The Man Who Chose Compassion
“How many days left?”
“About half a month.”
Hoo—
Smoke drifted from his long exhale, tinted a faint bluish green. It was not the color of anything mysterious, but of something lethal, like an especially vicious poison mist.
Doje, who had been standing there staring out the window, tapped his pipe against the table.
“So, we’re short seven people?”
“Yes. The moment news from the Changwoong Trading Company went dead, we started searching elsewhere too, but we haven’t found anyone suitable.”
Hong I-gyeom continued cautiously.
“Even if we’re running ourselves ragged, there’s just nobody with the guts to put his neck on the line... Shouldn’t we just lower the standard and start as is?”
“Nonsense.”
Through the thinning smoke, Doje’s voice drifted out lazily.
“Business run by gamblers goes down the moment it loses trust. If they don’t meet the standard, it’s better to tear the whole thing up and start over.”
Hong I-gyeom asked with a trace of concern, “Then... what do you plan to do?”
“What else?”
The corners of Doje’s mouth curled. Cold light gathered in his eyes.
“We’ll have to stick our heads into a den of monsters.”
Those eyes carried a spirit so fierce it made any onlooker’s blood run cold.
His mastery of inner power revealed no clear intent, but Hong I-gyeom still felt deeply uneasy.
This is... bad.
He looked ready to throw himself into a gamble so dangerous he couldn’t even tell whether he had the winning hand.
There was even a rare spark of life in those eyes, like burnt-out ash suddenly catching fire.
Doje’s gaze shifted to her.
“First, investigate the Changwoong Trading Company. Why their contract went silent isn’t a detail you can brush off like some beggar’s name on the street, and if there are circumstances, I want to know where that kind of confidence came from.”
“...!”
“At the very least, they’d better be worth more than the Demon Emperor’s name.”
His tone had dropped so low it was almost as if he were packing away killing intent.
Hong I-gyeom’s face stiffened.
She knew her superior all too well.
His usual easygoing tone and familiar mannerisms were nothing but a mask he wore for the outside world.
Doje was a man with martial skill among the highest in the cult, and a power base just as formidable.
“Why aren’t you answering? Have you gone deaf now, just because you’ve been learning some worthless little trick?”
Hong I-gyeom let out a shallow sigh.
“It’s not that bad... Understood.”
“Looks like we’ve got a guest. Get ready to receive him.”
“A guest?”
Doje stood with his hands clasped behind his back, looking down from the window. He had been peering out because he’d sensed something suspicious approaching.
Sure enough, a group of figures was crossing the street below.
“He’s been dragging his feet so long, the Heavenly Clan’s young master must finally be showing up.”
* * *
As soon as they entered Unryong Pavilion, the sprawling gambling hall that looked to be at least five stories high, Imaje stopped in his tracks.
“We’ll wait here. Go on ahead.”
Cheon Sohyeon looked at him in confusion.
“Huh? You’re not coming?”
What was this old man suddenly up to? He didn’t look like he was itching to make trouble or anything.
Imaje shook his head.
“You’d do better to go alone. If we go with you, the direction of the conversation will change.”
“I see. Then I’ll be back before you know it.”
It wasn’t exactly wrong. After all, he had come to persuade them to go against the cult’s decision, so his role was crucial.
Gang Hyeon dipped his head politely. “Go and come back safe.”
“Right.”
As Cheon Sohyeon climbed the stairs, he looked around.
So many people. It’s packed.
He had never stepped into a gambling hall before, only taverns, so the place felt oddly fresh.
His first impression was far more intense than he’d expected.
Waahhh!
So many people had gathered, each one shouting and chattering in a different state of madness.
One man glared at his opponent with bloodshot eyes and spewed curses. Another jeered. A third looked around with a greasy, predatory expression, clearly hunting for someone easy to fleece.
It was, quite simply, a nest of demons in desperate need of discipline.
Wasn’t the very emblem of that pitiful human spectacle probably Doje himself?
He had heard the man had been obsessed with gambling since his youth, so there was no reason to doubt it.
Then a woman approached him quietly.
“Hm?”
Cheon Sohyeon frowned and looked at the unidentified woman.
“What?”
“Haha...”
At that wary stare, the woman gave an awkward laugh.
“There’s no need to be so guarded. You must be Third Young Master, yes?”
“I am. And you are?”
Her presence was so faint it almost hid her striking looks; she must have learned some kind of sinister art used by assassins.
“As for me, I’m Hong I-gyeom, idol of the gamblers, the brilliant strategist of Baekmyeongok, and Doje’s right hand and living information network. I’ve come to guide you.”
Hong I-gyeom’s eyes shone cold and clear. She must have prepared that introduction quite seriously, yet it still sounded strangely unnatural.
As he climbed the stairs, Cheon Sohyeon replied, “You must be busy with all sorts of things. Good to meet you, I’m Cheon Sohyeon.”
“Haha, you recognized me right away. Thank you.”
“Let’s go.”
And so, as they went up the stairs, Hong I-gyeom kept glancing sideways at him, studying him over and over.
She had acted bold, but in truth her mind was in chaos.
This man... no, wait. This gentleman is Third Young Master?
He was a blood relative of the Heavenly Clan, someone most people would struggle even to meet in passing. As an information broker, she had thoroughly memorized not only his basic profile but also the portrait painted by Hwa-gong.
And yet, she had failed to recognize the Third Young Master at a glance.
What a magnificent sight. Truly magnificent.
If he hadn’t been walking with Imaje, she would have assumed only that a rare and handsome young man had come visiting.
His bearing, his build, even his features, now matured by time and presence—all of it differed from what she had known.
“Is there something on my face?”
“Huh? Wha—what?!”
“I asked if there’s something on it. You’ve been staring.”
“Haha, no. I just couldn’t quite believe it... My apologies. This way, please.”
A short while later.
At the brief summons to come inside, Cheon Sohyeon stepped in alone.
“Third Young Master, was it?”
As he faced Doje, a flicker of doubt crossed Cheon Sohyeon’s expression.
“Yes... I’m Cheon Sohyeon.”
The first things he noticed were the man’s clean-cut features and the loose hair carelessly swept back. He was much younger and far more refined than expected, and Cheon Sohyeon was inwardly taken aback.
Why does he look so normal?
He had expected a washed-up wreck with bloodshot eyes, a man obsessed with gambling and rotting from the inside out. But the fellow in front of him looked far too put together. Still, he was a Demon Emperor of the Senate, so he kept his manners in place.
“Have I kept you waiting too long?”
Doje nodded.
“Quite a while, I’d say. You might call it the cart before the horse. Usually the one who wants something is the one digging the well, but somehow it feels like the shovel’s in my hands.”
“... ”
“I’ve been wondering what kind of confidence you had to go silent for so long. Though if that was deliberate, I suppose you could call it well-timed.”
Cheon Sohyeon met his gaze in silence, taking in the thorns hidden in the man’s words.
He had heard that Demon Emperors who survived for long in the Heavenly Demon Divine Cult, where strength ruled all, were bound to be twisted eccentrics in one way or another. The sort of people who could react wildly even if their opponent was a descendant of the Heavenly Clan.
That was why Sama Ryang had warned him several times to be careful, but Cheon Sohyeon didn’t mind.
He let the corners of his mouth lift.
“I was worried I might be late, so I’m glad to hear it was well-timed. Let’s see... should I sit over there?”
Though his tone could easily have sounded rude, Doje didn’t care.
“Sit wherever you like. I thought some stray fellow had come searching after seeing how completely you’d changed, but no—this is absolutely a Heavenly Clan man.”
“Thank you for your consideration.”
Cheon Sohyeon sat, and Doje took the seat across from him.
“Just so there’s no misunderstanding, if you were hoping I’d bow my head and treat you with great ceremony, that’d be wasted effort. If that’s what you expected, then there’s no point in discussing anything at all, and we’d both be better off walking away.”
If the only thing he had to lean on was the Heavenly Clan’s status, then Cheon Sohyeon was not worth talking to. It was a pointed statement, but he could say it because he understood all too well why the Third Young Master had come, and just how weighty this matter truly was.
“Surely not. You must have mistaken me for my younger brother, who’s still green around the ears. Haha, don’t worry about it.”
Doje snorted softly.
“So what happened to your companions? Why did you come alone?”
“They’re probably learning gambling from the ground up right now.”
“Gambling?”
“Yes. They were worried the flow of the conversation might change.”
Doje clicked his tongue and shook his head.
“What useless concern. The man’s gotten older and started worrying about nonsense. As if my position would change just because they came along.”
Cheon Sohyeon looked at him quietly.
“Have you made up your mind?”
At that brazen question, something gleamed in Doje’s eyes.
He was a gambler who had spent his life intoxicated by extreme risk and thrilling wagers. This was far more interesting than some shallow little reaction.
“Seems like the two of us know a fair bit about each other. Fine, no need to drag this out. Let’s cut straight to the point. My position has always been the same, and it always will be. Though there is one slight question I haven’t let go of.”
“A question?”
Doje nodded.
“Why is the Heavenly Clan’s Third Son opposing the grand plan? What kind of man could possibly have foxed someone like Imaje? Even if his head were about to come off, he’s not the sort to take a reckless gamble.”
“...”
“Those were the questions that kept me wondering.”
“I only thought the time isn’t right for a move into the Central Plains...”
Doje cut him off indifferently.
“You were doing so well. Why stop there? I’m not interested in some canned answer.”
He continued in a quieter voice.
“Get a proper grasp of the situation. Once the year turns and winter comes, the war of conquest for the demonic world will begin.”
“...”
“For some, it will be a liberation long desired. For others, it’ll be a festival to quench thirst that has had no other outlet. There are disciples everywhere, in numbers beyond counting, who have put their hopes in faith or battle-lust. I’m one of them too.”
Doje’s eyes glinted coldly.
“Setting aside skill or qualification... do you have a cause strong enough to bring that down?”
“That’s a fair point. But I still don’t intend to back down. No matter how I think about it, it still feels far too soon.”
“Too soon? Are you talking about your own martial power? Your growth has been impressive, but even if I’m generous... you’re not enough to affect the larger tide.”
“I’m not talking about me. I’m saying we should wait until the Cult Leader climbs above the Heavenly Demon’s throne. Then victory will be all but guaranteed, and the war itself will be shortened, won’t it?”
“Ah, so you’re saying unnecessary casualties should be avoided?”
“Exactly.”
“A presumptuous judgment. The Cult Leader’s realm is not something a brat like you can measure. This generation’s Cult Leader is a man who could be said to have shattered the wall of martial extremes itself, and still it wouldn’t be enough praise. How dare you judge him so lightly?”
Cheon Sohyeon answered calmly.
“Even so, it’s the same. Regardless of timing, if demonic dominion over the world is possible, then we should be thinking about how to lose as little as we can. What meaning is there in conquering the world if the majority dies for it?”
His gaze sank deeper.
“It may be pleasing for a moment, but in the end it would only be hollow.”
Of course, such a situation must never come to pass, and he would never allow it to happen.
Even if he had to run himself to the point that his soles caught fire, he would stop it no matter what.
And for that, the Demon Emperor’s help was essential.
At that moment, Doje’s aura turned fierce and savage.
“Hollow, is it... That’s not a word I can dismiss lightly.”
Tsutsu-tsut!
Doje’s fingers swept through the air.
In an instant, dense demonic energy spread through the surroundings. Cheon Sohyeon’s entire body trembled, and his clothes clung to him as though pressed tight by an invisible weight.
“Since when did you start thinking like that?”
“...Thinking like what?”
“You talk as if you care about the disciples, but the ones you’re really worried about are only the weak, aren’t they? I doubt you’d put me or Imaje in that category. That sort of thinking runs counter to the Heavenly Cult’s law of the strong...”
Doje’s eyes shone with a frightening bluish green light.
“Are you trying to act as if you’ve taken pity on them?”
It was a mindset utterly opposite to the law of the strong that all cult disciples revered. A descendant of the Heavenly Clan speaking of compassion was practically a betrayal of what the disciples believed.
Tsutsu-tsut!
As malice rolled out in waves, Cheon Sohyeon’s expression began to harden.