Chapter 52

Turnabout Is Fair Play

A week passed quickly. Over those few days, the weather had grown noticeably colder. The fallen leaves had long since been swept away by the biting wind.

Winter was just around the corner.

It was weather cold enough to require one to fasten every button, yet Johan was completely stripped to the waist. Despite the frigid air, sweat poured from his body.

“…That damned mercenary. I asked him to teach me spearmanship, and this is what I get.”

His elbows bent, lowering his upper body until it nearly touched the ground. His entire body trembled violently.

He was doing push-ups.

For the past week, he had done nothing but bodyweight exercises in the training yard.

—You need to build your strength and stamina first. I’ll give you assignments, and you will complete your daily quota without missing a single day.

After saying that, Gaf had left the lord’s castle and had not shown his face since. At Johan’s request, he was tailing Myra and Campbell.

Johan alone had been left behind to suffer.

He collapsed onto the training-yard floor, harsh breaths bursting from his mouth.

Twenty fast laps around the yard, four hundred push-ups, three hundred sit-ups, three hundred squats, and finally hanging from a pull-up bar for as long as possible.

Having completed his entire quota for the day, Johan was utterly spent.

Since he had not skipped a single day of training, the accumulated fatigue was also considerable.

He genuinely felt as though he might die, but he had no intention of quitting.

Had he not realized the full extent of his powerlessness in the southwestern quarantine zone? He had to develop his human body somehow, at least to the point where he could protect himself.

It was unavoidable if he wanted to survive in this damned world.

Grinding his teeth, Johan pushed himself back up.

One more set.

He once again drove his exhausted body forward.

His entire body ached, but strangely enough, it did not feel all that bad.

＊

Gaf leaned against a large pine tree and watched the training yard.

His impassive gaze continued to follow the small boy.

…He must be serious.

Anyone could see that Johan was desperate. Even after completing his quota, he did not rest at all. He pushed his undersized body to its absolute limit. It almost looked as though he had been cornered and was struggling to escape.

Gaf knew that determination well.

It was an impulse born from the desire to survive—the desperate struggle to avoid death that could only be seen among mercenaries.

Johan was fighting to survive.

But what is he trying to survive?

That half-demon had even manipulated the Apostle Beris to his liking. No matter the situation, he never lost his composure. Even when Gaf first met him, back when Johan had been at his weakest as an imp, he had shown no fear. He had simply overwhelmed everyone present with his leisurely confidence.

Now, however, he was different.

There was neither ease nor leisure in Johan’s demeanor. All Gaf could see was desperation.

As he watched, Gaf found himself seized by numerous questions and unfamiliar emotions.

What could Johan be so wary of that he drove himself this hard? Was such human effort proof that red blood truly flowed through his veins as well?

Gaf could find no answers, but he knew exactly where these sudden questions had come from.

They were likely caused by the slight change in how he felt about Johan.

During the week he had spent tailing the knights, Gaf had encountered countless residents of the territory.

Their faces had become noticeably brighter. Shadows still remained, but there was unmistakable hope amid the darkness.

The atmosphere throughout the territory had changed considerably.

The conscripted daughters had returned, and the fear of war had vanished. Since no one had been drafted, the harvest had been completed without issue. Their taxes had even been reduced that year.

The oppression weighing down the common people had eased.

As much as Gaf hated to admit it, it was all the result of Johan’s rule.

It was thanks to a demon.

The moment his thoughts reached that point, Gaf let out a hollow laugh.

I’ve truly sunk as low as I can go.

The way demons seduced humans was simple.

They dangled immediate gain and fleeting happiness as bait, then stole away one’s reason.

He could not allow himself to succumb to those sweet whispers. The moment he felt affection for a demon, it was over.

Get a grip.

Gaf opened his eyes wide and stared at Johan.

At that exact moment, their gazes met.

Dragging his exhausted body along, Johan approached Gaf.

“You haven’t shown your face once. Have you been hiding there and watching me every day?”

As always, Johan addressed him in a confrontational tone.

And as usual, Gaf replied bluntly.

“Unlike a certain someone, I don’t have two bodies. How could I possibly do that? Cleaning up after you has kept me busy enough.”

Gaf had not even had time to visit the lord’s castle while tailing the count’s knights.

“So busy that you neglected to report back for an entire week?”

“What was I supposed to do? Those bastards were diligent. They traveled from village to village without taking a moment’s rest. Every night, they gathered the residents and bought them drinks.”

“Find someone to serve as a messenger. As you know, interim reports are essential.”

“I’m already looking for someone.”

“We’ll leave that issue aside for now. Did you determine their intentions?”

“They intend to uncover every last detail about the territory—from rumors about you to every scrap of gossip concerning the lord’s castle.”

It was more or less what Johan had expected.

“They must have discovered several suspicious matters.”

Gaf nodded.

“Betra’s sudden disappearance, Grian’s change in behavior, and the unsettling rumors concerning Sir Rail. Those seem the most likely to deal you a fatal blow.”

Betra was the prostitute sacrificed to the profane formation, while Rail was the knight Johan had turned into a puppet.

If the truth behind either incident came to light, Johan would inevitably be ruined. Both were proof that Johan was a demon.

Of course, the knights were unlikely to reach the truth. However, the mere fact that someone harbored suspicions posed a significant risk to Johan.

There was also a chance that the various circumstances would be used as grounds to launch an investigation into the Myatro territory.

Had an inquisitor from the Church not already infiltrated the territory? The incident involving the Calamity Book had fortunately erupted at just the right time and diverted the inquisitor’s attention, but something similar could happen again at any moment.

He needed to prepare, and Johan already had something in mind.

The kingdom’s attention is already focused on the south. Lying low will only slow my growth. It won’t free me from their scrutiny anyway.

Instead, he intended to push forward. Now that he had already attracted attention, he might as well use it more aggressively.

Johan said,

“For now, they have nothing but suspicions. Before those suspicions can grow into a fatal blow, I merely need to bury them beneath an even greater incident.”

“I’m sure you’ll handle it somehow.”

“Obviously. I’m not particularly worried, but there is one thing I need to confirm. How much have they learned about me?”

“Nothing, of course.”

From everyone’s perspective, Johan was shrouded in mystery.

He was an illegitimate child who had appeared without any context. Almost nothing was known about his birth, the environment in which he had grown up, his personal relationships, or anything else surrounding him.

“That will only make them more suspicious.”

As Johan said, the fact that his information had been concealed so thoroughly only deepened their doubts.

Whenever one dug into a person’s past, there was always at least a single loose thread to uncover. Yet they could not find even the smallest speck of information about Johan.

Gaf said,

“It was more than that. They’ve become completely fixated on you. They’ll probably keep digging until they reach the bottom.”

“…They’re still in the territory?”

Gaf shook his head.

“They’ve left the directly administered lands. Instead, they intend to visit the other villages.”

The directly administered lands referred to Forn Village, which belonged to the lord’s castle. The remaining villages were all considered subsidiary territories, including Taharan Village, where Johan had first found himself after transmigrating.

House Myatro possessed numerous other subsidiary territories as well. Judging by its sheer size, House Myatro was far more than a mere baronial family.

In fact, until two hundred years ago, the Barony of Myatro had been called a duchy, and the Warden of the Abyss had been recognized as a grand duke.

Now, however, they were nothing more than nobles of the kingdom.

Johan murmured,

“…They intend to visit every subsidiary territory. They’re more persistent than I expected.”

Evidence that Johan was a half-demon existed in Taharan Village—the witnesses who had seen him.

He had already silenced them, but unforeseen complications could arise at any moment.

Gaf asked,

“Do you intend to leave those two knights alone?”

“No. We’ll deal with them.”

“How?”

“For now, just keep track of their movements. I already have a rough plan in mind.”

“Understood.”

“Is that everything you have to report?”

As if something had suddenly occurred to him, Gaf added,

“Ah, right. Some man was loitering around the castle gate. He caused a disturbance, insisting that he had to meet you. He reeked of blood, and there was something deeply unsettling about him. I locked him in the underground prison for now, so go down and take a look.”

Johan could not think of anyone who might have come looking for him at present. Moreover, the smell of blood and an unsettling air were hardly enough to identify the visitor.

Frowning, Johan sank briefly into thought.

After a moment’s consideration, something suddenly flashed through his mind.

The corners of his lips rose slightly.

“Things may proceed faster than I expected.”

Gaf merely looked puzzled.

“What are you talking about?”

“Bring him to the basement. You don’t need to treat him gently. He’s probably a vicious bastard.”

It seemed the imp had completed his mission.

Johan immediately headed toward the basement.

“Murdering a slash-and-burn farmer and his daughter, mutilating and abandoning their corpses, desecrating the holy scripture, habitual robbery, and even the rape of four boys! O Great End! I have captured a demon wearing human skin! Just as you commanded, this man is so vile that even the Great Saint would forsake him!”

At the center of the underground study, a young man knelt in restraints.

Johan, Ilea, Gaf, Raguel, and the imp stood around him.

Johan spoke.

“There can be no mistake. Have these facts been properly verified?”

He could not use an innocent person as a sacrifice for the profane formation.

The imp replied confidently,

“Would you like to hear it directly from him?”

At Johan’s gesture, Gaf removed the gag from the young man’s mouth. Gaf had already received a rough explanation of the situation and understood what was happening.

The moment his mouth was freed, the young man shouted,

“Servants of the Thirteenth End, it is an honor to meet you! Please call me Goat! Like all of you, I have come here to serve the End!”

No one answered him. They simply stared blankly at him.

The young man looked around.

“But where is the End? I wish to meet him and offer my formal greetings.”

Johan chuckled.

“First, prove that you are worthy. What contributions have you made toward bringing about the end of the world?”

A repulsive smile spread across the young man’s face.

“An excellent question. I have claimed more than ten living souls, and most of them screamed and begged until moments before their deaths. Their voices formed the harmony of the End’s requiem. Not long ago, after raping a boy, I put—”

Johan clicked his tongue.

“That’s enough.”

There was no need to hear any more.

Gaf ground his teeth.

“He deserves to be torn apart.”

“Gaf, insert this into him.”

Johan handed Gaf a milky-white mass of flesh—the Great Saint’s intestine.

Gripping the intestine, Gaf strode toward the young man.

The young man did not yet seem to understand what was about to happen to him.

“What is that in your hand?”

Johan answered,

“Something that will be inserted into you. Just as you violated those boys, this large friend of ours is going to show you some affection. I greatly look forward to the requiem that will emerge from your mouth.”

The young man’s face darkened.

“W-What do you—”

Before he could finish, Gaf seized him roughly by the hair and shouted,

“Let’s see your backside!”

The young man struggled, but he could not escape Gaf’s grip.

Ilea gently covered her eyes. Raguel plugged his ears.

The imp danced with delight. To a demon, human screams and wails were nourishment.

A horrific requiem echoed throughout the basement.

The Great Saint’s eye was certainly a much easier holy relic to transplant.

Johan was profoundly grateful for that.