Chapter 8. The Baron’s Restricted Library

Terrified Raguel gripped the edge of the round table tightly. Though the golden crystal was descending smoothly, the blind boy felt no sense of security.

His fear of the sudden situation itself was simply too great. Since he could not see, he had no idea what was happening.

Yohan was just as anxious. But his reason was different from Raguel’s. The demon was on edge because of the divine energy.

The hall unfolding before his eyes was spewing out an immense amount of divine power. To a demon, it would be deadly poison.

...Damn it.

His skin stung. The pain intensified the farther down they went. By now, it was becoming difficult even to stare at the halos of light.

Every single glow beneath his feet was the divine power of a holy relic.

From sacred treasures designed specifically to combat demons, to original copies of holy scriptures and the highest-grade holy water—it contained every holy object that would make a demon tremble in fear.

Yohan took a deep breath while sitting at the table.

If he was not careful, he might pass out before even setting foot in the corridor.

"Are, are you all right?"

Apparently, Raguel had heard his groan. Yohan had tried to suppress it, but he had not done a very good job.

"Is a human worried about a demon?"

"I'm not worried. It's just that if something happens to you, I won't be able to go back either. Th-That's what I mean..."

Yohan forced out a laugh.

"The longer your tongue gets, the more it sounds like an excuse."

The boy bristled.

"If that weren't the reason, why would I care about you?"

"It was a joke. You're taking it too seriously."

Raguel glared at Yohan resentfully. Of course, his eyes were closed.

Teasing him was surprisingly entertaining.

"Don't worry. I'll make sure you get back."

The boy did not answer. He merely flinched in surprise.

A deafening roar had struck his ears. A heavy vibration seeped through his ribs.

The round table had touched the ground.

Instead, what greeted the two of them was a vast space reminiscent of the corridors of a great temple.

".........Wh-Where exactly are we?"

Even for a boy who had entered and left the library hundreds of times, this was a first. Who would have imagined there was an even deeper underground level beneath the library?

Yohan spoke.

"The Restricted Library of the Abyss."

"So this is the place you mentioned at the beginning."

"Yes."

He had asked Raguel to take him there.

"But how could there be a place like this...?"

"Your ancestors prepared it. The Watchers of the Abyss. You've heard of them, haven't you?"

The boy nodded.

"I read the history of our family. It said that the head of the Miatro family had watched over the Abyss for generations. It definitely said that."

"That was true only until two hundred years ago. The Miatro family has abandoned its duty in the present day. Look at your father. What could he possibly watch over with that massive body of his?"

It was not exactly wrong, and Raguel rather agreed with him, but the boy found it difficult to voice his agreement. The baron, whether he liked it or not, was still his father.

"Well..."

"In any case, this place is the legacy of the earliest heads of the family. It's a shame. If you weren't blind, your eyes would have gone wide at the sight."

All sorts of books, including grimoires, Bibles, and forbidden books, lined the walls of the great hall, while holy relics were scattered across the floor.

Busts of previous heads of the family stood in rows on the left and right. Of course, only those who had not forgotten their duty had been honored here. Not a single new bust had been added in the two hundred years since.

The holy armor draped over each statue radiated brilliant divine power. There was no need for candles. The interior was already brightly illuminated.

Thanks to that, Yohan was suffering.

"Let's take only what we need and get out of here."

"What about our promise?"

"I'll read the books to you in the library or your room."

If he stayed in the Restricted Library any longer, he felt like he might actually melt away.

"Follow me."

With that, Yohan dragged Raguel along for several steps.

It should be around here.

He stopped in front of a long display shelf. Rings and necklaces were arranged atop blue silk.

They were all likely ancient treasures.

He carefully examined the tags attached to each item.

Found it.

The Ring of Kazan the Holy Hero.

It was a sacred treasure that defended against demonic energy.

It seemed useless to Yohan, a demon, but in reality, it was the item he needed most.

Corrupted holy relics gained abilities opposite to their original nature.

A relic that defended against demonic energy would become one that defended against divine power.

The moment he corrupted it and wore it, Yohan would be able to enter and leave the Restricted Library as though it were his own home.

And there were countless other ways to make use of it.

Avoiding the Inquisitors, fighting the holy knights of the Church, breaking through the barriers of exorcist priests... In any case, the Ring of Kazan was the number-one item that needed to be defiled.

Yohan reached toward the relic.

At that moment, the ring began to tremble.

Crackle.

The divine power that burst forth coursed through Yohan's body like an electric current.

A terrible agony swept through his entire body.

The demon swallowed his groan and staggered several steps backward.

"As expected."

He could not even touch the holy relic.

"I'll need your help."

Yohan grabbed the boy's arm and placed it on the display shelf.

"Take it."

Raguel picked up the ring. He fiddled with it for a moment before muttering quietly.

"Stealing."

"From whom?"

"Th-That would be..."

Yohan snickered.

"From you. Though I suppose it would be more accurate to call it robbery."

Every relic in the Restricted Library belonged to the Miatro family, and Raguel was the family's only son.

The boy spoke with an incredulous expression.

"Why are you so shamelessly confident about it?"

"A demon is a being that takes what belongs to humans. I'm simply acting according to my identity. Why shouldn't I be confident?"

Raguel could only shake his head at the demon's shamelessness.

He put the ring back down.

"W-What if I don't want to help?"

"This entire process is part of restoring your sight. Don't argue and do as you're told."

"Even if you come up with some ridiculous excuse..."

Yohan cut him off.

"If you don't want to, then forget it. I'll read books to you as promised. But you won't escape blindness."

The promise between the two of them was simple.

If the boy became his legs, Yohan would become his eyes.

Raguel had kept his promise by bringing Yohan to the Restricted Library. Now, once Yohan fulfilled his end of the bargain, their relationship would be over.

It was, quite literally, a matter of honor. Not a contract, but a covenant. Their souls were not bound together as collateral.

"B-But earlier, you said you'd give me my eyes back."

"Didn't you refuse? Without the ring, I have no way to do it either."

The relic was both a stepping stone that would allow Yohan to grow and a means of restoring the boy's sight.

In his current state, stuck as a mere fledgling, there was little he could accomplish.

"What exactly is this ring...?"

"A relic that protects against demonic energy."

"That has nothing to do with eyesight."

"Explaining every little thing is tiresome. Like I said, if you don't want to do it, then forget it."

With that, Yohan turned away.

"If we're done talking, let's get out of here. If I stay here any longer, I feel like I'm going to lose my mind."

The boy did not move. Standing there, he looked down at the floor and murmured,

".........How can I trust the word of a demon?"

Yohan raised the corner of his mouth.

"A covenant may sway like a reed, but a contract is firmer than stone."

Raguel looked at Yohan with his sightless eyes.

"What did you just say...?"

"I said contract. A bargain with one's soul as collateral."

Raguel at least understood the concept of a contract.

Yohan added,

"It's a chance to gain your sight in exchange for a single ring."

Wrong.

This ring was the cornerstone that would allow him to devour the entire Restricted Library.

The boy had no idea.

He was simply standing face-to-face with temptation.

The demon said,

"Where could you find a better bargain than this? Aren't I truly a merciful demon? Even Marziel would be moved."

The boy fidgeted with the hem of his trousers. He repeatedly clenched and released his fists. Perhaps he was hesitating, because he did not reach for the ring.

Yohan snickered.

"Bring it and follow me. We'll make the contract in the library."

If he released demonic energy here, the holy relics could react to his malice and tear Yohan to pieces.

It would be the saddest ending imaginable.

"If you keep bouncing back and forth, it'll get tiring. Make up your mind and come along."

With that, Yohan tore a piece of parchment from one of the walls.

It was a map of the Abyss.

He also took a small jewel box, several journals concerning the Gorge of Death, and a grimoire.

Some of these would serve as leashes for controlling witches.

Finally, he plucked a leaf from the sprout growing in the center of the corridor.

It would easily heal the boy's dislocated shoulder.

"Come help me carry these."

Carrying everything with his small body was difficult.

***

Four days had already passed.

It was hard to believe.

To the boy, time had always crawled slower than a snail, but these days, it was passing by like an arrow.

It had been like this ever since he encountered the demon.

He spent every waking moment with him, leaving no room for loneliness. He no longer felt as though he were trapped in darkness.

A life in which he looked forward to the next day.

It was an unfamiliar concept, but now it had become reality.

When will he come?

These days, the story the demon had been telling him was the life of Kazan the Holy Hero.

Yesterday, it had stopped at the most interesting part. Raguel had not pestered him to continue reading. He knew about the demon's circumstances.

He was a half-demon.

A half-breed who transformed into a human with the rising of the sun. It was a trait Raguel had never heard of before.

No half-demon recorded in history had ever suffered the same inconvenience as Yohan.

To move back and forth between human and demon...

Yohan must have had his share of hardships as well.

In any case, because of that trait, the half-demon always left the library with Raguel before sunrise and returned to his room.

It had become their routine.

Raguel would lie down on the bed, while the half-demon hid underneath it. When dawn broke, someone would inevitably come to collect Yohan.

From then until the afternoon, Raguel would sleep soundly.

Today was no different.

He had woken up about three hours ago, so the demon should be coming soon.

Sure enough, the door slowly opened with an old, scraping sound.

Normally, he would hear an apology.

Something about being sorry, or repaying him in Hell—something along those lines.

Raguel always pretended to be asleep. He felt somewhat uncomfortable facing an unidentified man.

Even now, he was pretending to be sound asleep.

Time ticked away.

Yet even after a long while, the voice he had been waiting for did not come.

He had not even heard the door close.

This was different from usual.

Someone was definitely in the room, yet they were not doing anything.

Was it the maid who had brought his meal?

That couldn't be. She had already come and gone a long time ago.

Then his father?

That couldn't be it either. He had heard that his father spent his days lying in bed because of his declining strength.

There was no one else who would have any reason to come.

For some reason, his chest began to feel tight.

It was difficult to overcome his anxiety.

"Um..."

He ended up speaking first.

"You were awake, Young Master."

A pleasant, beautiful voice.

And a familiar one at that.

At the same time, Raguel pressed himself against the edge of the bed as though trying to escape.

"Young Master?"

He knew that girl.

She must have been the girl who had been taken away to become a Grand Duchess.

It was the kind of appearance that was difficult to forget after seeing it even once.

Scrape.

The sound of something dragging interrupted his thoughts.

Apparently, she had pulled over a chair and sat down.

"There's something I've been curious about. I'm sorry to intrude, but I came here like this. Please forgive me."

Raguel did not answer.

"Do you know the mercenary who was hired recently?"

He didn't.

He had never been interested in him to begin with.

"You smell similar to him, Young Master."

What smell?

It was difficult to understand what she meant.

"So, I was wondering... could the two of you perhaps be making friends with a bad person together?"

Her breath drew close to his face.

Her voice continued in a low murmur.

"If that's the case, please introduce me to him, too."

Raguel recalled his conversation with the demon.

'Before long, Ilea may come looking for you.'

'Me? Why?'

'Don't ask why. Just remember one thing.'

'...Yes, I suppose.'

'Say this. Repeat after me.'

".......Witch, begone!"

His voice was far weaker than Yohan's incantation.

There was no response.

Only silence.

The air slowly grew cold.

Raguel hiccupped.

"How interesting."