Chapter 134: A Pair of True Villains
Chapter 134: A Pair of True Villains
“And why is that?”
The Demon Lords, who had been at each other's throats just moments ago, were now united in their refusal.
The Drunken Demon was the first to answer.
“I loathe being penned in. Just the thought of a fence makes me feel suffocated.”
The One Flower Sword Venerable took the baton next.
“Accepting just anyone? That’s a tall order. Even for a simple stroll, one must be of a like mind.”
It was clear who that barb was directed at.
Next was the Blood Heaven Blade Demon.
“Did you not hear a word I said? I told you—other people’s hearts are never the same as your own!”
The Extreme Evil Smiling Demon provided the final reason.
“Why am I not allowed to kill?”
It was a jest aimed at my rule: they could fight and hate within my fence, so long as they didn't kill.
Though their reasons were a mix of humor and sincerity, the surprising part was that all four of them had entirely different motivations.
The Drunken Demon began to tease me, mimicking my earlier tone.
“Did you catch the Second Young Master’s bluff earlier? ‘This is the decision of the man who will be your future Heavenly Demon.’ The Cult Leader really should have seen that.”
I waved my hands dismissively in an exaggerated fashion.
“Don’t say such dangerous things. Now, since we’re all gathered like this, let’s have a drink.”
The Smiling Demon, who had been perched outside the window, stepped inside. This was the first time the Demon Lords I had formed ties with were all gathered in one place.
It was truly a historic day—not just for me, but for the tavern owner as well.
Jo Chun-bae, bringing over the liquor and snacks, was the very picture of overwhelming emotion.
“Are you really that happy?” I asked.
“How could I not be? I must be the first tavern keeper in history to witness such a thing. I could die today with no regrets.”
“This might only be the beginning. Who knows who else will gather here to drink in the future?”
“My heart feels like it’s going to burst even now…”
Jo Chun-bae bowed deeply to the Demon Lords.
“It is an honor to have you here. I will serve you with the utmost care.”
After his greeting, he withdrew. As he headed down the stairs to the first floor, he glanced back for a moment, looking as if he were trying to burn this glorious moment into his memory.
“Now, allow me to pour a round.”
The Drunken Demon poured for everyone.
Since the Smiling Demon never drank due to his mask, he simply accepted the cup. The Blood Heaven Blade Demon took his cup, set it aside, and poured himself a fresh one. The One Flower Sword Venerable pointedly drank the liquor the Drunken Demon had poured, as if specifically to spite the Blade Demon.
Even the simple act of pouring a drink was fraught with tension.
Once the first round had circulated, the Smiling Demon turned to me.
“By the way, why did you call for me?”
He naturally assumed I was the one who had summoned him.
“I didn't call for you, Lord Smiling Demon.”
“Then who did?”
“The Drunken Demon did.”
The Drunken Demon spoke to the Smiling Demon with exaggerated politeness.
“I called you because there was something you needed to know.”
Regardless of what they thought of each other internally, they were unfailingly polite on the surface.
“I heard the Second Young Master values the senior Blade Demon over there more than us, so I thought you should come and hear it for yourself.”
The Drunken Demon said this while refilling his own cup.
“We are mere side dishes. The Second Young Master’s heart belongs to the Blood Heaven Blade Demon.”
“The Drunken Demon might be a side dish, but I am not,” the Smiling Demon countered.
“Is that so?”
As if to prove his point, the Drunken Demon asked me, “Second Young Master, if you had to choose only one between Lord Smiling Demon and the senior Blade Demon, who would it be?”
“Lord Smiling Demon.”
The Drunken Demon blinked, then asked again.
“That’s not what you said earlier. Didn't you say you could tell the Blade Demon he was better even if the other party was standing right there?”
“Me? When?”
I widened my eyes and feigned total ignorance.
“How could you say such a thing, given the relationship between Lord Smiling Demon and me? Lord Smiling Demon, do not be deceived. This rolling stone is currently plotting to push out the embedded stone.”
At my words, the Drunken Demon burst into a hearty laugh, seemingly finding it amusing, and drained his cup. Setting it down, he spoke.
“Don’t disregard the rolling stone. I believe the length of time spent together isn't what matters. There are those you can never forget, even if you’ve only met them once.”
I stared at him for a moment before asking abruptly.
“Have you truly met such a person, Lord Drunken Demon?”
The Drunken Demon’s hand froze in mid-air as he reached for more liquor.
“What do you mean?”
“I’m just wondering if such a person actually exists. I can’t imagine never forgetting someone after only one meeting. Does everyone else have someone like that?”
I made eye contact with each of the four Demon Lords before continuing.
“Even if you were deathly close, if the years spent apart grow long, you eventually become like strangers. Even if you thought you were close, once there’s a gap, it feels awkward—like you have to start all over again. At least, that’s how it is for me. Ah! Though I admit, it would be impossible to forget someone as beautiful as our Sword Venerable.”
The Drunken Demon emptied another cup.
“It sounds strange coming from someone as young as you.”
“There you go, disregarding me again. You disregarded young Sa-yeon, you disregarded a young drunkard, and now this.”
The Drunken Demon looked at me with a peculiar gaze. Since I remembered everything he had said so clearly, he likely felt a mix of annoyance and genuine appreciation.
“I see. I keep forgetting. I forget that our Second Young Master’s youth is vastly different from ordinary youth.”
“Indeed. Please don't forget that I am an old soul in a young body.”
When I raised my cup, the Drunken Demon toasted me.
Though the atmosphere had stiffened slightly with the gathering of the Demon Lords, drinking with him was somehow still pleasant. He had a knack for keeping the conversation flowing and heightening the mood of a party.
“Now, let me say it again: I choose Lord Smiling Demon.”
I raised my cup as if toasting him and drank alone.
Through the eye slits of his mask, the Smiling Demon's eyes were crinkled in a pleasant smile. Seeing that smile for the first time in a while made me feel good as well.
It is good to see you again.
Perhaps because of the life-and-death struggle against Baek Mang-gi, I felt an indescribable sense of camaraderie with the Smiling Demon. This was a feeling separate from the issues of being a Demon Lord or a successor.
Just then, the Blood Heaven Blade Demon sent me a message via Voice Transmission.
— Yes, you’re doing well. Take care of the others first.
— Does your pride not hurt?
— Why would my pride be hurt by something like this? Just don't forget one thing. You must never, ever trust the Smiling Demon or the Drunken Demon.
The more I got to know these people, the more I understood my father’s hardships. Dealing with just four was this difficult; leading eight, on top of the countless duties of a Cult Leader… Father, you must have had a truly difficult time.
The atmosphere of the gathering was good.
Since they all held some level of goodwill toward me, they didn't go out of their way to show their prickly sides or tempers. Gratefully, they were all restraining themselves. An ordinary, pleasant dinner with the Demon Lords!
The one doing most of the drinking was, as expected, the Drunken Demon.
As if to show off to me, he made sure to eat a snack for every three cups of liquor he downed. Our eyes met once, and I nodded and smiled at him.
The Smiling Demon watched this with a strange look in his eyes.
I knew. I couldn't know the full extent of the emotions in that gaze, but a part of it was certainly jealousy. The Smiling Demon was the first one who had pestered me to be friends. And now, the Drunken Demon was in that same position, pestering me to call him "older brother."
Two men who were so similar, yet entirely different.
Would the day ever come when I could sit with a maskless Smiling Demon and a sober Drunken Demon?
The Smiling Demon had said that the smell of alcohol on the Drunken Demon made him feel ill. Yet, he showed no sign of it here. If he hadn't told me beforehand, I would never have known he felt that way. Only the formal politeness between Demon Lords passed between them.
“I heard you left the Cult with the Second Young Master and then returned,” the Drunken Demon said.
“I did.”
“You must have learned a lot about him then.”
The Smiling Demon glanced at me and said, “The Second Young Master is someone far removed from the likes of you or me.”
“That far?”
“Very far.”
The Smiling Demon, who had once called me a villain just like himself, was giving the Drunken Demon entirely different information.
“If anything, the Blade Demon is the one closest to the Second Young Master.”
The Drunken Demon reacted with surprise. “The senior Blade Demon? Not our Sword Venerable?”
Then, the Smiling Demon looked at the One Flower Sword Venerable and said something unexpected.
“Is the Sword Venerable not just like us? As her friend, surely you knew.”
A sudden silence fell.
The One Flower Sword Venerable’s expression stiffened slightly.
What had the Smiling Demon seen in her to make such a comment? Among the Eight Demon Lords, she was known as the one who least resembled a demon.
Then, the Blood Heaven Blade Demon barked out.
“What nonsense is this! The Sword Venerable is nothing like the likes of you.”
In the end, the one who stepped up for her was the Blade Demon.
“How dare you judge anyone when you hide behind a mask? She is a far better person than you.”
Having restrained himself several times throughout the night, he had finally exploded.
Despite his fierce reaction, the Smiling Demon didn't get angry; he simply laughed. This only infuriated the Blade Demon further, and he looked ready to unsheathe the Heaven Extermination Great Blade at any moment.
Then, the One Flower Sword Venerable spoke in a low, cold tone.
“Do you think I enjoy it when you step in like that?”
The Blade Demon surely knew she would react this way, yet he had stepped in anyway. He simply downed cup after cup of the liquor in front of him.
Then, the Sword Venerable said something surprising.
“But… he might be right.”
The Blade Demon looked down at his empty cup and said, “Yes, perhaps he is.”
The Blade Demon hadn't stepped in blindly just to defend her.
“We might be even more hypocritical and wicked than whatever is behind that mask. That’s true.”
The Sword Venerable’s eyes trembled slightly at the Blade Demon’s sincere words.
“Who are we to say who is what kind of person? Just… at least don't get caught in front of those two. Don't let yourself be toyed with by a masked freak and a drunkard!”
The Drunken Demon chimed in softly. “Why bring me into this when I was staying quiet?”
“You’re the same! You devious, pretentious bastard! You might fool everyone else, but you can’t fool my eyes. You two! Get away from the Second Young Master!”
The Blade Demon had finally poured out his heart, unable to hold back any longer. Though he was stubborn, he was usually a man of deep calculation, but because this involved me and the Sword Venerable, his emotions had gotten the better of him.
On the other hand, seeing the other two grinning despite the insults and sipping their drinks, I couldn't help but think they really did look like a pair of true villains.
The Blood Heaven Blade Demon stood up and offered me an apology.
“Second Young Master, I’m sorry for ruining the mood. I didn't intend to be the first to leave today.”
“No, Elder. You aren't the one leaving first.”
“What do you mean?”
“We’re ending the party here for today.”
I looked at the other three Demon Lords and said, “Shall we call it a night?”
The Drunken Demon emptied his final cup. “Are you hammering down the embedded stone so it won't fall out?”
“Of course. How can I keep drinking when the Elder is leaving in anger? Lord Blade Demon is my wing. If my wing takes flight, I must follow.”
I made it clear that the embedded stone could not be easily removed. It was my way of showing gratitude to the man who had come all this way for me.
— Thank you, Elder.
Perhaps moved by my Voice Transmission, the Blade Demon turned his head to look out the window.
The Drunken Demon said with a laugh, “I’ll give up on being a wing, so let’s just be brothers.”
Then the Smiling Demon added, “And be friends with me.”
The One Flower Sword Venerable didn't stay silent either. Though her mood had dampened, she couldn't let this moment pass.
“I am already a special friend.”
Everyone looked at her with puzzled expressions, but she simply looked proud of herself, not revealing that we were sparring friends.
“Now, I will leave you with one final word.”
I once again released the aura I had shown earlier. Exuding a presence full of dignity and majesty, I spoke to them.
“I speak to you as the future Heavenly Demon who will lead you. As I said before, you may fight as much as you wish within my fence. Hate, be jealous, fight… Ah! You people are too much!”
The Demon Lords had all leaped away, vanishing into the night. They hadn't just left; they had each used their ultimate lightness skills to disappear in an instant.
“I told you to listen until the end! Lord Blade Demon! Even you, Elder!”
But they were already gone.
I sat back down with a smile. Though the seats were empty, it felt as if their heat still lingered. Looking down at the first floor, I saw Jo Chun-bae clutching the banknote the Drunken Demon had tossed him, staring longingly at the spot where the Demon Lords had vanished.
“Innkeeper, come have a drink with me.”
“I would be honored, Pavilion Master.”
Jo Chun-bae came up and poured a drink into my cup. I poured one for him in return. We emptied our cups together. My mental energy had been drained from dealing with the Demon Lords, but drinking with Jo Chun-bae like this put my mind at ease.
Jo Chun-bae glanced at me and asked tentatively, “Is it difficult?”
“Do I look like I’m struggling?”
“I was just wondering how hard it must be to deal with those Demon Lords.”
“Yes, it is hard.”
When I answered honestly, Jo Chun-bae gave a wide grin. The wrinkles on his face, earned from dealing with all sorts of customers and the hardships of life, looked particularly dignified today.
“Do you know what my wife whispers in my ear while hugging me when I’m having a hard time?”
“What does she say?”
“‘You’re so weak.’”
I let out a loud laugh. I knew well how much those two loved each other. I also knew that sometimes, a joke like that can be more empowering than a heartfelt consolation.
Jo Chun-bae said playfully, “Shall I say it for you?”
“No, I don't think that will be necessary. The person who should say it has arrived.”
“Pardon? Who?”
In that instant, Jo Chun-bae felt an immense presence behind him. Every hair on his body stood on end; it was a sensation on a completely different level than when he was with the Demon Lords. Jo Chun-bae cautiously turned around.
“Eek!”
Terrified, Jo Chun-bae scrambled to prostrate himself on the floor.
My father was standing there, having ascended the stairs unnoticed. Father sat down across from me and spoke.
“You’re so weak.”
I smiled and said to Jo Chun-bae, “Innkeeper, close up the shop. We’re going to need a fresh table set here!”