Chapter 4 - Traveling with Another Kind

Their destination was the lord's castle. They had to ride from Taharan to the Miyatro demesne.

They could cover the distance in a day if they rode through day and night, but that was hardly feasible. The horse needed rest, too. Overworking it would bring punishment. Such were the teachings of the Great Saint Marziel.

Gaf was not devout, but he lived by certain tenets of the faith.

He tethered the horse to a tree. The enormous warhorse panted as though it might collapse at any moment. Gaf was just as tired. He intended to spend the night in the mountains.

He dragged a rock over to the campfire. Here at the foot of the mountain, surrounded by towering trees, there was no need to worry about his companion's identity being exposed.

Gaf gazed across the fire.

"You seem to be coming around."

The Demon's silhouette showed through the dancing flames.

"I've been awake the whole time."

He simply hadn't been able to communicate. A human newborn's tongue could not form words properly.

"You were nodding off readily enough."

Earlier, he really had been insanely sleepy. Babies spent all day sleeping for a reason, it seemed.

"It can't be helped for now."

He would probably live as a human by day and a Demon by night. Being a Demon might seem far more inconvenient, but for the moment, daytime was actually the bigger problem. An undeveloped human body was utterly helpless. Someone would have to care for him.

Gaf gave a hollow laugh.

"I didn't expect to end up playing nursemaid to you, too."

"Consider it part of the contract."

"... How long?"

"The contract?"

Gaf nodded.

"It never ends."

It was a lifetime contract. A shadow passed over Gaf's face.

"You should have checked more carefully."

At the time, Gaf had been so intent on learning where his daughter was that he hadn't had the presence of mind to examine the terms in detail.

"... Just like a fucking Demon. But I don't regret it."

Even if he could go back, he would make the contract all the same.

Yohan made no reply. He spent a long while lost in thought before speaking.

"Well, I'll release you when the time is right."

Gaf scoffed.

"When the time is right. You couldn't be more vague."

"I keep my word. Of course, that won't mean much if you die before then."

If events followed the original novel, Gaf would die soon, trying to rescue his daughter. Ilea would later resurrect him through necromancy, but it would be difficult to call that a proper life. He would be nothing more than a dead man held back by lingering regrets.

That turn of events was just around the corner, and Yohan intended to twist the future.

Gaf spoke calmly.

"I won't die before I save Ilea."

"And afterward?"

Gaf could not readily answer.

'See? He hasn't given a thought to what comes next.'

Yohan sighed.

"Do you have a plan?"

Gaf gazed steadily at Yohan. Their eyes met.

"Speak, Gaf."

After a pause, he answered.

"I intend to sneak in and get her out."

"Be specific."

"Under cover of darkness..."

Yohan waved him off.

"Enough. What an utterly shoddy plan."

For someone who had been a mercenary captain, the man had no grasp of careful planning. Had his obsession with finding his daughter paralyzed his reason? Whatever the case, his plan was out of the question.

Yohan spoke.

"I have something else in mind."

Doubt crossed Gaf's face.

"Must I hear your opinion? You're meddling far too much."

Yohan shook his head as though Gaf were hopeless.

"You fool. As I've already told you, our fates are tied. If you get yourself killed doing something stupid, who will protect me?"

That was his outward reason for helping Gaf. In truth, he had another aim: the Great Witch Ilea. He would bring that monster over to his side.

Success was far from certain. She was an extremely difficult person to deal with—a woman twisted in some way. If he failed to recruit her, eliminating her early would improve his chances of survival.

Let her sprout, or tear her out by the roots. He would have to choose one or the other. Of course, he could not explain that to Gaf.

"... That fucking talk of our fates being tied. It makes me sick every time I hear it."

"What can you do? It's the truth."

Gaf bit down hard on his lip.

"Whatever you say, I won't rely on a Demon any further. Now that I know where she is, I'll rescue her myself."

"Trading your daughter's life for your petty pride. Poor Ilea, to have a father like you."

Gaf slowly rose to his feet.

"Pride? What would a thing like you know?"

"Your faith, then? But Gaf, you're hardly a devout believer. You've already made a deal with a Demon. Don't pretend otherwise."

Gaf's face twisted into a fierce scowl.

"Even your breath disgusts me. And you want us to work together? I simply cannot do it. That's my reason."

"What a tired excuse. Enough to make me yawn."

"Think what you like. Even this is a waste of time. I'm getting some sleep."

With that, Gaf turned and strode away.

Yohan murmured quietly.

"If it isn't pride or faith... I see. A desire for revenge, then? Or a grudge?"

Gaf stopped short. He turned his head to look at Yohan.

"What did you just say?"

"You heard me. A desire for revenge."

Gaf's eyebrow twitched.

"You see the Demon who took everything from you in me."

The moment the words left his mouth, Gaf's expression began to harden.

"Did I strike a nerve? My apologies."

A Demon had robbed him of everything. He had lost the men who served alongside him, and even his beloved wife had been murdered. His life was steeped in hatred for Demons. Without Ilea, Gaf would have taken his own life long ago.

"H-how do you..."

"The how isn't important. Do you still not understand? My access to information goes far beyond your imagination, and you can put it to good use."

Yohan added with a look of frustration,

"Yet here you are, caught up in petty sentiment. Tsk. Do you intend to lose your daughter, too?"

At that, Gaf's face contorted. He drew his sword.

"You sly Demon bastard! Who do you think you are, trying to manipulate me!"

His pent-up anguish swept over Yohan like a wave. Profoundly negative emotions. To a Demon, they were both a drug and a means of growth.

Euphoria surged within him. He felt as though surrendering to the pleasure for even a moment would cost him his sense of self.

Yohan bit down on his tongue as he spoke.

"... Don't cross the line. Have you forgotten the contract? The moment you swing that sword, the demonic energy will crush your heart."

Under the contract, Gaf was obligated to protect Yohan. He could not attack the very person he was bound to defend with his life.

"Put the sword down. We need a productive conversation, not this foolishness."

Gaf trembled violently. He wanted to cut down the half-breed before him that very instant, but he could not bring his arm down. The image of his daughter, left all alone, would not leave him.

"I guarantee that without my help, you won't even get to see Ilea."

Gaf spoke in a voice that sounded as though he were swallowing a blade.

"... What exactly are you plotting?"

The Demon kept claiming that they would simply help each other survive, but Gaf could not take that at face value. The very existence of the newborn before him was a mystery.

It had learned to speak the moment it was born, and knew things it should not know. He had never once heard of a Demon like it.

Would mere survival really pose a problem for this bizarre half-breed? Somehow, he doubted it. It surely harbored some other purpose.

"Plotting?"

"Why are you trying to beguile me!"

Yohan did not understand what lay behind the question. Still, he asked himself: What was he trying to gain by using Gaf? Back in the village, he had only chosen the man as a spur-of-the-moment means of survival.

Was this merely a continuation of that? If survival was all he sought, might there not be another way?

Yohan inwardly shook his head. No. The novel hurtled toward an ending cruel to Demons and humans alike. He could not live in hiding. If he failed to involve himself in the plot, he would meet a horrific death.

He needed influence. Power.

Yohan's red eyes flashed.

"I will have a domain of my own."

"What?"

"The baronial House of Miyatro. That's my short-term goal. Does that answer your question?"

"What are you..."

The corners of Yohan's mouth lifted.

"Our interests continue to align. If the one you're contracted to is the lord, Ilea's safety will be assured."

The lord? Bewilderment spread across Gaf's face.

"Y-you..."

Turn the region into a Demon's farm and reduce its people to livestock. That was what Gaf heard. He would be helping to bring about a terrible tragedy. He felt as though he had become entangled in something horribly wrong.

* * *

Baron Grian Miyatro had been unable to sleep lately. The dreams were the problem.

Whenever he closed his eyes, a bloodred gaze stared back at him. Jolting awake had become routine. The priest said he was overworked, but in truth, the baron hardly worked at all. He had no reason whatsoever to be plagued by nightmares.

He struck the bed in irritation.

"You ill-mannered bitch! Your master can't sleep, and you don't even care!"

The bed shook. The girl lying beside him startled awake and sat up.

"I-I'm sorry!"

"Shut up! Go fetch me some water, at least!"

The baron slapped the girl hard across the cheek. A dull smack followed. Her frail body could not withstand the force his massive frame delivered.

She tumbled off the bed. Her small body lay motionless, perhaps unconscious.

"Useless bitch!"

The baron spat a glob of phlegm at her.

"There's nothing about you I like!"

The same was true of most of the girls brought in as tribute this time. They fell far short of the baron's expectations. All except one.

Ilea. That girl was a flower that had lain hidden in the mud.

His strength dwindled by the day, so he had yet to even savor her fragrance. But as soon as he recovered, he would pluck her petals. If only to accomplish that feat, he needed the rest that sleep would bring.

The baron lay back down and closed his eyes. Just as he began to drift into a light sleep, he screamed and kicked off the covers.

A Demon sat on his belly, staring at him. Its red eyes gleamed menacingly. Its lips curled into a sinister smile, and a pitch-black hand clamped around his throat.

"G-get away!"

The moment the baron thrashed upright, his surroundings changed completely. The room was silent, and the Demon was nowhere to be seen.

He clutched his head.

"... Damn it. How dare it make light of the Watcher of the Abyss."

The baron desperately wished to be free of these terrible nightmares.

* * *

Darkness had settled over the mountain's foot. The campfire, reduced to ashes, scattered in the bitter wind, and moonlight could not penetrate the dense forest.

The only light was an intermittent red glow. Yohan's eyes. While everyone else slept, the Demon remained awake.

Smoke darker than night rose from his hand. The black haze began to take shape, no larger than a fingernail. Once complete, it resembled a tiny fairy.

'This is a little difficult.'

He was experimenting with his powers. The ability he was working with now was the nightmare spirit: an uncanny entity that induced nightmares. Only a handful of Demons were granted this power.

As befitted such a special power, it was extremely difficult to wield. Like the contract with a Demon, its use was etched into his mind, but the nightmare spirit demanded far greater proficiency.

Only now, after hours of practice, had he finally managed to create a nightmare spirit. The black fairy flitting around him was the fruit of his efforts.

He imparted a suggestion to the nightmare spirit.

'Linger around Baron Grian Miyatro.'

To inflict nightmares, he needed information about the target. That was no obstacle for Yohan. Having read the novel closely, he knew even the Miyatro family's secrets inside out.

Its mission received, the fairy took flight. It rose through the thick canopy and vanished from sight. Presumably, it was heading for the baron.

Yohan closed his eyes again. Red lettering stood in rows against the darkness of his vision. Most of it was in a malformed language he could not read. He could decipher only two terms.

Contract with a Demon and Nightmare Spirit. All the other powers were locked.

'I have no information.'

What Demon he had possessed, what his bloodline was, what kinds of abilities he had—none of it was clear.

Yohan looked at the woman who had given birth to him, now fast asleep. What Demon had she been intimate with? There would be no point asking. She was not in her right mind. She could barely speak, let alone give him a coherent answer.

Yohan let out a deep sigh.

'First, survive. I can find out the rest afterward.'

Survival came first. He would need a concrete plan to succeed. Even a single mistake, and this world would swallow him whole.

Complicated concerns filled his mind. As time passed, his thoughts gradually fell into order. The night's darkness was retreating, taking his musings with it.

The sun rises.

Yohan picked up a small stone.

"Sun's up. Wake up."

He threw the stone at the sleeping Gaf. Clutching his forehead, Gaf opened his eyes and stared at Yohan in disbelief.

"... You damned Demon. You'll drive me mad."

Where the Demon had been, a fair-skinned baby lay asleep.