novelraw Chapter 103 : Chapter 103
Chapter 103 : Chapter 103
103. Wolfgang
“Ha! What an amusing brat! Welcome to the north, Watcher of the Abyss!”
Wolfgang roared with laughter.
His booming voice thundered through the annex.
To Yohan, it felt like his eardrums might burst.
Everyone except Yohan and Count Staviana clutched their ears and cried out in pain.
The crushing pressure of his laughter weighed down the room.
Each syllable carried force.
Yohan swallowed hard.
‘…Old man, there’s a limit to how spirited you can be. This is too much.’
At this rate, people might actually die.
Even Yohan was nearing his limit.
Just as he was about to intervene, Count Staviana spoke first.
“Father-in-law, unless you mean to kill us all, that’s enough.”
Wolfgang glanced around.
The guest room was in ruins.
Tables split, bottles shattered.
Frames had fallen from the walls, smashed to pieces.
The servants lay on the floor groaning.
Wolfgang cut off his laughter.
The crushing weight vanished instantly.
Calm returned.
Wolfgang looked faintly sheepish.
He cleared his throat.
“Ahem, I got carried away. Haven’t seen such an interesting one in a while.”
Count Staviana spoke flatly.
“So, he passed. If you’re satisfied, return to the north.”
Yohan blinked.
‘Was that about me?’
Wolfgang turned his gaze on Yohan.
“True, he’s got spirit. Cromwell Staviana, he reminds me of you in your youth. But spirit and ability are separate. He’s too young. Watching the Abyss will overwhelm him.”
The count shook his head.
“Think of the past Watchers of the Abyss. Sir Yohan is more capable than most.”
The count was openly siding with Yohan.
The reason was simple.
Because of his dead wife.
With Yohan holding Yeriel’s body, the count had no choice but to back him politically.
Wolfgang’s expression darkened, deepening the lines of his aged face.
“Cromwell, are you really naming those pathetic fools before me?”
Past Watchers of the Abyss had all been failures.
In his 150 years, Wolfgang had seen them all.
Grian’s father, grandfather, great-grandfather, and further back—none had been sane.
The so-called heroic bloodline of Miyatro was a husk in this era.
The count said,
“Sir Yohan is different. You felt it yourself.”
Wolfgang glared at Yohan.
“That’s the problem. For the first time in two centuries, a promising Miyatro appears—only to rot as your puppet, Cromwell.”
Both Yohan and the count frowned.
Yohan clicked his tongue.
‘The old man’s got the wrong idea.’
The count said,
“My puppet? Father-in-law, what nonsense is this?”
Wolfgang’s voice rang with certainty.
“Cromwell, let me guess your plan. You’ll drag the Watcher of the Abyss into the noble faction and seize all the south. Am I wrong?”
The count had pulled every string to elevate Yohan’s status.
The boy was now head of a house, even a member of the Council.
It defied common sense.
Without political calculation, none of this could have happened.
The count sighed and rubbed his face.
“You couldn’t be more mistaken.”
Wolfgang sneered.
“Then explain why you suddenly defend Miyatro.”
“As I said in the Council—”
Before he could finish, Wolfgang thundered.
“Spare me that drivel about duty and greater good!”
Officially, Yohan’s rise was justified by the kingdom’s safety.
The realm faced unprecedented threats.
The ancient demon Kaiaze, the Thirteenth Apostle of the End, the demon army’s invasion of the capital… The End described in the Cursed Scriptures had begun.
Fear of demons was resurfacing after centuries.
The kingdom needed a Watcher of the Abyss.
That was the count’s rationale.
The count said evenly,
“As Chancellor, all my actions follow justice. This time is no different. The kingdom needs a Watcher, so I moved accordingly.”
Wolfgang slammed the table.
It shattered into pieces.
“You expect me to believe that?! Cromwell Staviana! You’ve only grown more shameless with age! I know you well—justice means nothing to you! You’ve always moved by desire! Am I wrong?!”
His fury blazed like fire, yet the count stayed calm.
“What exactly do you want to hear, father-in-law?”
Wolfgang loomed over him.
“I want the truth. Why drag that brat into the center?”
The count met his eyes.
“One thing is clear: I’ve no intention of making him my puppet.”
Their gazes locked in the air.
Moments later, Wolfgang narrowed his brow.
“…Cromwell. Don’t tell me that brat’s got dirt on you?”
Yohan was startled.
‘Sharp old man.’
The count’s support wasn’t for justice.
Nor to make Yohan his puppet.
The only reason left—he was under Yohan’s thumb.
Wolfgang had sniffed it out.
But the count’s expression didn’t shift.
He said calmly,
“Think whatever you like.”
Wolfgang’s anger faded.
In its place came amusement.
He broke into hearty laughter.
“After all these years, what fun! Cromwell, you—ensnared by a brat? Ha! The Blue Devil, bound hand and foot! Pathetic!”
The count said,
“Think what you will. I don’t care.”
Wolfgang sneered once more, then strode to Yohan.
With a hand like a lid of a cauldron, he slapped Yohan’s back.
“For a brat, you’ve got spirit. No wonder Cromwell’s tied down. How did you chain the old fox? Tell me.”
Yohan couldn’t reveal the truth.
He kept a calm face.
“That matter is between us. I cannot share it, Grand Marshal.”
Wolfgang stroked his beard.
“Let me guess… Hm. A thought. Did Cromwell conspire with cultists, claiming he’d bring back his dead wife?”
Yohan’s heart nearly stopped.
“…What are you saying, my lord?”
He almost betrayed his shock.
Even with years of practiced composure, he struggled now.
Wolfgang grinned slyly.
“Isn't it? Then forget it. Ha!”
Yohan found Wolfgang impossible to pin down.
‘Does he actually know?’
In the original tale, Wolfgang had no interest beyond the north.
But in person, he seemed different.
Yohan’s hunch was usually right.
The count said coldly,
“Father-in-law, your joke is in poor taste. Enough. Return north.”
The shadow of killing intent crossed his face.
Whenever Yeriel was mentioned, the count lost control.
Wolfgang chuckled.
“I was leaving anyway. But first—a proposal for our Watcher.”
Yohan tensed.
Who knew what this man would ask?
Already, Wolfgang was proving difficult.
“Speak, Grand Marshal.”
“Come north with me. I’ll make you a man. Later, I’ll even give you a daughter.”
He meant to take him as a son-in-law.
Yohan answered immediately.
“My apologies. I have obligations elsewhere.”
Wolfgang sighed.
“I won’t force you. But if you change your mind, come north. I like you.”
At least Yohan had won his favor.
For the future, this encounter was valuable.
Despite unease, he set it aside.
“I’ll visit someday.”
Wolfgang nodded, turning away.
“Keep that promise. I’ll go now. No need to see me out.”
The count bowed.
“Next time, at least send a word.”
Wolfgang waved.
“Word, bah. And Cromwell—let Yeriel go. Time to release her.”
Yeriel, the count’s dead wife, was also Wolfgang’s daughter.
“…That’s not your concern.”
Wolfgang lifted his hand dismissively as he walked.
“It’s for your own good. Remember it, Crohn.”
Crohn—Cromwell Staviana’s childhood nickname.
At the word, the count’s face twisted.
He muttered,
“Old man. Always clawing at my nerves.”
Wolfgang laughed uproariously and vanished.
***
As soon as Wolfgang left, Yohan and Cromwell moved to the drawing room.
Sitting down, the count exhaled heavily.
“Today feels terribly long.”
He looked exhausted.
Likely because of Wolfgang.
Yohan asked,
“Count, why was Wolfgang here?”
The northern specter had come all the way south.
Yohan still didn’t know the exact reason.
The count replied,
“He pressed me with questions about you. Had you not come to Beldana, he’d have gone to Miyatro. In short, he came to meet you.”
That would’ve been disastrous.
If Wolfgang had stepped foot in the barony, Yohan would’ve been in deep trouble.
He'd seen the ruined castle and demanded explanations Yohan couldn’t give.
Yohan murmured,
“…Good thing I came here.”
Better to face Wolfgang in the count’s domain.
The count studied him and said,
“But you came later than expected.”
“There were… delays.”
Resolving a few variables had stalled him.
Even though he was late, Yohan wanted to get back on track.
The count pulled something from a drawer.
“In the meantime, I prepared a few things you’ll want.”
He placed a stack of documents on the table.
Yohan checked them and smiled with satisfaction.
At least in matters of work, the count never disappointed.