Chapter 14
Chapter 14
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Translator: uly
Chapter: 14
Chapter Title: The Birth of a Genius
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"Here, I've brought the water flowing from the Hundred Thousand Great Mountains that you wanted, Young Cult Leader."
After securing the spring water safely, I returned to the Young Cult Leader and confidently handed him the jug filled with water.
"Let's see, shall I taste it to check if it's really water from the Hundred Thousand Great Mountains?"
He seemed skeptical that I'd actually fetched the right spring water.
I suppose he had no idea I'd gotten the location info from Chae-chae, so he probably figured I'd just grabbed some random water.
But what could he do about it?
What I'd fetched was undeniably the spring water flowing through the Hundred Thousand Great Mountains.
The Young Cult Leader picked up an empty cup.
I boldly filled his cup to the brim from the jug.
But then, as he sipped the water without much expectation, his face turned serious.
'Is it that shocking that I actually did what he asked?'
The moment that question crossed my mind, the Young Cult Leader looked up at me mid-sip, having drained the cup.
"Did you put something in the water?"
Oh, come on.
Sure, I'd been tempted to spit in it or something, but I hadn't actually done it!
"Why? Do you think I poisoned it or something?"
He must have treated me harshly enough to suspect I'd poison him—guess he wasn't completely clueless.
"Not poison, but something else..."
The Young Cult Leader started to ask something more but trailed off with a small sigh.
"Never mind."
No, why bring it up just to stop?
My irritation vanished in a flash at his next words, leaving me stunned.
"Go ahead and eat."
He set down the cup and pushed the tray he'd prepared toward me.
When I lifted the cloth covering it, I saw it brimming with delectable dishes still warm.
Had the Young Cult Leader thought of my hunger?
He really should have mentioned the food before chewing me out.
Made me feel guilty for snapping at him.
"Thanks for the meal."
Sorry was sorry, but hunger was hunger!
I grabbed my chopsticks and dug into the mouthwatering food with gusto.
"As I noticed last time, you really pack it away."
Glancing up at his amazed tone, I saw him watching me with genuine curiosity.
"It's because you barely eat anything, Young Cult Leader."
My daddy was the same way.
"Is that so?"
"Yeah, you didn't touch any of it today either, right? Looks completely untouched."
"I ate a little."
"Then why is it all so pristine?"
"I couldn't give you my leftovers. I had them prepare fresh ones."
Come to think of it, even that first day when he handed me chopsticks, he hadn't touched the food yet.
He was more considerate than I'd realized.
"Well, thanks to that, it tastes even better..."
I shared my thoughts without pausing my chopsticks.
He seemed amused by my enthusiasm.
"What's your name?"
Oh right—I'd become his servant without even introducing myself.
He might recognize the name Seol Cheon-seong anyway.
"Seol-i."
I made up a fake name based on my family name.
"Seol-i..."
He murmured it softly, then continued.
"I once had a little sister about your size."
Why bring up a sister out of nowhere?
As I puzzled over it, I caught something odd in his words.
He'd said she "was"—past tense, meaning not anymore.
Which probably meant...
She was dead.
I kept moving my chopsticks casually.
But my mind was fixed on his next words; I had no idea what I was even picking up.
"So listen carefully, Seol-i."
What?
His voice dropped low, so unlike him.
"Leave the Demonic Cult."
His words hit me like a punch to the gut.
Leave the Demonic Cult?
After all the effort I'd put into getting in here?
"You're the one who told the others to accept me when I first arrived."
"I figured you'd run off after I gave you a hard time."
So that's why he'd been piling on the impossible tasks?
To drive me out of the Demonic Cult?
"Why are you trying to chase me away?"
"In this world, the first to have their life threatened are the weak ones without even the power to protect themselves."
...I had nothing to say to that.
He was absolutely right, no room for argument. I didn't have Daddy's immense power, not even basic self-defense.
But still.
"My prophecy hasn't been proven true yet."
"For some, death comes faster than truth. Besides, you're a powerless weakling with a flashy ability that makes you an easy target."
His point: if my prophecy proved accurate, I'd be in even greater danger.
He wasn't wrong—it would get riskier.
If it came true, my existence would spread fast, and all the Demonic Cult's enemies would become mine.
But I had no power to fight them.
"If I leave now, I could spread the prophecy elsewhere. That'd put the Demonic Cult in a bind, wouldn't it?"
"Killing one person without a trace isn't hard in this Demonic Cult."
Red Cloud's voice was ice-cold, like he could slit my throat right then.
Even if they let me go, one slip of the tongue and I'd be done for.
I got it—I was weak. I couldn't fathom why Daddy had left me this way, but I knew he wouldn't intentionally harm me.
That made me even angrier.
All this time under Daddy's protection, unable to save him in return.
But I couldn't just die here either.
"Then teach me yourself, Young Cult Leader."
To cure Daddy's illness, I needed to stay in the Demonic Cult.
To stay, I needed the power to protect myself.
So...
His red eyes locked onto mine.
But I stared back without flinching, resolute.
"Give me the overwhelming power to survive here."
"The root of my power comes from someone's death. It became a force stained with vengeance and blood—not for protecting, but for slaying. Nothing good comes from learning it."
He gave a bitter smile.
My daddy had done the same.
After Mom's death, he'd abandoned his orthodox arts and cultivated demonic ones.
Daddy might have started with power built on sacrifice and blood, but in the end, he'd used it to protect me.
And that power became one of protection, not destruction.
So...
"It can change. Even power born from death can become a force to protect someone."
I met his gaze squarely.
"If you truly wish to protect someone."
"How can you be so sure?"
"I've seen it happen with my own eyes. So I can say it with confidence."
He seemed to think of someone too and didn't press further.
"But since you don't seem inclined to teach me, I'll go find someone else."
"Why are you so desperate to stay in the Demonic Cult?"
As I turned to leave his quarters decisively, he asked.
The first image in my mind was Daddy's face.
I smiled faintly and answered without hesitation.
"To save someone precious."
The hopeless daughter-obsessed daddy who showered me with endless selfless love.
'Feels like she really got one over on me.'
After Cheon-seong left his quarters, Red Cloud leaned back against the headrest.
'Her talent truly transcends the ordinary.'
Red Cloud recalled the first day he'd been ordered to guard and monitor Cheon-seong for the Heavenly Demon.
"Report anything that happens to her or any unexpected behavior. Wake me if you have to."
"Understood. I shall obey the Heavenly Demon's command."
At first, he'd wondered what there was to watch over with the little princess who'd grown up in the Heavenly Demon's arms.
But the moment the Heavenly Demon fell asleep, Cheon-seong acted differently from usual.
'Like she'd been waiting, she grabbed a pre-packed backpack and headed off alone.'
It wasn't hard to guess she was going to the Demonic Cult.
'I even suspected at first that she'd learned the Heavenly Demon's identity.'
But if so, she wouldn't have risked going alone, so probably not.
'She must have seen the books in the secret archive when she snuck into the Heavenly Demon's study that day.'
It made sense for a curious child to set off on a trip out of sheer curiosity about the Demonic Cult.
Red Cloud had debated waking the Heavenly Demon, but it hadn't even been half a day since he'd dozed off.
'If danger comes, she'll get scared and turn back.'
The Heavenly Demon needed time to recover, so Red Cloud decided to handle it himself.
But things didn't go as planned.
The little girl crossed a cliff alone, and the mountain beasts that should have attacked veered blatantly away from her.
'I sensed she was no ordinary child then, but the real shock came right after.'
The swaying rope bridge to the Demonic Cult had snapped in half from storm damage.
'No way she'll cross now; she'll have to turn back.'
He'd been a bit relieved—no need to worry the Heavenly Demon—when it happened.
Cheon-seong, pacing in front of the broken bridge, suddenly floated up into the air and began crossing it.
Grinning ear to ear, like it was the most fun thing ever.
'A seven-year-old...'
Red Cloud stared in stunned horror at Cheon-seong zipping through the air.
'Using Void Step???'