Do You Like the Heavenly Demon Sect Leader?
One month had passed since Gang Soyeon, the Heavenly Demon, had left. The Martial Alliance had returned to its usual routine. In other words, the days of being buried under mountains of paperwork had begun once again.
“Haa.”
Yet none of the documents in front of me even registered in my eyes. How could I possibly focus when I had fallen in love for the first time in my life?
“What are you doing?”
Jegal Hyeon stared at me with an exhausted expression. It made sense—he’d been working without even time to go home.
“Hyeon.”
Maybe if I just spilled out this restless feeling in my chest to him, I’d feel a little better. The moment I opened my mouth with that thought in mind—
“Boss!”
Jin Baekho, leader of the Heavenly Martial Unit, burst into the office in a hurry.
“What?”
Despite kicking the door open like he had something urgent to say, Jin Baekho just stood there, lips twitching without forming any words.
“What is it?”
I was already in a foul mood, and seeing him act like that made a grumpy remark slip out before I could stop it. Had something happened? Was it another power struggle between the Nine Sects and One Gang and the Five Great Clans? Or were they fighting over my engagement partner again like before?
“The owner of the Black Moon Merchant Group has come to visit, but there are some… rumors going around, so…”
Jin Baekho twisted his body awkwardly, glancing between me and Jegal Hyeon. It seemed like he’d brought some interesting gossip because I looked bored, but now the atmosphere was so bad that he was hesitating to speak. Huh?
I could roughly guess what he was thinking, but right now I wasn’t exactly grateful. Still, since I’d already heard this much, I decided to ask for the rest. It was pitiful to see the captain of the leader’s personal guard acting like this.
“What rumors?”
The Black Moon Merchant Group was one of the Heavenly Demon Sect’s biggest sources of funds. The fact that its leader had come in person because of the rights I’d received from Gang Soyeon thanks to the elders’ scheming was already unusual. And if there were rumors about the merchant leader himself, I was a tiny bit curious. After all, he was someone who could be called one of Gang Soyeon’s close aides.
“They say he’s the son of the previous Heavenly Demon?”
“Huh?”
“And there’s also talk that he’s the current Heavenly Demon’s favorite concubine…”
Fuck. What the hell was this nonsense?
An unknown emotion surged up endlessly, twisting my face. If it was the Black Moon Merchant Group, then yes, it was one of the Heavenly Demon Sect’s major financial pillars. And its leader was supposedly the son of the previous Heavenly Demon andGang Soyeon’s concubine?
At that moment, Jegal Hyeon rubbed his forehead and spoke.
“It’s just baseless gossip.”
“Are you sure?”
Since it was coming from the head of the Martial Alliance’s intelligence organization, it was probably trustworthy. But right now I was deadly serious.
“He is indeed the son of the previous Heavenly Demon, but he had no talent for martial arts and was more interested in commerce, so he’s been working as a merchant. The concubine rumor is nothing but idle talk.”
“…Then where there’s smoke, there’s fire, right? And why didn’t I get a report about this? I’m the leader, for crying out loud.”
“It’s all written in the reports. And Alliance Leader.”
Jegal Hyeon hardened his expression and spoke to me in a firm tone.
“Do you like the Heavenly Demon Sect Leader?”
“What does that have to do with anything? I just need to receive the promised rights.”
“Fuck. I’m acting like this because I like her.”
“…Pardon?”
I clutched my chest and spoke to Jegal Hyeon, who was staring at me with a blank face.
“It was love at first sight.”
“Whoa…”
I heard Jin Baekho’s gasp of admiration, but I wasn’t in any state to care about that right now. Even if it was groundless rumor, I had to confirm it. More importantly—
“I need to see that bastard’s face, whether he’s her concubine or whatever.”
Even if it was just a rumor, I had to check her tastes just in case.
“If the Alliance Leader goes in person, the elders will have something to say about it. Wait here. I’ll bring him.”
Jegal Hyeon, whose mind worked fast, raised his hand to stop me, then stood up from his seat. As expected, he was reliable. I nodded with a touched expression.
“Heavenly Martial Unit Leader. Make sure the men currently on guard duty keep their mouths shut. We can’t have nonsense spreading about how the Martial Alliance Leader is secretly in love with the Heavenly Demon.”
Jin Baekho, who had been standing there with his mouth hanging open until now, stiffened at Jegal Hyeon’s command and clasped both fists together.
“…Understood!”
Once Jegal Hyeon left the office, Jin Baekho looked around and moved his lips. He was probably sending a voice transmission to the Heavenly Martial Unit members standing guard nearby, warning them to stay quiet. Most of the current Heavenly Martial Unit were guys who had been with me since our Black Dragon Unit days, so they were trustworthy. That was why I’d said it in the first place.
“Boss.”
Once he was done with the warnings, Jin Baekho looked at me with a serious expression.
“No matter who the other person is, we will support your love, Boss.”
“…Thanks.”
“That said, if the elders find out…”
No matter how much authority I had as Martial Alliance Leader, I couldn’t completely ignore the elders’ influence. In the worst case, I could even be kicked out of my position. But still—
“If it really comes to that, should I just join the Heavenly Demon Sect?”
“Wouldn’t it be better to create a new sect instead?”
“…That’s not a bad idea.”
As a man, building my own sect would probably be better than clinging to a woman. While I was discussing future plans with Jin Baekho, I sensed Jegal Hyeon and another presence approaching. It was him. The bastard from the Black Moon Merchant Group.
“Alliance Leader. I have brought the Black Moon Merchant Group Leader.”
“Come in.”
I glared at the Black Moon Merchant Group Leader as he opened the door and entered, my face twisted in displeasure. Just how handsome was he that rumors of him being Gang Soyeon’s concubine had even started?
“It is an honor to meet the renowned Heavenly Guardian Sword Sovereign of the Jianghu. I am Muk Cheonwu, Leader of the Black Moon Merchant Group.”
After watching the man greet me with a polite fist salute, I couldn’t help but relax my hardened expression. I had once been called the Blood Demon, yet I had still risen to become the Martial Alliance Leader. Having experienced all kinds of political maneuvering firsthand during that process, I could tell right away.
“So that’s how it is.”
I muttered in a gloomy tone. Muk Cheonwu looked puzzled at my reaction, but both Jegal Hyeon and Jin Baekho seemed to agree with what I’d said.
“…?”
“…I wanted to meet the Black Moon Merchant Group Leader, who will stand at the center of building friendly ties with the cult from now on.”
“Ah! I see. It is an honor, Alliance Leader.”
Muk Cheonwu was short enough to only reach my shoulders, and his plump belly clearly showed he was no warrior. His face was plain as well. It seemed the rumor had been spread by opposing forces because Gang Soyeon had yet to fully take control of the Heavenly Demon Sect. Otherwise, it made no sense.
But still—
“There’s one thing I’d like to ask.”
“Please ask me anything.”
“…I heard you have a rather close relationship with the current Heavenly Demon Sect Leader?”
You never know. Maybe Gang Soyeon had unusual tastes. I never knew a man in love could be this blind. This was news to me too.
“…The Sect Leader has never cared about my bloodline and has trusted only in my talent. So I simply strive to live up to that expectation.”
Muk Cheonwu’s expression stiffened slightly. It seemed he was also aware of the rumors circulating in the streets.
“I’m not trying to make an issue out of it. It’s just that the Sect Leader’s beauty is so overwhelming that, as a man, I felt a bit of jealousy. Haha.”
“The Sect Leader’s gender is irrelevant. To us, she is a supreme and magnificent ruler.”
I’d tried to lighten the mood by speaking playfully, but it seemed Muk Cheonwu had taken it as an insult. Still, I rather liked how he refused to yield even before the Martial Alliance Leader.
“It seems there’s been a misunderstanding. I truly felt that way, so please don’t take offense.”
“…I apologize for reacting so sensitively as well.”
“I accept your apology. You seem busy, so you may leave.”
After sending Muk Cheonwu out, I looked at Jegal Hyeon and Jin Baekho. They met my gaze with similarly ambiguous expressions.
“Doesn’t seem like he’s her concubine.”
“Boss. Women don’t like it when men get jealous like that.”
“I know that too.”
My conversation with Muk Cheonwu had been a bit excessive. I knew that, but this sort of thing wasn’t exactly easy to control.
“More importantly, isn’t there anything else going on with the Heavenly Demon Sect?”
“Like what?”
Jin Baekho answered with a puzzled look. This guy really was still clueless.
“I want to see Gang Soyeon.”
“Haha…”
“What am I supposed to do, seriously?”
Watching Jin Baekho burst into laughter and Jegal Hyeon clutch his head in despair, I narrowed my eyes and glared at them. My closest aides couldn’t be acting like this. I’d already laid bare all my secret feelings to them.
“Not long ago, we managed to capture one of the previous Heavenly Demon’s disciples,” Jegal Hyeon said carefully.
Capturing a disciple of the previous Heavenly Demon? This was definitely something important enough that I should deliver the prisoner to Gang Soyeon myself. Probably.
“Who was the impressive guy who pulled that off?”
A disciple of the previous Heavenly Demon would surely possess quite formidable martial arts. They’d have to be at least on the level of an elder from the Nine Sects and One Gang or the Five Great Clans.
“The leader of the Azure Sky Sword Group, the Sword Dragon, captured him. He’s currently imprisoned in the Martial Alliance’s underground prison. Originally we were supposed to bring him to the upcoming Orthodox-Demonic Conference, but things didn’t work out that way.”
“Now that you mention it, their movement path did head toward the underground prison.”
Because my subordinates had been injured by those suicide bombers, I’d handled the enemies rather emotionally and hadn’t even considered their objective.
“…It seems the cult has been thrown into chaos over this matter as well.”
Jegal Hyeon, head of the Black Shadow Unit—the Martial Alliance’s intelligence organization—spoke to me with a grave expression. Hmm. Then there would probably be some kind of scheme on their side when we transport the Heavenly Demon’s disciple as well.
“I’ll secretly join the escort procession delivering that disciple to the cult and stand guard.”
There was no helping it. This matter was important enough to warrant it.
At that moment, Jin Baekho spoke up.
“Who’s going to do the work?”
“You’ll disguise yourself as me and handle it.”
“Then who’s going to guard you, Boss?”
This bastard was talking back now. I frowned and turned my head toward the Heavenly Martial Unit members who were holding their breath and eavesdropping on our conversation.
“There are plenty of them over there. I can just take a few. And if I’m in danger to the point where I need guards, they’d only get in the way anyway. You know my fighting style.”
“That’s true.”
“…Anyway, if the Alliance Leader says he’s going to do it, we can’t stop him.”
Looking at Jin Baekho nodding and Jegal Hyeon hanging his head as if he’d given up on everything, I broke into a satisfied smile.
Because now I had a way to go see Gang Soyeon.