Chapter 48
The Count’s Knights (2)
In the corridor of the lord’s castle, Ilea chuckled as she left the office.
“Those knights looked rather flustered.”
Johan nodded.
“They had every reason to be. It was probably the first time anyone had ever treated them that way.”
A moment ago, Johan had treated the knights of House Staviana as though they did not exist. He had not even spared them a glance.
He had openly ignored them.
A mere bastard from an insignificant family had trampled upon the authority of the most powerful house in the kingdom.
Naturally, the knights had been caught off guard.
Ilea said,
“Their pride must have taken quite a blow. Don’t you think they’ll come running after us?”
Johan smirked and looked back.
“It seems you were right.”
The two knights burst out of the office. One of them still had not removed his visor.
“Wait!”
He strode over as though trying to crush the floor beneath his boots and stopped in front of Johan.
Johan spoke expressionlessly.
“I believe I said I was busy.”
“I’ll say it again. Count Staviana sent us.”
An eagle insignia gleamed upon the knight’s breastplate.
“Then I suppose all of your actions reflect the count’s will.”
Johan’s eyes met the knight’s through the gaps in his visor.
As soon as their gazes crossed, the knight’s imposing manner gradually weakened.
“W-Well…”
The Great Saint’s eye was stirring a strange emotion within him.
“You barged into another family’s lord’s office while carrying a sword, and you have not even removed your weapons while speaking to us. Are you saying that these outrages, which go far beyond mere discourtesy, were all committed at the count’s command?”
Pressed in Johan’s calm tone, the knight could not utter a single word.
Johan added with a grave expression,
“Unless the count desires war… Well, I can think of no other explanation for your behavior.”
House Staviana might have been the kingdom’s most powerful noble family, but House Myatro was also one of its oldest and most distinguished houses.
At the very least, they had to observe basic courtesy toward one another.
The knight had disregarded that boundary. His actions were probably being carried out with the count’s tacit approval.
It’s exactly as it was in the original story.
They asserted their authority to test their opponent.
That was Count Staviana’s way.
It was admittedly childish, but its effectiveness could not be denied.
In the original story, Grian had been unable to withstand the count’s pressure and had even handed the right of succession to his younger brother, Krill.
Knowing how the events had originally unfolded, Johan had no intention of playing along with such petty tricks.
Once he openly displayed his displeasure, the knight no longer acted aggressively.
Johan was someone against whom the Staviana family’s authority held no sway. Of course, the count also had a method for dealing with such people.
“I apologize on Campbell’s behalf.”
The remaining knight approached Johan and bowed. He had removed his visor and disarmed himself.
“And you are?”
“My name is Myra Beriel. I serve House Staviana.”
He was a stern-looking knight who appeared to be in his mid-thirties.
“I am Johan Myatro.”
“I have heard many rumors about you. You are every bit as bold as they say. I hear that you recently answered the Order’s summons and traveled all the way to the southwestern quarantine zone. You are truly an example to all nobles. To think that we would behave so discourteously toward someone such as yourself… Allow me to apologize once again.”
The southwestern quarantine zone referred to the location where Kaiaze had manifested. It had only been a few days since Johan left the sealing formation, yet the information had already reached the count.
Just as expected, the count’s eyes and ears extended throughout the entire kingdom.
And they were watching Johan.
…I should start being more careful.
A sense of unease slowly crept over him. The knight had likely mentioned the quarantine zone specifically to exert this kind of pressure.
Johan said,
“Never mind the apology. Simply state your business.”
“Please spare us a little of your time. It may take a while to explain.”
“I’m sorry, but I’m busy at the moment.”
Johan had no intention of yielding after their discourtesy.
They were not invited guests. They were merely unwelcome visitors who had arrived without so much as sending word in advance.
The master of the house could expel them at any time, depending on his circumstances.
“…Is that so? Then we will wait until you have finished your business.”
Johan clicked his tongue and looked at Gaf.
Gaf stood beside the office door, waiting with an impassive expression.
“Gaf, escort our guests to the reception room. I’ll meet them as soon as I’m finished.”
Gaf nodded.
“As you command.”
Johan would have preferred to throw them out, but he could not bring himself to do it. Even if House Staviana crossed the line, House Myatro still had to remain within it.
It was simply the logic of power.
Justifications and justice were ultimately nothing more than a façade.
And I do need to hear what they came to say.
Why had the count sent two knights?
For now, it was difficult to discern his intentions.
Sir Myra spoke.
“Take your time finishing your business. We will wait patiently.”
“Then I’ll see you later.”
Johan walked away, heading directly for the underground study.
Johan, Ilea, and Raguel stood facing one another around the round table at the center of the underground study.
Johan said,
“This is the first time all three of us have gone down together.”
“That’s true. It must be a little disappointing for you, Johan.”
“Why?”
“If it weren’t for me, you could have had everything to yourself—all the treasures and relics sleeping inside the forbidden archive.”
“No. I intended to share them with you from the beginning.”
As long as Ilea existed, Johan would never be able to monopolize the forbidden archive.
A witch’s obsession with the unknown was akin to a living creature’s survival instinct. As long as she remained alive, that determination would never break.
Johan had merely hoped to delay the day when he would have to share the forbidden archive with her for as long as possible.
By now, that hope had already been thwarted.
Ilea had discovered the forbidden archive on her own, so Johan no longer had either a justification for stopping her or a reason to regret it.
“If that’s true, I’m touched. You really must want to stay with me until the very end. After all, that’s what you said before.”
She gave him a playful, smiling glance.
“I did?”
“I’ll be hurt if you don’t remember. You said it right here, too.”
Johan did, in fact, remember, but for some reason he did not want to admit it.
“You are undeniably useful, so I suppose I might have said something like that.”
“Calling me useful is cruel. I’m not an object, you know.”
Her eyes drooped. She was pretending to be hurt.
Raguel, who had been listening to their conversation, cautiously spoke.
“You two have grown quite close. When you first met, I seem to recall you talking about killing each other. Haha…”
Raguel still remembered the witch and demon’s first encounter.
There had been threats disguised as persuasion, barbed sarcasm, and smiles concealing ulterior motives. Nothing but an uncomfortable battle of nerves had passed between them.
The tension that had filled the air back then had almost completely vanished and was now difficult to detect.
Ilea smiled.
“Just imagine what would have happened if we’d fallen out that day. I doubt I could search the entire world and find a subject more fascinating than Johan. I can’t believe I nearly closed off those limitless possibilities with my own hands.”
Most of what surrounded Johan remained shrouded in mystery. As a witch, Ilea could not help feeling an almost obsessive fascination with him.
Johan let out a hollow laugh.
“You complained about being treated like an object, yet you treat me in much the same way.”
“I can’t help it. I’m a witch. Even now, my heart is pounding with excitement. We may peel away one of the layers concealing you today.”
They intended to descend into the forbidden archive and attempt to approach the rift above Johan’s head.
What could be lurking within that pitch-black void?
Ilea’s eyes shimmered with fascination.
“A veil…”
Johan murmured quietly.
He was equally curious about his true identity. The moment he made contact with the rift, might he finally grasp even the thinnest thread of a clue?
He undeniably harbored such hopes.
When Johan’s mood became slightly subdued, Ilea cautiously spoke.
“…Did what I said upset you? There’s no need to be hurt. I’m also quite fond of you as a person.”
Johan frowned slightly.
“What are you suddenly talking about?”
“You looked disappointed.”
“What about me possibly gave you that impression?”
He had merely been lost in thought for a moment.
“If you weren’t, then never mind.”
Johan found it difficult to keep up with her whims.
The atmosphere grew slightly awkward.
Raguel gave an uncomfortable laugh.
“A-Anyway, we need to descend into the forbidden archive, right?”
Johan nodded.
“That’s right. I’m counting on you, Raguel.”
As usual, Raguel lightly bit his index finger. He smeared the blood that seeped out across his palm and pressed his entire hand firmly against the center of the round table.
Biometric identification.
The moment his blood confirmed that he belonged to the Myatro family’s lineage, the round table erupted in brilliant white light.
Johan and Ilea quickly climbed onto it.
At the same moment, the ground shook.
The round table plunged downward, carrying them deeper underground.
***
An enormous hall unfolded before them.
Countless holy relics, meticulously arranged in rows, ceaselessly poured out divine power.
Had Johan come here in his demon body, he would have suffered considerably, just as before.
Now, however, he felt nothing.
After all, Johan was currently human.
Ilea, on the other hand, did not look well. Her eyes trembled, and her lips were gradually turning blue.
The overwhelming divine power was tormenting her.
It was an uncharacteristically vulnerable sight.
“I’ll lend you this for a while.”
Johan handed Kazan’s corrupted ring to Ilea.
She weakly extended a finger.
“Put it on for me.”
Johan stared at her incredulously.
“Do it yourself.”
“I don’t have the strength.”
“How did you manage last time…?”
Ilea had undoubtedly descended into the forbidden archive alone before and returned with the First Original of the Calamitous Scripture.
“Hurry. This is unbearable.”
Johan clicked his tongue. After hesitating briefly, he sighed and slid the ring onto her index finger.
Only then did the color return to Ilea’s face.
She toyed with the ring, looking satisfied.
“If you’re finished, hurry up and retrieve that item.”
To approach the rift, Johan first needed to be able to perceive it.
Unfortunately, Johan’s magical abilities were too limited to perceive even a fragment of a higher dimension.
They needed something capable of briefly tearing down that barrier.
Ilea had found a solution within the forbidden archive.
“Understood. Please wait a moment.”
The item was classified as a treasure rather than a holy relic.
Some treasures were incredibly dangerous merely by existing, so the way they were handled differed considerably from holy relics.
A separate treasure vault existed within the forbidden archive.
Johan could not yet enter the higher-level treasure vaults. An unknown treasure might cause him to lose his identity—or even his life.
That concern did not apply to Ilea.
With her current abilities, she was capable of entering treasure vaults of the fourth tier or lower, at the very least.
Anything above that would likely be too much even for her.
Fortunately, the item they needed was currently stored in the fifth-tier treasure vault.
At the far end of the hall, one of the pristine white doors arranged in a row opened and then quickly closed again.
A short while later, Ilea reappeared. In her hand was a small, gold-rimmed monocle.
It was unfamiliar even to Johan, who had read the original story.
Ilea approached him.
“This is the Telescope of Vanity. Apparently, it reveals objects and phenomena that the wearer cannot perceive with their current abilities.”
“I’m impressed that you managed to find something like this.”
“I noticed it during my previous visit. There truly is nothing the forbidden archive doesn’t contain.”
“So I just need to put it on?”
“Before that, wait a moment. There’s something you absolutely must hear. Normally, when an intelligent being encounters a phenomenon far beyond its level, it can no longer maintain its sense of self. The moment you perceive the rift through this monocle, your mind could collapse.”
It was a setting Johan already knew well.
“I remained perfectly sane in the presence of Apostle Beris and Kaiaze. I doubt merely seeing the rift will cause any problems.”
“I agree, which is why I suggested this method. However, there is one thing you should remember. When you encountered Beris and Kaiaze, you were in a different form than you are now.”
He had been transformed into a demon at the time.
“My soul is the same.”
“That’s true. Ordinarily, the stature of one’s soul determines the value of an intelligent being.”
“Then there’s nothing more to discuss.”
“…Even so, we can’t be certain. It would be safer to employ mental-protection magic as well.”
They could not use magic inside the forbidden archive.
Any of the unidentified holy relics that reacted to mana or demonic energy might attack Johan and Ilea.
Johan nodded.
The three of them returned to the underground study.
As soon as every preparation had been completed, Johan put on the monocle.
The density of the world before his eyes changed.