Chapter 167
Chapter 167
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Translator: Ebonarch
Chapter: 10
Chapter Title: Drunken Heart-to-Heart
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"So, after I gave them a proper thrashing and sent them packing, this time they came back leading a whole gang. They were really well-prepared."
"And what happened then?"
"Well... they were just street thugs who hadn't even properly learned any martial arts... They weren't even a warm-up for my acquaintance. They only got to leave after being beaten so badly they'd spend the rest of their lives regretting it."
"Didn't you hand them over to the authorities? That should've been enough to throw them in jail."
"They seemed like they were already at rock bottom in life, so I figured they wouldn't last long even without prison. At least jail gives you meals. Out on the streets, even scrounging for food is tough."
"I see."
My storytelling, which had started off with me scared out of my wits, was getting a surprisingly good reaction.
I was just recounting a few slightly unusual episodes from my days running a simple fortune-telling stall, but she seemed genuinely entertained.
'Was she that bored?'
For someone cooped up in this room all day, even stories like this must have felt pretty amusing.
I'd added a bit of embellishment and exaggeration, but they weren't anything that miraculous.
'...Good thing.'
I'd been worried my head might roll if the stories bored her, but the positive response was a huge relief.
I vaguely remembered a similar fairy tale from my childhood, but that wasn't important right now.
'I'll just keep pandering like this, take whatever I can get, and get out.'
Anyway, my top priority was getting out of here in one piece.
To do that, I needed to stay on the Heavenly Demon's good side without ruffling her feathers.
Flatter her ego, do what she asks, and nothing bad should happen.
"You have a real talent for spinning entertaining tales. Compared to the dull stories I've heard before, these are far more fun."
"Haha... well, I do make my living with my mouth."
"This is exactly the kind of talk I wanted, but the stories the strategist passes on are unbearably boring. Some prodigy from who-knows-where wins a tournament at such-and-such age... What's fun about that?"
*Gulp gulp*
As she spoke, she poured the liquor straight from the bottle without bothering with a cup.
There wasn't much left, making it possible, but for a woman, it was quite the tough display.
Her posture was already quite disheveled, exposing a lot of skin, and her actions only made it harder to know where to look.
'Can't even stare openly.'
No matter how openly she was exposing herself, I couldn't just gawk.
But turning away felt like a waste of a view, and...
'Being a guy means my eyes don't just turn away on command!!'
Even if I tried not to look consciously, my gaze kept drifting there.
Having a girlfriend—no, three of them—made sneaking peeks at another woman look bad, but this was beyond my control.
Sorry, Buddha, but I bet even a Shaolin monk would sneak a look.
Let's be real—straight guys don't avoid porn just because...
"By the way, I have one thing I'm curious about."
*Startle!*
"Y-Yes?!"
"Why so jumpy? Were you thinking about something else?"
"Ah... haha... I was just organizing the story in my head. Sorry."
"No need to apologize so much."
*Pour*
She refilled my cup as she spoke.
'...I'm starting to get full.'
It wasn't my stomach full of food, but booze, though I still had some room.
That earlier chill had snapped me sober, so no risk of blacking out...
'Screw it.'
It's not like I'd get this liquor anywhere else. No reason to hesitate.
I downed it straight.
"Do you have a lover?"
"Pffft?!"
"Oh dear..."
"Pff— *cough*... S-Sorry... *hack*..."
"Calm down first."
Caught off guard by the unexpected question, the liquor shot up my nose, and I wiped my face with the cloth the Heavenly Demon handed me while suffering.
"Hoo... huuu..."
"Better now?"
"S-Sorry. I just lost control and..."
"No harm done. It was my fault for asking such a question while you were drinking so casually. Don't worry about it."
"N-No, it's my fault for not handling it."
"Whatever the case, I'm still waiting for your answer. And it got on your cheek too."
The Heavenly Demon urged my reply while reaching out to wipe my cheek with the cloth.
Meanwhile, I was pondering my response inwardly.
'A lover?'
I doubted it meant anything like that, but in a drinking session between a man and a woman, asking if someone has a lover leaves way too much room for misinterpretation.
She was probably just genuinely curious.
From what I'd seen, she had a lot of curiosity, so others' love lives must pique her interest too.
...Though it was weird for the Heavenly Demon of all people to care about that.
"Yes. I do."
"Oh?"
She responded straightforwardly, and she gave an intrigued look with her signature smile.
"Then, do you have children?"
Whoa, jumping the gun there!
"...I haven't even married yet."
"Not at that stage yet, I see."
"That stage..."
I briefly pictured Dang Ayoung, Yeo Socheon, and the Sword Empress in my mind.
...If I said we hadn't gone that far physically despite being at marriage level, I'd get chewed out.
But explaining about masters and dooms and delays made the story too complicated and long...
"Well... something like that."
I brushed it off vaguely.
"But why do you ask?"
"Oh, nothing much. I was just wondering if you had a place—or people—to return to."
Ah, got it.
Checking if I had somewhere to go back to...
"...Pardon?"
"I quite like the stories you tell. If you're willing, I'd love to keep you by my side..."
*Whoosh*
Suddenly, the atmosphere grew heavy.
The surroundings felt darker, my vision narrowed, and my hearing dulled.
Not even the gentle breeze rustling outside the window reached my ears.
*Tremble tremble*
'Did I take a wrong turn in the route?'
Seemed my stories were too good.
Moderately fun might've gotten me sent home, but she liked them so much she wanted to keep me.
Looks like my new home was a Demonic Cult basement...
"If you have a lover, shouldn't you go back to her?"
"Huh?"
My vision cleared, and the sound of wind returned to my ears.
The Heavenly Demon wore her usual inscrutable smile.
"What's wrong? Is there a problem?"
"N-No...?"
"If you don't need to go back, you could stay longer?"
"No! I have to go!"
"I thought so. Your lover would be heartbroken if you didn't return, right?"
...Was that a threat or a joke?
Her signature smile made it hard to read her expression, and her unpredictable personality left me unsure if she was threatening me or just teasing.
"As I said earlier, I quite like you. I'd love to keep you around, drinking and sharing heartfelt talks every day."
"...Thank you for thinking so highly of me."
"Drinking alone gets boring, so I sometimes force cult members to join me—elders or those who've recently made great achievements. But none could truly enjoy the drinks with me. They wouldn't dare fill my cup, so how could we drink together?"
'...Yeah, figures.'
I was an outsider, free from that hierarchy, but to her followers, she was the cult leader.
Sitting across from her for drinks would be terrifying enough—let alone anything more.
"Even when they seemed to enjoy it, they were desperately fishing for any hint of enlightenment. It kills the mood mid-sip. Conversations always devolve into begging for teachings. Admirable as cult members, but it hurts when I've called them just to drink."
'...That makes sense too.'
From a follower's perspective, would they ever believe the cult leader calling them for drinks meant just drinks?
They'd assume there was some important talk, especially martial artists obsessed with breakthroughs—they'd hang on for any scrap of wisdom.
Even normal warriors would, let alone in a cult that reveres power.
"That's why you appeal to me so much. You don't practice martial arts, so you don't seek teachings from me. You're not overly greedy for gold or riches. You enjoy drinks well and converse excellently—an ideal drinking companion. And you don't seem to want anything special from me."
...I'd already gotten more than enough payment in eye candy.
If I wanted anything, it was just to be sent home safely.
'...White.'
No questions about what was white.
"So that's why I said I wanted to keep you around... Was that greed?"
She narrowed her eyes as she spoke.
'...How am I supposed to answer that?'
My heart sank.
I thought good treatment would lead to a safe release, but why was it turning out like this?
Of course, minus the fear, it had been a fun drinking session, but I didn't want to live in the Demonic Cult.
There were people waiting for me.
'Sigh...'
I shouldn't say anything I couldn't keep, but the safest way to defuse this was the only option.
"I'll visit again next time."
"Oh?"
"It's far, so coming won't be easy... but since I enjoyed the drinks too, I'll come back someday."
She looked ready to ask when, so I cut her off and changed the subject.
"And before we part, how about I give you a little gift..."
Even the Heavenly Demon couldn't resist curiosity on this topic.
"Aren't you curious about your fated partner?"
*Gulp*
I'll do this one reading and bolt home.
Thinking that inwardly, I opened my mouth.