Chapter 93
A Way Out
“Do not come here again.”
After coldly uttering those words, Gaf walked away.
His attitude was nothing like usual. He had been exceedingly curt.
Shaperia lowered her head.
It must be because he discovered my true identity.
She was a spy for the Order. She had secretly infiltrated the lord’s castle and deceived everyone there.
Now that he knew the truth, it was only natural for him to be angry.
Even the kindhearted Johan was probably trembling with a sense of betrayal.
Shaperia released a long sigh.
She had made those who had shown her kindness feel betrayed. She had merely been carrying out her duty, but that did nothing to ease her guilt.
She felt sorry toward Johan and everyone else in the castle.
As Shaperia’s shoulders drooped, a young boy gently took her hand.
“You’re a good person, Holy Knight.”
The boy’s name was Raon. He was the grandson of the slash-and-burn village’s chief and had once been possessed by Jalkarin.
The Order had nearly taken him away because of that possession, but Johan had saved him.
Shaperia looked at Raon.
“I’m neither a holy knight nor a good person.”
She had only been an apprentice holy knight.
In truth, she had lost even that status. Because her divine power had disappeared, Shaperia was now nothing more than an ordinary recruit.
Raon shook his head.
“The scriptures say that anyone who protects others is a holy knight. You protected us all the way here. That means you really are a holy knight. And you’re a good person too.”
The Myatro family’s directly administered territory was hundreds of kilometers from the southwest.
Given the distance, countless dangers lurked along the road.
Several evil spirits had appeared, and groups of bandits had blocked their path.
Each time, Shaperia had dealt with them.
Without her, the slash-and-burn farmers would never have reached the Myatro territory safely.
Shaperia gently stroked Raon’s hair.
“Thank you. That makes me feel a little better.”
Raon beamed at her.
Seeing his smile, Shaperia found it impossible to remain still.
At the very least, she had to ensure that the farmers could meet Johan.
They had traveled such a long distance. She could not simply send them back.
Shaperia immediately raised her head.
Her gaze followed Gaf’s retreating figure.
“Wait! Please wait a moment!”
Shaperia began to run and quickly caught up with him.
Gaf turned to look at her. His expression remained rigid.
“What is it? I’m busy.”
“Please hear me out. It will only take a moment.”
Gaf furrowed his brow.
“If this concerns your work as a spy, there is no need to make excuses. We already understand the entire situation.”
Under Johan’s orders, Gaf had kept Shaperia under constant observation.
He had overheard every conversation she had held with the inquisitor.
“This is about something else. Did you see the migrants who were with me earlier?”
A group of roughly forty people had been accompanying Shaperia.
Gaf had naturally noticed them.
“Yes. What about them?”
“I don’t matter, so please at least allow them to meet Sir Johan... No, the Baron. The Baron promised to accept them as residents of his territory. He gave them his word.”
Gaf’s expression twisted slightly.
“The Baron has no time to concern himself with such trivial matters.”
Shaperia replied indignantly,
“Trivial? They walked for days from the southwestern quarantine zone to reach this place, trusting only in the Baron’s word. Their survival depends on this. Do not dismiss it as trivial.”
Gaf released a long sigh.
“Do you have any idea how many slash-and-burn farmers and vagrants arrive here every day? If we accepted them all, the territory would be ruined.”
Since Johan’s arrival, the Myatro territory’s reputation had steadily improved.
The baronial family had not even collected taxes from its residents that year.
After hearing such rumors, large numbers of people had begun flocking to the territory.
Johan could not afford to embrace all of them.
Shaperia grew frustrated.
“The people who came with me aren’t ordinary slash-and-burn farmers. They are the Baron’s benefactors. They saved his life.”
“His benefactors?”
“Yes. They found the Baron collapsed beside a river and cared for him. In return, the Baron granted them permission to settle here.”
Gaf fell into thought.
He vaguely recalled hearing a similar story from Johan.
Still speaking stiffly, he said,
“I will confirm the matter with the Baron. If this turns out to be another lie, we will lodge a formal complaint with the Order. Bear that in mind.”
Shaperia was a spy for the Order.
There was a possibility that the people she had brought with her were also affiliated with it.
As captain of the guard, Gaf had to screen them carefully.
Shaperia’s expression softened.
“I apologize for what happened before. Please convey my apology to the Baron as well.”
Gaf turned back toward the lord’s castle.
“There is no need to apologize. You were only acting under the Order’s commands. For now, wait in the village. I’ll go speak with the Baron.”
Gaf strode away.
The moment he entered the lord’s castle, the gates closed firmly once more.
Soldiers guarded the sealed gates like an iron wall.
Shaperia found it strange.
Had the baronial estate always been such an isolated place?
A great deal had changed within the castle over the past two months.
Shaperia stared silently at it.
No matter how she looked at it, its atmosphere was vastly different from before.
***
Johan sat in his office, staring blankly into space.
The charred ceiling filled his view. Several sections had caved in, and cracks ran everywhere.
Broken fragments occasionally fell above his head.
They were all traces of the battle.
Ilea and Gawain had utterly wrecked the castle.
It was giving Johan quite the headache. He had confidently told Ilea not to worry, but in truth, he had no idea how he was supposed to repair it.
...Should I abandon it and build a new one?
That might be the right decision.
If he hired workers to repair the castle, there was a chance the location of the Forbidden Archive would become known to the public.
Let’s build one. A new castle is the right choice.
He would leave this place standing as the old castle and construct a new one elsewhere.
Johan swallowed a groan as he began writing a letter.
He intended to rely somewhat on the Count’s wealth.
The Count would probably be unable to refuse Johan’s demands.
Johan spent a long time writing the letter before abruptly snapping his pen.
He suddenly clutched his head.
You idiot. The castle isn’t the urgent problem right now.
The greatest problem was Gawain.
No matter how much Johan racked his brain, he could not think of a way to save him.
He had probably turned his attention to rebuilding the castle because he wanted to avoid the problem.
His head hurt so badly that he wanted to escape from the issue of Gawain entirely.
Don’t run from it. I need to stop Gawain’s corruption first.
No solution had appeared even in the original story.
Johan would have to discover one himself.
He slowly reviewed the situation.
Gawain’s corruption was the backlash from turning the Holy Spear into a demonic spear.
Then what if they reversed the process and purified the demonic spear back into a Holy Spear?
Johan shook his head.
There was no known method for purifying a corrupted object.
That was how the setting of The Chronicles of Man and Demon worked.
Johan clutched his head again and sank deep into thought.
His contemplation continued for a long time.
He had no idea how much time had passed when someone entered his office.
Johan emerged from his thoughts.
“You could at least knock...”
“There’s no door. What am I supposed to knock on?”
Gaf stood leaning against the doorframe, looking at Johan.
Just as he had said, the door itself had been blown away.
Johan clicked his tongue.
“This place really is a ruin. So, what is it?”
Gaf replied calmly,
“Shaperia is here.”
“She arrived later than I expected.”
Gaf looked slightly puzzled.
“You knew that woman would return?”
By royal decree, all investigations into the baronial family had been terminated.
Shaperia’s mission to monitor the family had naturally ended as well.
As far as Gaf could tell, she no longer had any reason to visit the territory.
Johan nodded.
“I promised to open the gate to the Abyss for her. She believes that visiting the holy ground within it will restore the divine power she lost.”
It was nothing more than superstition.
There were almost no known ways to restore lost divine power.
Gaf asked,
“Then do you intend to meet Shaperia?”
Johan thought for a moment.
He had allowed Shaperia to stay with them so that he could use her to monitor the Order’s movements.
That reason no longer existed.
Keeping Shaperia around would provide him with no benefit whatsoever.
Johan opened his mouth.
“Send her back. Even the time it would take to meet her would be wasted.”
“What about the slash-and-burn farmers from the southwest?”
Johan appeared not to know what he meant.
Gaf gave him a rough explanation.
Only then did Johan remember them.
“Give them land and houses. I owe them my life, so I must repay that debt.”
Gaf nodded.
“I’ll send Shaperia away and accept the farmers. Is that all?”
Johan opened his mouth, then closed it again.
Wait.
An idea suddenly occurred to him.
What if I make use of Shaperia...?
She and Gawain had quite a few similarities.
To begin with, they possessed similar talents.
Both were favored by the Great Saint.
Perhaps he could use Shaperia to purify Gawain.
Johan rose from his seat.
“I’ve changed my mind. I need to see Shaperia. Right now.”
Gaf had grown accustomed to Johan’s sudden decisions.
“You’re planning something again.”
“Just lead the way. I’ll explain later.”
Without another word, Gaf gestured for him to follow.
The two immediately headed down to the village.
***
Shaperia waited for Gaf in the village hall while drinking tea provided by the village chief.
Several villagers had come to see her.
Word had already spread that Shaperia was a holy knight.
It was not often that people in a remote southern village had the chance to see one.
Naturally, the villagers were curious.
Everyone looks so cheerful.
Every villager who had come to see her wore a bright expression.
They looked entirely different from how they had two months ago.
Just changing one lord can make this much of a difference.
As she marveled at the sight, a commotion arose at the entrance to the hall.
“My lord, it has been too long!”
“Have you been well?”
“You should show your face in the village more often!”
“One of our calves was born recently. I’d like to offer it to you, my lord!”
Welcomed by everyone, Johan entered the village hall.
Shaperia rose and straightened her clothes.
For some reason, she felt compelled to observe proper etiquette.
Her eyes met Johan’s.
Shaperia bowed.
“Sir Johan... No. It is an honor to meet you, Baron.”
Johan approached her with an expressionless face.
Shaperia grew slightly nervous.
There was a strange heaviness to Johan’s presence.
He spoke calmly.
“Sir Shaperia, it has been a long time.”
Shaperia’s expression turned solemn.
“Thank you for agreeing to meet me. As for everything that happened... I sincerely apologize.”
Johan chuckled.
The rigid atmosphere instantly relaxed.
He lightly patted Shaperia on the shoulder.
“If you’re truly sorry, would you do me one favor?”