Baek Jagang couldn't believe it.
‘Does the current Young Cult Leader of the Demonic Cult truly harbor such thoughts?’
That he genuinely considered Bisain a friend, genuinely wished not to fight one another, and genuinely wanted to buy him a drink?
That Geom Muguk, rumored to be the greatest successor among all past Heavenly Demons? That Young Cult Leader who had even charmed the Young Alliance Lord and his maid?
Hyeok Sagun was the first to read the disbelief in Baek Jagang's eyes.
‘Perfect!’
He misinterpreted that disbelief as follows:
How could one believe the words of the Demon Physician or the Poison King when they came?
‘Refuse him! Hurry and say it cannot be done!’
Hyeok Sagun was inwardly anxious. It wasn't just one of them—the Poison King or the Demon Physician—but if both came and examined the patient, the use of poison would definitely be discovered.
‘Then even I will be unable to help. For your own sake, refuse him.’
Meanwhile, Geom Muguk also read the disbelief in Baek Jagang's eyes. Of course, Geom Muguk didn't know of Baek Jagang's ability to detect lies. That was why he desperately tried to persuade him.
—It was a lie to corner them. Please believe me, just this once. Please pretend to accept the Demon Physician and the Poison King.
Even without such a confessional voice transmission, Baek Jagang now believed Geom Muguk. Because he clearly knew who was speaking the truth.
Soon, Baek Jagang spoke. Of course, since Hyeok Sagun was present, he did not readily agree.
"If, after those two come and verify, it is revealed that he is not poisoned, what will you do?"
Geom Muguk could tell that Baek Jagang intended to grant his request. They were people who wouldn't come anyway; what was needed now was to offer conditions that even Hyeok Sagun could accept.
"I will cut my cult's forces in the Gangseo region by half."
The Gangseo region was a strategic point where the Cheonma Divine Cult confronted the Sa Do Maeng.
"Can you put that in an official document?"
"I can."
Baek Jagang felt goosebumps rise along his ears again. His senses were functioning all too well.
As if to prove it, Geom Muguk's voice transmission flew in right after.
—I can't do that. If I did that without Father's permission, I'd be expelled that very day! Perhaps if you were to adopt me as your son, then I might.
Baek Jagang forced down the corners of his mouth that threatened to rise. What an incorrigible lad. Cracking such jokes at a critical moment like this.
"Very well. Then let's have them verify upon arrival."
Hyeok Sagun revealed his dissatisfaction at this unexpected decision.
"Surely you are not believing the Young Cult Leader's words right now?"
Baek Jagang fixed his narrow eyes on Hyeok Sagun. In that moment, Hyeok Sagun realized he had spoken rashly. After all, if his own words were true, there was no reason to get agitated.
If Geom Muguk had proposed such conditions, as a military strategist, he should have welcomed this decision instead. Having the Cheonma Divine Cult's forces in the Gangseo region halved would bring immense benefit to the Sa Do Maeng.
"I will follow the Alliance Lord's will."
Baek Jagang asked Geom Muguk,
"When will they arrive?"
"It will take about ten days or so."
He deliberately claimed as much time as possible. It was born from the hope that Bisain would recover as much as he could from his injuries to fight together. This wasn't his fight, but Bisain's fight, and also Baek Jagang's and the Sa Do Maeng's fight.
"Very well, you shall stay in the Alliance until then."
Geom Muguk looked at Hyeok Sagun with a suspicious gaze.
"In the meantime, the Deputy Strategist might kill the Chief Strategist to destroy the evidence."
Geom Muguk had struck the nail on the head. Hyeok Sagun had truly been pondering how to get rid of the Chief Strategist without arousing suspicion.
"What nonsense are you spouting? The Chief Strategist is like a teacher to me."
"Exactly. Then why did you do such a thing to your teacher?"
Hyeok Sagun glared at Geom Muguk with cold eyes.
He had handled even those clever strategists with ease, but Geom Muguk, far younger than them, was strangely suffocating and difficult to deal with.
Was it because of the status of the Demonic Cult's Young Cult Leader?
No. This brat had something about him that made people's hearts feel suffocated. The kind of person who, even if he were an innkeeper, would somehow make it difficult to place a simple order.
Baek Jagang put an end to the taut battle of wills as they stared at each other.
"Stay near the Alliance until the Poison King and the Demon Physician arrive."
"Thank you, Alliance Lord."
Hyeok Sagun felt the tide shifting. A new phase had begun.
"Let us stop here for today. Strategist Hyeok, remain for a moment."
Sending Geom Muguk out and keeping Hyeok Sagun behind? It appeared as though he trusted Hyeok Sagun, but the opposite was true. Now was the time to soothe and placate the enemy.
"Because that young brat is putting on a show of bravado, we've come to reap great benefits."
The term used for Geom Muguk was no longer Young Cult Leader, but brat.
In other words, it revealed that he trusted himself, not Geom Muguk.
‘If that's the case, he shouldn't have accepted the Poison King and the Demon Physician.’
Hyeok Sagun revealed his frustrated heart under the guise of concern for the Sa Do Maeng.
"I apologize, but you should not have accepted the Poison King and the Demon Physician. Especially the Poison King—he is the most dangerous person in the martial world. There is no telling what he might do after entering our Alliance. More than anything, I am worried for the Alliance Lord's safety."
He tried to change the Alliance Lord's mind even now, putting his concern for the Lord at the forefront.
But it was a futile effort, for he had no idea what Baek Jagang was currently thinking.
"When they come, watch them thoroughly."
If they were really coming, Baek Jagang wouldn't have let them. Let the Poison King into the Sa Do Maeng? Absolutely impossible. He wouldn't be comfortable drinking even a cup of water after that day.
That was something Hyeok Sagun could also figure out. That was why Baek Jagang had made the first move.
"But why is the Young Cult Leader so stubborn?"
A sharp gaze probing Hyeok Sagun flew toward him.
‘You didn't really scheme this, did you?’
He had always been a suspicious man. If he trusted Hyeok Sagun blindly, it would feel unnatural instead. It was a suspicion to block suspicion.
"He seems to be stalling for time."
"For what?"
"I shall find out."
No matter how clever Hyeok Sagun was, he couldn't contend with Baek Jagang, who had weathered countless battles. Baek Jagang shook him relentlessly to prevent him from thinking stray thoughts.
This time, he unleashed a cold killing intent, revealing his anger toward Geom Muguk.
"Calling the Demon Physician and the Poison King to verify is truly an impudent trick. Is it not an insult to this Alliance's honor?"
"You speak rightly. Moreover, even if he promises the Gangseo region matter in writing, he may not keep that promise."
Hyeok Sagun pointed out new problems, trying somehow to change his mind, but it wasn't easy.
"The Young Cult Leader is a man full of arrogance. He'll keep his promise somehow, if only for his pride. Geom Ujin must be fuming."
Hyeok Sagun forced himself to hold back the sigh he wanted to let out.
If the Poison King and the Demon Physician came and revealed that the Chief Strategist's illness was due to poisoning, he was finished. He was the one who had obtained poison from Hwang Seokgyeong and administered it.
Until now, several things had hindered his meteoric rise. Blocking his path, tripping him up. Each time, he had overcome them with Hwang Seokgyeong's help.
But this time was different. The scale of the obstacle was catastrophic. It was greater than all the bad things that had happened so far combined.
"Then I shall take my leave."
He bowed politely and turned to leave, but Baek Jagang spoke from behind.
"Investigate it well. We can't afford to be manipulated by that young brat, can we?"
"Do not worry, Alliance Lord."
Hyeok Sagun bowed his head with a reliable expression, then turned away again.
‘Because of that young brat, the Alliance Lord is going to die.’
* * *
That night, Hyeok Sagun appeared at the place where he had previously met Tu Wang.
Far off in the field, Hwang Seokgyeong's figure could be seen.
Today as well, he had arrived first and was waiting. Hwang Seokgyeong was never late. Upon seeing him, the suffocating feeling he had felt all day while looking at Geom Muguk seemed to melt away.
Only now did he understand. That suffocation earlier had been an instinctive signal that he needed someone's help. Only someone like Hwang Seokgyeong could place the desired order with that innkeeper.
Hyeok Sagun cut straight to the chase.
"The Young Cult Leader has called the Demon Physician and the Poison King."
Tu Wang's expression hardened. He immediately realized why they were coming.
"It's because of the Chief Strategist."
"That's right. That brat of a Young Cult Leader is no ordinary foe."
Tu Wang first asked Hyeok Sagun for his opinion. Even when the decision was made, he always asked the strategist first.
"What would you have us do?"
Hyeok Sagun had already prepared his heart on the way here.
"Is there a way to stop the Poison King and the Demon Physician from coming?"
Tu Wang pondered for a moment, then shook his head.
They couldn't recklessly kill the Poison King and the Demon Physician, and even if it were a situation where they had to, if the opponent was the Poison King, it wouldn't be easy. If they didn't kill him in one blow, their side would be annihilated. That was the Poison King.
"Then there is only one way. Although the timing has moved up greatly from what we planned, haven't we made many preparations for this moment?"
This decision would change his and Hwang Seokgyeong's fate. It would change the fate of their subordinates, the fate of the Sa Do Maeng, and further, the fate of the demonic faction, and the fate of the entire martial world.
Hyeok Sagun asked with a grave gaze.
"Are you prepared?"
Compared to the solemn Hyeok Sagun, Tu Wang looked at ease. He had lived his life thinking of it as a battle. Because he had lived with the mindset that losing meant death at every moment, he could answer at any time.
Under the bright moonlight, Tu Wang answered as if he had been waiting.
"I am always prepared."
* * *
At the same time, another meeting was taking place elsewhere.
Geom Muguk stood in the field where he had met the Sa Do Maeng Lord earlier.
Baek Jagang entered there.
"I thought you would come here. First, allow me to apologize."
"Lying to me is fine."
"No, it's not because of that. Because of my lie, the Alliance Lord has been put in danger. They will think that if the Demon Physician and the Poison King investigate together, the poisoning will definitely be revealed. In the end, they will try to settle this before those two arrive."
"How will they settle it?"
"They won't simply flee."
Words that should not have left Geom Muguk's mouth spilled out.
"They will try to kill the Alliance Lord."
Even at the words that they would kill him, Baek Jagang showed no particular reaction.
"And they will pin that crime on me. They will never miss that opportunity."
Geom Muguk continued speaking in a calm tone.
"Originally, this would have happened years later, or perhaps a decade later. However, the timing changed because your disciple and I became friends."
They were words that should have been 'because I appeared.' But Geom Muguk said it was because he had become friends with Bisain. He tried to show off their friendship at every opportunity.
Dreaming of unifying the martial world was something his father alone was enough for. Simply stopping his father was already a sufficiently difficult task.
"You will step away from this fight."
Of course, since it was the Sa Do Maeng's affair, he should follow the Alliance Lord's will.
But because he knew the opponent was Tu Wang, he couldn't do that.
He thought that if they fought one-on-one now, the Sa Do Maeng Lord would win against Tu Wang.
The problem was that Tu Wang would use any means necessary to win. Tu Wang was someone obsessed with victory, not one who pursued fairness.
"Are you worried about me?"
"If you get hurt, I won't be able to face your father."
"That won't happen. I've properly learned qinggong, so I'm quite confident in running away."
Baek Jagang figured there must be a reason Geom Muguk wanted to join this fight.
"Why do you want to join this fight?"
Geom Muguk answered honestly.
"It's because of the Young Alliance Lord. He would want to join this fight more than I. Since he hasn't fully recovered from his injuries, I will watch over him."
No goosebumps rose on Baek Jagang's ears.
He suddenly thought,
of a martial world where the Demonic Cult Leader and the Sa Do Maeng Lord are friends.
But not a single scene came to mind. Such a martial world did not exist for him.
Then, Geom Muguk's words from before came to mind.
—Whether it be my demonic path or the Young Alliance Lord's path, I believe there must be a new ideal in our era.
"I'll say it again, that friendship won't come to pass."
Then Geom Muguk said something startling.
"I am also someone who believes in the friendship between you, Alliance Lord, and my father."
"What? Your father?"
At times like this, it was bewildering. The look in his eyes as he spoke of a friendship between the Heavenly Demon and the Sa Do Maeng Lord was not that of an innocent, naive bumpkin dreaming pure dreams. That clever, sly young brat was speaking from the heart.
"Haven't you properly spoken with my father? From what I see, the two of you seem like you'd get along well."
"While aiming to kill each other, you mean?"
Baek Jagang felt his fondness for Geom Muguk deepen each time they met. He felt an inexplicable sense of kinship and was curious what this lad would say next.
And more than anything, it was fun being with him. Even now, weren't they talking about a friendship between the Heavenly Demon and the Sa Do Maeng Lord that no martial artist in the world had ever imagined?
‘If his father is like this...’
Perhaps? he thought, then immediately shook his head. Just remembering Geom Ujin's eyes looking down on him made his blood boil; friends, indeed!
"Please allow me to fight alongside the Young Alliance Lord!"
"So be it."
It was a permission that could never have happened under normal circumstances. Baek Jagang was not the type to let an outsider intervene in the Sa Do Maeng's affairs.
But just this once, he decided to acknowledge their friendship.
"Enjoy the friendship while it lasts, for it will soon shatter."
"Thank you."
The path to becoming the Sa Do Maeng Lord had not been smooth for Baek Jagang.
To prevent his heart from weakening, he had not even kept a family. He had believed that was right back then, but now that he had grown old, there were times when he occasionally envisioned a different life.
Especially now, looking at Geom Ujin's son, those feelings grew stronger.
‘Bisain, you're going to have a hard time from now on.’
You can't lose to Geom Ujin's son, now can you?
Geom Muguk and Baek Jagang looked up at the moon together—the same moon Tu Wang and Hyeok Sagun had gazed upon.
"After this matter is settled, may I ask a single favor?"
"What favor?"
"I will tell you after it ends."
In all his life, who would have dared tell Baek Jagang they would state their condition later? That was why this moment was still fresh, and why he could nod out of curiosity rather than annoyance.
"They will pour out all the power they've gathered until now."
"To face me..."
Baek Jagang spoke, his narrow eyes brimming with bright moonlight.
"They should have gathered a lot more."
Absolute Regression — Episode 366