Chapter 1 - The Demon Whispers

The peasants stirred at the sudden proposal.

“D-don’t listen.”

“He’s obviously trying to bewitch us!”

“But...”

They couldn’t help being tempted, at least a little. Deals with Demons brought prosperity to farms. As long as the proper price was paid, even this cramped granary would be filled as generously as a noble’s storehouse.

“Absolutely not. Do you all want to be twisted out of shape and dried up until you die?”

The speaker was a man who had stepped out from the group of peasants. His appearance was not that of a frontier villager. He brought to mind a trained soldier.

The peasants’ gazes turned toward him.

The man opened his mouth again.

“The moment we make a contract with that Demon bastard, we’ll become nothing but walking corpses. It’ll gnaw away at our souls, then throw us aside like rags.”

A Demon’s sorcery could aid farming, but it demanded human souls or lives as sacrifices.

In the end, it led only to ruin.

The peasants glanced at the man for his reaction and nodded repeatedly.

“R-right. A deal with a Demon, of all things. Even God would be angered by that.”

“Of course. Let’s deal with this evil monster before it causes trouble.”

“Before the Church finds out.”

There was no way the Church would dispatch a holy knight to a remote frontier like this. Normally, at least. But what if something unusual happened? Taharan might fall not to a Demon, but to humans.

Everyone’s shoulders flinched with fear.

Yohan was not entirely at ease either. The arrival of that large man had completely swayed public opinion. If things continued like this, he would not be able to escape death.

‘Come on, brain. Please, work.’

The more urgent the situation, the calmer he had to remain. He could not afford to look dazed and helpless. The moment they looked down on him, they would kill him outright. He did not want to die an unjust death without even knowing why he had possessed this body.

He needed information. He carefully scanned every sight within view.

The shabby clothes, old and rusted farming tools, heaps of stacked straw, and the half-collapsed granary... None of them had any value as information.

Most of the farms in this novel would probably look much the same as the scene before him.

To break through this situation, he needed something that set it apart.

As he quickly surveyed his surroundings, an old, hoarse voice leaked out from the group of peasants.

“So, Gaf, what do you think we should do? About this half-breed, I mean.”

It was an old man sitting on a pile of straw. He prodded the soldier-like man with his cane.

... Putting that aside, Gaf? A flash went through Yohan’s mind. It was a very familiar name. Gaf, captain of the Kandeya Mercenary Company. A character in the novel, and a man given fairly significant attention.

After losing all his subordinates through his own mistake, he settled in a frontier village while sunk in despair.

That was how it went according to Yohan’s memories.

It was probably an ordinary setup, the kind one could find anywhere. That was not why Gaf was a named character.

The reason lay in his daughter. Ilea, the Great Witch. She was responsible for Gaf’s share of the story.

The moment he heard the name Gaf, Yohan fell into thought.

There had to be some way to make use of this.

While he was pondering, the old man spoke again.

“Gaf, I asked what you thought.”

Gaf looked at the old man.

“We must deal with it as quickly as possible. Before we suffer some great misfortune.”

“That’s true enough. But the problem is how, isn’t it?”

One of the peasants cut into their conversation.

“Let’s burn it! Along with the mother!”

Gaf and the old man shook their heads at the same time.

The old man spoke.

“Foolish. As everyone knows, a Demon leaves a curse behind when it dies. No living thing grows on land where black blood has flowed, and the smoke from its burning flesh draws other Demons. It’s common knowledge.”

The peasant looked puzzled.

“Village Chief, I know that too. But doesn’t that apply to high-ranking Demons? That thing is only a whelp that hasn’t even learned to walk.”

The village chief clicked his tongue.

“Tsk. Your eyes are as useless as knots in wood.”

He said this and pointed at Yohan.

“Look at its forehead. A newborn whelp has a single horn.”

A stark-white horn had sprouted from Yohan’s forehead. It was only the size of a fingernail, but a single horn was unmistakably a threatening symbol of a Demon.

No sooner had the chief finished speaking than the peasants began to stir.

“A horn? Where?”

“Look! That tiny thing!”

When they looked closely, they really could see it.

Everyone took several steps back from Yohan.

“If we can’t kill it, then what in the world are we supposed to do?”

“Village Chief, please give us an answer!”

The village chief was the wisest person in the village, such as it was, and he also knew a great deal about Demons.

All the villagers waited for his decision.

“We must abandon it in the Gorge of Death.”

But it was Gaf who answered.

The chief nodded as if he agreed.

“That is the most suitable alternative we have.”

The peasants swallowed groans.

“The Gorge of Death...”

“Are you serious?”

The chief nodded and spoke.

“There is no other way. If we kill it, we’ll suffer the consequences, and if we hide it, the Church will discover it. It’s only a matter of time.”

Then he slowly swept his gaze over the peasants.

“We have to abandon it in the Abyss. Who will go?”

Everyone watched each other, gauging their reactions. No one volunteered.

The Gorge of Death—in other words, the Abyss—was a place more terrifying to humans than hell itself. A remnant of the Holy War. The echoes of the great war that had taken place five hundred years ago still lingered there.

An ordinary human could barely even visit the place. Going anywhere near it would result in death by suffocation from demonic energy.

One of the peasants muttered.

“... You’re telling us to commit suicide.”

The chief clicked his tongue.

“All we have to do is load it onto a ferry at the right tide and send it off.”

A small river flowed near the Gorge of Death.

If someone released the baby upstream and let it drift downstream, the chief’s solution would work.

Even so, no one stepped forward. Apart from the danger, the very thought of traveling with a Demon was unpleasant.

“You said you’ve been free lately, didn’t you? You could go while picking up some work from the lord...”

“What are you talking about? The cowshed broke the day before yesterday, and I need to repair it. You’re more suited to the job than I am, aren’t you? You know the roads, too.”

“Honestly, what roads do I know?”

Everyone tried to shove the responsibility onto someone else. Only an uncomfortable tension flowed through the granary.

Yohan, on the other hand, felt somewhat differently.

He felt hope. The name Gorge of Death supported the theory he had been building all this time.

This must be the southern part of the kingdom.

Moreover, by estimating Gaf’s age from his appearance, he could roughly infer when he had possessed the body.

The opening of the “Ilea” arc in the novel. It was enough information to resolve the crisis.

Just as his thoughts reached that point, Gaf took a step toward Yohan.

“I’ll go.”

The village chief lifted the corners of his mouth slightly.

“You?”

“Yes. I’ll take this half-breed away and abandon it.”

The villagers wore awkward expressions, secretly relieved.

“If it’s Gaf, we can trust him.”

“Do us this favor. As you know, it’s harvest season.”

“We owe you one.”

Ignoring the empty pleasantries coming from every direction, Gaf looked down at the Demon whelp.

“Don’t try any clever tricks. You can’t get away.”

At this rate, he would be abandoned in the Gorge of Death. Even using the information from the novel, Yohan had no way to survive in that dreadful land.

He was still only a powerless whelp.

The chief, who had been watching, opened his mouth.

“You can leave right away, then. You should arrive in four days.”

Gaf nodded and reached out his large hand. Just as he was about to seize the baby by the scruff of its neck, Yohan spoke with an utterly relaxed expression.

“You’ll regret it.”

Gaf furrowed his brow.

“Bullshit...”

“You haven’t even heard my offer yet.”

“Shut up. I’m not selling my soul for a temporary benefit.”

As he said this, Gaf tore open his shirt.

“It’s a long way there, and I don’t have the patience to listen to your bullshit all the way. I’ll shut that loathsome mouth of yours.”

He brought the torn cloth to the Demon’s mouth.

Yohan paid it no mind.

“Temporary? Who said that? Is getting back a lost child nothing more than a fleeting happiness to you?”

No sooner had Yohan finished speaking than the peasants began to stir.

“W-what?”

“What did that Demon bastard just say?”

“Something about our children...”

A flicker of agitation crossed Gaf’s face as well.

His probe had worked. Yohan swallowed a sigh of relief inwardly. Just as he had expected, children were disappearing from this village.

The Taharan village disappearances. It was just like the early part of the original novel.

Gaf clenched his fist and spoke.

“This evil half-breed has seen through our hearts! Don’t let yourselves be deceived!”

Then he grabbed Yohan by the scruff of the neck and lifted him up.

“If you say another word, I’ll rip out your tongue!”

The man before him was a mercenary who had made murder his profession. As a modern person, Yohan could not help finding his murderous gaze intimidating.

He was honestly afraid, but he managed to endure it.

Without showing it, Yohan spoke calmly.

“Ilea.”

At the same time, Gaf’s gaze wavered.

Yohan did not miss his reaction. With a faint sneer, he continued.

“Yes, your daughter, Ilea. She disappeared too, didn’t she?”

Gaf’s entire body began to tremble little by little.

Yohan added in a sinister voice.

“Well? Can you still rip out this tongue now?”

If he did, Gaf would never learn what had happened to his daughter.

“G-Gaf! Didn’t that Demon bastard just say your daughter’s name?”

“I heard it clearly too. Ilea!”

“How could that name come from its mouth...”

Their reactions varied, but every one of them looked flustered.

Held in Gaf’s hand, Yohan slowly swept his gaze over the villagers.

“Many of you here are probably in the same situation as Gaf. You’ve lost precious children. Perhaps you assumed they were dead? You’re mistaken. Your daughters are alive and well.”

Confusion clouded every face gathered there.

How could a newborn whelp know what was happening in the village, let alone identify someone named Ilea? Moreover, the Demon had declared that the missing children were alive.

The villagers were so shocked they could barely keep their mouths closed. The chief’s face was turning deathly pale as well.

Watching their reactions, Yohan spoke again.

“You can meet your children again. That should be enough reason to talk to me, shouldn’t it?”

Then he stared at Gaf.

“Gaf, don’t you want to know where Ilea is?”

Gaf bit down on his lip. A trickle of red blood escaped.

“... How could you know?”

Had it really seen through their hearts? If not, then...

Someone shouted.

“L-let’s at least hear it out!”

“Yeah! We’ve got nothing to lose!”

Yohan’s lips curled into a grin.

“There’s no such thing as a free lunch in this world.”

A deal with a Demon always demanded a price.

“So let’s exchange something.”

Eyes redder than blood fixed upon the villagers.

“What will you give me?”

A Demon was, by nature, a monster that beguiled humans. Attractive offers and irresistible temptations. If one listened to their words, one would find oneself heading toward a precipice before realizing it.

Yohan knew that nature of Demons well, and he hated Demons too, but for now, he had no choice but to play the part of one.

Because he had to live.

Rather than groveling and begging for his life, this would be far more efficient.

Yohan drew a sinister arc with his lips. Blatant malice flowed from him. Or at least, that was how it appeared.

“Now, answer me. What will you pay with?”

The villagers swallowed dryly.

At some point, they had begun listening to the Demon’s whispers.