Chapter 80
The Count’s Domain (10)
Several hours earlier, Johan sat atop the Celestial Coffin, watching the Count.
The Count had completely lost his senses.
Frozen like a statue, he stared into empty space with vacant eyes.
He was trapped in a terrible nightmare.
Johan had no way of knowing what was happening inside the dream.
Only Ilea could access the illusion.
She had the Nightmare Demon Belzarak as her familiar.
Tiny magic circles turned like gears within Ilea’s blue pupils.
She was using Belzarak to manipulate the Count’s nightmare.
Johan regarded her with a bored expression.
When will this be over?
Just as he was growing tired of waiting, the magic circles vanished from Ilea’s eyes. The blue mana also disappeared without a trace.
She spoke.
“That was a satisfying performance. Well done.”
A lump of black slime burst from the Count’s mouth as though he had vomited it out.
It was Belzarak.
The creature immediately wriggled toward Ilea.
Kihihihirik—!
Belzarak could not speak. It did not even possess a definite form.
It was merely a being condensed from pure malice.
Who would look at such a thing and think it was a high-ranking demon?
Judging by appearances alone, Belzarak seemed no more than a common evil spirit.
Johan asked skeptically,
“Did it do the job properly?”
Ilea nodded.
“Don’t worry. Belzarak is more capable than I expected.”
Belzarak was the very embodiment of nightmares, a being that had existed since ancient times.
It would not be an exaggeration to call it the progenitor of all dream demons.
Although it had lost much of its power, it had once been one of the Great Demons of the Netherworld.
Calling Belzarak merely capable hardly did it justice.
The moment it regained its true body, it would become a considerable asset to Johan.
But that was a matter for the distant future.
For now, it was merely a “fairly” exceptional dream demon.
It was not particularly reliable.
Johan opened his mouth.
“Well, if you’ve confirmed it yourself, I suppose Belzarak must be useful enough.”
Ilea smiled softly.
“Trust me. The Count will have no choice but to take your hand.”
Ilea and Belzarak had staged the Count’s nightmare together.
Having watched the entire process, she was confident that the Count had been defeated.
Her assurance inspired a certain degree of confidence.
Johan said,
“Understood. Was there anything else unusual?”
Ilea approached the Count, who remained rigid and motionless.
“This pendant. It turned out to be quite dangerous.”
The Count’s pendant was the trigger for summoning the Great Demon Saehel.
Ilea removed it and handed it to Johan.
Johan said,
“It is an object that gives birth to calamity—a calamity named Saehel.”
Ilea let out a quiet sound of admiration.
“So you already knew.”
She had discovered the pendant’s function by exploring the Count’s past, but Johan had possessed the information from the beginning.
He had read about it in the original novel.
“Aren’t you used to this by now?”
“Yes. Honestly, I’m not even surprised anymore.”
“Other than the pendant, is there anything else worth discussing?”
There might have been some unexpected detail he did not know.
The Annals of Demons and Men was an ensemble story, so it did not delve deeply into every individual’s circumstances or state of mind.
Ilea spoke.
“…Hmm. Do you know the hidden story behind the Count and his wife—Cromwell and Yeriyan?”
Johan did not know enough to call it a hidden story.
“Isn’t it merely another mundane love story?”
Ilea shook her head.
“It’s rather interesting—and more heartrending than you might expect. I can tell you if you’re interested.”
Johan considered it briefly before answering.
“If it is something I need to hear right now, summarize it.”
“It isn’t immediately important.”
“Then there’s no need. I don’t want to waste time on it.”
They needed to leave soon, before even more people gathered in the Shadow Citadel.
Ilea lightly clapped her hands.
“Then let’s do this. I’ll tell you when we have some free time. You remember that you promised to take a short break after this was over, don’t you?”
Johan had indeed made such a promise to her.
“Fine. We’ll do that if we have time. For now, prepare to leave.”
His tone suggested that he intended to let the matter quietly slip away, causing Ilea to narrow her eyes.
She sighed softly.
“Very well, for now. Is that the only thing we need to take?”
She pointed inside the Celestial Coffin.
Yeriyan’s remains had been wrapped tightly in a black cloth.
“Handle her carefully. It’ll be a headache if she gets damaged.”
“Don’t worry.”
The bundle slowly rose into the air.
Magic was making it levitate.
Johan placed a letter where the remains had been.
The Count would probably check on Yeriyan the moment he awoke.
Instead of her, he would find Johan’s invitation, and the Count would immediately travel to the Myatro domain.
The groundwork had been laid.
As long as he made proper use of the Count, Johan could accomplish a great many things.
He spoke with satisfaction.
“Let’s return to the domain. Everything here is finished.”
Johan and Ilea pulled their head coverings and hoods over their faces.
Then they left the secret chamber.
Belzarak followed them.
A vast crowd had gathered in the enormous cavern on the Shadow Citadel’s second floor.
There were followers of the Evil God Society, mages, fallen knights and priests, and even several mysterious eccentrics. Every one of them regarded Johan and Ilea warily.
A man slowly stepped out from the crowd.
He spoke in a languid voice.
“Well, would you look at that? It seems I was the one who let calamity through the door.”
The man was Hakain the Sword Demon, one of the Shadow Citadel’s seven gatekeepers.
He was the one responsible for allowing Ilea to pass.
It would not be an exaggeration to say that everything that had happened was because of Hakain.
Still wearing her hood, Ilea said,
“You merely followed the rules, Mr. Hakain. I obtained an entry pass, and you, as the gatekeeper, allowed me through. No one did anything wrong.”
Hakain laughed heartily.
“You’re not wrong. But someone must take responsibility for this mess. Since I’m the gatekeeper who let you inside, I have to set things right. I’d like to minimize the price I’ll have to pay.”
If anything had happened to the Count, Hakain would not survive.
Ilea asked,
“How do you intend to resolve this?”
“Before that, let me ask a few questions. What happened to His Excellency the Count?”
No one had entered the secret chamber yet.
They were too frightened of Belzarak.
“He is unharmed. So unharmed that you needn’t worry about him in the slightest.”
Hakain stroked his ragged, protruding beard.
“That is difficult to take entirely on faith. Is that thing floating above you perhaps His Excellency?”
A large bundle floated over Ilea’s head.
Yeriyan’s remains were inside it.
Ilea shook her head.
“The Count is safe on the third floor. You can go and see for yourself.”
“I’d rather you showed me what’s inside that bundle.”
“I’m afraid that’s impossible.”
Hakain looked troubled.
“If you refuse to cooperate, I can’t simply let you leave.”
Ilea’s eyes curved into a smile.
“Can you stop me?”
Hakain had witnessed her power firsthand.
At the entrance to the Shadow Citadel, Ilea had slaughtered a mage with high-order magic without uttering an incantation or displaying the slightest warning.
In all likelihood, Ilea was an Archmage.
Out of respect for the powerful, Hakain had even spoken politely to her.
Now he had returned to informal speech.
Ilea was a potential enemy.
Hakain said,
“Stopping you would be difficult. But wouldn’t the situation change if I used that person?”
Hakain pointed behind Ilea.
A small figure stood there, wearing a hood just like hers.
It was Johan.
The smile in Ilea’s eyes faded.
“Use him? How?”
“By targeting him instead of you. Even an Archmage would struggle to fight all of us while protecting someone else.”
From the very beginning, Ilea had kept Johan behind her.
It was the instinctive behavior of someone protecting something precious.
Furthermore, Johan appeared remarkably weak.
The Sword Demon’s discerning eyes had noticed all of it.
Ilea’s smile disappeared completely.
The air began to grow cold.
She slowly opened her mouth.
“The moment you act on that idea, you will regret it to the marrow of your bones. You will regret the decision you made today for the rest of your life.”
Biting cold spread in every direction.
White breath began escaping everyone’s lips.
Hakain gave her a cautious smile.
“If he is truly that precious to you, why don’t you try protecting him from me?”
He lowered his stance and placed a hand at his waist, gently wrapping his fingers around the hilt of his sword.
His perpetually languid eyes turned sharp.
Ilea murmured,
“You’re crossing the line.”
At once, countless spell formulas appeared in midair.
Bizarre geometric patterns interlocked and rotated like gears.
The moisture in the air slowly froze.
Their surroundings turned pure white.
Every mage present was stunned.
“Is she even human?”
“How can this be…?”
Several spells of such lofty rank that they could not even be deciphered had appeared simultaneously.
Anyone with even a passing knowledge of magic could not help but be horrified.
The being before them truly was an Archmage.
Or something comparable to one.
A mage spoke in a trembling voice.
“S-Sir Hakain, you must stop.”
Cold sweat formed on Hakain’s forehead.
Nevertheless, he did not relax his stance. His grip around the sword hilt grew tighter.
A faint competitive gleam flickered in his sharp eyes.
Hakain muttered tensely,
“Can I cut her down? At this distance, the matchup favors me.”
Johan and Ilea were already within Hakain’s range.
According to conventional wisdom, a mage could not defeat a swordsman once caught within striking distance.
Should he trust common sense and experience and draw his sword?
Or should he follow his peculiar intuition and bow his head?
The hand gripping his sword began to tremble.
Ilea spoke coldly.
“You threatened the person most precious to me. You have already committed a crime worthy of death. I truly do not wish to restrain myself, but I will give you one final chance. Please step aside. If you draw that sword, I will kill you and every person connected to you.”
Her blue pupils turned black.
Every magic circle deployed in the air interlocked and rotated.
The weather changed repeatedly at intervals of only a few seconds.
Bitter cold swept through the cavern, only to be replaced by scorching heat.
At times, it felt as though they had been submerged underwater.
She was altering nature itself.
It was a realm far beyond their reach.
The mages collapsed one after another.
They had completely lost their will to fight. Only awe remained.
Hakain understood as well.
His sword would never reach the mage.
He immediately relaxed his stance and released the hilt.
With an awkward smile, he said,
“I suppose being punished by the Count’s family would be preferable. I may not look it, but I have a great many things to protect.”
The instant he finished speaking, every magic circle disappeared without a trace.
Ilea released a long sigh.
“Would you please clear the way, then?”
Hakain shamelessly made an exaggerated gesture inviting them through.
“Go. Let’s never meet again.”
Johan and Ilea began walking away.
At that moment, someone spoke in a shrill voice.
“Chatter, chatter, chatter. What an utterly pathetic bunch.”
Johan turned toward the voice.
A bizarre creature resembling a fusion of spider and human was rapidly crawling toward them.
It suddenly leaped.
Black venomous fangs were bared.
Just before it could reach Johan, a flash streaked horizontally through the air.
The spider creature split in half while still airborne.
Dark red bodily fluid poured down over Johan’s head.
Hakain stood with his sword drawn, wearing a proud expression.
Ilea spoke in a dry voice.
“You drew your sword.”