Johan Miyatro (2)
Johan Miyatro (2)
Darkness deeper than night filled the room.
A stifling miasma and surging malice dominated the interior.
In the darkness where even moonlight could not penetrate, only the red pupils asserted their presence.
They were the gaze of a demon. A baleful light that drove humans into fear. The ominous glint paralyzed the baron’s reason.
“Ah, a demon. It’s a demon. Why is a demon… A dream. This is a dream!”
Johan lifted the corners of his mouth long.
“No, it’s reality.”
A black hand reached out in an instant, grabbing the face of the baron, who had collapsed.
“Look carefully and feel it.”
Johan bent down and pressed close to the baron. Their gazes tangled at a close distance.
“So, how is it? Are you still confused?”
The hand gripping the baron’s cheek applied much more force.
The plump face was crushed, swelling as if it would burst. Flesh oozed out between Johan’s fingers.
The increasing strength in the demon’s grip inflicted intense pain upon the baron.
“Uh, uuuuh, uuh!”
Like his groaning body, his soul also began to convulse.
It was a sight only visible to the owner of Soulkill.
A soul weakened by extreme stress and gnawed by an incubus, Johan could extract and tear it apart immediately.
The moment it was executed, the baron would become a puppet.
The primary goal to swallow the territory would be achieved.
Johan immediately activated his authority. His will extended like blood circulating through veins, threading between the miasma.
The miasma that had been surging in the air stiffened all at once. The hardened bundles of smoke glinted like sharp sickles.
They were searching for the soul to harvest.
At the bizarre sight, Gaf and the baron shuddered. Raguel, being blind, could not grasp the situation, while Illea let out a small sound of admiration as if impressed.
Johan looked at the tattered soul and flicked his index finger.
“It’s ripened nicely for harvesting.”
At the same time, the condensed miasma branched out in four directions. It easily bound the fleeing baron and lifted him into the air.
The miasma bound the limbs of the sacrifice. It looked like an execution rack for quartering.
The baron could not even scream. The black smoke had blocked his mouth.
Now, with just a flick of Johan’s hand, the baron’s personality would be obliterated.
“Raguel.”
Leaving only the final step, Johan stared at Raguel.
“Y-Johan…?”
Various emotions were tangled on the boy’s face. Pain from the father-son relationship, joy at seeing Johan, confusion about the current situation—these were all revealed complexly.
“I am about to extract your father’s soul and turn him into a scarecrow. For him, it will be no different from death.”
“What are you saying? Why my father…”
“To swallow the baron family.”
Raguel, flustered, gave an awkward smile.
“P-please don’t joke.”
“I’m serious. However, I’d like to hear your opinion. If your father dies before your eyes, could you continue living as you have been?”
It was so sudden that Raguel could not keep up with reality.
“Answer me.”
Johan extended his demonic hand toward the baron.
The baron wailed like a pig, struggling desperately.
Unable to know what to do, Raguel recognized the situation at the sound of his father’s screams. After remaining silent for a long while, he opened his mouth unexpectedly calmly.
“…People call me a monster. Not only did I eat my mother and get born, but I’m one-eyed and even have a crippled leg. If I end up killing my father too, I won’t be able to live as a human anymore.”
It was none other than Raguel who had placed Johan in the castle. Tempted by the promise of having his eyes returned, he had brought in a demon.
The moment the baron died, Raguel would not be able to avoid responsibility. A degenerate who killed both parents. He would never live normally.
The boy clutched his head as if in pain.
“If you’re going to kill my father, please kill me too. I don’t want to live.”
Johan shrugged his shoulders.
“I can’t do that. I haven’t even returned your eyes yet.”
The moment he finished speaking, the rack binding the baron vanished without a trace.
The giant man fell from the air to the floor. He let out a painful groan.
Illea tilted her head.
“Johan?”
“I was thinking of testing out this new power, but it’s a shame.”
“Are you not going to finish this? It will leave future troubles.”
“It can’t be helped. I’ll have to leave it slightly sloppy.”
“…Can I ask why?”
“I failed to keep a promise with him. It would be troublesome if he died.”
“Don’t give me obvious excuses.”
She added coldly, with a face that had turned icy.
“Is it, perhaps, because of affection?”
“If it is, would that be a problem?”
Johan’s expression was also coldly sunken.
Their gazes collided in the air. An uncomfortable tension filled the air.
Illea refreshed the mood with a strange smile.
“You are quite unusual in many ways.”
“It might look that way.”
“What will you do now?”
“A fun method came to mind.”
Johan approached the baron.
“Grian von Miyatro.”
The baron, soaked in fear, could only tremble without giving any answer.
“Serve me.”
Demon worship. He was demanding the highest taboo.
“If you accept, I will at least spare that worthless life of yours. What will you do?”
The baron’s eyes shook wildly.
A demon worshiper could never betray their master. The moment the contract was made, he would become the demon’s slave.
“I will give you five seconds to decide. If no answer returns, I will immediately harvest your soul.”
Johan began counting the seconds.
As time passed, the baron’s breathing became rough.
Attachment to life completely covered over the faint pride and duty that had remained.
The Watcher of the Abyss was nowhere to be seen. Only a beggar begging for life was there.
“I-I will serve! No! I will serve you!”
A hint of doubt crossed Illea’s expression.
“Johan, this decision will become a huge shackle.”
A worship contract leaves evidence. It directly brands the origin of the demon worship upon the body.
In the baron’s case, it would be his heart. Having chosen to serve the demon to live, he would live with Johan’s crest engraved upon his chest.
The moment someone discovered the brand, the baron would not survive. He would end up on the executioner’s block after harsh torture.
It would be difficult for Johan, the baron’s master, to remain unharmed as well. According to the contract, the baron would not be able to reveal the master’s information, but traces would remain.
The Inquisition might stir up the entire southern region to find the source of the trail.
Johan was taking on a significant risk.
“Is it worth it?”
“Well, it depends on how you think. If I’m lucky, I might even gain something practical.”
The outcome gained by leaving behind a potential disaster. For now, only negative possibilities came to mind, and Illea let out a small sigh.
“Please handle it well. Your life is not yours alone, Johan.”
“Don’t worry. This won’t cause you any trouble.”
Johan aimed his miasma at the baron.
“Grian. From now on, you will serve me. I demand unconditional obedience and blind faith. Will you accept?”
The baron swallowed dryly. He had no right to refuse. He lowered his head.
Johan lifted the corners of his mouth long.
Immediately, all the miasma wrapped around the baron.
Under the intense recoil, all his clothes were torn away. Through the tattered tunic, his white flesh was exposed.
A brand engraved on the left chest. A demonic god wielding a sickle was screaming.
It was Johan’s crest.
The baron looked at his chest with a vacant expression. He had truly become a demon worshiper. For the rest of his life, he would be tormented by fear of the Order.
A pitiful state for someone claiming to be the Watcher of the Abyss.
Johan spoke indifferently.
“Tomorrow morning, a ten-year-old boy will visit the castle. His name is Johan Miyatro. He is your master and the successor of the baron family, so greet him grandly.”
The baron did not seem to understand the meaning.
“For the details, hear the rest from Illea.”
Having said that, Johan turned his gaze.
“Raguel.”
The boy flinched.
“From now on, call me brother.”
***
The lord’s castle, which was always gloomy, was unusually noisy today.
“I was so surprised. Who would have thought the baron had another son?”
“Don’t even mention it. I screamed the moment I heard it at dawn.”
Today, the baron’s illegitimate child would visit the castle.
Everyone in the castle was preparing to welcome him.
A maid setting the tableware on the table spoke.
“An illegitimate child, right?”
“So they say. I just feel bad for Young Master Raguel.”
“Not that it would have made a difference. Even without a half-brother, the young master couldn’t have been the heir anyway.”
Raguel’s disability was too great for him to inherit the title.
“The baron’s younger brother would have taken over the territory instead. But now that’s impossible.”
“Was his name Krill? Anyway, he’s like a dog chasing chickens now.”
“Well, that’s his problem. All we have to do is get on the new young master’s good side.”
“Who knows. Lord Krill has an army, you know. If he decides to invade, the baron won't be able to withstand it.”
“Do you think a war might break out?”
“You never know. Nobles don’t even blink when hundreds of lives disappear over a piece of land.”
Especially since the Miyatro territory was quite large.
A bloody storm might truly blow.
Inside the dining hall, a shadow of gloom crossed the faces of all the maids.
“Look at you all, chattering instead of working.”
A sudden voice was heard.
“A guest will be arriving soon.”
It was the baron’s knight. A young man in his thirties with blond hair. His sharp eyes swept over the maids.
“This is why women shouldn’t gather in one place. Things don’t get done because you’re too busy chatting.”
He shook his head and looked at Gaf.
“Isn’t that right?”
Gaf did not respond. His mind was troubled in many ways, so the knight’s words did not register well.
“Answer when spoken to.”
“Don’t talk to me. I’m not amusing.”
“Not a trace of sociability, huh? No one in this castle suits me, honestly.”
“Then go amuse yourself with the bastard arriving today. At least he’ll respond well to your jokes.”
“Well, since he’s a lowborn, he won’t have any walls. Having lived as a beggar, he must be used to dirty jokes.”
The knight let out a small laugh and added.
“His mother was a serf, wasn’t she? I’ll give him a few pokes. It’s fun to watch them get riled up. We have a bastard in our family too, so I know how amusing it is.”
Gaf spoke with a serious expression.
“Do not cross the line. You could regret it.”
Discomfort flickered across the knight’s face.
“Feels like you’re the one crossing the line here.”
Gaf was a commoner, and the knight was a noble.
There was an unbreakable wall between them.
If the knight knew Gaf’s alias, the story might be different, but as of now, it wasn’t even certain that Gaf was a member of the Kandeya Mercenaries.
All he had was a single Kandeya mercenary badge. A scrap of wood of unknown origin could not bridge the gap in status.
Gaf spoke calmly.
“I was merely giving you advice. If it offended you, I apologize.”
“I will let it go this time. By the way, have you met the bastard? You spoke as if you knew him.”
A cunning and calculating demon. That was all the information they had about Johan.
Until now.
Since hearing Johan’s conversation with Raguel the night before, Gaf had been feeling an inexplicable sense of discomfort.
The two seemed close. They didn’t even look like they were in a master-servant relationship.
At least, Raguel was speaking honestly to Johan.
Johan’s actions were strange as well.
Why did he leave the baron alive? He could have turned him into a puppet and swallowed the territory.
Perhaps there was another scheme, but on the surface, it looked like consideration for Raguel.
Gaf bit his lip.
‘Am I getting caught up in a scheme?’
It might be an attempt to break down his guard with a show of goodwill.
He would not be shaken.
The knight asked with a puzzled expression.
“Did you get so offended just because I asked if you knew him?”
Returning to reality, Gaf relaxed his expression.
“No. I was just lost in thought for a moment. Rather than knowing him well… we’ve just met a few times.”
“That’s quite disappointing. It seems the baron trusts you more than me, even though I’ve been with him for six years.”
The knight had not even dreamed that the baron had an illegitimate child.
“I only found out by chance recently.”
“Still, it’s too much. Gives me a reason to feel betrayed, hah!”
Gaf furrowed his brow.
“What do you mean…”
Before he could finish, a maid came running in and shouted.
“He has arrived! Everyone, please gather in the corridor!”
The maids stopped their work and left the dining hall.
The knight and Gaf also headed straight for the corridor.
In the hallway connected to the front gate, most of the castle’s people had gathered, lined up on either side.
At the far end of the corridor stood the baron. He looked paler than usual.
He prayed the door would not open, but his wish was blatantly ignored.
The front door burst open.
With a force of about ten soldiers, a black-haired boy was entering. Because of his neatly cut hair and tidy attire, Johan looked like a different person in Gaf’s eyes.
The shabby beggar was nowhere to be seen. A noble-looking young master had taken his place.
The castle’s servants bowed their heads toward the new heir.
Johan passed between them with an expressionless face.
As he drew closer, the baron twisted his body uncomfortably.
“Kuh, hmm.”
Finally, when father and son stood face to face, Johan lifted one corner of his mouth in a smirk.
“It is a pleasure to meet you, Father.”
The baron could not meet Johan’s eyes. Having heard everything from Illea, he knew well that Johan was his master.
“W-welcome…”
“Speak comfortably.”
The baron, sweating cold sweat, glanced at Johan’s eyes.
“Y-yes. Welcome.”