Chapter 50
The Count’s Knights (3)
When an unfamiliar voice suddenly spoke from somewhere, Raguel startled and fell backward onto his rear.
“Who are you?”
“I am the infernal flame of the Abyss! I shall receive a name from the Great End!”
The furry imp stood upon Ilea’s shoulder with its arms crossed, gazing arrogantly down at Raguel.
Raguel appeared so flustered that he could not even speak. Tension showed plainly on his face.
Johan said,
“From now on, he’ll read books to you in my place. Think of him as your personal reader.”
Raguel stammered,
“C-Could he be a demon?”
“Something like that. I’ll explain the details later.”
The imp immediately prostrated itself before Johan.
“I shall carry out this glorious undertaking! By reciting the Calamitous Scripture, I shall spread a requiem of destruction throughout the world!”
It seemed to be misunderstanding something, but Johan did not bother correcting it.
Instead, he turned toward Ilea.
“More importantly, you’re rather heavy. I’d appreciate it if you let go of me now.”
Ilea had wrapped her arms around Johan’s neck and was leaning her full weight against him.
I never expected her to display so much emotion. She must have been badly frightened.
She and Johan shared their lives. If anything happened to him, Ilea would not survive either.
Because of the bond tying them together, she had no choice but to worry about Johan’s safety.
That was the extent of Johan’s interpretation of her uncharacteristically excessive reaction.
“I’m not heavy.”
Apparently having calmed down, Ilea slowly separated herself from Johan. Her voice sounded slightly sullen.
“All right, but next time you plan to throw yourself at me, give me some warning. I thought you were attacking me.”
Johan said it jokingly with a smirk, and Ilea responded with a faint smile.
“Fine. Next time, have the sense to open your arms for me.”
“I don’t see why not—as long as I’m not holding things like these.”
Johan moved both arms up and down.
The lump of flesh in his hand jiggled along with the motion. The leather collar swayed as well.
The Great Saint’s intestines and an unidentified collar.
Both were gifts from Ganish.
Ilea slowly examined the two items. Her gaze had already become calm and composed.
“…These are objects that cannot even be appraised.”
Even with a witch’s discernment, she could not readily determine their purpose.
“I received them from Apostle Ganish. He said he wanted to help me.”
The instant she heard Ganish’s name, Ilea’s pupils widened slightly.
She spoke with a serious expression.
“I think I’ll need a more detailed explanation. What exactly happened in there?”
Johan calmly began recounting what had just occurred.
***
The Second Apostle, Ganish, was the lord of all that had been corrupted and the progenitor of decay.
He was a great demon who ruled over contaminated phenomena and objects, as well as corrupted flesh and minds. Although he was truly transcendent, he was now nothing more than a defeated being trapped within the Abyss.
After his defeat in the Holy War five hundred years ago, he had been sealed in the deepest reaches of the Abyss.
He had been cut off from the world almost permanently.
At present, Ganish should have been incapable of interfering with the mortal realm.
That was how it had been in the original story.
The reality was slightly different.
Ganish had communicated with Johan, a resident of the mortal realm.
The established setting of the original story was beginning to collapse.
It was an extremely bewildering situation for Johan, yet he was less shaken than expected.
That was because he had recently encountered far too many variables like this one.
This world does not unfold according to my expectations.
Rather than remaining bound by the original story, he needed to respond flexibly to whatever situation confronted him.
Johan recounted his encounter with Ganish as calmly as possible.
After listening to his story, Ilea spoke.
“The rift is most likely connected to the deepest part of the Abyss.”
“I think so as well.”
Ganish could not leave the Abyss. Anyone who wished to meet him would have to descend into it.
Johan had encountered Ganish, which meant that Johan had entered the Abyss.
He had been summoned there through the rift.
Logically, that was the most reasonable conclusion.
Ilea murmured thoughtfully,
“…A rift connected to the Abyss. It is magically impossible, and we currently have no means of verifying it.”
“It will be difficult to uncover the rift’s true nature and secrets immediately.”
“That’s right. We’ll have to proceed gradually. Let’s begin with the relationship between you and Ganish. That should be our starting point.”
She gazed at Johan with sparkling eyes, seemingly expecting something.
Johan, however, had nothing to offer.
“Until now, there has never been any connection between Ganish and me. I don’t know why he’s inside that rift, what he’s doing there, what he can see or hear, or why he wants to help me. Honestly, I know nothing.”
Every piece of information regarding the Second Apostle Ganish and the rift was shrouded in mystery.
Ilea slowly nodded.
“You have a favorite phrase, don’t you? ‘Our priority is clear.’ It’s perfectly suited to this situation. Let’s begin our investigation with the questions you just listed.”
Scholarly enthusiasm shimmered in her eyes.
True to her nature as a witch, the unknown filled her with excitement.
Johan merely found it frustrating.
Raguel, who had been listening to their conversation, murmured quietly,
“…It sounds like a cliché from a novel.”
Everyone turned toward him.
Johan spoke.
“Raguel, what did you say?”
“N-Nothing. Please pretend you didn’t hear me.”
Ilea smiled gently.
“Young Master, please feel free to tell us. You said it sounded like a cliché from a novel?”
With everyone’s attention focused on him, Raguel’s face turned red.
He scratched his head in embarrassment.
“It’s just… You know those kinds of stories, don’t you? An overwhelmingly powerful being assigns one of the world’s strongest figures to assist his son, and with that helper’s aid, the son gradually uncovers his hidden bloodline and secrets. It sounds like something from an ordinary third-rate novel…”
The imp, which had listened with shining eyes, shouted loudly,
“O Great End! Do you mean that even the Second Apostle Ganish is merely your subordinate? Was it Passion, the source of all demons, who brought you into existence?”
Raguel spoke in a fading voice.
“…Everyone, please forget I said anything.”
Johan smirked and ruffled Raguel’s hair.
“You explained yourself perfectly well, so why are you shrinking back? What you said might actually be true.”
When Johan glanced toward Ilea, he saw that she was contemplating Raguel’s words far more seriously than expected.
“It’s a good hypothesis. We should add it to the list.”
If matters unfolded as Raguel suspected, Johan would find it rather welcome.
It would be a straightforward development without needless complications.
Yet one thought still occurred to him.
Will it truly be as simple as we hope?
Johan felt uneasy.
The circumstances surrounding him could plunge into extremes at any moment. Suspicion and distrust always came to him before optimism.
Johan spoke.
“We won’t reach any conclusions by continuing this discussion right now. Let’s deal with the immediate problem first. I’ll assign each of you a task.”
Everyone looked at him.
“Ilea, investigate Ganish further. If you discover anything or develop any suspicions, share them with me immediately.”
“Leave it to me.”
Johan turned his gaze toward the imp.
“I will give you your first mission.”
“O Great End! I shall carry out any command!”
“Go outside and find me a truly wicked human. He must be the worst kind of person—someone so vile that even the Great Saint would forsake him.”
They needed a living sacrifice to corrupt the holy relic.
Johan intended to implant the Great Saint’s intestines into the person brought back by the imp and then place him within the corruption circle.
The Holy Spear Espada would be corrupted into an abomination, and White Horn would be able to act again.
The imp’s eyes gleamed.
“Fear not! I shall execute your command flawlessly!”
Johan looked at Raguel.
“Whether it’s day or night, open the forbidden archive whenever Ilea requests it. Endure the fatigue as best you can.”
The forbidden archive contained many forbidden books that no one was normally permitted even to read.
Those books would undoubtedly prove highly useful to Ilea’s investigation of Ganish.
Raguel nodded.
“I have more stamina than you might think.”
For the first time in his life, he had been entrusted with a role.
He looked rather pleased.
“I hope all of you will do your best. I’ll finish my business upstairs and return.”
After receiving an answer from each of them, Johan turned away.
Count Staviana’s knights were waiting for him.
Campbell… Campbell…
Johan became lost in thought as he headed toward the reception room.
The name of one of the two knights who had arrived at the castle continued to linger in his mind.
Sir Campbell.
He was certainly not a major character in the original story. If he had been a named character of importance, Johan would have immediately remembered his role.
At present, the memory seemed to hover just beyond his reach.
That must mean he was mentioned only in passing.
Even Johan, an avid reader of The Chronicle of Demons and Humans, could not remember every minor character.
There had been far too many characters, and the original story had not described every one of them in detail.
In other words, there was a high probability that Campbell had received at least some narrative attention.
His name had left a faint impression in Johan’s memory, after all.
Perhaps he had played a supporting role in some major incident.
That was probably not an incorrect assumption.
However, that was all Johan could remember.
Nothing else about Campbell came to mind.
It feels as though I’m needlessly losing out.
Johan understood the power of knowledge better than anyone.
How much had he gained thus far by exploiting his information advantage?
He deeply regretted being unable to use that advantage now, especially in a matter involving Count Staviana.
Still contemplating it, Johan grasped the doorknob.
He clicked his tongue and entered the reception room.
The two knights were sipping tea.
The moment Sir Myra saw Johan, he rose from his seat.
“You’ve returned sooner than expected. Have you finished your business?”
“You were both waiting, so I dealt with it as quickly as possible. Thank you for your understanding.”
Myra smiled amiably and shook his head.
“Not at all. Naturally, we were the ones who should wait. We can only apologize for appearing without notice. Campbell would also like to apologize for his earlier discourtesy.”
As soon as Myra finished speaking, Campbell rose from his seat.
He looked at Johan and slowly raised his visor.
As his face was gradually revealed, Johan’s expression began to change.
His impassiveness gave way to surprise, and finally, the faintest smile spread across his face.
Campbell the Profane!
The moment Johan saw the scars, information about the man flooded his mind.
A weak human being composed entirely of guilt, shame, trauma, and self-pity now stood before him.
The count has thrown me prey.
Demons were creatures that burrowed into weakness.
The deeper a person’s psychological deficiencies, the more joyfully a demon reveled within that abyss.
Campbell was fertile ground.
The corners of Johan’s mouth stretched into a broad smile.
Though he was human, he was unmistakably smiling like a demon.
A restrained chill seeped from his voice.
“Why were you hiding such an honorable scar?”
Campbell’s pupils trembled.
He was deeply shaken.