Chapter 22 - Kril Miyatro

“Give up your claim to the barony. It is the only way you will survive.”

The words went beyond boldness into outright insolence, leaving Kril rigid. Silence settled over the room. In the uncomfortable stillness, the two merely exchanged looks.

Kril spoke first.

“Would you say that again? I think I must have misheard.”

“You cannot have the domain, Uncle. Abandon your ambitions.”

At that, Kril burst out laughing. He clutched his stomach as though he could not help himself and laughed for a long while. Yohan watched him with an expressionless face.

Only after some time did Kril regain his composure. He wiped the tears from his eyes.

“Ah, forgive me. How rude of me to laugh in your face. Still, I believe you were the one who was rude first, dear nephew. What do you think?”

“I was merely telling you the truth. If you seek to take the baronial house, you will die.”

Kril replied with affected nonchalance.

“So you summoned me here to kill me?”

Yohan shook his head.

“That is impossible while you are traveling with the Church. I never intended to harm you within the domain in the first place. I have no desire to make enemies of every noble in the kingdom.”

“Unlike your father, you have a head on your shoulders. How old are you this year?”

“Twelve.”

Kril let out a small sound of admiration.

“At that age, I was too busy lifting maids’ skirts. I had no interest in the family or matters of succession. You are rather different. An unusual lad.”

“When you have scraped a living in the slums, you learn certain things earlier than most. You have to act first to keep others from taking what is yours. I cannot sit idle and lose my rightful claim.”

Kril nodded.

“Your circumstances made a man of you. That should make this conversation easier. Once you see this, you will understand that you have lost.”

He drew a document from inside his coat and laid it on the table.

“Before you had taken your first step, I had already reached the destination.”

Yohan read through the text. Its contents were simple: it recognized Kril as the lawful heir to the baronial House of Miyatro.

“Do you see the eagle-shaped official seal at the bottom?”

“The arms of Count Staviana’s house.”

Count Staviana was the kingdom’s chancellor and a leading figure in the aristocratic faction. In other words, he stood at the pinnacle of power. And this man, the most powerful of the powerful, supported Kril.

“You know your heraldry. Now accept the outcome.”

No one could defy Count Staviana’s will. To a man with supreme power, a mere baron on the frontier was nothing more than a game piece he could replace whenever he wished.

Even the justification for succession was on their side. Grian had been expelled from aristocratic society for his undignified conduct; his son was disabled; and then there was a bastard who had appeared out of nowhere. By any reckoning, Kril was the lawful heir.

In the original novel, Kril had ultimately claimed the barony. Yohan intended to twist that course of events.

“Everyone, yourself included, recognizes you as the lawful heir, Uncle.”

“A boy who can see reason.”

“While you are alive, that is. Once you are dead, it means nothing.”

Kril gave an incredulous chuckle.

“Your only chance to kill me is now, yet as you yourself admitted, no one in this domain can harm me.”

“I am well aware.”

“Then are you proposing war?”

Yohan shook his head.

“As long as House Staviana supports you, I have no chance of winning.”

“I have no idea what you are driving at.”

“I cannot explain the details, but I can assure you of one thing.”

Yohan’s expression turned cold as he added,

“The moment you leave the Miyatro domain and arrive at your base, you will become a corpse.”

“I will die in my own camp?”

“Yes.”

Kril burst out laughing.

“Ha ha! My nephew must be a mage! Either that, or you have planted an assassin in my army!”

Even as Kril laughed, Yohan remained composed.

“I do not want to kill you, Uncle. Please do not disregard my warning.”

He meant it. Yohan had been quite fond of Kril as a character.

As Watcher of the Abyss, Kril had never abandoned his duty, right to the end. Midway through the original novel, when the main story began and darkness struck the continent, he had illuminated the world as a single point of light, however faint.

To the very, very end, he fulfilled the duty he had chosen, meeting his death in its service. No man was better suited to be Watcher of the Abyss—at least in character.

Ability was another matter. He was only an ordinary man. No matter how hard an ordinary human struggled, he could not stop the destruction that would descend on this world.

A noble but incapable Watcher. That was the readers’ unsparing verdict on Kril. The burden of being Watcher of the Abyss had simply been too heavy for an ordinary man to bear.

‘Will I be any different?’

The position came with enormous duties and responsibilities. The world’s future might change depending on who held it. Could Yohan bear that weight when he sought the domain merely to survive?

He was not confident. He played the cold, calculating schemer, but at his core, Yohan too was no more than a frail human.

But...

‘I have no choice.’

If he failed to prevent the destruction, he would not survive either. Unless he changed the course of the original novel, a cruel fate would swallow Demons and humans alike.

He had to rewrite the ending. Becoming Watcher of the Abyss would lay the foundation.

Kril spoke.

“... So you insist on making an enemy of me.”

“Neither of us will yield. There is no other choice.”

“There will be bloodshed. Innocent people of the domain will die.”

“No. Yours will be the only blood spilled.”

Kril nodded.

“I understand your intentions. I will take your warning to heart as well. May I offer a word of advice in return?”

“By all means.”

Kril’s expression grew quite serious.

“You are clever, but still young. You do not know how to conceal your potential. You have made me fear what you may become. So run. The next time we meet, we will be enemies, and I will show you no mercy.”

Yohan smiled faintly.

“Just as I hoped. I will have no pity for you either, Uncle.”

Kril grinned.

“I look forward to it. Let us have a contest with no regrets.”

“Very well.”

Yohan bowed his head.

“I will take my leave, then.”

As he was about to leave the room, Kril spoke.

“My brother told me you were the one who summoned me. Was this all you wanted?”

“I wanted to meet you, Uncle. I can only apologize for making you come so far for such a trivial reason.”

In truth, he had another, primary purpose. He could not tell Kril. He did not want to put him needlessly on guard.

“No, it was time well spent for me too. I have learned something about my enemy. You may go now. Would you call my brother in? It has been a long time. We brothers ought to catch up.”

Yohan nodded and left the room. Alone, Kril stared at the ceiling and muttered,

“My brother’s bastard, they say. Yet he is nothing like him.”

* * *

Yohan headed straight to his room. He had been given a bedroom with a fine view on the castle’s top floor, yet he had never once admired the night scenery from it.

He transformed into a Demon at sunset. If anyone saw him in that form, all his plans would come to nothing. He had no choice but to leave his comfortable bedroom and spend every night in the clammy underground rooms.

With the pilgrimage party now staying in the castle as well, hiding was an absolute necessity. Today was no different. He intended to stop by his room briefly before going down to the study.

His plan went slightly awry.

“What brings you here at this hour, Gaf?”

Gaf was sitting on the edge of the bed, waiting for him.

“Ilea.”

He sprang to his feet.

“We have to get my daughter out. You must have a way.”

Ilea was locked in the dungeon. Soon she would be dragged before the Inquisition for questioning. Surviving that would be difficult at best. Gaf must have been beside himself with worry.

“Your daughter will be released soon. Calm down.”

Whatever Yohan declared with certainty always came true. From Ilea’s safety and identity to events yet to come, his predictions had never once been wrong. Having experienced this several times, Gaf let out an involuntary sigh of relief.

He had trusted the words of a mere Demon and taken comfort in them. Fear rose alongside his self-loathing. Had he truly fallen under the spell of the half-demon before him?

Gaf covered his face with both hands.

“You are a sorry sight. Stop wallowing and listen carefully.”

Yohan clicked his tongue and continued.

“As you know, Ilea is a witch. She must conceal her identity for her entire life. But a very few humans can see through to your daughter’s true nature.”

Gaf swallowed hard.

“... Are you saying that girl realized what Ilea is?”

He meant Shaperia.

“To be precise, she detected the crone spirit. For your information, the crone spirit is a Demon in Ilea’s service.”

His daughter was keeping a Demon. Shocking as the revelation was, Gaf did not let it show. The experiences of the past few weeks had hardened him emotionally.

Gaf spoke.

“You said Ilea would be released soon. But how? Once the Church has found a Demon, an interrogation is inevitable.”

“That Demon is gone.”

“What do you...”

“Ilea killed the crone spirit.”

Just as in the original novel, Ilea had sacrificed the crone spirit. By discarding the Demon she kept, she had eluded Shaperia’s eyes.

When Shaperia faced Ilea in the dungeon, there had been no Demon within Ilea’s body. The incident would therefore be closed as a misunderstanding caused by Shaperia’s mistake. Just as in the original novel.

“Though it was not the outcome I wanted.”

Yohan had wanted Ilea to keep the crone spirit alive a little longer. He needed her to be taken to the Inquisition. He could only regret that her adamant refusal had ruined that plan.

“At any rate, your daughter will be released soon.”

Gaf sank onto the bed, somewhat reassured by Yohan’s certainty.

“It is too early to relax.”

“What is it now?”

“As I said, Shaperia detects Demons. She is a deadly poison to Ilea and me. As long as that bitch lives, your daughter cannot be safe.”

In the original novel, it was always Shaperia who thwarted Ilea. The two were each other’s natural enemy, bitter foes.

“I guarantee this will keep happening.”

“... What are you trying to say?”

The corners of Yohan’s mouth lifted.

“Let us kill that bitch. Before she has even begun to sprout.”

Shaperia would transcend humanity and ascend to the realm of angels. Later, she would become too powerful to deal with. If he truly meant to kill her, now was his only chance.

Gaf gave an incredulous chuckle.

“She looked four or five years older than Ilea at most. You want me to kill a child young enough to be my daughter with my own hands?”

Yohan nodded.

“With a witch for a daughter, you cannot choose your humanity. If you want to remain Ilea’s father, discard that petty hypocrisy. How long will you stand aloof, pretending to be above it all? To live as a witch’s father, you must at least be prepared to stain your hands with blood and defile your own soul.”

Gaf bit hard into his lip. He understood Yohan’s words perfectly.

Refusing to commit either way endangered everyone. Having seen it countless times on the battlefield, Gaf knew better than anyone how pathetic his own conduct was. He could not keep wavering forever.

“Choose. Your daughter or your humanity—which path will you take?”

When Gaf hesitated to answer, Yohan sighed.

“I will ask again. Will you help me kill Shaperia, or will you leave the domain as you are?”