Chapter 33 - The Book of Doom (1)

Shaperia was dizzy with confusion over the unfamiliar feelings Yohan stirred in her. An inexplicable fondness kept welling up inside her. She felt drawn to him like a magnet.

Was she developing romantic feelings for a boy barely ten? Surely not. A young lady only a few years away from her coming-of-age ceremony could not possibly be interested in a child who had yet to reach puberty. Shaperia was not that twisted. She must be mistaking these feelings for something they were not.

She took a deep breath, collected herself, and spoke.

"... That was disgraceful of me. I apologize."

Yohan chuckled and said teasingly, "When you told me not to come any closer, I thought I must have turned into a pile of shit."

Shaperia hastily waved her hands.

"N-no! I only..."

"I'm joking. Just joking. You seemed so tense that I thought I'd tease you a little. But your reaction is rather amusing."

"Amusing? You're very cruel."

Her voice had dwindled to a whisper.

Yohan wanted to tease her further, but restrained himself. There was a much more important matter left to discuss.

"Haha, I've taken the joke too far. Shall we return to business? You mentioned a favor earlier."

What on earth did Shaperia want? Yohan could not begin to guess.

Shaperia composed herself and said, "I realize this is an imposition, but I would be grateful if you would allow me to stay at the castle for a few weeks."

Had the Church thrown her out because she had lost her powers? Even so, coming to seek shelter in the Miyatro domain, where she had no ties at all? The Shaperia he knew was not so brazen.

He concealed his puzzlement.

"That would be no trouble, but I would like to know why. It feels like only yesterday that you left with the pilgrimage party. Having you return alone with such a request is rather bewildering."

Shaperia let out a deep sigh.

"The truth is, a terrible calamity befell the pilgrimage party."

"A calamity?"

"It is hardly a secret, and the world will soon know of it, so I will tell you."

She described the attack to Yohan in detail, leaving out only the matter of the knight Reil.

Yohan feigned a troubled expression.

"Not only a horned spirit, but an Apostle? If everything you say is true, doesn't that mean the prophecy of the Book of Doom has begun to unfold?"

The Book of Doom was the Demons' bible, also known as the Apocalypse of the End. According to its prophecy, the reappearance of an Apostle marked the beginning of the end.

Shaperia looked stricken.

"I put no faith in the prophecies of a thing like the Book of Doom, but this incident is clearly a portent of misfortune to come."

It had been the same five hundred years ago. The Apostles' appearance had plunged the world into chaos. If not for the Seven Holy Heroes and the Great Saint Marziel, the world would have perished long ago. Sadly, they were not here this time.

Yohan said, "Then we must first determine the Apostle's objective if we are to prevent that misfortune."

"That remains unclear. Even the sacred relic is unharmed, so the Church's investigators are struggling to make any progress."

Yohan nodded slowly. He remained silent for a long moment, as though deep in thought, before speaking.

"I understand the situation, but one thing is still missing. Why, exactly, do you wish to stay here?"

"As I mentioned, I lost my holy energy while fighting the Apostle. I have been stripped of my position as a holy knight. For the time being, I must visit the holy sites as a humble pilgrim."

There was a superstition that visiting every holy site would restore one's lost holy energy. It was nothing but nonsense. There was no way to regain it.

Shaperia added, "The nearest holy site lies within the Abyss."

She turned toward the door through which Baron Grian had left.

"If the Watcher of the Abyss grants his permission, I would very much like to visit it."

In short, Shaperia wanted to stay at the castle until the Abyss opened at the full moon, then leave for the holy site.

Yohan felt uneasy. She must be one of the few survivors of the attack. At a time when she ought to be constantly summoned to give testimony, she was free to live a quiet pilgrim's life? It did not quite add up.

He tapped the armrest with his index finger, watching her steadily. His gaze seemed to make her uncomfortable; she kept lowering her eyes or clearing her throat.

Yohan broke the silence.

"Very well. I will have a room prepared for you. I will also open the Abyss for you at the full moon."

"R-really? But regarding the Abyss, surely the Watcher must..."

"I will speak to my father. Don't worry."

Shaperia felt a strange sense that something was amiss. At some point, she had begun treating Yohan as the head of the house. The lord was still very much present, yet a boy barely ten was making the decisions. It should have seemed unnatural, but everyone accepted it as a matter of course. Even Shaperia herself.

'This is no ordinary boy.'

She felt she ought to be more circumspect in dealing with him.

"Thank you for your kindness," she said. "May the Great Saint bless you."

"It is a noble's duty to aid God's emissaries. Please make yourself comfortable."

Yohan rose.

"I will assign you a servant to show you to your room. Get some rest today."

After exchanging a few more pleasantries, they parted. Yohan immediately summoned Gaf and Ilea. He had a feeling he had missed something.

* * *

Gaf and Ilea sat side by side across from Yohan. Ilea met his gaze easily, but Gaf stubbornly stared at the floor.

Yohan chuckled.

"How long do you intend to avoid my eyes?"

Lately, Gaf had never looked him straight in the face. He always gazed off into the distance or lowered his eyes. It was because of the Great Saint's eye.

Ilea smiled gently.

"Father, you know the secret of his eye. Mental powers of that sort are generally only half as effective on someone who understands how they work. You won't be completely immune, of course, but you'll fare better than most. You can't keep avoiding the young master forever, so practice looking him in the eye. Ultimately, it's a battle of wills, and that's your specialty."

Persuaded by his daughter, Gaf slowly raised his head. The instant his gaze met Yohan's, he dropped it again.

"Damn it. This feels disgusting."

"There's nothing you won't say to a person's face, is there?"

"Person, my ass."

Ilea looked at them both and sighed softly, then promptly changed the subject.

"Why did that woman come here?"

Yohan briefly recounted his conversation with Shaperia. Doubt crept across Ilea's face.

"They haven't even established the circumstances of the attack, yet they're sending their most important witness out into the world? That's a little odd."

She had the same misgivings as Yohan. He nodded.

"We'll have to do some digging. Gaf, that's your specialty, isn't it?"

A mercenary would have done all sorts of dirty work. Tailing people and gathering intelligence ought to be familiar enough.

"What do you want?"

"Watch Shaperia's every move and report everything to me."

"Now we're paying the price for letting that girl live. Why didn't you just kill her then?"

"Do you really wish I had?"

Gaf only grimaced, giving no answer. Yohan chuckled.

"Go on, then. Time to work."

Gaf was reluctant, but he had no choice but to follow Yohan's instructions. Like it or not, they were in the same boat. He left the room at once.

Once they were alone, Ilea spoke.

"The south must be crawling with Church investigators."

"As expected. An Apostle appeared, after all."

"An Apostle's appearance marks the beginning of the end. People will link this incident to the prophecy of the Book of Doom."

"Just as I hoped. Humanity needs to prepare for the end."

In the original novel, humanity had reacted far too late. Five hundred years of peace had dulled its vigilance. Yohan had given them a wake-up call by deliberately bringing forth an Apostle.

A curious smile crossed Ilea's lips.

"In the end, House Miyatro will gain power."

Correct. House Miyatro had declined along with the Demons' downfall, but once fear of evil resurfaced, the Watcher of the Abyss would regain his former authority.

Yohan nodded.

"Clever. You've put your finger on it."

"Thank you for the compliment. But is that your only motive, Yohan?"

"What do you mean?"

"It just occurred to me. Would you really walk such a dangerous tightrope to put humanity on its guard solely to strengthen House Miyatro?"

By causing a major incident in the south, Yohan had drawn the world's attention there. For a half-demon, that was an enormous risk. If survival were his only concern, he ought to avoid such actions. Unless he had another reason.

"What are you trying to say?"

Ilea smiled playfully.

"Perhaps you're only pretending to be wicked, Yohan, and you're actually acting for humanity's sake."

Yohan frowned.

"Why would I? I'm a Demon."

"A half-demon, to be precise. Neither Demon nor human."

Talking to Ilea often left him strangely uncomfortable. Yohan wanted to end the conversation there. Just as he was about to change the subject, she spoke.

"But it doesn't matter. I'm neither human nor Demon myself. When you think about it, we have so much in common, don't we?"

Yohan rose as though to escape the conversation.

"The sun will set soon. I should return underground."

"I've already made preparations."

"For what?"

"Something we can only do at night."

Yohan's brow furrowed.

"What on earth are you talking about?"

"You promised me, remember?"

"What promise..."

"That I could study what you are."

Yohan gave an incredulous laugh.

"You weren't imagining anything strange, were you?"

Ilea kept giggling, apparently finding something terribly amusing.

"Keep talking nonsense and I'll take back my promise."

"Oh, that's not fair!"

"I believe I made myself clear last time. I can stop the research whenever I choose."

Ilea mimed clamping her lips shut.

"Keep them that way."

They left the room together. The closer they drew to the underground chambers, the more anticipation shone in Ilea's eyes.

Yohan grew increasingly nervous. Entrusting his body to a witch would frighten anyone.

'Should I call it off while I still can?'

No. He, too, wanted to understand his true nature, and this was something he would have to face eventually. Better to get the ordeal over with sooner rather than later. He steeled himself.

"Don't be so nervous."

Before he knew it, they had arrived underground.

"I won't hurt you."

As she spoke, flames sprang to life one by one in the dark study, flooding their surroundings with light. Yohan could only stare in dismay.

"Ilea, you..."

She gave him a radiant smile.

"It's going to be a very long night, young master."