Chapter 207: I Intend to Respond to His Courtesy
Chapter 207: I Intend to Respond to His Courtesy
When I entered the Extreme Evil Smiling Demon’s room, the first thing I saw was the wall with the long line carved into it.
The Smiling Demon was facing the opposite wall, his back to the mark.
“I definitely prefer the color of this wall,” I joked.
At my words, he turned to look at me. My eyes met the pupils deep within the hollow sockets of his mask. It was strange to think I could see the emotion of joy within those dark holes.
Though we communicated only through the gaze within that mask, we shared a connection deeper than I had with almost anyone else.
“Your mask has changed.”
“As expected, the Second Young Master notices immediately.”
The reason for the change was unexpected.
“Blue Face brought me several masks he made. As he handed them over, he told me he wanted to live a new life. He said he was going to stand by someone with a ‘kind heart.’”
Blue Face had finally accepted the position of the Ghost Shadow 1st Team Leader.
“So, did you take his arm?” I asked.
In the past, the Smiling Demon had said he wouldn't let Blue Face leave unless he cut off an arm first.
“I didn’t.”
“Why not?”
“Didn’t I say I would tell the Second Young Master before I did? But since you were away from the Cult, I couldn't very well cut it, could I?”
That wasn't the real reason. He had simply let Blue Face go so he could live the life he wanted.
Well done, Smiling Demon. If things had continued as they were, Blue Face would never have reached the level of a Demon Lord; he would have lived a miserable, stagnant life until old age.
“You’re a good man.”
“Do you really think so?”
“Yes. I sincerely think you’re wonderful.”
“Now that I’ve heard such praise, I suppose I won't be able to go around taking arms in the future.”
The eyes within the mask were smiling. At least in his relationship with me, he wasn't the ‘Extreme Evil,’ but simply the Smiling Demon.
“I heard the news that you left the Cult with the Fist Demon.”
“I went out to slack off, but I returned as the Fist Demon’s disciple.”
At the mention of me becoming the Fist Demon’s disciple, the Extreme Evil Smiling Demon sprang to his feet.
“Then you must be even better at fighting now!”
He didn't care whether my master was the Fist Demon or not. He was simply excited that I had become stronger.
“Yes, I’ve become quite a bit stronger!”
The Extreme Evil Smiling Demon was the person I felt most comfortable saying such things to. Just as my father and the Fist Demon had associated with each other in their youth, such was the bond between the Smiling Demon and me.
“Lord Smiling Demon, I have a request.”
I was inwardly trembling. How would he take my request?
“I want to kill Ya Yul-han of the Unorthodox Path Alliance. To do that, I need my father’s permission. Please help me persuade him.”
The Extreme Evil Smiling Demon answered without a moment's hesitation.
“I will.”
He didn't ask anything. Not why I had to kill him, nor how I planned to do it.
My heart swelled at his attitude—the sense that he would have agreed no matter what I asked. He was the one person in this world who would do it simply because it was my request.
I was happy. It had been a long time since I felt such pure joy. I felt the urge to jump up and down in excitement.
“Thank you so much.”
I suppose I had been feeling a bit hurt deep down, even while understanding the other Demon Lords' refusals. I could tell by how good I felt right now.
I didn't know you would accept so easily.
I almost said it, but stopped. I felt as though no words could truly express my gratitude. Instead, I conveyed my thanks in a different way.
“If permission is granted, please join me then.”
Smiling Demon, let’s go. Let’s go and have another magnificent fight together. That is all I can offer you. And… thank you, truly.
Seeing the heat in my gaze, the Extreme Evil Smiling Demon laughed pleasantly.
“Very well.”
The more dangerous the fight, the more it would make his blood boil.
“Who else has agreed so far?”
“Lord Smiling Demon is the only one who has explicitly said he would persuade my father.”
“Am I the first?”
“Yes. You are the first.”
Technically, the Blood Heaven Blade Demon and the Fist Demon hadn't explicitly promised to persuade him yet. Of course, the Blood Heaven Blade Demon would step forward. The Fist Demon would as well. That made three Demon Lords who would definitely help.
“That makes me feel strangely good.”
“Thank you for being my first.”
I looked at the long line on the opposite wall. The Smiling Demon’s gaze followed mine.
I hope that wall stays there for a long time.
I didn't say this aloud. I knew he felt the same way without needing words. Later, when I became the Heavenly Demon, I intended to take that wall and hang it in the Heavenly Demon Hall.
*
When I went to find the Fist Demon, he was standing at the base of a cliff. I stood side-by-side with him.
Did this cliff look different to him now that he had returned from his travels?
“Lord Extreme Evil Smiling Demon said he would speak for me.”
The Fist Demon turned to look at me with a surprised expression.
“The Smiling Demon did?”
It seemed unexpected to him that the Smiling Demon, of all people, would be the first.
“Are you two close?”
“We are.”
“He isn't an easy man to get close to.”
“By that logic, Master, are you an easy person?” I continued as I looked up at the cliff. “You’re a man who intends to bring this cliff down in a single blow.”
The Fist Demon’s gaze followed mine toward the precipice. The wall we were looking at now wasn't this physical cliff. It was a wall much higher and sturdier than this.
“The Cult Leader will not permit this. Saving those young people might be important to you, but to the Cult Leader, it is a matter of no importance at all. To be honest, it’s the same for me. And likely for the other Demon Lords as well.”
I understood my father and the Demon Lords. That was simply the kind of people they were. Even their current states were so changed that they could be considered different people entirely compared to my past life.
Nevertheless, the reason I worked so hard for change was my belief that only if we changed would our martial arts change, and only then would our destiny change. If I just let everything pass by as I did in my previous life…
“Because they aren't important to me. Because it has nothing to do with me.” If I lived a life letting everything pass by like that, just as I did before my regression… I felt as though I would be swept away again by Hwa Mu-gi, who had appeared like fate.
Master, just as you cannot bring down this cliff unless you change who you are.
“As we discussed in the Snowy Mountains, the Cult Leader dreams of the Unification of the Murim. If you kill Ya Yul-han, it will create a variable in the grand design the Cult Leader is drawing. He won't give his permission easily.”
“Then I must create that variable all the more. Because I fully intend to stop my father’s Unification of the Murim at all costs.”
I was firm, and the Fist Demon stared silently at my stubbornness.
“Will you persuade my father, Master?”
The Fist Demon fell into a final contemplation. Why wouldn't he also wish to avoid a conflict with my father? No, because he was the Fist Demon, that desire was likely the strongest.
Eventually, he nodded.
“I will.”
“Thank you, Master.”
This was why. This was why I had taken him as my master. Because he was a man who did not back down, even when the path was difficult.
I hadn't received a final answer from the Blood Heaven Blade Demon, but I didn't go to check with him again. I was certain he would help me.
And my certainty was accurate. The first person to go meet my father was the Blood Heaven Blade Demon.
*
The Blood Heaven Blade Demon, having walked the Path of Blood, stopped before the Grand Tutor’s Chair.
“It has been a long time.”
At the Blood Heaven Blade Demon’s polite greeting, Heavenly Demon Geom Wu-jin spoke.
“Are you the one to lead the vanguard?”
Geom Wu-jin already had an inkling of why he had come.
“What else can I do? A young man wants to do something big; the least an old man can do is lend his voice.”
“When a young fellow tries to cause reckless trouble, shouldn't we elders stop him?”
“True. When I think back to our own youth, we were quite immature. But then again, was there ever a time when we were as passionate as we were then?”
“Do you lack passion now?”
“If these burnt-out embers count as passion, then I suppose I have some.”
The words were exchanged calmly, but the Heavenly Demon Hall was filled with a tense energy. Geom Wu-jin rose from the Grand Tutor’s Chair and slowly descended the stairs.
“Shall we walk a bit?”
“That sounds good.”
Geom Wu-jin walked out of the Heavenly Demon Hall with the Blood Heaven Blade Demon, following the Path of Blood. The two walked together across the front courtyard of the hall.
“He asked me in the middle of the Great Training Ground. He asked for permission to kill Ya Yul-han. It wasn't a request; it was a declaration.”
The Blood Heaven Blade Demon asked in a more relaxed tone, “Children are a headache, aren't they?”
A smile, one that Geom Mu-geuk never saw, touched Geom Wu-jin’s lips.
“You should experience it yourself. It’s a pity.”
“That is the one area where I am happier than you, Cult Leader. Please don't even joke about such things.”
There had been a time when the two of them spoke even more comfortably than this. If he had known time would pass so quickly, he would have spent more time with the Cult Leader. The Blood Heaven Blade Demon felt a sudden pang of regret. What had he spent all that time doing?
“I don't know about the other Demon Lords, but I didn't expect you to be so taken with the boy. What exactly do you like about him that made you cave like this?”
“I’ve thought about that several times myself, but I have nothing to say except this: your son has a strange charm.”
“A strange charm, you say.”
This time, the Blood Heaven Blade Demon spoke. “Haven't you felt it? I think you must have felt it too, Cult Leader.”
“I called it a cheap sentimentality that’s perfect for getting oneself killed.”
Geom Wu-jin didn't go as far as to say that his definition of ‘cheap sentimentality’ had shifted toward ‘innocent sentimentality.’
“I’ve fallen head over heels for that cheap sentimentality,” the Blood Heaven Blade Demon admitted.
A faint smile appeared on the Blood Heaven Blade Demon’s lips as well. Though he had come for a sensitive and important matter, he enjoyed this conversation after such a long time.
“Cult Leader, why don't you just let him win this once?”
At the suggestive remark, Geom Wu-jin shook his head firmly.
“If Bi Sa-in takes the position of the Unorthodox Path Alliance Leader in the future, Ya Yul-han will remain a thorn in the Alliance's side for a long time. The current Alliance Leader might even deal with Ya Yul-han himself before he dies. There is no reason for us to eliminate him.”
“In exchange, Bi Sa-in will owe the Second Young Master a great debt for this. There is as much to gain as there is to lose.”
“Unorthodox practitioners are a breed that holds onto grudges for a long time but never remembers a favor.”
“But the Second Young Master will remember. He will remember that his father made a great concession for him.”
Geom Wu-jin stood with his hands behind his back, silently looking over the grounds of the Heavenly Demon Divine Cult. The Blood Heaven Blade Demon didn't push any further. He had said all he needed to say.
Just then, another person appeared. It was the Fist Demon, who had been on his way to the Heavenly Demon Hall.
“Are you planning to take me on in shifts?”
At Geom Wu-jin’s joke, the Blood Heaven Blade Demon laughed and replied, “I’m curious to know why that big fist of his caved in.”
In the meantime, the Fist Demon approached them.
“Have you been well?”
After bowing politely to Geom Wu-jin, the Fist Demon also greeted the Blood Heaven Blade Demon. “You arrived first.”
“I thought you might come as well, Fist Demon. By the way, congratulations on taking the Second Young Master as your disciple.”
Geom Wu-jin chimed in. “Is that something to congratulate? It’s something to offer condolences for.”
The Fist Demon’s gaze locked with Geom Wu-jin’s. It was a look filled with a deep trust that only the two of them could feel. That was why this situation was difficult for the Fist Demon. Fortunately, the presence of the Blood Heaven Blade Demon kept the atmosphere from becoming too heavy.
“Since I can guess why you’ve come, why don't you two launch a combined attack?”
“I’m not sure if a combined attack is the wise choice. He’s the type who gets stronger the stronger his opponent is.”
And you’re the one who knows that best! With that expression, Geom Wu-jin asked the Fist Demon, “Why did you cave for the boy?”
“I suppose I lost my mind after slacking off for the first time in my life.”
Geom Wu-jin wasn't satisfied with that answer. “Tell me the real reason.”
The Fist Demon fell into thought for a moment before revealing his honest feelings. It was an unexpected answer.
“I suppose I’ve been lonely all this time.”
Both Geom Wu-jin and the Blood Heaven Blade Demon were startled. They truly hadn't expected the word ‘lonely’ to come out of the Fist Demon’s mouth.
“On the way back, we had a lightness skill race at the very end. He was so fast I couldn't catch him. As I was walking along by myself, do you know what I thought? I was bored. For the first time in my life, I felt the weight of solitude.”
The Fist Demon added as he looked at Geom Wu-jin, “I suppose that’s why I caved.”
The gazes of the Fist Demon and Geom Wu-jin met in the air. The Fist Demon carefully spoke the words he had been thinking all the way here.
“He is my first disciple, and as his master, I wanted to be of help, so I have come to commit an act of rudeness. I am sorry, Cult Leader.”
The Fist Demon bowed his head deeply in apology. Because his loyalty to the Heavenly Demon was incomparable to any other Demon Lord, Geom Wu-jin did not rebuke him.
Then, Geom Wu-jin’s gaze shifted over the Fist Demon’s shoulder.
“Even if I can somehow understand the two of you, I cannot understand that man at all.”
Another person was walking toward them. It was the Extreme Evil Smiling Demon, wearing a white mask. After bowing politely to the Heavenly Demon, he exchanged greetings with the Blood Heaven Blade Demon and the Fist Demon.
Then, he said something completely unexpected.
“I was supposed to be number one, but it seems I’ve been cut in line by you two.”
It was hard enough to understand why he had stepped forward, but to make a joke like that? The Blood Heaven Blade Demon spoke on behalf of the three who were already there.
“It seems everyone goes a bit mad once they get involved with the Second Young Master.”
Geom Wu-jin asked the Extreme Evil Smiling Demon, “What about you? What is your reason?”
The moment he was asked, the Extreme Evil Smiling Demon remembered the moment I had caught his slipping mask. That was all it took. He wouldn't have answered if anyone else had asked, but because it was Geom Wu-jin, he replied.
“The Second Young Master is a man who knows courtesy.”
At those words, not only Geom Wu-jin but also the Blood Heaven Blade Demon and the Fist Demon were shocked. The word ‘courtesy’ coming from the Extreme Evil Smiling Demon? Since when did he care about such things?
The three of them could feel it. The ‘courtesy’ he spoke of wasn't common etiquette, but something more fundamental. It was a basic decency toward other human beings.
“I intend to respond to the courtesy the Second Young Master has shown me.”
The Extreme Evil Smiling Demon turned around and removed his mask. Then, he put on a new mask he had brought in his robes and slowly turned back.
It wasn't the plain white mask he had worn until now. It was a terrifying mask of a laughing demon. The eyes, painted red, were slit long like a ghost's, and the blood-red mouth was pulled up in a grin all the way to the ears. This was the Immortal Ghost Mask that the Extreme Evil Smiling Demon wore when going to war.
“Please grant the Second Young Master’s request.”
The Extreme Evil Smiling Demon had come here with the mindset of going onto a battlefield. He was prepared for the Heavenly Demon’s wrath and was willing to risk falling out of favor. He had come here today prepared to die.
As if to show that this was what it took to persuade the Cult Leader, the two eyes within the mask shone more intensely than ever before.
“This is the first and last request I will ever make of you.”