Chapter 50
Chapter 50
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Translator: uly
Chapter: 50
Chapter Title: A Worthy Assistant
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There's a saying that time flies in the Death Blood Squad---
That's not actually true. It just means they're that busy.
The symbol of the Heavenly Demon's martial might. The one organization with the sole authority of instant judgment.
The Death Blood Squad was maintained by a total of twelve elites, excluding the captain. An absurdly small number for an entire squad. Even if it was filled with the cult's absolute best, the headcount was ridiculously low.
With so few members, it was only natural that each one had to handle a mountain of work.
If a single squad member was doing the job of dozens, imagine what the captain was dealing with.
Nan-seol, the Death Blood Captain and First Demon, quietly flipped through the documents. She had one body, but the workload on her desk was equivalent to hundreds.
The squad's main duty was rooting out cult traitors. But that wasn't as simple as it sounded.
After swinging the sword, there was cleanup to do. Traitors were vague concepts by nature. Pinning them down precisely required dozens of pieces of supporting evidence.
No task could be half-assed. The traitors the Death Blood Squad targeted were all big fish.
It was directly tied to the squad's honor. Pouring time into it was a given.
And was that all? She also had to handle her duties as Grand Protector, and reports from multiple Blood Demon Squads ultimately passed through her.
There was just that much work. Always had been.
...But if it used to be just simple paperwork...
Now it felt a bit different.
"First Demon."
A voice spoke up in the quiet office. A man wearing a mask with a talisman just like hers approached cautiously.
"This part doesn't make much sense to me..."
"Bring it here."
The Heavenly Demon's dog she'd picked up three months ago.
The Murim Alliance warrior who would become a double agent in the main cult...
Red Cloud.
He bowed his head, having learned his shortcomings.
"Thank you."
He slowly put some distance between them again. He buried his head in the desk temporarily placed beside her and dove back into the paperwork.
There wasn't a shred of wasted motion in his actions. As if he perfectly separated work from personal life.
An absurdly solid work ethic. And on top of that...
Wasn't he subtly helpful?
Red Cloud's processing speed was slow. But in exchange, it was meticulous. Back when overeager fools piled up work that needed rechecking, his approach was perfectly suited for support.
Just the right vibe for an attendant aide. His work style was more to her liking than anyone else in the Death Blood Squad.
But was that all?
When the servant brought food, he naturally took care of hers first. He set the utensils neatly and didn't eat or drink until she did.
He didn't voice opinions on her decisions. Only after she subtly asked did he carefully share his thoughts.
He didn't slack on martial arts training either. He was so diligent it made her wonder if he even slept.
He handled errands well too... And she'd heard from the servants he'd asked discreetly that he got along with them splendidly...
"......"
Honestly, it was a bit endearing.
She wondered if anyone could dislike that attitude.
But was it just diligence?
She'd known it before, but seeing his perseverance again was jaw-dropping. It was no joke.
He clung to even a casual lesson she tossed his way. Watching him groan all day yet never set down his sword... well...
As a teacher, how could she not enjoy it...
"...Ahem."
The First Demon stopped her wandering thoughts and her brush along with them. The paperwork was done before she knew it. Unlike the usual end around early evening, with him around, they wrapped up by early lunch.
Her own speed was fast to begin with, but his solid support made it shine even more. Multiple rounds of revisions she used to do herself came back from him neatly organized.
Red Cloud, finishing the last of the documents, spoke up.
"First Demon."
"What."
"If there's no more work, may I train my martial arts?"
His request for permission was exceedingly polite. He was even offering to front-load his routine.
There was no reason to stop him. The First Demon nodded.
"Go."
"Thank you."
His body headed straight for the training grounds.
Watching his back, the First Demon suppressed a rising smile with a cough.
Well. Just a little.
A tiiiiny bit...
Tolerable, that's all.
Nothing more. Of course not.
She lifted her body, which should have been buried in papers. She followed him out and stepped onto the training grounds.
There was nothing specific left to advise. She'd passed on most of it; how he wielded it was key now.
The First Demon watched his swinging sword from the shadows.
The overwhelming power of the Nine Heavens Blood Demon Art. And beyond that, a technique he'd newly acquired tore through the air swiftly.
The fourth form of the Nine Heavens Blood Demon Art.
Flash Scatter.
Rending sword qi. A splitting world.
In an instant flash of sword light, the honed rock split into several pieces.
Gathering qi bit by bit mid-form, then slamming it into the chain.
The preparation time was a bit long, and qi circulation needed care, but...
Its power was undeniable-a strong, fast sword.
She was greatly satisfied with the sword strike full of spirit. That's how the guy should be.
Now, what about the other side?
The First Demon stepped out from the shadows.
"Red Cloud."
"Yes."
Even sheathing his sword had a proper flair now. Most who called themselves cult elites couldn't even mimic that poise.
Whoever raised him did a fine job.
The First Demon coughed idly. She probed lightly.
"How about the Transformation Sword? Any progress?"
"That's..."
Red Cloud fiddled with his sword.
"Still impossible, First Demon."
"What kind of feeling?"
"Well... to explain more precisely..."
Red Cloud spun his sword in the air.
"Heavenly Tribulation feels like simply accepting different energies, right?"
"Correct. That's why I split the incantations for Black-White Lotus Sword, Fire Wheel Demon Sword, and Ice White Divine Sword into three separate teachings. The overarching frame is Nine Heavens Blood Demon Art, but the details differ."
"I'm still reviewing those three splits, but..."
Red Cloud sighed.
"I can't draw out the energies. Can't even start, so the incantations are useless."
"...Hmm."
It wasn't an unexpected issue. The big-picture art was still Nine Heavens Blood Demon Art, but...
Handling those fine energies was a whole different matter.
Cold qi built from Bing Baek-seol's spirit pill.
Fire qi from Demon Valley Lord's spirit pill.
Even demon qi from the one extracted separately in the Death Blood Squad.
Excluding the pure blood qi from Nine Heavens Blood Demon Art, three energies swirled in his body.
A bizarre phenomenon of harboring three beasts besides his own. Definitely... not normal.
It was natural he couldn't draw them out. He hadn't learned Mixed Origin Demon Art like her.
"Keep practicing Nine Heavens Blood Demon Sword for now. I'll figure out a way."
"Yes, understood."
The First Demon pondered as she walked between buildings.
Solving this would leap him up several levels. It was that powerful a sword. Like opening multiple paths at once to a guy who'd only had heavy, straightforward ones.
Master Transformation Sword, and he'd no longer need to focus on unfamiliar illusions and voids. It was infinitely variable on its own-enough to terrify any opponent.
For that reason alone, she wanted to teach him this sword...
But the core Mixed Origin Demon Art couldn't be taught. It was a demon art only she had mastered.
Hadn't the Cult Leader said it? She could teach it because of her unique constitution.
A vessel that could hold any form of demon energy.
For Red Cloud, without that vessel, Mixed Origin Demon Art would be poison, not medicine.
So... that being the case...
---Why not think differently?
It was simple, really. If he could just draw out the energies coiled in his dantian, he could use Transformation Sword.
She'd taught all the incantations, so drawing them out should make it possible.
The issue was how to coax out those coiled beasts...
"...Hmm."
Pondering deeply, the First Demon glanced down at her waist.
A famed sword among famed swords. One the Cult Leader had personally bestowed.
Blood Demon Sword. That's what it was called.
How had it felt wielding this? As a one-of-a-kind famed sword, hadn't it drawn out the full power of her arts on its own?
That's what famed swords were. Divine weapons that aided qi flow and supported the user.
...Then...
What about a ghost sword, not a famed one?
To confirm her idea, the First Demon turned toward the Demon Hall. She entered and sought the Heavenly Demon's guidance.
"...Drawing special energies through a ghost sword?"
The Heavenly Demon fiddled with her chair, intrigued.
"Not impossible. And... that pup endures well. A ghost sword's ghost qi is nothing compared to Heavenly Tribulation-he'd handle it easily. As starting point for drawing energies, it'd do the job splendidly."
"That's right, Cult Leader."
"Transformation Sword, huh. Shoving it into Nine Heavens Blood Demon Art... First Demon, you've put in real effort. The world's prodigy going that far for one man. Ah, this is surely affection..."
"No."
"So decisive. First Demon. Second issue, then. Ghost swords aren't common. Rarer than famed swords. And to draw the energies you want, it needs matching ghost qi, right? How many like that exist?"
"Not finding one-making one."
"Where?"
"Entrust it to Ghost Weep Forge Master Cheol Il-hwan."
"...Ugh."
The Heavenly Demon made a rare groaning sound.
"First Demon, this is the most absurd idea you've ever had. Ghost Weep is an eccentric even I couldn't sway. No one in the world can convince him."
"Not bad to try and find another way if it fails."
"Waste of time. The trip alone is effort, and it'd just burn time anyway."
"Why?"
"Ghost Weep made my sword. Not the publicly known Heavenly Demon Sword, but the one I used as Little Cult Leader. I still prefer that one's feel. Different from a famed sword. So I know him well. That guy..."
The Heavenly Demon sighed.
"Even refused to make my sword at first. Only after my master, the previous Heavenly Demon, begged multiple times did he do it. He never makes swords for ordinary folk. Especially not for mutts no better than commoners."
"He's been following my teachings well lately."
"I've been thinking... You're not just teaching well, are you?"
"Pardon?"
"Excluding work hours, you seem obsessed with how to teach your charge better... You're good at everything, so you've gotten specialized in teaching late in the game."
"He's not my disciple!"
"Stubborn. Anyway, I snuck a peek before-puppy's talent is the same as ever. You're just teaching well. Eye-level education, they'd call it. Lowering your gaze to teach, you're a genius educator too."
The Heavenly Demon tapped the armrest.
"Ghost Weep won't make a sword for Red Cloud. And his own skill surpasses the pup's, so force won't work. Even if you could overpower him, he wouldn't make it. But... worth a shot. Fail, and think of something else."
"Then..."
"As you know, Ghost Weep's in Sealed Demon Cave. His choice, and home to Myriad Sages Divine Healer too. Gathers valuable cult talents who shun others. Can't just waltz in."
Her tapping hand stopped.
"But conveniently... the biennial Sealed Demon Cave tour group is timed right. Shove him in there."
"Thank you, Cult Leader."
"Thanks? Giving entry rights doesn't mean he'll get in-it's up to him. I'd love a back door, but that'd just earn Ghost Weep's scorn. The path to Sealed Demon Cave is a trial itself. Forget the brutal terrain-the inner paths are massive mechanisms. Man's most dangerous architecture. Last tour group was eight years ago, so entry depends on him. And above all, how could I not help raise my dog?"
The Heavenly Demon smiled.
"The term set by the Founding Heavenly Demon is ending. I want everything wrapped before my throne time's up, so hurry and fetch it quick. First Demon."
"Thank you, Cult Leader."
"Separately..."
The Heavenly Demon glanced into the air.
"One ghost sword holds one energy only. Excluding your base Nine Heavens Blood Demon Art sword and the one from Bing Baek-seol you're carrying... he'd need two more at his waist. What, a sword merchant? That sight'll be amusing. Mixed Origin Quad Sword, juggling four energies..."
Her smile was sticky.
"Like the Mixed Origin Demon Sword wielded by Heaven-Blood Human Demon. Cute junior-senior bond."
"Cult Leader."
"Kidding, of course."
...
"A ghost sword... you say?"
I blinked. I asked tentatively at the First Demon's unexpected solution.
"I need to carry three extra swords?"
"Right. Until you can draw those energies yourself, at least. Maybe for life. You only draw one at a time anyway. Think of them as spare blades."
The First Demon pondered.
"Your original sword... keep it for standard Nine Heavens Blood Demon Art qi. Bing Baek-seol's blade just needs tweaks to be a proper ghost sword."
"So, ask that Ghost Weep for two more? Along with this one from Bing Baek-seol?"
"While you're at it, show him the one you're carrying. No loss if you gain something. But that's if things go smoothly."
The First Demon gazed deeply at me.
"Ghost Weep's an eccentric of eccentrics. Even the Cult Leader couldn't bind him. That's why he's in Sealed Demon Cave, not Demon Hall."
"......"
"Heard he hates normals, so odds are low he'll make you one. But..."
The First Demon grabbed my arm.
"Push anyway."
"Pardon?"
"You need a ghost sword. Otherwise, Transformation Sword stays a pipe dream. Self-drawing those might take decades. It's essential. For your ascent."
"......"
"A tour group heads to Sealed Demon Cave for Ghost Weep soon. Event by three supporting sects-Myriad Demons Sect, Raksha Sect, Black Snake Sect-under harmony pretext. It's just a pissing contest. Fifteen juniors gather, thirty escorts. Blend in and go. Convince him somehow, get the ghost sword. I'll give ample travel funds. Take this too, just in case."
The First Demon whistled lowly. A pink bird with red-tipped feathers flew in from the window.
"Chance to grow, Red Cloud. Nothing more pathetic than quitting early. Rough path or not..."
She held the bird out to me.
"It's like the views you've always seen. No reason to quit sooner, right?"
I chuckled.
"True."
"I'll tell you where the group meets tomorrow morning. Start early, join ahead, and I'll warn you not to stand out but..."
The First Demon sighed.
"You won't listen."
"I'll behave."
"Wish I could believe that."
She glared at me.
"That's why you should've behaved all along."
"......"
I opened my mouth, then closed it.
She had a point, really.