Chapter 42
Chapter 42
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Translator: uly
Chapter: 42
Chapter Title: Little Lord
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"...Master?"
That's right. The one I chose wasn't the Young Cult Leader or the Golden Immortal Lotus—it was Gwangyu.
"...Me?"
Gwangyu pointed at his own face in bewilderment.
"...You?"
The Golden Immortal Lotus stared at Gwangyu, the recipient of my choice, with equal disbelief.
"Why would Gwangyu be your master?"
The Young Cult Leader wore an incredulous expression.
"Because he promised to teach me martial arts."
"Teach you martial arts? Gwangyu, who loves playing around more than anything?"
Cough. "Young Cult Leader! I can get serious when I need to, you know."
Gwangyu let out an embarrassed cough at the reputation coming from the Young Cult Leader's mouth.
Then, the Golden Immortal Lotus, who had turned her gaze toward him as well, furrowed her brow and spoke up.
"Hold on. Isn't this guy a black snake?"
"And you're a lotus."
'So it's true that spirit beings can recognize each other.'
Without any explanation from me, the Golden Immortal Lotus had already figured out that Gwangyu was a black snake.
"Not just any lotus. I am the Golden Immortal Lotus."
"Hmm, you're pretty, but not as much as our little Bean."
"Hearing you call me pretty somehow makes me uncomfortable."
Unlike the wary and guarded Golden Immortal Lotus, Gwangyu slithered through the situation with a smooth laugh, like a snake slipping over a wall.
"I'll take that as a compliment."
'Where's the compliment in that?'
I couldn't even begin to guess what was going on in Gwangyu's head.
"So, what's the reason Gwangyu is the most important among us?"
The Young Cult Leader, still struggling to accept the outcome, asked why I had chosen Gwangyu.
"Now that the Golden Immortal Lotus's identity is revealed, there's no need to hide it anymore. My current unstable condition is because the inner energy I received from her hasn't fully settled into my body. What I need most right now is training. And the one who can teach me that method is my master, so I chose him."
"I sent you for protection, and..."
Red Cloud rubbed his forehead as if nursing a headache.
"Young Cult Leader, you shouldn't get headaches over something like this. The real important issue is something else."
Red Cloud, who had been listening, looked at me with surprise.
"That's quite the aide's words you're saying."
"Because I'm your real aide."
"Right, you are."
As if his mood had never soured, Red Cloud let out a small chuckle.
Watching this, Gwangyu rubbed his shoulders as if getting chills.
"Young Cult Leader, are you mad? Why are you laughing?"
'Does that look like anger to Gwangyu? It seems like he's just in a good mood.'
"When did I laugh? Quit talking nonsense and go play. Your duty to protect Seol is done here."
To Gwangyu's question, the Young Cult Leader awkwardly covered his mouth with his hand and ordered him to leave.
'Must be nice to be Master. Playing is his job.'
As I looked at Gwangyu enviously, the Young Cult Leader beckoned me over.
"Why?"
"You need to report. The real important issue."
'Oh, right. That's it.'
I had thought he was joking around, but...
He actually remembered what I said.
"Yes, we should. Hwa-ya, you go inside. I'll be back as soon as it's done."
"Got it."
Before getting to work, as I took care of the Golden Immortal Lotus, Gwangyu sidled up to me slyly.
"Bean, got nothing to say to your master?"
"Have fun playing."
"Yeah! I'll play hard!"
It wasn't anything special, but judging by Gwangyu's pumpkin-colored eyes, he seemed deeply moved.
"Let's talk in the office."
"Yes!"
The Young Cult Leader led the way and opened the office door.
'Now it's time to really start changing fate!'
With a resolute vow, I stepped into the Young Cult Leader's office.
"So, what is this important matter you wanted to tell me?"
"What I have to tell you, Young Cult Leader, is about the new future I saw during prayer this time."
"...So you really saw the future?"
When I offered to speak about the future first, the Young Cult Leader seemed a bit surprised for some reason.
'From his reaction, he must still have been doubting my ability.'
Well, seeing the Heavenly Demon Cult's future isn't something you'd easily believe.
"Yes. I've brought a very important prophecy tied to the Heavenly Demon Cult's future."
"...Speak."
As if deciding to hear me out, the Young Cult Leader gave me the chance.
"In the future I saw, a fake spirit elixir called 'Juk-yak' that destroys people's bodies and minds, ushering in an era of chaos, spreads across the Central Plains."
"Fake elixirs becoming popular? The end times, indeed."
The Young Cult Leader shook his head side to side as if it was absurd.
'And our Heavenly Demon Cult leads that end times.'
"But the Martial Alliance uncovers that the source of the fake elixirs is the Heavenly Demon Cult, turning the entire force under the Martial Alliance against us. And this incident later returns as great calamity to the Heavenly Demon Cult."
"Impossible."
"What's impossible?"
"The Heavenly Demon Cult manufacturing fake elixirs."
'The Heavenly Demon Cult manufacturing fake elixirs is impossible? No way! In the original novel, it's clearly stated that the Heavenly Demon Cult made them, and white powder—the raw material for the fake elixirs—was found in one of the Heavenly Demon Cult's warehouses.'
And according to the information the Nangong Family Young Master heard from the Martial Alliance, the Heavenly Demon Cult had been steadily producing Juk-yak from the early stages under the Young Cult Leader's command!
'How could the Young Cult Leader, the mastermind behind it all, not know about the fake elixirs' existence?'
Is he hiding it from me because I'm new?
No, if he wanted to hide it, why put me in the closest aide position?
Besides, in the original story, they produced massive quantities of Juk-yak, enough to kill many Central Plains patients and martial artists or addict them, so more hands would benefit the Young Cult Leader too.
Does that mean the real Young Cult Leader truly doesn't know?
But this incident started before I even intervened, and the original novel can't be wrong.
"Why is it impossible?"
"We don't have the conditions for it."
The Young Cult Leader continued frustratingly.
"You've seen the surroundings, so you know—the land around the Heavenly Demon Cult is barren and can't grow large quantities of herbs."
"Sure, but if we set our minds to it, we could smuggle in materials, right?"
"That's if we set our minds to it. His Excellency the Heavenly Demon dislikes even regular medicine. Fake drugs even more so. Especially if it means straying from righteousness."
'The Heavenly Demon Cult values righteousness... I never even considered that.'
Come to think of it, after Daddy became the Heavenly Demon, the Heavenly Demon Cult underwent major reforms.
And the indiscriminate killing or sending assassins for cowardly acts—that was the righteous Tang Clan of Sichuan, not the Heavenly Demon Cult.
'Wait, what if there's another culprit, and they're framing the Heavenly Demon Cult?'
The original novel Nangong Family Young Master is told from the perspective of the male protagonist, the Nangong Family Young Master, so it might not be the full truth.
Looking at the Tang Clan of Sichuan, even the righteous factions aren't always just, so it's entirely possible the Heavenly Demon Cult was framed.
"Can you swear that the Heavenly Demon Cult will never stray from righteousness in the future?"
"I can swear it. Everyone here respects and follows His Excellency the Heavenly Demon. I do too."
The Young Cult Leader's eyes, boldly assuring me, were steadfast without a flicker of doubt.
'The entire Heavenly Demon Cult follows Daddy. Daddy has so many reliable people by his side.'
I had thought Daddy was lonely all this time, but I was wrong.
Seeing the Young Cult Leader, I became convinced that the Central Plains fake elixir incident was the Heavenly Demon Cult being framed by someone.
"I understand. I'll trust you, Young Cult Leader."
After sorting my thoughts, I looked at him steadily and said,
"Then, from now on, will you trust me and give orders to the Three Secret Squad?"
Before hearing his answer, I picked up the brush on the desk and wrote until the fresh white paper was filled densely with characters.
The words I wrote automatically translated into the language of the novel's world.
After finishing the last character and setting down the brush, I handed the paper to the Young Cult Leader with a meaningful smile.
"To catch those who dared to frame the Heavenly Demon Cult without fear."
After Cheon-seong left, Red Cloud recalled the moment she handed him the paper.
'Honestly, I was surprised.'
The moment he faced the spirit and boldness emanating from that small face he thought was just cute, Red Cloud felt as if he were seeing the Heavenly Demon himself.
"To catch those who dared to frame the Heavenly Demon Cult without fear."
'Especially Seol Cheon-seong saying that—she was so bold it was hard to believe she was only six.'
Red Cloud knew Cheon-seong hadn't even properly started training in martial arts yet, but he still felt overwhelmed.
'My little lord will make a fine sovereign in the future. As the books say, meeting a fine lord enriches one's life...'
A faint smile appeared on Red Cloud's parched face.
"...So that's why you're pleased?"