The Heavenly Demon Causes a Ruckus (7)
From ancient times, divine spirits have been regarded as sacred beings. They protected a single mountain from various calamities and were once revered as gods of entire nations. Even now, when their majesty has diminished, they are still worshipped like deities in many small villages. How could such a being side with the wicked who wield the Heavenly Demon Divine Art? The Heavenly Demon Divine Art is demonic cultivation, and those who practice it are evil. They are villains who bring bloodshed to the murim. Ah, yes. The divine spirit must have fallen victim to some sinister trick. Otherwise—
Yang Han-mun’s finger kept tapping the back of his hand.
“Child.”
The moment he heard the voice carrying the unique aura of a divine spirit, the tangle of thoughts filling Yang Han-mun’s mind collapsed. It felt as comforting as listening to his mother’s lullaby in childhood.
“You seem burdened with many thoughts. Calm yourself.”
The divine spirit wore a gentle smile. Yet there was a dignity in her presence that had been absent earlier, and Yang Han-mun drew in a breath.
“Speak. What is on your mind?”
“I thought a sacred being like you would never travel alongside a demonic cultist.”
“And?”
“So I wondered if you had perhaps fallen prey to some wicked art.”
When Yang Han-mun answered honestly, the divine spirit burst into laughter.
“What an arbitrary conclusion. I chose to accompany Min-ga because that is what I wished to do.”
“Why?”
“Because I do not believe Min-ga is evil.”
The divine spirit spoke and lifted her head to meet Yang Han-mun’s eyes. Her crimson gaze met his, weary and bloodshot.
“Child, if you saw someone carrying a blood-stained blade on the road, would you immediately cry out that they are a murderer?”
“No.”
He might be startled, but he would not assume they were a murderer. He would carefully assess the situation and try to understand why that person had come to hold a bloodied blade.
Yang Han-mun realized what the divine spirit was trying to say. The Heavenly Demon Divine Art was the blood-stained blade, and the female martial artist was the one holding it. Yet just as carrying a blade did not make one a murderer, wielding the Heavenly Demon Divine Art did not make her evil.
“Then why do you insist on labeling Min-ga as evil?”
“...”
“I am not ignorant of the Heavenly Demon Divine Art’s infamy. The wounds the Heavenly Demon left upon the murim are by no means light. However, sin lies not in the tool, but in the person who wields it. One must not condemn another as a sinner simply for using the same tool.”
There were many rebuttals he could have made. He could have said that because she was not human, she could never understand their circumstances. He could have argued that she could only speak so lightly because she had never witnessed the Heavenly Demon’s massacres. He could have shouted that the demonic cult had always been a heretical sect to be shunned. There were countless angles from which to attack her words.
Yet Yang Han-mun remained silent and listened because it was the divine spirit who had spoken them. Because she was the one who had saved him when, as a child, he had foolishly climbed the mountain alone, gotten lost, and wept. Because she was the one who had always smiled and indulged the tantrums and complaints of his immature younger self. Because she was the benevolent being who had kept the rocky mountain near Hwaeum peaceful for so long. He could not simply deny what the divine spirit said.
Yang Han-mun closed his eyes and took a deep breath. He stopped the finger that had been tapping the back of his hand.
“MintChocoPineapplePizza. May I ask you something?”
“What is it?”
“Are you affiliated with the Heavenly Demon Cult?”
“No. I have no intention of setting foot in the Heavenly Demon Cult, now or in the future.”
“I see.”
If this person had originally been someone who had lived in the murim, Yang Han-mun would have branded them evil regardless of the divine spirit’s defense. After all, they would have known the Heavenly Demon Cult’s reputation and everything the Heavenly Demon had done, yet still chosen to learn the Heavenly Demon Divine Art. But this person was an outsider—someone who did not clearly understand how the Heavenly Demon Cult was treated or what the Heavenly Demon had done.
“That is enough.”
Therefore, unless they committed an obvious crime, he could grant them a single reprieve.
“Soldiers. Lower your weapons.”
“But, my lord!”
“It is fine. Put away your weapons and stand by here.”
If the female martial artist was in her right mind, she would not cause a scene when the divine spirit had spoken so. The soldiers, though reluctant, lowered their weapons.
Once the heavy atmosphere had eased somewhat, Yang Han-mun approached the divine spirit.
“Would it be all right if we went inside to talk a little more? I will pay.”
“There is no need. Another child has already offered to treat us.”
“That is quite a generous person.”
*
Watching Baru enter while conversing with the magistrate of Hwaeum, I rubbed the back of my neck. Could this matter really be resolved so easily? Because I knew what I had done, I understood how deep the murim’s hostility toward the Heavenly Demon Cult ran. It was my own karma, after all. There had been a time when merely using a technique related to the Heavenly Demon Cult would draw people’s enmity. A time when someone who had been laughing and chatting with you the day before would turn hostile the moment they saw the Heavenly Demon Divine Art, or cry out in terror, begging to be spared.
The magistrate of Hwaeum was someone who had suffered directly. His hostility toward the Heavenly Demon Cult should have been greater than most, not less. So I had never imagined he would set aside his enmity no matter what Baru said. Was it because I was an outsider now? Or because the favor Baru had shown him was simply that great? I did not know. I had never experienced anything like this before.
It was hard to say whether I felt uneasy or something else. I could not properly put into words the emotion I was feeling right now.
“Children. Does anyone know why the magistrate withdrew so easily?”
“An outsider, you say?”
The viewers in the chat said that most users were extremely efficiency-oriented. If it let them climb faster or higher, they would use orthodox techniques, unorthodox techniques, or even cult techniques without hesitation. At first, the martial artists in Hwaryong Muin had been bewildered by this behavior, but after several years, they seemed to have accepted that outsiders were simply that kind of people. They understood that no matter what techniques they used, these outsiders could become orthodox, unorthodox, or even unaffiliated wanderers.
Hearing that, I could understand the magistrate’s attitude. Even if someone used the Heavenly Demon Divine Art, as long as they had no connection to the cult, he could overlook it.
Feeling strangely unsettled, I stepped into the tavern. Inside, I saw the magistrate frozen in place, staring at the scene. Ah, right. There were still other wanderers lying unconscious on the floor. After hearing that I was not a bad person, walking into a tavern turned into a battlefield must have been disorienting.
Baru, who should have been the one to explain, had her eyes glued to the food on the table and was already heading inside, stepping over the fallen wanderers. Thanks to that, explaining the situation to the magistrate fell to me.
“They started the fight. I only put them down.”
“All of them?”
“I knocked down one wanderer, and the rest all rushed me at once. Something about tavern rules.”
“Ah, there was something like that.”
Fortunately, the magistrate seemed to know about the tavern rules and looked somewhat convinced, so I added a little more to persuade him.
“Look. I did not break anything, and I left them alive. This is quite moderate for a dispute between martial artists.”
“That is… true.”
Thank goodness he understood. I had almost wasted all of Baru’s hard work defending me.
Following the magistrate, who carefully avoided stepping on the fallen men, I returned to the table and noticed that even more dishes had been added. So this was the result of ordering everything written on the wooden board. It was fortunate that more customers had arrived. With this much food, we might not have been able to finish it all otherwise.
The magistrate of Hwaeum seemed focused on talking with Baru, so I decided to take a bite before the food got any colder. Well then, time to try the white meat I had not gotten to eat earlier.
“You there!”
The moment I reached for my chopsticks, the door burst open and two people entered. One was an elderly man with a long white beard, and the other was a handsome young man with a clean appearance. Both were clearly martial artists, but their levels differed. The old man had reached the Transcendence Realm and matured enough to be called a true expert in the murim, while the handsome man had an abundance of inner energy but lacked the corresponding realm. The old man was probably an NPC, and the handsome man a user.
“Mint… what was it again?”
“MintChocoPineapplePizza, Elder.”
“Good grief, why do you outsiders always give yourselves such complicated names? You should pick something straightforward like ‘Strongest in Murim,’ the way this fellow did.”
“Elder, save the complaints for later. There is someone waiting for us right now.”
“Ah, that is right.”
What were these two up to? Their words and demeanor did not suggest they had come to pick a fight. Baru and I did not know them, so we felt puzzled, but the magistrate reacted differently. He shot to his feet and bowed toward the old man.
“It has been a long time, Elder Baek-il.”
“Oh, if it is not Han-mun. Have you also come here to meet the outsider who uses the Heavenly Demon Divine Art?”
“Yes.”
Baek-il? Baek-il. I felt like I had heard that name before. Ah, I remembered. One of the elders of the Beggars’ Sect and one of the representatives of the Murim Alliance? He had once crossed blades with me, but instead of fighting to the death, he had chosen to preserve his life—a coward. Yet it seemed that had become a lifelong regret, because he had gone to great lengths behind the scenes to obstruct me. I had even regretted not chasing him down and killing him back then.
“Is the person beside you that Mint…”
“Elder, it is MintChocoPineapplePizza.”
“Yes, yes, I got it, you brat. Ahem. Are you Sir Mint?”
Why had this guy come looking for me? When it came to hating me, few could match him. Had he come to take revenge on me for using the Heavenly Demon Divine Art? No, if that were the case, he would not have come in person. He would have sent other skilled martial artists first to test the waters. He was a cunning fellow, after all. So why? Why had he come himself?
“There is no need to be so wary. I am not so vicious a person that I would automatically become hostile just because someone uses the Heavenly Demon Divine Art.”
At Baek-il’s words, the magistrate of Hwaeum coughed awkwardly. Even if unintentionally, the remark had targeted him.
“The reason I came here is to deliver the orthodox faction’s gratitude on their behalf. We had no idea what had transpired at Mount Hua, and we were too busy surviving to investigate. As a result, we allowed an entire sect to fall into the Blood Cult’s grasp. If not for Sir Mint, another great calamity would have befallen the place the Heavenly Demon once passed through. Therefore, on behalf of the orthodox faction, I wish to express our gratitude to Sir Mint for stopping it.”
Baek-il cupped his fists and bowed deeply.
Well, well. To think the day would come when I would receive thanks from someone of the orthodox faction. Life truly was full of surprises. Still, if he had only come to deliver thanks, he would not have come in person. Someone of his position would not bother.
“So what is the real reason?”
“Just the thanks.”
“Stop beating around the bush. The food is getting cold.”
When I spoke bluntly without pretense, Baek-il burst into hearty laughter.
“Haha. This is exactly why outsiders are so refreshing. Very well. I will be direct. Would you consider joining the orthodox faction?”
…What?
Was he serious? Trying to recruit someone who used the Heavenly Demon Divine Art into the orthodox faction? No matter how pragmatic someone was, this… this was absurd. Just what was happening in the murim of Hwaryong Muin?