An Unlikely Journey
An Unlikely Journey
Their destination was the lord’s castle.
They had to ride from Taharan Village to the direct territory of the Miyatro Barony.
If they rode day and night without rest, they could cover the distance in a day, but realistically, that was impossible.
Even the horse needed rest. If overworked, punishment would follow. It was one of the teachings of the Great Saint Marziel.
Though Gaf was not devout, he still kept to certain doctrines.
He tied the horse to a tree.
The large warhorse panted heavily, as if about to collapse.
Gaf was just as exhausted. He decided to spend the night in the mountains.
He dragged a rock over and placed it before the campfire.
The area was surrounded by large trees at the mountain’s base, so there was no fear of their companion’s identity being exposed.
Gaf stared across the fire.
“You’re awake now, I see.”
The silhouette of the demon flickered through the flames.
“I was awake the whole time.”
However, conversation was impossible. A human infant’s tongue could not form proper words.
“You were nodding off just fine.”
Earlier, sleep had attacked with maddening force. It seemed there was a reason infants slept all day.
“There’s no helping it for now.”
He would likely live as a human by day, and as a demon by night. Though the demon form seemed more inconvenient, the real problem was the daytime.
The body of a pre-developed human was utterly powerless. Someone’s care was essential.
Gaf let out a hollow laugh.
“Never thought I’d end up as your nursemaid.”
“Consider it part of the contract.”
“…Until when?”
“You mean the contract?”
Gaf nodded.
“It never ends.”
It was a lifetime contract. A shadow passed over Gaf’s face.
“You should have checked carefully.”
At the time, his only thought was to hear his daughter’s whereabouts. He had no leisure to read the clauses in detail.
“…Truly like a damned demon. But I don’t regret it.”
Even if he went back, he would still make the contract.
Johan did not reply. He was lost in thought for a while before speaking.
“Well, I’ll let you go when the time is right.”
Gaf let out a short laugh.
“When the time is right? That’s as vague as it gets.”
“I keep my word. However, if you die before that, it will be meaningless.”
According to the original story, Gaf would soon die. He would meet his end trying to save his daughter.
Later, Illea would revive him through necromancy, but it could not be called a true life. He was nothing more than a lingering soul with regrets.
That development was imminent, and Johan planned to twist that future.
Gaf spoke calmly.
“I won’t die until I’ve saved Illea.”
“And after that?”
Gaf could not answer easily.
‘See? He doesn’t care about what comes after.’
Johan let out a sigh.
“Do you have a plan?”
Gaf stared at Johan. Their eyes met in the air.
“Speak, Gaf.”
After a moment’s pause, he spoke.
“I plan to sneak in and take her.”
“Specifically.”
“Under the cover of night…”
Johan waved a hand.
“Stop. That’s pathetically crude.”
For someone who had once been a mercenary captain, he lacked any sense of precision. Had his desire to find his daughter dulled his reason? Whatever the case, his plan was rejected.
Johan spoke.
“I have another plan.”
Suspicion crossed Gaf’s face.
“Do I have to hear your opinion? Sounds like unnecessary meddling.”
Johan shook his head as if disappointed.
“Fool. As I’ve said, we’re bound together now. If you get yourself killed doing something stupid, who will protect me?”
It was the surface reason for helping Gaf, but there was another aim.
The Great Witch Illea. He intended to bring that monster to his side.
Whether it would succeed was uncertain. She was an extremely difficult person to handle. Twisted in some way.
If recruitment failed, it would be more advantageous for Johan’s survival to eliminate her early.
He would have to choose between nurturing her or uprooting her.
Of course, he could not explain this to Gaf.
“…That damned phrase about being bound together makes me sick every time I hear it.”
“What can I say? It’s the truth.”
Gaf bit his lip.
“No matter what you say, I won’t rely on a demon anymore. Now that I know where she is, I’ll rescue her myself.”
“So you’re trading your petty pride for your daughter’s life. Poor Illea, having a father like you.”
Gaf slowly stood up.
“Pride? What would you know?”
“Is it faith, then? But Gaf, you’re not that devout. Having made a deal with a demon, don’t act so pious.”
Gaf’s face twisted with anger.
“Even your breath disgusts me. And you expect me to work with you? That’s impossible. That’s why.”
“Such a cliché excuse. It’s enough to make me yawn.”
“Think what you want. Even this conversation is a waste of time. I’m going to get some sleep.”
With that, Gaf turned and walked away.
Johan muttered quietly.
“If it’s not pride or faith… I see. Is it vengeance, or resentment?”
Gaf’s steps halted with a thud.
He turned his head to look at Johan.
“What did you just say?”
“You heard me. Vengeance.”
Gaf’s eyebrow twitched.
“You see the demon that took everything from you when you look at me.”
As soon as he finished, Gaf’s face hardened.
“Was that a sore spot? My apologies.”
He was a man who had lost everything to demons. He had lost his subordinates who had been like brothers, and even his beloved wife had been murdered.
A life consumed by resentment against demons. If it had not been for Illea, Gaf would have killed himself long ago.
“H-how do you know…”
“What matters is not how. Don’t you get it yet? My information surpasses your imagination, and you could make full use of it.”
Johan added, looking frustrated.
“But you’re caught up in trivial sentiments. Tsk, are you planning to lose your daughter over them?”
At that moment, Gaf’s expression twisted. He drew his sword.
“You cunning demon bastard! Who do you think you’re trying to sway?!”
The repressed rage surged toward Johan like a wave. Intense negative emotion. To a demon, it was both a drug and a stepping stone to growth.
A surge of exhilaration rose. If he gave himself over to the pleasure, he felt he would lose himself.
Johan bit his tongue and 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 Johan. He could not attack the one he was bound to protect with his life.
“Put that sword down. We need a productive conversation, not this nonsense.”
Gaf trembled violently. He wanted to cut down the hybrid in front of him immediately, but his arm would not move.
The image of his daughter alone and waiting held him back.
“I guarantee this: without my help, you will never even see Illea.”
Gaf spoke in a voice like swallowing a blade.
“…What exactly are you scheming?”
The demon claimed only to seek coexistence, but Gaf could not simply believe it.
The bloodstained infant before him was an enigma itself.
It had spoken upon birth, knowing things it should not. He had never heard of such a demon.
Was survival really even a concern for this bizarre hybrid? It somehow didn’t feel that way. Surely there was another motive.
“Scheming?”
“The reason you’re trying to manipulate me!”
Johan did not fully understand the hidden meaning behind the question.
But he asked himself.
What was he trying to gain by using Gaf? In the village, he had only chosen him as an improvisation for survival.
Was this merely an extension of that?
If he truly sought only survival, were there not other ways?
Johan shook his head internally.
No. The novel drove both demons and humans toward cruel endings.
He could not hide forever. If he did not board the train of events, he would face a terrible death.
He needed influence, power.
Johan’s red eyes glinted.
“I will claim a domain.”
“What?”
“The Miyatro Barony. That is my short-term goal. Is that an answer?”
“What the…”
Johan lifted the corners of his mouth.
“Our interests align once again. If your contractor is the lord, Illea’s safety will also be secured.”
A lord? Gaf’s expression was filled with confusion.
“You, you…”
To him, it sounded as if Johan intended to turn the entire region into a demon’s farm, reducing the people to livestock.
It felt like he had become part of a horrifying tragedy.
He felt he had become entangled with the wrong being.
***
Baron Grian Miyatro had recently been unable to sleep.
The dreams were the problem.
Every time he closed his eyelids, crimson eyes would stare back at him. Waking up startled in the middle of the night had become routine. The priest claimed it was due to overwork, but in truth, the baron hardly did any work.
There was no reason for him to suffer from nightmares.
He slammed his hand down on the bed irritably.
“Damnable wench! You don’t even care that your master cannot sleep at night!”
The bed shook. The girl lying next to him jumped up in fright.
“I-I’m sorry!”
“Silence! Go fetch some water!”
The baron slapped the girl’s cheek hard. A dull sound of impact followed. The frail girl could not withstand the strength that came from his heavy frame.
She rolled off the bed and fell to the floor. Unconscious, her small body showed no movement.
“Useless wench!”
The baron spat phlegm at the girl.
“There’s nothing about you I like!”
Most of the tribute maidens chosen recently had been like that. They fell far short of the baron’s expectations.
Except for one.
Illea. She was a flower that had bloomed hidden in the mud.
Due to his declining vitality, he had not yet tasted her fragrance, but once he recovered, he would pluck her petals immediately.
For that, he needed sleep.
The baron lay down again and closed his eyes.
As he was drifting into a light sleep, he kicked at his blanket, screaming.
A demon was sitting on his stomach, staring down at him.
Red eyes glowed ominously. The demon lifted the corners of its mouth in a thin smile. At the same time, a black hand grabbed the baron’s throat.
“G-get away!”
The moment the baron jolted awake, the scene changed.
The room was quiet, and the demon was nowhere to be seen.
He clutched his head.
“…Damn it, what does the Watcher of the Abyss think I am.”
He desperately wished to be freed from these horrific nightmares.
***
Darkness fell over the mountain base. The campfire had burned down to ashes, scattering in the cold wind, and the moonlight could not penetrate the dense forest.
The only light was the occasional flicker of red phosphorescence.
It was from Johan’s eyes. While everyone slept, the demon remained awake.
From his hand rose smoke darker than the night.
The black haze began to take the shape of something the size of a fingernail. When completed, it resembled a small fairy.
‘This is a bit tricky.’
He was testing the powers he possessed.
The ability he was using now was that of an Incubus. A creature that induced nightmares, a power permitted only to certain demons.
Because it was a special power, it was very difficult to handle.
Like the contracts with demons, the method of use was engraved in his mind, but the incubus required much higher proficiency.
Only after hours of practice was he finally able to form the incubus.
The small black fairy flying around him was the result of that effort.
He gave the incubus its command.
‘Circle around Baron Grian Miyatro.’
To deliver nightmares, information about the target was necessary. But for Johan, this was no problem. Having thoroughly read the novel, he knew all the Miyatro family’s secrets.
The fairy, having received its mission, flew off, piercing through the dense forest and disappearing from view.
It would be heading for the baron.
Johan closed his eyes again.
In the darkness before him, red letters were lined up.
Most were in a twisted language he could not understand.
There were only two words he could interpret.
Demon Contract and Incubus. The rest of the powers were all locked.
‘There’s no information.’
He did not know which demon he had possessed, what bloodline he held, or what abilities he possessed—nothing was clear.
Johan looked at the sleeping mother.
Which demon had she lain with? There would be no point asking. She was not in her right mind. She could barely speak, so there was no way she could give a proper answer.
Johan let out a deep sigh.
‘For now, I have to survive. I’ll find out the rest after that.’
Survival was the first priority. He would need a concrete plan for success.
A single mistake, and this world would swallow him whole.
Complicated thoughts filled his head.
As time passed, his thoughts gradually settled.
The night’s darkness, carrying his reflections, was receding.
The sun was rising.
Johan picked up a small stone.
“The sun’s up. Get up.”
He threw the stone at the sleeping Gaf.
Gaf woke up, clutching his forehead, and looked at Johan with an incredulous expression.
“…Damn demon. You’ll drive me insane.”
In the demon’s place, a soft, sleeping baby lay.