novelraw Chapter 99 : Chapter 99
Chapter 99 : Chapter 99
99. Notification
“Become a demon. Fall, and live as my servant.”
Mapheltan had decided not to heal Gawain.
No matter how much he thought about it, no method came to mind to stop Gawain’s erosion.
He could not sacrifice Shaferia for Gawain’s sake.
Gawain let out a cynical laugh.
“To live as a demon, and worse, as your servant? I would rather choose death.”
Mapheltan shook his head.
“Your life is not your own. Only I can decide whether you live or die.”
Mapheltan still intended to make use of Gawain.
Power like his was not common.
If he could put that strength under his control, Mapheltan would be able to navigate the developments of the late stage far more easily.
Gawain drew a provocative smile.
“Scum like you could never possess me.”
He suddenly opened his mouth wide.
He was about to bite off his own tongue.
‘Foolish act!’
Mapheltan immediately reached out his arm.
Crunch―――!
The sound of something being crushed burst forth.
A stream of black fluid trickled down from the corner of Gawain’s mouth.
Mapheltan’s expression twisted in a grimace.
‘Khh…’
His blackened hand was jammed into Gawain’s mouth.
Instead of the tongue, his hand had been sacrificed.
Mapheltan was consumed by immense pain.
‘Damn it. What kind of jaw strength…’
Gawain ground down on Mapheltan’s hand.
The thick carapace crunched apart in real time.
Though in agony, Mapheltan did not pull his hand free from Gawain’s mouth.
Instead, he leaned in close to him and said,
“Do not dare lay hands on my possession. Again I say, your life is mine.”
At such shameless words, Gawain’s expression twisted in rage.
He bit down on Mapheltan’s hand even harder.
Black blood gushed without end.
Despite the excruciating pain, Mapheltan paid it no mind.
He stared straight at Gawain and locked into a battle of wills.
Their gazes clashed in midair.
Neither gave an inch.
Watching, Ilea spoke in a cold voice.
“…Open that mouth. Now.”
At the same time, blue mana rippled forth.
Gawain’s mouth slowly began to open.
It was being forced apart by magic.
As it opened, the state of Mapheltan’s hand was revealed. Completely bent and shattered.
Clicking his tongue, Mapheltan pulled his hand back.
“You’ve made me bleed for nothing.”
Ilea stepped closer and looked at his hand.
Her expression was rather cold.
“It’s all ruined. Don’t do that again.”
Mapheltan replied calmly.
“It will be mended soon enough. Look.”
A black mist coiled around Mapheltan’s hand.
It restored the broken bones and crushed flesh.
The monstrous limb regained its original form in an instant.
The authority Soul Severance and Restoration healed the wound cleanly.
Ilea’s face darkened further.
“If you want to abandon your humanity, just tell me. I’ll help you.”
Soul Severance and Restoration was an authority that consumed the user’s soul to restore the body.
If Mapheltan continued to rely on it, one day he would become an empty husk.
He would fall into a being with no soul, driven only by malice.
That was something that must never happen.
Mapheltan cleared his throat and said,
“This much is fine.”
As he said, one hand was nothing he couldn’t recover without great risk.
Perhaps only a speck of his soul had disappeared, but even that was unacceptable to Ilea.
“Keep compromising, and principles will crumble. One day something irreversible may happen.”
Lately her nagging has grown more frequent.
Of course, most of it was reasonable.
Mapheltan nodded.
“I’ll use it with caution, so don’t worry too much. My humanity will not vanish.”
Ilea’s hardened expression softened a little.
In a gentle voice she said,
“Alright. Then I won’t say more.”
Hearing this, Gawain burst into loud laughter.
His opened mouth wriggled continuously.
He clearly had things he wanted to say, but with his jaw locked by magic, he couldn’t speak.
Mapheltan looked at him, then turned his gaze back to Ilea.
“Gawain seems to have something to say.”
But it was hard to release the spell.
Gawain might try to kill himself again.
With a sigh, Ilea spoke.
“He takes quite a bit of handling, this prince.”
Mana rose from her hand.
The blue glow shot directly toward Gawain.
Above his head, letters began to appear in the air.
―――Humanity? Humanity, you say? Hah! What a funny creature you are! How could such a word come from the mouth of a wretch like you?
By magic, his voice was replaced with a written record.
Mapheltan said,
“Fool, have you forgotten Yohan? I am a demon, but at the same time I am also human.”
The laughter drained from Gawain’s face.
―――You claim to be a half-demon?
“Well, something like that. More human than you think.”
Gawain stared at Mapheltan with utter disbelief.
―――If that’s true, then it’s truly absurd.
“It’s no lie. I really am half-demon. I can’t help but retain a portion of humanity. Hard to believe, but sparing you is precisely a result of that humanity.”
Gawain sneered.
―――Do you feel guilty over taking human life? You, an Apostle?
Mapheltan shook his head.
“The meaning came across wrongly. To be precise, I spare you because your power is needed by humanity. That is an expression of humanity itself.”
Gawain scoffed.
―――A being who corrupts holy relics and seeks to turn me into a demon dares claim to act for humanity? If this isn't a contradiction, what is?
Mapheltan answered calmly.
“Not knowing the circumstances, you can only think that way. I understand.”
―――I don’t care to know your circumstances, nor do I care what you say. Just remember this. I will never become your servant. Abandon the thought of persuading me.
Mapheltan chuckled.
“Persuade? You are gravely mistaken. I am not persuading you. I am simply notifying you. You will fall soon, become a demon, and serve me.”
A fighting spirit flared in Gawain’s eyes.
―――I swear in the name of the Great Saint, nothing concerning me will ever go according to your intent.
Mapheltan shrugged.
“Amusing. Let’s see who laughs in the end.”
Gawain closed his eyes.
―――If you’re done talking, get out of my sight. The stench of you is giving me a headache. I need to rest.”
Even in such a hopeless situation, Gawain carried himself with composure.
His spirit was truly remarkable.
Mapheltan smiled, satisfied.
“I quite like your composure. Fine. I’ll leave you for now.”
Such an attitude was far better than succumbing to despair.
In Mapheltan’s view, Gawain would somehow become a capable subordinate.
Gawain scowled.
―――Still here?
Mapheltan chuckled and turned his back.
“We’ll meet again soon.”
He left the Forbidden Archive at once.
***
“This has gone rather far off the plan.”
In the underground library of the lord’s castle, Ilea leaned against a bookshelf, looking at Mapheltan.
Perched on the round table, Mapheltan said,
“Well, nothing to be done. I’m used to variables now. From here on, we just have to adapt well.”
Lately, Mapheltan had realized something.
‘Things in this world never go according to plan.’
At any time, unforeseen incidents would arise, and dealing with them was more important than the planning itself.
Ilea nodded.
“First of all, we’ll need to cover up the disappearance of the Third Prince.”
Soon the world would learn that Gawain had vanished.
A search party would quickly be assembled.
Even a discarded prince was still royalty, so the royal family would have no choice but to act.
They would trace his movements, and eventually come to the Miyatro territory.
For Mapheltan, such a situation would be a heavy burden.
After some thought, he spoke.
“Ilea, I’ll be needing your help for this.”
“I’ve already prepared a spell for that.”
“As expected. What kind of spell?”
“I’ll show you directly.”
Blue mana surged forth.
Ilea’s figure flickered, blurring.
Moments later, she vanished. In her place stood a man with short purplish hair.
It was Gawain.
Mapheltan let out a sound of admiration.
“Perfect.”
Gawain’s face curved into Ilea’s signature eye-smile.
“I developed this spell by adapting Belzarak’s illusions. Pretty convincing, isn’t it?”
“Even the voice is identical. With this, you can easily fabricate Gawain’s movements.”
With Ilea’s magic, they could project the “appearance” of Gawain to the public.
Occasionally wandering the streets disguised as him would be enough to erase the case of his disappearance.
Mapheltan was greatly pleased.
Dispelling the spell, Ilea smiled.
“Did well, didn’t I? Then, like last time, please.”
Mapheltan looked puzzled.
“What are you talking about?”
Ilea stepped closer.
“My head. Pat it.”
She smiled playfully.
Mapheltan placed his blackened claw on her head.
“Well done. Thanks to you, things have gotten easier. I’m always grateful.”
He lightly tousled her silver hair.
Ilea beamed.
“Oh, it’s nothing. We’re practically one and the same, after all.”
They were bound as companions of fate.
Mapheltan chuckled.
“Not wrong. Though the time is coming when we’ll need to part ways for a while.”
The smile faded from Ilea’s face.
Tilting her head, she asked,
“Part ways? What do you mean?”
Mapheltan lifted his hand from her head.
His expression grew more serious.
“You’ll recall—you are to enter the household of the Count of Staviana as his adopted daughter. For a time, you’ll have to stay at the count’s estate. That time is not far off.”
Ilea’s face darkened completely.
“Just me, at the count’s estate?”
Mapheltan nodded.
“I’ll have to remain in the capital for a while.”
He planned to build connections with nobles of the Council.
Ilea’s expression grew gloomy.
“…What a boring life that will be. Without you beside me.”
A witch’s drive came from curiosity toward the unknown.
Mapheltan himself was the unknown, and right now, the only stimulus for Ilea was him.
She had no desire to be separated from him.
Mapheltan said,
“Just endure it for a while. It’s necessary.”
Ilea sighed.
“When do you plan to leave?”
Though her feelings were otherwise, she seemed to accept his words.
Mapheltan considered for a moment, then said,
“Honestly, I’d like to depart right away. At first light.”
Ilea looked surprised.
“Isn’t that too sudden?”
Mapheltan shook his head.
“I had planned to leave earlier. It was only delayed because of Gawain.”
Now that the matter of Gawain was settled, Yohan had no need to remain tied down.
In a small voice, Ilea murmured,
“I should’ve taken more time developing the spell…”
Mapheltan didn’t hear.
“What was that?”
Ilea smiled gently.
“Nothing. Don’t mind me. Let’s start preparing to depart.”