Chapter 181: Journey to the Central Plains (2)

“Heavenly Reverence Hwan Clan, huh….”

Cheon Yura quietly repeated my words to herself, then suddenly said,

“There’s no need to bring that up right now.”

She let out a sigh.

“I already know. That the Hwan Clan is deeply entangled in this matter.”

An unusually troubled expression appeared on Cheon Yura’s face.

“The Cult Leader will summon you soon. You can report it to him then.”

“…Understood.”

I nodded without resistance.

There was no need to rush—after all, the Heaven-Defying Scheme wasn’t something that would be enacted immediately.

“Also, um, you know…”

“…?”

Cheon Yura averted her gaze and spoke in a small voice.

“Didn’t we agree to speak more comfortably when we’re not in public?”

Hmm.

I motioned with my chin toward the nearby Guardian Lions spread around us.

“I wouldn’t really call this a private setting….”

“R-Right…”

Though they were hiding extremely well, someone like me could still notice them.

Even from twenty jang away, I could sense the presence of Right Guardian Jeokmyeon Tuma, staring intently in this direction.

‘If I suddenly dropped formal speech with Cheon Yura here, he might challenge me to a duel to the death.’

I could win if I went all out, but… there was absolutely no need to pick a fight with an ally like the Right Guardian.

While I was thinking that, I heard a tiny murmur next to me.

“If it’s a private moment, it’ll be arranged soon anyway….”

“Sorry? What did you just say?”

“Nothing at all!”

Cheon Yura frantically shook her head.

* * *

About a week had passed since the incident at the So Clan.

“My deepest apologies…”

“Me too…”

I visited Gu Chil and Myeong-oh, who had been bedridden in the Medicine Hall for several days now.

Gu Chil would probably recover quickly since he was training in the Invincible Asura Demonic Art, but Myeong-oh’s condition was still rather serious.

“…Just what kind of fight did you get into?”

“I won, Master.”

“……”

Despite having been found sprawled out with limbs mangled, Myeong-oh lifted a fist with a proud expression.

“Doesn’t really seem like a victory to me.”

“I protected my senior, and we made it out of the So Clan alive. That counts as a win.”

From what Gu Chil and So Cheon told me, the one who had the upper hand in the actual fight was So Soryu, who used the Nine Heavens Silken Threads.

Though Myeong-oh’s arm transformations were impressive enough to cut through those threads, it seemed his technique still lacked refinement.

In contrast, So Soryu had fully utilized the advantage of fighting in her own territory to push Myeong-oh back.

By the time the Law Enforcement Lions from the Hidden Shadow So Clan, under the order of the Murder Demon, stormed in, the two were already on the verge of mutual destruction….

“It was… really terrifying…”

So Cheon stared at the ceiling with a distant look in her eyes.

While the two fought, he had detoxified the poison coursing through Gu Chil’s body and cut his restraints.

He had also tried to intervene in their battle to mediate it, but—

“At that moment, I thought I was going to die, so I backed off.”

“How proud of you.”

I smacked the back of So Cheon’s head and then shared my next plans.

“I’m not sure if you’ve heard the news, but the Cult is in a complete frenzy right now.”

The two nodded.

“Yes, we heard the Young Cult Leader declared our advance into the Central Plains…”

Among the younger generation of the Heavenly Demon Cult, there was already a swelling cry to march out.

“Of course, that’s just a smokescreen. I’ll actually be heading into the Central Plains a few months from now with Lady Baek.”

“Then we must recover quickly so we can accompany you, Young Master.”

Gu Chil spoke solemnly, but—

“No.”

“…Huh?”

I shook my head at the surprised Gu Chil.

“Sorry, but this is a solo mission directly assigned by the Cult Leader. I probably won’t be able to bring you two along.”

“N-No matter what, that’s just—!”

Sending the Grand Prince of the Demonic Heaven’s Jin Clan and the granddaughter of the Alliance Leader into enemy territory with no escort at all?!

“Well, that’s out of our hands… but that’s not what I actually came here to say.”

I glanced around and let out a heavy sigh.

“Somehow, the Murder Demon found out and offered to send instructors to train the Underworld King’s Unit.”

“Huh? That’s great news!”

Wasn’t our original purpose in visiting the House of Slaughter to recruit instructors for the Underworld King’s Unit in the first place?

“I thought it all went up in smoke after how things ended, but what a relief.”

Gu Chil and Myeong-oh practically jumped with joy.

To manage a negotiation like that in the middle of chaos and still get what we needed—our Young Master truly was capable….

“Right. They should be arriving around now…”

“…?”

“…?”

The two of them looked puzzled, clearly not understanding why I was still so downcast.

Yeah, of course they wouldn’t.

If my prediction was correct, the instructor the Murder Demon sent was none other than…

Clack!

“Hello~?”

As if perfectly on cue.

A woman wrapped head-to-toe in bandages casually opened the door to the Medicine Hall’s patient room and walked in.

“H-Heok?!”

“Y-You!”

“N-N-Noona?!”

Aside from me, everyone inside was utterly shocked by her arrival.

“Introduce yourselves.”

Letting out a sigh that felt like it could reach the floor, I made the introduction.

“This is Instructor So Soryu, senior instructor of the House of Slaughter…”

“By the Clan Leader’s order, I’ve brought ten instructors with me. Let’s all get along from now on!”

So Soryu smiled brightly, as if she’d completely forgotten the brutal fight from just days ago.

“W-What in the world is going on?!”

Myeong-oh questioned me in shock…

I let out a dry laugh and avoided his gaze.

“What do you mean, what happened? We got played…”

“L-Lord?!”

I should’ve realized it when the Murder Demon declared he wouldn’t give up on Gu Chil. But to think I’d be blindsided like this!

As expected, one couldn’t underestimate the foresight of a Clan Leader of one of the Six Great Demonic Clans.

“As you know, the Hidden Shadow So Clan is currently preparing for seclusion. And once So Soryu and the instructors sent by the House of Slaughter join us, they’ll be cutting ties with their clan for a while.”

Seclusion typically didn’t involve sending external members out like this.

This was a major event—where every single member of the Hidden Shadow So Clan, including those stationed across the entire Heavenly Demon Cult like the Thirty-Four Demon Squads, would withdraw from their posts.

“I’m responsible for the instructors who’ve stepped forward to support us until the So Clan’s seclusion is lifted.”

It wasn’t something I could simply refuse, even if I wanted to. It was an unwritten rule established long ago between the Six Great Clans.

“And… as you both said earlier, if we want to train the Underworld King’s Unit to reach the level of the Murder Demon Squad, we absolutely need their cooperation.”

“I—I can’t accept this!”

“Oh my, sen-i-or~ If you can’t accept it, what do you plan to do about it?”

So Soryu narrowed her eyes at Myeong-oh, flashing her signature sly smile.

“Brother~? Why not leave that cripple and come spend some alone time with me…?”

“You damned—!”

As Myeong-oh nearly exploded, I stepped in to calm her down and spoke.

“So Soryu, since you’ve joined us under orders from the Hidden Shadow So Clan Leader, Myeong-oh, the Deputy Captain of the Underworld King’s Unit, is now your superior.”

“…Acknowledged.”

Despite her clearly displeased expression, So Soryu acknowledged it outwardly.

“Obviously, I won’t tolerate any petty feuding that interferes with your training duties.”

“Of course. I’m not unprofessional enough to blur work and personal matters.”

“…Hey, could you at least let go of your hand from my arm while saying that?”

Myeong-oh glared coldly, but So Soryu ignored her with a smile.

Gu Chil and So Cheon both turned their heads away, clearly wanting no part in the rising tension between the two.

“…Now do you understand why I can’t take you with me?”

Gu Chil lowered his head with a heavy expression.

“…I’ll do my best to ensure there are no problems, sir.”

Taking Gu Chil with me and being gone for a year under these circumstances?

I didn’t even want to imagine the disaster I’d return to….

***

“Whew!”

Baek Sang-ah completed a sword dance at the training field inside the Thousand-Day Pavilion.

It was the Heavenly Wolf Meteor Sword Form, one of the secret supreme techniques of the Namcheon Baek Clan.

After her fated encounter at the Eastern Sea Fortress had forcibly elevated her to the peak Master Level, subtle cracks had formed in her swordsmanship’s integrity.

She’d had to devote herself to relentless training to mend those cracks.

‘Finally… I’ve managed to digest what I’ve gained.’

Now, she could finally call herself a proper peak Master Level expert.

But there was still a problem.

She looked at the ominous black Qi swirling around her sword and grumbled.

“Is there no way to hide this cursed black color?”

Because her internal energy had been completely reversed, even when she emitted ordinary sword Qi, demonic energy seeped out.

As a result, she could no longer cultivate Namcheon’s martial techniques.

“Haa…”

Truthfully, she hadn’t been in the best mood lately.

It wasn’t just that Jin Yeomyung, the only one she trusted in this place, had left—it was the general unsettling atmosphere around her.

“I heard grandfather’s situation isn’t looking good…”

Of course, she knew her grandfather, the Namcheon Sword King, was politically cornered.

What troubled her more was the fact that she herself had become an even heavier burden under these circumstances.

‘Sigh… What do I do…’

Just yesterday, Baek Sang-ah had been summoned to the Heavenly Demon Pavilion and was informed of the state of the Orthodox faction—and that her long period of involvement with the Demonic Cult was coming to an end.

‘If I go back home now, I’ll just be a nuisance to Father and Grandfather.’

On top of that—

‘I haven’t even settled the score yet…’

That, more than anything, was her biggest frustration.

It was then—

“Lady Baek. I heard you were here—are you?”

“…!”

She instantly recognized the voice and widened her eyes.

“Master Jin!”

She lit up at the reunion with Jin Yeomyung, whom she hadn’t seen in ages, and ran toward him.

But standing beside Jin Yeomyung was a woman wearing a splendid palace robe and a mask carved with a crescent moon.

“…What is with that look?”

“…”

Jin Yeomyung looked away, clearly embarrassed, as if he understood her sentiment.

But the masked woman stood there with the utmost confidence.

“I am called Moonlit Sword Blossom. I’ve come in person to pass down the Moon Maiden Sword to you.”

“Moon…blade…Swordflower?”

Baek Sang-ah’s expression instantly turned sour.

“What, do you think I’m a child who believes in fairy tales? Aren’t you embarrassed going around saying stuff like that—?”

Flash!

In an instant, a glint of sword light flashed, and a thin red line appeared on Baek Sang-ah’s cheek.

‘Wha—When did she—?!’

She thought she had already peeled away a layer and reached a new realm—but she hadn’t seen it at all!

‘That—that woman. Just how monstrous has she become?!’

When she had forcibly reached peak Master Level, she thought she might catch up with enough effort. But now, after only a few months, the gap had widened dramatically.

“Watch your tongue. I’d rather not cause a mishap where I end up killing the one I’m supposed to protect.”

“…Protect?”

Baek Sang-ah’s gaze shifted to the side.

The man she had feelings for rubbed his forehead and began explaining.

“Uh… This lady here is Moonlit Sword Blossom Cheon Arang, an ultra-secret expert from the Cheon Clan at the ‘Extreme Demonic’ level. She’s been assigned as your escort for the Central Plains journey.”

“….”

For a while, she just stared at me in disbelief.

“Are you serious?”

“What’s the problem?”

“You’ve completely reversed roles! Why are you—?”

“I don’t see any issue with it.”

“There’s a whole list of issues!”

There were way too many things to argue about, but for now—

“So the diplomatic mission leaving in a few months…?”

“It’s a smokescreen.”

“Is that even allowed?”

“The Cult Leader approved it.”

“….”

Heavenly Demon Cult… is this really okay?

As Baek Sang-ah sat in stunned silence from the unorthodox way things were unfolding—

“Chatter chatter. If you wish to leave the Cult, you must master the basics of Moonlight Sword Qi within a month. Follow me. We begin now.”

Cheon Yu—no, the Young Cult—no… Moonlit Sword Blossom grabbed Baek Sang-ah by the scruff of her neck and dragged her toward the training field.

Watching this scene unfold, I let out a dry laugh.

“I don’t even know anymore.”

Just what was the Cult Leader thinking when he orchestrated all this?

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