novelraw Chapter 125 : Chapter 125
Chapter 125 : Chapter 125
Chapter 125. Muel (3)
―――White Horn had captured the archmage Lumina.
Everyone was stunned by Sacred Emblem Azval’s testimony.
“Th-The Apostle captured an archmage?!”
“Sir Azval! What on earth are you talking about?!”
“Please, explain in detail!”
Every cleric in the council hall turned to Azval.
He looked a bit flustered, visibly uncomfortable with the sudden attention.
“Uh, well… see, the thing is, how should I put this…”
As he fumbled for words, Director Rohagen spoke up.
“We’ll hear the details later. For now, let’s deal with the immediate crisis.”
Rohagen raised a hand.
Several paladins rushed over and secured the unconscious archmage.
Azval added,
“That’s right. We still have to shut down the summoning ritual. The catalyst hasn’t been destroyed yet.”
There was no time for storytelling—there was work to be done.
With the archmage apprehended, the Church could now proceed with disrupting the summoning.
If they succeeded, the citizens wouldn't have to abandon the capital.
Thanks to the Apostle, that chance now exists.
Though still reeling from shock, everyone in the hall pushed aside their confusion and sprang into action.
They moved quickly toward the ritual’s core.
The operation to destroy the catalyst had begun.
Roughly forty minutes remained until the deadline.
***
Dawn broke slowly.
From early morning, the royal capital was abuzz with noise.
As always, everyone was busy—moving with purpose.
But there was one key difference.
This time, the cause of the bustle wasn’t daily life.
The night’s events had thrown the city into chaos.
After the evacuation order was lifted, evacuees began returning to the capital.
Not just the locals—nobles and clerics from across the kingdom were also pouring in.
The reason: a royal assembly and emergency council were being convened.
The gates were packed to bursting.
Inside the capital, it was no less hectic.
Priests, inquisitors, holy soldiers, bishops, paladins—all regardless of rank—were working to purge the remnants of the summoning ritual.
The Church even formed a special task force to hunt down the Apostle who had appeared the previous night.
Of course, no trace of the Thirteenth Apostle of the End could be found.
He had already assumed a human form.
Yohan, too, was busy like everyone else.
At dawn, he headed straight to the palace and met King Roderick in private.
***
Royal Palace – Reception Room
King Roderick’s eyes wavered as he looked at Yohan.
Yohan hadn’t said a word since arriving.
He simply stared at the king.
Roderick squirmed in his seat, uneasy.
Unable to bear the tension, the king finally broke the silence.
“…Watcher of the Abyss—what are you?”
The false Yohan (Ilea) had clearly been dragged into a dimensional space by Lumina’s spell the night before.
Right after that, the Apostle appeared before the king, and the Muel summoning ritual began.
Astonishingly, the one who stopped the disaster… was the Apostle himself.
Now, Yohan stood before Roderick once more.
The king couldn’t make sense of any of it.
He was nothing but a puppet.
Yohan, still staring at him, slowly opened his mouth.
“Roderick. You still have some life left in your eyes, I see.”
The king’s aged body and soul were being barely sustained by Muel’s white miasma.
Even now, with Lumina—the one contracted with Muel—captured, that demonic energy still lingered within him.
It likely meant Lumina was still alive.
Once she died, Roderick’s vitality would vanish as well.
The king would wither away, weak and feeble once more.
Roderick growled.
“This vitality is mine! Don’t you dare try to steal it from me again!”
The night before, the false Yohan (Ilea) had briefly extracted the miasma from Roderick’s body.
That moment had been utterly horrifying for the king.
He would rather die than lose Muel’s power again.
Yohan let out a dry laugh.
“You won’t be able to keep it anyway. The moment Lumina dies, the miasma goes with her.”
Interrogation of the archmage Lumina would begin soon.
As the primary perpetrator of last night’s crisis, she would face punishment.
Likely torture—followed by death.
Naturally, Muel’s energy would disappear with her.
Roderick’s eyes filled with despair.
“No… I don’t want to return to what I was. Watcher of the Abyss, you can help me. Please—protect Lumina!”
Yohan gave a long, twisted smile.
So the bastard’s not as dumb as he looks.
The king understood how to survive.
If he aligned himself with Yohan, he might be saved.
With the backing of Count Staviana and now the authority of the crown, Yohan could indeed protect Lumina.
Yohan asked casually,
“Why should I bother saving her?”
Roderick answered desperately.
“We both know each other’s secrets. We’ve both made deals with demons. If I fall, you think you’ll survive? I won’t die alone.”
The king believed Yohan was bound to the Apostle.
Though incorrect, Yohan didn’t bother to correct him.
He smirked.
“Fool. Your situation and mine are completely different. It all comes down to evidence. Lumina might name you—but me? Will she even mention me at all?”
In truth, Yohan had no direct involvement in the ritual.
Even if Lumina tried to implicate him, there was no proof.
But Roderick was different.
His body still contained traces of Muel’s miasma.
Even if it was refined, the Church would eventually uncover its true nature.
“You’ll still be taking a risk.”
Yohan shrugged.
“Nothing I can’t handle.”
“But…”
Clicking his tongue, Yohan cut the king off.
“Roderick, you dull little monarch. This isn’t the time to threaten me. You’re supposed to bow your head and beg. Do you really think intimidation works when I’m the one holding the blade?”
Roderick gulped dryly.
“F-Fine. Let’s call it… a negotiation. Let’s help each other. Please—just spare Lumina’s life.”
“And what can you offer me in return?”
The king’s eyes darted about.
After a moment, he spoke.
“From this moment on, the royal family will offer its full support to House Miyatro.”
Not a bad deal.
With Yohan already backed by Count Staviana, adding royal endorsement would make him virtually untouchable.
No one in the kingdom would dare oppose him.
Still, Yohan pulled a face.
“Doesn’t exactly thrill me. How about you offer something… bigger?”
He intended to bleed the king dry.
“Th-Then… what is it that you want?”
Yohan pretended to ponder, though he already knew the answer.
After a pause, he spoke.
“Not just support. I want you to become my servant. My pawn.”
The king’s expression froze.
He stared at Yohan in disbelief—then suddenly slammed his fist on the armrest.
“Have you no shame?!”
Yohan had never shown the king an ounce of respect.
From the moment he found leverage, he’d treated him with open contempt.
Now he was demanding to make him a slave.
No ruler in history had ever been treated so indignantly.
Even the vilest tyrants had observed some decorum toward the throne.
But Yohan was different.
He didn’t even see Roderick as a king.
With a calm expression, Yohan said,
“If you don’t like it, so be it. Lose your vitality, waste away, and die. And future generations will remember you not just as a failure—but as a heretic who consorted with demons.”
Roderick was cornered.
Without Yohan, he couldn’t protect Lumina.
He had no choice.
He had to become Yohan’s pawn.
But he couldn’t bring himself to say yes.
He was royalty. Born and raised in privilege.
His pride wouldn’t let him bow.
Tears welled in the king’s eyes as he trembled, glaring at Yohan.
“…One day, I’ll repay this humiliation.”
Yohan stood with a smirk.
“I’ll give you time. Think it over. You have until tonight’s royal council.”
That meeting would determine the immediate response to the previous night’s events.
Yohan planned to use the outcome to shape his next moves.
As he turned to leave, Roderick called out in a hoarse voice,
“W-We’re not finished! Where do you think you’re going?”
Yohan scoffed.
“Unlike you, I have important people to see. Send a messenger when your mind’s made up.”
He walked out without looking back.
The king stared at his retreating figure, quivering in anger.
***
Count Staviana rode to the capital the moment he heard the news.
It was too urgent for a carriage—he came on horseback, flanked by knights.
It took exactly ten hours for him to reach the capital.
Upon arrival, he headed straight to House Miyatro.
All eyes in the capital followed him.
Whispers spread everywhere.
“He’s seeing the baron before the king?”
“There must be something between him and the Watcher…”
Staviana ignored it all.
He brushed past every greeting and went straight to Yohan.
Entering the baron’s study, he found Yohan seated—gazing at a letter.
The count spoke first.
“Quite the mess you stirred up. Was this all your doing?”
The capital was in an uproar.
As far as the count was concerned, only Yohan could be behind something like this.
Yohan murmured with a blank expression.
“…Not exactly. I’m not the mastermind. I was more of a victim.”
It wasn’t easy to explain.
The count frowned.
“What are you talking about? Speak clearly.”
Yohan kept staring at the letter.
The count clicked his tongue, stepping closer.
“What is it you’re so focused on?”
Without a word, Yohan handed over the letter.
―――I accept all your terms.
At the bottom, it bore the royal seal.
The count tilted his head.
Yohan gave a crooked grin.
“The king is now my slave. Count—your power plus royal authority? I’m unstoppable.”
The count stared at the document for a moment, then said expressionlessly,
“…The day we meet Ilea draws ever closer.”
Yohan nodded.
“It does.”