novelraw Chapter 127 : Chapter 127
Chapter 127 : Chapter 127
Chapter 127. Lumina
─All investigative authority over the current case shall be granted to Yohan Miyatro, Watcher of the Abyss.
As the king declared this, the Great Hall stirred.
All the nobles were shaken.
Some frowned, others looked troubled.
Most couldn’t believe what they had just heard.
To entrust full authority over this case to Yohan—he was far too inexperienced and young.
He hadn’t even undergone his coming-of-age ceremony yet. He was still just a kid.
Horentz Marcano, seated among the Council, opened his mouth.
“...Your Majesty, if I may speak—though I am humbled by your will, I must say the Watcher of the Abyss is too young to bear the heavy responsibility of Chief Investigator. Given the gravity of this matter, the process of selecting the person in charge must be carried out with the utmost seriousness.”
Horentz Marcano—the wealthiest man in the kingdom, often called the Royal Treasury himself.
Outwardly, he was a member of the Royalist Faction.
The king always listened to his opinions.
But this time was different.
King Roderick spoke.
“Sir Horentz, I understand your concerns. Indeed, the Watcher of the Abyss lacks experience. However, after speaking with him, I am convinced that he possesses both the intelligence and ability to handle this situation. I wish to take this opportunity to confirm his capabilities firsthand.”
The king was openly supporting Yohan.
He was personally stepping in to empower someone from the noble faction.
None of the nobles could understand why the king was behaving this way.
Whispers began to spread.
“They’re appointing a wet-behind-the-ears brat as Chief Investigator? Unbelievable.”
“Where exactly is His Majesty's intention heading…?”
“This is unsettling.”
The king swallowed hard as he observed the nobles' reactions.
If there was not unanimous agreement, even the king’s opinion could not be enforced easily.
He was little more than a powerless puppet.
Roderick turned his gaze slowly toward the Count of Staviana.
The Count had the capability to break this stalemate.
“Sir Cromwell, what is your opinion?”
When the king asked, the Count slowly spoke.
“Yohan von Miyatro. He indeed possesses both the ability and the qualifications to oversee this investigation.”
The moment his words ended, another wave of murmurs rippled through the hall.
“But, Count!”
“Are you serious?”
Even the nobles of the Council showed their doubts.
The Count replied.
“Lord Yohan is such an exceptional figure that even Marquis Wolfgang considered him a suitable son-in-law.”
Wolfgang Eisenpelt would only offer his daughter to a man from the North.
And yet, he had tried to bring Yohan—who was not from the North—into his family.
Until now, only northern men had ever married into Wolfgang’s bloodline, except for the Count himself.
If Wolfgang acknowledged him, then his competence was without question.
Some nobles murmured.
“The Border Marquis is taking a southerner as his son-in-law?”
“That’s… peculiar.”
The Count continued.
“Precisely because he is so capable, the Watcher of the Abyss is a busy individual. According to the Oath of 500 years ago, he must monitor the Abyss and take responsibility for every demonic incident that arises in the South. In truth, he doesn’t have the time to oversee this investigation.”
One noble tilted his head and asked.
“Are you saying the Watcher of the Abyss cannot serve as Chief Investigator?”
The Count nodded.
“That is correct. To impose further duty upon him would be unjust.”
King Roderick’s eyes wavered.
He had expected the Count to support Yohan.
Roderick spoke with a slightly trembling voice.
“B-But Cromwell...”
As king, he needed Yohan to take the lead on this incident.
There were too many hidden truths that must never come to light.
But the Count cut off the king’s words.
“Your Majesty, may I take charge of this case? As Chancellor of the Kingdom, I will reveal every detail without a shadow of doubt.”
If the Count volunteered as Chief Investigator, no one could object.
Even the Order would have to back down.
The Count’s influence extended even to the Empire, and behind him stood Wolfgang, the Guardian of the North.
Structurally speaking, whatever the Count wanted was always achieved.
King Roderick asked with a confused expression.
“You intend to take full charge of this matter?”
He didn’t fully understand the relationship between Yohan and the Count.
It made it hard to trust them entirely.
Listening quietly all the while, the fake Yohan (Ilea) spoke.
“Your Majesty, I too agree with the Count. I lack the time and means to manage this entire case. Would it not be better to entrust the role to the experienced Count?”
Yohan truly had no time to spare for the Muel incident. He was busy.
King Roderick asked,
“Will that be alright?”
Once the Count began the investigation, all the facts would come to light.
Yohan didn’t mind at all.
He and the Count were in the same boat now.
Yohan bowed his head and spoke.
“Of course, Your Majesty. Entrust it to the Count.”
The king exchanged glances with Yohan.
“...Very well. I accept your proposal.”
Thus, the Chief Investigator for this incident was now the Count of Staviana.
Even a royal decree backed him—no one could object.
Now all that remained was to finalize the appointments and investigation methods through the assembly.
The meeting ended up lasting longer than expected.
Night deepened.
***
Yohan was appointed as the official Inquisitor for the Grand Mage Lumina.
He simply needed to get her to talk—by any means necessary.
Royal Palace underground prison. The moment he stepped inside, damp air greeted Yohan.
Screams echoed from every direction.
The very atmosphere was chilling.
The grey-black stone walls of the prison only amplified the gloom.
‘…What an unpleasant place.’
Yohan grimaced. A priest walking beside him spoke up.
“You’ll get used to it soon. I’ll support you well.”
He was a torture technician of the Order, assigned to assist Yohan.
The priest grinned widely.
Yohan spoke with a blank expression.
“I appreciate the offer, but I won’t need your help.”
He had no intention of working with him.
If certain words reached the ears of this priest, it would only cause trouble for Yohan.
The priest spoke firmly.
“No, you will need me. Without proper expertise, you won’t get someone like a Grand Mage to speak.”
The priest, Juris, took great pride in his torture skills.
‘A troublesome guy came along.’
Juris wasn’t just a torturer—he was a monitor sent by the Order.
The Order always involved itself in demonic incidents.
They couldn’t entrust the entire interrogation to someone not from their ranks.
So they had planted a man.
That was Juris.
Yohan clicked his tongue.
“Torture might not even work.”
The target was a Grand Mage.
No ordinary method would get her to talk.
Juris smiled with a sinister edge.
“You’ll see. I’ll have Lumina speaking by the end of today.”
He stopped in front of a cell.
The guard immediately opened the iron gate upon seeing Yohan and the priest.
A chilling metallic screech rang out.
In the center of a vast solitary cell, Grand Mage Lumina was bound.
She was wrapped tightly in all manner of restraints.
Among the devices binding her were sacred relics that suppressed magic.
The priest strode over and stood before Lumina.
She spoke first.
“…The Order sent a brat.”
Yohan stood a short distance away, watching the two.
The priest sneered.
“Filthy heretic. You’ll be bawling and begging for death at that brat’s hands before long.”
Lumina let out a hollow laugh. Her smile was strangely empty.
“Go ahead. Let’s see what you’ve got.”
She was a Grand Mage who had lived for 150 years.
She wouldn’t flinch at a bit of torture.
Juris spoke in an official tone.
“From this moment, we begin the first interrogation of Grand Mage Lumina. I am an Inquisitor appointed by the Apostle Forensics Bureau, granted authority by the Great Saint and the Order. All actions henceforth are legal and sacred.”
He pulled a leather pouch from his robe.
It held a collection of bladed tools.
Lumina chuckled softly.
“How adorable.”
Juris laid out the grotesque instruments on the table.
Yohan felt sick.
Just seeing those blades was repulsive.
Juris spoke.
“Lumina, first question. You intended to sacrifice the entire capital to summon the Great Demon Muel. Is that true?”
Lumina stuck out her tongue.
“Bleh.”
Juris nodded.
“Let’s play.”
He picked up a small surgical blade from the table.
Lumina said nonchalantly,
“Starting with fingernails? That’s so cliché.”
“It’s a bit different.”
Juris slid the blade under her pinky nail.
Then he began to twist it.
Yohan's expression twisted in disgust.
‘...I can’t watch this.’
Lumina let out a piercing scream.
“Aaaaaaaagh! It hurts! It hurts!”
The torture continued for quite some time.
Once her throat grew hoarse from screaming, it finally stopped.
Juris withdrew the blade and asked,
“Feeling a bit more cooperative?”
Lumina nodded quickly.
“Yeah, sorry. My bad. I’ll tell you everything… Heehee. Did you really think I’d say that?”
She stared at Juris with a mischievous grin.
Juris furrowed his brow deeply.
“I’ll ramp it up a notch.”
Lumina scoffed.
“Before you do, keep in mind—Grand Mages undergo something called Shedding. It’s a process where every part of the body twists and reconfigures. Muscles, blood vessels, organs—everything screams during Shedding. Unless you can inflict similar pain, you won’t get anything out of me.”
Juris picked up a saw.
“We’ll see how long that smug face lasts.”
Yohan muttered,
“…What a waste of time.”
Juris turned around to look at him.
“Please wait just a little longer. I’ll make her confess everything.”
Yohan shook his head.
“No. From here on, I’ll handle it.”
He walked toward Lumina.
She spoke.
“Your turn now? Watcher of the Abyss.”
Yohan, expressionless, opened his mouth.
“Lumina, what would it take for you to use magic?”
She looked puzzled.
“Huh? What are you talking about?”
“I’m going to unseal you.”
Currently, Lumina couldn’t use magic due to her restraints.
She stared at Yohan for a moment, then smiled.
“Sever my left wrist.”
The chain wrapped around her left hand was a mana suppressor.
Yohan picked up an axe from the table.
He brought the blade down on Lumina’s wrist.
Blood sprayed violently.
Juris shouted in shock.
“W-What are you doing?!”
At the same time, countless runes surged through space.
Juris’s body exploded.
Chunks of flesh splattered against the stone walls.
Amidst the blood and flying pieces of flesh, Lumina opened her mouth.
“Watcher of the Abyss, what do you want from me?”