Chapter 46
A Welcome Reunion (2)
Ilea could not take her eyes off Johan.
More precisely, she was staring into the empty air above his head.
She seemed utterly captivated by something.
“Ilea?”
A puzzled look crossed Johan’s face.
“Johan, what in the world is that?”
“If you mean…”
“The rift above your head.”
Johan looked up into the air.
There was nothing there.
“I have no idea what you’re talking about.”
Ilea’s gaze shifted toward the red, furry imp.
“What about you?”
“There’s nothing there! You’re seeing things!”
Ilea slowly nodded.
“It seems I’m the only one who can see it.”
There was undoubtedly a grotesque rift suspended in the air.
Space had been crumpled and crushed, as though an unknown force had torn through the dimension itself.
Johan, who had been lost in thought, muttered quietly,
“…Could it be?”
Perhaps remnants of the strange phenomenon still lingered.
If so, Ilea might be able to see its residue.
“Johan, what exactly happened to you?”
The sun had not yet risen, but Johan was already in his human form. A bizarre rift hung above his head, and his young body appeared utterly exhausted.
Everything surrounding Johan was abnormal.
“Let’s go somewhere else first. This will probably be a long story, and this isn’t a convenient place to talk.”
He wanted to escape the barrier as quickly as possible.
The longer he lingered, the more unpredictable dangers he would be exposed to.
“Then shall we head to a nearby village first? It would be difficult for you to travel all the way back to your territory in your current condition.”
His frail, exhausted body could not endure a forced march of hundreds of kilometers.
That fact made Johan acutely aware of his own weakness.
I must not neglect investing in my human form either.
He intended to devise a training regimen as soon as he returned to his territory.
He would probably have to ask Gaf for assistance.
Making that resolution, Johan said,
“You’re right. We’ll spend the night somewhere suitable.”
He then started walking.
The anxiety he had felt while traveling alone had already vanished.
As long as Ilea accompanied him, he would be safe from most threats.
Her timing could not have been better.
Concealing his delight, Johan quickened his pace.
“One moment, Johan. There’s still something I need to deal with.”
Ilea looked at the imp and extended her palm toward it.
The surrounding air grew frigid.
The imp clearly remembered this dreadful cold.
It shouted in terror,
“W-What are you suddenly trying to do?!”
“You have learned the apostle’s true identity. I can’t allow you to live—”
Johan’s voice abruptly cut in.
“We’re taking it with us.”
The chill in the air vanished instantly.
“Are you serious?”
“Yes. I made it a promise. I must keep my word.”
The terror on the imp’s face gave way to a triumphant smile.
“I have overcome the great trial! Witch, no matter how extraordinary a being you may be, you will no longer be permitted to look down upon me! I am the End’s right hand!”
Ilea glanced at Johan.
He was smirking.
“I think I understand.”
Ilea nodded as though everything now made sense.
“As expected of a witch! You understand quickly! From now on, you must show me the proper respect!”
“In other words, that imp is merely something you keep around to relieve your boredom.”
Johan did not bother answering her.
He merely shrugged once.
The imp’s already scarlet face flushed an even deeper shade of red.
“S-Something to relieve his boredom?! How dare you speak that way to the Hellfire of the Abyss!”
Ilea lightly flicked her index finger.
Icy air surrounded them.
“It’s a little noisy. May I freeze just its mouth shut?”
“Do as you please.”
When Johan nodded, the imp’s mouth slowly began to freeze over.
No more words escaped it.
Only muffled groans of “Mmph, mmph!” echoed around them.
“This silence is pleasant.”
The mountains were once again engulfed in stillness. Aside from the occasional chirping of mountain birds, nearly all unnatural noise had faded away.
“It’s quiet enough to make me sleepy.”
Johan’s tension suddenly dissipated.
Exhaustion washed over him, bringing with it a powerful drowsiness.
“Would you like me to carry you on my back? You could get some sleep.”
Ilea’s eyes curved mischievously.
“I’d rather collapse.”
“There’s no need to be embarrassed. Considering our relationship, especially after sharing a heart…”
“Why don’t you freeze your own mouth shut as well?”
“That’s cruel. You’ve hurt my feelings.”
Ilea made a sorrowful face.
It was obvious to anyone that she was acting.
“That’s wonderful news. It means you’ll be quiet for a while.”
“I think you’ll have a much harder time than I will. We’ll have to walk for at least five hours.”
Even the nearest village was quite far away.
“That far?”
“Yes, so prepare yourself. I truly won’t say another word.”
Pretending to sulk, Ilea took the lead.
Silence fell between them for a while, but it did not last long.
Without either of them taking the initiative, they gradually began conversing again.
As they discussed everything they had experienced over the past two days, they eventually reached the edge of the sacred containment formation.
The barrier enclosed an area spanning dozens of kilometers and permitted no demon to enter or leave.
Had Johan been a demon, he would have lost consciousness the moment he touched the barrier and immediately been detected by the Order’s surveillance network.
But he was human.
He crossed the barrier without paying any price.
The same was true for Ilea. A hastily constructed barrier like this could not distinguish a witch from a human.
The problem was the imp.
As one of the lowest-ranking lesser demons, it could never pass through the barrier under its own power.
The imp stared helplessly beyond the barrier.
Johan and Ilea had already crossed to the other side.
Separated by the golden ripples, their destinies had diverged.
“O great End…!”
The imp looked at Johan with desperate longing.
There was nothing Johan could do for it.
“That’s unfortunate.”
“You’re abandoning me?!”
Johan glanced sidelong at Ilea.
The witch undoubtedly had a solution, but she merely pretended not to notice and refused even to meet his gaze.
I suppose it can’t be helped.
Johan did not want to seek Ilea’s help over such a trivial matter.
It was not a question of pride. If he carelessly accumulated debts to her, she might one day present him with a bill he could not afford to pay.
The witch in the original story always collected what she was owed.
Johan needed to minimize the interest as much as possible.
He shrugged.
“There’s nothing I can do right now. I’ll tell you where I live, so come find me once the situation here has been resolved.”
The sacred containment formation would eventually be dismantled.
The imp could move freely once that happened.
Its limbs drooped as it spoke with a dejected expression.
“I shall carry out this great undertaking. When that time comes, please bestow a name upon me.”
Johan smirked and turned around.
Just as he was about to resume walking, Ilea sighed briefly.
“You’re already proving troublesome.”
She lightly moved the tip of her index finger.
A small opening began forming in one section of the barrier.
Johan stared at Ilea expressionlessly.
“I thought you wanted to get rid of it.”
“I do. There’s no reason to carry unnecessary baggage around.”
“Then why?”
“It may be baggage, but it is also your toy. Everyone needs some amusement. Since that imp provides entertainment, it is worth a little inconvenience.”
“…A toy.”
Johan gave a hollow laugh at Ilea’s blunt choice of words.
She isn’t wrong.
Johan’s only reason for taking in the imp had been curiosity.
“Yes, a toy. More and more interesting creatures will eventually gather around you, so you can use that imp until then and discard it afterward.”
Johan had become an apostle.
Countless demons would undoubtedly seek him out for all kinds of reasons.
Ilea regarded every one of them as nothing more than toys.
“That truly is the kind of idea a witch would have.”
“Is it? I’ll take that as a compliment.”
Johan glanced at the imp.
As expected, it was glaring at Ilea with intense competitive hostility. Its thin limbs trembled as it glowered at her.
Of course, it could not act on its anger.
The difference in their strength was simply too vast.
The imp growled furiously,
“…O great End, this wicked servant shall prove itself. I shall prove that I am no pathetic clown and that I lack nothing as the End’s right hand. I shall become the Hellfire of the Abyss and show that witch exactly what I am capable of!”
Ilea responded with a leisurely smile.
“Your determination is admirable. I’ll cheer for you, but I won’t expect very much.”
The imp continued glaring at her, silently swallowing its resentment while steeling its resolve.
Johan said,
“Stop tormenting it and let’s go. I want to reach the village by noon at the latest.”
“If we hurry from now on, we should make it in time. I already have a place in mind.”
“I hope we can obtain horses there as well.”
“We can certainly find horses. Depending on the circumstances, we may even find a way to turn the entire situation around.”
A way to turn the situation around?
Johan could not understand what Ilea was planning.
“What do you mean?”
“We’ll discuss the details once we arrive.”
As though refusing to say anything more, she began walking ahead.
Johan followed without pressing her for an answer.
The imp trailed behind them as well.
***
Wheaton Village belonged to Count Bariego’s territory and was the largest agricultural region in the southwest.
Its overwhelming harvests kept it prosperous even during winter, and it supported a population of well over two thousand people.
In terms of size alone, it was closer to a small town than a village.
Even House Myatro, despite possessing an expansive territory, did not have a village of this scale.
Johan could not help finding that regrettable. Had Grian and his ancestors been even slightly more competent, House Myatro could easily have possessed a financial foundation like this.
The lands of Myatro were just as fertile.
Looking toward the entrance of Wheaton Village, Johan said,
“We should have no trouble finding horses here.”
“That isn’t all. This place is overflowing with life.”
“You’re stating the obvious.”
“Doesn’t anything come to mind when you look at this place?”
Johan furrowed his brow.
“You’ve been speaking in riddles for some time now. Get to the point.”
Earlier, Ilea had said that this place contained the means to reverse his present circumstances.
She was clearly drawing out the conversation because she intended to explain it now.
“I’ve considered your entire situation. There are many secondary complications, but the central issue is ultimately just one thing: the holy spear embedded in your body. That is the cause of everything.”
She was correct.
The holy spear had impaled him and sent him plummeting into the ravine. The wound it left had caused him to lose his demonic form, and Gawain’s attempt to retrieve it had left him suspicious of Johan.
In the end, the holy spear was the problem.
“So, what is your conclusion?”
Johan’s expression had grown somber.
“You’ve probably already realized it. There is a way to deal with the holy spear inside you while turning this crisis itself into a fortuitous opportunity, isn’t there?”
Without answering, Johan looked down at his ring finger.
Kazan’s Corrupted Ring, an abomination, rested upon it.
Ilea nodded.
“That’s right. If we corrupt the holy spear into an abomination, most of your problems will be solved.”
The holy spear Espada left wounds in demonic bodies that could never heal.
Once corrupted into the abomination Espada, its nature would become the exact opposite. It would no longer consume Johan’s demonic form.
Instead, it would begin craving his human body.
Once it lost its property of incinerating demonic beings, the wound remaining on Johan’s demonic body would naturally disappear.
As an additional benefit, Johan would obtain a fourth-grade abomination.
He gave a hollow laugh as he gazed at the village.
“In other words, every person here will serve as a living sacrifice?”
“Correct. There are enough of them to corrupt a fourth-grade holy relic.”
Living lives were necessary to create an abomination.
The moment the fourth-grade holy relic Espada was corrupted, the lives of approximately two thousand people would be extinguished.
This village would be utterly destroyed.
“Considering the situation in its entirety, there seems to be no reason not to proceed.”
“Shall we draw another corruption formation, like last time?”
The imp’s eyes gleamed as it listened to their conversation.
“This shall be the birthplace of a great evil deed!”