Chapter 129
Ally
Silence settled over the study.
The Count and Lumina remained silent for some time.
Neither could quite process the situation.
Before their very eyes, Johan had transformed into a demon.
He had become Blackjaw, the being with two horns.
The Watcher of Narak was the Thirteenth Apostle of the End.
They were dumbfounded.
The Count slowly opened his mouth.
“…So that confession you made back then was true.”
Johan had once revealed his true identity to the Count.
At the time, the Count had dismissed his words as a joke.
Things were different now.
The Count had witnessed Johan’s transformation with his own eyes.
He had no choice but to accept that Johan was an Apostle.
Mapheltan chuckled.
“So you finally believe me. Cromwell, that is just like you.”
Count Staviana was a man who believed only what he witnessed personally.
Archmage Lumina, however, reacted differently from the Count.
She had clearly seen Johan’s transformation, yet she could not trust her own eyes.
Lumina immediately recited several spells.
An uncanny gleam appeared in her white pupils.
Detection magic was being activated.
“H-How is this possible?!”
Lumina had assumed that the phenomenon before her was an illusion.
At the very least, she had thought it was some kind of disguise magic.
She had been wrong on all counts.
According to her detection magic, Mapheltan was a genuinely existing being.
Mapheltan frowned.
“Lumina, if you are finished, would you mind taking your eyes off me? It is becoming irritating.”
Countless spells were still probing Mapheltan.
He felt like a frog pinned inside a specimen case.
It was far from pleasant.
Lumina immediately withdrew her mana.
“My apologies. I was so astonished that I acted without thinking.”
She was an Archmage.
Like witches, mages were creatures obsessed with the unknown.
Faced with something that defied common sense, she could not help but feel a burning desire to investigate it.
Mapheltan said,
“Your abilities are insufficient to see through my true nature. So do not waste your time.”
Unless Johan revealed his identity himself, no one could perceive his true nature.
Even Ilea had initially failed to recognize Johan for what he truly was.
Lumina cautiously opened her mouth.
“…What exactly are you?”
Mapheltan answered calmly.
“I am a half-demon—a hybrid born between a human and a demon.”
Half-demons did occasionally exist in this world, but not one of them possessed both a human body and a demon body.
Even to Lumina, who had lived for many years and encountered countless mysteries, Mapheltan was an unfamiliar existence.
Lumina’s eyes trembled.
“I-I wish to learn more about you. Please bestow your knowledge upon this ignorant one.”
Like Ilea, she was obsessed with the mysteries surrounding Mapheltan.
‘All magic users are the same.’
Mapheltan clicked his tongue.
“I am not idle enough to satisfy your curiosity.”
The truth was that even Mapheltan did not understand his own identity.
For now, he had no choice but to give her a vague explanation.
Lumina’s expression fell.
Her disappointment was unmistakable.
The Count, who had been listening to their conversation, opened his mouth.
“Do you intend to kill the Archmage and me here?”
Mapheltan chuckled.
“Cromwell, what brought you to that conclusion?”
The Count spoke calmly.
“You have just revealed your greatest weakness of your own accord. What do you think will happen the moment the truth that you are a half-demon becomes known? Both demons and humans will turn their backs on you. A half-demon is a being who belongs nowhere.”
Mapheltan slowly nodded.
“If you reveal my secret to the world, it would certainly put me in a difficult position.”
The Count continued,
“The dead tell no tales. Did you not reveal this to me because you intended to kill me from the beginning?”
The corners of Mapheltan’s mouth rose.
“A reasonably logical deduction.”
At that moment, blue mana descended throughout the study.
The door slowly opened.
Ilea stepped inside.
The moment she saw Ilea, Lumina swallowed dryly.
The Count’s expression did not change in the slightest.
Ilea smiled with her eyes.
“As expected of you, Father. You remain calm even in a situation like this.”
The Count stared at her.
“When one grows old, one learns to remain unfazed by everything. It is the sole advantage of old age.”
Ilea glanced at Lumina.
“Despite that, this one appears rather anxious.”
Lumina’s eyes were filled with vigilance.
Her molting had made her appear young, but she was actually far older than the Count.
Lumina began putting distance between herself and Ilea.
“Even if you are a witch, you had better be prepared if you intend to fight me.”
A faint smile appeared on Ilea’s face.
“I must admit, I am somewhat curious about your abilities.”
No one could confidently predict who would emerge victorious if the two fought.
Such was the greatness of the realm attained by an Archmage.
Tension filled the room.
Silence descended.
Mapheltan’s voice broke it.
“That is enough, both of you. I have no intention of killing you yet.”
Lumina’s eyebrow twitched.
“…Yet? What do you mean by that?”
Mapheltan looked at her.
“I will decide what to do with you after hearing your answer to my proposal.”
Lumina fell into thought for a moment.
She looked back and forth between Mapheltan and Ilea before opening her mouth.
“Let me hear it first.”
Mapheltan answered immediately.
“Lumina, sever your relationship with Muel completely. Only for one year.”
Lumina’s brow furrowed.
“May I ask why?”
Mapheltan nodded.
“To escape his foresight. I find the game Muel has arranged extremely irritating.”
Lumina was the medium connecting Muel to the mortal realm.
If his connection to her were severed, Muel would inevitably lose some of his influence over the mortal realm.
“With all due respect to the End, a method like that will not be enough to block Lord Muel’s ability to see the future.”
Mapheltan partly agreed with her.
The corners of his mouth rose.
“Why do we not make a wager? Exactly one year from now, we will examine Muel’s reaction together.”
There were several possible methods of escaping Muel’s influence.
The first step was severing the connection between Lumina and Muel.
Once the subsequent steps were carried out, Mapheltan believed he would be able to block Muel’s foresight completely.
He was fairly confident.
Lumina asked,
“And if I refuse?”
A shadow passed over Mapheltan’s face.
He spoke in an ominous voice.
“You have learned my weakness. If you refuse to join us, I will have no choice but to end your life by any means necessary.”
He was serious.
Everything required to kill Archmage Lumina had already been prepared in this room.
No matter how powerful an Archmage she was, it would be difficult for her to escape unharmed from a trapped location while simultaneously facing the combined assault of a witch and an Apostle.
Lumina slowly surveyed her surroundings before speaking.
“…I see. I only ever had one choice.”
“It is only for one year. If you truly believe in Muel’s power, you have no reason to reject my proposal.”
By forming a contract with Mapheltan, Lumina could raise her magical rank.
Furthermore, once the one-year contract ended, she could simply return to Muel’s embrace.
Lumina had nothing to lose.
She said,
“You suggested a wager earlier, did you not?”
“One year from now, we will examine Muel’s reaction together.”
A competitive gleam appeared in Lumina’s eyes.
“And what if everything is still proceeding according to Lord Muel’s prophecy?”
She probably believed that even this situation was part of a game Muel had arranged.
She might even have been right.
What mattered was what happened from this moment onward.
Mapheltan said,
“I will grant you one wish.”
Lumina answered without hesitation.
“Become my familiar.”
The instant she finished speaking, a dreadful chill descended upon the study.
Ilea’s expression turned icy.
In a voice cold enough to freeze the blood, she said,
“…You dare cross the line.”
She looked ready to kill Lumina on the spot.
Mapheltan stopped her.
“Ilea, that is enough. Lumina, I accept your proposal.”
Ilea’s expression crumpled.
“But…!”
Johan cut her off.
“However, Lumina, if Muel’s foresight is successfully severed, you must become my slave in return. Do you agree?”
Lumina replied confidently,
“Very well. O Great End, I accept both the contract and the wager.”
The corners of Mapheltan’s mouth stretched into a broad grin.
Strands of demonic energy seeped from his body.
The black smoke billowed before rushing straight toward Lumina.
A contract with a demon was being inscribed.
For the next year, Archmage Lumina would devote herself to assisting Johan and Mapheltan, and during that period, she would completely sever her relationship with Muel.
The contract was finalized.
Ilea, who had silently watched the two of them, spoke.
“I will be leaving now.”
Without waiting for a response, she walked out of the study.
She appeared to be in a foul mood.
Mapheltan let out a troubled groan.
The Count, who had remained silent, clicked his tongue and muttered,
“You truly are the Watcher of Narak.”
Mapheltan frowned.
“What is that supposed to mean?”
“Pay no attention to the mutterings of an old man.”
Mapheltan stared at him for a moment before changing the subject.
“Cromwell, more importantly, it is your turn now.”
“If you intend to form some kind of contract with me as well, I suggest you reconsider. I am someone who must travel regularly to and from the Empire.”
Compared to the Kingdom, the Empire possessed a far more systematic means of dealing with demons.
A demon contractor could never enter the Imperial Capital.
If the Count’s relationship with the Empire deteriorated, Johan’s plans would naturally fall apart as well.
Johan required the Empire’s approval to become a Grand Duke.
Mapheltan nodded.
“I know. I have no intention of forming a contract with you.”
“Then why did you reveal your weakness to me?”
Mapheltan answered calmly.
“Because I wish to maintain our alliance forever—even after Yeriyan is resurrected as an angel.”
The moment Yeriyan was revived as an angel, Mapheltan and the Count would inevitably become enemies.
The Count would side with his angelic wife, while Mapheltan, as a demon, was fundamentally an enemy of angels.
But the situation had now changed.
Mapheltan had revealed that he was a half-demon.
He was also capable of standing on humanity’s side.
The Count spoke without expression.
“…Do you trust me?”
Mapheltan chuckled.
“I trust your abilities, Cromwell.”
Johan had benefited greatly from the Count’s assistance.
The Count’s power and abilities would undoubtedly prove invaluable even in the latter stages of the story.
Mapheltan did not want to use such a man as a mere pawn.
The Count gave a hollow laugh.
“That sounds as though you wish to work me to the bone for the rest of my life.”
Mapheltan shrugged.
“Something like that. If you refuse, I will kill you here.”
He was half joking and half serious.
In truth, he was mostly serious.
The Count closed his eyes.
After contemplating for a moment, he opened his mouth.
“Allow me to ask you one question. What is your ultimate objective?”
Mapheltan answered immediately, without hesitation.
The answer had already been decided.