Chapter 16. The Demonic Cultists Who Repaid a Favor.

“A past favor, you say……”

“I heard you are the disciple of the Divine Hero of the Azure Sky, Great Hero Jang.”

“Yes, I learned from him.”

“A long time ago. My mother received the grace of having her life saved by Great Hero Jang.”

I wondered what this was all about.

His master had saved Cheol Yu-ra’s mother…….

Suddenly, the words of No Dae-yeong, who had been the master of the secret branch, crossed my mind.

‘The cult’s reputation of Great Hero Jang is quite good. To be honest…… it’s a fact that our side’s reputation is much better than those trash-like righteous faction bastards.’

I wondered if that was why No Dae-yeong had said that.

To think he had extended his chivalrous acts even to the people of the Heavenly Demon Divine Cult.

“My mother always wanted to repay that debt, but unfortunately, she never had the chance.”

“May I know the story behind it?”

“I heard it was something that happened during the war with the Righteous Heavenly Alliance, but I haven’t heard the details either. I am just trying to repay it now that a connection has been made.”

“There is no need for that. My master never expected anything in return during his lifetime.”

“Of course, Great Hero Jang might have been like that, but we are not. We always repay favors. Especially the grace of saving a life.”

Cheol Yu-ra’s expression as she said that was resolute.

“Just take it for now.”

Cheol Yu-ra said, practically forcing the reins into my hand.

“It’s a colt that’s about two months old.”

“Pardon?!”

The horse Cheol Yu-ra gave me was already as big as a full-grown horse, so it didn’t look like a colt at all.

“It comes from a good bloodline. There were more than a few members in the Iron-Armored Ghostly Demon Squad who drooled over it.”

“This is too much.”

The value of a famous horse from a good bloodline was truly enormous.

Considering the prices in the Central Plains, the value of this one colt would be greater than a magnificent manor.

“Compared to the grace of saving a life, this is nothing, just a small gift.”

“But……”

“Our cult does not permit refusing the goodwill of a superior.”

Seeing both Yi Ja-yeong and Cheol Yu-ra push their rank on him, he wondered if this was the way of the Heavenly Demon Divine Cult.

“Then…… I will gratefully accept it.”

When he pulled the reins, the colt obediently stood by Jin Yeong-in’s side.

Seeing that, a strange light flickered in Cheol Yu-ra’s eyes.

“It’s calm.”

“Pardon?”

“It was born with the blood of a warrior, so it is fierce by nature.”

A regular horse and a warhorse are different.

Horses are naturally timid animals, so not many of them can stand on a battlefield.

That was the reason the price of a warhorse skyrocketed.

“It seems to like you.”

“Isn’t it normally calm?”

“No way. More than a few people have been seriously injured by its kicks.”

“……”

For a moment, Jin Yeong-in almost flared up.

Was she trying to get someone killed…….

How could she recklessly hand over such a fierce animal?

“It doesn’t have a name yet. It is customary for the owner to name their warhorse. So, give it a name.”

“Hmm.”

Jin Yeong-in pondered for a moment and then glanced at the colt.

It was a horse that was clearly a famous horse among famous horses.

“Since I got it through the connection with my master, I will call it Azure Sky, no, Demonic Sky. From now on, your name is Demonic Heaven.”

“Prrrr!”

When Jin Yeong-in called its name and stroked it, Demonic Heaven gave a pleasant snort.

“A good name. It seems to like it too.”

Cheol Yu-ra smiled with satisfaction.

“I have delivered the gift, so I will be on my way now. Please take good care of it.”

“Take care.”

“Oh, and.”

Cheol Yu-ra added, as if she had just remembered something.

“News travels fast in our cult. By now, there probably isn’t a place in the neighborhood that hasn’t heard about your defection.”

“Are you telling me to be careful?”

“There’s no harm in being careful. However, I’m not sure how many idiots there are who would be foolish enough to touch someone whose entry into the cult was permitted by ‘that person’.”

“Ah.”

“The person you need to be most careful of is the one living over there. Be careful of your neighbor. Well then, see you later.”

Cheol Yu-ra pointed to a truly magnificent manor across the street and then turned and disappeared.

***

“What is that horse?”

Danmok Cheong, who had come out after laying Baek A-rin down, saw Demonic Heaven and asked Jin Yeong-in.

“It is a gift from the Second Young Lady.”

“D-did she really give you such a famous horse as a gift?”

Danmok Cheong’s eyes widened.

Even to his eyes, Demonic Heaven was an incredible famous horse, and its value seemed to be beyond imagination.

“She said it was in return for a connection from a previous generation, but it’s so burdensome that I don’t know if I should accept it. I was forced to take it, though.”

“Ah. It must be the connection with your master, Great Hero Jang.”

“That’s right.”

“Great Hero Jang’s reputation is high even in our cult.”

“Pardon?”

“During the war with the Righteous Heavenly Alliance in the past, there were more than a few people who had their lives saved by Great Hero Jang. I know that the veterans of that war and their descendants still remember and honor Great Hero Jang.”

“Is it to that extent?”

“At least over ten thousand.”

“Good heavens.”

Jin Yeong-in was so surprised that he could only gape.

Ten thousand?

At this point, it would not be an exaggeration to call him a hero of the Heavenly Demon Divine Cult rather than a hero of the Righteous Heavenly Alliance.

‘Come to think of it, I don’t know anything about my master.’

His master…… was a talkative person.

He was so talkative that whenever he started recounting his heroic tales, the listener’s ears would feel like they were about to fall off.

Also, he would often rotate through a few heroic tales, so eventually, I had memorized them all.

But thinking about it now, it was a little strange.

‘There was no substance.’

The stories my master told were mostly absurd heroic tales.

To give a representative example…….

One. He got into a fight with demonic cultists at an inn and won a seventeen-to-one battle.

Two. He volunteered for the militia during the Righteous-Demonic Great War and blocked the infamous Iron-Armored Ghostly Demon Squad in his first battle.

Three. He safely rescued five thousand commoners who were scheduled to be offered as human sacrifices by the Demonic Cult.

Four. During a retreat, he single-handedly faced a hundred demonic cultists to buy time for his allies to withdraw.

Five. He was so popular with women that he once had a serious relationship with the most beautiful woman in the world.

Six. He contributed to the execution of the previous Heavenly Demon along with other famous masters.

However, all of my master’s heroic tales were nothing more than absurd bluffs. It was preposterous that my master, who barely reached the threshold of a supreme master at best, was the hero of such military achievements.

Also, there was not a single mention of my master in the Righteous Heavenly Alliance’s records or the heroic tales of the famous masters who participated in the Righteous-Demonic Great War.

So, Jin Yeong-in would let his master’s heroic tales go in one ear and out the other.

‘Yes, yes. So, who exactly is this most beautiful woman in the world?’

‘Look at this cheeky brat? That’s a secret. What are you going to do with knowing your master’s lover?’

That being said, it was by no means that he did not respect his master.

The reason his master was praised as a chivalrous hero among chivalrous heroes was not because of such grand heroic tales.

It was that sublime spirit of always standing on the side of the weak without any expectation of reward and never shying away from any dirty work.

Was it not the countless chivalrous acts he performed throughout his life that came together to create the great name of the Divine Hero of the Azure Sky?

Therefore, Jin Yeong-in considered his master’s heroic tales to be merely for teasing his disciple.

Or perhaps it was his master’s childish bluff to look cool to his disciple.

But hearing the words of the people from the Heavenly Demon Divine Cult, it seemed that it might not have been all just a bluff.

What on earth was the truth…….

“It seems you don’t know much about your master, Young Master Jin.”

Danmok Cheong gave a bitter smile, reading Jin Yeong-in’s expression.

“It’s understandable. Those Righteous Heavenly Alliance bastards would never reveal the truth about Great Hero Jang.”

“What happened?”

“I don’t know the details either, but perhaps the biggest incident was the great massacre committed by the Righteous Heavenly Alliance.”

“A great massacre……?”

“As you know, the main forces of the Righteous Heavenly Alliance advanced all the way here to the Ten Thousand Great Mountains at the end of the Righteous-Demonic Great War, didn’t they? At that time, the Righteous Heavenly Alliance massacred even ordinary people who didn’t know martial arts. Great Hero Jang was one of the few people who stopped that.”

“Ah!”

It was indeed an act befitting his master.

He might not care about warriors, but he was not one to stand by and watch a sword being pointed at innocent commoners.

“For now, I will tie this fellow up in the stable.”

Just as Danmok Cheong was about to take Demonic Heaven on Jin Yeong-in’s behalf.

“Heeeeeeeeeeeeeeeigh!!!”

Demonic Heaven struggled like mad, refusing Danmok Cheong’s touch.

“Prrrrrrrrrrrrr!”

“Ugh! Hey, stay still! Ugh!”

“Heeeeeeeeeeeeeeeigh!”

Demonic Heaven’s struggles were so fierce that Danmok Cheong could barely keep his balance.

Cheol Yu-ra’s words about it being a fierce fellow were by no means an exaggeration.

“Demonic Heaven!”

Unable to watch any longer, Jin Yeong-in took the reins instead, and Demonic Heaven became docile as if it had never caused a ruckus.

“It seems to already recognize its master, as befits a famous horse. Huff, huff.”

Danmok Cheong said, sweating.

If he had been hit by one of Demonic Heaven’s hind legs, something would have been seriously broken.

“Let’s go, to our new home. It’s a new home for me too. Let’s live well from now on.”

“Prrrr!”

At Jin Yeong-in’s words, Demonic Heaven snorted as if its anger had finally subsided.

***

Cheol Yu-ra’s words about news traveling fast were not an exaggeration.

“Young Master Jin, you need to come out for a moment.”

At Danmok Cheong’s call, Jin Yeong-in woke up early in the morning and went outside the main gate.

“Wh-what is all this?”

Jin Yeong-in was startled by the spectacular scene before his eyes.

In front of the main gate, all sorts of goods such as rice, silk, silver coins, vegetables, meat, and so on were piled up like a mountain.

“It seems to be gifts left by those who were indebted to Great Hero Jang.”

“Pardon?”

“Upon hearing the news of your defection, didn’t they all send gifts one after another?”

“Haha, hahaha……”

Jin Yeong-in was so surprised that he could only let out a hollow laugh.

Who would have thought he would receive such a welcome just a few days after defecting?

When he was part of the righteous faction, far from benefiting from his master, it often held him back.

But to think he would receive that benefit after coming to the Heavenly Demon Divine Cult…….

‘If this was the case, why didn’t you defect when you were alive.’

Jin Yeong-in was inwardly frustrated by his master’s foolishness, but at the same time, he could understand.

His master was someone who did not understand or tolerate the pursuit of personal gain or the strong ruling over the weak.

It was unimaginable for someone who had made it his life’s mission to wander the world and perform chivalrous acts to be a part of the Heavenly Demon Divine Cult.

“First, we need to move these inside.”

“Let’s do it together.”

Jin Yeong-in rolled up his sleeves.

It seemed it would take at least four hours to move all these gifts inside and organize them.

“I’ll help too.”

Baek A-rin also stepped forward.

After learning that Jin Yeong-in was the disciple of the Divine Hero of the Azure Sky, Baek A-rin, who had somewhat lowered her guard, also pitched in.

They were in the middle of huffing and puffing, moving the gift bundles inside.

‘What is it?’

Jin Yeong-in suddenly felt a gaze and turned his head.

The magnificent manor located across the street.

The source of the ominous gaze was the tall pavilion located there.

‘The person you need to be most careful of is the one living over there. Be careful of your neighbor.’

Cheol Yu-ra’s advice crossed Jin Yeong-in’s mind.

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