Chapter 14
Chapter 14
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Translator: uly
Chapter: 14
Chapter Title: Heavenly Demon Divine Cult Double Agent
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Number 20 said,
"Pack your things, Number 30. Someone else did our job for us. We just need to leave on schedule as planned."
She was right. We'd cleared our noses without even lifting a finger.
It was as if someone had noticed our reluctance and handled the task in our stead.
It was certainly something to be grateful for. No need for us to take any risks.
I nodded. I packed my meager belongings and leaned back against the wall.
Once night fell, we could slip out of the inn. After that, we'd head to Demon Valley as originally planned.
...That would be it.
That would be enough.
"Number 20."
"Yeah?"
"I have something from Maeng Cheon."
I pulled a wooden box from my bosom. Number 20 frowned.
"...A Spirit Pill? He gave that to you?"
"Yes. That's right."
"Then why are you showing it to me?"
"Isn't this our first mission accomplished together?"
I split the Spirit Pill in half.
"I didn't want to take it alone."
"...You."
Number 20 awkwardly averted her gaze.
"You're really weird. I wouldn't have even known if you'd eaten it by yourself."
"I don't want to keep any secrets from you, Number 20."
"...Tch."
She took her half without hesitation. I swallowed my half and began circulating my energy.
The Spirit Pill, containing ten years' worth of cultivation, only added five after being split. But I was satisfied with that much.
The energy merged with the turbid demonic qi inside me. A mass of inner energy inferior in quality but greater in quantity.
Seeing the dark red orb added, I completed a Lesser Heavenly Circuit. Not much time had passed outside.
A gentle breeze. Sunlight hanging on the horizon.
The scent of sunset drifting in through the window.
"...Hoo."
Number 20, having digested her pill in sync, leaned back against the wall.
"What did you do in there for Maeng Cheon to give you a Spirit Pill?"
"Just kept him company talking, as I reported."
"That's it?"
"That's it."
"He gave you a Spirit Pill just for being a conversation partner for five days? What a strange guy."
"Tell me about it."
I sneered.
"He was a strange man. Really. The last time I saw him, he was overjoyed that his troublemaker son was finally going to be cured."
"........."
"Troublemaker, huh. The Black Heaven Axe Sect Leader was definitely afflicted with heart demons. His fingertips trembled, and there was no strength in the hand gripping his axe. But..."
Red.
The sunlight streaming through the window turned red.
I cautiously extended my foot into it. My toes were dyed red.
"He wasn't someone who would die to an accident. He was still an expert."
"Didn't you say the Disciple of Myriad Sages Divine Healer was coming today? What a bizarre coincidence."
"...You're right."
"........."
Number 20 crawled toward me. She thrust her face close.
"What are you thinking?"
"...Nothing much."
"Hey. You said it yourself."
"What..."
"That you don't want to keep secrets from me."
"........."
What I'd been mulling over was truly just a jumble of insignificant thoughts.
"The Black Heaven Axe Sect Leader told me he saw the shadow of his lost second son in me."
"And?"
"He asked me to visit the Black Heaven Axe Sect again, not as a hunter but as a friend."
"Anything else?"
"...And."
I chewed on the end of my words.
「Thank you. For listening to my story. If I'm the pillar of the Black Heaven Axe Sect, then you, for a moment, supported this old man.」
"That... and..."
I chewed on the end of my words again. It wasn't enough; I bit my lip.
"...Number 20. The moment I received this Spirit Pill, I could no longer kill the Black Heaven Axe Sect Leader."
"......"
"I didn't want to dirty my hands. With those hands. So I hesitated until the day before. I didn't know how to act."
"......"
"When I heard he'd died, I felt a flicker of joy. Relief that my fingertips wouldn't be stained."
"........."
"But once I thought everything was over, only questions remained. Questions a Blood Demon Squad member shouldn't have. Thoughts a dog shouldn't harbor."
...Who.
Who killed my friend.
"The Black Heaven Axe Sect Leader was a father who cherished his son. Not a warrior, just an aging man trying to protect his family."
"........."
"A warrior must not fear death by the sword. By wielding one, they accept they can die. But the Black Heaven Axe Sect Leader was no warrior. He was a wilted flower who had set down his axe long ago."
"...You."
"That's why I want to know."
The sunset dyeing my toes slowly faded.
All that would cover it was darkness.
"Who killed him."
Number 20 laughed hollowly. She swept her face.
"You're really... not cut out for the Divine Cult. Why do you live like that?"
"......"
"People in the Divine Cult are too busy saving their own skins. If they can escape a day's hunger, they'll stain their blades with blood without hesitation. This place is barren, and that's how you survive. The Divine Cult is a place where you eat others' backs to live. The Blood Demon Squad is no different. The kind die early, and those who do good deeds die even sooner."
Seong Ja-myeong came to mind.
I held my tongue.
"All this... I mean... what you're thinking right now is pointless. It's all already happened. We didn't lift a finger and still succeeded. It worked out great, right?"
"........."
"Just let a good thing be. Digging into it is nonsense. Who killed him? What does it matter? Isn't it enough that the Black Heaven Axe Sect Leader is dead?"
"...You're... right."
"I'm Blood Demon Squad. You're Blood Demon Squad too. Divine Cult members. Warriors who stab swords into others' throats to survive."
Number 20 shoved me.
"...What you're doing now is just hypocrisy."
She was right.
This is hypocrisy.
Can someone who came to kill even harbor vengeance?
I looked up at Number 20 straddling me. An utterly ordinary face. I couldn't see behind the human skin mask.
"...If you're a Divine Cult warrior, act like one. Devour. If it's to survive... even abandon your own child."
"........."
I thought she was right.
Thinking back, she was. I'd ignored my parents' letter, turned my back even on my dead younger sister.
How could someone like me harbor feelings for another? Pity for my target? That's the most absurd story of all.
...And yet.
It doesn't let go as easily as words.
"...By the end of today, I'll have become a Blood Demon Squad assassin."
"........."
"But today isn't over yet, Number 20."
I set my course. As I spoke, I gathered my emotions.
Number 20 was right. I'm Blood Demon Squad. And the Heavenly Demon's dog at the same time.
Bite when commanded.
Just handle the job without emotion.
But what lies at the end of a blade built that way? Does a sword gained by mere obedience have meaning?
For me to be me...
To dream of standing shoulder-to-shoulder with the Heavenly Demon on my own terms, what must I do?
The bitter taste of the Spirit Pill lingered in my mouth.
「If my second son had grown up, I thought he'd be like you.」
I set my path.
"I have a favor to ask."
"You really...!"
"Number 20."
I rose. I gripped her shoulders.
I peered into her trembling eyes. She has her story, no doubt. But so do I.
My story.
"Starting tomorrow, I'll be Number 30 again. But until today, I want to move as Wang So-hong."
"...What's the point of that?"
"There might be no point at all. But..."
I smiled bitterly.
"I've already accepted his goodwill. How could I sleep without upholding at least that much duty?"
"...I thought I'd been paired with someone who could be reasoned with..."
Number 20 slumped her shoulders.
"And I got a bigger lunatic..."
"I'm sorry."
Number 20 pulled away from me. She looked up at the ceiling, muttering something.
Fragmented words I couldn't make sense of. I waited for her to decide.
The sun had fully set. Night was upon us.
After agonizing for a long time, she lowered her head.
"Pack your things. I don't want to hear any more nonsense."
...So she's refusing after all.
I didn't want to ruin things by opposing her opinion too. That would harm her as well.
I packed. I tied some rations to the end of my scabbard, and Number 20 jerked her chin.
"What are you doing?"
"Didn't you tell me to pack?"
"What nonsense. I said grab your sword. It's dark out, perfect for sneaking into the estate. How's Ghost Spirit Step? With your new inner energy, you should be able to scale a wall silently, right? The accident's thrown their guard into disarray anyway. The sect leader's death carries that much weight."
"...Number 20?"
"Idiot. If there's a backstory, you say that first."
Number 20 primly turned her head.
"You've gone and dragged me into this. I've taken the advance payment. An assassin who takes an advance doesn't sit still. Plus, until today, I'm Wang So-hong's wife. Not Number 20. So..."
I saw her cheeks faintly flush.
"Hus... husband and wife are one body, idiot. I'll play along with your foolishness. But when night ends, no matter what, we're leaving this place. Got it?"
"......!"
Thank goodness.
That she's Number 20, not someone like Number 2.
"Haha!"
"Wh-what are you hugging me for?! Are you insane?! I told you not to touch my body recklessly!"
I took a few hits, but it didn't matter.
I was happier than that.
......
"What's the plan? If you're dragging me this far, you better have something solid."
"We'll vault the rear wall, then move across the rooftops. Minimize our presence and infiltrate the central building."
"I can do it. But you?"
"Fortunately, I've had a recent realization."
I unleashed Ghost Spirit Step. Perhaps after clashing axes with the domineering Black Heaven Axe Sect Leader.
I could slightly muffle the sound of Ghost Spirit Step itself. Imperfect, of course, but it barely passed muster.
"...It's a bit more refined now. If I assist you a little, you should be able to move silently."
"Good. Let's go."
"Wait. Let me prepare myself mentally. I'm not ready for this massive blunder."
She took a deep breath. A sudden question occurred to me.
"Number 20... why are you helping me?"
"You asked for help."
"Sure, but also..."
"Ah, enough. I took the advance, and my inner energy increased too. I just realized something mid-conversation."
"Realized what?"
"The dream I had before entering the hell called Demon Valley. I hate one person intensely. I swore never to become like them. But... I forgot during my time in Demon Valley. I was too busy surviving."
Number 20 donned her mask.
"My words just now felt like theirs, and it gave me chills belatedly. That's all. Know that it's for me, not for you."
"...Are you embarrassed...?"
"Want to die?! Focus on the task! One slip now, and we'll tumble right into the midst of those pissed-off Black Heaven Axe Sect warriors!"
Number 20 signaled me with her eyes.
"You lead. I'll cover the rear. Let's go, Number 30."
"...Yes."
I placed my foot on the wall.
I unleashed Ghost Spirit Step.