Chapter 161: House of Slaughter (2)

Well, I could let Jin Gun-ak’s final words—words that left me cold—slide.

His claim that he had staked everything on me wasn’t exactly wrong.

After I left the head family’s manor.

I was approached by the Chief Steward, who claimed he had some business with me—and during that conversation, I learned something unexpected.

“Oh? Is that so?”

The Chief Steward bowed with a bright smile.

“Yes. Everyone kept quiet because we were told not to inform you, Young Master, but things were quite serious back then, enough for the Pa Clan to officially express regret.”

The previously mentioned marriage between Pa Yeongyeong and me—brought up by Pa Uryang himself.

Apparently, while I was running around with Ma Chulsoo, mentally preoccupied, the Pa Clan had officially proposed a marriage to the Jin Clan.

Surprisingly, Jin Gun-ak had turned down the Pa Clan’s offer.

“To be honest, it was quite shocking. At a time when our long-standing ally, the So Clan, was growing distant, a proposal came rolling in from the greatest among the Six Great Demonic Clans, the Pa Clan.”

“Well… that’s true.”

A marriage alliance with the Pa Clan might be far better than an unclear title like the Demonic Faction Lord.

At the very least, it would elevate the Demonic Heaven’s Jin Clan’s status to a solid foundation, and if things went well, it could even secure the position of the Demon Clan itself.

But Jin Gun-ak had rejected the Pa Clan’s marriage proposal for the sake of a higher goal.

All while fully supporting a plan that wasn’t even his own, but led by his son.

‘This… is starting to feel like a heavy burden on my shoulders.’

Living up to a father’s blatant expectations was a considerable pressure for any child.

Even if one had absolute confidence.

“So, is that all you came to tell me?”

“That… is not all.”

There was no way that the busy Chief Steward of the Jin Clan would come all the way here just to say this.

The Chief Steward glanced at me, then cautiously opened his mouth.

“It’s about So Cheon of the So Clan.”

Twitch.

The moment the name So Cheon slipped from the Chief Steward’s mouth, my expression twisted slightly.

“Wasn’t he someone who used to spend time with the First Young Master a few years back?”

“That’s right. Why?”

“Be wary of him.”

“…!”

If the Chief Steward Byeok Jisang was going so far as to issue a direct warning, then there had to be clear grounds.

The man who had always seemed a bit frivolous had suddenly become deadly serious.

The shift was so drastic, even I felt slightly intimidated.

“You may not know this… but I, too, am originally from the Hidden Shadow So Clan.”

“Oh, really?”

“I was one of the previous clan head’s disciples, and the current head So Mun-yak’s fellow disciple.”

I couldn’t help but be shocked at the true identity of the Chief Steward, who turned out to be much more significant than expected.

‘So the son of the Chief Steward of the Jin Clan didn’t drift to the So Clan—it was the opposite?’

Setting that aside for now—

“…You must’ve had a tough life.”

As a disciple of the former Murder Demon, just imagining the path he must’ve taken to become the Chief Steward of the Jin Clan was beyond me.

“Thank you for acknowledging that. But, of course, that’s not the important part right now.”

He gave a bitter smile at my words of encouragement.

“Since I, too, am from the House of Slaughter, I know better than anyone how the inner structure of the clan works.”

I had heard the general structure of the So Clan from the elders of the Heavenly Thunder Corps.

But what the Chief Steward was about to say now was the deeper, darker part of the So Clan.

“The House of Slaughter never lets children of that age out into the world. Whether direct line or collateral, whether they have talent or not.”

“But if that’s true, then how come so many from the So Clan have been out and about? Like the So Jeongwon and So Jeongbang brothers?”

The Chief Steward replied firmly.

“They were simply assigned a ‘role’.”

“A role?”

“Yes. The So Clan is still one of the Six Great Demonic Clans. There needs to be basic interaction with the other clans. Or more accurately, the appearance of such interaction must be maintained.”

“You’re saying… everything they showed me was just an act?”

“That’s correct.”

“……”

I recalled how they had acted in the past and quietly fell silent.

“It didn’t really seem like acting….”

The Chief Steward shook his head.

“If even the individuals involved didn’t think it was an act, then that’s the end of it.”

I sighed softly, understanding the implication behind his words.

“Mind Seals!”

“That’s right.”

He nodded heavily.

“The So Clan members are thoroughly bound to the clan as a collective. Only the clan head, once reaching the pinnacle, is free from that seal.”

The Hidden Shadow So Clan places two restrictions on all people, including their own blood.

“One is the Mind Seal. The other is Gu poison.”

In truth, such seals were fairly standard for assassins belonging to high-level groups like the Six Clans.

‘That’s why the Ghost Command Unit was so easily expelled during the Killing Spirit Order era.’

No matter how powerful the leader of Cheon Jumun was, the sealed ones couldn’t even muster basic resistance. How could they survive?

“So Cheon is no exception.”

“……”

“I don’t know who controls the seal… but I guarantee, he has no free will.”

There was certainty in the Chief Steward’s voice.

Why?

Why did my mind immediately recall both the case of the stolen Demonic Soul-Slaying Sword by So Cheon…

And the Heavenly Demon Sword incident from my past life?

“You’re saying there’s someone behind So Cheon, pulling the strings and aiming for something?”

“Yes, without a doubt. And that person is likely keeping a close eye on you, Young Master.”

“Hm…”

Hearing the Chief Steward’s words, a certain connection immediately came to mind.

“Very well. I won’t forget your loyal advice, Chief Steward.”

“It is an immense honor to have been of help to you, Young Master.”

I smirked as I looked at the back of the bowing Chief Steward.

“As payment for your advice, I’ll keep quiet about the time you stole the Invincible Asura Demonic Art from the main family.”

“…Excuse me?”

The cheerful look on the Chief Steward’s face froze instantly.

I casually tapped the bald head of Gu Chil, sitting beside me, like knocking on a watermelon.

Cold sweat was pouring down Gu Chil’s expressionless face.

“You thought I wouldn’t know? I’ve lived and bled beside this guy for years.”

“Th-that… that is…”

“Chief Steward, the reason you assigned this guy to me in the first place was because I’m always roaming around outside and less likely to attract the Clan Head’s attention, right? Huh?”

That was a confession I had heard directly from Gu Chil in my past life, after we’d grown older.

“Y-Young M-Master…?”

“There are a few more things like this, but I’ll let them slide after I confirm your loyalty, Chief Steward.”

“I-I pledge my loyalty! Please, just… not to the Clan Head…!”

The Invincible Asura Demonic Art wasn’t some random martial art—it was related to the ‘Demonic God of Asura’ himself.

If it got out that the Chief Steward had stolen it and passed it down to his son without permission, Jin Gun-ak would explode in rage and crush the Chief Steward’s skull like a ripe watermelon.

“Let’s see each other often, alright?”

I took in the sight of the Chief Steward’s now-ashen face before leaving the Jin Clan estate.

***

A few days after that incident.

The day to visit the House of Slaughter finally arrived.

The official reason was to renegotiate the business rights between the Demonic Heaven’s Jin Clan and the Hidden Shadow So Clan.

Since I was going as a ‘guest’ of the Hidden Shadow So Clan, the number of people accompanying me as the First Young Master was quite substantial.

‘Fifty, huh…’

Fifty elite warriors, ranging from Master Level to First-rate Martial Artists.

It was effectively the same as being escorted by a squad comparable to the Thirty-Four Demon Squads from the main family.

‘That’s all well and good, but…’

There was one person not originally included who had managed to tag along.

I asked with a hint of displeasure, glancing toward the red-haired woman standing right next to Gu Chil.

“Why are you here?”

The woman, Myeong-oh, smiled with her eyes as she answered.

“Why else? It’s natural for a direct subordinate to assist her lord.”

“I’m pretty sure I left you in charge of training the Underworld King’s Unit.”

What I got back felt almost rehearsed.

“As Senior Gu Chil mentioned, I’ve hit my limit managing them alone. It’d be better if I, the head instructor, go to the House of Slaughter directly and recruit some capable ones.”

…Her answer was smooth and confident.

But was it just my imagination, or did her tone feel unusually cold and sharp?

“That the real reason?”

“Well, that too.”

Myeong-oh slightly turned her head and murmured in a small voice.

“That brat So Soryu had the audacity to entertain delusions.”

“Delusions?”

“As her senior from the House of Slaughter, I thought I should… provide a bit of education.”

Seeing the killing intent glimmer in her eyes, I could only shake my head.

“…Do what you want.”

According to Gu Chil, after Myeong-oh learned about what had happened at the Demonic Tower, she apparently flew into a rage and declared she was going to kill So Soryu….

I turned to Gu Chil, who was sighing deeply beside me.

“Gu Chil.”

“Yes, Young Master.”

“How much do you know about someone named Jeok Rua?”

Though the elders of the Cheon Clan had avoided the topic of Jeok Rua, I had other ways of gathering information.

Namely, Gu Chil and Myeong-oh, who were both from the House of Slaughter.

Gu Chil shook his head with a somewhat complicated expression.

“I don’t know much about the Second Wife. She may be the current House of Slaughter’s Head of Assassins now, but back when I was still there, she wasn’t even in the clan.”

Myeong-oh, beside him, nodded quietly as well.

“Hm. Still, tell me everything you know.”

Gu Chil frowned, as if digging through his old memories.

“From what I know, she’s someone the Clan Head personally brought in. No one knows which family she came from or what martial arts she learned.”

“No information at all?”

Even if she had only been active within the clan, she was clearly an outsider by origin.

In a place like the Hidden Shadow So Clan, there should have been moments where her martial prowess needed to be revealed, yet nothing had ever been made public…

“That means she killed all the witnesses.”

“Most likely.”

Which also meant she was exceptionally good at cleaning up after herself.

‘She’s not a concubine, but the second wife…’

She was clearly no ordinary woman.

That title implied her children were treated as direct bloodline, not collateral.

“Oh, come to think of it…”

After a long pause, Gu Chil clapped his hands and widened his eyes.

“So Cheon is the son of that Second Wife.”

“…What!?”

I widened my eyes in shock.

“And you’re just now telling me this!?”

There are things you can forget—and then there’s this!

“Huh, yeah, you’re right. Why did I forget that?”

Gu Chil scratched his cheek with a blank look in his eyes.

Even in my past life, Gu Chil had never mentioned that point.

And now, with the recent revelation that So Cheon’s movements weren’t random…

Even then, Gu Chil had remained silent.

As if he had never even been aware of it in the first place.

‘…This is strange.’

Gu Chil was no fool.

Sure, outwardly he was bald, talked like a servant, always disrespected me, and honestly, his face was kind of…

“Young Master?”

“Whatwhywhat’swrongallofasudden?”

“Nothing… it just felt like you were badmouthing me in your head…”

“It’s a misunderstanding. I’m seriously starting to think you have delusions of persecution.”

“Hmmm…”

…He had freakishly sharp instincts for this sort of thing.

And a successful assassin couldn’t survive long without intelligence.

Even if his education level was low, Gu Chil had a very quick mind.

‘And someone like that forgot something this important?’

That couldn’t help but seem suspicious.

‘Jeok Rua… there’s definitely something more to her.’

A secret much bigger than I’d imagined.

***

Like the Thousand-Day Pass, the House of Slaughter was located in a region where people were few and far between.

“The House of Slaughter’s size, taken by itself, is not inferior to the Thousand-Day Pass or the Demon Dragon Hall. In fact, it was constructed on an even larger scale than the So Clan’s main house to create the optimal environment for assassination.”

“That’s certainly true.”

I let out a hum as I looked at the massive ‘city’ looming in the distance.

Carved into an entire ridge of a great mountain range, the House of Slaughter looked even larger in scale than the major cities of the Eight Great Demonic Peaks.

“With something that size, it wouldn’t be strange if anything were to happen inside there.”

Be it assassination or an accidental death—anything at all.

“…Yes. Even I don’t know every place within the House of Slaughter.”

At that moment, a burly man, at least a head taller than me, thumped his chest and shouted.

“Worry not! I, Jin Cheolgwe, will protect you with the name of the Demonic Heaven’s Jin Clan!”

A muscled powerhouse radiating the aura of someone declaring ‘I am the Jin Clan’ with his whole being.

He was Jin Cheolgwe, a collateral member of the clan and a Master Level martial artist.

“Hahaha, I’ll count on you, Uncle Cheolgwe.”

The moment I called him “Uncle,” Jin Cheolgwe’s lips stretched wide into a grin.

Despite being a Master Level martial artist, he was still only in the early stage of that realm even in his fifties, which left his position within the clan rather unstable.

Naturally, he wanted to build ties with someone like me, who was currently on the rise both inside and outside the clan.

But then—

“Only three people, including First Young Master Jin, may enter the inner section of the House of Slaughter.”

“…What?!”

All of Jin Cheolgwe’s efforts went up in smoke at the words of the envoy from the Hidden Shadow So Clan.

“Don’t be ridiculous! Do you think you can get away with treating the First Young Master of the Jin Clan like this?!”

He radiated killing intent as he protested, but the envoy’s expression remained completely unchanged.

“If you’re displeased, you may return as you please.”

“…!”

“However, I was also instructed to inform you that the So Clan will not be responsible for anything that occurs between the clans thereafter.”

“Who said that?”

I asked, and the envoy replied:

“It was the Head of Assassins.”

So not the Murder Demon, but the Head of Assassins—meaning this wasn’t the will of the Murder Demon himself?

“A textbook case of territorial posturing.”

I clicked my tongue softly.

“First Young Master! Allow me to lead your men and raze the House of Slaughter to the ground! This is an affront to the Demonic Heaven’s Jin Clan!”

I sighed at Jin Cheolgwe’s indignant outburst.

“That won’t be necessary.”

Classic Jin Clan thinking—stuck in a single dimension.

“If we destroy the House of Slaughter when we’re here to build harmony with the Hidden Shadow So Clan, what do you think will happen?”

“But the honor of the main family—!”

“There’s a time to stand tall, and this isn’t it.”

If we stood on pride here, we’d just be dancing to the enemy’s tune.

“Gu Chil, Myeong-oh.”

“Yes, Young Master.”

“Yes, my lord.”

Gu Chil and Myeong-oh stepped forward.

“I’m taking you two into the House of Slaughter with me.”

As I casually named the two of them, Jin Cheolgwe looked startled and thumped his own chest in desperation.

“F-First Young Master. A-and me?!”

I gave him a half-hearted nod.

“Thank you for escorting me this far, Elder Jin.”

“……”

Jin Cheolgwe’s face twisted in frustration.

Source: Webnovel.com, updated by NovelKeep