Chapter 52
Chapter 52
-----------------------------------------------------------------
Translator: Ryuma
Chapter: 52
Chapter Title: Dang Hyeon-woo
-----------------------------------------------------------------
[A new identity has been prepared. Infiltrate the Sichuan Tang Clan with the 2nd team leader of the Windless Killing Curtain.]
That was what was written on the paper.
*Crumple.*
I clenched my fist, crushing the paper without realizing it.
‘I knew my lord wouldn't forget…’
I, too, had never forgotten.
Not for a single moment. The sorrow of being born the illegitimate son of the Sichuan Tang Clan’s leader.
For my younger self, Sichuan had been hell.
Even now, more than a decade later, I sometimes have nightmares about that time.
The dream is always the same.
The sight of my mother’s back as she endlessly waited for the Tang Clan’s leader. And in contrast, the leader’s own harsh face.
‘Ugh.’
Whenever those two scenes came to mind, my chest would tighten.
But that would all soon be over.
[Infiltrate.]
That phrase, written near the end of the order.
It was as good as a declaration that our Heavenly Demon would soon fulfill the promise he made to me.
‘At last, my lifelong wish will be granted.’
A wave of gratitude for the Demonic Doctor washed over me.
If he hadn't found me on the brink of death and brought me here, I would never have met my lord.
‘He never kept his promise to teach me martial arts, but well, I learned from my lord anyway.’
I decided I should go pay my respects and bid him farewell.
‘I’ll just say goodbye to my junior brothers and head to the infirmary.’
It was a shame I couldn’t properly celebrate our first reunion, but I was content just to have shared a drink with them.
“Junior Brother Ha Song. And So-so, Do Gwang, Gwang-uk, Ha Gyeong, Chang On. I must be going now.”
“You’re leaving already?”
Junior Brother Ha Song tried to hold me back, looking disappointed, but I wanted to prepare for my journey to Sichuan as quickly as possible.
As if she had read my mind, Junior Sister So-so spoke up for me.
“Instruc… no, Senior Brother Ha Song. Look at Senior Brother Hyeon-woo’s expression.”
“Hm? His expression?”
Ha Song glanced at my face and, seeming to understand something, offered an apology.
“Well, now that I see it, this is no time for drinks. And after I delivered the order myself, tsk. I was being thoughtless, Senior Brother.”
“Haha, not at all. I’ll settle the bill on my way out, so please, everyone, enjoy yourselves.”
I turned my back on them, leaving them with their disappointed faces.
They were all good people.
‘Once I’ve achieved my dream, I’d love to share many more drinks with them.’
I, who had only ever looked toward revenge, was now thinking about what came after.
Back when I was part of the Orthodox Faction’s Tang Clan, I thought everyone in the Demonic Cult was a monster.
But in reality, they were better than the hypocritical, inscrutable bastards of the Orthodox Faction.
‘Yes, at least for me.’
Looking back, it was true.
Compared to Sichuan, where I felt suffocated by what others thought, I was at least at ease here.
‘Though I have to go back soon…’
Now that the order had been given, I would be heading to Sichuan as soon as preparations were complete.
Before that, as I had planned, I wanted to visit my benefactors, including the Demonic Doctor.
My lord, who had become the Heavenly Demon, was incredibly busy, so I wasn't sure if I'd even be able to see him, but I started walking anyway.
The first place I arrived at was the infirmary.
As it happened, the Demonic Doctor was standing outside.
“Elder.”
“Yes, it’s you, Hyeon-woo.”
The Demonic Doctor looked me up and down before continuing.
“By the looks of it, are you heading somewhere far away?”
“How… how did you know?”
“How did I know, you rascal? When you get to my age, you just see these things. Heh heh.”
Since my lord became the Heavenly Demon, the elder had become serene, as if he had let go of some long-held grudge.
Even now, he was just gazing at the distant sky.
“Elder, before I leave, I wanted to thank you…”
“Enough. You speak as if you’re about to die, tsk. Do you know why I brought you here that day?”
“…Pardon?”
The conversation took an unexpected turn.
“That day, I saw resentment in your eyes. It’s not easy for a man on the verge of death to harbor such hatred instead of a will to live. That’s why I brought you here.”
“Then why didn’t you teach me any martial arts?”
“You fool. I brought you here hoping to erase that grudge from your eyes. How could I teach you martial arts? Tsk, tsk. What? Did you think I was going to raise you as a spy?”
It was truly shocking.
I had never once considered it.
He did it for my sake, not for the Demonic Cult…
“I brought you here thinking that if you saved lives, you might erase your grudge. But you went and picked up martial arts I never taught you, and now you’re off to settle that grudge.”
“…I am sorry.”
I was truly sorry.
Unaware of his intentions, how many times had I cursed him behind his back for not teaching me martial arts?
“It’s fine. At least you have a good eye and learned some Divine Arts, so you should be able to protect yourself.”
“You knew about that as well?”
“This boy must think I’m a complete fool. I may look old, but my mind is still sharp. There’s no need for apologies. Just come back alive. As long as you’re breathing, I’ll stake my name as the Demonic Doctor and save you, no matter what.”
“……”
I had come to ease the burden on my heart, but it had only grown heavier.
Tears streamed down my face without my realizing it.
On that day, I realized something.
That I had a place to return to, and someone who wanted me to return.
‘I thought my life was only about revenge…’
It wasn’t.
I had so many precious people in my life.
My resolve hardened once more.
This time, it was a far more difficult decision than simply achieving my dream.
‘After I fulfill my wish, I will return, no matter what…!’
Just then, the Demonic Doctor approached me as I stood there shedding silent tears and placed a small wooden box in my hand.
“Take this and eat it if you find yourself in a critical moment. It may not be as effective as a Demonic Illusion Pill, but it should be enough to save your life at least once.”
“Elder…”
My throat tightened.
The love of a proper parent.
I had never received it, but I imagined it must feel something like this.
At that moment, the Demonic Doctor looked past me and spoke.
“Hyeon-woo, it seems our time is up. You have a visitor.”
I turned around to see a man standing there, cloaked from head to toe in a black wind robe, with only his eyes visible.
He bowed his head in greeting.
“Pung-un, 2nd team leader of the Windless Killing Curtain, greets the Demonic Doctor and Sir Dang Hyeon-woo.”
*Swoosh.*
The Demonic Doctor raised a hand to acknowledge the greeting.
Hearing his introduction, I was suddenly reminded of the order.
[A new identity has been prepared. Infiltrate the Sichuan Tang Clan with the 2nd team leader of the Windless Killing Curtain.]
‘Ah! This must be the man my lord mentioned!’
Even from his appearance, he seemed anything but ordinary.
The black wind robe that enveloped his entire body.
It was proof that he was an assassin of the Windless Killing Curtain.
Although his face was covered, I could tell he was older than me.
I quickly bowed my head to receive his greeting.
“Pung-un is a fine name. I look forward to working with you. I am Dang Hyeon-woo, indebted to the Heavenly Demon and the Demonic Doctor.”
“How can one who has received the Heavenly Demon’s teachings speak so formally to me? Please, speak comfortably.”
“Not at all. If you are truly uncomfortable, then since we will be traveling together from now on, please speak comfortably to me first.”
***
To Pung-un, Dang Hyeon-woo seemed a more polite person than he had expected.
He didn’t seem like a disciple of the fearsome Heavenly Demon at all.
‘Except for his formidable build, he seems like a young master from the Orthodox Faction.’
Not that it was a bad thing.
In fact, as Dang Hyeon-woo said, they would be seeing a lot of each other, so it was good that they could speak casually.
“If you insist, then I shall, Young Master Hyeon-woo.”
“You’re very affable, Brother Pung-un. But what’s with the ‘Young Master Hyeon-woo’?”
“It’s a hobby of mine to give people nicknames based on my first impression… But why do you continue to speak so formally?”
Pung-un subtly reverted to a more polite tone.
“It’s just a habit of mine, so please don’t mind it and speak as you wish.”
“Ahem, shall I do that then?”
“Ah, Brother Pung-un. Please wait just a moment longer. I’m almost finished saying my goodbyes to the Demonic Doctor.”
After saying that, Dang Hyeon-woo turned back and gave the Demonic Doctor a deep bow.
It was a sign of respect for the benefactor who had cared for his foolish self.
With a final promise to return, he set off with the 2nd team leader, Pung-un.
Before preparing to depart, they headed to the Cult Leader’s Hall to report to Maeng Ak.
They talked a great deal along the way.
“Brother Pung-un. Have you heard the details of this mission?”
“I have. That’s why I came to find you so early. Ah, my apologies if I interrupted.”
“Not an interruption at all. Please, tell me about the mission.”
Pung-un sensed a certain resolve in Hyeon-woo.
How should he put it? His passion seemed to exceed that of someone merely carrying out a mission.
“Before that, is there some story behind this for you?”
“Hmm, well…”
Hyeon-woo hesitated for a moment before speaking.
Since they would likely be together in Sichuan, he decided it was best to tell him.
And so, Dang Hyeon-woo began to recount the story of his childhood.
His tale was so sorrowful that Pung-un found himself wiping away tears as he listened.
In fact, as soon as the story ended, Pung-un, invoking a sworn brotherhood they had never even formed, vowed to treat the mission as his own.
“Those rotten bastards… *sniffle*. Young Master Hyeon-woo! As your sworn brother, I will ensure this mission succeeds, no matter what!”
*Thump, thump!*
The way he pounded his fist against his chest showed the firmness of his resolve.
Pung-un, it turned out, was a loyal and soft-hearted man.
Hyeon-woo, taken aback, once again had to discard his preconceptions about the people of the Demonic Cult.
‘To think there are people like this… He’s like an innocent boy raised in the countryside.’
Of course, for a country boy, he was skilled enough to be a team leader in the Windless Killing Curtain.
The number of people who had died by his hand was over a hundred.
Though all of them were scoundrels who had kidnapped children or committed other immoral acts under the Silent Kill Demonic Emperor’s orders.
Pung-un then explained the details of the mission.
“Did you receive the order? As it says, the two of us will use new identities to infiltrate the Sichuan Tang Clan as guest retainers. Then, once the Heavenly Demon has dealt with the Unorthodox Alliance to some extent, we will carry out our second mission.”
“A second mission… you say?”
Dealing with the Unorthodox Alliance and a second mission on top of that.
The scale of the mission was larger than Dang Hyeon-woo had anticipated.
Even Pung-un didn't know everything.
“Ah, I don’t know about that yet either. The Heavenly Demon said that things could change at any time as the situation develops, so he would inform us later.”
As they talked, they soon arrived at the Cult Leader’s Hall.
“Ah, we’re already here. You can hear the rest from the Heavenly Demon himself.”
‘Himself?’
Just as the question formed in Dang Hyeon-woo’s mind, the great doors of the Cult Leader’s Hall swung open.
And beyond them, to his astonishment, stood his lord and the current Heavenly Demon, Maeng Ak.
“We pay our respects to the Heavenly Demon!”
Following Pung-un’s lead, he prostrated himself on the ground, showing his respect.
Instead of replying, Maeng Ak quietly approached them.
*Step. Step.*
As the sound of his footsteps grew closer, Hyeon-woo’s heart began to pound in tandem.
*Gulp.*
He was struck anew by Maeng Ak’s unbelievable growth.
‘When I first met him, I thought I had messed with some lunatic, but now he’s become someone I can’t even dare to look at.’
Of course, even back then, he had felt like a great mountain, a man who had already surpassed the realm of ordinary mortals.
The techniques he had shown him at that time still appeared in his dreams.
But perhaps because he was now the Heavenly Demon?
His presence now was on a level that couldn't even be compared to the past.
It felt less like he was walking toward him and more like his own body was being drawn toward him as he stood still.
When Maeng Ak finally stopped right in front of him, Dang Hyeon-woo felt as if his own heart had stopped.
He cautiously shifted his gaze to Pung-un and saw that he was in an even worse state.
‘Hoo.’
He took a deep breath internally.
Just then, Maeng Ak opened his mouth to speak to him.
“Raise your head.”