Chapter 610: The Heavenly Demon is Overworked
Chapter 610: The Heavenly Demon is Overworked
At the distant tolling of a bell, Geom Mu-geuk rose from his high-backed chair.
"Finally, it’s over!"
It was only his first day as the Acting Cult Leader, yet he had never felt a day drag on so long. He would have much rather spent the time training or locked in a bloody struggle.
As he descended the stairs to leave the Heavenly Demon Hall, Hwi deactivated his stealth and revealed himself.
"Uncle."
"You should address me as Captain Hwi from now on."
"I’ll stick to 'Uncle' when it’s just the two of us."
Hwi’s gaze softened as he looked at Mu-geuk. After their recent journey together with Mu-geuk's father, the two had grown closer than ever. They had come to truly understand one another.
"Your quarters have been prepared in the Inner Court of the Heavenly Demon Hall. You are to stay there for the time being."
Since he was filling the Cult Leader’s shoes, he was naturally accorded the treatment and protection befitting the position.
As they walked through the Inner Court, Mu-geuk asked cautiously, "Father is doing well, right?"
"He is fine."
"Then that’s all that matters."
Mu-geuk had worried there might be a hidden reason behind this sudden closed-door training. Fortunately, he couldn't detect a hint of concern from Hwi. If anyone could give an accurate answer regarding his father’s well-being, it was Hwi.
"This is the room."
Hwi led him to a chamber directly across from his father’s primary quarters.
"Isn't this also a room Father uses?"
"It is. He often read and meditated here. He gave specific instructions that this room be given to the Young Cult Leader."
While not as grand as the main bedroom, the room was elegantly and luxuriously decorated. The bookshelves and tea table appeared ordinary at first glance, but they were masterpieces crafted by master furniture makers.
The room featured a large bed covered in clean, plush bedding. Mu-geuk sat on the edge of the mattress and let out a long sigh.
"I finally understand why Father goes to bed so early. After spending the day worrying and working like that, how could he not fall asleep instantly?"
Hwi, the man who had witnessed that toil from the closest vantage point, simply offered a faint smile.
"I shall take my leave now. Call for me if you need anything."
"What I need is Father! Please, go and bring him back."
Just as he was teasing Hwi and seeing him out, something caught Mu-geuk’s eye.
"Wait... this is...!"
Startled, Mu-geuk walked over to a display cabinet. Something was resting on one of the shelves.
To his astonishment, they were the Demon Lord dolls sold in the Ma Clan Village.
All Eight Demon Lords were there, and in the very center stood a doll of Mu-geuk himself.
Back when Han Seol had visited the Heavenly Demon Divine Cult, a merchant selling dolls in the Ma Clan Village had mentioned that a doll of the Young Cult Leader would be released soon. It seemed the doll had been produced while Mu-geuk was away handling the affairs of the Yellow Dragon Martial Arts Hall.
However, Mu-geuk wasn't shocked because a doll of him existed.
"Why is this here?"
Demon Lord dolls in his father’s private room?
Hwi only maintained his thin smile.
"No way... Did Father buy these?"
To Mu-geuk's surprise, Hwi nodded.
"Before entering closed-door training, the Cult Leader had a drink at the Pungryu Tavern in the Ma Clan Village. On his way back that day, he saw the Young Cult Leader doll and bought the entire set."
It meant that despite showing no interest before, he had bought them the moment he saw his son’s doll. He likely bought the other Demon Lords as well because buying just one felt awkward.
Mu-geuk could picture the scene: his father, returning from a drink at the tavern with a slight flush on his face, stopping to buy the dolls.
The fact that he bought them was touching enough, but seeing them displayed like this moved Mu-geuk even more.
"Wait here a moment."
Mu-geuk dashed out of the room.
A moment later, he returned with something in his hand. He had used his Rapid Speed Step to fly out and buy a Heavenly Demon doll. Among the displayed figures, his father’s doll had been the only one missing.
He moved his own doll from the center to the side and placed his father’s doll in the middle.
"Now it’s complete."
Hwi’s smile deepened as he watched.
Normally, Hwi should have cleared the dolls away before giving Mu-geuk the room. The Cult Leader was not the type of man who wanted his son to see such sentimental things.
However, Hwi had intentionally left them. He wanted Mu-geuk to know the Cult Leader’s heart. The man he served would never express his feelings to his son any other way.
"Then, please rest well."
As Hwi closed the door, he saw Mu-geuk staring at the dolls.
I’m glad I didn’t move them, Hwi thought.
*
The next morning, Mu-geuk had Hwi assemble the guards.
"Gather the entire Heavenly Demon Hall Guard. Include my personal guards from my quarters as well."
Hwi felt a surge of tension. It was no small matter to summon the entire guard detail.
"Understood."
Hwi obeyed without questioning the reason.
A short while later, the warriors of the guard gathered in the rear garden of the Heavenly Demon Hall.
The Heavenly Demon Divine Cult had many guard units, but the Heavenly Demon Hall Guard was undoubtedly the most elite. In particular, the team leaders who protected the Cult Leader alongside Hwi possessed formidable skills. Though their rank was 'Team Leader,' their strength surpassed that of most Unit Leaders.
Mu-geuk’s twelve personal guards, including their leader Jeok-yeon, were also summoned.
They were incredibly tense. Only those guarding the Cult Leader were permitted to enter the Heavenly Demon Hall. Not only was Captain Hwi present, but the other guards were all legendary seniors to them.
Mu-geuk greeted them warmly first.
"Hey, my guards! It’s been so long I almost forgot what you looked like."
"We greet the Young Cult Leader!"
They shouted in unison, performing a crisp fist salute.
Mu-geuk walked up to Jeok-yeon.
"I bet the ladies are lining up to see you now, aren't they?"
Jeok-yeon, who used to wear a blindfold out of awkwardness even after mastering the Ghost Eye Technique, had finally taken it off.
"Not at all!"
I don’t even remember the last time I visited the marketplace because I’ve been so busy training!
If they had been alone, he might have answered like that. But he couldn't say such things in front of his seniors. Jeok-yeon felt a sense of shame before Hwi and the others. He felt they hadn't been performing their duties properly.
Everyone knew Mu-geuk was a free spirit who preferred to travel alone, but the fact remained that they hadn't been by his side.
"You’ve all been training hard."
Mu-geuk could tell just by their stance how much effort they had put in. Indeed, they had devoted themselves to their martial arts while waiting for him. As a result, they were significantly stronger than when they had first met.
After gathering all the guards, Mu-geuk scanned the crowd with a calm yet dignified gaze.
"Captain Hwi, I have a request."
"Please, speak."
"While I am serving as Acting Cult Leader, I wish to be guarded by my own personal guards."
The statement caught everyone off guard—not just Hwi, but the veteran Heavenly Demon guards as well. Mu-geuk’s guards were essentially the 'juniors' of the organization, yet he was entrusting his safety to them.
"I want to give them a chance to gain experience."
After a moment of thought, Hwi replied respectfully, "Understood. It shall be as you wish."
Jeok-yeon and the other guards were overjoyed. Finally, they were being given a proper mission to protect Mu-geuk, and within the Heavenly Demon Hall no less.
But that wasn't the only reason Mu-geuk had called them.
"I have one more request."
"Speak."
"With the exception of my personal guards and Captain Hwi, I am granting the rest of the guards a full vacation."
This time, the shock was even greater.
"This is my first official order as Acting Cult Leader."
He hammered it home as a command. In truth, the person he wanted to give a vacation to most was Hwi, but he knew Hwi would never accept it, so he excluded him.
Hwi realized what was happening. Mu-geuk was using this opportunity to give the guards a much-needed rest.
"I have the authority to disobey orders that conflict with my duties as the Guard Captain," Hwi noted. It was the greatest privilege granted to his position.
"I am aware."
"May I ask the reason for this?"
Hwi guessed the reason, but he asked intentionally so the subordinates could hear Mu-geuk’s heart.
"Because an opportunity like this doesn't come often."
Even during their trip together, the guards hadn't been able to rest. Though they didn't move in the open, they had to remain on standby in the shadows, constantly communicating with Hwi.
Mu-geuk turned his gaze toward the guards.
"Rest well while Father is away. Visit your hometowns, travel with your families. Catch up on all the sleep you’ve missed."
The guards were stunned. Who could have imagined the Young Cult Leader would grant them a vacation? They didn't know how to react.
Mu-geuk looked back at Hwi.
"Will you disobey?"
If Mu-geuk had tried to exclude Hwi from duty as well, he might have. But he couldn't deny that this was a golden opportunity for his subordinates to rest.
"No. I gratefully accept your command."
As the vacation was finalized, an uncontrollable joy flickered across the guards' faces. It wasn't that they worked every single day without fail—they took turns resting—but a proper, official vacation like this was something they had never even dreamed of.
"Here, divide this among yourselves."
Mu-geuk handed them an envelope. Inside was enough money for them to enjoy their time off to the fullest. Regardless of the amount, they were deeply moved by the gesture.
"Everyone, go and get some proper rest."
"Thank you!"
Their thunderous response was filled with genuine gratitude.
The Heavenly Demon Hall guards withdrew, and Hwi left with them. Knowing Hwi’s personality, he wouldn't just send them all off at once. He would coordinate schedules and check emergency contact networks. He had much to do.
Now, only Jeok-yeon and his team remained.
"Are you disappointed you don't get a vacation?"
Jeok-yeon spoke for the group. "We were disappointed because we haven't been able to work!"
Since the seniors were gone, he could be honest.
"Can you protect me well?"
"Yes!"
"I’m counting on you."
The eyes of Jeok-yeon and the other guards burned with determination. One day, they would grow to be like the seniors who had just left. Just as Hwi stood by his father, Jeok-yeon would stand by him.
"Jeok-yeon!"
"Yes!"
Mu-geuk called out in a solemn voice, but his next words caught Jeok-yeon off guard.
"Now that your blindfold is off, shall we go pick up some girls?"
Jeok-yeon’s face turned bright red. "Absolutely not."
Mu-geuk’s shoulders slumped, and he let out a long, dramatic sigh as he walked away.
"Right, we can't. Yesterday’s work is still piled up like a mountain."
*
Sama Myeong added another thick stack of documents next to the ones left over from yesterday.
"Don't tell me all of those are things I have to handle today?"
"Yes, that is correct."
Mu-geuk shook his head at Sama Myeong’s answer.
"All of this happened in just one day? No, right? You just made these up, didn't you?"
Sama Myeong played along with the joke. "Yes, I stayed up all night making them up, so I didn't get a wink of sleep."
Mu-geuk groaned. "How can so much happen in a single day!"
The strategists of the Tongcheon Pavilion must have been sorting through information from all over the Central Plains until late at night. Sama Myeong likely hadn't slept much either.
"The person who really needs a vacation is right here."
Since Sama Myeong didn't ask what he meant, he clearly already knew about the guards' vacation.
"If we leave our posts, the Cult’s affairs will be paralyzed."
"So what if they are?"
"Pardon?"
"Let it be paralyzed for ten days. We’ll send an official missive to the Murim Alliance and the Unorthodox Path Alliance. Tell them: 'We’re resting for ten days, so don't you dare touch us! If you do, it’s war in ten days!'"
Sama Myeong laughed at the suggestion of starting a war right after a vacation.
"We take turns resting, so do not worry too much."
But Mu-geuk knew. Sama Myeong himself worked every day without rest.
"I’m not worried about the younger strategists. I’m worried about you, Chief Strategist."
"I am fine. The Cult Leader taught me a mental cultivation method years ago. I practice it once when I wake up and once before I sleep. Thanks to that, I am very healthy."
It made sense; his father would certainly care about Sama Myeong’s health. Sama Myeong was an indispensable pillar of the Cult.
Right, the best way to help him is to finish this work as quickly as possible.
"Alright, let’s pick up the pace today."
His processing speed was noticeably faster than the day before. As they worked together, Sama Myeong discovered a great strength in Mu-geuk.
Mu-geuk asked questions. He wasn't ashamed of what he didn't know. And once he learned something, he made a conscious effort to remember it.
As a strategist, Sama Myeong considered this an invaluable trait. He knew from experience that pretending to know something when you didn't could lead to catastrophe.
That was why he always told his subordinates: Don't pretend to know what you don't. It’s fine to be slow, and it’s fine to look ignorant, but never feign knowledge.
As Mu-geuk flipped through a document, he asked Sama Myeong, "Wait, did Father even decide on things like this?"
"Yes, he did. The Cult Leader used to say that if one does not understand the small details within the Cult, one cannot make the big decisions."
Mu-geuk found it hard to believe his father had said such a thing. The more he worked, the more he discovered new sides of the man.
"My father was the most misunderstood person in the world. Even by his own son."
While the people of the Murim imagined the Heavenly Demon indulging in all sorts of pleasures and bloody banquets, his father had been silently working for the sake of the Cult. And even in the midst of that, he had looked after the Demon Lords in his own way.
"The Heavenly Demon was overworked."
If I had known it was like this, I would have let him win at fishing.