Chapter 31
Chapter 31
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Translator: Ryuma
Chapter: 31
Chapter Title: The Inspector's Mission
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“Waaaaaah!”
As the winner of the duel was decided, a thunderous roar erupted from the stands.
The crowd, fired up like metal in a forge by the martial prowess the two had displayed, chanted Neung Un-bi’s name until they were hoarse.
But something was strange.
Mixed in with their shouts was not only Neung Un-bi’s name but also Wi Ji-hyeok’s. Regardless of victory or defeat, they were genuinely cheering for the duel between two men who had given their all for the audience and ended on a warm note.
“Well now, this is embarrassing.”
A wide smile on his face, Neung Un-bi looked out at the crowd.
A duel…
It was a feeling he’d never experienced in his previous life.
He had been a shadow, existing only to kill.
But this wasn't so bad.
*Am I… suited for the stage?*
The sound of his name being called, the excitement they showed… it felt truly good.
“Hahaha!”
Neung Un-bi laughed brightly, waving enthusiastically to the crowd in response, like a child being praised.
Watching his younger brother with tired eyes, Wi Ji-hyeok couldn't help but let out a soft chuckle.
“Ha, really… I’ve completely… lost.”
But there won't be a second time.
The Divine Blood Family was a clan that dealt with steel.
Thus, they knew better than anyone.
Steel struck by a hammer only grows stronger.
Today’s defeat would make him stronger.
Besides, there had been a way to turn the tables.
A secret technique he had learned.
But he hadn't used it simply because it was not yet complete.
*You won today, little brother.*
*I need to rest for a while.*
*Slump, thud.*
Watching Neung Un-bi celebrate his victory, Wi Ji-hyeok could no longer hold himself up and crumpled to the side.
“Huh? Elder Brother!”
Neung Un-bi, who had been basking in the attention, was startled and rushed to Wi Ji-hyeok’s side.
His pulse… was thankfully normal.
“Phew…”
Clutching his chest in relief, Neung Un-bi stared down at the collapsed Wi Ji-hyeok.
*The First Young Master, and he has so little stamina. How is he going to be the Cult Leader like this?*
As he clicked his tongue, he turned around.
“Hey, what are you people doing?”
“Yes?”
Neung Un-bi glared at the martial artists from the medical hall, who were staring blankly from below the stage.
“When someone collapses, you should be thinking of moving them quickly!”
“Yes? Ah, yes!”
Only after Neung Un-bi’s scolding did the medical hall members hurriedly scramble onto the dueling stage.
“Hoho, Third Young Master. They were all just surprised, so please don’t be too harsh.”
“Ah, Seventh Elder.”
Han Ui-gyeom, who had just come down from the VIP seats, stopped Neung Un-bi as he was about to help Wi Ji-hyeok up.
“Allow me.”
“Ah, would you?”
“It is only right. This is a rare victory, is it not? You should savor it more.”
Taking Wi Ji-hyeok from him, Han Ui-gyeom smiled faintly, and Neung Un-bi scratched his head, looking sheepish.
It was then.
[The snakes hiding in the grass were quite startled.]
“…”
Neung Un-bi flinched at Han Ui-gyeom's secret message that slipped into his mind.
Beating the grass to startle the snake.
The Thirty-Six Stratagems advise deliberately rustling the grass to catch a snake.
But the meaning of Han Ui-gyeom’s message was different.
The snakes were Neung Un-bi’s opposing factions. Now that he had shown his skill, they would no longer leave him alone.
[They will be filled with venom. They will not show the same magnanimity as the Third Young Master. You must prepare yourself well.]
A warning filled with caution.
Neung Un-bi glanced toward the VIP seats.
It was chilling.
A silence, starkly contrasting with the still-roaring crowd, was fixed on Neung Un-bi.
How could they not be shocked?
But that shock was unlikely to be a positive one.
Everyone except the Cult Leader and the Snow Mountain Manor was an enemy.
Now that he was stronger, they would cling to him even more tenaciously than before.
They would block his ascent, and they would try to pull him down from any position he had already climbed to.
Perhaps… they would even try to kill him more viciously than before.
But it didn't matter.
Since he had seized victory before the Cult Leader, he would soon be able to go to the Central Plains as promised.
To a place where their power could not reach.
[I will keep that in mind. And thank you. For everything…]
Neung Un-bi averted his gaze from the VIP seats and smiled at Han Ui-gyeom.
“Well then.”
Han Ui-gyeom bowed and left the stage with Wi Ji-hyeok, who had been placed on a stretcher.
Watching his retreating back, Neung Un-bi finally turned his head toward the Cult Leader and paid his respects.
“Your disciple, Un-bi! Thanks to the opportunity my Master gave me, I was able, by a stroke of luck, to achieve victory over my elder brother.”
*You’re satisfied, right? So now, give me what you promised.*
…That was what he meant.
Watching the bowing Neung Un-bi, Dam Un-cheon slowly rose from his seat and raised a hand.
The cheering stopped.
In a silence so profound one could even hear breathing, only the Cult Leader's voice echoed.
“I had many worries.”
“…”
“I felt great anxiety.”
“…”
“But, as all have seen, Un-bi has risen proudly and forged his own path, so my joy is boundless.”
Dam Un-cheon’s voice was more earnest than ever before.
Those three short sentences seemed to contain all his emotions from the past, touching the heartstrings of the listeners.
*Indeed… standing above others isn't something just anyone can do.*
Seeing how he could sway people with just his voice.
Neung Un-bi was genuinely impressed and waited for the next words.
*Alright, say it now.*
*Tell me to go to the Central Plains and fulfill my ambitions! Hurry!*
“How can I express this joyous heart with mere words? Drink and be merry! Celebrate this day!”
As Dam Un-cheon’s hand swept out toward the crowd, the cheers that had stopped erupted once more.
The voices that had been chanting for Neung Un-bi and Wi Ji-hyeok were now directed at Dam Un-cheon.
“…”
*Excuse me? Master?*
*Is… that it?*
*What about the Central Plains? What about your promise to me?*
As Neung Un-bi stared, barely maintaining a smile, Dam Un-cheon curled one corner of his lip into a sly grin.
“Oh, my. I nearly forgot the victor. Follow me. I shall have a banquet prepared for you.”
“Yes? Yes…”
His body, which had been buzzing with anticipation for the words he wanted to hear, felt like it deflated with a hiss.
*A banquet, my ass!*
*What are you dawdling for?*
*Just say it! Tell me you'll send me to the Central Plains! You promised!*
Sensing the immense disappointment in Neung Un-bi’s reply, Dam Un-cheon barely suppressed a burst of laughter.
*My disciple, this is how deals are made.*
*By pushing and pulling, acting like you'll give it but then holding back.*
*That’s how you make them more desperate. That’s how you gain more in the end.*
“Khahahaha! I feel truly wonderful today!”
“…”
At the sight of Dam Un-cheon leading his entourage from the VIP seats with a loud laugh, Neung Un-bi’s eyes narrowed.
*I ought to just rip that smile off his face.*
*You’re the only one feeling good!*
* * *
A banquet prepared for the victor.
At the Cult Leader's words, thrown into the middle of it, the expressions of the Demonic Cult's leadership were all the same.
“Pfft?!”
Neung Un-bi was so shocked he even spat out the wine he was drinking.
“Third Young Master.”
“Ahem, that’s enough. Is this not a celebration for Un-bi?”
As always, Yang Seon, standing behind him, frowned and issued a warning, but he was promptly stopped by Dam Un-cheon.
“…My apologies. I made a mistake. But, what did you just say? What do you want me to do?”
Contrary to his apology, his tone was defiant, earning him another glare from Yang Seon.
*What is it, you bastard! You think I’m in any mood to watch my words right now?*
He had to challenge what needed to be challenged.
“Hoho, did you not hear me?”
“That's the thing. What I heard seemed so nonsensical. Would you mind repeating it?”
“Why, that is no difficult task. I can even say it for you, one syllable at a time.”
“…”
“I intend to entrust you with the duty of an inspector for the Central Plains branches.”
“…”
It was exactly what he had heard the first time.
He was being told to inspect the Demonic Cult’s branches in the Central Plains.
…What in the world was this nonsense?
His insides were boiling.
He’d been gently coaxed into fighting Wi Ji-hyeok with the promise of being sent to the Central Plains, and now what?
An inspector? An in-spec-tor?
*Dammit!*
*He said he'd send me out, but in the end, he just wants to work me to the bone!*
He wanted to just snap… but his opponent was too strong, leaving him with no options. And to argue openly, there were too many eyes watching.
His stomach was churning, but there was nothing he could do.
Besides, wasn't this the trip to the Central Plains he had so desperately wanted? There was no need to kick away an opportunity that had finally come.
Although he would be saddled with escorts and surveillance for the sake of "safety."
Just as Neung Un-bi was about to reluctantly accept Dam Un-cheon’s order.
“Unacceptable!”
“…?”
Neung Un-bi’s head snapped toward the resolute voice that had suddenly cut through the air.
It was the Elder Council Head, Sa Ma-hwi-mun.
*Hah, I was wondering why he was being so quiet.*
*Does he have an ancestor who died because he couldn't object to anything?*
“What do you mean, unacceptable?”
Dam Un-cheon’s eye twitched, displeased at having his will defied.
“The duty of an inspector for the Central Plains for the Third Young Master? This is an absurd decision.”
“And why is it absurd? Is the status of being the Cult Leader’s disciple insufficient to take on the role of an inspector?”
So Seol-ok-su, Seon Hwa-yeon, spoke up to defend the Cult Leader's decision with a venomous look in her eyes.
“That is not what I meant.”
“Then what is it? The Third Young Master has already proven before everyone that his skills are not lacking.”
“…”
“Is there anyone here who believes the First Young Master went easy on the Third Young Master? Or is it that the Elder Council Head alone believes so?”
At Seon Hwa-yeon’s words, Sa Ma-hwi-mun's gaze turned icy.
But Seon Hwa-yeon was not one to be intimidated. She was the type to grab the Cult Leader by the collar; she would have no problem plucking out every last strand of the Elder Council Head's beard.
“If that is not the case, then I do not understand why you would object to the Cult Leader’s righteous decision. Unless, of course, you have other intentions.”
“…”
As sharp, thorny words poured from Seon Hwa-yeon’s mouth, everyone else clamped their mouths shut.
Their expressions suggested they all shared the Elder Council Head's sentiment, but because she had brought up disloyalty, it was difficult for them to speak up.
*But… why are you all making a fuss? I’m the one involved here.*
Neung Un-bi squinted, glaring at Sa Ma-hwi-mun and the others.
“Hoho, Lady So Seol-ok-su, please calm yourself. Do you think the Elder Council Head spoke without understanding the Cult Leader’s intentions?”
“…?”
The one who bravely broke the long silence was an old man with a refined air.
The head of the Hyesim Pavilion, known as the Brain of the Demonic Cult, Yeo Ju-rin.
He was the epitome of being old-fashioned, a man whose true thoughts were even harder to read than his son, Yeo Jin-gang’s.
“Hmph! It seems you have something to say as well?”
Displeased by his interruption, Seon Hwa-yeon twisted her lips neurotically.
“My thoughts are no different from the Elder Council Head's. I believe everyone here feels the same.”
“Thoughts? What thoughts? Is it not that you are simply displeased to see the Third Young Master about to spread his wings?”
“Hoho, how could that be? It is the Cult Leader’s command, so it is only right that we obey. But what is the role of our council? Is it not to never cease advising the Cult Leader so that he may make the correct judgments?”
“Are you saying the Cult Leader’s judgment is wrong!”
Unable to tolerate Yeo Ju-rin’s smoothly delivered words, Seon Hwa-yeon finally raised her voice and shot to her feet.
“Enough!”
“…”
“…”
As the atmosphere grew tense enough to explode at any moment, the Cult Leader intervened.
“So Seol-ok-su, sit down.”
“Cult Leader!”
“Sit.”
“…Grr.”
At Dam Un-cheon’s low voice, Seon Hwa-yeon gritted her teeth and sat down, crossing her arms and turning her head away.
*What a temper…*
*Anyway, what is Yeo Ju-rin trying to say?*
It was obvious he was going to object.
“Speak. I wish to hear the opinion of the one who calls himself the Brain of the Demonic Cult.”
“Yes, as you permit, I shall speak.”
Yeo Ju-rin, holding a black-feathered fan in his hand, bowed politely and began to speak.
“The martial talent and achievement shown by the Third Young Master are truly worthy of admiration.”
His words, starting with praise, immediately captured the attention of those around him.
*He certainly knows how to talk.*
*This is why people need to be educated. He's polite, and his opening words are pleasant to hear, suggesting his following arguments will also be logical and well-ordered.*
“However, that alone is not enough to entrust him with the inspection of the Central Plains branches, which are no different from a battlefield.”
“Not enough? Why is that?”
At the Cult Leader’s question, Yeo Ju-rin, who had paused for a moment, let his eyes gleam.
“May I speak frankly?”
“Frankly… Very well, I permit it. Speak without reserve.”
“Yes.”
Yeo Ju-rin chose a direct approach.
As it is, without concealment.
“Why do you favor only the Third Young Master?”
“Hm? What do you mean by that?”
Dam Un-cheon tilted his head, glancing over at Neung Un-bi.
*Right? What does he mean?*
*Favor? Doesn't that mean to love, to cherish, something like that?*
*All I remember is getting beaten up.*
But everyone else’s expression hardened as if they all sympathized with his words.
“…”
*Hey, does the word ‘favor’ mean something different in the Demonic Cult?*