Chapter 51 - The Count's Knights (4)

"W-what did you just say?"

Kembel's eyes wavered. He could not hide his emotions at all. He was deeply shaken.

The corners of Yohan's lips rose into a knowing smile.

"I asked why you had been concealing such proud scars."

Yohan looked at Kembel as though he knew the truth behind those scars. He even gave off the air of a predator that had spotted a weakness.

Kembel was bewildered. Very few people had access to the secret of "that day," and naturally, the boy before him was not among them. In short, Yohan's behavior made very little sense.

Kembel glared at Yohan, his voice thick with wariness.

"... What do you mean?"

Yohan shrugged.

"There is no hidden meaning. A knight's scars are a symbol of his prowess. I merely thought that scars like yours were ample cause for pride."

Yohan's expression settled into calm. The look of a predator watching its prey vanished without a trace. The strange pressure bearing down on Kembel passed in an instant.

Kembel made no reply. Tension still lingered on his face. Yohan missed none of his reactions.

'Just as I thought.'

Kembel the Blasphemer. An ill-fated knight tormented by guilt and shame. He would be ideal prey for a Demon. Used properly, he could make opposing the Count far easier.

With Kembel's lips firmly sealed, Maira spoke in his place.

"I agree with you, Lord Yohan. Even burns like those look far more knightly than an unblemished face."

Yohan shook his head.

"No. I spoke rather rashly without knowing the circumstances. Sir Kembel, I apologize for my discourtesy."

Maira gave an affable smile.

"Ha ha! Then each of you has been discourteous once. Why not shake hands like men and let bygones be bygones?"

Yohan offered Kembel his hand.

"I agree."

Kembel hesitated, doubt still flickering across his face. Maira gave him a pointed look.

"You've only just shown your face yourself. You're hardly blameless when it comes to discourtesy, so why not leave it at that?"

Kembel seemed reluctant.

"... Very well."

Still, he extended his hand, unable to withstand Maira's prodding. The two men's palms met.

After the brief handshake, Yohan spoke.

"Then let us get down to business."

Once everyone was seated, Maira said,

"I will be direct. The Count wishes to see you, Lord Yohan."

He held out a white invitation. Yohan gazed at the sheet of paper.

"For what reason?"

Ordinarily, a noble summoned by the Count would accept without question. The Count's attention alone was usually cause for delight. Yohan was different. He showed not the slightest change in emotion.

Maira nodded as though he had expected this.

"As you know, strange events have continued to occur in the south of late. A pilgrimage party was attacked, the Apostle Beris appeared, and a horned spirit with a white horn was sighted. An ancient Demon has even manifested nearby, though that location is not quite in the south."

The ancient Demon meant Kaiaze.

"Is there a particular connection between those incidents and the Count's wish to see me?"

"As I said, all these events occurred in the south. Things that might happen once in a century, if that, are occurring repeatedly within one particular region."

"I'm not sure what you mean."

"It is simple. The Count suspects something is wrong in the Abyss, and he wishes to hear the opinion of House Miyatro's heir. As for why he has not invited the head of the house... I shall refrain from commenting."

Grian Miyatro was a notorious wastrel. Not a single noble thought of him as the Watcher of the Abyss.

Yohan clicked his tongue inwardly.

'A fine pretext.'

Summoning the Watcher of the Abyss on the pretext of the Abyss itself? There was virtually no legitimate reason to refuse. Whether the Count had ulterior motives or not, House Miyatro was obliged to accept.

He spoke, his face expressionless.

"And if I refuse?"

Maira's expression grew firm.

"Then you will receive a formal summons from the Council. In that case, your father, Baron Miyatro, will have to appear. I can only hope it does not come to that."

The Council was the kingdom's highest decision-making body. Yohan could not attend such a formal occasion. He was still too young to represent a house. As Maira said, Grian would attend in his place.

What on earth would that idiot blather about before the Council? Yohan did not even want to imagine it. He would never entrust Miyatro's future to Grian.

Yohan stifled a groan. As expected, the Count was no easy opponent. There was no escaping the snare he had cast. Yohan had to accept the invitation. He had no choice but to do as the Count intended.

'But only this far.'

Yohan sighed, feigning resignation.

"An invitation I cannot refuse, then. Very well. I shall find a suitable time to visit. When would be convenient?"

"The sooner, the better. Let us arrange a date within the year, if possible."

In other words, he was to visit within three months.

"Understood. I will send word once I have decided on a date."

Maira smiled in satisfaction.

"The Count will be most pleased. I shall have nothing but good things to tell him about you."

"Thank you for your kindness, sir."

Maira waved a hand dismissively.

"Not at all. I should be thanking you. You received us despite our unannounced arrival, after all. You have my thanks once again. These uninvited guests will now take their leave."

Maira and Kembel rose from their seats.

"Why not stay for a meal?"

Yohan made the offer out of courtesy.

"No, thank you. We cannot take up any more of your valuable time."

Maira read the situation and declined.

Yohan nodded.

"Then I shall see you both next at the Count's residence."

Maira gave an affable smile.

"I look forward to that day."

"As do I. Safe travels."

Maira and Kembel bowed their heads slightly and left the room. Gaf would escort them out of the lord's castle. Alone in the reception room, Yohan spent a moment lost in thought.

* * *

Lately, Yohan had barely had a moment to think. Too many incidents had erupted at once, leaving him utterly frazzled. He had brought things more or less under control, but in truth, he had only put out the most urgent fires. With unforeseen developments arriving without warning, he had far too little time to prepare.

Yohan sighed and sank into his chair.

'... It's getting harder to keep up.'

No sooner did one matter seem resolved than another incident erupted elsewhere. He needed to focus on White Horn, yet now Count Staviana was stirring up trouble too. At this rate, even several bodies would not be enough.

Yohan desperately needed time. Fortunately, he now had a little breathing room, thanks to a few people who could handle minor tasks for him.

The imp, Ilea, and Gaf. The imp would procure a living sacrifice, and Ilea would thoroughly investigate the Apostle Garnish. Gaf had taken charge of all the odd jobs around the lord's castle. Somehow, things had turned out that way. He was more resourceful than Yohan had expected.

Whatever the case, it had bought Yohan time. With his eyes closed, he began to take stock of his situation.

Throughout the chain of events since he had begun possessing this body, Yohan had kept coming up against several questions. Why on earth had he ended up possessing someone in Chronicle of Humans and Demons? Who had abducted him? What did that being want from him? Naturally, he could find no answers, so he had simply set those questions aside until now.

Survival came first for now, he had kept reminding himself. But his thinking had changed a little. The moment he became aware of the rift and Garnish's arranged presence within it, a new perspective had opened up.

The being that had abducted him into the novel clearly wanted something. If he could discover who it was and what it wanted, he felt he might find a direction beyond mere survival. Depending on the circumstances, he might even be able to return to his own world.

Yohan looked up at the ceiling and murmured,

"... Tell me what you want."

Naturally, no answer came. He had expected as much, so he felt little at the silence. He simply resolved not to neglect discovering who had abducted him and what that being intended. He would keep gathering clues. For now, it was a vague undertaking, and he still had more immediate fires to put out.

Clicking his tongue, Yohan toyed with the invitation Count Staviana had sent. It was time to return to reality.

'Barzen Staviana.'

The Count was fashioning plausible pretexts to shackle the baronial house. All those excuses were merely groundwork for seizing the forbidden library.

The Count was tenacious. He would employ every means available to secure his objective. Sending no fewer than two knights was likely part of that effort.

A ploy to size up his prey and identify its weaknesses. Yohan had no intention of playing along with such childish games. Like a proper Demon, he would turn them to his own advantage instead.

Just as his thoughts reached that point, the reception-room door opened. Gaf stepped inside.

"They've all left."

He meant Maira and Kembel.

"Are you certain?"

"What's there to be certain about? I watched them leave the castle with my own eyes."

"But you don't know where they went outside the castle."

Gaf frowned.

"If you want me to follow them, just say so."

Yohan chuckled.

"You're getting rather quick on the uptake. Anyway, do me this favor. Watch their every move. Where they go, whom they meet, even their conversations if possible. Watch and listen to it all, then report back."

Gaf turned without even answering. Yohan added,

"I'm not finished yet."

"What else is there?"

After a long pause, Yohan spoke.

"As a former mercenary, you must know how to use a spear too."

"A spear? Where did that come from?"

"I'd like to learn spearmanship."

The holy relic Espada was a spear. Even after being corrupted, it would retain that shape.

"Why spearmanship now?"

"I expect to acquire a spear that is all but a peerless treasure. It would be a waste to let it gather dust, so I intend to put it to use."

Gaf looked Yohan up and down.

"A spear, eh? I don't know how effective you'd be with that build."

"I won't be using it in this body, so that doesn't matter. Just answer the question. Can you handle a spear?"

Gaf snorted.

"Have you heard the story of the mercenary who pierced the heart of the monstrous bird Korukus?"

The Lion of the East had slain the monstrous bird Korukus. It had been mentioned briefly in the original novel.

"... Well, I think I have."

"That was me. And I pierced it with a spear."

"I see."

Gaf cleared his throat.

"I'll put together a training plan. We start tomorrow."

He left without waiting for Yohan's reply. Slightly bemused, Yohan watched him go.

'Was he embarrassed?'

Perhaps he should have indulged Gaf's boasting a little. A chuckle escaped Yohan's lips.