Chapter 150 : Chapter 150
Chapter 150. Sector Two of the Abyss
Mapheltan and Shaferia returned directly to the Miyatro Territory through mirror magic.
Under the dark night sky, an old castle like a ruin stood alone.
Its appearance was somehow eerie.
Shaferia, who was sitting on the battlements, looked down and opened her mouth.
“Didn’t you say we were going to the Abyss? This is the lord’s castle.”
Mapheltan said,
“The gate to the Abyss opens only on the full moon. Tomorrow is the full moon, so rest well today.”
“I suppose even with that space magic, you can’t descend into the Abyss right now.”
She was referring to the mirror magic.
Mapheltan nodded.
“Mirror magic is not omnipotent. It is impossible to move through space into regions that have entry conditions.”
For instance, he could not suddenly appear in the imperial palace.
Mirror magic did not work on places prepared against magical intrusion.
The Abyss was the same.
To descend into the Abyss, anyone had to follow the fixed entry conditions.
Shaferia scoffed.
“I said this before, but apostles truly are not omnipotent. You are nothing more than beings who falsely claim to be gods.”
Mapheltan shrugged.
“Well, I cannot deny that for now. Someday, that thought of yours will change.”
He would absorb all the apostles.
Someday, he would be reborn as all evil, and in the end, he would gain power close to omnipotence.
Shaferia shook her head.
“My thoughts are firm. As long as I draw breath, you will never become an omnipotent being.”
Mapheltan snorted and rose from the battlements.
“I shall look forward to your struggles. Watching you flail will also serve as a little interlude of amusement for me.”
Shaferia glared at Mapheltan.
“Laugh as much as you want now. Someday, you will chew over my words and despair.”
Mapheltan spread his enormous wings.
“Looking forward to that day, I shall take my leave now. Tomorrow, we meet again in the Land of Death.”
The Land of Death was the entrance leading to the Abyss.
“I understand, so get lost already.”
Mapheltan raised the corners of his mouth and flew up.
“Harsh words are proof that one’s inner self is weak. Shaferia, you need to become a little stronger.”
Just as Shaferia was about to shout something, Mapheltan’s form vanished.
He blended into the darkness and disappeared.
Shaferia glared at the night sky, then let out a long sigh.
“……Goddamn demon bastard. As soon as this matter is over, I will tear you apart with my own hands.”
She made that firm resolution and leaped down from the battlements.
The morning sun was beginning to brighten.
***
After removing her armaments, Shaferia immediately headed to Yohan’s bedroom.
The soldier guarding the door saluted the moment he saw her.
“Nothing unusual to report.”
For Shaferia, the respectful conduct directed at her was unfamiliar.
She drew an awkward smile.
“Yes. Thank you for your hard work.”
The soldier scratched his head bashfully.
“Please feel free to address me as a subordinate. Lady Shaferia, you are my superior, are you not?”
Excluding Yohan and Raguel, Shaferia held the highest rank in the Miyatro Territory.
She would have to become accustomed to that status now.
As a knight, she had to be able to command those below her.
After clearing her throat, Shaferia said,
“Understood. I will treat you more casually. How is my lord’s condition?”
Recently, Yohan had spent his days lying sick in bed.
Because of Beris’s curse, he was losing his strength day by day.
To be precise, he was acting that way.
The soldier said,
“His condition does not seem to have improved.”
A shadow fell over Shaferia’s complexion.
She bit her lip.
“I would like to see my lord now.”
The soldier lowered his head slightly, then knocked on the door.
“Baron, Knight Shaferia requests a private audience.”
A powerless voice came from the bedroom.
“Let her enter.”
The soldier opened the door.
“You may go in.”
Shaferia moved into the bedroom.
Yohan turned his head slightly toward Shaferia while lying in bed.
“……Shaferia, have you not left yet?”
Yohan had clearly ordered her to completely clear the outskirts of the territory.
Shaferia lowered her head deeply.
“I apologize. I remained because there is a question I absolutely must ask you.”
Yohan opened his mouth with difficulty.
“What is it? Ask.”
After hesitating briefly, Shaferia spoke carefully.
“My lord, for what reason did you become entangled with Apostle Beris?”
As far as Shaferia knew, there was no point of contact between Yohan and Beris.
There was no particular reason for Beris to curse Yohan.
That was what Shaferia thought.
Yohan said,
“Previously, Beris manifested in the south.”
Shaferia’s expression calmly sank.
“That is correct. That day, the Pilgrimage Group was annihilated by him.”
Afterward, Shaferia had awakened as an angel and subjugated Beris, but by then, the Pilgrimage Group had already been wiped out.
“What do you think his objective was?”
Naturally, Shaferia had thought that Beris was aiming for the Eyes of the Great Saint.
The truth was different.
On the surface, the Eyes of the Great Saint were safe.
After Yohan stole the Eyes of the Great Saint, he had concealed the theft with a Polymorph Slime, but Shaferia did not know that hidden story.
No one in the kingdom knew that the Eyes of the Great Saint had been switched.
The reason White Horn and Beris had bothered to manifest in the south and attack the Pilgrimage Group had become shrouded in mystery.
No matter how much the Order investigated, they could not discover their objective.
Shaferia opened her mouth.
“……I do not know. Even the Order failed to find out.”
Yohan said calmly,
“Beris had only one goal. The Key to the Abyss. He tried to steal that holy relic from me, but he was stopped by White Horn. He attacked the Pilgrimage Group to vent his anger.”
Shaferia was greatly flustered.
“B-Beris wanted the Key to the Abyss? And why did White Horn stop Beris?”
Yohan opened his mouth.
“In Sector Two of the Abyss, there sleeps an altar that can summon all the torn soul fragments of Beris. Beris was probably planning to use that altar to gather his soul, which had been divided into ten parts. If he had succeeded, a terrible calamity would probably have been brought upon the world.”
Shaferia swallowed dryly.
“Then are you saying White Horn helped you stop Beris, my lord?”
Yohan clicked his tongue.
“I hate to admit it, but that is the truth.”
“J-Just why would White Horn……”
“For him at the time, a complete Beris would have been burdensome. Of course, things are different now. Because of you, Shaferia, Beris is no longer complete. Using this opportunity, White Horn is likely planning to absorb Beris.”
One of Beris’s soul fragments had been destroyed by Shaferia.
Even if Beris revived now, he could not become complete.
At the present moment, White Horn could absorb Beris’s power.
Shaferia laughed dryly.
Only now had all her questions been answered.
She clenched both fists tightly and muttered,
“Just what am I supposed to do……?”
The moment they summoned Beris and killed him, White Horn’s power would become even greater.
On the other hand, if they left Beris alone, Yohan would languish as he was now and die.
A terrible dilemma struck Shaferia.
Yohan calmly opened his mouth.
“Take this with you.”
He handed Shaferia a white gourd bottle.
“What is this?”
“It is a holy relic that will contain Beris’s soul.”
Shaferia’s gaze wavered.
“W-Why are you giving this to me?”
Yohan drew a powerless smile.
“Before White Horn absorbs Beris, you seize Beris’s soul with that holy relic first. If you succeed, you will be able to ruin White Horn’s plan.”
Shaferia spoke in a trembling voice.
“……M-My lord.”
“There is no need to hide it from me, Shaferia. You are probably planning to go to the Abyss with White Horn.”
Yohan already knew everything.
Shaferia lowered her head.
“I apologize. Please forgive this disloyalty.”
Yohan shook his head.
“As a knight, you are merely fulfilling your duty. Raise your head and straighten your back. You may be proud of yourself.”
Even Yohan’s tacit permission had been given.
From Shaferia’s perspective, there was nothing left to hold her back.
She swallowed her resolve and said,
“I will carry out the duty entrusted to me without the slightest error.”
Yohan smiled faintly and nodded.
“Now go. I need to rest.”
He closed his eyes.
Shaferia looked at Yohan for a moment, then left the bedroom.
Firm resolve had settled over her expression.
***
Ilea smiled with her eyes.
“Now we need to prepare to make the demon core.”
A witch could decompose her familiar down to the level of Miasma.
The demon core made from that Miasma was the finest miracle medicine for a demon.
Apostle Beris would become a demon core and be absorbed into Mapheltan’s body.
As long as Shaferia properly brought back Beris’s soul inside the gourd bottle, the plan could end successfully.
Yohan raised himself from the bed.
“A variable might occur. If Beris dies instantly because of Wolfgang or the Twelve Holy Radiants, we will have to give up on the demon core.”
The kingdom’s forces were gathering to subjugate Apostle Beris.
That was because it would be difficult for Shaferia alone to oppose Beris.
Even if a variable occurred, given the circumstances, there was nothing they could do about it.
Yohan was already prepared to give up on the demon core.
Ilea nodded.
“What happens from now on is out of our hands. From here on, it is Shaferia’s part.”
Yohan interlaced his fingers and supported the back of his head.
“We can only hope she does well.”
“If it is Shaferia, she will do well. I will also prepare on the assumption that we obtain the greatest result.”
If this matter succeeded, Yohan would gain numerous benefits.
He would be able to put Third Prince Gawain under him, and he would become the greatest contributor to Apostle Beris’s subjugation.
If he could obtain the demon core as well, it would be the icing on the cake.
Yohan fully rose from the bed.
“I should start getting ready to go out too.”
The sun would soon set.
Yohan had to go to the Land of Death.
Ilea drew a gentle smile.
“Please be careful. You know, don’t you? That you are my heart.”
Yohan snorted and opened the door.
“It has been a while since I heard that. Do not worry. I will return safely.”
He immediately headed to the Forbidden Archive.
There were a few relics he had to bring.
***
Shaferia looked at the crimson earth.
The dead land was stained red as though human blood had been poured over it.
The Land of Death. This place was the entrance leading to the Abyss.
Shaferia covered her nose and mouth with her arm.
“……It is horrible, just as the rumors say.”
The stench and Miasma persistently dug into her respiratory tract.
An ordinary human could not survive for even a single moment in the Land of Death.
Shaferia, who was a knight, was in a better situation.
That was because she could purify Miasma with Aura.
Just as she was suffering, something fell from the sky with a thud.
A familiar voice reached her.
“It is a Spirit-Sealing Mask. Wear it.”
Mapheltan perched lightly on a crimson boulder.
Irritation showed on Shaferia’s expression.
“You are late.”
“I spent some time preparing various things for your weak self. Let us depart immediately.”
Pitch-black Miasma flowed down from Mapheltan’s body.
Shaferia grabbed the Miasma as she had last time.
At the same time, Mapheltan spread his enormous wings.
He threw himself down below the gorge.
The two immediately headed toward Sector Two of the Abyss.