Chapter 122
Chapter 122
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>Translator: Ryuma
>Chapter: 122
>Chapter Title: Reform (8)
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"Aren't you all busy?"
Unable to let go of my lingering thoughts, I circled back to the question, and Third Senior Brother replied with a gloomy smile.
"What would we have to be busy with? We'll only get truly busy once the higher-ups' meeting wraps up."
"The White Ghost Unit I belong to has also paused operations since our unit leader is attending the meeting, Young Master."
At Third Senior Brother and Guyang Mun's responses, a question naturally arose in my mind.
"What meeting are you talking about?"
"Why, the meeting for that reform Il-mok Junior Brother devised, of course."
"Yes. They've been quarreling nonstop over personnel assignments, Young Master. Hahaha. Truly impressive. Even the top figures in the Divine Cult, the ones renowned for their prowess, are racking their brains for days over a single idea you came up with, aren't they?"
Guyang Mun's praise made my head throb.
'So these guys keep showing up out of nowhere because of the mess I stirred up?'
Feeling unjust in every way, I decided to shift my thinking.
'Right. It's not my fault. This place is a den of madmen from the start.'
I resolved to reflect on my past self back at the Demonic Path Academy, who had thought it might be easier to just get transported away.
I had forgotten one crucial fact.
If the Demonic Path Academy was a 'preparatory mental asylum,' then the main headquarters was already a chaotic demon hall teeming with full-fledged lunatics.
Just look at Sixth Senior Brother.
Sixth Senior Brother, who had been staring blankly at some empty spot with a vacant expression once more, suddenly shouted in surprise.
"There's a way!"
"...What way?"
To my question, Sixth Senior Brother answered.
"You probably know this already, Junior Brother, but I still don't belong to any specific unit. Then that old man over there suggested helping out Eldest Senior Brother's place instead, since he's so busy these days."
"????"
The spot Sixth Senior Brother pointed to while saying that was just an empty wall.
A chill ran down my spine again, but I quickly spoke up.
"That's a brilliant idea, Senior Brother. If we brothers work together, Master and Eldest Senior Brother will surely be pleased. Hahaha."
This was the perfect opportunity.
A chance to chase this patient away and send him to Eldest Senior Brother.
Of course, judging by Sixth Senior Brother's symptoms, I doubted he'd handle the work properly.
'Not my problem.'
I could chalk it up to petty revenge against Eldest Senior Brother for using me as a knowledge blanket.
"As the saying goes, strike while the iron is hot. How about we go see Eldest Senior Brother right now and bring it up, Sixth Senior Brother?"
"Your words ring true, Junior Brother."
Sixth Senior Brother nodded, muttered something into the air, then stood up and left the infirmary.
Perhaps because Sixth Senior Brother left first, Third Senior Brother soon departed the infirmary as well.
"Now that Third Young Master has gone, why don't you head out too?"
"I'm fine."
"It makes me uncomfortable."
"......"
At Jin Ha-yeon's eviction order, Guyang Mun soon followed suit.
Finally enjoying some peace, I lay back down to rest for a bit.
Then a sudden question popped into my head, and I muttered to myself.
"How mysterious."
"What is, sir?"
"It's been over ten days since I arrived at the infirmary, yet Seon-a hasn't visited. Everyone else comes every other day."
I'd been too tormented by Master and then Eldest Senior Brother to think about it, but it felt oddly upsetting.
'They say kids grow up fast. Is this the feeling of a migratory goose dad?'
I wondered if her interest had waned after just half a year apart.
But it seemed that was a misunderstanding.
"If it's Seon-a lady... it looks like the Hyeok-ryeon Clan is controlling information about her."
"What do you mean?"
"Rumor has it her achievements are advancing by the day. They're probably blocking outside information to avoid disturbing her training."
"Hmm..."
That sounded just like the Hyeok-ryeon Clan.
Still, I had no desire to go barging into the Hyeok-ryeon Clan to demand answers. My body wasn't fully recovered, and after dealing with all these lunatics, I just wanted to rest.
'I'll see her after graduating from the Demonic Path Academy.'
When Seon-a learned I'd been at headquarters. I had no idea what her reaction would be.
* * *
Nearly twenty days had passed since I was brought to the infirmary.
At first, even slight movements made my whole body ache, but now I had recovered to the point where I felt almost no pain.
So, I boldly requested discharge from the medical officer.
"I think it's about time I returned to the Demonic Path Academy."
"Hmm. You could rest a few more days."
"There's likely an exam coming up at the Demonic Path Academy soon, sir. Even so, I have to take the exam, don't I?"
"Hahaha. If that's the reason, then no helping it."
Pretending to be a model student with my excuse, the medical officer readily agreed.
Of course, my real motive was just being fed up with the madmen.
But I didn't leave the infirmary right away.
"Medical Officer sir, how's the disinfectant alcohol I mentioned last time coming along?"
"Not in large quantities yet, but we're building a production system using the distillation method you described, as per Vice Leader's instructions."
"Then, could you spare me just one bottle?"
"For handwashing, as you said before?"
"Yes."
I nodded earnestly, and after a moment's thought, the medical officer stood up.
"Since we made this disinfectant alcohol thanks to you, Vice Leader, I should gladly give you some."
As he said that and headed out of the infirmary, he muttered to himself.
"It's already short for drinking and medical use. Tch."
"......"
He seemed extremely reluctant to part with it, but I pretended not to hear.
The medical officer went off to fetch the hand sanitizer and took quite a while to return.
'Is this old man really that stingy with the disinfectant?'
Just as such thoughts filled my head, the long-awaited medical officer finally returned.
In one hand, a bottle that looked like a liquor flask, and beside him, a young physician.
"Sorry for the delay. Haha. Since you're heading back to the Demonic Path Academy anyway, I brought along that physician we talked about last time."
It took me a moment to recall what he meant.
"You mean the physician being dispatched to the Demonic Path Academy?"
"Exactly. I pondered who to send for a long time, but this fellow volunteered quite eagerly. Hahaha."
"I look forward to working with you, Vice Leader!"
The young man, who bowed deeply with a cupped-fist salute, was somewhat familiar to me.
'That's the guy from before? The lunatic who suggested using narcotics as psychiatric meds.'
Stopping his crazy idea had naturally led to using narcotics only for anesthesia, I recalled.
The young physician's name was Seo Jae-pil, I think?
"Ahem. I've already stepped down from Vice Leader, Physician Seo. It was only temporary back then too. Now I'm just a lowly official at the Demonic Path Academy."
"How could I call the Young Master who gave me countless medical inspirations just a lowly official?"
"That's how you should address me at the Demonic Path Academy."
"Then, I'll call you Official in official settings and Young Master when we're alone."
It seemed pointless to argue further, so I just accepted.
"Do as you like."
With my return to the Demonic Path Academy settled alongside this young mad physician, Jin Ha-yeon spoke up.
"Then I'll report to the Heavenly Demon."
Jin Ha-yeon left the infirmary to inform Master of my discharge.
And after a full hour, she returned with Master.
"The leadership meeting ran long, so I'm late. If we delay more, the sun will set on the mountain, so head back to the Demonic Path Academy now."
Having come just to show his face, Master exchanged brief greetings and soon departed.
"Take care. Jin junior sister."
"I'll see you after graduating from the Demonic Path Academy, Young Master."
After a simple farewell with Jin Ha-yeon as well, I headed to the Demonic Path Academy with Physician Seo Jae-pil and a few warriors serving as escorts and guides.
Ignoring the accompanying warriors entirely, Physician Seo chattered nonstop.
"I heard from the Leader. The stormy adolescence period—such an intriguing theory, Young Master. In fact, that's why I volunteered for the Demonic Path Academy, to research that."
"I'm planning to study the children who've trained in demonic arts since childhood at the Demonic Path Academy this time, then compare them later to kids who enter at a delayed age, to verify if that period truly destabilizes their minds."
It was a topic I had zero interest in, so I let it go in one ear and out the other.
'Is this guy mad for medicine too? Madmen everywhere I go.'
I shook my head and opened the bottle the medical officer had given me, splashing some alcohol on my hands.
'Ahh.'
The refreshing sensation of the disinfectant evaporating from my hands soothed my mind.
* * *
Around the time Il-mok was returning to the Demonic Path Academy.
In a corner of the Hyeok-ryeon Clan manor.
Slash!
As Hyeok-ryeon Seon-a swung her arm, the wooden dolls her fingertips touched were sliced clean off in succession.
It was an eerie sight. They hadn't even been properly struck, yet the cut surfaces were razor-sharp.
She hadn't yet formed claw qi, but her nail tips were already turning red, and a crimson energy flickered in her pupils.
For a girl of merely thirteen, she exuded a ferocious aura.
"Hoo."
Finishing her daily training, she let out a soft sigh and looked up.
'I need to go see big brother.'
The big brother on her mind was the doll enshrined in one corner of her room.
Preciously preserved so no one else could approach or touch it.
Part of her routine was to thoroughly cleanse her body and mind through ritual bathing before meeting big brother, lest even a drop of sweat soil him.
On her way from the training ground to bathe.
"Did you hear? In a few years, the Demonic Path Academy entry age is getting delayed."
"Right? That's why they even issued a ban on demonic art training."
She overheard clan warriors chatting beyond the wall.
'Demonic art training ban?'
The decree sounded utterly out of place in the Heavenly Demon Divine Cult, but she soon tried to dismiss it.
It wasn't her concern.
"Who knew a few words from the youngest Young Master would bring such massive change."
But the mention of 'youngest Young Master' that followed halted her steps.
'As expected, big brother always accomplishes great things.'
What had seemed utterly uninteresting moments ago now struck her as profoundly impressive.
However, that lasted only briefly. She soon recalled one question.
To resolve it, she gladly unleashed her lightness skill and vaulted over the wall.
"Greetings, Seon-a lady."
The two warriors who'd been talking cupped their fists in salute to her atop the wall.
But ignoring their courtesy, she interrogated them.
"You're saying new decrees came down because of Il-mok big brother?"
"Yes, lady."
They reacted as if it were nothing special, something that had happened several times before, but they froze at Hyeok-ryeon Seon-a's follow-up question.
"How strange. Big brother is 'confined' at the Demonic Path Academy, so how could his words cause changes at headquarters?"
"...They say he sent a letter to the Heavenly Demon through an instructor at the Demonic Path Academy."
"Y-Yes. That letter caused a huge uproar all of a sudden. Hahaha."
They hastily made excuses, but it didn't work.
Hyeok-ryeon Seon-a hadn't missed their momentary flinch, and her intuition screamed that they were hiding something.
"If you don't tell the truth, I'll slit my own throat."
At her sudden raising of her nails to her neck, the two warriors panicked and spilled the facts.
Knowing her side effects, they realized that anything involving the youngest Young Master meant she might truly risk her life.
'...What will the young clan leader do if he finds out?'
'This is getting more dangerous by the day.'
The two warriors thought of their clan's young leader in secluded training—Hyeok-ryeon Seon-a's father.
Due to his extreme doting, he neglected daily training to focus solely on his daughter, and even after being forced into seclusion by clan leader Hyeok-ryeon Cheon-gang, over two years had passed.
After hearing their full explanation, Hyeok-ryeon Seon-a muttered with glowing red eyes.
"The one who hurt big brother is named Chu Il-hwan?"
Her gaze, as she turned her head, fixed toward where the Pure Heart Hall was located.
* * *
In one of the Pure Heart Hall's buildings.
There, Chu Il-hwan was continuing his consultation with a Pure Heart Hall physician.
"So, when do the side effects of the Black Thunder Demon Palm worsen the most?"
"Hmm... Probably when I encounter someone who looks fun. Thoughts keep rising about wanting to see their blood or how enjoyable it'd be to kill them."
It was framed as consulting to manage the Black Thunder Demon Palm's side effects, but also to catch any tails if Chu Il-hwan was a subordinate.
After exchanging various questions and answers with Chu Il-hwan for a while.
"Is something wrong with your body?"
A sudden chill hit him, and Chu Il-hwan shuddered violently.