Chapter 44
Chapter 44
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Translator: uly
Chapter: 44
Chapter Title: Reunion with the Heavenly Demon
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The same cabin as before. But in the heavy silence that had settled, the expected figure of the First Demon was nowhere to be seen.
Standing there was a single maidservant. As the Blood Demon Squad leader stepped away, she quietly addressed me.
"Blood Demon Squad's Number 30. Remove your mask."
"The Blood Demon Squad cannot reveal our faces to outsiders..."
"Remove it."
The atmosphere froze in an instant, proving she was no ordinary maidservant.
Indeed, a master far beyond my level.
I complied for now. She gazed intently at my face.
"You have many scars."
"What must I..."
"There's something you need to do before I answer."
She grabbed my sleeve. With an expressionless face, she led me along.
"You smell. Your clothes are shabby too. All of it is unacceptable."
"Pardon?"
"The place you're going to from now on is the Demon Palace, where the Cult Leader reigns. You cannot defile it with ragged clothes and a foul stench."
"......!"
Not just a simple summons from the First Demon, but from the Heavenly Demon herself.
I nodded, acknowledging the weight of it.
"What... must I do?"
"Everything."
The place we arrived at had a hastily prepared bath and various fragrances laid out. Spare clothes were neatly folded nearby.
The woman placed her hand on my clothes. I flinched for a moment but followed her lead.
"Turn your back to me."
"...Isn't this embarrassing?"
"It's part of the job. There's nothing more foolish than mixing personal feelings into work."
She cleaned my body thoroughly. She changed the water several times, washing away every trace on me.
A pleasant scent rose from various parts of my body. My tangled hair was fully combed out.
Having kept my hair short because it got in the way of martial arts, it felt utterly strange now that it was neatly arranged.
Wasn't it a symbol of my rough life?
Here I was, feeling like some rich young master...
"This isn't the time for other thoughts. Change into these clothes."
I followed the woman's instructions. The folded clothes fit me perfectly, no need to cinch the waist.
My appearance transformed in an instant. And as if that weren't all, she stood before me.
"I'll teach you basic etiquette."
"Even etiquette...?"
"It's before the Cult Leader. No one can breach etiquette in her presence. If you want your head to roll, I won't stop you."
"...Please, teach me."
Unlike her stiff, aggressive tone, she taught me with meticulous care, one step at a time. After nearly half a day of intensive instruction, she let out a satisfied sigh.
"Follow me."
A carriage awaited. Once we boarded, the horses raced across the plains and began climbing a steep path.
There was a road, but the terrain itself was incredibly rugged. Even on a path that felt like mountaineering, the horses didn't slow down.
Fine steeds. Not ordinary horses at all. And this carriage-fit for honored guests, wasn't it luxurious?
Naturally, I straightened up. I took care not to soil the surroundings, just in case.
The woman sitting opposite me spoke.
"The place we're entering now is a secret passage to the Demon Palace, where the Cult Leader resides."
"A secret passage...?"
"Only a select few workers attached to the Demon Palace know of it. It's extremely deep, and the paths are complex, so don't lose sight of me. If you stray elsewhere..."
The woman said coldly.
"You might wander inside forever."
"......."
There was some threat in her words, sure. But her expression was too serious to dismiss.
I turned my head to look out the carriage. The steadily advancing vehicle soon halted before an unidentified cave.
A deep, slimy cavern that reeked.
As if it were natural, the woman lit a lantern and took the lead.
"From here on, do not make a sound."
"Why?"
"Some things are better left unknown."
"......."
I stepped forward following her warning. I strained to keep the flickering lantern in sight.
How long did we walk? The seemingly endless deep cavern finally reached a door.
But that wasn't the end. Even after opening the door, a maze of complicated corridors stretched out.
Silence. An eerily quiet space where only my breathing echoed.
"This way."
The woman, speaking again, took not my sleeve but my hand this time. The moment I stepped forward, led by her, the scenery around us shifted abruptly.
From a grassy plain to a snowy mountain.
From a snowy mountain to a flower-strewn field.
The ever-changing vistas guided me to new places every time I blinked.
This is strange. It shouldn't be like this.
Like walking through a dream...
"...An formation?"
"Shh."
"......."
Amid the unfolding illusions, I clamped my mouth shut. As the surroundings shifted through countless colors, the only real thing I could feel was the woman's hand before me.
In what seemed like an endless space, she suddenly changed direction. As if she remembered every inch of it, she kept turning down paths.
Walk, cross. Walk, cross.
At the end of that countless repetition, her final step made a sharp 'tak' sound.
With that, the surrounding scenery vanished in an instant.
"...Huh?"
My involuntary voice echoed down the desolate corridor.
As if everything had returned to normal, she released my hand. She murmured like a whisper.
"Straight ahead."
Before us was a door. Not ordinary at all-its surface was etched with designs far removed from the mundane.
She opened the double doors. They groaned and vibrated, revealing only darkness beyond.
The woman stepped back. Gesturing inside as if her duty was done.
"Proceed."
"Does the guidance end here?"
"You'll know once you go."
I stepped forward as she said. The moment I fully entered, the door shut behind me.
Silence and stillness swallowed me again. Yet amid it, I caught a familiar scent.
The scent of demons. That aroma pressed down on my entire body like it was throttling my throat.
She's here.
Inside there...
-She is.
"......."
I walked. Kept walking.
Along a straight path that seemed endless. And at its end, I opened yet another door.
A fragrance brushing my nose. An impossibly vast room.
Turning my head, I saw a transparent glass wall beside me. Beyond it was...
Water.
".......?"
An absurd sight. I peered through the glass.
Fish. Rubbing my eyes and looking again, they were definitely fish.
This is weird. Isn't it? A wall made of glass. So fragile, yet filling an entire side...
No, a lake right next to the room to begin with.
What bizarre arrangement is this?
"You're spacing out, mutt."
A laugh rang out. I turned my head.
That longed-for appearance was right before my eyes.
"It's been a while since we reunited, hasn't it?"
Arrogant eyes. Yet a body worthy of that arrogance. The same beautiful, wondrous visage as before.
I immediately knelt before her. I voiced what I'd been taught.
"Heavenly Demon, eternal, myriad demons...!"
"Quiet."
"...Yes."
I wanted to observe proper etiquette, but in truth...
I hadn't been particularly formal during our first meeting either.
I stood up. My heart pounded fiercely, but I steadied my breath to hide it.
Heavenly Demon Cheon So-so.
She looked beyond the glass with those arrogant eyes.
"What do you think? Pretty, aren't they?"
"It's amazing."
"Right? Who in the world builds a house with water and glass? Even I was shocked the first time."
"Didn't you build it, Cult Leader?"
"This is the Heavenly Demon's sanctuary, passed down through generations. The underground level of the Demon Palace, accessible to any Heavenly Demon at any time. And that lake beyond the glass isn't ordinary either. Everything living there deserves to be called spirit creatures."
"......."
"A living treasury of spirit medicines. Some in there are priceless rarities unobtainable elsewhere. All of it is the Heavenly Demon's treasure known as the Chaos Yin-Yang Lake."
The Heavenly Demon glanced over. At me.
"If you're hungry, I could catch one for you."
"I'm fine."
"Refusing food from your master-does that make you a hunting dog?"
"...I'll gratefully accept."
"Good boy."
The Heavenly Demon walked ahead. She led me across the strangely scented room to food already prepared.
"I didn't catch it myself or cook it, but eat up and enjoy."
"I'll gratefully partake."
We finished the meal simply. She asked me nothing.
She just continued casually, as if savoring her own food.
"I like this cut. Living trapped between mountains, you rarely get to taste proper fish. Even if a river's nearby, it's not the same as well-raised ones, is it?"
"Indeed... it's exquisite."
"How about this? Try some."
"Thank you."
After the meal, she handed me a cup of tea.
I drank, but it was bitterly intense. Yet she sipped it with evident pleasure.
"It's tea that expels toxins from the body. Drinking it alone can elevate you to the transcendent realm. Meaning, the stage where you wield qi freely."
Transcendent...?!
I endured and drank it all. As the bitterness spread through me, grimacing, the Heavenly Demon chuckled, shoulders shaking.
"I'm kidding."
"......"
"Your face is hilarious. Ah, is this why people keep dogs? As if such tea exists. You fool."
The Heavenly Demon leisurely sipped her tea and grinned.
"Red Cloud. Gatekeeper. You've become enough of a martial artist to be called one now. What have you seen, what have you been through? Tell me everything."
"From where?"
"Everything you've seen."
"......."
I opened my mouth and recounted all that had happened. I kept it brief, but she shook her head, intrigued.
"Compressing years into a few words is no fun, is it? While I was cooped up here, you must've seen so much. An ant's life is the most entertaining. You go the long, hard way around things I could handle easily, don't you? For a watcher, it's the greatest pleasure."
"......."
To the ill-tempered Heavenly Demon, I poured out the rest of my stories in detail.
The tale of receiving guidance from the First Demon.
"The First Demon? Hmm... really? Even said that much? The girl who lived diligently without taking a single disciple... looks like she got into it late."
The story of first entering Demon Valley.
"Demon Valley... I've heard of it. A place tailored to those far below par, right? Still, at its center is the Demon Valley Lord. When you take him down later, gut him and chew up the inner core inside. Drink his blood freely too. It's all precious blood."
The story about Seong Ja-myeong.
"Hmm. Really? Starts like a talentless fool's tale... but ends in splendor. To ignite a flame like you."
The story about Number 29 Eun Seol-ran.
"Fourth Demon's disciple, huh. I've heard the rumors. Even met her once. Her genius was immense. At a glance, her talent rivaled the Heaven and Earth Eight Demons. And reaching the peak of transcendent after picking up the sword late in Demon Valley... Fourth Demon's mouth was practically to his ears."
The story about Maeng Cheon.
"Black Heaven Axe Sect. Never heard of it. But if you speak of him that way, he must've been a fine man. A real man has spirit. I like men who build their own power too. His axe must've been sharp."
The story about Bing Baek-seol.
"Ah, I heard. The First Demon slipped me a report. I was surprised she handled the Outer Five Palaces' martial arts on her own. Normally, she'd bring it to me. Her disciple love overflows."
The story about Number 29 Baek Mae.
"Hmm. Really? Seems she has some talent after all. The Blood Demon Squad has more promising ones than I thought."
Even the tales of the Fourth Demon Family and the Soul-Severing Sword.
"I heard the Fourth Demon Family absorbed the Heavenly Music Sect. Their fallen house is rising fast. Soul-Severing Sword? I know of him. You blocked his sword?"
The Heavenly Demon grinned. She rose from her chair and stood before me.
"How far have you progressed in the Nine Heavens Blood Demon Art?"
"I've just entered the Demon Power stage."
"Oh reaaally?"
Drawling her words, the Heavenly Demon whispered in an unintelligible tongue.
In that instant, my qi and blood twisted throughout my body.
"Kugh?!"
"Stay still. Good. Let me see... Heavenly Tribulation has fully taken root. It responds to my whisper, like mother to child... seems it likes its host well enough. But there's still rejection. Even if I try to fix it, some parts can't be mended-inevitable pain, huh?"
The Heavenly Demon pressed here and there on my body.
"Still... your body's outline has settled somewhat. At this point, we can put it to use."
"Put what to use...?"
"Before that, let me ask. Red Cloud."
She stroked my chin.
"Are you ready to live as my dog?"