"If you're sorry, would you do me one favor?"

The sudden request puzzled Shaperia, but inwardly she was glad. Here was a chance to ease her guilty conscience. She answered eagerly.

"Just name it. If it's within my power, I'll do everything I can to help."

Yohan smiled in apparent satisfaction.

"Thank you for your kindness. Let us find somewhere else to talk first."

There were too many listening ears in the hall. They needed somewhere a little quieter. Yohan and Shaperia stepped outside.

* * *

There was nowhere suitable to receive Shaperia. Ordinarily, he would have used the castle's drawing room, but that was impossible now. The castle had been utterly wrecked. He could hardly show her the half-demolished building.

'Where should we go?'

After some deliberation, Yohan settled on the village church. It was empty, and the priest's position was vacant. Hardly anyone would be coming or going these days.

Yohan and Shaperia sat side by side in the prayer room. Looking at the pentagram above the dais, she made the holy sign.

"Saint Marziel. May the Great Saint's grace be with this baronial house."

Yohan made the holy sign as well.

"Saint Marziel."

Shaperia turned to him.

"But, my lord, has something happened to the castle?"

Access to the castle had been completely restricted. Even its servants were living in the village. And here they were, talking in the village church rather than the castle's drawing room. Anyone would have thought something had happened there.

Yohan's expression darkened abruptly. He began his performance.

"... The castle was attacked, actually."

Shaperia's eyes widened.

"What? W-who would dare commit such sacrilege?"

House Miyatro might now be no more than a baronial house on the frontier, but it had once been the most illustrious house on the continent. Five hundred years ago, the moon had entrusted the Miyatro clan directly with a sacred mission: to watch over the Abyss as the moon's eyes.

That sacred duty came with certain privileges. Foremost among them was the treaty of "Absolute Inviolability." Under a holy divine decree, no group on the continent was ever to attack House Miyatro. Originally, even political pressure had been forbidden.

In truth, the treaty had become something of an empty formality, but its framework still remained. At the very least, no one had used physical force against House Miyatro in five hundred years. According to Yohan, that treaty had now been broken. Shaperia was utterly dismayed.

Yohan spoke.

"It was a Demon that attacked us."

Shaperia sprang to her feet.

"I'll contact the central church at once!"

They would organize a punitive force immediately. That absolutely could not happen. Yohan gently tugged her arm.

"Sir Shaperia, please calm down and hear me out first."

"But..."

"Please."

The moment she saw his composed expression, Shaperia regained her calm. She sat back down.

"Very well. Please continue."

Yohan nodded.

"The Demon that attacked the castle is dead."

Relief spread over Shaperia's face.

"Just as one would expect of the clan that watches over the Abyss. You defeated that vile creature."

Yohan spoke with a bitter expression.

"It was not our house's strength that resolved the matter. Fortunately, His Highness the Third Prince was at the castle during the attack, and he slew the Demon."

"By the Third Prince, do you mean His Highness Gawain?"

"Yes. Without him, House Miyatro would probably have suffered a crippling blow."

Shaperia let out a cry of wonder.

"The Great Saint truly came to your aid. Surely the moon guided His Highness Gawain to your house."

She tied everything to her god. Truly the thinking of a fanatic. Inwardly marveling at her, Yohan spoke.

"I agree, but the moon cruelly saw fit to send me a trial as well."

"A trial?"

"Yes. A grave problem has arisen. Just before it died, the Demon placed a terrible curse upon His Highness the Third Prince."

Shaperia swallowed hard.

"What sort of curse...?"

"His Highness is turning into a Demon."

Shaperia's pupils dilated.

"Is that true?!"

Yohan nodded calmly.

"Every word of it. His Highness is still fighting the malice within him, but frankly, his condition is poor. It is only a matter of time before evil consumes him."

Shaperia could not hide her distress. She fidgeted anxiously as she spoke.

"W-we must send word to the central church at once. They must have some way to treat him."

Yohan shook his head.

"Absolutely not. The moment his encroachment becomes known, His Highness's life will be forfeit."

Shaperia looked bewildered.

"Why on earth would that be?"

"Because of political allegiances. Count Staviana will seize this opportunity to kill His Highness the Third Prince once and for all. As you know, the kingdom's central church is in the Count's grasp."

The sacred Church, dancing to the Count's tune. It was deeply sacrilegious, yet Shaperia could not bring herself to deny it. Her expression darkened.

"Why would His Excellency the Count want to kill His Highness?"

Shaperia knew little of politics. Yohan answered evenly.

"The Count drove out His Highness the Third Prince to make his daughter's son, the Seventh Prince, Crown Prince. But he failed to kill him. He will try to finish the job now that the opportunity has presented itself."

Gawain was a depraved son who had killed his own mother. Now he was a blasphemer turning into a Demon as well. He was the perfect target for all manner of false accusations.

With just a little maneuvering from the Count, Gawain would be hauled off to the Empire without even receiving treatment. His royal blood would at least keep him alive, but he would never be allowed back into the world. He would live a life worse than death.

Shaperia refused to accept reality.

"I-if we explain the circumstances properly, the Church will surely find a way. However much influence the Count may have..."

Yohan cut her off firmly.

"Blind faith alone will solve nothing. Face reality. The Church's leadership is corrupt. Surely you've felt that yourself on more than one occasion?"

He was right. The Church was far from clean. It had been making deals with countless politicians.

Shaperia stifled a groan.

"... I won't deny it. But please understand, my lord, that there are still truly faithful people among them."

Yohan clicked his tongue.

"The problem is that the more decent they are, the harder it is for them to exercise any influence within the Church."

Shaperia's face fell.

"You make it sound as though there truly is no way to treat His Highness."

Yohan answered calmly.

"No. I mean that I will not resort to the Church's help. I asked for your help earlier, did I not?"

Shaperia gave him a puzzled look.

"You need my help to treat His Highness?"

"Yes. With your assistance, we can certainly lift the curse upon him."

Shaperia had no confidence in that. Her voice dwindled to a murmur.

"As you know, my lord, I have lost all my strength. How could someone like me be of any help to His Highness?"

She had been stripped of all her holy power and supernatural powers. In truth, she was now no more than an ordinary person.

Yohan shook his head.

"You are a favored child of the Great Saint. That alone is enough for you to help His Highness."

There were a few people in this world who had been born with the Great Saint's grace. Shaperia and Gawain were among them. Late in Chronicle of Humans and Demons, there had been an episode in which the favored children shared their flesh and souls with one another. If he made proper use of that premise, he could stop Gawain's encroachment.

Doubt crept onto Shaperia's face.

"I cannot begin to imagine how that would work."

"There is no time for a detailed explanation right now. First, I need to know whether you are willing. Sir Shaperia, are you prepared to help His Highness? It may require some sacrifice on your part."

Shaperia answered without a moment's hesitation.

"Of course. Just tell me what I must do. I will give it my all."

He had known she would agree. Yohan was very satisfied. Holding back a smile, he spoke calmly.

"First, you will accompany me into the Abyss. There is a way to treat His Highness in the second zone."

Tension showed on Shaperia's face.

"The Abyss...?"

Yohan smiled gently.

"Are you afraid, perhaps?"

Shaperia immediately denied it.

"No. So long as the moon endures, I have nothing to fear."

Yohan gave a small chuckle.

"Good. Let us go and see His Highness first."

He needed to let Shaperia see Gawain's condition for herself, so she would fully believe his story. Yohan rose, and Shaperia stood as well.

"Where is His Highness now?"

"I have him resting at the castle. Please don't be too alarmed by his appearance."

The two headed straight for the lord's castle.

* * *

"W-what on earth...?"

When Shaperia saw the castle's interior, her mouth fell open in astonishment. Half the castle lay in ruins, as though a war had been fought inside it.

"It should be a little better down here."

Yohan led her to the underground study. It was more or less intact, but there was something bleak and eerie about it.

"... I didn't know the castle had a place like this."

She had never come down here two months ago, either. Strangely, her feet had never brought her this way. In truth, she felt the same reluctance now. The space itself made her uncomfortable.

Perhaps because they were underground, clammy dampness clung to her skin, and the deep darkness filled her mind with needless, unsettling thoughts. Was she imagining things? She thought she could smell blood, too.

As she kept looking around, Yohan chuckled.

"The atmosphere will change once we go down another level. Just bear with it a little longer."

"There's another level below this?"

Yohan stopped abruptly before a round table.

"Yes. The forbidden library of the Abyss. You've probably heard of it."

Shaperia was astonished.

"It actually exists?"

──Somewhere in the Miyatro domain, the kingdom's treasure vault lies hidden.

By now, the tale was little more than a superstition.

Yohan snapped his fingers.

"The forbidden library is our destination."

At that moment, a man emerged from the darkness. He was middle-aged and painfully thin. With a rather servile expression, he addressed Yohan.

"M-my son. I was just waiting for you."

It was Grian. Once the Watcher of the Abyss, he was now nothing more than Yohan's puppet.

Yohan gave him a warm smile.

"Yes, Father. I have business in the forbidden library."

"Come on up."

Seated on the round table, Yohan addressed Shaperia.

"Sir Shaperia, come this way."

A peculiar unease gripped her. Why had Grian lost so much weight, and what was that ominous-looking round table for? She had no answers.

She approached Yohan hesitantly. He suddenly grabbed her and sat her on the table.

"W-wait a moment!"

Grian pressed his palm against the goldmirror stone. Now that Raguel had become a High Elf, only Grian could activate it.

The instant it recognized the Miyatro bloodline, the round table plunged downward. Shaperia's scream rang out, loud and clear.