Chapter 116
Chapter 116
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>Translator: Ryuma
>Chapter: 116
>Chapter Title: Reform (2)
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After disinfecting the silver needles with strong liquor and applying the same to the acupuncture points, the treatment of the meridians proceeded.
Once all the treatment was finished, the Demonic Physician gazed at the bottle of strong liquor with a look full of regret and spoke.
“Hmm. It seems this liquor is better suited for the experiments the Vice Leader mentioned than for drinking.”
But his expression soon changed, and with a look as if a brilliant idea had struck him, he shouted.
“Ah! That’ll do it! If those germs exist, we just need to use something that kills them. How about using poison instead of strong liquor?”
“…….”
Was this old man truly mad?
“Even a small amount of poison harms the human body, doesn’t it? So liquor is the best option. How about this instead? We borrow the distillation method to create medical-grade alcohol with a high ethanol concentration, ignoring the taste.”
“Hmm. That makes sense.”
Seeing the Demonic Physician nod, I felt relieved inside.
If I’d left him alone, a deranged physician stabbing poison-coated needles into people’s bodies would have been born.
Perhaps because we’d discussed medical alcohol for disinfection, my hygiene obsession forced out this bizarre suggestion.
“Oh. And Demonic Physician, sir. If you succeed in making that medical alcohol, could you spare me a little?”
“Hm? Is the Vice Leader interested in acupuncture too?”
“Just to carry around and wash my hands with.”
When it comes to hygiene, nothing beats hand sanitizer.
“Why wash your hands…?”
The quack physician looked at me like I was some weirdo, but it was nothing to worry about.
‘Hmm. Come to think of it, with disinfectant alcohol and anesthetic drugs for surgery. Somehow, I have a feeling surgical operations will become rampant in the cult.’
The Heavenly Demon Divine Cult was already full of lunatics whose daily routine involved running around with weapons picking fights. External injuries were everyday occurrences.
And now, with anesthesia and disinfection solved, tremendous medical advancements could occur.
‘But I absolutely must not get hurt.’
That was a story for later. Somehow, I had a foreboding premonition that all sorts of insane treatments would happen for a while.
As I shuddered involuntarily at the ominous imagination that sprang up unbidden.
Shouts rang out successively from beyond the infirmary.
“We pay respects to the Master of Ten Thousand Demons!”
“Heavenly Demon descends!! Ten Thousand Demons rejoice!!”
It seemed the news of my awakening had reached even my Master’s ears.
Soon after, the door opened, and my Master entered in procession. Strangely, accompanying him was also the Demonic Path Academy Leader, Yeom Ga-hwi.
* * *
The day before Il-mok awoke.
“Urk.”
Chui Il-hwan, who had gone berserk, opened his eyes with a groan.
The first thought in Chui Il-hwan’s mind was a question.
That was because his limbs were bound to a chair, and his internal energy had been suppressed.
And by his side, as he regained his senses, Academy Leader Yeom Ga-hwi and Vice Leader Yu Gyeok sat on chairs, watching him.
In that atmosphere, as if an interrogation were about to take place, Chui Il-hwan could barely grasp the situation.
‘…Come to think of it, I fell into demonic deviation.’
He didn’t remember everything clearly. But vaguely, he recalled what he had done during his rampage.
While Chui Il-hwan grasped the situation. Yu Gyeok, with his cold expression, opened his mouth.
“Instructor Chui.”
“…Yes. Vice Leader.”
“What was the reason for attacking Cadet Il-mok?”
“…I fell into demonic deviation, and the side effects of the Black Thunder Demonic Palm rampaged.”
At Chui Il-hwan’s answer, Yu Gyeok nodded once and spoke again.
“Then I’ll ask. Why were you lurking around the Black Dragon Hall and fell into demonic deviation?”
Chui Il-hwan remembered precisely even the process of falling into demonic deviation.
“…….”
But Chui Il-hwan could not bring himself to answer.
It wasn’t because he didn’t want to discuss his sordid private life involving six cadets and Instructor Eun-ryeo in such a serious setting.
The moment he brought up that story, it would inevitably lead to the question of why he was eavesdropping on such talk near Cadet Il-mok.
He had been monitoring Il-mok’s surroundings on Academy Leader Yeom Ga-hwi’s orders, so bringing it up now risked implicating the Leader in the matter.
“I was just passing by that place coincidentally when a heart demon suddenly came upon me.”
At Chui Il-hwan’s answer, Yu Gyeok maintained his impassive face, nodded, and said.
“I see. So while coincidentally passing near the Black Dragon Hall, a heart demon suddenly came without reason, and by chance, Cadet Il-mok was alone in the Black Dragon Hall at that time, so you attacked him?”
“…Yes.”
Answering, Chui Il-hwan nearly gritted his teeth without realizing it. Even to himself, it was an absurd excuse.
As if he had already lost all interest in Chui Il-hwan, Yu Gyeok had turned his cold face toward Yeom Ga-hwi.
“Academy Leader.”
“Speak, Vice Leader.”
“This is a grave matter. Injuries to cadets happen occasionally in the Demonic Path Academy, but this case is different. If it were during training or an exam, it would be one thing. But an instructor harming a cadet during peacetime is unprecedented since the Heavenly Demon reformed the academy.”
“I know.”
As Yeom Ga-hwi nodded with a serious expression, Yu Gyeok spoke again.
“Moreover, the victim is Cadet Il-mok. Of course, all cadets are equal within the academy, but this incident is different. And now he’s spouting such false statements, so his intentions are inevitably suspicious.”
“I know.”
At Yeom Ga-hwi’s curt response again, Yu Gyeok let out a faint sigh with his cold expression and said.
“I know the Academy Leader favors Instructor Chui. But as the always impartial Leader, I trust you will handle this matter justly.”
“Don’t worry. Vice Leader.”
Saying that, Yeom Ga-hwi closed his eyes briefly, opened them, and spoke to Yu Gyeok.
“I’d like to speak with Instructor Chui alone for a moment, so please step out.”
Yeom Ga-hwi exuded a heavy atmosphere, forcibly suppressing the surging energy of the Asura Blood Fist.
But Yu Gyeok did not flinch at such an atmosphere from Yeom Ga-hwi.
“I trust you, Academy Leader.”
Warning him not to be swayed by personal feelings, Yu Gyeok rose and left the room.
“Fuu.”
After Yu Gyeok left. Yeom Ga-hwi let out a sigh laden with complex emotions, then rubbed his eyes with his callused hand. Perhaps from fatigue, his eyes felt dry.
Chui Il-hwan, still bound to the chair, could not bear to look at the Leader’s face and bowed his head deeply.
But soon, at Yeom Ga-hwi’s call after somewhat composing himself, Chui Il-hwan had to raise his head again.
“Instructor Chui.”
“…Yes. Academy Leader.”
“Were you truly that minion?”
Even for Yeom Ga-hwi, he could not help but be half-doubting in this situation.
He had seen Chui Il-hwan rampage with his own eyes, but the rampage itself was somehow suspicious.
‘Instructor Chui, who has already begun transcending the extreme demon stage, how could he succumb to the side effects of his demonic art and completely lose his reason?’
Side effects do intensify at times. But suddenly succumbing completely while merely monitoring Cadet Il-mok during peacetime made no sense.
For Yeom Ga-hwi, the suspicion arose that he might have used the side effects as an excuse to try to kill Il-mok.
At Yeom Ga-hwi’s question, Chui Il-hwan shook his head with a pale face.
“Absolutely not, Academy Leader. If you curse my incompetence and punish me, I’ll gladly accept. But I have never deceived or betrayed you, Leader.”
“Then why did you rampage? As the Vice Leader said, harming a cadet during peacetime isn’t normal, is it?”
“…….”
Chui Il-hwan hesitated for a moment.
In this situation, would it mean anything to use that absurd eavesdropped conversation as an excuse?
‘In the first place, it was due to my own lack of discipline.’
Eavesdropping on a risqué story involving multiple men and women, startled by Instructor Eun-ryeo’s sudden appearance, my internal energy shaken leading to demonic deviation—all excuses in the end.
However.
Amid the vague memories after the demonic art rampaged, there was one thing Chui Il-hwan remembered.
“While monitoring Cadet Il-mok’s surroundings on your orders, Academy Leader, it’s true a heart demon suddenly came. But I immediately entered qi circulation and breath adjustment to suppress the demonic art.”
“And?”
“While somewhat controlling the demonic art. I vaguely remember some external energy burrowing into my body. After that, due to the rampage, my memories aren’t clear, so it’s hard to say precisely.”
“…While you were in demonic deviation, someone approached and further stimulated your demonic art?”
“…Yes.”
While Chui Il-hwan bowed his head at his own incompetence.
Yeom Ga-hwi stared at Chui Il-hwan’s head with a face revealing his complex emotions.
‘Is it the truth? Or is he trying to deceive me?’
Yeom Ga-hwi could not easily decide. Rather, because of his upright nature.
If he blindly trusted Chui Il-hwan, he could just accept his words. That someone had targeted Chui Il-hwan instead.
But Yeom Ga-hwi could not trust himself, not Chui Il-hwan.
‘Am I blinded by personal feelings?’
If it were someone else’s words, he would have unhesitatingly deemed them the culprit without hesitation.
Yet, simply because it was Chui Il-hwan, he was agonizing over whether his words might be true.
That very fact made Yeom Ga-hwi feel as if he had fallen to personal emotions.
After agonizing long and hard.
Yeom Ga-hwi reached a conclusion that was not quite a conclusion.
‘If I’m blinded by personal feelings, I just leave the judgment to someone else.’
If Yeom Ga-hwi were the supreme leader, he would decide himself, but he was not the final authority in this matter from the start.
“I’ll hold judgment on you in abeyance for now. But I can’t release the bindings, so endure it.”
“…I can only apologize. Academy Leader.”
Glancing at the deeply bowing Chui Il-hwan, Yeom Ga-hwi left the room.
He spoke to Vice Leader Yu Gyeok, who was waiting outside the hall.
“Since this involves Cadet Il-mok as well, I’ll report directly to the Heavenly Demon and receive judgment. I plan to report everything as it happened, so don’t worry.”
“…I will follow the Leader’s will.”
And the next day.
Yeom Ga-hwi left the Demonic Path Academy and headed to the Heavenly Demon Hall at the main peak.
Having an audience alone with the Heavenly Demon, Yeom Ga-hwi reported the full details of the Il-mok assault incident.
Both the fact that Chui Il-hwan was highly suspicious, and his defense that he had been assaulted by someone, without omission.
From the start, the one who ordered him to catch the minion was the Heavenly Demon, so there was no need to hide that he had commanded Chui Il-hwan to monitor Il-mok.
Of course, if the Heavenly Demon designated Chui Il-hwan as the culprit, Yeom Ga-hwi, who had appointed him as the surveillance agent, could not escape punishment.
But even knowing that, Yeom Ga-hwi reported everything. Because if Chui Il-hwan was guilty, he who trusted him must also gladly accept punishment.
That was how uncompromisingly upright Yeom Ga-hwi was, even toward himself.
After hearing Yeom Ga-hwi’s full explanation, the Heavenly Demon stroked his beard, pondered briefly, then brought up an unexpected remark.
“Since we’ve only heard Instructor Chui’s side, it’s ambiguous to pass judgment. So, how about hearing from the other party as well?”
“The other party, you say?”
“A message just came from the infirmary. The youngest has awakened.”
Saying that, the Heavenly Demon rose and left the Heavenly Demon Hall, and Yeom Ga-hwi followed, grasping his intent.
* * *
Right after my Master and the Academy Leader suddenly barged into the infirmary and heard the general circumstances.
‘…So the side effects weren’t aimed at women?’
Only then did I realize I had misunderstood Instructor Chui Il-hwan all this time.
Thanks to that, a question I had completely forgotten was resolved.
Why Instructor Chui Il-hwan had unleashed his martial arts so murderously. Unless corpse play was his taste—which it wasn’t—such an approach made no sense.
It was a question I’d forgotten entirely while being tormented by the Demonic Physician right after the rampage ended.
But with the question gone, only absurdity filled my head.
‘No, then the chills I felt all this time were life-threatening danger, not chastity in peril?’
What on earth were these crazy old fogeys thinking, employing someone tormented by murderous impulses as an instructor?