Chapter 141 - A Decision

『Do not pry, inferior creature! (Vel drash’tar, nosh val’een!)』

No sooner had Gawain finished roaring than Serena coughed up blood and collapsed. The power in his voice was overwhelming. Even Yohan wanted to clamp his hands over his ears.

'Damn it!'

In his human body, he could barely withstand Gawain’s presence. Forcing himself to hold on to his senses, he rushed to Serena and supported her.

“Are you all right?”

The light in her eyes was so faint it seemed about to go out.

“... You mustn’t.”

Yohan frowned. “Mustn’t what?”

“Never let that Demon...”

She could not finish. Her eyes drifted shut.

Gawain shouted shrilly. “Kill yourself! Tear that filthy body apart with your own hands and die!”

His words transformed into the ancient demonic tongue.

『Tear your own body to pieces with your own hands (Rash’ta vel’kar, dra’mir ven)!』

At the same instant, blue mana spread from Ilea’s body. A faint veil enveloped Serena, preventing Gawain’s curse from reaching her.

Ilea spoke. “Yohan, let’s go somewhere else for now.”

Any longer in Gawain’s presence, and Serena might truly lose her life.

“Is Serena all right?”

“For now.”

Yohan sighed in relief, then fixed Gawain with a cold stare.

“That was reckless, Gawain. You’ll regret this.”

Gawain snickered. “My only regret is leaving that bitch alive.”

Clicking his tongue, Yohan lifted Serena into his arms.

“I’ll decide what to do with you after I hear what Serena has to say.”

She would have seen Gawain’s true thoughts through the Mind-Piercing Eye. Yohan needed that information first.

Gawain’s smile faded a little. “... Worthless bitch. So you really did get inside my head.”

He was remarkably quick on the uptake. Or perhaps his sensitivity to energy was so exceptional that he had instinctively felt the Mind-Piercing Eye intrude. Either way, he was a far more dangerous Demon than Yohan had expected. He already knew how to use words of compulsion.

'I’ll have to approach this more carefully.'

Until he had Gawain firmly shackled, he could not let his guard down for a moment. With that resolve, Yohan left the forbidden library. He went straight to a guest room and laid Serena down. For now, she needed rest.

* * *

Serena did not open her eyes until well into the afternoon. With a groan, she sat up, taking in the half-ruined room.

“Wh-where...”

An unfamiliar voice cut her off. “You’re in a guest room at the lord’s castle. It’s rather a mess, isn’t it?”

Serena turned her head. A boy was sitting beside the bed—a beautiful boy with golden hair and amber eyes. It was Yohan’s younger brother, Raguel.

She regarded him warily. “Who are you?”

Raguel smiled awkwardly. “I am Raguel Miyatro, the lord’s deputy here in Miyatro. I can only apologize for receiving you in such shabby surroundings, my lady.”

Some of her wariness faded as soon as he finished introducing himself. The name Raguel was quite familiar. When she had used the Mind-Piercing Eye on Yohan before, she had indeed learned a few things about him. He was someone Yohan genuinely cherished.

Serena bowed her head slightly. “No, I should apologize. I’ve made a poor showing at our first meeting. I am Serena von Marcano. It is a pleasure to meet Miyatro’s deputy lord.”

She was meeting her fiancé’s younger brother for the first time while sitting in bed. The circumstances hardly conformed to etiquette.

Raguel immediately waved away her apology. “I understand you’ve been through a terrible ordeal. There’s no need to stand on ceremony with me. Please make yourself comfortable.”

In truth, Serena still felt unwell. She was too dizzy to get out of bed. Her expression grew grave.

“Thank you, but I don’t think I can simply lie here resting. What on earth has happened?”

She looked around. The guest room was in an appalling state. The walls were gouged in places, and deep cracks ran across the ceiling. Anyone could see it was riddled with signs of battle.

Raguel scratched his head. “Haha, how should I explain this... It was already like this.”

Serena looked puzzled. “That Demon hasn’t escaped?”

She had thought Gawain had laid waste to the castle. Of course, that was not wrong. His earlier battle with Ilea had left the castle half-destroyed, and the damage remained. There had been no time for repairs.

Raguel nodded. “His Highness the Third Prince is still confined in the forbidden library. He is actually the reason the castle is in this state, but it has nothing to do with today’s events. Please don’t worry, my lady.”

Serena stifled a groan. “... So that Demon really was His Highness the Third Prince.”

A prince of the realm—and a promising holy knight at that—had fallen and become a Demon. There could hardly be a greater calamity.

Raguel’s expression turned bitter. “Yes. Yohan must be agonizing over it.”

The instant she heard Yohan’s name, Serena climbed out of bed. Dizziness washed over her, but she had no time to worry about her health. There was something she had to tell him.

She spoke urgently. “Where is Sir Yohan now? There’s something he needs to know.”

Raguel looked a little flustered. “Y-you need to rest. I’ll fetch Yohan for you, so please go back—”

He broke off as the half-broken door creaked open. Yohan was entering the room.

“You’re awake, my lady?”

Serena hurried toward him. “Sir Yohan, I have something to tell you.”

She stumbled and fell toward him. Her body would not do as she wished. Yohan caught her at once.

“Take your time. Let’s get you back to bed first.”

“S-sorry.”

Her cheeks flushed with embarrassment. Yohan sat her back on the bed and spoke.

“What did you hear that has you in such a hurry?”

A host of emotions crossed her face: fear, confusion, anxiety—all of them dark. The psychological impact of her encounter with Gawain still lingered. His malice was a bottomless pit whose depths she could not begin to fathom. Never before had she felt such blind evil.

She steadied herself with a deep breath before speaking. “... His Highness hates you beyond description, Sir Yohan. There was nothing in his mind but the desire to take revenge on you.”

Gawain had once been fond of Yohan. He had considered him a political partner and a good friend. But he had been betrayed.

Yohan had joined hands with the enemy who had killed Gawain’s mother. Worse still, he was a half-demon, and the very person who had corrupted Gawain into a Demon. For Gawain, it was devastating.

Betrayal by someone trusted always cut deeper. That wound had only deepened his hatred. Gawain lived for the sole purpose of taking revenge on Yohan.

Yohan’s expression settled into calm. “As I expected. Unless I shackle him, I’ll never be able to control Gawain.”

Serena shook her head. “There is no way you can bind His Highness.”

Yohan was skeptical. No matter how great his hatred, it was ultimately only an emotion. Bound by an inviolable law such as a contract of thralldom, personal feelings would easily lose their significance. Once the contract was made, Gawain would have no choice but to obey him.

Yohan spoke. “You said something similar earlier, my lady. You warned me never to release Gawain. Why?”

Serena swallowed. “The ‘contract’ you spoke of won’t work on His Highness.”

Yohan frowned. “I’ll need a more detailed explanation.”

“He has a power that allows him to break every kind of contract.”

“... Is that true?”

Serena nodded. “I confirmed it clearly through the Mind-Piercing Eye.”

Now the pieces were beginning to fall into place. Gawain had accepted Yohan’s offer of thralldom far too easily. A creature driven solely by revenge had volunteered to join his enemy. Now it was clear why.

Gawain intended to break the contract as soon as his restraints were removed. Then he would have attacked Yohan at once.

Yohan gave a dry laugh.

'Good thing I brought Serena.'

Without her, he would certainly have found himself in trouble.

He spoke. “Thank you, my lady. You’ve spared me a disaster.”

Serena answered stiffly. “I didn’t do it for you, Sir Yohan. Many people would be hurt if His Highness were released. I was merely fulfilling my duty as a noble of the kingdom.”

Yohan nodded. “An admirable attitude. Please continue to act as you have today. Most of your choices in pursuit of good will directly serve my interests.”

Serena gazed steadily into his eyes, then murmured, “... I see.”

His matter-of-fact words did not seem to be a lie.

He turned away. “Get some more rest for now. I’ll be going.”

Tension crept into her expression. “Are you going to see His Highness?”

Yohan answered calmly. “Yes. This needs to be settled.”

He left the guest room and headed straight for the forbidden library.

* * *

The sun had set. Maphel’tan descended toward the forbidden library, lost in thought.

'A power that breaks contracts.'

Gawain now possessed the power of the Apostle Beris. But how? Maphel’tan could not make sense of it. No being other than Beris could interfere with the inviolable law of contracts.

'... Hmm.'

Could Gawain have taken Beris’s place?

'Impossible.'

Beris was still alive. Though a tenth of his soul had been destroyed, he remained an Apostle. There could not be two Apostles presiding over contracts.

No, to begin with, a being who had not been an ancient god could not become an Apostle. Until recently, Gawain had been human. He did not qualify.

As his thoughts reached that point, another occurred to him.

'Then what about me?'

There were always exceptions. Maphel’tan was one of them. He had become an Apostle under unusual circumstances. Perhaps that exception could apply to Gawain as well.

Maphel’tan stopped short. Standing before Gawain, he spoke.

“There’s one thing I need to check.”

Gawain grinned. “What happened to that girl of the lowborn Marcano bloodline?”

Ignoring the question, Maphel’tan brought out the Book of Doom. A huge full-length mirror stood before Gawain.

“Touch the mirror.”

The Book of Doom was an accursed object that responded only to Apostles. If Gawain was an Apostle, a particular phenomenon would occur.

Gawain gave him an affectedly innocent look. “As you can see, I’m rather indisposed.”

He looked down at his hands. So thoroughly bound, he could not move so much as a fingertip.

Maphel’tan clicked his tongue and pressed the Book of Doom against Gawain’s hand. Disappointment welled up within him. The book did not react at all.

Had Gawain truly been an Apostle, Maphel’tan would have done whatever it took to bring him to heel. Not anymore.

Maphel’tan summoned the fell spear Turabak.

“Gawain, I’m afraid we cannot work together after all.”

He raised the fell spear.