The Two-Faced Holy Maiden (Part 1)
After finishing a simple breakfast, I entered the conference hall at the cult headquarters. Arriving almost exactly on time, the highest-ranking executives of the Sex Demon Cult—elders and great lords—stood lined up in ten neat rows. Behind them were various deputy unit leaders and division heads, but the ones I needed to focus on were the elders and great lords themselves. The Do-bo sisters, Han Go-sam, plus three women and three men I’d only been briefly introduced to during the ascension ceremony. And seated in the chair placed directly below the Young Cult Leader’s exclusive seat—higher than any elder or great lord—was a silver-haired woman who looked to be in her late twenties.
‘That’s probably the Holy Maiden. Well, damn. Look at that body…!’
Her breasts and hips were plump and generous, yet her waist was impossibly narrow—more than a match for the Do-bo sisters. If anything, she had them beat.
“Y-Young Cult Leader. Have you been well?”
“Ah, hello?”
“G-Good morning, Young Cult Leader.”
Three people greeted me first. The elegant, refined-looking woman who didn’t seem old enough to have grown children was Elder Jo Eun-dae, also the lord of the Ear-Listening Unit. Beside her stood a woman who looked almost identical—her daughter and the lord of the Step-Support Unit, Jo Yi-go. Next to them was a scrawny-looking man: Jo Ma-nan, Jo Eun-dae’s adopted son and Jo Yi-go’s stepbrother. Despite his appearance, he had reached the Extreme Demon Realm and held the rank of Third Elder.
“Hohoho! Seeing the Young Cult Leader looking so radiant today means the cult’s future is bright indeed!”
The white-haired elder with a hearty laugh and sharp eyes was Dong Go-man. He was the most respected senior in the cult, and according to Ping Du-ryeon’s pillow talk, he had no involvement whatsoever in the recent rebellion plot. A true gentleman. His name had piqued my curiosity, so I’d looked into it once—turns out he lived up to it by enjoying frequent, perfectly normal marital relations with his wife. He was one of the rare men in cult history who had reached the Extreme Demon Realm while still fully functional, which earned him even more respect.
“Haha! The hope of our cult! The Young Cult Leader has arrived!”
“Y-Young Cult Leader, this is the first time I’ve seen you since three months ago. Ohohoho. You look even more vigorous than before.”
The man greeting me with an obviously fake smile from the start was Wang So-geun, lord of the Leather Unit. Beside him, the woman laughing awkwardly was his wife and Fifth Elder, Po O-ong. Beneath her sharp gaze, the curves of her body were clearly outlined by her tight clothing.
Even while I received their greetings, the silver-haired Holy Maiden didn’t so much as glance my way, let alone offer a greeting.
“Ahem.”
I sat down in the Young Cult Leader’s exclusive seat. For a while, I remained silent, simply looking them over. From the way their eyes trembled, it was obvious that the Jo family and the Wang So-geun couple had something to hide.
“Ahem.”
After clearing my throat, I launched into the speech I’d just made up on the spot.
“Yesterday, I already crushed one challenge with ease. I also know that many of you have been sharpening your blades, doubting my legitimacy. You people, who should be planting our cult’s banner across the Central Plains and spreading the will of Sex—why are you turning your blades inward and inviting disaster? You fools!”
—Goooooooh!
Some of the unit and division leaders visibly trembled at my shout laced with inner energy.
“I am generous. I’ll give you all a chance to wash away your sins with future merits. However! If anyone raises the banner of rebellion again or spills the blood of fellow cult members, I will personally judge them without mercy!”
—Gulp!
In the brief pause, someone’s loud swallow echoed through the hall.
“Still, if there is anyone who doubts my strength and qualifications or opposes my leadership, step forward according to cult law. I will restore order to this cult right here and now.”
“……”
A heavy silence fell over the room. For nearly one ke, no one made a sound. It seemed there was no one here willing to challenge me, so I stood up and declared,
“Then I’ll take your silence as agreement. This meeting is adjourned.”
“The Young Cult Leader’s mercy is as vast as the sea!”
After watching the executives bow in unison, I left the conference hall. Just as I was about to exit the building to return to my room—
“Young Cult Leader, I have something to say.”
The silver-haired woman who hadn’t spoken a single word until now finally called out to me.
“My apologies for the late introduction. I am Sa Jo-yeong, the Holy Maiden of this cult.”
She bowed her head respectfully as she spoke.
“I apologize for the foolish schemes plotted against you until now. I am also deeply grateful for your generous mercy. Tonight, I would like to invite you to the Holy Maiden Hall. It is a matter of great importance to the cult, so I sincerely hope you will come.”
Her voice carried both dignity and allure, with a magnetic pull that drew people in.
“The Holy Maiden Hall? Where is that?”
“It is a hidden place within the cult where I usually conduct my duties. Though it is humble, it would be my honor if you would grace it with your presence and bestow a measure of your favor.”
“Very well. I don’t know where it is, so send someone when the time comes and I’ll follow.”
“Thank you.”
She bowed her head again. Three months—nearly a hundred days—had passed without her showing her face once, and now she suddenly appeared with an invitation. Suspicious, but what did I have to fear?
‘If a woman with a body like that is inviting me, I’d walk into hell itself. Obviously.’
**
That evening.
After finishing an early meal and thoroughly enjoying myself with several of the Chastity Unit girls, it was already the hour of the Dog—between seven and nine in the evening.
—Knock knock knock!
—Rumble!
—Rustle rustle
“Come in.”
Recognizing from the quiet knock that it wasn’t one of my close aides, I quickly threw on some clothes and answered. Soon, a silver-haired girl who looked about the same age as the Chastity Unit members opened the door and entered. She stood before me and spoke in a cute, bird-like voice.
“Young Cult Leader. I have come from the Holy Maiden Hall. I would like to guide you there, so please prepare yourself.”
That adorable voice definitely sounded familiar.
‘There’s no way I’d forget a cute girl like this. Where the hell have I seen her before?’
“Understood. Wait outside for a moment.”
Even though things had gotten especially messy around my manhood after the deed, I deliberately didn’t wash and let the naked Chastity Unit members dress me before leaving the room. Holding a lantern, she led me along a forest path outside the main compound.
“What is your name?”
“M-My name is Woo So-so.”
Even though I couldn’t sense any trace of martial arts or inner energy from her, she walked deep into the forest path with perfect posture, not a single hair out of place.
‘My Sound-Eating Art isn’t working on her. That’s strange.’
No matter how well-ventilated the outdoors were, any woman this close to me after sex should have been affected by Ping Du-ryeon’s aphrodisiac scent at the very least. Mulling over the oddity, I continued following her cute rear. Not that I could turn back now anyway.
‘A real man can’t lose face by refusing a beautiful girl’s guidance—even if it’s a trap.’
We hadn’t gone far into the woods when a very old-looking shrine came into view.
“That building is the Holy Maiden Hall.”
Following her inside, we passed through a narrow corridor. When the door at the very end opened, a room appeared. On a black table against one wall were about ten spirit tablets lined up in a row, each with candles of various sizes burning in front of them. Low black tables stood along the side walls—probably for offering sacrifices during rituals. There were no windows, so the room was filled with a thick, cloying incense smell, though it didn’t feel harmful.
‘Hmm. I don’t sense anything at all.’
There were no hidden ambushers, no ominous energy from mechanisms, no sharp presence of weapons. I’d come prepared for all that, so the lack of danger was almost disappointing.
“Please wait here for a moment. The Holy Maiden will arrive shortly.”
She bowed and left with quick steps, closing the door behind her.
‘Seriously, where have I seen her before?’
After a little while—
“You’ve arrived, Young Cult Leader.”
The Holy Maiden I’d seen that morning entered the room with a faint smile.
**
She was carrying a small wooden box when she came in.
—Clack
She placed the box on an empty table and spoke.
“This artifact is the cult’s sacred treasure, the Purple Needle Plate, used to search for Young Cult Leader candidates.”
She opened the lid and removed the cloth covering the contents, revealing a circular plate inside.
“Hup.”
When the Holy Maiden lifted the plate with both arms, a finger-sized phallic needle could be seen beneath the translucent crystal top.
—Hooooom!
Placing her hand on the side of the plate, she sent an invisible energy into it. The needle pulsed, then spun several times.
—Shhhk!
It stopped, pointing directly at me.
—Thud!
Even when I deliberately moved to the other side of the plate, the tip of the phallic needle followed me without fail.
“Interesting artifact.”
“……Young Cult Leader?”
The Holy Maiden, who had been staring at me, removed her hand and carefully made a request.
“If it’s not too much trouble, could you please channel a little of your sexual energy into the spot I just touched?”
Following her instructions, the small phallic needle spun again and pointed toward her this time.
“…!”
Seeing the needle’s movement, the Holy Maiden suddenly clutched the plate and burst into tears.
“Aaah…… So it was you all along—the pillar of our cult, the master I’ve waited a hundred years for……! I…… I……!”
Large tears welled up in her wide eyes. She suddenly threw herself at me, pleading desperately.
“Hic, please forgive this humble one for all the rudeness I’ve shown until now!”
Caught off guard, I asked her,
“Weren’t you the ones who brought me to the cult because you were certain I had the proper qualifications from the start?”
“O-Of course we were. However……”
“However?”
“Your age didn’t match the prophecy, so I ended up doubting you. I’m ashamed to admit it.”
“If I hadn’t been recognized by this artifact, what were you planning to do?”
She was silent for a moment, deep in thought, before slowly answering.
“……I would have killed you, even if it cost me my life.”
The fact that she said “kill” instead of “stop” or “banish” gave me another strange feeling. Similar to the vibe I got from the cute So-so earlier. The level of martial arts I could sense from So-so was only at the first-rate level at best. She’d probably only accumulated the minimum amount of sexual energy needed for rituals.
When I didn’t react, the Holy Maiden suddenly dropped to her knees and pressed her forehead to the floor, begging for forgiveness.
—Thud! Thud! Thud!
Her neatly tied silver hair swayed with each impact against the floor.
“Please forgive this humble one’s sins. I will accept any punishment you deem fit.”
“Any punishment, you say?”
Any healthy man hearing those words from a beauty like her would naturally take it as a serious provocation regarding his manhood. I lifted her chin with my finger and whispered into her ear.
“Then take them off first.”