Chapter 144
Chapter 144
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Translator: Ebonarch
Chapter: 144
Chapter Title: The Seriousness
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Demonic Cult.
Another name for it is the Heavenly Demon Cult—a kind of religious force that worships their god, the Heavenly Demon.
To be precise, its official name is the Heavenly Demon Cult, while "Demonic Cult" is the contemptuous label used across the Central Plains by everyone else to scorn and despise them. Calling them the Demonic Cult to their faces isn't a smart move unless you're truly confident in your own strength.
Anyway, that wasn't the important part right now.
After the Murim Alliance summoned me last time, now another group had appeared calling for me.
And of all places, it had to be that notorious Demonic Cult.
"...First, let's think about how on earth things turned out like this."
We sat around the table with grave expressions and began our discussion.
Dang Ayoung and Yeo Sochen, who had been trading vicious barbs just moments ago, showed no such agitation now, both fully aware of the gravity of the situation.
"What exactly did the letter say? They must have given some pretext for summoning you, right?"
"It was just... something about how my name's been making waves lately in the Central Plains, so they'd like me to pay a visit to their main cult."
"...Pretty straightforward invitation."
If it weren't for all the recent trouble with women, I'd still be known as a fairly famous fortune teller—despite appearances.
Not just ordinarily famous, either.
Thanks to what happened at the Murim Alliance, I was pretty much the most renowned fortune teller in the entire Central Plains.
Considering that, it wasn't so strange for the Demonic Cult to call on me...
"This is ultimately all your fault, Yeo Sochen!"
"Ahahaha... W-well, how about we forget the past? Getting hung up on old mistakes isn't as beneficial to life as accepting them and preparing for the future, right?"
"That's true, but it's not something someone who actually did the wrong thing should be saying!"
"...I'm sorry."
*Deep bow*
Yeo Sochen had no rebuttal, so she meekly lowered her head.
I wanted to make her prostrate herself or something, but she was right that it wasn't the priority right now.
"...Haa. Fine. Let's focus on what comes next."
Rubbing my temples, I decided to think about our future course first.
"So... should we go?"
This was the key question—the conclusion we had to reach.
Go, or don't.
No middle ground, a pure yes-or-no choice.
"Are you insane? Of course we don't go."
Dang Ayoung spoke up first.
"Even if they've been quiet lately, it's still the Demonic Cult. The same Demonic Cult that's been trying to seize the Central Plains for centuries. Do you really think they'd summon you with pure intentions? There has to be some ulterior motive."
"Hm..."
Her thoughts aligned somewhat with mine.
No matter how peaceful they'd been for the last few decades, the opponent was still the Demonic Cult.
They might genuinely just want a reading or two from me, but could the Demonic Cult really be that naive?
Worst case, they could imprison me and force me to divine endlessly—hundreds of times if needed. Would a Demonic Cult bent on conquering the Central Plains let a golden goose like that slip away?
Coldly assessing it, the odds of me returning safely were far too low.
"What do you think, Lady Azure Thunder Sword? It's dangerous, right?"
"...You're right that since their current cult leader—the Heavenly Demon—took over, the Demonic Cult hasn't shown any ambitions toward the Central Plains. But that doesn't mean we shouldn't stay vigilant; a Demonic Cult is still a Demonic Cult."
"Then..."
"But... that's exactly what makes it problematic."
"Huh?"
Yeo Sochen rarely looked this genuinely troubled as she spoke.
"This could end up being the trigger that draws the Demonic Cult's footsteps toward the Central Plains."
"..."
Dang Ayoung and I swallowed hard at her words.
What Yeo Sochen meant was crystal clear.
The Great Righteous-Demonic War.
No matter the reason, provoking a Demonic Cult that had lost interest in conquering the Central Plains could lead to disaster.
"Of course, that's just the worst-case scenario. They're not going to suddenly mobilize the entire cult over one rejection and invade the Central Plains."
"R-right. Why would they go that far over me?"
"Y-yeah. They'd sooner abduct you than bother with something as troublesome as conquering the Central Plains. No matter how strong the Demonic Cult is, the righteous factions aren't weak either. A massive bloodbath over something this minor wouldn't..."
"It's easy."
"...Huh?"
Her voice was so matter-of-fact that neither Dang Ayoung nor I could process what she'd said at first.
But once we grasped the meaning...
"If the Heavenly Demon—that monster currently lounging in the Demonic Cult—steps up, conquering the Central Plains is only a matter of time."
We sat there, mouths agape, unable to close them.
...
"W-wait, that strong? The Heavenly Demon is really that powerful?"
"I figured you'd know. What happened in the war against the Blood Cult twenty years ago. I trust you don't buy the propaganda that we righteous folk—swollen with pride and self-importance—had drained the Blood Demon and the Blood Cult of all their strength, leaving the Heavenly Demon to just mop up, right, Poison Phoenix?"
"W-well, I've heard what happened that day, but..."
The tale of how the Heavenly Demon had suddenly appeared at the war's climax against the Blood Cult, single-handedly crushing the Blood Demon and countless cultists, was legendary.
The righteous factions, unwilling to accept that she'd finished off a Blood Cult they'd failed to defeat, had spread the kind of spin Yeo Sochen mentioned.
But for Dang Ayoung and me, who hadn't been there, it was hard to gauge the Heavenly Demon's strength from stories alone.
I knew she was ridiculously strong, sure...
"...Is she really that strong?"
"Yes. Even if the righteous factions—no, even if the unorthodox ones allied with them—the Central Plains' chances of victory approach zero. And that's including all those hidden masters who emerge whenever crisis strikes the Central Plains over the years."
"...Holy hell."
At this point, I was beyond surprise—straight into disbelief.
For someone as proud as Yeo Sochen to admit it so plainly...
It meant the Heavenly Demon was truly a freak of nature.
Or rather, if Yeo Sochen herself called her a monster, what more needed to be said?
"Anyway, enough about that. I've got enough on my mind without shoving that monster into my head too. Besides, it's not like she's going to haul her heavy ass off that throne now."
"R-right. Oh, but does the letter say who sent it? They usually include the sender's name, don't they?"
"...No, it didn't."
"Not even a title or nickname?"
"Nope. Just the summons."
"...This is a headache."
After that, we lapsed into a long silence, deep in thought.
The awkward atmosphere made it feel like someone had to say something.
"Eh, come on. What, you think the Heavenly Demon herself summoned me? At most, it'd be some division leader or something. Why would someone that high up bother with a nobody like me?"
"Y-yeah, probably? From what I hear, she doesn't seem all that interested in the outside world... She might not even know someone like you exists. Right, Lady Azure Thunder Sword?"
"...Could be, but..."
We were stuck in limbo, unable to decide either way.
If we went and I got locked up, I'd be stuck divining for them indefinitely until someone rescued me.
But ignoring the summons? Who knew how the Demonic Cult would react.
A single misstep could spark something catastrophic, so we needed to proceed with utmost caution.
As I pondered deeply, Yeo Sochen's voice broke through.
"...Well, since things have come to this, I guess I should mention it. I still haven't said why I came here today, have I?"
"...Oh. Right."
Now that I thought about it, we still didn't know why Yeo Sochen had shown up.
While Dang Ayoung had been grilling me since morning, no one heard her knock. Unable to wait, she'd kicked the door open, caught us in the act, and things had snowballed from there.
"Decisions like this benefit from more opinions. There's someone even more invested in the Demonic Cult than me, so let's bring her in. I need your help with that anyway."
"...Who?"
"The Sword Empress."
"...Ah!"
Now that she mentioned it, Yeo Sochen hadn't been the only one on that battlefield twenty years ago.
The Sword Empress had witnessed the Heavenly Demon's overwhelming might firsthand too.
And given her personality, she was far more likely than Yeo Sochen to obsess over the Demonic Cult and the Heavenly Demon.
"...Is she someone you can just summon on a whim like that?"
"Ah, she gave me something last time—said to use it if I ever needed to see her. Show it at Mount Hua, and they'll guide me right to her."
"When did you even get something like that..."
Dang Ayoung trailed off, then spoke again in a voice laced with suspicion.
"But someone of your stature, Lady Azure Thunder Sword, shouldn't need help meeting the Sword Empress, right?"
"Eh?"
Now that she put it that way, yeah.
If anything, Yeo Sochen's ties to the Sword Empress seemed stronger than mine. Why would she need my help to meet her?
"...Ah, well, about that."
Yeo Sochen answered with a troubled expression.
"...That woman's in pretty bad shape right now."
It was shocking news I hadn't seen coming.