Chapter 81
Cromwell Staviana (1)
“You drew your sword.”
Her dry voice sank ominously low.
Realizing his mistake, Hakain immediately sheathed his sword.
He raised both hands.
“I had no choice, haha. You understand that too, don’t you?”
Hakain had drawn his sword to protect Johan.
If Johan were injured, calamity would descend upon them.
Hakain had been left with no choice.
Ilea regarded him coldly.
“I understand, but I have no choice but to keep my word. You’ll pay with your life.”
Deep-blue mana surged around her.
Hakain flinched.
“Hey, are you serious?”
“Yes. You will die—right here.”
Her voice was calm and resolute.
Johan found her reaction puzzling. He whispered to her,
“Why are you getting so worked up? This isn’t like you.”
“He must be punished for his careless words.”
“Let it go. Causing a disturbance will only harm us.”
“But…”
“I said stop.”
Ilea’s mask drew inward slightly as she bit her lip.
What has gotten into her? Why is she acting so emotional?
It was unlike her.
Hakain spoke.
“Judging by your reaction, it seems I made some other mistake. I sincerely apologize. But if you insist on killing me, I won’t simply stand still and accept it. Be prepared to lose at least one wrist.”
Ilea stared at him for a moment, then took a deep breath.
“I’ll restrain myself for now and treat it as a test of patience. We’ll settle this matter next time.”
The mana raging around her disappeared.
Hakain wiped the cold sweat from his brow.
“I have no intention of ever meeting you again.”
“You never know what the future holds.”
Johan and Ilea walked away.
Hakain watched their retreating figures and muttered,
“Is he some cherished disciple of hers? Whatever the case, that took ten years off my life.”
***
The city of Beldana remained as lively as ever.
The streets teemed with people hurrying about, and the marketplace was packed with crowds.
Merchant ships poured through the canals like an incoming tide.
The events inside the Shadow Citadel had not affected Beldana in the slightest.
The underworld and the world above were entirely separate.
Most ordinary residents lived without ever realizing that the underworld existed.
Thanks to that, Johan and Ilea left the city without encountering any trouble.
Deep in the foothills, Ilea lowered her mask.
“That must have been suffocating. No one is following us, so I think you can remove your hood.”
Johan pulled off his hood.
“What about you?”
Ilea was still wearing hers.
“I don’t have any clothes underneath.”
Come to think of it, Ilea had given her clothes to a woman at the entrance to the Shadow Citadel.
That meant she was naked beneath her hood.
Johan said expressionlessly,
“You’ve shown me quite a few new sides of yourself over the past few days.”
She had helped a complete stranger who was being abused by a mage.
It had probably been out of sympathy.
Such an emotion did not suit a witch very well.
“I suppose I’m going through a period of growth. You know what people say—when someone is entering their teenage years, they experience confusion while trying to discover who they are.”
Johan chuckled.
“That period is called puberty. It seems even witches go through it.”
The younger children at the orphanage had also started behaving unusually when they reached Ilea’s age.
Johan was accustomed to it.
“Puberty? I’ve never heard that word before.”
“That’s probably also why you became so emotional earlier, unlike your usual self.”
“What do you mean?”
“I’m talking about what happened with Hakain.”
Ilea immediately shook her head.
“That was different. Hakain touched my reverse scale. Puberty had nothing to do with it. Anyone would have been furious in that situation.”
Johan looked puzzled.
“Your reverse scale?”
“You, Johan. Hakain threatened your life.”
Hakain had intended to use Johan against Ilea.
Naturally, Ilea had found that extremely unpleasant.
Johan fell into thought for a moment.
He was trying to deduce her reasoning.
“…That certainly would be upsetting. My life is directly connected to yours, after all.”
If Johan died, Ilea would die as well.
Johan truly was her reverse scale.
Ilea stared directly into his eyes.
“Aren’t you supposed to be rather perceptive?”
“Well, no one has ever called me oblivious.”
“They would now. If anyone were listening to our conversation, they’d probably say you were incredibly oblivious.”
Johan furrowed his brow slightly.
“What is that supposed to mean?”
“Nothing.”
Her tone was strangely petulant.
Even that reminded him of his younger siblings.
Without realizing it, Johan tousled Ilea’s hair.
“You really are going through puberty.”
Ilea stiffened slightly. A faint blush spread across her cheeks.
“W-What was that all of a sudden?”
Johan’s hand abruptly stopped.
“Sorry. I did it without thinking.”
He took several steps backward.
A shadow fell over his face.
Belzarak’s illusion had resurfaced in his mind.
—Oppa, could you stop touching me? Honestly, it’s disgusting. I’m afraid that if I catch whatever you have, I might fail to awaken too. Please disappear from my life. I’m begging you.
He knew perfectly well that it had only been an illusion, yet those words had somehow lodged themselves deep within his heart.
When Johan’s expression darkened, Ilea looked at him with concern.
“Johan, what’s wrong? Are you all right?”
“It’s nothing.”
Ilea silently studied him, then smiled with her eyes.
“Then please continue. I like how this feels.”
She took Johan’s hand and placed it atop her head.
His small hand gently stroked her silver hair.
Ilea smiled contentedly.
Johan cleared his throat and withdrew his hand.
“The sun is about to set.”
“Why bring that up all of a sudden?”
“It’s time to move. We need to return to the domain quickly.”
They had been waiting for nightfall.
Flying in Johan’s demonic form at night was much faster than riding horses during the day.
With his authority, Night Veil, there was no risk of their presence being detected.
Ilea spoke in a deflated voice.
“What a shame.”
No sooner had she finished speaking than the sun vanished completely beneath the horizon.
The black demon emerged.
Spreading his wings, Johan said,
“I’ll stroke your hair as much as you like. For now, let’s go back.”
He could gladly indulge such a minor display of affection.
After all, he had received so much from her.
Ilea beamed.
“You must keep your word.”
She climbed onto her broom.
The two immediately soared into the night sky.
***
The atmosphere on the Shadow Citadel’s second floor was practically that of a funeral.
Everyone gathered there was either sighing or groaning uneasily.
Their minds were filled with questions and concerns.
First, there was the Apostle.
They had no idea where the descended Mapheltan had disappeared to.
Even the purpose behind the Apostle’s manifestation in this land remained unknown.
Why had he answered their summons in the first place?
The Evil God Society needed to uncover the circumstances before it could decide how to proceed.
If they could worship Mapheltan as their god, betraying the Count’s family would not be much of an issue.
The Evil God Society possessed no true loyalty toward the Count’s house.
The two factions were connected solely through mutual interests.
Of course, they could not abandon the Count immediately.
They did not know what relationship existed between him and the Apostle.
The Evil God Society did not even know what had happened inside the secret chamber on the third floor.
What in the world had taken place in there?
Everything, from beginning to end, was shrouded in mystery.
For the moment, they could not even confirm whether the Count was alive.
There was no way to enter the chamber.
No one present was capable of handling Belzarak.
Only an elder from the Society’s central order would be able to resist Belzarak, and even then, only briefly.
A message had already been sent to the central order.
It would take at least a full day for an elder to reach the Shadow Citadel.
Until then, everyone in the Shadow Citadel had no choice but to sit around helplessly.
Hakain slumped into a chair.
“We’ll have to wait. What else can we do?”
He sank into thought.
If the Count fell here, Hakain would need to find another way to survive.
At the very least, he would have to leave Beldana.
It might even be better to act immediately.
Just as he began seriously considering escape, someone shouted,
“Y-Your Excellency! Are you all right?!”
The Count was slowly emerging from the secret chamber.
He appeared as dignified as ever.
His clothes were immaculate, and his expression was composed.
There was no sign of emotional turmoil whatsoever.
Hakain rose and slowly applauded.
“As expected of Your Excellency. You remain perfectly composed even after facing an Apostle.”
The Count tidied his white hair.
“There was no Apostle.”
Confusion appeared on the faces of several members of the Evil God Society.
Hakain spoke.
“That cannot be. We received a report that an Apostle entered the third floor.”
“I heard the same, but there were only a boy and a girl inside. Belzarak has disappeared as well.”
A commotion spread among the cultists.
Hakain asked,
“…Did you happen to see their faces? Particularly the mage’s?”
“What if I did?”
“I’d like to know what she looks like.”
Hakain intended to avoid that mage for the rest of his life.
“You can see her with your own eyes.”
“Pardon? What do you mean?”
“I am going to meet those two immediately. You will accompany me.”
Hakain gave a strained laugh.
“Haha, I’m afraid I won’t be of any help.”
“I will decide whether you are useful.”
“Th-There are certain circumstances…”
The Count cut him off.
“Stop complaining and follow me.”
The Count intended to visit the Myatro domain with only Hakain.
Hakain would be more than sufficient as an escort.
The Count immediately started walking.
Hakain followed with the expression of a man being dragged to the slaughterhouse.
I’m thoroughly screwed.
The mage’s words returned to him.
—I’ll restrain myself for now and treat it as a test of patience. We’ll settle this matter next time.
He had never imagined that “next time” would come so quickly.
His head began to throb.
***
There was nothing Johan needed to do for the time being.
He truly could afford to rest for a few days.
He intended to sleep for an entire day first.
He desperately needed to recharge.
For the first time in a long while, he lay down on his bed.
The moment he closed his eyes, sleep overwhelmed him.
Just as he was drifting off, someone abruptly threw open the door.
Johan shot an irritated look toward the entrance.
“Couldn’t you at least knock?”
Gaf replied,
“I knocked several times, but you wouldn’t wake up.”
It seemed Johan had already fallen asleep.
He sighed.
“So, what do you want? If it isn’t important, leave it until later.”
“The Count has arrived.”
Alarm appeared on Johan’s face.
“Already?”
It had not even been two days since Johan returned to the Myatro domain.
It was physically impossible for the Count to have arrived already.
Unless he had flown there like Johan, there was no explaining it.
Johan let out an incredulous laugh.
“That makes no sense. Are you certain?”
“He’s waiting in the drawing room. Go down and see for yourself.”
Johan stared at the ceiling for a moment.
It felt as though someone were deliberately pushing him to his absolute limit.
This is truly exhausting.
He sat upright.
“…Fine. Let’s go.”
Rest was a luxury his fate refused to permit.
Johan headed straight for the drawing room.
Ilea and the Count were already sharing tea.
The moment the Count saw Johan, he said,
“I will accept every one of your demands. In return, I ask that you grant me a single favor.”