The next person I went to see was the Blood Heaven Blade Demon.
After my father, my feet had naturally carried me to him.
I had expected to find him reading by the window in his room, but he was in the courtyard, swinging the Heaven-Destroying Great Saber as he trained in his saber arts. When he noticed I had arrived, he drew back his blade.
“You’re here?”
He greeted me as casually as if we had seen each other yesterday. Because it was not emotional, I could feel the emotion in it—a reunion very much like the Blood Heaven Blade Demon.
“You look impressive when you read, but you look even more impressive when you wield a saber.”
“What’s with the flattery?”
“I survived thanks to you, Elder.”
I spread open the front of my clothes and showed him the Ghost Tiger Robe he had given me.
There were several slashes where it had been cut by a sword. They were none other than the marks left by the Sword Emperor, Baek Manggi.
“I survived thanks to you. Thank you, Elder.”
Of course, the supreme-grade Heavenly Silkworm Silk had played its part as well. Those two layered treasures had saved my life.
The Blood Heaven Blade Demon came closer and looked at the marks left by the sword. What flashed through his eyes was unmistakably relief.
“You were worried about me, weren’t you?”
“Worried, my foot! I was checking to see whether you’d ruined a precious treasure garment. Fine, you can keep using it.”
I knew without needing to see it. He surely had not said a word about me to Seo Daeryong. Even though he had been this worried.
“So the rumor was true.”
“What rumor are you talking about?”
“The rumor that the Sword Emperor, Baek Manggi, is dead.”
His death was information that had not yet been officially revealed to the outside.
“Did you know about that man’s swordsmanship?”
The Blood Heaven Blade Demon shook his head.
“Then why do you think these marks are Baek Manggi’s?”
“If it weren’t Baek Manggi, then with you and Extreme Evil joining forces, no one could have left sword wounds like these.”
“How did you know I fought together with the Extreme Evil Soma?”
“Follow me.”
The Blood Heaven Blade Demon led me into the house.
Then he took something out of a wardrobe and tossed it to me.
To my surprise, it was a white mask worn by the Faceless Guests.
And it was not an ordinary mask, but the very top-grade one the Extreme Evil Soma wore. The one that was light, let even air pass through well, and especially made it impossible to see the eyes from the outside.
“Did you fight the Extreme Evil Soma and kill that man?”
“Even if I wanted to kill him, do you think that bastard would die so easily?”
“Then why is this coming out of your wardrobe, Elder?”
“Did the Extreme Evil Soma not say anything?”
“I haven’t met the Extreme Evil Soma yet since I returned. I stopped by the Heavenly Demon Hall, then came straight to you, Elder.”
“You didn’t go to the Valley of Villains first?”
“Of course I had to come to you first, Elder. Why did you think I went to the Extreme Evil Soma first?”
Then an unexpected answer came out.
“The Extreme Evil Soma came by.”
“To you, Elder? What did he say when he came?”
“He left that with me. Told me to give it to you when you came.”
“He left this with you, Elder? Why?”
“That is what I want to ask. Why did he leave this ill-omened thing with me?”
The Blood Heaven Blade Demon looked at me with suspicious eyes.
Since Ian had taken the one he had given me, it seemed he had made another. Once he returned to the cult and was making one anyway, he must have decided to make it top-grade since he was giving it to me.
“What in the world are you scheming?”
“You should have asked the Extreme Evil Soma that question at the time.”
“I did.”
“And?”
“He only told me to give it to you and left. What the hell is he trying to do?”
“He must have been afraid it would get lost if he entrusted it to just anyone.”
“Who in this cult would lose something that man entrusted to them? They’d clear away their family heirloom and put this mask in its place.”
I laughed loudly, but the Blood Heaven Blade Demon did not laugh. He had realized that something had happened between me and the Extreme Evil Soma.
“Well, since he went out with you, something must have happened. What exactly happened?”
“He promised to give me a mask.”
“Why?”
“It is a long story if I am to tell it. If you want, I will tell you everything.”
“Forget it. What would I do with such a trivial story?”
“The reason he entrusted the mask to you was to show off our friendship and drive a wedge between you and me, Elder.”
“So why?”
How could the quick-witted Blood Heaven Blade Demon not know that intent? What he wanted to know was the reason for that estrangement.
“I do not know either. How could I know what is in that man’s heart?”
After a brief pause, the Blood Heaven Blade Demon spoke.
“If you trust the Extreme Evil Soma, you will regret it later.”
Those words did not come from something like jealousy. It was a warning that traveling the road we had to take together with the Extreme Evil Soma was dangerous.
“I do not trust that man.”
The Blood Heaven Blade Demon stared at the mask in my hand with those small, narrow eyes of his.
“Is that so…”
He said no more, but I could guess what he had been about to say.
Will that really go as you intend? When the Extreme Evil Soma is reacting this actively?
He likely refrained from saying it because, if he did, it might look as though he was paying attention to the Extreme Evil Soma.
“Elder, why do you dislike the Extreme Evil Soma?”
“Go ask him. Ask him whether he likes me. It is the same for both of us. Why are there only hateful bastards in this cult?”
I laughed again. The words, “Isn’t that because of your personality, Elder?” rose to my throat, but I held them back and swallowed them down. As if he did not know his own temper when he said that.
“Now I suppose we should talk about my hateful bastard. Did my brother come see you again while I was gone?”
The Blood Heaven Blade Demon shook his head.
“After he came before, I did not give him an answer. The Eldest Young Master must have taken that as a clear refusal.”
“As expected, you are reliable.”
“Do not let your guard down. I am someone who could go to the Eldest Young Master at any time.”
“Then I would be going with you.”
“What do you mean?”
“If the wings attached to my body fly away, I will go with them, won’t I?”
The Blood Heaven Blade Demon looked dumbfounded.
“As long as you go around wearing such an ill-omened mask, those wings will fall off in no time.”
Though he said that, the Blood Heaven Blade Demon was not someone who would leave so easily. Even when the Extreme Evil Soma tried to sow discord, he was accepting it with a broad heart. That was why the first person I had come to see was this Blood Heaven Blade Demon.
“Even if you go over to my brother, Elder, I will still come to see you. I will fling open the door to a room where a plan to get rid of me is in full swing and look for you, Elder.”
“Why?”
“Because I will want to see you. Because even then, I will come to want to see you.”
“More blatant flattery.”
The Blood Heaven Blade Demon snorted, but he could not hide that he was pleased. Now the door to his heart had opened quite a bit, and I could see him smiling inside it. Yes, that looks good. Please smile like that more often.
“Then I will come see you again. Let us have a drink at Pungnyu Tavern sometime soon.”
As I said farewell and rose from my seat, the Blood Heaven Blade Demon asked,
“Are you going to the Extreme Evil Soma?”
“Yes. Since I received a gift, I should offer my greetings.”
“You would have gone even if it were not a gift, wouldn’t you?”
“I probably would have.”
I did not bother lying to the Blood Heaven Blade Demon. Always honestly. No matter how uncomfortable or unappealing the matter was, always honestly. I believed this was the greatest strength that would keep me from losing the Blood Heaven Blade Demon.
That was why the Blood Heaven Blade Demon, too, must be giving me this advice sincerely.
“I do not know what happened outside, but the Extreme Evil Soma is ultimately the Extreme Evil Soma. You must never forget that.”
“I will keep it in mind.”
After leaving the Blood Heaven Blade Demon’s residence like that, I went straight to meet the Extreme Evil Soma.
I put on the mask the Extreme Evil Soma had given me and entered the Valley of Villains.
The gazes of the Faceless Guests focused on me. They all looked like the same white masks, but the Extreme Evil Soma’s mask stood out. Since I was wearing the mask their Demon Venerable wore, they were all surprised.
Under those startled gazes, I was guided all the way to the Extreme Evil Soma’s room.
His room was exactly the same as when I had come before.
Not only the walls on every side, but even the floor was painted entirely white, and there was still nothing in the room. No table, no display cabinet. In that empty space stood only the Extreme Evil Soma.
There was only one difference from then.
When I first came, he had been looking at the wall, but today he was looking out the window.
“I have come, Lord Soma.”
The Extreme Evil Soma turned around. When he saw me wearing the mask, the eyes within the eyeholes revealed delight.
“How is the mask?”
“It is good. Incomparably better than the previous one.”
“Then that is enough.”
“Why did you leave this with Elder Doma?”
“I heard the two of you were the closest.”
“And?”
“I did not like seeing the Second Young Master close to anyone besides me. I do not know for certain, but that narrow-minded old man must be quite bothered by it.”
I pushed the mask up onto my head and asked,
“Do you only feel satisfied if you are the closest?”
“That is right. That is my personality. From now on, you must be closest to me. If that cannot happen, I will go over to the Eldest Young Master.”
“I have received your selfishness, Lord Soma.”
The Extreme Evil Soma laughed loudly. It was hard to tell where the joke ended and where his sincerity began.
At least one thing was certain.
Making one of the Eight Demon Venerables my ally and making two of them my allies did not require twice the effort. It required three times, four times the effort. They were water and oil that would never mix.
“How was the trip with the prettier heart?”
“It was truly good.”
“As expected, traveling is best when one goes with a beauty, isn’t it?”
“That beauty liked it so much. It was such a late trip that I felt sorry.”
“Do not fall for a woman. In the end, she will betray the Second Young Master.”
“The Mistress of Cheonhwaru would be disappointed to hear that.”
“She knows as well. That I do not trust her. You cannot betray someone who does not trust you.”
“Then you must not trust me either, Lord Soma.”
“I do not trust humans. Being close is one thing, and trust is another matter.”
I was grateful that he openly told me, This is what I am like. Because the problem in relationships with people had always been the disappointment that came when I realized the other party had been wearing a different mask.
“Did my brother come by?”
The Extreme Evil Soma added other information to his answer.
“He came by twice. It seems he has been diligently meeting not only me, but also the Poison King and the Fist Demon.”
“For now, we have the advantage, then?”
“How does that calculation work?”
“Even if we say the Poison King and the Fist Demon have joined hands with my brother, adding the Demon Buddha makes three. On the other hand, we have you, Lord Soma, the Blood Heaven Blade Demon, the Ilhwa Sword Venerable, and the Soul-Capturing Demon Venerable. Four against three. We have the advantage.”
“It is not four against three.”
“Why not?”
“To begin with, I am neither on the Eldest Young Master’s side nor on the Second Young Master’s side.”
He had achieved his goal of making it so that he was neither on my side nor my brother’s. Of course, emotionally, my feelings toward him were more intimate than that.
“Then we are at a disadvantage. Our Soul-Capturing Demon Venerable is still too weak to count as one person.”
“Do you think it is only the Soul-Capturing Demon Venerable? Are you certain the Blood Heaven Blade Demon and the Ilhwa Sword Venerable are on the Second Young Master’s side? Did you write a blood-sealed pledge? You must not ignore what the Eldest Young Master is offering. Money and power—very concise and clear. He is even clearly presenting the amounts and positions. He knows he is at a disadvantage, and he is putting forth the maximum he can.”
It was also a breathing hole I had allowed. Yes, Brother. You should do your best as well. There are words that pass between those who are both doing their utmost.
“When complex and troublesome problems arise, humans ultimately choose the simplest thing. At the very least, the Eldest Young Master feels simpler than the Second Young Master.”
Perhaps the Extreme Evil Soma was trying to show me.
How easily humans are shaken. How easily human relationships collapse.
That was probably why he had entrusted the mask to the Blood Heaven Blade Demon. To show me that a relationship could crack for that simple reason alone.
Of course, it did not work because the Blood Heaven Blade Demon’s heart was broader than he had expected.
He was advising me. That if I approached this emotionally, I would fail.
“I will make generous offers too. No matter what, twice as much as my brother! How about it? Are you tempted?”
“Do you have that much money?”
“I will have to earn it from now on. If you have money, please lend me some.”
At that, the Extreme Evil Soma suddenly launched himself backward and flew to the rear wall.
“That is too much.”
“Do not forget. The one borrowing money is always the one being too much.”
We looked at each other and laughed at the same time.
“By the way, you said my brother is approaching the Poison King and the Fist Demon, so why did you leave out the Great Drunken Demon?”
When I mentioned the Great Drunken Demon, the smile vanished from the Extreme Evil Soma’s face, and he abruptly asked,
“Do you like alcohol?”
“I drink in moderation.”
“The Drunken Demon is someone who has seen alcohol through to the end. It is not easy for a sober person to deal with a drunkard.”
“Do you know about the Drunken Demon?”
I also knew as much as one could know about the Demon Venerables, but that information was focused more on the future than the present. I knew their major deeds, how they had lived, what they had been like around the time they came looking for materials for the Great Art, and their ends.
But I did not know well what kind of person the Drunken Demon was at this point in time. The Extreme Evil Soma, who lived in the same era, was likewise the same.
“I do not know him well. Only, when I see him, I feel unpleasant.”
“If even the Extreme Evil Soma feels unpleasant looking at him, doesn’t that mean he is a good person?”
“Perhaps. Or…”
“Or?”
“He is an even worse bastard.”
“That is a little frightening. Worse than the Extreme Evil Soma, you say.”
“The smell of alcohol on him has always put me in a foul mood.”
With those words, the Extreme Evil Soma said no more about the Drunken Demon.
A strange light gleamed in the two eyes looking at me. It was as if he found it interesting to see how I would deal with him.
He clearly knew something more about the Drunken Demon. His nasty nature had stirred again, and he was choosing to enjoy himself rather than tell me.
Soma, what do you know about the Drunken Demon?