The three people inside the carriage were each lost in their own thoughts.
First, Geom Mugeuk had his eyes closed and was cultivating the Heavenly Demon Guardian Art. Cultivating, and cultivating again. He did not let even the smallest scrap of time go to waste.
When one trained in martial arts, there were times when a feeling came. A moment that tickled and stirred a person, as though a flower bud were about to burst open—the feeling just before reaching the next stage. The Heavenly Demon Guardian Art was exactly like that.
‘We’ve gotten quite close, haven’t we? Come just one step closer.’
Whether it knew Geom Mugeuk’s feelings or not, the Heavenly Demon Guardian Art, with Great Completion right before his eyes, remained one step away, tormenting him.
The one who had actually taken a step closer to him was staring out the carriage window, thinking absurd thoughts. Namely, he was imagining himself dancing in front of people.
He hated people who failed to keep their promises more than anything. If he brushed it off as a joke, Geom Mugeuk would probably pester him from time to time, but that did not mean he actually had to force himself to dance.
Even so, he wanted to show Geom Mugeuk that he kept his promises. That no matter how much he disliked something, a promise was a promise.
‘Of all the things I could have said, why did I have to say I’d dance?’
Bi Sain, who looked as though he were grappling with a grave dilemma, was dancing in his imagination. Beside him, Goeak was thinking of Gwangseom and making one vow.
‘I will never let my guard down again.’
Humans were a breed that should never be trusted in the first place. He had lived perfectly well that way, but perhaps because he had grown old, his heart had relaxed for a moment.
That was why he was also worried about Bi Sain. He could sense that Bi Sain trusted Geom Mugeuk.
‘Young Alliance Leader, if you trust people carelessly, you will regret it bitterly.’
He himself had been done in by a man who spoke too little, while Bi Sain was now being done in by a man who spoke too much.
But he did not convey those thoughts to Bi Sain. He was not the sort of person who said such things to anyone. That was simply how he had always been.
Still, he was inwardly paying close attention to the relationship between Geom Mugeuk and Bi Sain. His life debt to Geom Mugeuk was one thing. Even so, he still had ties with the Sado Alliance, and there was also martial art he was meant to receive.
Just then, Geom Mugeuk spoke with his eyes still closed.
“What do you intend to do now?”
Bi Sain’s gaze turned to Geom Mugeuk. Once again, Geom Mugeuk was asking for his opinion first. In the past, he had accepted it without much thought, but now he understood clearly that asking him first like this was consideration for him.
There had to be a better plan in his head, and yet he was still asking. Because Bi Sain knew well just how intelligent he was, he also knew that this sort of consideration must be all the more difficult for him.
“He tried to kill me, so I will kill him as well.”
All that remained now was a life-and-death battle.
The problem was Hwang Seokgyeong’s skill. Gwangseom, one of the Seven Great Masters of the Sado Alliance, had fought him, lost, and respected him for it.
That did not mean he could ask Geom Mugeuk to kill him. It was not a matter of pride. Since there was no guarantee of victory, he could be putting Geom Mugeuk in danger. That was not what he wanted.
And there was one other reason: whatever the case, this was a matter of the Sado Alliance.
‘How should I resolve this?’
He had met Gwangseom and Goeak to ask for help, but now only Goeak remained. Goeak alone would not be enough.
He thought of the masters within the Sado Alliance who might lend him aid.
But the problem was that among them, there might be people who had joined hands with Hwang Seokgyeong. Since Gwangseom had been recruited, it would no longer be strange if anyone else had been recruited as well.
“However, I want to deal with everyone who has joined hands with him too. I was thinking about how to find them.”
Since he did not want to ask Geom Mugeuk for a solution, he politely asked Goeak.
“Senior, I would like to ask for your wise opinion. Is there a way to ferret them out?”
At a time like this, it would have been nice to present a brilliant plan and show that old ginger was indeed the spiciest, but no particular method came to Goeak’s mind.
“Leave the thinking to the young ones. When it comes time to beat that bastard down, I’ll take the lead.”
Goeak clenched his fist. The power-dispersing poison had already completely disappeared, but that unpleasant feeling remained. He would not let the man who had recruited Gwangseom go. He had lived his life repaying those who harmed him with a hundredfold suffering.
“I will think on it further.”
Bi Sain turned his head back toward the window. His heart felt uneasy and stifled. If they had tried to kill him, they might also attempt to assassinate the Alliance Leader. Of course, the Sado Alliance Leader he knew was not someone who would easily fall to any ambush, but their opponents were no ordinary people either.
Just then, Geom Mugeuk asked Bi Sain as though taking him to task.
“Why do you not ask me for a method?”
Because I feel sorry. Because I just incurred a life debt a moment ago, and I have no face to ask again.
“It seems you do not want to see the stars, nor the clouds.”
It was a joke about not wanting to be dragged along by him.
“If you don’t want to, then never mind. I had a good idea, too.”
Geom Mugeuk closed his eyes again.
Even after waiting for quite some time, Bi Sain did not ask anything, so Geom Mugeuk opened his eyes again. Bi Sain was still silently looking out the window.
“No, I said I had a good idea!”
“I heard you earlier.”
“You’re not going to ask?”
“I’m not going to ask.”
“I want to show off how clever I am. Please give me the chance!”
A faint smile formed at the lips of Bi Sain as he looked outside. This was the kind of person Geom Mugeuk was. It was something he could have claimed credit for, yet instead, he lowered himself. Bi Sain felt it anew. True self-respect did not flaunt itself.
“I refuse! I don’t want to see you pretending to be clever.”
“Just listen this once.”
“Fine. Let us hear it, then.”
“Until now, Hwang Seokgyeong likely has not been meeting those who joined hands with him. He would have assumed you were watching him.”
“Most likely.”
Then Geom Mugeuk made an unexpected assumption.
“What if you had died?”
“!”
Bi Sain was not the only one startled. Goeak, who had been listening with them, was surprised as well.
Bi Sain could tell what Geom Mugeuk meant.
“You are saying we should deceive Hwang Seokgyeong into thinking I am dead?”
Geom Mugeuk nodded.
“If he believes you are dead, he will undoubtedly make contact with his collaborator. They will need to discuss what comes next.”
It was certainly a plausible plan. It was to exploit the moment of carelessness that came when an obstacle disappeared.
“Then should we not inform the Alliance Leader?”
“That is for you to decide.”
Bi Sain fell into thought for a moment.
Informing the Alliance Leader meant that the Alliance Leader would be involved from now on.
He had wanted to resolve it himself until the very end.
But the enemy was so powerful that he also felt the time had come to receive the Alliance Leader’s help.
One concern was that if they acted according to a prearranged plan, a natural reaction might not emerge.
Conversely, what would happen if they proceeded without informing him?
He could not know what sort of reaction would come. In particular, he did not know how the Sado Alliance Leader would act. What if he did not grieve at all even though Bi Sain had died? The human heart was truly ridiculous. Even though this was a matter on which the fate of the Sado Alliance hung, he found himself first worrying that he might be hurt.
“He might appoint a new Young Alliance Leader.”
That would not happen, but the Sado Alliance Leader was the kind of person for whom it might.
“Take this chance to confirm who comes after you.”
At Geom Mugeuk’s words, half-joking and half-serious, Bi Sain smiled faintly.
After thinking for a while, Bi Sain reached a conclusion.
“I will inform the Alliance Leader and proceed from now on.”
Bi Sain had a separate reason for deciding so.
“If I go missing, Illang will be summoned to the Alliance Leader’s Hall.”
“He will speak about me?”
At that, Bi Sain shook his head.
“It is because the opposite will happen that I cannot allow it. Illang will never speak of you.”
He had faith in Illang’s loyalty. Faith that even if the Sado Alliance Leader asked, he would keep the secret.
“I cannot make that man lie to the Alliance Leader.”
To speak falsely to the Alliance Leader was a grave crime, regardless of the reason.
Geom Mugeuk smiled.
“Your care for your subordinate is admirable.”
“Spare me the needless words, and let me ask one favor. Watch Hwang Seokgyeong. It is my task, but as you can see, I am dead.”
Considering the opponent’s level of martial arts, he knew it was not something just anyone could do, so he asked Geom Mugeuk. He did not want to ask, but he had no choice. Right now, the person he could trust most was Geom Mugeuk.
“Very well. Let us do that.”
What did he think as he watched Geom Mugeuk answer so readily?
He thought that someday, he might have to seat him in the very front and dance once for him. He did not want to become someone who failed to keep a promise to a person like this.
* * *
—Rumors are circulating that the Young Alliance Leader is dead.
Even at Sahon’s astonishing report, the Fighting King showed no agitation.
—The current atmosphere in the Alliance Leader’s Hall is unusual. The ant swarm has been released, and the Captain of the Evil Squad has been summoned inside.
The Blood Ant Army, called the ant swarm, were elites of the Sado Alliance specialized in search and investigation.
The Evil Squad was an organization directly under the Alliance Leader’s Hall, elites who obeyed only the orders of the Sado Alliance Leader.
—Is he truly dead?
The Fighting King slowly nodded. They had said he would die if left alone, and the Young Alliance Leader really had died.
—How on earth did you dispose of him?
It was something Gwangseom had done using the power-dispersing poison. It was a matter that could not fail even if one wanted it to.
—They are investigating the circumstances while keeping the Young Alliance Leader’s death top secret, but since the matter is what it is, the Alliance Leader’s Hall is already in turmoil.
Gwangseom had decided to cut off contact and go into hiding for the time being after finishing this matter, so no matter how much they investigated, they would not be able to learn the truth behind it.
—He should have reported to the Sado Alliance Leader earlier. The Young Alliance Leader made a foolish choice.
The Fighting King did not agree with Sahon’s words. If it were him, he too would have handled it alone. Of course, he would not have died like this. He would not have lost in any fight.
—And he has requested an audience with you.
—In a situation like this?
The Fighting King tilted his head. Given the circumstances, he had expected that no contact to meet would come for the time being. Since he was a cautious person, there was surely a reason he had asked to meet.
—Tell him we will meet tonight.
—Yes, understood.
With the Young Alliance Leader’s death, the situation was entering a new phase.
* * *
At midnight that night, the Fighting King stood in a field far from the main headquarters of the Sado Alliance.
The terrain there was open on all sides, a place where no one could hide and watch.
With his hands clasped behind his back, he was looking up at the moon in the night sky.
A man appeared there. The man, wearing a bamboo hat pulled low, walked slowly over and approached the Fighting King’s side.
“It has been a long time, my lord.”
It was the voice of a middle-aged man. He was addressing the Fighting King as his lord, and from his steady voice alone, one could guess just how composed his nature was.
“There is no one around. You may take it off.”
“I know your martial prowess better than anyone, my lord, but it is still best to be cautious.”
It was an action that went against courtesy, as though he did not trust his lord’s ability, but the Fighting King was not displeased. That was how important this man was.
“For what reason did you ask to see me?”
“To inform you of one important fact.”
An astonishing fact flowed from the man in the bamboo hat.
“The Young Alliance Leader is alive.”
At those unexpected words, the Fighting King’s expression hardened.
“Are you certain?”
“Yes. The Young Alliance Leader personally contacted the Alliance Leader through Illang.”
Astonishingly, the man knew the secrets of the Alliance Leader’s Hall in detail.
Only then did the Fighting King understand why he had asked to see him at this crucial moment.
‘Then that means Gwangseom is dead?’
The Gwangseom he knew would not have been so easily defeated. Moreover, he had even been planning to use the power-dispersing poison.
“Then why is the Young Alliance Leader pretending to be dead?”
Astonishingly, the man in the bamboo hat had accurately grasped Bi Sain’s intent as well.
“He is likely trying to discover my existence behind you, my lord.”
All these results pointed to one fact.
“Whoever it is, an extremely intelligent and powerful master is helping the Young Alliance Leader.”
Then, after the bad news, good news followed.
“I know who that person is.”
Only then did the man remove the bamboo hat he had been wearing, revealing his identity. It was to emphasize that what he was about to say from now on was that important.
Beneath the moonlight, the gazes of the two men met. The man into whom the Fighting King had put the most effort to recruit.
The Fighting King was more intelligent than anyone. But the person standing before him now was far more intelligent than he was.
The answer to how he knew the top secrets of the Alliance Leader’s Hall lay in this man’s identity.
Deputy Strategist of the Sado Alliance, Hyeok Sagun.
Astonishingly, he was the Deputy Strategist of the Sado Alliance. As the Chief Strategist, Hwang Seoseong, had been suffering from senility since two years ago, he, who had been Deputy Strategist, was serving in the role of the Sado Alliance’s Chief Strategist in his stead. Since the illness was worsening by the day, all that remained was for him to soon become the official Chief Strategist.
“The one helping the Young Alliance Leader is……”
The Fighting King had heard many astonishing things today, but the words Hyeok Sagun spoke next were the most astonishing of all.
“Geom Mugeuk, the Young Cult Leader of the Demonic Cult.”
Hyeok Sagun knew everything.
But there was just one fact he did not know.
The fact that someone was watching him right now. The fact that, from a distance so far even the Fighting King’s martial realm could not detect it, someone was seeing his face clearly.
From a far-off place where they looked as small as ants, Geom Mugeuk was using the Divine Eye Art.
When the man removed his bamboo hat, he saw his face clearly.
Geom Mugeuk did not know all the facial records of the Sado Alliance’s masters. But he could tell who this person was.
At the very least, he had never thought this person would have joined hands with the Fighting King. He was someone more troublesome to deal with than anyone else within the Sado Alliance.
‘The Fighting King joined hands with Hyeok Sagun?’
It was truly the moment when both Geom Mugeuk’s and Hyeok Sagun’s identities were revealed to each other.
Absolute Regression, Chapter 357