Chapter 32
Chapter 32
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Translator: Ryuma
Chapter: 32
Chapter Title: To the Infirmary
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Descending from the training ground, I headed straight for the infirmary with Ha Song.
“Things have escalated beyond your expectations, my lord. Are you alright?”
“What’s done is done.”
“But… is it true?”
“Hm?”
Seeing him hesitate like that, I figured he was asking about *that*.
“Are you asking if I am truly the ‘Heavenly Demon’?”
“……”
At my question, Ha Song simply nodded, his silence speaking volumes.
He seemed hurt, as if wondering why he was the only one left in the dark when even Hwan Cheon-hwa knew.
“You don’t actually think that makes sense, do you? Prophecies, Sacred Black Flames… I have no idea what any of it means.”
“So, it wasn't a calculated move on your part, my lord.”
“A calculated move?”
“Yes, I was honestly worried that the Great Guardian would join the fight. But then Cadet Hwan Cheon-hwa suddenly intervened, shouting that you were the Heavenly Demon. So naturally, I assumed it was a ploy you had prepared in advance.”
A ploy? As if.
Why in the world would I have orchestrated something that has caused me so much trouble?
Thanks to that, my plan to seize control of the Demonic Cult, starting with the Young Cult Leader, had become muddled.
“Enough talk. Let’s go inside. There’s much I don’t know myself.”
Having arrived at the infirmary, I opened the door instead of resolving Ha Song’s questions.
*Creaak.*
“Ugh.”
The moment the door opened, the thick stench of blood and medicinal herbs assaulted my nose.
The aftermath of the tournament was the cause; many cadets had been injured and carried in.
As foul as the smell was, the infirmary was just as chaotic.
Groans of pain mingled with the laments of the busy healers.
‘There he is.’
Fortunately, amidst the chaos, the person I was looking for was easy to spot.
“Dang Hyeon-woo!”
A broad-shouldered figure bustling between the beds. He was the first child I had taken in since waking up in this body.
‘It seems he’s been training diligently as I instructed.’
He had changed beyond recognition.
The unique trait of the Divine Arts of the Green Forest Tiger—enhancing the practitioner's natural frame—was clearly visible.
“His physique is quite impressive. Do you know him?”
“He’s similar to you. We have a master-servant relationship, as well as a master-disciple one. Oh, and for the record, he came before you.”
“What? Then that means he’s…”
“That’s right. He would be your senior brother. Heh heh.”
At my words, Ha Song stared blankly at the approaching Dang Hyeon-woo.
Then, thinking I couldn't hear, he muttered to himself.
“Looking at his build and age, to think that man, who resembles Cadet Jo Gwang-uk, is my senior brother. It’s bad enough my master is so much younger than me, but now my senior brother is younger too…”
It seemed the man had his own set of troubles.
But that was none of my concern.
Just then, Dang Hyeon-woo approached and cautiously asked me.
“Ahem, you seem perfectly fine. What brings you to the infirmary, Cadet?”
“You don’t need to put on such a clumsy act. Things have already gone too far for it to matter.”
“What do you mean, things have gone too far…?”
I glanced once at Ha Song, then turned my gaze back to Dang Hyeon-woo with a smirk.
“You can hear about that from your junior brother later. For now, there’s something else we must do, isn’t there?”
Dang Hyeon-woo then shot a look at Ha Song and tilted his head.
“Junior brother…? Well, that’s for later.”
Then, he suddenly bowed deeply to me.
“I, Dang Hyeon-woo, am honored to see you again, my lord!”
For some reason, his loyalty seemed to have deepened since we last met.
The clumsy runaway from the Tang Clan had become quite the warrior.
“I expected a simple cupped fist salute, but this is quite excessive for you.”
“Hahaha! Thanks to you, my lord, my brothers no longer look down on me, and I can live like a human being. I’d be an animal not to show at least this much respect.”
“Hmph, indeed. It’s good to see you looking so bright. Your formidable build shows you haven’t neglected your training.”
“How could I be lazy with what you have bestowed upon me, my lord? Every day was filled with blood and sweat, but I never gave up.”
I could see the sincerity in his eyes.
Even if his frame hadn't grown, his gaze alone would have been convincing enough.
But since his physique had also developed, it was easy to see how hard he had worked.
“Yes, you’ve done well. I will pass on the promised forms and the rest of the heart technique after I’ve finished my business here.”
“Your business…?”
“I need to see the Demonic Doctor.”
“…!”
The look on Dang Hyeon-woo’s face when the Demonic Doctor’s name left my lips was priceless.
“It’s too early to be surprised. Ha Song? Why are you just standing there? Tell your senior brother what happened.”
“Yes, my lord!”
At my command, Ha Song explained to Dang Hyeon-woo the events of the tournament.
Dang Hyeon-woo interjected with quite a few questions, and though Ha Song looked displeased at times, he answered each one faithfully.
“So that’s why you’re looking for the esteemed Demonic Doctor.”
“Tell me what you think. Is it likely the Demonic Doctor would have information about the Founding Heavenly Demon?”
“Honestly, my lord, I haven’t been with the Demonic Cult for very long, so I don’t know much. I apologize for not being of more help.”
“It’s fine. It would be strange if you did know.”
Dang Hyeon-woo was from the Tang Clan; he had only recently set foot in the Demonic Cult, let alone the infirmary.
It was only natural that he wouldn't know.
But then, as if recalling something, he opened his mouth.
“W-Wait a moment. Come to think of it, there’s a forest the esteemed Demonic Doctor always goes to alone. He’s not here now because he went there. He always says he’s going to gather medicinal herbs…”
“Where is it?”
“That, I don’t know…”
“Hmm.”
Dang Hyeon-woo’s words gave me a hunch, but I had no way of knowing the location.
As I was racking my brain, wondering if I had no choice but to wait, someone spoke to me.
He introduced himself as Ma Dong-won, the Demonic Doctor’s first disciple, and asked.
“For what reason do a cadet and an instructor seek our master?”
“I have something urgent to discuss with the esteemed Demonic Doctor.”
“I asked what it was. And besides, when did we become familiar enough for you to speak so informally…”
Ma Dong-won raised an eyebrow and challenged me, as if trying to start a battle of wills.
So I, too, raised my aura just enough for him to notice and asked.
“Do you think you can handle it?”
“…!”
*Gulp.*
The sound of Ma Dong-won swallowing dryly was audible even amid the chaos of the infirmary.
Having roughly gauged the level of my martial prowess, Ma Dong-won began to sweat profusely as he asked.
“Who… who in the world are you, my lord?”
“See for yourself.”
When I pointed to the part of my cadet uniform where ‘Divine Hall of the Latent Demon’ was written, he flared up.
“Are you mocking me for being a mere healer? Even someone as humble as myself can guess the level of power behind such an aura!”
He must have known that if my mood soured, he could be killed on the spot.
But overcoming his fear of death, he acted boldly.
‘So there’s a reason the Demonic Doctor took him as his first disciple.’
His courage was commendable, but his next move was disappointing.
“Dang Hyeon-woo! Tell me who these people are at once.”
“Y-Yes?”
“I saw you speaking with them so casually. Don’t try to deny it, hurry! Our master could be in danger!”
He glared fiercely at Dang Hyeon-woo.
However, there was no reason for a mere glare to shake him.
Dang Hyeon-woo, instead, glanced at me for direction.
As if asking if it was alright to reveal my identity.
So I nodded, giving him my permission.
At the same time, Dang Hyeon-woo began to speak as if a dam had burst.
“If you’re asking about the man in the cadet uniform, he is Lord Maeng Ak, known as the Divine Dragon of the Divine Hall of the Latent Demon…”
Most of it was cringe-worthy praise.
However, each and every detail was enough to bring silence to the boisterous infirmary.
Even the cadet who had been screaming from a deep gash on his chest, and the healer who had been wrapping his wound in bandages, were now too busy doubting their own ears to make a sound.
The information being processed in their minds was likely similar.
‘The cadet who killed the Sword Heavenly Pillar and three elders of the Sword Heavenly Pillar Gate might actually be the Heavenly Demon?’
Normally, it wouldn’t have been strange for them to draw their swords, shouting about what nonsense this was.
Or they might have tried to kill me for daring to insult the Founding Heavenly Demon as a mere cadet.
However, when Dang Hyeon-woo finished his explanation by mentioning the prophecy of the Illusion Heavenly Pillar Gate, their expressions hardened.
The words he had spoken had gained a certain credibility.
After all, the Illusion Heavenly Pillar Gate, with its power of ‘prophecy,’ would never lie.
The most shocked of all was Ma Dong-won, the one who had asked in the first place.
“W-Wha… What did you say?!”
He knew how ridiculous it was to react this way after asking the question himself.
But my identity was on a completely different level.
“Senior Brother Dong-won, I think it would be best to leave this matter to our master directly.”
“R-Right.”
With a somewhat overwhelmed expression, he allowed Dang Hyeon-woo to guide him down to a seat.
“Where did the Demonic Doctor go?”
If I was going to ask, now was the time.
“I cannot tell you the exact location, but I can tell you when he will be back.”
“Alright, that’s not bad either. So?”
“The esteemed Demonic Doctor said he would return here after an hour and a half.”
All traces of the man who had challenged me were gone; Ma Dong-won’s hands were even trembling.
“Then I shall wait.”
“Th-Then I will guide you to a bed over there.”
“Hmm… Never mind. I see another familiar face over there. I’ll go that way. Let me know when the Demonic Doctor arrives.”
I was about to follow Ma Dong-won’s lead when I felt a gaze on my back and turned around.
Surprisingly, lying there was Kim Mu-myeong, who had been defeated and eliminated by me in the joint battle.
But seeing as he was turned away from me, it seemed he wanted to hide.
So I deliberately approached him and asked.
“What happened to all your big talk? Now you look like a trembling coyote.”
* * *
It was bewildering.
I hadn’t received any orders yet, but Maeng Ak had come to the infirmary.
To make matters worse, that disgusting, large-framed healer had spoken of the deaths of the Sword Heavenly Pillar and the three elders.
I tried my best to forget what I had heard, since I couldn’t believe it until I saw it with my own two eyes.
It could have been a ploy to provoke me.
Right now, I had to endure, for I was entrusted with an important mission that required me to cast aside all personal feelings.
*Grip.*
I tightened my hold on the wooden box containing the poison pill.
‘I won’t fall for such a deceitful trick. I have a mission no one else knows about!’
Although I hadn’t received any additional orders, it didn’t matter much since Maeng Ak had actually come to the infirmary.
My mission was to secretly put the poison pill from the wooden box into his medicinal soup while he was being treated.
‘First, I must not reveal my identity. He might become wary of me.’
So I wrapped myself tightly in the blanket and turned my back to him.
But what was this?
That bastard Maeng Ak somehow knew and came right up next to me.
Then he said, in these exact words.
“What happened to all your big talk? Now you look like a trembling coyote.”
*Grind.*
I ground my teeth. But I had to endure.
They say that for a gentleman, revenge is never too late, even after ten years. I had to wait for the chance to make him ingest the poison pill.
“It’s all over for me because of you.”
Contrary to my inner feelings, I didn’t react emotionally, instead feigning resignation to lower his guard.
Was it because of that? He just clicked his tongue a few times, then left his belongings and departed with Instructor Ha Song.
This was my chance.
I quickly took the poison pill from the wooden box and dropped it into his waterskin.
The only unfortunate thing was that he wasn’t injured, so he wouldn’t be drinking any medicinal soup.
‘Well, the orders said the poison pill dissolves in water without a trace, so it should be fine.’
Just then, he returned.
And then, as if to show off, he shoved the waterskin to his maw and gulped it down.
‘Success…!’