The Demonic Lord's Daughter
“Don’t tell me… you’re Yoo Eunhyeon?”
Unlike his composed demeanor until now, Son Jin-won spoke with a faint trace of surprise. A strange warmth of recognition seeped into his expression, and Yoo Eunhyeon, realizing the man seemed to know him, simply nodded.
“I am, yes.”
“Hmm? That actually makes a fair bit of sense now. Master did mention you to me.”
Son Jin-won narrowed his eyes as if erasing the earlier look, then offered a genial smile while looking Yoo Eunhyeon up and down, openly studying him.
“Uh… the situation’s getting weird, isn’t it?”
“Tell me about it. Let’s just watch for now.”
Gu Pyo and Go Ji-han both looked taken aback by the turn of events, but Yoo Eunhyeon was no less bewildered. It was possible So Biwon had spoken of him, yet what exactly had been said to make Son Jin-won scrutinize him like this?
“Just what did you hear about me…?”
“Master didn’t go into details. He only said that while chasing the Thousand-Year Dark Demon, he ended up owing you a great debt on Mount Taesan, and that in return he taught you a few martial techniques.”
“That’s all?”
“And that you were thoughtful and of excellent character, so I should try becoming your friend…”
At Son Jin-won’s words, something clicked in Yoo Eunhyeon’s memory. So Biwon had indeed said something of the sort. At the time it had seemed unimportant, but now that he was face-to-face with Son Jin-won, the man felt overwhelmingly burdensome.
And I have zero interest in a rude brat like this either. Why would the old master tell me to befriend someone who looks like he’s never had a real friend in his life? Don’t tell me… he just dumped a headache of a disciple on me?
Thinking that, Yoo Eunhyeon put on a polite, artificial smile and shook his head.
“Ah. I did hear that from the old master. It wasn’t entirely baseless, but… seeing Commander Son in person is making me rather nervous.”
“Haha. Fair enough. You don’t exactly look thoughtful or of excellent character either. Just looking at you… you seem more like someone who’s been living up on a mountain.”
Yoo Eunhyeon flinched. He wondered if So Biwon had mentioned he was a farmer, but since the man only spoke of a mountain, it seemed not.
“You saw right through me. I happened to learn martial arts somehow, but I was originally just a farmer who lived on Mount Taesan.”
“I knew it. Not that it really matters. Still, I can’t exactly ignore Master’s orders… so how about we just stay as acquaintances for now?”
Even without the suggestion, Yoo Eunhyeon found Son Jin-won—Commander of the Heavenly Night Squad of the Heavenly Martial Alliance—genuinely intimidating. He nodded at once.
“That works.”
He had no idea when they would meet again anyway, so he decided to simply go along with whatever Son Jin-won proposed. At least this would explain the matter of his martial arts.
“Wait, it just turned into this? And he actually learned martial arts from the Alliance Leader? Aren’t we completely screwed?”
“Did we do it on purpose? We didn’t know, so it should be fine.”
“Even if you commit a crime without knowing, you still get punished, don’t you?”
“Stop needling me and shut up for a second. That’s not the important part. What did he just say? He said he came from Mount Taesan. Have you already forgotten where we came from?”
“Huh… now that you mention it? If that guy already has a connection with the Alliance Leader, then doesn’t that also tie him to the reclusive master the Demonic Cult was trying to recruit?”
“That would also explain what happened yesterday.”
At Go Ji-han’s grave words, Gu Pyo seemed to catch on and clamped his mouth shut. After observing the situation, Go Ji-han approached Yoo Eunhyeon and Son Jin-won.
“You two. May I have a moment?”
At his question, both men’s gazes turned toward the pair. Go Ji-han addressed Son Jin-won first.
“Commander. The matter of this young master’s martial arts has been resolved, but other questions remain. May I take over the questioning from here?”
“Go ahead.”
Son Jin-won stepped back a pace, folded his arms, and watched. When Go Ji-han approached Yoo Eunhyeon, the earlier oppressive pressure was far lighter.
“Young Master Yoo. You said you came from Mount Taesan, correct?”
Go Ji-han’s tone had grown considerably more courteous. More accurately, rather than true respect for Yoo Eunhyeon, the misunderstandings had cleared somewhat, and knowing the man had learned martial arts from So Biwon meant he was now careful of Son Jin-won’s reaction.
“That’s right.”
“Are you aware that a clash occurred there between the Cheonhwang Paeundae and the Jeongeumdae?”
“I don’t know anything about units called Cheonhwang Paeundae or Jeongeumdae, but I do know there was a fight.”
He had heard as much from Yeo U-hui, but decided to play moderately ignorant for now.
“Did you witness it yourself?”
“I didn’t. I don’t have the skill to get involved in something like that, and I had no idea what was going on, so why would I stick my nose in?”
He had never inserted himself into the fight—though he had been dragged into it—but it was not a lie, and he truly had not known the reason. Yoo Eunhyeon answered with complete composure.
Go Ji-han stared at him for a moment, then asked again.
“Young Master Yoo, do you live on Mount Taesan?”
“I’ve lived there my whole life.”
“Have you ever heard rumors of a reclusive master of exceptional martial skill living there? Or perhaps seen such a person yourself?”
“A reclusive master?”
Yoo Eunhyeon blinked at the sudden mention, utterly at a loss. Even as someone who had lived there all his life, he had never heard such a rumor, so he shook his head.
“I have no idea.”
“You truly don’t know? Lying would be most unwise.”
When Go Ji-han’s tone shifted back toward interrogation, Yoo Eunhyeon frowned.
“What exactly are you suspecting me of? Dragging me all the way here, interrogating me—you must have some basis for it, right? Stop with the endless probing and just speak plainly. That way I can answer honestly too.”
“That’s exactly what I’m—”
Yoo Eunhyeon’s voice rose. Go Ji-han seemed ready to match it when Son Jin-won, who had been watching with arms folded, stepped in.
“That’s enough. No fighting. I have no desire to get scolded by Master later.”
Uncrossing his arms, Son Jin-won slipped precisely between Yoo Eunhyeon and Go Ji-han, scratching his head with a childlike, innocent smile.
“I don’t usually handle things this bothersome way, but…”
For an instant Son Jin-won’s expression turned chillingly cold, then melted back into a bright smile.
“Can’t be helped. I’ll take responsibility. Explain the full situation.”
Sensing the weight of Son Jin-won’s presence, Go Ji-han swallowed once, nodded, and began relating to Yoo Eunhyeon the conclusions they had drawn from the events on Mount Taesan.
“So… destroying the fields was just a smokescreen, and the Demonic Cult’s real goal was to recruit a reclusive master who was supposedly nearby?”
“Correct. Is there anything you know about those fields?”
“Of course there is. That’s the land my family has cultivated for generations. Just thinking about that day still makes my blood boil. I’d like to ask you the same question. Why did they wreck our fields like that? Was it really all because of some reclusive master nobody’s ever heard of?”
Yoo Eunhyeon raised his voice, genuine anger flaring at the memory. Go Ji-han shook his head with an awkward look.
“Mm… we are quite certain of it, but we are still tracking that reclusive master’s movements for clearer confirmation.”
“Haa… then why did you drag me all the way here? From the sound of it, you didn’t even know I lived on Mount Taesan.”
“That is…”
Go Ji-han was about to answer when Son Jin-won cut in again.
“As the one in charge here, allow me to summarize.”
When Son Jin-won blocked him, Go Ji-han respectfully stepped back without another word. Gu Pyo sidled up and whispered,
“Will this be all right?”
“He may be unpredictable, but Commander Son has never once brought shame to the name of the righteous path. There’s nothing to worry about.”
Having heard the rumors within the Alliance, Gu Pyo nodded.
Whether he had overheard or not, Son Jin-won cleared his throat lightly and spoke to Yoo Eunhyeon.
“You should have the general picture by now, so I’ll ask directly.”
“Go ahead.”
It was the kind of question that suggested further lies would be useless, yet Yoo Eunhyeon’s expression did not change. Son Jin-won, equally unreadable, asked in a light, almost casual tone,
“Yesterday at Wonjeong Trading Company, you met a woman, didn’t you?”
“I did.”
“Do you know who she is?”
“I know her name, at least.”
Yoo Eunhyeon answered offhandedly, but at the admission that he knew her name, Go Ji-han and Gu Pyo’s expressions shifted strangely. Son Jin-won, looking amused, propped his chin on one hand and pressed,
“What name did she give?”
“I don’t know if it was real, but… she said Yeo-un.”
“Yeo-un… and her surname?”
“Sa Yeo-un, apparently.”
Yoo Eunhyeon answered, then looked back with a faintly puzzled air, as if wondering what the problem was. Judging by the atmosphere, it clearly was a problem.
“Hahaha! Yes. Sa Yeo-un. First daughter of Sa Unsik, the Thousand-Year Dark Demon and Lord of the Demonic Cult. That’s her name.”
Son Jin-won laughed as though marveling at the ignorance. Yoo Eunhyeon’s eyes flew wide. Surprise was part of it, but more than that, his mind was racing in complicated circles.
“Yet… you don’t seem all that shocked.”
“Haa… now it all more or less makes sense. You saw me speaking with someone connected to the Demonic Cult, so you started suspecting I might be connected to them as well?”
Yoo Eunhyeon frowned as if his head ached. He had not only met her but even fled with her for a short time, yet there seemed no need to volunteer that detail. Son Jin-won snorted a laugh and shook his head.
“I’m not particularly suspecting you. From the look of things, you genuinely didn’t know her true identity. I just want to know what the two of you talked about. Word is you were together for quite a while.”
Son Jin-won spoke as though he already knew the two of them had fled together. Yoo Eunhyeon sighed without meaning to.
“Haa. This is driving me crazy. Why do so many ridiculous things keep getting tangled around me lately? It’s not like I’m the protagonist of some story. Maybe I need an exorcism.”
As Yoo Eunhyeon muttered bitterly about his own lot and sighed, Son Jin-won burst out laughing in agreement.
“Hahaha! You get it! Life’s a path full of thorns. The problem is that I’m not the one laying those thorns—other people are.”
“Not much choice. You just have to grab the whole bramble patch and thrash your way through.”
“Exactly. You can’t just clear them away. Heh. I still don’t know if your character is as excellent as Master claimed, but you and I might actually get along.”
Apparently Yoo Eunhyeon’s self-deprecating jab at his own life had struck a chord with Son Jin-won. The fact that they could share that kind of empathy suggested Son Jin-won had endured similar troubles, but Yoo Eunhyeon was too preoccupied with thoughts of Sa Yeo-un to consider it further.
He had vaguely guessed she might be connected to the Demonic Cult, but he had never imagined she was Sa Unsik’s own child.
So that’s why she noticed my internal energy method and hounded me so relentlessly. Damn it. If I’d known, I never would have followed her even if it killed me.
Yoo Eunhyeon grumbled inwardly, but the milk was already spilled. There was no undoing it. All he could do now was his best to get through this safely.
After thinking it over carefully, Yoo Eunhyeon slowly opened his mouth.
“I know where Sa Yeo-un is headed.”