The Banquet
As the sun began to sink into the western horizon, the banquet hall of the headquarters filled to the brim with figures from the Demonic Cult and the Namgung Clan.
Dozens of square tables were set up, laden with all manner of delicacies from land and sea. Servants of the Sun and Moon Sect bustled about, carrying food and wine.
I sat at the central table alongside Jang Su-ryeon, the Sect Leader's wife, my sister So-cheong, and my younger brother Hyeon.
From the Namgung Clan, two people were scheduled to join us at the same table.
Thank goodness the Sect Leader and the Namgung Clan Leader aren't here, at least.
It seemed the private discussion between the Sect Leader and the Namgung Clan Leader was running long. It was rather amusing to think that while the Sun and Moon Sect and the Namgung Clan were walking a tightrope between war and peace, their families were leisurely holding a banquet. They say the line between gratitude and resentment in the Murim is as thin as a sheet of paper, and this certainly proved it.
At any rate, since neither the Sect Leader nor the Namgung Clan Leader was attending the banquet, by the laws of the Murim, the highest-ranking person in this room was none other than me—the Young Sect Leader of the Sun and Moon Sect.
Uh... first, I should thank the guests for gracing us with their presence, and then...
Long before the banquet even started, I had been rehearsing my prepared opening remarks over and over in my head. As the host of the banquet, I had to deliver the opening address and welcoming speech to mark the beginning.
This was my first time speaking in front of such a large crowd since reincarnating as the Young Sect Leader of the Demonic Cult. The thought that I must not appear intimidated or incompetent as the Young Sect Leader completely consumed my mind. Because of that, I had absolutely no mental bandwidth to spare on what was being placed on the table or who was greeting whom.
"They are arriving," someone murmured.
The guests of honor, the members of the Namgung Clan, were entering the banquet hall. A bright-eyed boy who looked to be around my age wore clean blue robes. Behind him, a giant of a man, who appeared to be the leader of the Heavenly Shadow Unit, followed closely.
"I am Namgung Eon, the fifth son of the Namgung Clan. It is a pleasure to meet the esteemed members of the Sun and Moon Sect," the boy greeted politely.
"You must be weary from your long journey. I am Baek Yeon, the Young Sect Leader," I replied, maintaining a cold, authoritative tone.
Namgung Eon, the fifth son of the Namgung Clan, took his seat directly opposite me after we exchanged greetings. The dozen or so Namgung Clan members who accompanied him also took their respective seats. It was now time to begin the banquet.
"Ahem."
As I stood up and cleared my throat, the banquet hall instantly fell silent. Everyone looked on with curiosity and anticipation, wondering what the Young Sect Leader would say to the Namgung Clan.
Thump. Thump.
With countless eyes suddenly locked onto me, my heart began to race uncontrollably. The Left and Right Guardians, the cult's high-ranking executives, and the various warriors of the Namgung Clan were all watching my every move, hanging on my next words.
Thump. Thump.
A single sentence from my mouth right now would shape the Young Sect Leader's reputation, and it would undoubtedly reach the Sect Leader's ears. I had managed to leave a decent impression on the Sect Leader since my reincarnation, but in truth, a lot of it had been sheer luck. This banquet, however, was the ultimate trial for an extreme introvert like me.
What if I made a mistake here?
Would the disappointed Sect Leader decide that I didn't have what it took to be the Young Sect Leader?
Thump. Thump!
The more I thought about it, the more my body trembled. My legs shook so violently I felt like I might collapse. But I was the Young Sect Leader of the Sun and Moon Sect, the one destined to become the Heavenly Demon, the ruler of all demons. I couldn't afford to show even a hint of nervousness in a place like this.
It's fine. Just say what I memorized and sit right back down. I can do this.
Steeling myself, I began to deliver my prepared remarks without hesitation.
"It is deeply humbling for someone as noble as myself to stand before such guests as you, who are so utterly lacking in both martial arts and scholarship."
I paused mid-sentence, a sudden, chilling sensation washing over me. Something felt incredibly off. The guests were also tilting their heads in confusion.
Oh, crap! What the hell did I just say?!
What I had actually prepared was: 'It is deeply humbling for someone as lacking in martial arts and scholarship as myself to stand before such noble guests as you.' It was supposed to be a standard, modest greeting from a young successor showing proper humility.
But because I was so incredibly nervous, I had completely swapped the positions of 'myself' and 'you'!
It was an unbelievably catastrophic blunder.
"..."
The entire hall fell into a stunned, breathless silence upon hearing the Young Sect Leader's insanely arrogant opening statement. No one knew how to interpret what had just come out of my mouth. A few of the cult members, however, were nodding with expressions that said, 'As expected of our Young Sect Leader!'
But the real problem started now.
Uh... what was next?
The shock of completely ruining my very first sentence caused my mind to go entirely blank. I couldn't remember a single word of what came next. In that brief second, dozens of panicked thoughts flashed through my head.
What do I do? Should I just wing it? What if I make another stupid mistake? What if I stutter and bite my tongue?
As the panic mounted, the rest of my prepared speech was completely erased from my memory.
I'm doomed...
Thinking back, I had worked so hard since my reincarnation. Driven solely by the fear that losing my position as the Young Sect Leader would mean losing my life, I had spent every waking moment agonizing over how to earn the Sect Leader's approval. But I guess this was my limit.
Of course it was. How could an introvert who couldn't even deliver a simple toast hope to become the leader of the Demonic Cult? I had been dreaming an impossible dream from the very start.
"Urgh..."
Just as I was about to hang my head in defeat, someone caught my eye. It was Namgung Eon, the fifth son of the Namgung Clan, sitting right across from me at the main table. He was trembling with rage, his face flushed red, and his fists clenched so tightly his knuckles were white.
The moment I saw him, my survival instincts kicked in, and words slipped out of my mouth before I could stop them.
"Is there a problem, Young Master Namgung?"
Namgung Eon had clearly taken my blunder as a deliberate provocation aimed at him and the Namgung Clan. Though young, he was still the fifth young master of the prestigious Namgung Clan; his pride had to be immense. His face looked as though he was ready to leap up and demand an explanation this very second.
"Young Sect Leader, no matter how I look at it, your words are—"
"Young Master!"
"Still, that is a bit too—"
Fortunately, the giant of a man sitting next to him was barely holding him back. The attention of everyone in the hall instantly shifted to the sudden tension brewing between Namgung Eon and me. Thanks to that, no one cared about my actual speech anymore.
Sensing my chance, I quickly improvised to smooth things over.
"Hahaha. The atmosphere seemed a bit too stiff, so I decided to play a little joke. Shouldn't a banquet be a bit lively like this?"
I felt a bit sorry for Namgung Eon, but thanks to his reaction, my tension had dissipated, and the next lines finally came back to me.
"Our Sect Leader and our disciples have prepared this modest feast to welcome our guests, so please, enjoy yourselves to the fullest."
I quickly wrapped up my remarks and sat down. The crowd applauded, and with everyone's attention still lingering on Namgung Eon, no one seemed to pay any mind to my slip-up. Namgung Eon sat there with a sullen pout, but as the food began to be served, the guests quickly lost interest in him as well.
"Young Sect Leader. May I have a moment of your time?"
A short while later, amidst the bustling noise of the banquet, Left Guardian Jang Hyeon-do spoke to me. Feeling puzzled, I followed him. Once he made sure no one was nearby, the Left Guardian lowered his voice.
"That was truly magnificent. I am in awe."
"What do you mean?"
"With just a single sentence, you completely paralyzed the Namgung Clan. Moreover, I was originally planning to deliver the Sect Leader's command to you, but seeing your actions, it seems you have already grasped his intentions. This makes our conversation much easier."
"The Sect Leader's command?"
"Indeed, Young Sect Leader..."
I couldn't quite understand what the Left Guardian was getting at, but a deeply unsettling, ominous feeling began to creep up my spine.
"The negotiations between the Sect Leader and the Namgung Clan Leader are not going smoothly. It is clear the Namgung Clan plotted against us, and we even have proof, yet they continue to deny it. However, we cannot simply overlook the attempt on your life, Young Sect Leader. Therefore, the Sect Leader has commanded..."
Only then did the true reason why the Sect Leader had ordered me to host this banquet become terrifyingly clear.
"During tonight's banquet, you are to personally execute Namgung Eon, the fifth young master of the Namgung Clan."
Once the banquet got into full swing, time began to fly by in a dizzying blur. Cult members, regardless of their rank, began approaching me one after another to offer their greetings.
"Young Sect Leader, I have always been deeply moved by your grace. Seeing you in person today, your heroic spirit is truly extraordinary."
"You flatter me."
Despite my mind being in utter chaos after hearing the Sect Leader's command, I was somehow managing to play the role of the banquet host reasonably well. Most of those who approached me were just trying to curry favor by exchanging a few words with the Young Sect Leader, so I only needed to offer a few brief, cold responses...
"Warrior Cheon, the Young Sect Leader appears weary. Perhaps you could pay your respects at a later time?"
"Ah, of course. Young Sect Leader, I shall take my leave then."
"Go ahead."
Whenever a conversation threatened to drag on, Yeongho Bin, who read my mind with terrifying accuracy, would step in and smoothly bring the interaction to a close. Thanks to him, I didn't make any more notable blunders after the initial one, but my heart remained incredibly heavy. The Left Guardian's words refused to leave my mind.
You want me to kill the fifth young master? How? No, more importantly, is that even okay?
'I have already informed our disciples, so you will easily be able to manufacture a pretext. Do not worry about the aftermath. The Sect Leader has a plan.'
As the night deepened, the banquet reached its peak. Suddenly, the cult's servants cleared the space in front of the main guest table, and a man stepped forward, bowed to me, and called for attention.
"Ahem. May I have your attention for a moment, please?"
It was a steward named Gwak Chun-su from the Moon-Reflecting Palace. He was the one in charge of the practical arrangements for today's banquet.
"We have prepared some entertainment for our esteemed guests who have traveled so far to visit our sect. Bring her out!"
At Gwak Chun-su's command, a small girl emerged from among the servants, carrying a zither that was nearly as tall as she was.
"She is a child from a nearby village who plays the zither. She is quite famous for her skill, so I have invited her to perform for us tonight. Please, enjoy her performance."
Namgung Eon stood up and responded warmly.
"A zither player? You must have heard that our clan never holds a banquet without music. Thank you deeply for your thoughtful preparation."
Amidst the warm atmosphere, the girl stepped forward. Though she wore decent clothes, she was incredibly thin, as if she hadn't eaten well, and her skin was sun-bronzed. Her hands, gripping a very battered zither, were rough and calloused, clearly marking her as a child from a poor family.
"Begin," Gwak Chun-su ordered.
However, the girl was utterly overwhelmed by the sheer number of people staring at her. After offering a clumsy bow, she sat down, placed the zither on her lap, and began to pluck the strings.
Ting, ting-a-ling, ting...
Perhaps due to her intense nervousness, her playing was incredibly unstable. She hesitated, repeating parts she had already played, and repeatedly missed the strings, producing harsh, grating sounds. Murmurs of sighing and annoyance began to ripple through the banquet hall.
"Useless girl!"
Unable to listen any longer, Gwak Chun-su stormed forward and halted the performance. He snatched the zither from her hands, raised it high, and slammed it onto the ground, shattering it completely.
"Ah..."
Watching her precious zither break into pieces, the girl's eyes welled with tears, which quickly began to stream down her cheeks.
Seeing her cry only seemed to infuriate Gwak Chun-su further, and he suddenly slapped her hard across the face.
"What do you have to cry about?! How dare you humiliate me in front of the esteemed elders of the Sun and Moon Sect?!"
To my horror, the previously subdued banquet hall erupted into a wave of laughter at the sight.
"Just as Steward Gwak said, this is indeed wonderful entertainment!" a warrior of the Sun and Moon Sect shouted as he stood up, prompting the rest of the cult members to burst into roaring laughter.
"Bwahaha!"
In stark contrast, the expressions of the Namgung Clan guests and Namgung Eon froze into masks of icy rage.