“Haha! What an amusing fellow! Welcome to the North, Watcher of the Abyss!”

Wolfgang burst into hearty laughter that thundered through the annex. Yohan felt as though his eardrums would burst. Everyone in the building except him and Count Staviana clapped their hands over their ears, crying out in pain.

An immense pressure bore down on the room. Every syllable of that laughter carried weight. Yohan stifled a groan.

'... Old man, there's a limit to being full of vigor. This is ridiculous.'

At this rate, everyone might die. Yohan himself could hardly hold out any longer. Just as he was about to stop Wolfgang, Count Staviana spoke first.

“Father-in-law, unless you intend to kill everyone, I suggest you leave it at that.”

Wolfgang glanced around. The guest room was a complete shambles. The table had split, and glass bottles lay broken. Even the framed pictures had fallen from the walls and shattered on the floor. The castle servants lay facedown, groaning.

He stopped laughing. The pressure crushing the room vanished in an instant, and everyone regained their composure. Looking a little sheepish, Wolfgang cleared his throat.

“Ahem. I got a little carried away without meaning to. It's been a while since I met anyone this amusing.”

Count Staviana spoke, his face expressionless. “So he passes. If you're satisfied, please return to the North.”

Yohan was a little puzzled. 'Are they talking about me?'

Wolfgang looked at him. “He certainly has spirit. He reminds me very much of you in your youth, Cromwell Staviana. But ability is another matter. However I look at him, the boy is too young. Watching over the Abyss will still be beyond him.”

Count Staviana shook his head. “Think of the previous Watchers of the Abyss. Sir Yohan is exceptionally capable by comparison.”

The Count was openly taking Yohan's side, and there was only one reason for it: his dead wife. As long as Yohan held Yeriel's body, the Count had no choice but to act as his political patron.

Wolfgang's expression twisted menacingly, the wrinkles in his already lined face deepening further.

“Cromwell, are you bringing up those pathetic fools? In front of me?”

The previous Watchers of the Abyss had been idiots to a man. In his 150 years of life, Wolfgang had seen them all: Grian's father, grandfather, great-grandfather, and even his great-great-grandfather. Not one of them had been a decent human being. The Miyatro bloodline once praised as the blood of heroes no longer existed in this age.

Count Staviana spoke. “Sir Yohan is different from them. You must have felt it yourself just now, Father-in-law.”

Wolfgang stared hard at Yohan. “That's the problem. House Miyatro finally produces someone with promise after nearly two hundred years, and he's about to rot away as your puppet, Cromwell.”

Yohan and Count Staviana grimaced at the same time. Yohan clicked his tongue.

'The old man's got entirely the wrong idea.'

The Count spoke. “My puppet? Father-in-law, what outrageous nonsense are you talking?”

Wolfgang answered with utter conviction. “Let me spell out your plan, Cromwell. You mean to bring the Watcher of the Abyss into the aristocratic faction and seize control of the entire south. Am I wrong?”

Count Staviana had employed all manner of schemes to raise Yohan's standing. Young as he was, Yohan was now the head of a house and a member of the Council. It was hardly an ordinary state of affairs. None of this could have happened without some political objective on the Count's part.

The Count sighed, pressing a hand to his face. “Father-in-law, you could not be more mistaken.”

Wolfgang snorted. “Then explain why you're suddenly championing House Miyatro.”

“As I said before the Council...”

Before he could finish, Wolfgang roared, “If you're going to give me that bullshit about the greater good, save it!”

The official reason for Yohan's elevation was the kingdom's future and security. It now faced an unprecedented threat: the appearance of the ancient Demon Kaiaze, the manifestation of the Thirteenth Apostle of the End, the demonic army's invasion of the royal capital, and more. The end foretold in the Book of Doom was beginning.

Fear of Demons had resurfaced for the first time in centuries. The time had come when the Watcher of the Abyss was needed. That was the Count's justification for raising Yohan's standing.

The Count spoke calmly. “As chancellor of this kingdom, I act in the public interest in all things. This is no exception. The kingdom needs the Watcher of the Abyss, and I have merely acted accordingly.”

Wolfgang abruptly struck the table. It shattered completely, scattering fragments everywhere.

“You expect me to believe that?! Cromwell Staviana! You've only grown more shameless with fucking age! I know you well! The greater good and the public interest mean nothing to you! You've never acted on anything but your own desires! Am I wrong?!”

Wolfgang's fury seethed like hellfire, but the Count remained composed.

“Father-in-law, what exactly are you trying to say?”

Wolfgang looked down at him, his voice threatening. “I want to hear your real intentions. Why you brought that stripling into central politics.”

The Count met his eyes squarely. “Whatever the case, let me make one thing clear. I have no intention of making the Watcher of the Abyss my puppet.”

Their gazes locked. After a moment, Wolfgang's brow furrowed sharply.

“... Cromwell, don't tell me that stripling has something on you.”

Yohan was a little surprised. 'He's rather quick on the uptake.'

The Count wasn't supporting Yohan for the public interest or the greater good. Nor did he intend to make Yohan his puppet. That left only one explanation: Yohan had something on the Count, leaving him no choice but to comply with Yohan's demands. Wolfgang had discerned the truth.

The Count's expression did not change. He replied serenely, “Think whatever you please, Father-in-law.”

The tension slowly eased from Wolfgang's face. His anger faded, giving way to delight, and he burst into hearty laughter.

“Live long enough, and you see all sorts of amusing things! Someone has leverage over you? And a stripling like that, no less? Haha! Cromwell, the name Blue Demon is wasted on you!”

Count Staviana replied, “I care nothing for what you choose to think.”

Wolfgang gave the Count one last derisive laugh before approaching Yohan. The giant slapped him on the back with a hand the size of a cauldron lid.

“I thought you had uncommon spirit for a stripling. So there was something special about you after all. You've brought that old fox Cromwell around. Just what did you use to shackle him? I'd like to know myself.”

Yohan could not tell him the truth. Keeping his expression neutral, he replied, “That is between the Count and me. I cannot divulge it to you, Your Excellency the Grand Marshal. I ask for your understanding.”

Wolfgang stroked his beard. “Let me guess. Hmm... Yes, something comes to mind. Was Cromwell in league with heretics, hoping to bring his dead wife back to life?”

Yohan was so startled that he thought his heart had stopped.

“... Your Excellency, what on earth do you mean?”

He had almost let his feelings show. Even with all his practice at keeping a poker face, controlling his expression this time was no easy task.

Wolfgang gave him a sly grin. “No? Well, never mind, then. Haha!”

Yohan truly could not get a read on the man.

'Does he already know everything?'

Wolfgang had no interest whatsoever in anything outside the North. That was how the original novel depicted him, at least. In person, he seemed a little different. He appeared to know something. And Yohan's hunches tended to be fairly accurate.

The Count spoke. “Your jokes go too far, Father-in-law. My patience is reaching its limit. Leave it at that and return to the North.”

A faint murderous intent lay over the Count's cold expression. Whenever Yeriel was mentioned, he struggled to control his emotions.

Wolfgang chuckled. “I was about to leave anyway. Before I do, though, I have a proposal for our Watcher of the Abyss.”

Yohan tensed a little. There was no telling what the man would ask of him. In his mind, Wolfgang had now become a decidedly difficult person to deal with.

“Please speak, Your Excellency the Grand Marshal.”

“Why not come north with me? I'll make a man of you. I'll even give you one of my daughters in time.”

He was offering to take Yohan as his son-in-law. Yohan answered immediately.

“My apologies. I have other duties.”

Wolfgang gave a disappointed grunt. “I won't force you. But if you change your mind, come to the North whenever you like. I'm quite taken with you.”

At least Yohan seemed to have earned Wolfgang's goodwill. Considering the future, this meeting had been a great gain. A strange uneasiness lingered, but he decided to set it aside for now.

“I will pay you a visit someday.”

Wolfgang nodded and turned away. “See that you keep your word. This unwelcome guest will be off now. No need to see me out. None of you follow me.”

The Count bowed his head. “Do at least send word before your next visit.”

Wolfgang spoke as he left the guest room. “Send word, my foot. More importantly, Cromwell, forget my daughter. It's past time you let her go.”

Yeriel, the Count's dead wife, had also been Wolfgang's child.

“... That is none of your concern, Father-in-law.”

Wolfgang waved a hand as he walked away. “I'm saying this for your own good. Take it to heart, Crong.”

Crong was Count Cromwell Staviana's childhood nickname. The moment he heard it, the Count grimaced and muttered under his breath.

“Old man. Getting on my nerves to the bitter end.”

Wolfgang guffawed and disappeared from view.

* * *

As soon as Wolfgang left, Yohan and Cromwell moved to the drawing room in the Count's residence. The Count let out a deep sigh the moment he sat down.

“Today has felt rather long.”

He looked thoroughly worn out. Probably because of Wolfgang.

Yohan spoke. “Count, why on earth was Wolfgang here?”

The Ghost Bound to the North had come all the way south. Yohan still did not know exactly why.

The Count answered. “He questioned me about you in excruciating detail. Had you not come to Veldana, my father-in-law would probably have visited the Miyatro domain. In short, he came south to meet you.”

That had been a close call. The moment Wolfgang set foot in the barony, Yohan would have been in serious trouble. He would inevitably have noticed that the castle was half-destroyed, and Yohan had no way to explain why.

He murmured, “... It's a good thing I came to Veldana.”

It was a tremendous relief to have encountered Wolfgang in the Count's domain.

The Count regarded Yohan quietly, then spoke. “Still, you came to see me rather later than I expected.”

“Something came up.”

Dealing with a few unexpected developments had delayed his meeting with the Count. He was a little late, but Yohan wanted to get back to his original plan as quickly as possible.

The Count took something from a drawer. “In the meantime, I prepared a few things I thought you might want.”

He placed a stack of documents on the table. After checking their contents, Yohan smiled in satisfaction. The Count's efficiency, at least, was certainly gratifying.