Chapter 22
Krill Myatro
“Renounce your claim to the barony. It is the only way you will survive.”
The statement was so audacious that it bordered on insolence, leaving Krill frozen stiff.
Silence descended upon the room.
Amid the uncomfortable stillness, only their gazes moved.
Krill was the first to speak.
“Would you mind saying that again? I believe I may have misheard you.”
“You cannot possess this territory, Uncle. Let go of your ambitions.”
Krill immediately burst into laughter. As if unable to contain himself, he clutched his stomach and laughed for quite some time.
Johan watched him without expression.
Only after a considerable while did Krill manage to calm himself.
He wiped away his tears.
“Ah, forgive me. It was rude to laugh in front of you. Though I believe you were the one who behaved rudely first, dear nephew. What do you think?”
“I merely told you the truth. If you continue pursuing the barony, you will die.”
Krill replied mischievously,
“You summoned me here so that you could kill me?”
Johan shook his head.
“That would be impossible while you’re traveling with the Order. I never intended to harm you within this territory in the first place. I have no desire to make enemies of every noble in the kingdom.”
“Unlike your father, you seem to possess a functioning mind. How old are you this year?”
“Twelve.”
Krill let out a small sound of admiration.
“At your age, I was busy lifting the maids’ skirts. I had no interest in the family or its succession. You’re different. What an unusual boy.”
“When you grow up struggling in the slums, there are things you learn sooner than others. If you don’t move first, someone will take what belongs to you. I cannot preserve my rights by standing idly by.”
Krill nodded.
“Your surroundings forced you to grow up. That should make this conversation easier. Once you see this, you’ll understand that you have already lost.”
He removed a document from inside his coat and placed it on the table.
“Before you could take your first step, I had already reached the destination.”
Johan read the document.
Its contents were simple.
It formally recognized Krill as the legitimate heir to the Barony of Myatro.
“Do you see the eagle-shaped seal at the bottom?”
“It is the crest of House Staviana.”
Count Staviana was the chancellor of the kingdom and the leader of its aristocratic faction.
In other words, he was the most powerful man in the kingdom.
Such an influential figure stood behind Krill.
“You’re well-informed. Now accept your defeat.”
No one could defy Count Staviana’s will.
To the kingdom’s most powerful man, a baron from the frontier was nothing more than a chess piece that could be replaced whenever convenient.
They even possessed the stronger justification regarding the succession.
There was Grian, whose undignified conduct had made him an outcast among the nobility; his disabled son; and an illegitimate child who had appeared out of nowhere.
To anyone looking at the situation, Krill was clearly the legitimate successor.
In the original story, Krill had ultimately claimed the barony.
Johan intended to overturn that development.
“Both in name and reality, you are the legitimate successor, Uncle.”
“So you can be reasoned with after all.”
“That only matters while you remain alive. Once you are dead, it will mean nothing.”
Krill scoffed.
“This is your only opportunity to kill me, yet as you admitted yourself, no one can harm me within this territory.”
“I am well aware.”
“Then are you suggesting we go to war?”
Johan shook his head.
“As long as House Staviana supports you, I have no chance of winning.”
“Then I have no idea what you’re trying to say.”
“I cannot reveal the details, but there is one thing I can state with certainty.”
Johan’s expression turned cold.
“The moment you leave Myatro territory and return to your stronghold, you will become a corpse.”
“I will die within my own camp?”
“That is correct.”
Krill burst into laughter.
“Ha ha! It seems my dear nephew is a mage! Or perhaps you’ve planted an assassin within my army!”
Even as Krill laughed, Johan remained calm.
“I do not wish to kill you, Uncle. Please do not disregard my warning.”
He was sincere.
Johan was rather fond of Krill as a character.
As the Watcher of the Abyss, Krill never abandoned his duty, not even at the very end.
In the middle of the original story, when the main plot began and darkness struck the continent, Krill had become a tiny point of light that illuminated the world, however faintly.
Until his final moments, he fulfilled the duty he had chosen and met his end doing so.
In terms of character, no man was more suited to become the Watcher of the Abyss.
His capabilities were another matter.
Krill was merely an ordinary man.
No matter how desperately an ordinary human struggled, he could not prevent the destruction that would descend upon this world.
A noble but incompetent watcher.
That had been the readers’ merciless assessment of Krill.
The burden of the Watcher of the Abyss was simply too heavy for an ordinary man to bear.
Am I any different?
The position came with immense duty and responsibility.
Depending on who occupied it, the future of the world itself might change.
Could Johan, who sought the territory merely to survive, bear that weight?
He was not confident.
He might be playing the role of a cold and calculating schemer, but deep down, Johan was also nothing more than a fragile human.
However—
I have no choice.
If he failed to stop the world’s destruction, Johan would not survive either.
Unless he changed the original story, its cruel fate would swallow demons and humans alike.
He had to rewrite the ending.
Becoming the Watcher of the Abyss would serve as the foundation.
Krill opened his mouth.
“…So you ultimately intend to make an enemy of me.”
“Neither of us intends to yield, so it cannot be helped.”
“There will be bloodshed. Innocent people of the territory will die.”
“No. You will be the only one whose blood is spilled, Uncle.”
Krill nodded.
“I understand your intentions. I’ll also take your warning to heart. May I offer you a piece of advice in return?”
“As much as you wish.”
Krill’s expression became unusually serious.
“You are clever, but you are still young. You do not know how to conceal your potential. You have made me regard you as a future threat. So run away. The next time we meet, we will be enemies, and I will show you no mercy.”
Johan smiled faintly.
“That is precisely what I hoped for. I will not feel any sympathy for you either.”
Krill grinned.
“I look forward to it. Let us contend with each other without regret.”
“Understood.”
Johan bowed his head.
“Then I will take my leave.”
As he was about to leave the room, Krill spoke.
“I heard from your father that you were the one who summoned me. Was that your only reason?”
“I wanted to meet you at least once, Uncle. You traveled a long way for such a trivial reason, and for that, I apologize.”
In truth, he had another objective.
He could not reveal it to Krill.
He did not want to arouse unnecessary suspicion.
“No, it was a useful conversation for me as well. I’ve learned something about my enemy. You may leave now, but could you send your father back in? It has been a long time since we brothers caught up with each other.”
Johan nodded and left the room.
Left alone, Krill looked up at the ceiling and muttered,
“I heard he was my brother’s bastard, but they share nothing in common.”
***
Johan headed straight to his room.
He had been given a bedroom on the castle’s highest floor with an excellent view, but he had never once admired the night scenery from it.
That was because he transformed into a demon at sunset.
If anyone discovered him in that form, all his plans would come to nothing.
Despite having a comfortable bedroom, Johan had no choice but to spend every night in the damp underground.
With the pilgrimage delegation currently staying in the castle, he had no choice but to remain hidden.
Today was no exception.
He planned to stop briefly at his room before descending to the study.
His plans went slightly awry.
“What brings you here at this hour, Gaf?”
Gaf was sitting on the edge of the bed, waiting for Johan.
“Ilea.”
He shot to his feet.
“We must get my daughter out of there. You must have a way.”
Ilea was imprisoned in the underground dungeon. She would soon be taken away and investigated by the Inquisition.
Under ordinary circumstances, it would be difficult for her to survive.
Gaf must have been beside himself with worry.
“Your daughter will be released soon. Calm down.”
Johan’s certainties had always become reality.
From Ilea’s safety and true identity to what the future held, his predictions had never once been wrong.
Having witnessed this several times, Gaf unconsciously sighed with relief.
He had allowed himself to feel reassured by the words of a demon.
Self-loathing and fear welled within him.
Had the half-demon before him truly bewitched him?
Gaf covered his face with both hands.
“What a pathetic sight. Stop wallowing in misery and listen carefully.”
Johan clicked his tongue and continued.
“As you know, Ilea is a witch. She must conceal her identity for the rest of her life. However, a tiny handful of humans can see through your daughter’s true nature.”
Gaf swallowed dryly.
“…Are you saying that girl discovered Ilea’s identity?”
He was referring to Shaperia.
“To be precise, she detected the Old Woman Spirit. For your information, the Old Woman Spirit is a demon under Ilea’s command.”
His daughter had been raising a demon.
It was a shocking revelation, but Gaf did not show it.
The events of the past several weeks had tempered his emotions.
Gaf opened his mouth.
“You said Ilea would soon be released. But how? Now that the Order has discovered a demon, an interrogation is inevitable.”
“That demon is gone.”
“What do you mean…?”
“Ilea killed the Old Woman Spirit.”
Just as she had in the original story, Ilea had sacrificed the Old Woman Spirit.
She evaded Shaperia’s eyes by discarding the demon she had raised.
When Shaperia confronted Ilea in the dungeon, there was no longer any demon within Ilea’s body.
Thus, the incident would conclude as a misunderstanding caused by Shaperia’s mistake.
Everything had proceeded just as it had in the original story.
“Though it wasn’t the outcome I wanted.”
Johan had wanted Ilea to keep the Old Woman Spirit alive a little longer.
He needed events to unfold in such a way that she would be taken to the Inquisition.
It was unfortunate that Ilea’s firm refusal had ruined that plan.
“In any case, your daughter will be released soon.”
Gaf sank onto the bed. Johan’s assurance had eased his mind a little.
“It is too soon to relax.”
“Why now?”
“As I said, Shaperia can detect demons. She is poison to both Ilea and me. As long as that bitch remains alive, your daughter will never be safe.”
In the original story, Shaperia had always been the one to thwart Ilea.
The two were each other’s natural enemies and bitter rivals.
“I guarantee that incidents like this will continue occurring.”
“…What are you trying to say?”
Johan raised the corner of his mouth.
“Let’s kill that bitch before she has the chance to blossom.”
Shaperia would eventually transcend humanity and ascend to the level of an angel.
She would become so powerful that dealing with her later would be nearly impossible.
If they truly intended to kill her, now was their only opportunity.
Gaf scoffed.
“She looked only four or five years older than Ilea at most. You want me to kill a child young enough to be my daughter with my own hands?”
Johan nodded.
“Once you chose to remain the father of a witch, you lost the right to choose your humanity. If you wish to remain Ilea’s father, cast aside your petty hypocrisy. How long will you stand aloof with your hands behind your back, pretending to be noble? Only someone prepared to stain his hands with blood and defile his own soul can survive as the father of a witch.”
Gaf bit his lip.
He understood Johan’s words perfectly.
An indecisive attitude that committed to neither side would only place everyone in danger.
Having witnessed that countless times on the battlefield, Gaf knew better than anyone how pathetic his conduct had been.
He could not remain trapped in indecision forever.
“Choose. Your daughter or your humanity—which path will you take?”
When Gaf hesitated to answer, Johan sighed.
“I’ll ask you once more. Will you help me kill Shaperia, or will you leave this territory as you are?”