Chapter 45
A Welcome Reunion (1)
After parting ways with Knight Yuri, Johan returned directly to the slash-and-burn village. Before leaving this place, he still had one matter to settle.
He headed toward the village chief’s cottage.
“Are you there?”
The moment he heard Johan’s voice, the village chief rushed outside barefoot and bowed deeply.
“Oh, my lord! I don’t know how I could ever repay this kindness.”
If not for Johan, the chief’s grandson would have been taken away by the Order. He would have undergone a brutal interrogation, and they would eventually have discovered that he had been possessed by a demon.
The boy would undoubtedly have died somewhere along the way.
Johan was the one who had prevented that tragedy.
To the village chief, Johan was nothing less than a savior.
Johan said,
“You were the one who first took care of me when I was unconscious. We merely helped each other, so there is no need for you alone to feel indebted.”
Many dangers lurked in the mountains at night. Without the village chief’s care, Johan might truly have died out there.
He was sincerely grateful to the old man.
“All I did was allow an esteemed person such as yourself to stay in my humble—”
“And that saved my life. Sir, allow me to thank you once again.”
When Johan bowed his head slightly, the village chief flinched in alarm and bowed even more deeply.
“Please, don’t address a lowly man like me so respectfully. I’m terrified someone might overhear you, my lord.”
No matter how great the age difference, nobles did not speak respectfully to commoners.
Such was the custom of both the kingdom and the Empire.
As long as Johan lived in this world, he could not entirely disregard its customs either.
Johan said,
“Very well. If you accept my proposal, I will stop speaking respectfully to you.”
“Please tell me what it is. I’ll do anything.”
“Become my subjects. I will provide you with farmland.”
They were slash-and-burn farmers who wandered from place to place without possessing any farmland of their own.
Amid their difficult lives, they had only one wish:
To settle on fertile land and live there in peace.
Johan was fully capable of granting that wish.
The village chief’s face briefly brightened, only for the hope to quickly disappear.
“W-We are not free people, so we don’t have the right to make that choice.”
“To which house do you belong?”
“W-Well…”
“You may speak freely.”
The village chief hesitated for a long time before finally opening his mouth.
“We are serfs belonging to Baron Bartoloi.”
House Bartoloi?
The name sounded vaguely familiar, but Johan could not immediately recall the house’s role in the original story.
If he could not remember it, Bartoloi was probably not a significant character. The name had likely been mentioned only once or twice in passing.
Where did it appear?
After pondering for quite some time, Johan finally found the answer.
That’s right. The opening of the Haunted Fortress arc.
During the early-to-middle portion of the original story, several noble houses in the kingdom fell victim to a demon.
House Bartoloi was the first victim of that incident.
Once he remembered that, a question occurred to him.
But this isn’t House Bartoloi’s territory.
The Haunted Fortress arc took place in the kingdom’s far west.
This region was closer to the south than the west. It was not somewhere that people from the Bartoloi territory would ordinarily practice slash-and-burn farming.
Johan nodded as though he had realized something.
“It seems you fled from the territory.”
The old man’s shoulders shrank.
“…That is correct.”
It was a serious crime. Serfs were regarded more as private property than as people, so they could not leave their master whenever they pleased.
“Was it because of the taxes?”
“That was part of it, but my son was beaten to death by our lord. We wanted to live like human beings.”
The village chief confessed his crime without resistance.
Normally, he would never have done such a thing. Strangely, however, his psychological defenses seemed to crumble whenever he stood before Johan.
It was probably because of the Great Saint’s Eye.
“You did well. It seems the Great Saint guided all of you onto the right path.”
It was not the response the chief had expected.
He had assumed Johan would rebuke him harshly.
“P-Pardon? Did you just say we did well…?”
“That is correct. I cannot explain the details, but you were right to flee.”
The village chief stared at Johan in bewilderment.
Johan continued,
“In any case, this makes matters simpler. Come to Myatro Castle. I will provide you with farmland. I will collect taxes, but I promise that the amount will be reasonable.”
It was an extraordinarily generous offer. Johan was willing to accept slash-and-burn farmers who were also runaway serfs.
However, several questions prevented the chief from accepting immediately.
“I-I am truly grateful, but I don’t understand why you would show us such kindness, my lord.”
“My territory lacks workers, while you need land to cultivate. This is merely an exchange that satisfies both our needs, not a one-sided act of charity.”
It was difficult for the village chief to understand.
He had spent his entire life as a noble’s property, so the very concept of entering into a mutually beneficial agreement with a lord was unfamiliar to him.
“How could people like us, who aren’t even free, dare to…”
“All of my subjects are free people. They may leave whenever they wish.”
The village chief’s eyes widened.
“How can that be possible?”
“It is the truth, so the choice is yours. Think it over carefully and come to me whenever you have made your decision. I will speak informally to you once you do.”
Johan turned his gaze toward the cottage.
“Let us leave that matter there. How is your grandson?”
Still shaken by the conversation, the village chief answered in a slightly trembling voice.
“H-He woke up just moments ago.”
“Before I leave, may I speak with him?”
“Of course.”
The boy had probably seen Johan’s true identity. Although he had been possessed by the imp at the time, there was a chance that some of his memories remained.
No matter how urgent his situation was, Johan could not leave without dealing with the boy first.
“I will check on the child’s condition, and then I shall be on my way.”
“I truly don’t know how to thank you for showing us such concern. O Great Saint, please bestow your light upon our lord.”
There seemed to be a slight misunderstanding, but Johan did not bother correcting it.
He headed straight into the cottage.
***
“Are you certain this is the place?”
A red ball of fur poked its head out of the pocket of Ilea’s pure-white fur coat.
“It is! The great End bestowed his trial upon me in that very cottage! One day, this place shall be called the birthplace of evil deeds and become a sacred sanctuary for all demonkind!”
Its voice echoed throughout the village.
Fortunately, it was the hour before dawn and everyone was asleep, so no one heard it.
Ilea seized the imp and lifted it into the air.
“He doesn’t seem to be here. I can’t sense Johan’s presence at all.”
She brought her face close to the imp’s.
She possessed overwhelmingly beautiful features, but the imp felt nothing except terror.
The only thing etched into its mind was the unfathomable power Ilea had displayed.
“I-It isn’t a lie! He was definitely here!”
“But I don’t see him. I’m fairly certain I asked whether you knew his current location, yet you gave me the wrong answer. You won’t have any complaints if I give you a painful death, will you?”
She repeatedly pulled the imp’s arms in opposite directions and then released them.
Agonized groans burst from the ball of fur.
“Give me another chance! I’ll find him! Stop pulling! Please!”
Ilea sighed and ended the torture.
“This is your last chance. If you fail again… I won’t bother warning you.”
“D-Don’t worry! I have a keen sense of smell! I can track footprints too! Put me down on the ground!”
The imp sprawled across the ground and began sniffing.
“Small footprints, the scent of a human boy, that strange, unpleasant sensation from before…”
The unpleasant sensation it mentioned was the feeling that had arisen when it met the Great Saint’s Eye.
Listening to the imp mutter to itself, Ilea tilted her head.
“Wait a moment. Who exactly are you searching for?”
“Why are you asking the obvious? Naturally, I am following the great one’s trail!”
“You’re saying he had small footprints and smelled like a young boy?”
“He was disguised as a human! Why do you keep interrupting when you don’t know anything? So there are things even a witch doesn’t know!”
Ilea could not understand it at all.
Johan had revealed that he was a half-demon?
That was something he would never do.
“Did you meet him during the day?”
“No! It was always at night! Now stop talking to me! I can’t concentrate because of—Gah!”
A crushing pressure bore down upon its entire body.
Ilea was pressing the imp firmly beneath her foot.
“I’ll give you five minutes. Find Johan immediately.”
The voice that escaped her lips was chillingly cold.
Even the surrounding air grew frigid.
Ilea was acting unusually impatient.
Something has happened to Johan.
If the imp was telling the truth, then Johan had remained in his human body even at night.
By all common sense, that should have been impossible, yet the imp did not seem to be lying.
Ilea could not help feeling anxious.
Sensing the change in her demeanor, the imp clamped its mouth shut.
It desperately sniffed the ground.
To survive and overcome the apostle’s trial, it devoted every ounce of its strength to the task.
***
Fortunately, the village chief’s grandson remembered nothing.
He had lost all memories of the time he had been possessed and was suffering only from a headache.
As soon as Johan confirmed the boy’s condition, he left the village.
He wanted to escape the sacred containment formation as quickly as possible.
The worries he had buried were beginning to surface once more.
Judging from the circumstances, Johan’s demonic form had not died.
In other words, he could transform into a demon again at any moment.
The sun would rise soon, so it would not matter for now. However, if Johan remained inside the containment formation until the following day, there was a high chance that he would find himself in a dangerous situation.
He had to escape the formation before the day ended, no matter what.
As soon as I return, I need to find Ilea.
Far too many things had happened over the past several days, raising countless questions in the process.
Many of those questions were impossible for him to answer on his own.
The witch might be able to help him.
He did not want to rely on her, but he had no other choice for now.
I need to meet her as soon as possible.
Despite the urgency in his heart, this body was far too slow.
He quickly grew exhausted and hungry.
At this rate, it seemed unlikely that he would reach his territory even after walking for several weeks.
A sudden sense of danger washed over him.
This was different from before. Flying was impossible, he could not rely on Gaf’s help, and he had even lost the horse he had ridden here.
Could he make it back to his territory?
No, that was merely a secondary concern.
Even his chances of survival were uncertain.
In a world filled with countless dangers, there was no way he could safely travel hundreds of kilometers in the body of a young human child.
For the first time, Johan was struck by a visceral fear of this world.
I’ve had it easy until now.
Everything had always proceeded according to plan. He had walked along a smooth, carefully paved path without any major setbacks.
There had always been someone beside him, and he had always possessed a backup plan.
But not now.
He was alone.
He would have to overcome every threat with nothing but his bare hands and somehow reach his territory.
It was virtually impossible.
He abruptly stopped walking.
A bleak wind swept past him. The cries of wild animals sounded intermittently in the distance, and darkness lay heavily over the surroundings.
He had to go back.
Whether he sought out Shaperia or, at the very least, traveled alongside the slash-and-burn farmers, he needed to secure some other means of returning home.
Trying to reach his territory alone would be suicide.
Just as he was about to turn around, a rustling sound came from the bushes ahead.
Every hair on his body stood on end.
He swallowed dryly as overwhelming tension coursed through him.
The moment he clenched both fists, something suddenly sprang out of the bushes.
Johan’s rigid expression instantly relaxed.
“O great End! This wicked servant has overcome your trial!”
The red, furry imp stood before Johan with one index finger raised high.
Its posture was exceedingly triumphant.
A familiar figure soon emerged from the bushes behind it.
“…Johan?”
It was Ilea.
Relief spread across Johan’s face.
Ilea, on the other hand, had gone completely rigid.
Her gaze was fixed above Johan’s head.
“What in the world is that?”
Magic tangled like a spiderweb and distorted space overwhelmed the witch’s five senses.
It was an unknown phenomenon that only she could see and feel.