Chapter 20
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Translator: MadScientist
Chapter: 20
Chapter Title: Heavenly Demon - Dawn Star Rises on the Left Side of the Dark Sky
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Geum-gang had all sorts of thoughts as she ascended to the Heavenly Demon Hall.
What kind of warrior would the Heavenly Demon be?
The monster said to have obliterated the Podal Palace in a single blow.
The true Demon King whom all the demonic folk revered without question.
Ha Jin and Mu-heun's accounts had differed a bit, but in her mind, the Heavenly Demon took the form of a truly formidable warrior.
But...
"Nice to meet you... I am Cheon Hong. Your Heavenly Demon."
She's just a kid.
Her hair was pitch-black, as if it had swallowed the entire night, and her eyes were a vivid crimson.
Those jewel-like eyes held an anxiety that didn't suit her age.
Look at her.
There wasn't a shred of the overwhelming presence one would expect from the Heavenly Demon. Even in front of the Left and Right Envoys, she was fidgeting and twisting her body about.
Hee Yeon yanked the dumbfounded Geum-gang down and dropped to one knee.
"Right Envoy, Hee Yeon, pays respects to the Heavenly Demon of this generation."
Hee Yeon poked at Geum-gang with her eyes, urging her to hurry up and follow suit.
"Le-Left Envoy, Ha Geum-gang, pays respects to the Heavenly Demon of this generation."
"Yes. We'll be living together now. I make mistakes often, so don't get too frustrated with me."
Those weren't words that should come from the Heavenly Demon's mouth.
The Cult Leader's lips curved up slowly in satisfaction as she drew languidly closer to the Heavenly Demon.
Everyone had clearly seen the Heavenly Demon shrink back in fear, but no one mentioned it.
"My lord. These are the new Left and Right Envoys. Do they meet with your approval?"
"Yes, uh-huh. They meet with my approval. How long will these two be staying?"
"As long as you desire, Heavenly Demon."
Her smiling expression carried an unspoken pressure.
'Until I say otherwise.'
That was exactly it.
Cheon Hong broke out in cold sweat again.
The Cult Leader terrified her no matter how many times she saw her.
Setting aside her martial prowess, she felt utterly overwhelmed by the woman as a human being.
It was the kind of fear a twelve- or thirteen-year-old child would naturally feel.
"Mm. I'd like to be alone now. Everyone, please leave."
As she timidly waved her hand, the Cult Leader gracefully stepped back.
"Left Envoy, Right Envoy. Jin-ok will remain here. I alone shall take my leave."
The Cult Leader offered a perfectly measured courtesy—neither overly deferential nor arrogant—before slipping away silently.
Jin-ok kept her head bowed until the Cult Leader had vanished.
Once she was gone, Jin-ok began issuing various instructions to Geum-gang and Hee Yeon, as if she were the real power here.
"This will be your quarters. As you know, the Heavenly Demon Hall has no separate attendants..."
It was a room of middling size—not too large, not too small.
This was utterly bizarre.
The Left and Right Envoys surely had their own dedicated halls assigned.
A new Left Envoy had been appointed; they should have prepared a fresh hall for her.
Yet not only were they to live in the Heavenly Demon Hall, but they were giving her just this one room?
This was beyond neglectful; it was outright insulting.
Geum-gang didn't particularly mind, but Hee Yeon looked deeply shocked.
A flower grown in the sheltered confines of the imperial garden.
One could overlook it in the Heavenly Seed Pavilion, but to receive such treatment as a Right Envoy?
She was realizing with her own body that everything Mu-heun had said was true.
"Geum-gang... This is..."
Thud.
"Let's rest first. Hee Yeon. What can we do about it anyway."
Geum-gang, who had beaten the Eighth Elder, was in quite a good mood.
Her body ached like it might kill her, but it felt like all the grime had been scrubbed away.
With that, she left Hee Yeon behind and fell fast asleep, snoring away.
Someone crying reached the ears of Geum-gang, who was sleeping soundly.
A familiar sound to her.
The wail of a young child.
Geum-gang's sharp ears snapped open her eyes, and she searched for the source.
If a child in the Heavenly Demon Hall was crying alone, there could only be one culprit.
As she neared the sound, she unexpectedly ran into someone.
"Geum-gang. It's the middle of the night. What are you doing wandering around?"
Jin-ok had never once addressed Geum-gang or Hee Yeon by their titles as Left or Right Envoy.
She called them by name, as if they were children.
Geum-gang noticed but bowed her head politely anyway.
"Hall Leader. Hello."
"Yes. Nice to see you. Please return to your room."
"I heard crying and couldn't sleep."
"Ah..."
Jin-ok took in Geum-gang's disheveled state and let out a deep sigh.
"As you can see, the Heavenly Demon has a delicate heart. You'll have to endure it now and then while you're in the Heavenly Demon Hall."
'Shouldn't you comfort a crying child?'
It was a perfectly normal thought, but Jin-ok shook her head.
"Please go back. Geum-gang."
She blocked her path, pushing Geum-gang away from the Heavenly Demon's chambers.
Had Jin-ok kindly explained and escorted her back, Geum-gang might have turned away.
But she had a rebellious streak.
Perhaps taking after Ha Jin, the more she was told not to, the more she wanted to do it.
"Hm..."
Geum-gang pretended to lose interest, then kicked open the chamber door with a bang.
"Heavenly Demon, your Left Envoy has arrived."
"Such insolence...!"
Ignoring Jin-ok's fierce glare, Geum-gang approached Cheon Hong.
"Why are you crying?"
Cheon Hong looked unwell somehow.
Her breathing seemed a bit ragged, and her eyes trembled faintly.
"Scary. It's scary. I'm scared..."
Whatever frightened her so, she huddled up, trembling violently.
Geum-gang recalled someone she had buried in a corner of her memory.
'Oppa!'
'Hyung, I can't sleep.'
"..."
She grew curious about what this little child could possibly fear so much, and why.
Jin-ok grabbed Geum-gang's shoulder and yanked her back, but she didn't budge an inch.
"Wait. Hall Leader."
Geum-gang unleashed her presence, pressing down on Jin-ok.
Jin-ok saw a familiar face in that demeanor.
'Ha Jin...!'
'Hey, you gonna use proper speech or what? You trying to die? Huh.'
That insolent blonde...!
The Hall Leader unwittingly stepped back a pace.
"Urk..."
The Left and Right Envoys were technically superior to the Hall Leader.
Her rude behavior wasn't exactly proper.
Forgetting that, Jin-ok lashed out at Geum-gang instead.
"Geum-gang, what is this rudeness? In the middle of the night..."
"The kid's crying. The kid."
Geum-gang's mood soured more and more.
It had started the moment she first entered the Heavenly Demon Hall—no, from the first time she met the Cult Leader.
That same feeling welled up again.
"As expected..."
Geum-gang stomped her foot hard, warning Jin-ok.
"Call me Left Envoy. Hall Leader. Unless you want to die."
"I...!"
Jin-ok was the Cult Leader's person.
Someone Geum-gang shouldn't touch lightly.
But she couldn't say it outright.
Hee Yeon might have backed down from veiled threats, but madness akin to Ha Jin's gleamed in Geum-gang's eyes.
She'd do anything if provoked.
'She took down the Eighth Elder, they said.'
Geum-gang's skills clearly surpassed the Hall Leader's.
In the end, Jin-ok tucked tail and retreated.
"Tch... Understood, Left Envoy. We'll leave it at this for tonight."
She stomped off loudly back to her chambers.
Even amid all that, the Heavenly Demon paid no mind to the clash between the Left Envoy and the Hall Leader.
She was too busy hugging herself and sobbing.
"Tomorrow scares me. Please just kill me... Ah... ugh..."
Geum-gang pitied the shivering girl.
A sense of duty as Left Envoy?
She had only been thrust into the role; she had no loyalty to the Heavenly Demon, not even a speck.
She just planned to build her strength as Left Envoy, find Ha Jin, and give the Cult Leader a piece of her mind.
But...
"Don't go, Left Envoy. Don't go. I'm scared alone. I hate it..."
That tiny child tugged at her heart.
She had no idea what to do.
What did this little one even think of death?
I, who had experienced it, still didn't fully grasp death.
Geum-gang didn't know fancy, complicated words.
Just like what she'd done for her little brother, what Ha Jin had done for her.
Yeah, she acted like soothing a child who couldn't sleep.
"If you can't sleep, come to my room. I'll play with you. If you don't like me, go to Hee Yeon's room..."
She simply drew close, mumbled nonsense, and patted her head.
It wasn't something that should happen between sovereign and subject.
Yet Geum-gang stroked her for a good while.
A deeply familiar motion.
As she slowly parted the hair, the crying began to subside bit by bit.
The sobs quieted to sniffles, and soon Cheon Hong, face streaked with tears, breathed softly in sleep.
Exhausted from crying, she'd fallen asleep without realizing it.
The demon who reached the heavens had fallen asleep, worn out from tears.
"Heavenly Demon my ass. She's just a kid."
Geum-gang gazed at Cheon Hong just a little longer, then returned to her room.
Cheon Hong.
She lived in profound melancholy.
She had lost her mother young.
Her father was no normal man.
The only adults nearby were the Cult Leader and Jin-ok.
What had she ever received while growing up?
A child raised alone knew no affection.
Her genius was far too brilliant.
The principles of martial arts flowed into her as naturally as breath, but she wasn't ready to accept them.
Her endless thoughts were like a curse.
Cheon Hong couldn't sleep.
Heart demons that coiled endlessly.
Heart demons for the Heavenly Demon, of all things.
It was laughable.
But think about it.
What did a girl not even twelve know?
What enlightenment did I achieve to call me at the pinnacle realm?
Cheon Hong had not truly lived.
Tears flowed faithfully every night.
Why wouldn't Jin-ok come in?
She always knew.
Submerged deep in the darkness, in the darkness.
Bang.
Dawn light brightened.
Beautiful golden-yellow eyes.
Blonde hair shining just as brightly gold.
Unlike the Cult Leader, eyes with a sharp upward tilt.
What a pretty face.
She chased away that scary Jin-ok with a single word.
So, what will you do to me?
The Cult Leader's favor that Jin-ok craved?
Or do you want to ■■■■■ like the Cult Leader?
This meaningless life bores me so.
Kill me.
Tap, tap, tap.
My head...?
"If you really can't sleep, come to my room. I'll play with you."
Lies.
Deception...
"If you don't like me, go to Hee Yeon's room..."
...?
Tap. Tap. Tap.
Mm. Why the head...
Swish, swish.
Yes, stroking the hair feels good, doesn't it.
Touching the ends eases the mind.
Mm, mm.
I understand.
Dawn has come now.
Dawn has finally arrived.