Chapter 14 - These Days, the Educated Ones Are Braver

There were men blocking our way in front of the Demon Army commander's office, too.

“You cannot see him without an appointment.”

“We're here on an official investigation. Stand aside.”

“We cannot do that.”

Unwilling to watch Seo Daeryong go through yet another argument with the Demon Army, I held the written order he was carrying out in front of the demonic martial artists.

“Can you see the emblem on this order?”

As an official document, it bore the Heavenly Demon's symbol in the background.

“Obstructing this order doesn't mean you're obstructing us. It means you're obstructing the cult leader.”

The men flinched at the mention of the Heavenly Demon. I was probably the first person to point out the background of an official document and invoke him.

“You can take us lightly, but not this, can you? Isn't that right? What? Do you take the cult leader lightly, too? Shall I report that?”

“N-no, sir!”

“Absolutely not.”

Then a voice came from inside.

“Show them in.”

The men opened the door in relief.

Seo Daeryong must have realized that he should have done this with the gatekeepers earlier. He might have found it difficult to dare invoke Father, but he needed to understand that this was precisely what the Heavenly Demon's authority was for.

“Welcome, Second Young Master.”

The Demon Army commander, Gu Cheonyang, had an ordinary build, but his imposing presence was enough to overwhelm even his hulking soldiers.

Still, he fell short of his elder brother, the Blood Heaven Saber Demon. Their faces and eyes were alike, but I could not see the fire I had seen in the Saber Demon's eyes.

“Somehow, getting an audience with you is harder than seeing my father.”

“It seems my boys have been rude. They're ignorant brutes by nature, so I hope you'll understand.”

“They seem to have nothing to do but swarm out and pick fights. Perhaps you should have them read a few books.”

“Doesn't ignorance make a man brave?”

“That's an old saying. These days, the educated ones are braver. They plan better, and they know what they ought to do.”

“I must be falling behind the times in my old age.”

Even during that brief exchange, we were testing each other's mettle. A hardened veteran of Cult politics, the commander took my remarks without a flicker of emotion.

“But how did you come to be placed in charge of this investigation, Second Young Master?”

“I believe Father intends to punish me.”

“Punish you?”

“I made a bit of a mistake during our hunting trip.”

“Ah!”

The commander's expression said he finally understood. Upon hearing that I was being sent as an investigator, he must have considered every possible hidden motive.

“Then why has Yellow Springs Pavilion begun this investigation? Did another anonymous letter arrive, as it did before?”

He acted as though it were nothing, but he would be tense inside. Other organizations might be brushed off, but not Yellow Springs Pavilion. Once it established guilt, it carried out punishment according to the law.

“I cannot discuss matters pertaining to the investigation.”

“Surely you can tell me that much, given our relationship?”

How naturally he spoke of our relationship. It really did take this degree of shamelessness to stand at the center of the Cult's factional struggles.

“I'll be honest with you, Commander. Yes, an anonymous letter arrived.”

“I thought as much.”

At my frank answer, Seo Daeryong looked at me from beside me. His eyes said, You're just going to tell him everything? Mine answered, It's fine. We can tell him.

The corners of the commander's mouth rose as he watched our exchange of looks. These actions would seem amateurish to him, which actually worked in my favor.

“Apparently, Yellow Springs Pavilion is required to dispatch an investigator whenever an anonymous accusation arrives. I only learned that this time myself.”

Naturally, the commander maintained his innocence.

“When you're in a position to lead ignorant, rough men like the Demon Army, you suffer all manner of malicious accusations.”

“I would have thought the opposite. Doesn't slander require some thought? If they're as ignorant as you say, would it even occur to them to send an anonymous letter?”

“Those ignorant fools are extraordinarily greedy. Even you ought to be careful. When ignorance and greed come together, things that should never happen can happen.”

I kept smiling despite the veiled threat.

“I'll finish the investigation as quickly as possible, so I ask for your understanding, even if it causes you some inconvenience.”

The slight stiffness in his expression eased.

“Inconvenience? Is that the sort of relationship we have? You wound me.”

“Isn't it common knowledge that the Blood Heaven Saber Demon supports my elder brother?”

“That may be so, but my brother is my brother, and I am my own man. I support our Second Young Master.”

I gave his blatant lie a broad smile.

“Ha ha. Your words alone are reassuring. Well, then, I look forward to your cooperation over the next few days.”

“Once you leave, they'll arrange a place for you to stay.”

As I rose to leave, the commander added one last remark.

“Be careful. I say that out of genuine concern for you.”

“You mean, for example, an investigator being murdered, like last time?”

“Surely the cult leader didn't send our Second Young Master here to die? I'll take care of things.”

“Ha ha. Your words alone are reassuring. I'll take my leave, then.”

I left the office with Seo Daeryong. From the heat I felt against the back of my head, his expression was probably thoroughly hardened.

'Then you'd better be careful. Because it rather looks as though Father sent me here for one of us to die—you or me.'

* * *

Chief Strategist Sima Myeong watched the Heavenly Demon, Geom Ujin, tend to a sword.

“It's been a long time since you last brought out the Black Demon Sword.”

The Black Demon Sword was one of the Divine Cult of the Heavenly Demon's Four Treasured Swords.

The Heavenly Demon Sword worn by the Heavenly Demon was the finest, followed by this Black Demon Sword. Third came the Evil Spirit Sword, and last was the White Flower Sword.

Each treasured sword had its own nature. The Black Demon Sword was fierce and destructive, the Evil Spirit Sword possessed a dark and evil energy, and the White Flower Sword had a gentle, noble character.

“Have you brought it out to give to the Second Young Master, perhaps?”

Geom Ujin's hand paused for a moment, then resumed its work.

“If the brat is fortunate, he'll take it with him.”

Sima Myeong could surmise his intention: if the Second Young Master handled this matter properly, he would bestow the sword on him as a gift.

“It will not be easy for the Second Young Master to contend with the Demon Army commander.”

Sima Myeong did not understand the cult leader's decision. Geom Mugeuk's recent actions had defied expectations, but he did not believe that meant the young man was ready to take on the Demon Army.

“Reports have already come in of a clash with the Demon Army. Passing Lesser Heaven Cave may actually prove harmful to him.”

That confidence might instead cause him to ruin everything. He was still young—far too young to easily contend with that thoroughly hardened commander. For that reason, Sima Myeong was certain the Black Demon Sword would return to the depths of the treasure vault.

“I should have handled this matter personally.”

The previous murder of the Yellow Springs Pavilion investigator had made it clear.

The Demon Army commander had either won over the head of Yellow Springs Pavilion or gained leverage over him. The pavilion head had covered up his subordinate's death without properly reinvestigating it. Thus, Sima Myeong had intended to resolve the matter through his own Heaven-Reaching Pavilion rather than entrust it to Yellow Springs Pavilion.

Then Geom Ujin said something unexpected.

“That boy told me we had lost the Demonic Path.”

Sima Myeong flinched. Those words were disrespectful not only to the Heavenly Demon, but also to Sima Myeong, who served as the Cult's chief strategist.

Yet his unease outweighed his displeasure.

“Is that why you sent him?”

In other words, it was no different from asking, Is that why you intend to kill him? Since Sima Myeong had yet to encounter and feel the change in Geom Mugeuk firsthand, it was natural for him to think this way.

“If he's going to make claims that bold, he'll have to prove them through his actions.”

To Sima Myeong, those words also sounded like this:

'If he's going to be insolent, he'll have to face the consequences.'

For a moment, Sima Myeong remained silent, watching Geom Ujin's hands carefully wipe the blade. Though he had sent his own flesh and blood into mortal danger, Geom Ujin showed not the slightest disturbance.

“So this lost Demonic Path... does he intend to find it himself?”

“It would seem so.”

“Given what the Second Young Master has shown us recently, he may be worth placing some hope in.”

Geom Ujin focused solely on tending the sword without a word. After standing there watching for a while, Sima Myeong bade him farewell.

“I have work to attend to, so I will take my leave.”

He bowed respectfully and left. As he walked along the red carpet, he glanced back.

Geom Ujin appeared indifferent to whether Geom Mugeuk lived or died, yet his hands were tending the sword with greater care than ever.

'Could it be? Does he believe the Second Young Master will deal with the Demon Army commander?'

The cult leader rarely revealed his thoughts even at the best of times, but this time Sima Myeong found him more inscrutable than ever.

Sima Myeong resumed walking.

By the time he reached the end of the red carpet, he had reached his conclusion.

In the end... the Black Demon Sword would return to the treasure vault.

* * *

We stared in disbelief at the room the Demon Army soldiers had shown us to.

“This is going too far.”

The room they had given us had not been cleaned at all. Dust lay everywhere, and there were even cobwebs on the ceiling.

“I don't understand. However devoted the commander may be to the First Young Master, you've still come here in person, Second Young Master.”

“In their eyes, I'm going to lose the succession struggle and disappear anyway. This isn't just any struggle. What does losing the succession struggle mean? It means dying. And that's not all. Anyone friendly with me risks being purged along with me.”

I pointed at Seo Daeryong, then drew the edge of my hand across my neck. Stay friendly with me and you'll get your throat slit too—that was the message, but he did not seem particularly bothered.

“Even so... surely they can't do this, if only out of respect for the cult leader?”

“They know Father doesn't concern himself with things like this. If anything, he watches with interest, doesn't he? Besides, this room wasn't the commander's doing. It was probably that bastard Go Dang's orders.”

“A petty man nursing a grudge...”

“He's only shortening his own life. Don't forget my prophecy.”

“Anyway, I'll clean up. Please wait outside.”

“Let's do it together.”

“I can't allow that.”

“Why not?”

I cleaned the place thoroughly with Seo Daeryong. Apparently finding it strange that I was doing the cleaning myself, he looked at me several times. If he knew how hard my life had been before my regression, he would understand that a little cleaning like this was nothing to me.

After we finished, he went to fetch clean bedding.

“Are you really going to sleep here?”

“Yes.”

“May I ask why?”

“We need to find the person who sent the letter. The more time we spend here, the more opportunities they'll have to approach us.”

“Then I will stay. You should return to your residence to sleep, Second Young Master.”

“If you sleep here alone, some pervert might break in during the night. What will you do if it's a pervert who goes wild over small men?”

I said it as a joke, but Seo Daeryong took it seriously.

“Let's both sleep here.”

“What if I'm that sort of pervert?”

“Then I'll reveal my own hidden feelings.”

Hearing such a joke from this gloomy fellow made it feel as though a chilly wind had swept between us.

“I'm hungry. Let's go eat.”

When we left the room and came out of the building, First Squad Leader Go Dang was waiting at the entrance. His broken hand was wrapped in bandages.

I greeted him cheerfully, playing innocent.

“Squad Leader Go, have you eaten? If not, join us. Oh! You've hurt your hand. How did that happen?”

Go Dang glared at me like an enraged beast. He could hardly have looked more murderous even at a sworn enemy. He had apparently intended to issue a cold warning, but my infuriating response made his anger surge, and his face flushed red.

“Second Young Master, I won't forget your cowardly act.”

He believed his hand had broken because I had caught him off guard. Unless he realized that the result would have been no different otherwise, every scheme he attempted against me would be a perilous tightrope walk over death.

“What do you mean?”

When I flatly denied everything, feigning ignorance, he ground his teeth.

“Some people labor under the delusion that noble status will keep a blade out of their belly.”

“Can you even hold a blade with that hand?”

“We'll see what falls to the ground: my blade or your guts.”

Though his vicious words crossed the line, I smiled and waved him off. He left, fuming.

“Aren't you provoking him too much?”

“He's the one provoking me.”

“Pardon?”

“He's the one who waited to threaten me, and he's the one who said he'd stick a blade in my belly, isn't he?”

“Now that you mention it, that's true.”

“We make allowances for evil people for all sorts of reasons: they're villains, that's just how they are. I think that's pathetic. Why should we make allowances for them? We should hold them to stricter standards. Far harsher ones than ordinary people. They ought to be keeping their heads down, and even that wouldn't be enough. We should be thinking, This evil bastard must be desperate to die.”

Seo Daeryong nodded emphatically, as though he agreed completely.

“Now that we've seen that appetite-killing bastard, let's buy the most expensive, delicious food we can find.”

“Yes.”

“I'm offering to spend money. Can't you give me a more enthusiastic response?”

“I'm sorry. I don't particularly enjoy eating.”

“What do you enjoy? You can have noodles when we get there.”

“Yes.”

Seo Daeryong really did have a small appetite.

When I saw him leave half of that expensive meal untouched, I resolved to buy him nothing but noodles next time.

When we returned from our meal, we stared blankly at the bed for a moment.

A pair of dead crows had been tossed onto it.

Seo Daeryong's already gloomy eyes grew gloomier still.