Chapter 104
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Translator: 8uhl
Chapter: 104
Chapter Title: He Who Looks into the Heart of a God (4)
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“Have a drink.”
“...It is an honor.”
*Trickle.*
The amber liquid drew an exquisite curve as it filled the empty cup.
The rich aroma of the spirit wafting through the air was intoxicatingly fragrant. Although Ji Unhoe did not normally drink, he felt a pull this time.
The scent was that fine, and his heart was that troubled.
“Drink up.”
Ji Unhoe respectfully turned his body to the side and drank the spirit.
It was clear that this liquor was worthy of its fame. Though strong, it felt as though it was fortifying his body.
“Is it good?”
“It is excellent.”
“Then that’s settled.”
Lee Cheonsang filled his own cup.
He poured for himself the same liquor he had offered Ji Unhoe. Yet, this simple act sent a jolt through Ji Unhoe. The fact that Lee Cheonsang was drinking what had become his was, in itself, a moving experience.
“Who did you hear it from?”
The question, *How did you know?*, rose to the tip of his tongue. A resentful thought, *Why didn't you tell me?*, also surfaced.
Fearing such unworthy feelings might be exposed, Ji Unhoe bowed his head.
“I heard from the Third Young Master.”
Lee Cheonsang nodded.
“I received a report that something rather interesting occurred during the disciple selection.”
One might think he paid no mind to trivial matters, but that would be to see Lee Cheonsang as a mere politician corrupted by power.
He knew of every single incident that occurred within the Divine Cult. Reports of what happened, when, and where all reached his ears.
And he remembered everything.
Lee Cheonsang spoke into the empty air.
“Bring the third one.”
There was no reply. But Lee Cheonsang was completely unconcerned.
A moment later.
*Rumble!*
With a heavy sound, the doors of the grand hall opened, and Seo Ryang entered.
Stopping twenty paces away, Seo Ryang bowed his head.
“I greet the Cult Leader.”
“Come here.”
Seo Ryang glanced at Ji Unhoe.
Ji Unhoe stood with his head bowed, his face expressionless. Not even the great Seo Ryang could guess what he was thinking.
“Will you have a drink?”
“I am fine.”
For a moment, Ji Unhoe’s eyes wavered.
How dare he refuse a drink offered by the Cult Leader himself? Was there anyone else in this world with such nerve?
Even more surprising was Lee Cheonsang’s reaction.
“It seems you’re not in the mood to drink. Sit.”
“Yes.”
Seo Ryang sat opposite Ji Unhoe.
Lee Cheonsang looked at Ji Unhoe and spoke.
“You showed courage.”
“Pardon?”
“It’s not easy to step forward like that in front of everyone. That’s just like you.”
He said it was like Ji Unhoe, but the remark itself was unlike Lee Cheonsang. He was not a man who said such things to anyone.
Flustered, Ji Unhoe bowed his head even deeper.
“I am overwhelmed. I was merely...”
“I will ask you.”
“...”
“How do you wish to handle this?”
Ji Unhoe’s pupils trembled violently.
It was a short question, but he was not ignorant of what Lee Cheonsang meant. He was asking how, as a father, he wished to deal with a son who had committed such a heinous crime.
The situation, the sentiment, and the gravity were different from when Seo Ryang had asked so suddenly. The one asking now was the strongest and most fearsome absolute ruler on this endlessly sprawling continent.
“...In private, he is my son, but he has already become Your Holiness’s disciple. I believe the matter is out of my hands.”
He was not evading the question. He genuinely thought so.
In the Divine Cult of the Heavenly Demon, no, in the entire Demonic Sect, Lee Cheonsang’s word was law. Since he had publicly announced he would take Ji Ganghyeon as a disciple, Ji Unhoe could no longer interfere in his son’s affairs.
To meddle with the Cult Leader’s disciple could be seen as an act of defiance against the Cult Leader's authority.
“Lord of the Demonic Sword House.”
“Yes, Cult Leader.”
“Are you going to make me ask the same question twice?”
“...!”
Ji Unhoe’s face turned pale.
“Forgive me...! I was merely...”
“What do you want to do? Answer me.”
*What in the world is the Cult Leader thinking?*
Ji Unhoe’s mind raced, but he soon shook his head. Trying to fathom the Cult Leader’s intentions was an unworthy act in itself, and he knew he would never succeed.
All he could do was convey his honest feelings as they were.
“No matter how heinous the crime he committed, a child is still a child. In this world, the only ones who will embrace a child are his parents.”
“Is that so.”
“However... I am the Lord of the Demonic Sword House. Therefore, I believe I must be even stricter.”
“And so?”
Ji Unhoe closed his eyes.
“I wish to see him receive a punishment befitting his crimes.”
“Is that your true heart?”
“It is.”
Lee Cheonsang nodded.
“Very well.”
“I am deeply sorry.”
“As you said, that boy has become my disciple. He has fallen to a place beyond your reach.”
“...”
“But I do not wish to ignore your true feelings. I will deal with the Cult’s eighth disciple myself, in secret.”
Lee Cheonsang placed the bottle of liquor in front of him.
“Take it with you.”
“I am at a loss for how to respond to your immense grace. I shall take my leave now.”
After bowing to Lee Cheonsang, Ji Unhoe backed away respectfully. He glanced at Seo Ryang before leaving, but Seo Ryang did not look back at him.
And so, where Ji Unhoe had been, only Lee Cheonsang and Seo Ryang remained.
*Swoosh.*
A new bottle of liquor had appeared in Lee Cheonsang’s hand. He had brought it from somewhere in the void.
“Take it.”
It was not an offer to drink, but a command to receive.
Seo Ryang raised his cup.
As he filled his cup, Lee Cheonsang asked.
“What did you feel?”
“Pardon?”
“I am asking what you felt from the conversation between myself and the Lord of the Demonic Sword House.”
Seo Ryang shook his head.
“I do not know.”
“Disappointing.”
“...”
“Drink.”
Seo Ryang emptied his cup.
Lee Cheonsang refilled it and asked again.
“Is the third son of the Demonic Sword House still in the Hall of Punishments?”
*So this old man knew after all.*
“He is.”
“It couldn't have been easy. You did well to subdue him.”
“He had to be caught, one way or another.”
“The reason?”
“Because it was something that had to be resolved.”
“Is that what you think?”
“Yes.”
“Why?”
Seo Ryang’s eyes gleamed. It was a resolute light he had never once shown in front of Lee Cheonsang.
“There is no reason. It was simply something that had to be done.”
“...”
“To be more honest, my heart just told me to do it.”
Lee Cheonsang stared at him for a moment before nodding.
“That answer, I like.”
“...?”
“Had you given me an answer plastered with pointless reasons and clumsy platitudes, I would have been disappointed yet again.”
*Disappointed or not, who cares.*
What was important to Seo Ryang right now was not Lee Cheonsang’s opinion of him.
“I have a question, if I may ask.”
“Is it about how I knew?”
“No. I am curious as to why you did nothing, even though you knew.”
Not even his closest aide, the Great Protector, knew Lee Cheonsang’s true nature. Nor did he know how many hidden agents served him.
One thing was certain: it was not strange for Lee Cheonsang to know about anything that happened within the Divine Cult.
So, he was not curious about how he knew who the real culprit was.
But he was curious why he had remained silent until now.
A cultist had died under a false accusation. And that cultist, until the very moment of his death, had prayed for Lee Cheonsang and accepted his end with humility.
Knowing who the true criminal was, why did Lee Cheonsang not try to resolve this matter?
“So you were curious about the reason.”
“Yes.”
“The answer lies in what you just said to me.”
Seo Ryang tilted his head, recalling his own answer, and his face hardened in an instant.
*—To be more honest, my heart just told me to do it.*
His fists trembled.
“Was the reason not to your liking?”
“...”
“It does not matter. I am not a being who strives to please others.”
Lee Cheonsang’s eyes became transparent.
“And it was the same for that cultist.”
“...Pardon?”
“That cultist who died unjustly prayed for me until his last breath. Do you think he prayed to me expecting something in return?”
“...?”
“Do you think he wished for his name to be cleared? Did he pray for a peaceful life in the afterworld? No, he did not.”
“...”
“He was simply devoted to me. All he did was wish for the well-being of the one god he had believed in and followed his entire life. There was no other intention.”
“...!!”
“Loyalty and faith that expect a reward are corrupt. They are impure. That cultist had no interest in his own false accusation. He was simply serving me with a pure heart.”
Lee Cheonsang filled his own cup.
His expression remained indifferent, but was it just Seo Ryang’s imagination that he saw a hint of bitterness in the slight shadow that fell over his eyes?
“To be angry on behalf of that unjustly killed cultist would be to tarnish his faith.”
“...”
“That is why I am called a god. A god is not a being who resolves grievances. It is enough for them to know and understand.”
“But, Cult Leader, you are...”
Seo Ryang coughed without realizing it. He felt a strange reluctance to ask a man who called himself a god if he wasn't human.
Surprisingly, Lee Cheonsang nodded.
“Of course, I am human. A human, but called a god. As such, I must strive to possess the qualities of a god.”
The word ‘strive’ felt truly out of place for Lee Cheonsang. Looking at him, one would think he had been the same since the day he was born.
His power, his personality, and that presence of his.
Staring at him quietly, Seo Ryang extended his cup.
“Please pour me a drink.”
As if it were the most natural thing in the world, Lee Cheonsang filled his cup.
Watching the cup being filled, Seo Ryang spoke.
“May I ask one more thing?”
“You may.”
“I understand why you didn't clear the cultist's name. No, I don't understand it, but I get it intellectually.”
“And?”
“In that case, why did you accept the eldest son of the Demonic Sword House as your disciple? Just as there was no need to clear the false accusation, wasn't there also no need to take that bastard as your disciple?”
“You are mistaken. There was more than enough need to take him as a disciple.”
*There was a need? What does that mean?*
“As an ingredient for the Cult, he was necessary.”
“An ingredient?”
“Indeed.”
“What kind of ingredient?”
“I do not wish to explain.”
Seo Ryang smacked his lips. Well, it was something that he had answered so many questions already.
Lee Cheonsang emptied his cup.
“However, I will explain. As you are also entangled in this affair.”
*Entangled in this affair? Oh, with the Demonic Sword House?*
Lee Cheonsang extended a hand to his side.
A powerful flow of energy could be felt from the empty space.
*Rumble!*
With a rough sound, several boxes flew through the air and landed beside the grand chair.
Instantly, Seo Ryang’s eyes widened.
“Do you recognize them?”
“Uh... well... um...”
“These are the boxes that nearly fell into the hands of the attackers. You were there, so you should know.”
*...Busted.*
Well, shit. I'm fucked.