The Sleeping Devil-Vol. 4 - Ch. 33 - Johan's Slumber

The Sleeping Devil-Vol. 4 - Ch. 33 - Johan's Slumber

Clank!
Where am I...
Despite the intense shaking that made his bottom bounce, Johan was adeptly dozing off.
He woke up from the big jolt, but his head was still in a daze.
"Johan, you couldn't sleep last night because you were too excited, huh?"
"Shut up! Besides, there was no need for you to come see me off!"
Johan's retort to his father's teasing was uncharacteristically unkind. He felt embarrassed—as if his childishness had been pointed out.
"Oh, Johan... We won't see each other for half a year, you know? At least let us see you off."
Seeing his mother smile in a slightly sulky way, her eyebrows lowered, Johan couldn't say anything more.
The noble academy that children of the nobility attended allowed breaks if a request was submitted. Attendance was self-responsibility because it was a credit system. However, Johan's family—lower nobility without titles or lands—couldn't afford to rent a carriage to the castle gate multiple times.
Today, they could only afford to rent the oldest, bumpiest carriage that made his bottom bounce.
"I wonder which dorm you'll be in this term. With your grades, you might aim for the Silver Dormitory."
"No way... Even if I get a perfect score on today's test, with my magic power, Copper is the best I can hope for."
It was unlikely he would end up in the lowest dormitory, Kabbul.
Johan's academic performance was nearly perfect. Although they couldn't afford a tutor, his mother was exceptionally talented, and he had learned most of the knowledge orally from her.
His mother was always gentle and kind.
She retained the knowledge from her academy days and could still teach Johan orally, and her intellect had been passed down to him as well.
"Don't let your low magic power get you down! You take after your mother in intelligence. Working in the castle isn't just a dream."
"That's too far-fetched."
His father laughed heartily and roughly ruffled Johan's hair.
His father was jovial and kind-hearted.
He treated the nearby commoners without discrimination and used his earth blessings to help with farm work.
As a noble, he took on the task of exterminating harmful animals and would get excited over the vegetables he received as thanks.
He lacked manners and etiquette, but Johan was proud of his father, who was more noble than anyone else—giving his all for those without means.
When Johan was little, he had a dream. He had the pride from his father and the knowledge from his mother, and as proof of being their child, he dreamed of gaining a title.
"It doesn't matter what you want to become! Just don't give up on your dreams just because you were born a lower noble."
Although Johan had the blessing of life, his magic power was too low to be called by the temple.
However, his parents were happy that they didn't have to part with their only son, Johan.
Among the six attributes, life blessings were nearly useless for lower nobility. Even with low magic power, water, fire, and especially air could be used in servant work, and earth and wind had their uses too.
But with the life attribute, if the magic power was low, it could only heal small wounds that herbs could easily treat.
The limited use made it dependent on the amount of magic power.
The fact that he wasn't needed by the temple gradually gnawed at Johan during his adolescence.
"I wonder if there's any work I can do."
"Of course there is! Johan, you're smart, kind, and you try hard for others. Your efforts will surely be rewarded."
His mother smiled with conviction and continued.
"You will surely be of help to many people."
Though they weren't wealthy and he worried about his low magic power, their days were gentle and kind, and Johan believed they would continue forever.
...Yes, he believed it without a doubt.
The carriage bounced heavily again.
Just as he thought this one was a big jolt, the carriage tilted significantly.
Did the wheel come off? They wouldn't be able to reach the teleportation gate like this.
A moment of anxiety was instantly replaced.
The carriage was violently shaken—an eternity-like moment where he couldn't tell up from down struck him.
He was held so tightly that he couldn't breathe. His whole body stiffened, and when he next became aware, a warm, slippery liquid was soaking his clothes.
"Ah...!"
The carriage had turned into mere wood scraps, and looking up, he saw the sky beyond his father's face. He realized they had fallen off a cliff.
"Father...! There's blood!"
The impact was so great that he couldn't tell if the blood soaking him was his father's or his own. Johan felt unbearable fear as he realized his father's response was only shallow breaths.
No, please stop. What about Mother...
His mother was hugging him from behind.
Rather, his father was holding both him and his mother.
Sandwiched between the warm bodies of his parents, the lukewarm liquid—seeming to embody life itself—made his clothes heavier and heavier.
There was no response from his parents.
"Father! Mother!!"
He immediately wriggled out from between them to search for their wounds. He had never been more grateful to have the blessing of life.
Luckily, his mother didn't seem to have any noticeable injuries. However, a large amount of blood was flowing from her head... When he tried to stop the bleeding by placing his hand on her head, the feel of her skull made his blood run cold with terror.
No, no, no, no, no, no, no, no...
She was still breathing. He concentrated magic into his right hand and desperately chanted a prayer with his trembling tongue.
Magic is a prayer. He would never pray more earnestly than at this moment in his entire life.
Please stop this flowing blood.
Restore them.
I'll do anything.
Please... God.
But the red liquid dripping from his elbow wouldn't stop...
"Hang on, Mother! I'll take you and Father to the temple right away!!"
When he turned back to his blood-soaked father, it naturally came into view.
His father's legs, crushed and almost severed.
He couldn't carry his mother like this... But if he could sustain their lives, someone might come to help...
That was the only way. To save them both, he had to sustain their lives as long as possible and wait for a miracle.
"No!! Don't die! I'm sorry for being so cheeky!! Please, I beg you!!"
Dragging his unresponsive legs, he clung to his father and tried to stop the bleeding.
"Stop!! Stop it!!! No, no, no! I don't want this! Don't leave me alone!!"
He heard a low groan, and he felt a sense of relief as his father regained consciousness.
"Father!! Can you hear me!? Just a little more, hang in there!!"
"Jo... han... Are you safe..."
His father's raspy voice, so different from the familiar one, tightened Johan's chest with anguish.
No, this can't be true. It’s not right.
"I'll definitely save you! I'll save you! Father... Please..."
At Johan's pleading, his father’s face twisted, and he bit his lip.
Then he grasped his mother's hand, who was lying quietly beside him.
"I'm glad you're safe... I'm sorry..."
That apology shattered Johan's hope.
"Don't apologize! You'll be fine! Keep fighting!"
He couldn't bear it anymore. He hated everything. He wanted to abandon everything and escape from this nightmare.
"Johan, you are... our pride...
Be happy...
...We were happy."
Stop. Those sound like final words. This isn’t right.
"Magic... You've improved...
Thank you... I feel at ease."
"That’s not true! Just be quiet already!! Please!!"
Johan’s anger surged. His heart pounded against his chest, and he poured all the magic power that flowed with each beat into his right hand.
His father's other hand stroked Johan's cheek.
Then, with a deep breath, his father's hand fell to the ground...
Something was lost.
"Ahhhhhhhhhhh!!!"
Johan poured magic into his hands—
"No!!!! Don't die!!!! Father!!!! Dad!!!!"
He continued casting healing magic on his unresponsive parents.
"What good is the blessing of life! Why is it so useless!!"
Even as his magic power depleted, he immediately transformed the faint power that remained into fervent prayers.
How long had he been doing this? His throat burned with heat, and his mouth was filled with the taste of iron.
He didn’t have the luxury to worry about his legs not moving.
Their bodies were gradually losing warmth, and he understood that they were no longer here.
"No, I’m going too... I’m sorry... for everything..."
A thick, heavy despair swirled in Johan’s chest.
He felt a nauseating hatred toward himself for not saving them, for putting them on the carriage, and for surviving alone.
The guilt of having the blessing of life yet causing their deaths crawled through his body.
"Damn it! Damn it!!!"
His fists, struck down on the ground, were caught by someone. Without a chance to look back, his mouth was covered with a damp cloth from behind, and his consciousness gradually faded.
"I can’t believe you managed to stay conscious."
He thought he heard that voice as he lost consciousness.
….
….Clank!
Where am I...
The carriage jolted slightly, and the shock made Johan snap back to awareness.
In his blurred thoughts, he began to feel relieved, thinking he had just dozed off in the carriage and that the earlier events were a bad dream...
Then, a sharp pain pierced his chest.
That was both a dream and reality.
Johan, remembering the accident vividly after a long time, felt a mix of nostalgia and anger.
"Johan, are you okay? There's a bit of taint..."
The white-haired girl in front of him spoke with a detached expression, offering her concern.
"Oh, it’s nothing much. It'll settle down eventually," Johan replied.
The negative emotions he had almost succumbed to were now familiar enough to coexist with. They sometimes swelled up like this, but he had managed to distract himself with studies during his academy days and research after graduation.
Perhaps because of this, he could somehow sense the taint of death. He thought he should just burn it away before it grew worse.
Even in the face of death, he felt neither fear nor guilt, convincing himself that he must have gone mad back then.
"Wow, not even purging it? It seems like a different kind of resistance; interesting."
Didier's insensitive comment almost made Johan click his tongue.
Damn it... That’s why I hate riding in carriages.
Johan was heading to the lord's castle for questioning and future discussions.
Irritated by the vivid memories of the past, he almost clicked his tongue again, noting that this carriage swayed much less than the last one he had ridden.
Since that time, he had rarely ridden in a carriage. His parents' inheritance wasn't very substantial. He didn’t want to spend the money from selling his mansion and independence funds on carriages that held such unpleasant memories.
He was afraid of going outside and witnessing another death.
He continued his research driven by a vengeful obsession.
Isolating himself underground and facing the stench of corpses, he had lost sight of the purpose of his research.
At that time, this strange quartet had appeared.
A girl with an obviously unusual hair color and a young man, along with the lord's son, whose hair color Johan already knew.
He didn’t think they were up to anything bad, but by common sense, punishment would be expected.
Yet, the young white-haired girl, despite her youth, brought light into this dead-end darkness.
"Haha! The Beriard family is really something."
"What’s that? I'll take it as a compliment."
"Yeah, I’m complimenting you! I just didn’t expect to be able to openly research medicine with the lord’s endorsement."
In this country, handling corpses was taboo. The idea of the lord breaking that taboo was unimaginable in other territories. But with the Beriards...
"Continuing in secret, of course. It's a taboo, after all."
Sheriel answered coolly.
Wait, so what was that conversation about...
"You tricked me, didn’t you?!"
"I will support you. Once you achieve results and prove the usefulness of the medical practice, it will be made public."
"Hah! If that’s the case, it’s fine by me!"
The Beriards, who had no regard for taboos, common sense, or conscience, promised their assistance.
Was it really the right choice to take the hands of these devils?
The white-haired girl showed a glimpse of the knowledge Johan sought.
The lord’s son, who had no sense of common decency or conscience.
The black-haired youth interested in taboo research.
Anyone with a decent conscience would absolutely advise against it. But if he had such a thing... he wouldn’t be doing this research.
Thus, Johan pleaded with them.
He bowed his head to the ground, praying to the gods just as he did on that fateful day.
And then, he grasped the outstretched hand.
To research medicine and to honor the lives lost that day, Johan resolved on this day to dedicate everything to the devils.
Thanks for reading 🥰 😊

Vol. 4 - Ch. 33 - Johan's Slumber