There was a gift for Chwima.
On the way back, he had stopped by a famous brewery in Saewe to buy alcohol.
Jeokyeon unloaded boxes of liquor from the carriage. It was not just one or two bottles. He had bought several bottles each of various kinds, enough to last a long while.
“Don’t tell me you bought this for me?”
“I bought them to your taste, Hyung, but I’m not sure if you’ll like them. I deliberately left out the overly strong ones. For your health.”
Chwima was flustered by the unexpected gift. He had originally come to give Geom Mugeuk a piece of his mind, asking if he’d had a nice trip with Mabul while leaving him out. But a gift?
Mabul spoke up on Geom Mugeuk’s behalf.
“The Young Cult Leader stopped by many places in Saewe for you. He did not spare himself the trouble of traveling all the way to distant places.”
This was how Mabul highlighted the effort, making up for not having handed over the poisonous herb to Geom Mugeuk.
“Then I’ll leave you two to talk. I’ll go on ahead to the Cult Leader’s palace.”
Mabul was the first to step away.
After he left, Chwima looked over the alcohol. The emotion came not merely from receiving the gift. Every kind he had mentioned as being decent while drinking with Geom Mugeuk in Saewe was there. He had remembered them all.
Chwima picked up a bottle, uncorked it, and drank straight from it.
The taste of the liquor was incredibly sweet.
“Give me a sip too.”
Geom Mugeuk also drank from the bottle Chwima handed him.
“It definitely tastes different from the alcohol of the Central Plains. I’ll head there soon, so let’s have a drink together then.”
Then someone else appeared.
“Did you have a good trip?”
It was none other than Ilhwa Geomjun.
Chwima asked her,
“Aren’t you busy with training?”
She had come because she wanted to see Geom Mugeuk. She wanted to show him that she still trained without wearing makeup. And one more thing.
“I came to tell you to take our drunkard with you next time you go out. But it seems there’s no need for that.”
She looked at the boxes of alcohol and asked,
“You bought quite a lot. Is there no gift for me?”
“I’m sorry, but this time the gifts are only for our Chwima-nim.”
At that, Chwima asked Geom Mugeuk,
“You didn’t get one for the Cult Leader either?”
When Geom Mugeuk nodded, Chwima was inwardly flustered but pleased.
It was a moment that normally would have called for a round of banter, but he couldn’t bring himself to do so in front of Ilhwa Geomjun. How could she not know? That the reason she had come was to protest him taking only Mabul.
Ilhwa Geomjun asked Geom Mugeuk,
“How did the matter go?”
“It was handled well.”
“Yes, because you went.”
“There were dangerous moments as well.”
Then Ilhwa Geomjun repeated what she had said before.
“Yes, because you went.”
It meant that storms followed wherever Geom Mugeuk went.
“Since you’ve returned, stop by sometime.”
“Yes, I will pay you a visit soon.”
Ilhwa Geomjun looked at Chwima and asked,
“Will you help me carry these in?”
Chwima nodded. If he used his internal energy, what were ten boxes, or even a hundred, that he couldn’t carry? She wasn’t asking because she didn’t know that.
Chwima and Ilhwa Geomjun walked side by side from that spot, carrying the boxes of bottles.
After walking for some time, Ilhwa Geomjun abruptly spoke to Chwima.
“Lord Majon, it is time you came to your senses.”
Chwima had nothing to say in reply.
After Chwima and Ilhwa Geomjun left, another Majon arrived. This time, it was Seophon Majon.
“Did you return safely?”
Since this trip to Saewe had begun because of her, how could she not come out to see him?
“Thanks to your concern, I returned safely.”
After exchanging greetings, she looked for the Pungcheon Cult Leader.
“Where is my master?”
“The Cult Leader remained in the Pungcheon Cult.”
He quickly spoke to her startled expression.
“He said he would come as soon as matters there are finished, so it shouldn’t take too long.”
Disappointment flashed across Seophon Majon’s face. It was clear she had waited for the Pungcheon Cult Leader more than anyone. The Pungcheon Cult Leader was currently explosively popular among his disciples.
After she left, Seo Daeryong spoke.
“Just how many Majon have come? Let me see. One, two… a total of four have come.”
Geom Mugeuk replied,
“No, it’s five.”
“Eh? Did I miscount?”
Geom Mugeuk’s gaze was directed at a massive stone statue standing far away.
“There is one over there as well.”
“Who is it?”
Seo Daeryong couldn’t make out who it was; the figure looked that small.
But with his Divine Eye Technique, Geom Mugeuk saw clearly. It was the person he was happiest to see.
The one watching them with arms crossed, wearing a white mask, was none other than Geukak Soma. He stood atop the same statue where they had once stood together before.
‘Soma-nim!’
He had been watching from that distance for Geom Mugeuk’s return.
Last time, he had said that when he returned to the cult, perhaps he would be the first to come and greet him. He had not let those words and actions end there; this time too, he had come out first to welcome him.
‘Thank you, Soma-nim. I will visit you later.’
He didn’t know if Geukak Soma could see, but Geom Mugeuk bowed his head in that direction before turning toward the Cult Leader’s palace.
Because right now, he missed his father too much.
* * *
His father was at the Cheonma Palace with Chief Strategist Sima Myeong.
Mabul had already greeted them and returned.
“I have returned, Father.”
He received the greeting with a stony face, but I was so happy and glad to see Father. I hoped this emotion showed on my face. I hoped Father would recognize it.
“Strategist, I have returned.”
“You’ve worked hard, Young Cult Leader.”
He had already received full reports on what had happened in Saewe through the Silver Moon.
“Until now, our side failed to detect the Blood Cult’s revival movements. It is entirely my oversight.”
“That is not the case. Before he died, he told me that while his purpose had been the Blood Cult’s revival, he changed his mind. As if to prove it, in his final moments he tried to destroy the sacred site the Blood Cult had left behind. He was a man who acted on personal desire.”
Of course, Sima Myeong must have suspected as much. Baek Cheongyeong, who had infiltrated the Martial Arts Alliance, had no connection whatsoever to the Blood Cult.
“There may be remnants remaining, so please be careful.”
“They are the ones who should be careful. Whose son did they provoke?”
Sima Myeong smiled at my joke.
Then Father, who had merely been listening to our conversation, abruptly asked me,
“What sort of people are they?”
He cut straight to the chase, skipping all preamble. He was asking for my gut feeling.
“They are very dangerous people. More dangerous than any organization that has appeared in the martial world until now. Because no one has ever conceived of provoking both Majeongsa and Saewe at the same time.”
Father slowly nodded, as if agreeing with those words.
Father looked at Sima Myeong and said,
“You will become busy.”
It was a word imbued with Father’s intent to handle things carefully and prudently, and also a word filled with trust in the Chief Strategist.
“I will report as soon as new information comes in. Then I shall leave you two to speak.”
Sima Myeong courteously bowed and excused himself.
Father stepped down from the high seat.
“Let us walk a bit.”
“Yes.”
These days Father likes walking with me. Walking together in the inner courtyard was good for me in many ways. Whenever the passing demonic practitioners saw us like this, the authority and loyalty toward me would only grow.
“Ah, and Father. I unlocked the secret of the Secret Coffer.”
Father stopped in surprise.
I took the coffer from my bosom. And I told him that I had absorbed the black essence energy at the Pungcheon Cult.
“If you wish, I will return it to you.”
“It is an object whose fate is tied to you; it is yours now.”
Father’s bearing always moves me. At times like this, the words, “Father is truly Father,” come to me unbidden.
Father reached out and took my wrist instead of the coffer. A stream of energy flowed in through my wrist. He was examining whether there was anything wrong with my body.
“I can feel some kind of energy inside, but I cannot tell exactly what it is. However, it does not feel harmful.”
I looked at the coffer I held. As Father said, fate had found me. I could feel that this fate was by no means a bad one.
“If there is anything wrong with my body, I will inform you immediately.”
I couldn’t feel the black essence energy, but I could feel Father’s worry. It was an energy more precious and empowering than any energy in the world.
“Ah, and the Pungcheon Cult Leader remained at his cult. Through this matter, my relationship with the current Cult Leader has deepened. Like yours and mine, Father.”
“Do you think our relationship has deepened?”
“‘Deepened’ is insufficient. It is sticky, thick, and passionate. Ah! This feeling cannot be expressed in words.”
A smirk tugged at the corners of Father’s mouth. Seeing that expression, I felt a pleasant sense of relief that I had truly returned.
“Is there not someone else with whom you should deepen your relationship?”
I said to Father with a smile,
“I was planning to greet you and go see Hyung first anyway.”
* * *
Tension hung in the air at the Iron Workshop of the Heavenly Demon Divine Cult.
It was the moment for the final test of a newly developed weapon. The weapon to be tested today was a gauntlet for those who practiced fist arts.
“The gauntlets developed this time are made of a material so thin and soft that you can’t even feel them on your hands. However, their strength has been greatly improved over previous versions, enough to prevent being cut by swords.”
The one explaining was Artisan Gwak of the Iron Workshop. Standing before him was the Great Prince, Geom Muyang.
The one who had planned and driven the development of these gauntlets was Geom Muyang himself. He was in charge of several major affairs of the Heavenly Demon Divine Cult.
At first, Geom Muyang had naturally expected to be pushed into a meaningless position.
But Geom Mugeuk had shared important tasks with him. Moreover, these were not limited to administrative work. He entrusted him with matters related to the major elite organizations within the Alliance and duties connected to the Eight Demon Venerables. It was truly a demonstration of trust in his older brother.
The strength test was a success. Even after being struck with a sword, the gauntlets were not cut. The onlookers cheered in unison.
“Not only that, the power of the fist has increased by more than ten percent.”
“You have truly worked hard.”
“It is the Great Prince who worked hard.”
In truth, Artisan Gwak had shaken his head many times during this task. If it came to doing things meticulously, he was not one to fall behind anywhere, but compared to the Great Prince, he felt like a slacker who did things roughly.
Geom Muyang visited several times a day to check on the progress, and if there was even the slightest irregularity, he wished to have it remade.
However, Geom Muyang did not merely order them around; he personally investigated, researched, and led by example, so the Iron Workshop could not express any dissatisfaction. Thanks to that, they succeeded in producing gauntlets more excellent than ever before.
“For now, these are gauntlets for fifty people. The Great Prince should deliver them to the Eastern Fist Gate himself.”
“I believe the Fist Demon will be very pleased to see these gauntlets.”
“One day, we shall have to make gauntlets that the Fist Demon himself can wear.”
Because although the quality was outstanding, they were still mass-produced gauntlets.
“Please have a different workshop make those.”
A faint smile crossed Geom Muyang’s face at Workshop Head Gwak’s joke.
Then someone spoke from behind.
“As expected! The arm bends inward.”
The two turned to see Geom Mugeuk entering.
“You develop things for the one who supported you first.”
During the succession struggle, the Fist Demon had officially declared his support for Geom Muyang.
Unlike before, Geom Muyang received those words gently.
“Isn’t it natural? From now on, I’ll only develop things for the Fist Demon and Lord Mabul. If you don’t like it, kick me out.”
“That would be difficult because Hyung is too good at his job.”
Geom Mugeuk courteously greeted Workshop Head Gwak.
“It has been a while, Workshop Head.”
“I heard you had returned.”
“May I try on a gauntlet?”
“Of course.”
Geom Mugeuk fitted the gauntlet onto his hand. Workshop Head Gwak watched with some nervousness. It was common knowledge that Geom Mugeuk had inherited the Fist Demon’s fist arts. This was the moment a master of fist arts conducted the first test.
Geom Mugeuk, having fitted the gauntlets and thrown punches this way and that, smiled brightly and said,
“These are excellent. May I take these?”
Only then did Workshop Head Gwak relax.
“Of course.”
“Please leave your name here as a memento. Wouldn’t its value increase tenfold then?”
Workshop Head Gwak smiled and excused himself, telling them to talk.
When Geom Muyang tried to lift all the boxes of gauntlets at once, Geom Mugeuk took half.
The two walked side by side.
“Lord Mabul was a great help on this trip.”
“He is a good man. You must not act rudely toward him.”
Geom Mugeuk looked at Geom Muyang and smiled.
“Why are you smiling?”
“I mean that when I look at you, Hyung, you really take care of the people around you. Developing the gauntlets first like this.”
“It’s like fixing the barn after losing the ox.”
“But that ox didn’t wander far from the barn.”
Geom Muyang also burst into a laugh.
“Thank you, Hyung.”
Then Geom Muyang spoke somewhat coldly.
“Do you know how many times a day I recall the past and regret it? Do you know that every night I fall asleep imagining myself as the successor? I am not someone you should thank, so do not thank me.”
“That’s why I’m thankful.”
“What?”
“I’m thankful that you say these things to me. If it bubbles up inside you so much that you can’t stand it in the future, come find me and say this to me. If I’m not there, go to Lord Mabul and say it. If that doesn’t work, go to the Fist Demon. If you really can’t hold it in, go to Father.”
“Why is Father last? You should leave Father out.”
“Wouldn’t talking to Father be the most relieving?”
Geom Muyang stopped walking and looked at me.
“You need to get close to Father. Leaving aside all this Young Cult Leader business. We are Father’s sons, aren’t we?”
I try to comfort Hyung in my own way.
“Father and Lord Mabul worry about you. But I don’t worry about you. I have no intention of comforting you either. You’ll do well on your own. I know better than anyone how tough you are, don’t I?”
Geom Muyang smiled faintly, self-deprecatingly.
Of course, I know. Once a person begins to collapse, how quickly they crumble.
When the mind begins to tempt and whisper to us, we come to know. Our will is not a lock made of eternal iron. Sometimes it is a knot tied with cloth that comes undone with a slight tug.
“Have you ever asked Father?”
“Asked what?”
“What is hard for him.”
For a moment, Geom Muyang flinched.
“Did you ask him?”
“I didn’t ask either. I thought that was something the eldest son should do first.”
Hyung stared at me.
That was why this was the method I chose to comfort Hyung. If he falls into self-pity, he will sink into an endless abyss.
“I think it’s time we took care of them. You go first, because you’re the eldest.”
Absolute Regression — Chapter 333