Chapter 188: The Sun
Translator: RaidenTL
Chapter 188: The Sun
“Hmm… I’m not sure about the Mae-i-du-bok, but the sugulmiju will take some time to make. The material isn’t very common.”
My Master muttered as she read the Snake Queen's letter.
Just as I expected, she must have requested a school swimsuit.
The Snake Queen and my Master in school swimsuits.
“Geheheh…”
Smack!
“Kkeck!”
And so, more time passed.
In the basement, I underwent more ‘sparring’ that was really just toughness training, just like last time. During the day, I conducted various experiments with the spiders.
When I got a little tired, I’d sneak into Baek Seol-hwa's room and steal her snacks.
I almost got caught a few times, but who am I?
Having reached the realm of the Crushing Dragon, my body was not one to be easily caught.
To be precise, I had gained the ability to roughly guess Baek Seol-hwa's whereabouts.
It was partly due to her scent that I remembered, but I could also instinctively sense when a large presence was nearby.
“Gek gek gek…”
After spending my days so peacefully, when night fell, I would slip back into my Master's bedroom and fulfill my role as her bamboo wife.
It was a series of peaceful days, but I couldn't stay here forever.
There was the matter of the Nine Sons of the Dragon, and I also had to be wary of the Arhats of Shaolin.
It was about time I prepared to take my followers with me.
“By the way, Huiya. Are you planning to take the Tang Clan girl to your territory as well?”
My Master asked, stretching out my long body.
“Gek.”
“Even if she is from the Tang Clan, she has a connection with my disciple, so I had no intention of kicking her out.”
The reason Tang Soyeong came to the Heavenly Demon Divine Cult was for Nephila's treatment.
Because the cult had the facilities to treat her.
To be precise, back then, the Heavenly Demon Divine Cult was the only place Tang Soyeong could go.
If I had carried Tang Soyeong on my back all the way to the Tang Clan, I would have been captured by hunters and turned into a roasted lizard on a spit.
Thanks to my Master's consideration, Tang Soyeong was able to stay at the Heavenly Demon Divine Cult despite being a member of the Nine Factions and Five Families.
But now, Nephila's treatment was finished.
This meant her reason for staying at the cult had disappeared.
Of course, from the sound of it, my Master didn't plan on kicking her out immediately even so.
My Master knew, too, that if Tang Soyeong returned to the Tang Clan as she was, an unpleasant end would be waiting for her.
“Since she has become your follower, I suppose I can't say much. I won't oppose you taking her to your territory. A physician of her skill is rare, especially one who can treat spirit beasts.”
Tang Soyeong is a fairly skilled physician.
Seeing how she managed to save Nephila, who was on the verge of death, her abilities as a physician are outstanding, contrary to her appearance.
Of course, I don't really need her healing abilities that much.
I have the ridiculously overpowered ability to recover from any condition just by leveling up.
But my other followers don't have such an ability.
My territory will continue to expand, and the number of my followers will also grow, so Tang Soyeong's skills will be essential for the Gaegaek Cult.
“However, no matter how friendly she is with spirit beasts, her essence is still human. As the object of faith and the head of a religion, you must always remember that.”
Right, I shouldn't just think from my own perspective.
Let's think back to when I lived with Tang Soyeong.
Soyeong must have had her own difficulties.
Sprawling out in the nest I made.
Sometimes having serious discussions with the spiders.
Secretly munching on the jerky I worked so hard to make.
…I think she got along pretty well, actually?
“Gek gek.”
No matter how I think about it, living with me seems to be Tang Soyeong's calling.
She seems way too comfortable here.
I think she's even gotten a little chubbier.
Though, of course, the important part hasn't changed.
“What concerns me most is her appetite. I tried not to pay it any mind, but that child eats a considerable amount for her size.”
For my Master to say that, just how much does she eat?
To eat so much and not grow at all.
It's a little disappointing.
“Of course, I'm not worried because of the food supply. No matter how much she eats, it's nothing compared to the appetite of a spirit beast.”
“Gek.”
That's true.
No matter how much that Tang-whatshername eats, it's nothing compared to my portions.
“But as much as one might like meat, a human can't eat only that every day. Besides, feeding her raw meat instead of cooked meat probably isn't very good for her health.”
Right, she did complain about eating only meat before.
I'm mostly carnivorous myself, but believe it or not, I can eat plants.
I guess you could call me an omnivore that leans heavily to one side.
I should consider getting some vegetables for Tang Soyeong's sake.
And the Gakisu, despite their appearance, are probably herbivores.
If I ask them, they'll probably bring me some edible plants.
I have some manpower now, so maybe I should try my hand at cooking when I get back?
It won't be easy with my lizard hands, but I can just ask the ones with human bodies.
“Food is one thing, but you'll also have to pay attention to her living quarters. It wouldn't matter if it were just spirit beasts living together, but you have a human with you now.”
“Gek gek.”
You don't have to worry about that.
You could toss her into a bush and she'd probably just scratch her belly and fall asleep.
“Hmm… When I have the time, it might not be a bad idea for me to pay a visit.”
“Gek.”
That's… a bit much.
My Master coming to my territory is a good thing.
A welcome event.
But my territory won't welcome her.
First, there's a high chance all the prey will be frightened by her power and flee.
“Geeeng.”
“What's with that expression?”
…And it'd be a little awkward.
How should I put it? It's like when your parents visit your bachelor pad.
It wasn't intentional, but all the creatures in my territory are female.
If my Master finds out?
She probably wouldn't say anything directly, but it would be awkward in many ways.
“Are you hiding something?”
“Geeeeeeeng…”
It was impossible to fool my Master.
“I'll respect your privacy, but don't cross the line.”
“Gek gek!”
As expected of my Master!
“If you do that sort of thing before I give you my permission…”
Why are you suddenly being like this?
What permission?
And what is that sort of thing?
I gulped.
“Snip.”
My Master made a light cutting motion across my tail with her finger.
“Gek gegegek!”
And I knew in an instant that it wasn't my tail she was talking about cutting off.
“I'm not joking.”
Right. Such a scary joke…
“Geck?”
“If you want, I can cut it off right now.”
“Kkeeeeeeeck!”
You can't just say things like that!
*
By night, a bamboo wife.
And by day?
“It's the lizard!”
“Quick, catch it!”
I had become the Heavenly Demon Divine Cult's main attraction.
All I did was occasionally sneak into Baek Seol-hwa's room to steal dango or watch people pass by, but now they were hunting me with fire in their eyes.
“That lizard was peeking into the bathhouse!”
“With a suspicious look on its face for a long time…!”
The cultists were obsessed with me, even though I was innocent.
“Gek gek gek…”
Even though I was miniaturized, I wasn't at a level where an ordinary cultist could catch me.
No.
In fact, my smaller size might have made me even harder to catch.
Pitter-patter!
“Kyaaak!”
“D-did you just see that? It dashed across the water!”
“Water-walking…?”
When I showed them the Little Dragon's Heaven-Ascending Steps, a skill I'd had since my Basilisk days, they went wild.
But it wasn't just ordinary cultists trying to catch me.
“Got you!”
Hmm…
This one seems to be on Baek Woon's level.
I could see a few martial artists who had reached the First-Rate realm.
A formation of over five First-Rate martial artists surrounding me.
An ordinary lizard would never have overcome this predicament.
Swoooosh!
Giant plants suddenly shot up, blocking their movements.
“Keuk! Why are there suddenly vines…!”
“Kyaa! This plant is weird too! It's all over my body…!”
“Gehehehek…”
I showed the First-Rate martial artists the difference in our class.
Even a master of the Peak Realm would have a hard time catching me.
You'd need to bring a martial artist who has surpassed the Peak Realm for it to even be a contest.
“…I even changed the drawer's location this time.”
A powerful-looking foe appeared.
A giant pouch from which I could feel a profound internal energy.
It was Baek Seol-hwa.
“Today, I will definitely give you a chastity mark.”
Her blue eyes blazed.
“Gek gek gek!”
It was an intense gaze, more than enough to face me.
Good.
Bring it on!
“You lizardddd!”
“Gegegek!”
*
The heart-pounding Great Lizard Brawl had begun.
When the ever-so-merciful Priestess started throwing things to catch the lizard, it was only natural that the cultists' interest was piqued.
Most of the cultists would watch the game of tag between the lizard and the Priestess.
Even the leader of the Heavenly Demon Divine Cult, Baek Yeon-yeong.
“Cult Leader. Are you truly going to leave that spirit beast be?”
A voice came from the empty air.
“There is no one else here. You may be at ease.”
“Yes.”
Srrk.
A figure in a black mask slowly walked out from the shadows.
The Left Guardian of the Heavenly Demon Divine Cult.
The Yin Shadow Dark Ghost, Woo Jin-woon.
“I'm sure I told you to be at ease.”
Baek Yeon-yeong glanced at Woo Jin-woon.
“But…”
“Are you saying you will disobey the Cult Leader's command?”
“No, I am not.”
Woo Jin-woon removed the mask.
Shimmering black hair cascaded down.
“There. That's much better.”
“Thank you.”
Woo Jin-woon's voice became higher.
From an androgynous, but masculine-leaning voice, to one that sounded like an ordinary woman's.
The Yin Shadow Dark Ghost, Woo Jin-woon.
Known to the world as the Demonic Cult Leader's darkest sword.
If one had to define Woo Jin-woon in a single word, it would be 'assassin'.
She was given the alias 'Yin Shadow Dark Ghost' for being like a ghost hiding in the shadows.
For an assassin to gain an alias could be considered an insult.
However, as the Left Guardian of the Heavenly Demon Divine Cult, Woo Jin-woon's identity could not remain unknown.
For an assassin's identity to be known means their mission has failed.
But Woo Jin-woon had never failed even once.
So how did 'his' identity become known to the world?
The answer was simple.
All the information known to the world about 'him' was false.
The face, the voice, the name.
And even the gender.
Narin.
That was the Left Guardian's real name.
“Good. Continue what you were saying.”
Baek Yeon-yeong said, looking at Narin's face as if she were finally satisfied.
She had a face that would be deeply engraved in the mind of any man who saw it even once, making it impossible for her to walk the path of an assassin.
But Baek Yeon-yeong discovered her talent and nurtured her until she was skilled enough to rise to the position of Left Guardian.
“…Are you going to leave that spirit beast that is currently strutting about be?”
That was why Narin had become one of the few people who could express her opinion to the Cult Leader.
Baek Yeon-yeong listened to her words quietly.
It was a sign for her to continue.
“The elders do not seem to look upon that spirit beast favorably.”
Narin knew, to some extent, the relationship between Baek Yeon-yeong and the black lizard.
After all, she was the one who had observed him while hiding in the shadows.
“If you continue to expose it like this, it could get into big trouble one day.”
Baek Yeon-yeong did not answer her question.
She simply posed a new one.
“What do you think of the existence known as the Heavenly Demon?”
Though puzzled, she answered the Cult Leader's question.
“They are our sun.”
“The sun, you say.”
She muttered the word 'sun' once more.
Thinking of the lizard to whom she had given the name 'Sunlight'.
“When you say 'the sun,' what do you mean?”
She glanced briefly at her ring finger.
“Is the Heavenly Demon a mighty being that can defeat anything? Is the Heavenly Demon an absolute being that grants our wishes?”
The leader of the Heavenly Demon Divine Cult was discussing the Heavenly Demon.
“Yes. The Heavenly Demon is a mighty being that no one can oppose.”
“I wonder.”
Baek Yeon-yeong continued nonchalantly.
“Does such a being truly exist in this world?”
The leader of the Heavenly Demon Divine Cult was denying the Heavenly Demon.
It was an impossible thing to happen.
“No matter how large an old tree is, it will eventually fall with the passage of time.”
No, she wasn't denying the existence of the Heavenly Demon.
“To me, the sun is…”
She was redefining the Heavenly Demon.
Baek Yeon-yeong's gaze fell to her feet.
A red fruit that had rolled to a stop was touching them.
It was a fruit that was still far from being ripe.
“…a being that keeps us from starving.”
She had been thirsty, and she had been hungry.
That was why Baek Yeon-yeong had joined the Heavenly Demon Divine Cult, and why she had personally brought in Narin, who had been in a similar situation.
The Heavenly Demon Divine Cult was that kind of place.
A place where the poor and the starving gathered.
The sun they believed in could be nothing other than a being that kept them from starving.
Crunch.
Baek Yeon-yeong took a bite of the red fruit.
Autumn had not yet arrived.
And yet, the abundance of autumn filled the Heavenly Demon Divine Cult.
A single lizard that made gek gek sounds.
No, it was because of a single dragonkin who had begun to walk the path of a dragon.