“Give up your title as a baron.
That is the only way you’ll survive.”
The audacity of the remark, bordering on outright insolence, left Kryl stiff as a board.
Silence descended over the room.
In the uncomfortable stillness, only their gazes passed back and forth.
Kryl spoke first.
“Could you say that again?
I must have heard you wrong.”
“You cannot have a territory, Uncle.
Let go of your greed.”
At the same time, Kryl burst into laughter.
He laughed for quite some time, clutching his stomach as though he could not control himself.
Yohan watched him expressionlessly.
Only after quite a while was Kryl able to calm himself down.
He wiped away his tears.
“Ah, forgive me.
It was rude of me to laugh in front of you.
Though I believe you were the one who was rude first, Nephew.
What do you think?”
“I merely told you the truth.
If you want the barony, Uncle, you will die.”
Kryl said with an amused, nonchalant expression,
“You invited me here just to tell me you’re going to kill me?”
Yohan shook his head.
“Impossible as long as you have the Church with you.
I never intended to harm you in the territory in the first place.
I have no desire to turn every noble in the kingdom into an enemy.”
“You’ve got more sense than your father.
How old are you this year?”
“Twelve.”
Kryl let out a small exclamation of admiration.
“When I was your age, I was too busy lifting the skirts of maids.
I had no interest in matters of the family or succession.
You’re different.
You’re an unusual kid.”
“When you grow up rolling around in the slums, there are some things you realize earlier than others.
You have to move first if you don’t want something taken away from you.
I can’t just sit around dazed and lose what is rightfully mine.”
Kryl nodded.
“Your surroundings forced you to grow up.
That makes this conversation easier.
Once you see this, you’ll be able to accept your defeat.”
He took a sheet of paper from inside his clothes and placed it on the table.
“Before you even took your first step, I had already reached the destination.”
Yohan read the document.
Its contents were simple.
It recognized Kryl as the legitimate heir to the Miatro barony.
“Do you see the eagle-shaped seal at the bottom?”
“That is the crest of House Staviana.”
Count Staviana was the kingdom’s Chancellor and the leader of the aristocratic faction.
In other words, he was one of the most powerful men in the kingdom.
And one of the most powerful figures of all was supporting Kryl.
“You know your stuff.
Now accept the result.”
No one could defy Count Staviana’s will.
To those at the very top of the power structure, some frontier baron was nothing more than a chess piece that could be replaced whenever they pleased.
They even had the justification for his succession.
Grian had been expelled from aristocratic society for his undignified conduct.
His son was disabled.
And there was even an illegitimate child who had appeared out of nowhere.
Anyone looking at the situation would say Kryl was the rightful heir.
Even in the original story, Kryl eventually claimed the barony.
Yohan intended to twist that course of events.
“You are unquestionably the rightful heir, Uncle.”
“You’re a reasonable kid.”
“That is only while you’re still alive.
Once you’re dead, it won’t mean anything.”
Kryl gave a quiet snort of laughter.
“You only have this opportunity to kill me, yet as you admitted yourself, no one in this territory can harm me.”
“I know.”
“Then are you suggesting we go to war?”
Yohan shook his head.
“As long as House Staviana supports you, I have no chance of winning.”
“I have no idea what you’re trying to accomplish.”
“I can’t tell you the details, but I can say one thing with certainty.”
Yohan continued in a cold, composed voice.
“The moment you leave Miatro territory and arrive at your base, you will become a corpse.”
“I’ll die in my own camp?”
“Yes.”
Kryl burst into laughter.
“Haha!
Nephew, you must be some kind of mage!
Or perhaps you’ve planted an assassin in my army!”
“I don’t want to kill you, Uncle.
Please, don’t ignore my warning.”
He was sincere.
Yohan actually liked Kryl as a person.
As one of the Watchers of the Abyss, Kryl never abandoned his duty until the very end.
In the middle of the original story, when the main plot began and darkness swept across the continent, Kryl became a faint yet unwavering light that illuminated the world.
To the very end, he fulfilled the duty he had chosen and met his final fate.
He was a man who suited the title of Watcher of the Abyss better than anyone.
At least when it came to character.
His abilities were another matter.
He was merely an ordinary human.
No matter how desperately an ordinary human struggled, he could not prevent the destruction that would eventually befall this world.
A noble yet incompetent Watcher.
That was the cold assessment the readers had of Kryl.
The burden of being a Watcher of the Abyss had simply been too heavy for an ordinary human to bear.
‘Will I be any different?’
This position came with enormous duties and responsibilities.
Depending on who sat in that seat, the future of the world might change.
Could someone like him, who wanted a territory merely for the sake of survival, bear that weight?
He had no confidence in himself.
Although he was playing the role of a cold and calculating strategist, deep down, Yohan was nothing more than a weak human being.
But—
‘I have no choice.’
If he failed to prevent the destruction, Yohan would not survive either.
Unless he changed the course of the original story, a cruel fate would swallow both demons and humans alike.
He had to rewrite the ending.
And the Watcher of the Abyss would become the cornerstone of that new ending.
Kryl opened his mouth.
“…So you’re saying you intend to become my enemy in the end.”
“Neither of us is willing to give up, so it can’t be helped.”
“A bloodbath will follow.
Innocent people of the territory will die.”
“No.
You will be the only one shedding blood.”
Kryl nodded.
“I understand your intentions.
I’ll take your warning to heart as well.
May I offer you a piece of advice?”
“By all means.”
Kryl spoke with an unusually serious expression.
“You’re clever, but you’re still young.
You don’t know how to hide your potential.
You’ve made me feel threatened about what may happen in the future.
So run away.
When we meet again, we’ll be enemies, and I won’t show you any mercy.”
Yohan smiled faintly.
“That is exactly what I want.
I won’t pity you either, Uncle.”
Kryl grinned.
“I’m looking forward to it.
Let’s fight without regrets.”
“Understood.”
Yohan gave a small bow.
“Then I’ll take my leave.”
As he was about to leave the room, Kryl spoke.
“I heard it from your father.
You were the one who called for me.
Is that all you wanted?”
“I wanted to meet you once, Uncle.
You came all this way, and I’m sorry that the reason was so trivial.”
In truth, there was another purpose behind the meeting.
But he could not tell Kryl.
He did not want to arouse unnecessary suspicion.
“No, this was useful for me too.
I’ve learned about my enemy.
You may leave now, but could you call your father for me?
It’s been a long time.
I should catch up with my brother.”
Yohan nodded and left the room.
Left alone, Kryl looked up at the ceiling and muttered,
“They say he’s my brother’s illegitimate son, but there isn’t a single thing about him that resembles him.”
***
Yohan headed straight to his room.
He had been given a bedroom on the top floor of the lord’s castle, with an excellent view, but he had never once enjoyed the night scenery from there.
Because he transformed into a demon at sunset.
If someone caught him in that form, all his plans would fall apart.
So, despite having a comfortable bedroom, Yohan had no choice but to spend every night in the damp underground chambers.
These days, the pilgrimage group was also staying in the castle, so he had to remain hidden at all times.
Today was no different.
He planned to stop by his room briefly before heading down to the study.
But his plans changed slightly.
“What brings you here at this hour, Gaf?”
“Ilea.”
He suddenly sprang to his feet.
“I have to get my daughter out.
You must have a way.”
Ilea was imprisoned in the underground dungeon.
Soon, she would be dragged before the Inquisitors for questioning.
It would be difficult for her to survive under normal circumstances.
Gaf must have been beside himself with anxiety.
“Your daughter will be released soon.
So calm down.”
Yohan’s certainty always became reality.
From Ilea’s safety and identity to the future that awaited them, his prophecies had never been wrong.
Having experienced this several times himself, Gaf unconsciously let out a sigh of relief.
He had just been reassured by the words of a demon.
Along with self-loathing, fear began to rise within him.
Had he really been completely deceived by the half-demon before him?
Gaf covered his face with both hands.
“I can’t stand watching this.
Stop feeling sorry for yourself and listen carefully.”
Yohan clicked his tongue before continuing.
“As you know, Ilea is a witch.
She has to conceal her identity for the rest of her life.
However, there are a very small number of humans who can see through the true nature of your daughter.”
Gaf swallowed dryly.
“…Don’t tell me that girl figured out Ilea’s identity?”
He was talking about Shaperia.
“More precisely, she detected the old hag spirit.
For your information, the old hag spirit is a demon Ilea has under her command.”
His daughter was raising a demon.
It was a shocking revelation, but Gaf showed no reaction.
The events he had experienced over the past few weeks had hardened his emotions.
Gaf spoke.
“You said Ilea would be released soon.
But how?
Now that the Church has found a demon, the interrogation will definitely proceed.”
“The demon disappeared.”
“What does that…”
“Ilea killed the old hag spirit.”
Just as in the original story, Ilea sacrificed the old hag spirit.
By abandoning the demon she had raised, she avoided Shaperia’s eyes.
When Shaperia confronted Ilea in prison, there was no demon inside Ilea’s body.
Thus, the entire incident was concluded as a mishap caused by Shaperia’s mistake.
It was exactly the same as the original story.
“It wasn’t the development I wanted.”
Yohan had wanted Ilea to keep the old hag spirit alive a little longer.
He needed the storyline in which she was taken before the Inquisitors.
Unfortunately, that plan had fallen through because of Ilea’s firm refusal.
“What matters is that your daughter will be released soon.”
Gaf dropped heavily onto the bed.
Yohan’s assurance had given him some relief.
“It’s too early to relax.”
“Why now?”
“As I said, Shaperia can detect demons.
She’s like deadly poison to Ilea and me.
As long as that woman is alive, your daughter can never be safe.”
In the original story, the person who constantly hindered Ilea was always Shaperia.
The two were natural enemies and bitterly hostile to each other.
“I guarantee this will keep happening.”
“…What are you trying to say?”
Yohan raised the corners of his mouth.
“Let’s kill her.
Before she has a chance to bloom.”
Shaperia would eventually transcend humanity and reach the realm of the angels.
Later, she would become so powerful that dealing with her would be nearly impossible.
If they truly intended to kill her, this was their only opportunity.
Gaf gave a hollow laugh.
“She looked no more than four or five years older than Ilea.
You want me to kill a girl young enough to be my daughter with my own hands?”
Yohan nodded.
“As the father of a witch, you cannot choose humanity anymore.
If you want to remain Ilea’s father, throw away that pathetic hypocrisy.
How long are you going to keep standing there with your hands behind your back, pretending to be noble?
You need to be prepared to stain your hands with blood and defile your own soul if you want to survive as the father of a witch.”
Gaf bit down hard on his lip.
He understood Yohan’s words all too well.
Taking a stance that was neither one thing nor the other would put everyone in danger.
He had experienced it countless times on the battlefield, so Gaf knew better than anyone how pathetic his own way of handling things was.
He could not keep wavering forever.
“Choose.
Between your daughter and your humanity, which path will you take?”
When Gaf hesitated to answer, Yohan sighed.
“Let me ask you again.
Will you help me kill Shaperia, or will you leave the territory as things stand?”