner, but the customs of the nobility are not so simple. If we killed an invited guest, we would not only be expelled from political society but also turn every noble family in the kingdom against us.”
Johan answered without expression.
“I have no intention of killing my uncle.”
The baron looked puzzled.
“Then why do you want me to summon Krill?”
“My uncle and I are family. It would be improper to cross blades before even attempting a conversation.”
“He is not a man who can be reasoned with. I know him well.”
“Trust me and leave this matter in my hands. At the very least, no blood will be shed on our side.”
Gaf sensed something peculiar in Johan’s words.
At the very least, our side won’t bleed?
That meant the other side might.
Johan might genuinely intend to invite Krill here and kill him.
The half-demon before him was utterly unpredictable.
“Father?”
The baron groaned in dissatisfaction, but in the end, he could not refuse Johan’s proposal—which was effectively an order.
“…Very well. I’ll send him a letter.”
Every servant alternated puzzled glances between the baron and Johan.
Aside from Ilea, no one had ever been capable of controlling the baron to such an extent.
Was he truly that fond of his illegitimate son?
He was a father who treated even his legitimate child cruelly.
No one could understand the baron’s behavior.
Johan spoke again.
“Finally, I would like to examine the grain transaction records and the tax ledgers.”
The treasurer flinched and looked toward the knight.
The knight folded his arms.
“For what reason?”
“Do I require a separate reason to inspect the family’s financial condition?”
It was something he naturally ought to review as the heir.
“Treasurer, organize the documents and bring them to me by tonight.”
The bald, middle-aged man scratched the top of his head.
“I-I shall.”
Johan looked at the knight.
“If you have something to feel guilty about, you may confess now.”
“Ha!”
The knight’s eyes burned with hostility and a desire to compete.
Johan smiled.
“Our discussion has gone on too long with food before us. Those are all the matters I wished to propose.”
There had been three in total: the tribute girls, his uncle, and the family’s finances.
If he handled them properly, he could devour the territory in a single stroke.
“Let us begin the meal. I look forward to working with all of you.”
When Johan picked up his spoon, everyone in the dining hall raised their utensils.
They waited for Johan to take the first bite.
Even the baron was watching him for permission.
“Please enjoy your meal.”
Johan brought a spoonful of soup to his mouth.
Only then did the banquet begin.