Chapter 22. Krill Miyatro
“Relinquish the barony. That is the only way you will survive.”
The words were not merely bold but outright insolent, causing Krill to stiffen.
Silence settled in the room.
In the uncomfortable stillness, only their gazes moved between them.
Krill spoke first.
“Could you say that again? I think I misheard.”
“Uncle, you cannot hold this domain. Let go of your greed.”
At that, Krill burst into laughter. He clutched his stomach, laughing uncontrollably for quite a while.
Yohan watched him with an expressionless face.
It was only after a considerable time had passed that Krill managed to calm himself.
He wiped his tears.
“Ah, forgive me. It was rude to laugh in front of someone like this. However, I believe you were the one who was rude first, nephew. What do you think?”
“I only conveyed the truth. If you desire the barony, you will die.”
Krill spoke with feigned composure.
“You call me here and now say you will kill me?”
Yohan shook his head.
“As long as you remain with the Order, that is impossible. From the start, I had no intention of harming you within this domain. I have no desire to turn all the nobles of the kingdom against me.”
“You think differently from your father. How old are you this year?”
“Twelve.”
Krill let out a small sound of admiration.
“At that age, I was busy lifting the skirts of maids. I didn’t care at all about the family or succession matters. You’re different. A peculiar one, you are.”
“After rolling around in the slums, there are things you realize earlier than others. You learn that if you don’t move first, what you have will be taken from you. I cannot lose my rights while idling about.”
Krill nodded.
“Your environment made you an adult. That will make this conversation easier. Seeing this will help you accept your defeat.”
He pulled out a single document from his inner pocket and placed it on the table.
“Before you even took a step, I had already arrived at the destination.”
Yohan read the contents.
It was simple.
It stated that Krill was recognized as the rightful successor to the Miyatro barony.
“Do you see the eagle-shaped seal at the bottom?”
“The crest of the Count of Staviana.”
The Count of Staviana was the chancellor of the kingdom and a leading figure of the noble faction. In other words, the holder of the greatest power. Someone who could be called the power among powers supported Krill.
“You know well. Now, accept the outcome.”
No one could oppose the will of the Count of Staviana.
To the highest authority, a frontier baron could be replaced like a mere chess piece at any time.
They even held the justification for the right of succession.
Grian, who had been expelled from the nobility for his vulgar conduct, his disabled son, and an illegitimate child who had appeared from nowhere. By all appearances, Krill was the rightful successor.
In the original work as well, Krill eventually took the barony.
Yohan intended to twist that development.
“By everyone’s acknowledgement, you are the rightful successor, Uncle.”
“You are a reasonable child.”
“That is true while you are alive. If you die, it means nothing.”
Krill let out a short laugh.
“You only have the chance to kill me now, but as you admitted, no one here in this domain can harm me.”
“I am aware.”
“Then are you saying you wish to start a war?”
Yohan shook his head.
“As long as the Staviana family supports you, I have no chance of victory.”
“I have no idea what you are trying to say.”
“I cannot reveal the details, but I can say this one thing with certainty.”
Yohan added in a cold, sunken voice.
“The moment you leave the Miyatro territory and arrive at your stronghold, you will become a corpse.”
“You say I will die within my own faction?”
“Yes.”
Krill burst into laughter.
“Ha! Are you a sorcerer, nephew? Or have you planted an assassin within my army?”
Even as Krill laughed, Yohan remained calm.
“I do not wish to kill you, Uncle. Please do not ignore this warning.”
It was sincere.
Yohan quite liked Krill as a person.
As the Watcher of the Abyss, he never abandoned his duty to the end.
In the middle of the original work, when the main story began and darkness swept across the continent, Krill, though weak, became a small point of light for the world.
Until the very end, he fulfilled the duty he had chosen and met his death.
He was a man more suited to being the Watcher of the Abyss than anyone else.
In terms of character alone.
His capabilities were a different matter.
He was an ordinary person.
No matter how much an ordinary person struggled, they could not stop the destruction that would come to this world.
A noble yet incompetent Watcher. That was the readers’ cold evaluation of Krill.
For a mere ordinary man, the position of the Watcher of the Abyss was far too heavy.
‘Will I be different?’
This position carried immense duty and responsibility.
Depending on who sat in it, the future of the world could change.
Could he, who only wished to hold the domain for the sake of survival, bear that weight?
He was not confident.
Though he played the role of a cold strategist, Yohan was, at his core, nothing more than a frail human.
However,
‘I have no choice.’
If he could not prevent destruction, Yohan would not survive either.
Unless he changed the flow of the original work, a cruel fate would devour both demons and humans alike.
He had to rewrite the ending.
The Watcher of the Abyss would become the cornerstone of that.
Krill spoke.
“…So you truly intend to stand against me.”
“There is no other way since neither of us will back down.”
“A storm of blood will come. Innocent peasants will die.”
“No. The only one to bleed will be you, Uncle.”
Krill nodded.
“I understand your intentions. I will take your warning to heart. May I give you a piece of advice as well?”
“By all means.”
Krill spoke with a rather serious expression.
“You are clever, but you are still young. You don’t know how to hide your potential. You have planted a sense of crisis in me about the future. So run. When we meet again, we will be enemies, and I will show you no mercy.”
Yohan smiled lightly.
“That is what I wish for. I will also hold no sympathy for you, Uncle.”
Krill grinned.
“I look forward to it. Let us compete without regrets.”
“Understood.”
Yohan bowed his head.
“Then, I will take my leave.”
As he was about to leave the room, Krill spoke.
“I heard from your father. That you were the one who called me here. Is this the end of your business?”
“I simply wished to meet you, Uncle. I apologize for having you come such a long way for such a trivial reason.”
In truth, there was a separate purpose.
It was something he could not reveal to Krill.
He did not wish to plant unnecessary wariness.
“No, it was a beneficial time for me as well. I have come to know my enemy. You may leave now, but could you call in your father? It has been a while since we brothers had a drink together.”
Yohan nodded and left the room.
Left alone, Krill stared up at the ceiling and murmured.
“They said he was my brother’s bastard, but he’s nothing like him.”
***
Yohan immediately headed to his room.
Though he had received a room with a good view on the top floor of the lord’s castle, he had never once admired the night view from it.
Because at sunset, he transformed into a demon.
If anyone saw that form, all his plans would go up in smoke.
Thus, Yohan had no choice but to leave the comfortable bedroom each night to spend his nights in the damp underground.
Lately, with even the Pilgrimage Group staying in the castle, he had no choice but to hide constantly.
Tonight was no different.
He planned to stop by the room briefly before heading down to the study.
His plan was slightly interrupted.
“What brings you here at this hour, Gaf?”
Gaf was sitting on the bed, waiting for Yohan.
“Ilea.”
He stood up abruptly.
“I must get my daughter out. You must have a way.”
Ilea was imprisoned in the underground dungeon. Soon, she would be dragged to the Inquisition for investigation. She would not easily survive.
Gaf must have been on the verge of going mad with anxiety.
“Your daughter will be released soon. Calm yourself.”
Yohan’s assurances always became reality.
Ilea’s safety, her identity, and the future to come—his prophecies had never been wrong.
Having experienced it several times, Gaf let out a sigh of relief without realizing it.
He had found reassurance in the words of a half-demon.
With that relief came a surge of self-loathing and fear.
Had he truly been ensnared by the demon before him?
Gaf covered his face with both hands.
“I can’t watch this. Stop whining and listen to me.”
Yohan clicked his tongue and added.
“As you know, Ilea is a witch. She must hide her identity forever. However, there are a few humans who can see through your daughter’s essence.”
Gaf swallowed dryly.
“…Are you saying that girl has discovered Ilea’s identity?”
He was speaking of Shaferia.
“To be precise, she detected the Old Hag Spirit. For your information, the Old Hag Spirit is a demon Ilea was using.”
To think that his daughter was raising a demon. It was a shocking truth, but Gaf did not show it.
The events of the past few weeks had tempered his emotions.
Gaf spoke.
“You said Ilea would be released soon. But how? Now that the Church has discovered a demon, the interrogation will proceed no matter what.”
“The demon has disappeared.”
“What are you…”
“Ilea killed the Old Hag Spirit.”
As in the original, Ilea sacrificed the Old Hag Spirit.
By abandoning the demon she had raised, she avoided Shaferia’s detection.
When Shaferia faced Ilea in the prison, there was no demon within Ilea’s body.
Thus, the incident was concluded as a mere mishap due to Shaferia’s mistake.
Just like in the original work.
“It was not the development I had hoped for.”
Yohan had wanted Ilea to keep the Old Hag Spirit alive a little longer.
He had needed the scenario of her being dragged to the Inquisition.
It was regrettable that it had been ruined by Ilea’s firm refusal.
“In any case, your daughter will be released soon.”
Gaf collapsed onto the bed. He felt a small measure of relief at Yohan’s certainty.
“It’s too soon to relax.”
“And why is that?”
“As I said, Shaferia can detect demons. She is a deadly poison to both Ilea and me. As long as she is alive, your daughter will never be safe.”
In the original, Shaferia was always the one to catch Ilea by the ankle.
The two were each other’s natural enemies and bitter foes.
“I assure you, this will continue to happen.”
“…What are you trying to say?”
Yohan raised the corner of his lips.
“Let’s kill her. Before she takes root.”
Shaferia would one day ascend beyond humanity, reaching the level of an angel.
She would become so strong that it would be difficult to handle her later.
If they truly wanted to kill her, now was the only chance.
Gaf let out a short laugh.
“She looked no more than four or five years older than Ilea at best. You want me to kill a child young enough to be my daughter?”
Yohan nodded.
“As the father of a witch, you cannot choose humanity. If you wish to remain Ilea’s father, you must cast aside your petty hypocrisy. How long will you continue to feign nobility with your hands behind your back? To live as the father of a witch, you must be prepared to stain your hands with blood and taint your soul.”
Gaf bit his lip.
He fully understood what Yohan meant.
A half-hearted attitude would only put everyone in danger.
Having experienced countless battlefields, Gaf knew better than anyone how pathetic his indecision was.
He could not continue to waver forever.
“Choose. Between your daughter and your humanity, which path will you take?”
As Gaf hesitated to answer, Yohan let out a sigh.
“I will ask again. Will you help me kill Shaferia, or will you leave this domain as you are?”