novelraw Chapter 117 : Chapter 117
Chapter 117 : Chapter 117
Chapter 117. The Uninvited Guest
The sun was about to set, and a visitor had arrived.
He was sent from the House of Marquess Leonard—and he was an uninvited guest.
He had come without any prior notice, visiting someone’s home at a late hour.
To any homeowner, that alone would’ve been displeasing. For someone sensitive to etiquette, it might have even felt like an insult.
Yohan, however, felt slightly different about it.
To him, the situation was puzzling in several ways.
The House of Leonard had gone so far as to betray their own principles by planting a spy in Yohan’s home.
Now they had forgotten all manners and sent a rude guest.
The current actions of the House of Leonard were completely at odds with their image in the original story.
What on earth had turned noble knights into petty schemers?
Yohan wanted to get to the bottom of that question right now.
He looked at Haman.
“How much time is left before sunset?”
Haman replied in an unsure tone.
“Uh… I’m not exactly sure, but the sun should set within the hour.”
Yohan turned his eyes to the window.
Twilight was beginning to fall.
‘Roughly thirty minutes, I’d say.’
It was enough time to go over the essentials.
Yohan spoke to Haman.
“Escort the guest to the parlor.”
Haman looked uneasy.
“...Will that be all right?”
He had spent the previous night in the manor.
And he had seen for himself—how different the estate became at night.
There was something eerie and sinister about it.
Like the rumors said, maybe Yohan really was conducting forbidden rituals after dark.
Yohan stared at him intently.
“What are you so worried about? That the Marquess might discover my true identity?”
Haman was startled.
“M-my true identity...? What do you mean…?”
Yohan let out a small laugh.
“A joke. Just bring in the guest. Nothing’s going to happen.”
Haman gave a sheepish smile.
“Haha… As you command, then.”
He promptly left the office.
Yohan also moved to the parlor.
***
As soon as the door opened, Yohan’s eyes were drawn to a dazzling golden suit of armor.
The black lion crest emblazoned on the chestplate stared back at him.
And the knight’s gaze was just as fierce.
The knight gave Yohan a slight bow.
“I greet the Watcher of the Abyss. I am Mammon Leonard, knight of the Royal Guard.”
The Leonard family had served only the royal family since ancient times.
Any knight bearing the name Leonard was, without exception, tied to the crown.
Among them, the members of the Royal Guard placed the royal family above even their own bloodline.
In other words, this knight hadn’t come to represent the House of Leonard.
He was here as a voice of the royal family—sent to the home of Baron Miyatro.
Yohan was caught slightly off guard.
‘The king sent someone to me?’
The current king of the Artelga Kingdom had absolutely no interest in politics.
He probably didn’t even know that the Watcher of the Abyss had arrived in the capital.
There was no reason for such a figurehead of a king to show any interest in Yohan.
It was strange—but Yohan didn’t let it show.
“Nice to meet you, Sir Mammon. I am Yohan Miyatro. Please, have a seat.”
Following Yohan’s gesture, the two sat facing each other at a table.
The knight was the first to speak.
“First, allow me to offer an apology. I realize it’s rude to visit at such a late hour. My sincerest regrets.”
The young knight looked genuinely remorseful.
His eyes wavered slightly.
‘…Is that a shame?’
Yohan couldn’t quite understand the knight’s behavior.
While visiting someone late without notice was a breach of manners, it wasn’t something to be this embarrassed about.
If the matter was urgent, showing up unannounced was sometimes inevitable.
And more importantly, the knight was representing the royal family.
He should be acting with confidence and authority at all times.
But there was no trace of dignity in him now.
He couldn’t hide his shame.
There had to be another reason for it.
Yohan replied calmly.
“Think nothing of it. I understand there must be a good reason for a sudden visit from the royal family. Please don’t worry too much.”
The knight swallowed once and looked directly at Yohan.
The turbulence in his eyes settled.
There was a sense of resolve forming.
‘What is this?’
The knight slowly spoke.
“That’s correct. I’ve come to you at this hour for a reason.”
The atmosphere shifted completely.
“Please speak.”
“It’s been over three days since the Watcher arrived in the capital, correct?”
“I believe so.”
The knight’s gaze sharpened.
“Then why have you not yet paid your respects to His Majesty the King?”
A completely unexpected question.
‘…Why haven’t I met the king?’
The answer was simple.
The king was a puppet.
All national decisions were made by the Council, and the king gave approval without even reading them.
Yohan had no reason to meet him.
Time spent with the king was nothing but wasted time.
Of course, he couldn’t say that to the knight sitting before him.
Yohan hesitated slightly, then spoke.
“I’ve heard rumors about His Majesty’s poor health. I was under the impression that he wasn’t well enough to handle state affairs.”
The knight responded.
“This isn’t about state affairs. As a noble of the kingdom and a member of the Council, it is your duty to pay respects upon arriving in the capital. Why have you not sought even a brief audience?”
The knight’s words were fair.
Even if the king were bedridden, Yohan should have at least offered to meet him.
He hadn’t even bothered to extend that courtesy.
Yohan had no interest in the king at all.
He had thought spending even a moment on him would be a waste.
“I’ve only just arrived and been quite overwhelmed. I will visit His Majesty soon—please don’t take offense.”
Yohan didn’t want to get into a tug-of-war over the king.
He wanted to move past this conversation and get to the real reason for the visit.
The sun was setting, after all.
The knight furrowed his brow.
“His Majesty is greatly angered. Perhaps it would be best if you visited immediately?”
Yohan grew increasingly suspicious.
He had assumed the knight was just using this as a pretext to pressure him before bringing up the real topic.
But that wasn’t the case.
The core of the visit was the royal audience itself.
That, in itself, was puzzling.
The lazy king wouldn’t care to meet Yohan.
Even if Yohan had requested an audience, the king likely would’ve declined.
Yohan asked carefully.
“Does His Majesty truly wish to see me now?”
The knight nodded.
“Yes. He ordered that the Watcher of the Abyss be brought to the palace immediately, if possible.”
Nonsense.
There was no way the king would issue such an order.
Yohan was certain—he had read the original.
He studied the knight’s expression carefully.
‘He doesn’t seem to be lying…’
Could it be that the king was possessed by a ghost?
If not, then this entire situation made no sense.
Yohan spoke up.
“It’s already quite late. Let’s schedule the audience for tomorrow.”
The knight’s expression hardened.
He spoke in a low voice.
“Will you only comply if I say it is a royal command?”
Yohan was speechless.
‘Why is he so persistent?’
At this point, it was almost like a trap being laid.
He swallowed quietly.
“…If it is a royal command, then I shall obey. Please allow me a little time to prepare.”
He had no grounds to refuse a royal order.
All he could do now was buy time to think.
The knight nodded.
“Very well. But do not keep His Majesty waiting too long.”
Yohan immediately left the parlor.
***
His mind was racing.
He replayed the conversation over and over.
‘The knight… was clearly ashamed.’
The knights of the Leonard family valued honor above all else. They wouldn’t tolerate even the slightest shame.
If one of them had shown such shame, there must have been a good reason.
What could it be?
Lost in thought, Yohan arrived at a conclusion.
───The knight is being forced to participate in this scheme by an order he cannot refuse.
That theory was most likely correct.
And the source of that order was obvious.
The king.
Knights of the Royal Guard obeyed only the king’s commands.
To them, the king took precedence even over the head of the Leonard family.
The Marquess himself couldn’t override a Royal Guard’s oath.
Only the king’s command could.
Which raised another question—How did that puppet king come to orchestrate such a scheme?
Could he have been the one who sent Verdan, the impersonator?
Whatever the case, the king was clearly involved.
Yohan clicked his tongue.
‘This is bad.’
He now had to meet the king.
Even if he managed to dodge it today, the king would continue to pressure him.
And Yohan still had no clue why the king was doing any of this.
It was a larger variable than expected.
Without the help of the original story, he would have to deal with it on his own.
In the underground prison of the estate, Yohan stared through the iron bars.
Verdan lay face-down on the floor, completely naked.
Yohan looked at him and muttered,
“…Looks like I’ll have to use this bastard after all.”
With Verdan’s power as a mimic, he could put out this fire for now.
Since Yohan couldn’t act after sunset, he could send Verdan—disguised as him—to the palace.
It was clearly the best option.
Though it didn’t feel great.
Yohan couldn’t shake the feeling that this line of thinking had been orchestrated by someone.
He had suddenly been given the “gift” of Verdan.
And now, the situation was forcing him to use Verdan.
The flow of events was too convenient.
Yohan wondered if someone was pulling the strings behind the scenes.
‘…Am I overthinking this?’
He swallowed hard.
The anxiety and suspicion kept growing.
His head felt like it was starting to freeze up from all the overthinking.
“Damn it!”
He cursed and picked up a steel pincer.
He had to rip out his fingernail—quickly.
Once the sun set, he wouldn’t be able to pull out “Yohan’s” nail anymore.
Because he would become Mapheltan.
Yohan brought the pincer to his ring finger.
He had done it before, but the fear was still there.
Even with a tempered soul, pain was another matter entirely.
He squeezed his eyes shut.
And yanked.
Crunch.
A disgusting sound echoed.
A pale fingernail was caught in the pincer.
“Guh—huhhh!”
Yohan let out a harsh breath.
Blood poured from his hand.
‘…Still not used to this.’
It was excruciating.
As he groaned, the pain suddenly vanished.
A dark power surged through his entire body.
Where the nail had been pulled out, a black claw began to grow.
Yohan had transformed into a demon.
Mapheltan tossed the torn nail through the bars.
“Swallow it. I have a job for you.”
One way or another, Verdan would have to be used.