Chapter 15 - You All Look Equally Ugly

Seo Daeryong followed me out carrying the dead crows, looking utterly baffled.

"Hang them over there."

His eyes asked whether I was serious. I answered firmly.

"Right in the middle, where everyone can see them."

I had Seo Daeryong hang the dead crows in the middle of the corridor the Demon Army soldiers used most frequently.

Word spread, and the soldiers flocked over. A few looked intrigued, but most scowled and swore.

"Damn it! What the hell is that?"

"Why the fuck are they hanging dead crows up? That's bad luck!"

"Does being an investigator mean you can do whatever you want?"

"Those damned Yellow Springs Pavilion bastards."

"Ptoo, ptoo! No wonder I had such a shitty dream last night."

"That looks like the perfect spot to hang a corpse after tearing it to shreds."

Their martial uniforms bore their squad numbers on the chest. That was how I could tell that the First Squad soldiers, whom we had nearly clashed with at the entrance earlier, were swearing the most.

They did not mention me outright, of course, but insults aimed at Yellow Springs Pavilion were insults aimed at me.

When the atmosphere had grown thoroughly hostile, one man could no longer hold back.

"Isn't this going too far?"

His voice thundered through the corridor.

"Who said that? You all look equally ugly."

As everyone scowled, a man stepped forward.

"Jang Ho, Third Squad Leader of the Demon Army."

Jang Ho was the largest of the Demon Army soldiers. His muscles looked ready to burst out of his uniform, and the long sword scar across his face sent chills through anyone who saw it.

Seo Daeryong quickly sent me a sound transmission.

"Third Squad Leader Jang Ho is reputed to be the strongest martial artist among the squad leaders. His temper is no ordinary one, either."

Indeed, Jang Ho's presence utterly overshadowed everyone else there.

"And what is our Squad Leader Jang unhappy about?"

"Do I really have to spell it out? What are you thinking, hanging something so ominous where people pass?"

"Isn't it better than throwing them onto someone's bed?"

"Stop ruining innocent people's day. Find whoever did that and punish them."

I gazed at Jang Ho without a word. He made it clear that he would not retreat an inch. The powerful demonic qi he released pressed down on Seo Daeryong and me. For an instant, it choked off my breath. He certainly deserved his reputation as the strongest squad leader.

"You have a point. Investigator Seo, take them down."

"Yes."

Seo Daeryong took down the hanging crows. The watching soldiers openly jeered.

"What a coward."

"They only listen when you bring out the rod."

"How dare he throw his weight around here? Does he know where he is?"

Leaving their blatant insults and mockery behind, we returned to our room.

The moment we entered, Seo Daeryong asked,

"Why did you hang up those dead crows in the first place if you were going to take them down so easily?"

His face was flushed red, apparently stung by the humiliation.

"To find out who sent the anonymous letter."

He looked incredulous.

"And did you find out?"

"Yes."

"What?"

His eyes widened at the unexpected answer.

"How?"

I looked at the crows as I answered.

"Thanks to these fellows. Now go give them a proper burial."

* * *

The investigation began in earnest the following day.

I started by assembling the Demon Army's Third Squad. Since their leader, Jang Ho, had been the one to step forward during yesterday's crow incident, his displeasure was only natural.

"What do you think you're doing?"

"What am I doing? Didn't you hear that I'm here to investigate?"

"Then why start with our Third Squad instead of the First?"

"That's my decision."

"Are you holding a grudge over yesterday?"

"Did something happen yesterday?"

Jang Ho bit his lip and glared at me.

"You will submit all your records. I'll investigate everything, from your recent activities to your banking records."

The Third Squad soldiers began murmuring. Dig deeply enough into an ordinary person's life and you would find a handful of dirt. These were Demon Army soldiers. With a little exaggeration, the nicest person here could probably pass for an Underworld boss in some town.

Jang Ho roared,

"Even you have no right to do that!"

"I do."

CRASH!

Jang Ho smashed the desk in front of me.

"Listen, you're free to lose your temper, but don't forget that rebellion is a grave crime."

At the mention of rebellion, several Third Squad martial artists rushed over to restrain him.

"Please control yourself, Squad Leader."

"He's not someone you can deal with nicely."

I provoked Jang Ho further.

"I'll start by investigating you, their squad leader."

"Fine! Let's settle this between us! The rest of you, get out!"

Demonic qi swirled around Jang Ho.

His subordinates tried to calm him.

"Squad Leader! You mustn't lose your temper."

"Don't worry. Wait outside."

"Yes."

They shot menacing looks at me before leaving. I could feel that their loyalty to him was genuine.

Once all his subordinates had left, Jang Ho spoke coldly.

"You'll regret treating me like this."

The scar across his face twisted even more hideously.

I studied him quietly, then lowered my voice.

"How much longer are you going to test me?"

Jang Ho flinched.

"What are you talking about?"

"You're the one who sent the anonymous letter, aren't you?"

His eyes wavered.

"What do you mean?"

But he had no talent for lying. When his voice began to tremble along with his eyes, he readily admitted the truth.

"How did you know?"

The furious man seemed like an entirely different person when he spoke so quietly.

"Yesterday, you stepped forward when you didn't need to. Wasn't that to avoid arousing the Demon Army commander's suspicions?"

"Yes."

"Your Third Squad is also the most disciplined. When we hung up the crows, your men were the only ones who neither swore nor jeered. And just now, they stepped in out of genuine concern for you. One detail can tell you ten things. Someone who runs his unit like that would naturally have trouble turning a blind eye to corruption within it."

That was not actually how I had figured it out.

I had realized Jang Ho was the anonymous writer thanks to Seo Daeryong's sound transmission when he first appeared.

["Third Squad Leader Jang Ho is reputed to be the strongest martial artist among the squad leaders. His temper is no ordinary one, either."]

The moment I heard it, I remembered something from before my regression.

A Demon Army squad leader had died around this time. The reason it stood out in my memory was that I had heard the dead man was the strongest of their squad leaders. I remembered wondering why someone with such powerful martial arts had died.

I was certain that the dead man had been Jang Ho. He must have submitted the anonymous letter and tried to resolve the Demon Army's problems, only to die at the hands of someone within it.

And just as I had expected, Jang Ho was the writer.

"I couldn't include the details because I didn't know whether the letter would have the intended effect."

He had suspected that Yellow Springs Pavilion might also be under the Blood Heaven Saber Demon's influence.

"But I never imagined you would be sent to investigate, Second Young Master."

"How did you feel when you heard I was coming?"

"Forgive my impertinence, but I thought we were doomed."

I turned to Seo Daeryong.

"Is honesty all the rage among young people these days?"

"You're younger than we are, Second Young Master."

"Oh, right."

After grinning, I asked Jang Ho,

"What exactly is happening here?"

"The Demon Army commander is using the army for his personal purposes."

"How?"

What Jang Ho revealed was far more serious than I had imagined.

"He takes payment to deploy his men on assassination contracts."

"What?"

Even I, who was rarely surprised by anything, was taken aback. I had assumed he was pocketing bribes from some local sect. Something utterly unthinkable was happening.

Experts like the Demon Army soldiers would hardly be deployed for a pittance. He must be making enormous sums.

Seo Daeryong asked in astonishment,

"How is that possible?"

"Sometimes he uses their leave. Sometimes he sends them out under the pretext of special training."

"Even so, I don't understand."

Unlike Seo Daeryong, I recognized one circumstance that would make it possible.

"The entire First Squad is involved."

"How did you know?"

Jang Ho was startled that I had guessed at once.

"They were the first to block our path. They also swore the most when they saw the dead crows. Whenever something happened, they moved together without a hitch. Didn't I tell you? One detail can tell you ten things. Their squad leader alone tells me enough. How did you discover this, then?"

"The martial artist who killed the investigator and committed suicide during the previous investigation was my friend. He was also the one who sent that anonymous letter."

"So he didn't commit suicide. He was made to."

"That's right. A few days before he died, he told me he had submitted the letter."

In my life before regression, I had known nothing of this incident. There had only been Jang Ho's death. That meant this affair, too, had been buried without ever coming to light.

"How close were you?"

"We joined the Cult together. He was like family."

"Why didn't you expose it then?"

"After they murdered my friend and the investigator, they watched everyone inside with terrifying strictness. I could barely breathe."

"Who killed them?"

"I believe the Demon Army commander gave the order, and First Squad Leader Go Dang carried it out personally."

If Jang Ho was telling the truth, this was a massive corruption case involving the Demon Army commander and the entire First Squad. And the murder of an investigator on top of that. Truly the largest crime in the Cult's history.

Had Father and Sima Myeong really not known?

They must have suspected at least some of it. That would be why they had sent me.

They had sent me to test whether I could go head-to-head with the Demon Army commander and resolve this. Even though facing him could get me killed... Now that I thought about it, that was rather harsh.

Father, that story about wild beasts dropping their cubs off cliffs to make them strong isn't true. If a cub falls, they race down on those swift legs of theirs, pick it up in their mouths, and bring it back!

I looked at Jang Ho.

"You had a good friend."

"He was the good friend. If I had been one, I would have stepped forward when he died."

"That would have made you a foolish friend."

Not everyone in the Demon Army was scum.

Seo Daeryong seemed moved as he watched. The investigator killed in the previous inquiry had been a senior he respected, after all.

Both men shared the pain of losing someone close in that incident.

Looking at them, I felt hope for the "lost Demonic Path." The Divine Cult of the Heavenly Demon I wanted was a place where people like these held positions of responsibility.

"Thank you for finding the courage."

"When you identified me straightaway, I decided to trust you, Second Young Master."

"A good choice. By the way, will I find anything problematic if I dig through your banking records?"

"Nothing. You won't find a speck of dirt, no matter how thoroughly you search."

"Everyone has dirt. Even something you don't consider dirt can be made into it. But don't worry. I won't dig that hard."

I opened the door and stepped out. The Third Squad soldiers were waiting some distance away.

"Squad Leader Jang has agreed to submit all his records in your stead. You may all return."

Jang Ho played along, roaring,

"We'll see about this! If I'm innocent, I won't let it pass!"

His eyes held gratitude. By saying he would undergo the investigation in his men's stead, I had made them trust him even more. The Jang Ho of my previous life had died, but this Jang Ho would not.

Saving those who should not have died was the purpose of my regression.

After I closed the door, Seo Daeryong spoke.

"You seem very different from what the rumors say, Second Young Master."

"What do they say?"

"Just..."

"Just tell me honestly. You're repeating rumors, aren't you? Not your own opinion."

"People say you're unsuited to becoming the Heavenly Demon. I'm sorry."

"It's fine. Perhaps that's a compliment."

"What?"

"Is being suited to becoming the Heavenly Demon a compliment? I don't think so. Ruling the Cult through terror is an outdated notion. Isn't it time the Cult changed, too?"

At the mention of change, a curious light flashed through Seo Daeryong's eyes. But he soon spoke in a somewhat gloomy tone.

"Change isn't as easy as talking about it."

"True. It isn't easy."

"If you become the Heavenly Demon, will you try to change the Cult?"

Of course.

Without change, all that awaited us was the destruction of my family and the closure of the Cult.

But rather than reveal those thoughts, I said something else.

"Honestly, I'd rather travel around the Central Plains and enjoy myself than become the Heavenly Demon."

That was partly sincere, too. Once I killed Hwa Mugi, I intended to travel the Central Plains and have all the fun I wanted.

"Everyone else would sell their souls to become the Heavenly Demon..."

"You're saying that's a spoiled thing to say?"

"I won't deny it."

"That's because you're the power-seeking type."

"Me?"

As he widened his eyes in protest, I abruptly asked,

"Does helping someone make you happy?"

"... No."

"Does getting promoted make you happy?"

"... Yes."

He soon sighed and reproached himself.

"Ah, so I am the power-seeking type."

"Everyone has different conditions for happiness. For some, it's money or power. For others, it's a quiet life. And for some, it's chivalrous righteousness."

"Can practicing chivalrous righteousness really make someone happy?"

"Does it seem like a pretense?"

"Yes."

I had encountered someone like that in my previous life. A man so selfish that he wore a mask of chivalrous righteousness to hide it, until he ultimately deceived even himself. He was not good, yet he believed to the very end that he walked the path of righteousness.

Such people made me more uncomfortable than those who openly displayed their ambitions, but I had no intention of condemning him. That, too, was simply a way of living.

"There are also many people in Murim who truly live by chivalrous righteousness. Some are too great for hearts as small as yours and mine—a little soy-sauce dish—to comprehend."

He stared at me for a moment, then sighed.

"I'm the power-seeking type, so... I wouldn't know."

I chuckled at him. I did not know how he looked to people his own age, but to me, at least, this side of him was endearing.

"Enough of this uncharacteristic soul-searching. Go dig through Jang Ho's records. As I said, don't dig too hard. Bring in more Yellow Springs Pavilion investigators, too. From now on, we make it look like a full-scale investigation is underway."

"Understood."

I stood at the window and looked outside. As it happened, the Demon Army commander was standing at a window in the opposite building, looking our way. Our eyes met, but I pretended not to notice him.

What I was looking at was not that insignificant man, but Heavenly Demon Hall, visible far beyond him.