Chapter 35
The Book of Calamity (3)
“…”
The underground library of the lord’s castle was engulfed in black smoke.
Demonic energy pouring from the enormous stone tablet—the Book of Calamity—was consuming the room.
“It seems my hypothesis was correct after all.”
Just as Ilea had predicted, the original Book of Calamity reacted to Johan.
The skeletons concealing the engraved passage began to creak and rattle. Red lights flared within their empty eye sockets.
Their grotesque gazes swept Johan from head to toe, appraising him.
Johan muttered under his breath.
“This is absurd.”
Was it really saying that he qualified as an Apostle? He found that difficult to accept.
Having read the original novel, he knew full well that he did not possess the qualifications to become one.
This phenomenon had undoubtedly arisen from some kind of error.
The Book of Calamity would stop responding soon enough.
Contrary to his expectations, however, the skeletons began retreating behind the stone tablet.
Clack, clack, clack.
Accompanied by the dull clattering of bones, they disappeared from view.
The original Book of Calamity—its first chapter—was revealed in its entirety.
《Chapter One: The Book of Destruction》
A hymn praising Kargara, the First Apostle of the End, had been densely engraved across the tablet in letters as red as blood.
Johan silently stared at the Book of Calamity. Though he did not show it, he was deeply shaken.
Ilea broke the silence.
“I greet the Thirteenth Apostle of the End—the Nameless Apostle.”
She gave him a playful bow.
Johan was in no mood to exchange jokes.
‘This was never supposed to happen.’
A few minor deviations had occurred since he possessed this body, but this was the first one this extreme.
An Apostle, out of nowhere. This unforeseen development made Johan’s head ache.
Countless plans would be thrown off course.
Though he had gained the authority of an Apostle, it was not something he had intended, and his discomfort continued to mount.
That was simply the kind of person Johan was. Whether it brought good fortune or misfortune, he hated unforeseen variables themselves.
He spoke quietly.
“That cannot be true.”
Ilea tilted her head.
“Do you dislike it that much?”
Denying it even in the face of such clear evidence was unlike Johan.
“It isn’t a matter of liking or disliking it. I have done nothing to prove that I possess the qualifications of an Apostle.”
“But the Book of Calamity reacted to you.”
“It must have glimpsed potential within me. That is the most plausible hypothesis.”
“What sort of potential?”
“The potential to become an Apostle.”
Apostles were beings comparable to the ancient gods.
A demon who had only just risen above the rank of imp could not stand shoulder to shoulder with them simply because he was slightly more exceptional than others.
Only after accumulating great evil deeds and acquiring power befitting the authority could one finally be called an Apostle.
The Book of Calamity might have acknowledged Johan, but the source of all evil would surely remain doubtful of him.
Ilea slowly nodded.
“So you were born with the proper vessel, but it has yet to be filled.”
“That is only my assumption. We’ll have to investigate further to learn the truth.”
“I’ll help you. Now that we’ve found our first lead, it shouldn’t take long to reach the answer.”
“How dependable. You landed a solid blow on your very first attempt.”
Johan had no choice but to acknowledge Ilea’s competence.
‘She certainly is reassuring when she’s on my side.’
Though she would be quite troublesome as an enemy.
She spoke teasingly.
“You want to keep me by your side, don’t you?”
“Yes. Barring unforeseen circumstances, let’s remain together indefinitely.”
Caught off guard by the unexpected answer, Ilea faltered slightly.
“That was unexpectedly direct.”
“I meant it.”
Johan did not want her as an enemy.
Ilea needlessly adjusted the hem of her skirt, seemingly pretending to be occupied with something else.
‘Is she embarrassed?’
It was an uncharacteristic reaction from her. Just as Johan began to wonder about it, heavy footsteps echoed throughout the underground chamber.
Everyone turned toward the staircase.
The silhouette of a massive man was descending into the library.
“This place is nothing short of a den of evil.”
He swept his gaze across the library.
Pitch-black demonic energy lay over the room like fog, ghostly flames floated within it, and a bizarre stone tablet stood at its center. No matter who looked at it, they would assume it was a demon’s lair.
Johan chuckled.
“Why act surprised now? You’re the final member of this little group.”
“I can’t even deny it. What a damned predicament.”
“One day, you’ll be grateful for the protection this fence offers.”
“What utter nonsense.”
“Remember this: even if you realize it later and apologize, I won’t accept it.”
“Is that a dog barking somewhere?”
As the pointless bickering continued, Ilea sighed.
“That’s enough. Let’s get to the point. Father, what happened to Shaperia? Why have you come down here?”
Gaf had been tasked with keeping watch over Shaperia. If he had sought out Johan at this hour, he surely had something to report.
Gaf spoke.
“Shaperia has been in contact with an inquisitor from the Order.”
Johan’s expression twisted.
“What are you talking about?”
“Shaperia is a spy. She has been passing information about the baron’s family to the Order.”
“For what reason?”
“Because of their suspicions concerning Knight Rael. It appears Shaperia saw Rael’s corpse on the day the pilgrimage party was attacked.”
Johan clicked his tongue.
‘I have a rough idea of what happened.’
When Rael’s corpse unexpectedly turned up, the Order must have grown suspicious. Why would a knight belonging to the baron’s family have died at the site of the attack?
It was the perfect situation to arouse suspicion.
‘This has become troublesome.’
Who could have imagined that the corpse would remain recognizable amid a disaster that had overturned the very landscape? It was extraordinarily bad luck.
Ilea spoke.
“I’m sorry. I should have found him first.”
On the day of the attack, Johan had ordered Gaf and Ilea to search for Rael.
Neither of them had managed to find him that day.
That was only natural.
Searching for a man whose very survival was unknown in such a vast and utterly devastated area had been nearly impossible.
Johan shook his head.
“I’m largely at fault as well. Everything was so urgent that I failed to pay attention to Rael.”
When Shaperia attacked the Apostle, Johan had fled the scene after taking only Ilea and Gaf with him.
With every second counting, he had not possessed the luxury of worrying about Rael as well.
But that was merely an excuse.
‘I should have anticipated this and prepared for it.’
This was a world where a single misstep could send someone plummeting into hell.
Even the smallest mistake could not be tolerated.
Only by remaining relentlessly strict with himself could he survive in this world.
As Johan blamed himself, Gaf spoke.
“Rather than deciding who was at fault, shouldn’t our priority be devising a countermeasure? Now that we’ve drawn the Order’s suspicion, they’re unlikely to let this matter go.”
The Church of the Great Saint was far more tenacious than anyone could imagine. When it came to demons or apostasy, its members displayed fanatical obsession.
They would relentlessly investigate even the slightest clue.
Johan remained lost in thought for a moment before speaking.
“They probably haven’t discovered any connection yet. Rael’s corpse alone wouldn’t be enough for them to deduce that we were behind everything.”
Ilea nodded.
“The Order is probably just considering every possibility. They likely haven’t found any conclusive evidence regarding the attack on the pilgrimage party or the Apostle’s appearance. They must be grasping at straws.”
They were probing everywhere in the hope that something would turn up.
“But we still can’t relax. If the Order decides to investigate this thoroughly, they’ll eventually find something that leads back to us. As Gaf said, we need to prepare countermeasures.”
“It was a good thing we had Shaperia followed. We’ve gained some time to prepare.”
Johan looked at Gaf.
“You deserve much of the credit. Well done.”
“I didn’t do it for you.”
Gaf snorted, and Johan shrugged.
“Whatever your reasons, I’ll leave Shaperia to you for the time being. If there’s nothing else to report, go and rest.”
Gaf hesitated for a moment before speaking.
“There is one more thing.”
“What is it?”
“The inquisitor had a Book of Calamity.”
“So what? That’s hardly unusual.”
“…The book began emitting an ominous light. Shaperia’s expression twisted the moment she opened it, and the inquisitor hurriedly left. I don’t know the details, but it looked extremely serious.”
The moment Gaf finished speaking, Johan and Ilea exchanged glances.
“Johan, could it be…?”
“I’m thinking the same thing. We’ll have to examine the details to be certain.”
“I’ll obtain a Book of Calamity first.”
“Can you do that?”
To obtain a Book of Calamity, she would first have to find a pagan.
That was an extremely difficult task.
Even though the Order had spent centuries hunting pagans with fanatical determination, it had never managed to eradicate them.
They had mastered the art of concealing themselves.
They could never be found through ordinary means.
Ilea said, “Give me a few days. I’ll bring one back.”
She appeared completely confident.
‘Does she know a pagan?’
That was unlikely.
The time when the witch would come into contact with them was still far in the future. At least, that was how events had unfolded in the original novel.
“I’ll trust you and wait.”
She must have another method. Since the certainty came from the witch herself, Johan could trust it.
Gaf, who had been listening to their conversation, spoke.
“I haven’t the slightest idea what either of you is talking about.”
Come to think of it, Gaf did not know that the original Book of Calamity had reacted to Johan.
He did not even know that the stone tablet standing at the center of the library was the original Book of Calamity.
Johan spoke.
“I suppose you have the right to know as well.”
They had previously promised to share information.
As long as they continued working together, Johan had to keep his word.
He began explaining what had happened moments earlier.
**
As soon as dawn broke, Johan returned to his room.
His bedroom by day and the underground chamber by night. Every day, he traveled between the world of light and the shadows, leading an exceedingly busy life.
‘I don’t even have time to sleep.’
To be precise, he did not feel the need for a full night’s sleep.
It was because of his unusual constitution.
While he acted as a demon, his human body rested. Conversely, while he acted as a human, his demonic body rested.
‘Then what about my mind?’
He might possess two bodies, but he had only one soul.
Because he was always awake, his mental strength might eventually be depleted.
Perhaps it was only his imagination, but he had recently begun to experience mounting mental fatigue.
It seemed that he needed proper rest.
Johan lay down on the bed.
The instant he did, worries assailed him instead of drowsiness.
‘Far too many unforeseen variables have arisen over the past few days.’
According to his original plan, he should currently have been considering how to expand his influence throughout the kingdom.
He was supposed to contact Count Staviana, the man behind Krill, and use a deal with him as his first step into the kingdom’s political sphere. Instead, his progress had been brought to a halt.
‘Was attacking the pilgrimage party the problem?’
Looking back, every deviation had begun after the attack on the pilgrimage party.
The curse of Apostle Beris, the Order’s suspicions toward the baron’s family, and even the original Book of Calamity reacting to Johan—all of them had originated from that attack.
‘Could the Great Saint Margiel be taking revenge on me?’
For tormenting his followers?
Johan let out a hollow laugh.
Impossible. The Great Saint Margiel was currently incapable of interfering with the mortal realm.
Even if this was somehow his revenge, Johan could do nothing about it.
The attack on the pilgrimage party had been absolutely necessary.
To devour the kingdom, he needed the Great Saint’s Eye.
‘Let’s not regret it.’
It would be more rational to spend that time searching for ways to use these variables to his advantage.
If he was fortunate, they might even result in a better outcome.
‘Let’s look on the bright side.’
As for Krill, Johan had disguised his death as a suicide. Count Staviana would take the bait one way or another.
Johan only needed to reel the count in as planned.
He now had no choice but to manage several matters simultaneously, but Johan was confident that he could overcome them all.
He closed his eyes and murmured,
“Make no mistakes, and never forget that I am human at my core.”
The vow he had always repeated calmed his mind.
Drowsiness finally began to overtake him.
Just as he was drifting off to sleep, someone knocked on the door.
‘Haah.’
He sluggishly pushed himself upright.
“Come in.”
The maid who entered the room wore an urgent expression.
“Y-Young Master! The baroness is asking for you immediately!”
“…Who?”
“Your mother has regained consciousness!”
Johan sprang to his feet.
It appeared that he would have no time to rest after all.
For someone born under his unfortunate star, sleep was a luxury.