Chapter 127
Lumina
—I hereby grant Johan Myatro, the Watcher of Narak, full authority over the investigation of this incident.
When the king made this declaration, the grand hall erupted into murmurs.
Every noble was shaken.
Some looked troubled, while others frowned.
Most of them could hardly believe their ears.
Johan was far too young and inexperienced to be granted complete authority over the investigation.
He was merely a child who had not yet even undergone his coming-of-age ceremony.
Horentz Marcano, seated among the members of the Council, spoke.
“...Your Majesty, forgive me for speaking so presumptuously, but the Watcher of Narak is far too young to shoulder the grave responsibility of Chief Investigator. Given the severity of this incident, the process of selecting the person responsible for investigating it must also be conducted with the utmost care.”
Horentz Marcano was the wealthiest man in the kingdom, known as the royal family’s treasury.
On the surface, Horentz was a royalist.
The king always listened attentively to his opinions.
This time was different.
King Roderick spoke.
“Sir Horentz, I fully understand your concerns. The Watcher of Narak does lack experience. However, after speaking with him, I found that he clearly possesses both the intelligence and the ability to overcome difficult circumstances. I intend to use this opportunity to ascertain the full extent of the Watcher’s capabilities.”
The king was openly supporting Johan.
He had personally stepped forward to lend his support to a member of the noble faction.
No one could understand why the king was behaving this way.
Whispers spread throughout the hall.
“He intends to make some wet-behind-the-ears brat the Chief Investigator? How absurd.”
“What in the world could His Majesty be thinking...?”
“This is bewildering.”
The king surveyed their reactions and swallowed a groan.
If everyone opposed him, even the king’s opinion could not easily be implemented.
He was nothing more than a powerless puppet.
Roderick glanced toward Count Staviana.
The count possessed the power to resolve this situation.
“Sir Cromwell, what are your thoughts?”
At the king’s question, the count slowly opened his mouth.
“Johan von Myatro undoubtedly possesses both the ability and the qualifications to oversee the investigation.”
The moment he finished speaking, the grand hall erupted into commotion once again.
“B-But, Your Excellency!”
“Do you truly mean that?”
Even the ministers belonging to the noble faction voiced their doubts.
The count said,
“Sir Johan is an exceptional individual—so exceptional that Margrave Wolfgang himself has chosen him as a prospective son-in-law.”
Wolfgang Eisenfelt would give his daughter only to a man from the North.
Yet he had attempted to take Johan as his son-in-law.
Apart from Count Staviana, not once had anyone from outside the North become Wolfgang’s son-in-law.
Since Wolfgang had acknowledged Johan, his abilities had unquestionably been proven.
Several nobles whispered among themselves.
“The Margrave intends to accept the Watcher from the South as his son-in-law?”
“That certainly is unusual.”
The count continued.
“Precisely because of his remarkable abilities, the Watcher of Narak is an exceedingly busy man. In accordance with the covenant established five hundred years ago, he must watch over the Abyss and take responsibility for every demonic incident that occurs in the South. In truth, he does not have the time to oversee this investigation.”
One of the nobles tilted his head and asked,
“Are you saying that the Watcher of Narak cannot serve as Chief Investigator?”
The count nodded.
“That is correct. It would be wrong to impose any further obligations upon him.”
King Roderick’s eyes trembled.
He had fully expected the count to support Johan.
Roderick spoke in a slightly trembling voice.
“B-But, Cromwell...”
The king needed Johan to oversee this investigation.
Far too many hidden details could never be allowed to come to light.
The count abruptly interrupted him.
“Your Majesty, would you entrust overall responsibility for this incident to me? As the chancellor of the kingdom, I shall uncover every last detail without leaving even the slightest doubt unresolved.”
If the count volunteered to assume overall responsibility, no one could object.
Even the Church would be forced to yield to him.
The count’s influence extended all the way into the Empire, and behind him stood Wolfgang, the Guardian of the North.
The political structure of the kingdom ensured that the count almost always obtained whatever he desired.
King Roderick spoke with a slightly puzzled expression.
“You intend to oversee this investigation?”
He did not fully understand the relationship between the count and Johan.
It was difficult for him to entrust the matter entirely to the count.
The fake Johan—Ilea—who had been silently listening to their exchange, spoke.
“Your Majesty, I also agree with the count. I lack both the time and the ability to handle this entire affair, so perhaps it would be best to entrust this grave responsibility to the experienced count.”
Johan did not have the leisure to devote a great deal of time to the Muel incident.
He truly was busy.
King Roderick asked,
“Are you certain?”
The moment the count began his investigation, every circumstance surrounding the incident would be exposed in detail.
It did not matter to Johan.
He and the count were already in the same boat.
Johan bowed his head.
“Of course, Your Majesty. Please entrust it to the count.”
The king exchanged a glance with Johan.
“...Very well. I shall accept your counsel.”
Count Staviana became the Chief Investigator of the incident.
With a royal command supporting his appointment, no one could raise an objection.
They now needed only to decide upon the specific personnel and investigative methods during the meeting.
The meeting lasted longer than expected.
The night deepened.
Johan was appointed to oversee the interrogation of Archmage Lumina.
Regardless of the method he employed, he merely had to make Lumina talk.
The moment Johan entered the underground prison beneath the royal palace, damp air greeted him.
Screams continually echoed from every direction.
The atmosphere itself was chilling.
The prison’s dark-gray stone walls only intensified its sinister air.
‘What an unpleasant place.’
When Johan frowned, a priest walking beside him spoke.
“You will soon become accustomed to it. I shall assist you to the best of my ability.”
He was one of the Church’s torture specialists and had been assigned to assist Johan.
The priest’s lips curled into a broad smile.
Johan replied expressionlessly,
“I appreciate the offer, but I do not require assistance.”
Johan had no intention of working with him.
If certain information reached the priest’s ears, it would only cause trouble for Johan.
The priest spoke firmly.
“No, you will need it. Without any expertise, you will never make someone of the Archmage’s caliber talk.”
The priest’s name was Juris.
He took considerable pride in his torture techniques.
‘They have saddled me with an irritating one.’
Besides being a torture specialist, Juris was also a watcher sent by the Church.
The Church invariably intervened in demonic incidents.
They could not entrust the entire interrogation to Johan, who was not one of their own.
They needed to plant at least one person beside him.
That person was Juris.
Johan clicked his tongue.
“I wonder whether torture will even work on her.”
Their opponent was an Archmage.
Ordinary methods would never extract information from her.
Juris smiled coldly.
“Just watch. I shall make Lumina talk before the night is over.”
He stopped before an iron-barred door.
The moment a soldier saw Johan and the priest, he opened it for them.
The skin-crawling screech of metal echoed through the prison.
Archmage Lumina was bound in the center of a spacious solitary cell.
All manner of restraints were wrapped tightly around her body.
Among them were holy relics that prevented her from using magic.
The priest strode forward and stopped before Lumina.
Lumina spoke first.
“...The Church sent me a greenhorn.”
Johan watched them from a distance.
The priest twisted his lips into a sneer.
“You filthy apostate. By the time this greenhorn is finished with you, you will be sobbing and begging me to kill you.”
Lumina gave a hollow laugh.
“Go ahead, then. Let’s see what you can do.”
She was an Archmage who had lived for a hundred and fifty years.
Ordinary torture would not make her so much as blink.
Juris spoke in a businesslike tone.
“We shall now commence the first interrogation of Archmage Lumina. As an interrogator appointed by the Apostolic Inspection Bureau, I have been entrusted with the authority of the Great Saint and the Church. I hereby proclaim that every procedure conducted from this moment onward is both lawful and sacred.”
He pulled a leather pouch from inside his robes.
It contained blades of all shapes and sizes.
Lumina chuckled.
“How adorable.”
Juris arranged the sinister instruments across the table.
Johan felt nauseated.
The mere sight of the blades disgusted him.
Juris opened his mouth.
“Lumina, this is my first question. You attempted to sacrifice the entire capital to summon the Great Demon Muel. Is that correct?”
Lumina stuck out her tongue.
“Bleh.”
Juris nodded.
“Then let’s have some fun.”
He selected a small, slender surgical blade from among the instruments on the table.
Lumina spoke with a relaxed expression.
“You’re starting with the fingernails? How predictable.”
“Something similar, but not quite.”
Juris slid the blade beneath the nail of Lumina’s little finger.
Then he began twisting it around.
Johan grimaced.
‘This is unbearable to watch.’
Lumina released a piercing scream.
“A-Aaaaaagh! It hurts! I said it hurts!”
The torture continued for quite some time.
Only when Lumina’s voice had grown hoarse from screaming did Juris stop.
Pulling out the blade, he asked,
“Do you feel like cooperating now?”
Lumina nodded rapidly.
“Yes, I’m sorry. I was wrong. I’ll answer everything, so... Hehe. Did you really think I’d say that?”
She stared at Juris with a playful expression.
Juris’s brow furrowed sharply.
“I shall take it up several levels, then.”
Lumina sneered.
“Before you do, keep this in mind. We Archmages undergo something called Molting. How should I put it? It’s a process in which everything in our bodies is twisted apart and reconstructed. Our muscles, blood vessels, organs—every element composing our bodies screams during Molting. You’ll have to inflict pain comparable to that if you want to make me talk.”
Juris picked up a saw.
“Let us see how long you can maintain that confidence.”
Johan muttered,
“...What a waste of time.”
Juris turned to look at him.
“Please wait a little longer. I shall make her confess everything.”
Johan shook his head.
“No. I will take over from here.”
He walked toward Lumina.
Lumina spoke.
“Is it your turn now, Watcher of Narak?”
Johan opened his mouth, his expression blank.
“Lumina, what must I do to allow you to use magic?”
Lumina looked puzzled.
“Hm? What are you talking about?”
“I will release your seal.”
Lumina was currently incapable of using magic because of her restraints.
She stared intently at Johan before smiling.
“Cut off my left wrist.”
The chain wrapped around her left hand was the mana suppressor.
Johan seized an axe from the table.
He brought the blade down upon Lumina’s wrist.
A fountain of blood burst into the air.
Juris stared in horror.
“W-Wait! What are you doing?!”
At that same moment, countless formulas consumed the interior of the cell.
Juris’s body exploded.
Chunks of flesh scattered through the air and plastered themselves across the stone walls.
Amid the storm of blood and flying flesh, Lumina spoke.
“Watcher of Narak, what do you want from me?”