Chapter 334: Do You Like the Extreme Evil Smiling Demon That Much?
Chapter 334: Do You Like the Extreme Evil Smiling Demon That Much?
The next morning, an unexpected visitor arrived at my quarters.
It was Jang Ho.
“Young Cult Leader.”
“What brings you here so early?”
“I heard you had returned and came to pay my respects. Was your journey well?”
“I’ve had enough sandstorms to last a lifetime.”
“I’ve never been to the Outer Lands, so I’ve always wanted to visit at least once.”
“Once you’re chewing on grit with every mouthful of rice, you’ll realize exactly why I said it was grueling.”
Jang Ho chuckled. He rarely smiled in front of his subordinates, so I was usually the only one privileged enough to see that handsome grin.
“Ah, and please accept this.”
Jang Ho held out an object wrapped in paper. When I unwrapped it, a drawing was revealed.
It was the back of a man standing on a cliff with a sword at his waist. I knew who it was the moment I saw it. It was me.
“Who is this terrifyingly handsome man?”
“It is you, Young Cult Leader. My skills are still lacking, but I wanted my first drawing to be of you. I didn't dare attempt to capture your face, so I drew your back instead.”
When he mentioned wanting to take up painting after retirement, I had bought him a set of artist's tools. I hadn't expected his first work to be of me.
“I didn't realize you were this talented.”
I wasn't just saying it to be nice. It was a magnificent piece, looking as though a professional artist had painted it.
“This is the first time I’ve ever received a painting as a gift.”
“It is also my first time giving one.”
“I should go brag to my father. I’ll tell him that even though the Demon Monarch receives his stipend from the Cult Leader, he gives his paintings to me.”
Jang Ho panicked, likely breaking into a sweat just imagining the scene, even though he knew I was joking.
“Please, anything but that.”
Amused by his flustered reaction, I continued my banter.
“I wonder how much I’d get if I took this to the Central Plains and sold it? If I say it’s a painting by a Demon Monarch of the Heavenly Demon Divine Cult, I could name my price. Won't you buy it? Really? You’re only offering that much?”
Jang Ho waved his hands frantically with a troubled expression, silently pleading for me to stop.
“Thank you. I’ll cherish it for the rest of my life.”
“Once my skills improve, I will paint a better one for you.”
“Paint my face next time. It’d be a waste to hide this handsome visage, wouldn't it?”
I didn't miss the slight flinch in Jang Ho’s reaction.
“What? Don't tell me you don't think I’m handsome?”
Now, Jang Ho began his counterattack.
“You have the kind of face that today’s youth would prefer.”
“But not a handsome one?”
He didn't answer, but his expression said it all.
“Then who do you think is handsome? Pick someone we both know.”
Would it be the Poison King? No, the Poison King looks younger than me, so probably not. The Extreme Evil Smiling Demon is certainly handsome, but there’s no way Jang Ho has seen under the mask. Ah, then it must be the Drunken Demon... I was running through possibilities when he dropped an unexpected name.
“Is the Fist Demon not handsome?”
“What? Are you insane?”
The words slipped out before I could stop them.
“He is masculine and dignified. Is he not handsome?”
“You truly think so?”
“Yes.”
Realizing he was dead serious, I shook my head and sighed.
“I am truly disappointed in your taste. Please, tell me you’re joking before you leave!”
Jang Ho laughed as if he had expected this reaction. However, he didn't back down.
“Then, I shall see you again.”
Jang Ho bowed politely and left my quarters.
Once he was gone, Jeok-yeon and the other guards came over to admire the painting.
“It’s a fine painting.”
“Isn't it? To think he was going to let such talent go to waste. You all should find a hobby too. For the sake of your lives, one stroke of a brush might be better than a hundred strokes of a blade.”
Knowing that I truly meant these words now, the guards responded vigorously.
“Understood, Young Cult Leader!”
I said as I stepped out of my quarters.
“I’ll ask you about it later, so make sure to think of something. Oh, and hang that painting somewhere visible in my room. I’m heading to Villain Valley. You don't need to follow.”
*
When I entered Villain Valley, the atmosphere was different than usual.
It was festive.
Every building was vibrantly decorated, and the masks of the Faceless Guests were all painted in bright, flamboyant colors. Bonfires were lit everywhere for roasting meat, and jars of liquor were being carried about. These weren't the usual intimidating masks. Everyone was in high spirits today.
I asked a Faceless Guest who recognized me and bowed.
“What’s going on?”
“Today is the Demon Lord’s birthday.”
“It’s the Extreme Evil Smiling Demon’s birthday?”
“That is correct.”
“Don't tell him I was here.”
For now, I turned back and left Villain Valley.
I hadn't known it was the Smiling Demon’s birthday. If I hadn't known, that would be one thing, but now that I did, I couldn't go in empty-handed.
What should I give him?
In the past, for the Blood Heaven Blade Demon’s birthday, I had given him a top-grade Poison-Repelling Pearl. Our relationship back then was different from now, so even that had been a significant gift at the time.
After a moment of thought, I dashed straight to the Heavenly Demon Hall.
“I’ve come again because I missed you, Father.”
My father looked at me with suspicious eyes. Having visited yesterday and showing up again today was undoubtedly fishy.
“Would you like to play a game of Go?”
“I am busy.”
“Then how about a spar?”
“What is your business?”
I spoke to him cautiously.
“Please let me take just one more treasure from the Heavenly Demon Treasure Vault.”
Father didn't even ask why.
“Denied!”
Well, he had already opened it specially to celebrate my appointment as Young Cult Leader. It was only natural he’d refuse if I just barged in and asked for more.
“What must I do for you to grant it?”
“What can you possibly do?”
“I can massage your shoulders. I’ll do it for the rest of my life.”
“I loathe others touching my body.”
“Am I just 'others'?”
Of course, that attempt was futile.
“I’ll come to play Go every day.”
“Playing against an amateur only dulls my skills.”
“I will train diligently in martial arts every day.”
“Do as you wish.”
“Do you perhaps have a hidden daughter? A daughter you hid away and gave a fake identity to protect her? She’s growing up somewhere as a commoner, but now she’s in danger. 'My son, go secretly and rescue her. You are the only one I can trust. In exchange, I shall give you a treasure.' Something like that?”
The corners of my father’s mouth curled up in a smirk full of ridicule.
“If I were worried about her being in danger, wouldn't it be safer to keep her here in the Main Cult?”
“Well, maybe you hid her because you were worried about my ambition-crazed older brother.”
“Looking at your current state, I am more worried about you.”
“What could I possibly give to the man who has everything? Just give it to me!”
At my brazen demand, Father stood up from his Grand Tutor’s Chair. I expected him to ask if I needed a beating to snap out of it, but instead...
“Let us walk.”
I strolled through the Inner Court with my father. Every demonic cultist we passed bowed deeply and respectfully.
Surprisingly, the path led toward the Heavenly Demon Treasure Vault.
“Pick one and come out.”
His sudden compliance actually made me uneasy.
“Why are you giving in so easily?”
“So that vain desires do not accumulate.”
“What do you mean by that?”
“The desire to think, 'Once I become the Heavenly Demon, I shall use these to my heart's content.'”
I could see into my father’s heart.
“You’ve thought that far ahead?”
“Because it is that important. Both you and the Heavenly Demon Treasure Vault.”
The words 'both you' made my chest tighten with emotion.
What was even more surprising was that Father already knew.
“Do you like the Extreme Evil Smiling Demon that much?”
“So you knew.”
He knew today was the Smiling Demon’s birthday and had guessed that my visit was to get him a gift.
He could have asked what I liked so much about the man, but he didn't.
“Bring it out.”
A short while later, I emerged from the vault with a single treasure.
“Vain desires have not accumulated. Instead, my respect and affection for you have grown exponentially...”
Father didn't stay to hear the rest and walked away with long strides.
I stood for a moment, watching his back. Usually, his back felt large and dependable, yet lonely and desolate. It evoked all sorts of emotions, but today, I felt his deep affection for me.
When I first regressed, there was a part of me that felt confident because I had lived longer than my father. I’ve lived longer than you, Father! That was the sentiment.
But now I realized.
Regardless of having lived longer, and regardless of what kind of life I had led, there is a specific kind of strength that comes with being a father.
I want to be a father like him.
To others, I am full of flattery, banter, and jokes, but to my son, I want to be the kind of father who shows his love through silent actions. I had never desired children in my life, but in this moment, I felt a pang of longing.
Up ahead, Father stopped and looked back at me. Seeing the look in his eyes asking if I was coming, I strode toward him.
“I’ll visit every day to massage your shoulders, play Go, and give you plenty of pocket money. And... let’s go together! I wondered who the Demon Lords took after to leave like that. Father!”
*
When I arrived at the Extreme Evil Smiling Demon’s quarters, he was sitting alone in a stark white room. Even on his birthday, he remained like that.
“Lord Smiling Demon!”
“Young Cult Leader!”
The two eyes within the holes of his mask crinkled into a wide smile as he turned toward me. Was it because we communicated through our eyes? Just looking at the gaze of the Smiling Demon brought a lump to my throat.
“I saw you standing atop the statue yesterday.”
“I thought you might be weary from your long journey, so I intended to greet you from afar. How did your business go?”
“It was handled well. With the Pungcheon Cult Leader and the Demon Buddha there, nothing could have gone wrong even if it tried.”
Perhaps the Smiling Demon felt a twinge of regret for not being able to fight alongside us.
“By the way, happy birthday!”
“Thank you.”
“If I had been even two days later, I would have missed it.”
“It is not such a significant day.”
“It is a very important day. It’s the day you were born.”
At that, the Smiling Demon said something unexpected.
“To be honest, I dislike celebrating birthdays.”
“It didn't look that way outside; it’s a full-blown festival.”
The Smiling Demon walked to the window and looked out. I stood beside him. The area around his quarters was decorated even more lavishly. Faceless Guests were gathered out there, making a ruckus as if it were their own birthday.
“It wasn't always like this, but I told them to use my birthday as an excuse to play to their hearts' content today. I told them to share the gifts that came in from outside among themselves.”
The Smiling Demon was also showing a side of himself that had changed from the past.
I pulled out what I had brought from my robe and said, “Still, you can't give this gift away.”
The Smiling Demon recognized the gift I handed him instantly.
“This is...!”
His eyes trembled.
“It was just gathering dust in the storehouse, so I brought it in case you might need it.”
What I had brought from the Heavenly Demon Treasure Vault were wrist guards. One could feel their preciousness just by looking at them; one side was embroidered with a roaring black dragon, and the other with a leaping tiger.
The Ink Dragon Flying Tiger Armor.
Known to be impervious to swords and blades, and even capable of withstanding sword qi, it was considered one of the finest pieces of equipment among wrist guards. It was an essential treasure for someone like the Smiling Demon, who didn't use weapons, providing vital defense in dire situations.
The Smiling Demon’s gaze deepened as he looked down at them.
“No one in the world would call the Heavenly Demon Treasure Vault a 'storehouse'.”
He looked at me.
“Do you realize how precious this is?”
“I know that such a precious thing was only gathering dust in the vault.”
The Smiling Demon stared at me intently.
“You said a relationship should be as light as a feather to last long, didn't you? You said you didn't want to build an impregnable fortress with me? You said you wanted our relationship to be light so we could walk comfortably until we die? If you do this, what will you give me for my next birthday? And what am I supposed to give you in return?”
I looked at him silently for a moment.
“Can't you just think of it like this? 'In a past life, that Young Cult Leader must have committed a sin against me, so he’s trying to pay it back in this life.'”
“You already paid it back by saving my life.”
“Then I must have sinned twice.”
“Young Cult Leader!”
“Lord Smiling Demon!”
He was the kind of person who would be the first to come running if I were in danger. He was someone who would willingly throw away his life for me.
That was why I didn't need to worry about this gift being a burden to him. Whether I gave it to him or not, he would act the same way.
“Please accept it, Lord Smiling Demon.”
Our gazes locked in the air. In the end, he could not refuse my earnest wish.
“Very well.”
“Ah, what a relief. If you had refused until the end, my father would have teased me about this for the rest of my life.”
The Smiling Demon rolled up his sleeves and fastened the Ink Dragon Flying Tiger Armor onto both wrists. They suited him perfectly, complementing his white mask.
“It is the most precious birthday gift of my life.”
“If anyone ever breaks that record, please let me know. I can't stand being second best.”
His eyes, deep within the mask, conveyed his gratitude.
“What will you do if the other Demon Lords find out?”
“They’ll probably look forward to what I’ll give them on their birthdays.”
“And if you can't give them something?”
“Then they’ll just assume I like you the best.”
The Smiling Demon laughed out loud.
It was a pleasant laugh that I hadn't heard in a long time.
*
After leaving Villain Valley, I went straight to the Ma Clan Village.
I intended to visit the Pungryu Tavern to see Jo Chun-bae and have a meal.
The Ma Clan Village, which I hadn't visited in a while, was the same as when I left. The bustling marketplace was crowded with people.
Peddlers hawking their wares, an old man shouting for people to move as he pulled a cart, women browsing goods, men grabbing each other by the collar, lovers walking hand-in-hand with smiles, children running around, and mothers shouting at them not to run.
Seeing this scenery after a life-and-death struggle certainly made it look different.
Only by realizing that the daily life we take for granted might not be guaranteed can one find happiness in the mundane.
When I arrived at the Pungryu Tavern, I stood dazed for a moment, utterly shocked.
The doors to the tavern were closed. This was the first time I had ever seen this place shut. Was he sick? Or had something happened?
Just then, someone approached me.
“Young Cult Leader, I am the fruit seller from down the street.”
He was someone I saw often while passing through the village. He was also close with Jo Chun-bae.
“The owner of the Pungryu Tavern left with his wife a few days ago, saying there was trouble with her family.”
I knew that Jo Chun-bae and his wife were exceptionally close.
“Do you know what happened?”
“I didn't hear the details, but I overheard that someone in their family got involved with Murim people.”
My heart sank at the mention of Murim people. It was rarely easy to see a good outcome in such cases. Furthermore, the fact that he had closed the tavern and left in a hurry meant the situation was dire.
It had happened while I was away from the Cult. Since Lee An was also away, Seo Dae-ryong and Jang Ho probably hadn't been holding their tavern meetings lately either.
“Do you know where his wife’s family lives?”
Upon hearing the location, I immediately took flight.
I cleared the Ma Clan Village in an instant using the Rapid Speed Step. The best-case scenario was for me to arrive first; the next best was to arrive before it was too late.
I prayed it was nothing serious, but if they were caught up in something dangerous, I had to trust in the owner’s experience. He had seen all sorts of things while running that tavern.
Owner, just hold on until I get there!
My Rapid Speed Step, already at its peak, began to surpass its limits once again.