Geom Mugeuk asked Jin Haryeong instead of answering.
“Which do you think will be harder? Getting permission or inviting the Martial Alliance Lord?”
She could not answer that comparison, but one thing was certain.
“Both are impossible. There’s no way Grandfather would ever sit down and drink with the Demon Cult Leader or the Unorthodox Alliance Lord.”
Geom Mugeuk lowered his head and let his shoulders droop.
“Fine, then. I suppose I’ll go see the Alliance Lord to carry out an impossible mission. All alone, lonely and desolate.”
When neither of them stopped him even after he walked all the way to the entrance, Geom Mugeuk returned to his original seat.
“You two are too much. Is this how you treat a friend?”
At that moment, Jin Hagun asked,
“Why did you invite the Unorthodox Alliance Lord? You couldn’t have summoned him all the way to the Demon Cult merely to treat him to drinks. No, even if that had been your intention, the Unorthodox Alliance Lord would never have agreed. How did you persuade him?”
Geom Mugeuk answered honestly.
“Because I hope there will be no war.”
Of course, the two of them could not understand the deeper meaning contained in those words. He could not tell them that his father, the Unorthodox Alliance Lord, dreamed of unifying the martial world.
“You think there’ll be no war if the Unorthodox Alliance Lord drinks in front of the Heavenly Demon Divine Cult?”
“I believe there will be.”
Jin Haryeong believed him, too. This absurd answer.
Not because Geom Mugeuk’s reply had been so firm.
The reason was simple. If he had not saved her life, she would no longer be in this world.
“Were you serious earlier? About accepting me if I’m expelled from the Alliance?”
“I’ll even hold a welcoming ceremony for you.”
Jin Haryeong imagined the scene for a moment. Herself, expelled from the Alliance, standing in the rain at the main gate of the Demon Cult with a bundle of luggage on her back, together with her escort, Chu Ho.
Then Geom Mugeuk would open the gate and come out, making some exaggerated remark.
―From now on, you’re my maid.
He was exactly the sort of person who would play such a prank without hesitation. Yes, her faith in Geom Mugeuk did not stem solely from owing him her life.
“Fine. I’ll help.”
The fact that her heart felt lighter made her think she had made the right decision.
“Don’t get involved, Big Brother. If you do, you really will lose your position as heir.”
Jin Hagun looked at his younger sister.
‘How can she be so free?’
There was such an obvious limit within his own heart. A boundary had been drawn around him.
It was a line he had never crossed even once. He had never imagined a life in which he did not become the heir. The same was true of a life in which he opposed his grandfather.
Yet his younger sister crossed that line with ease, leaping over it again and again. In that respect, Jin Haryeong and Geom Mugeuk resembled each other.
Jin Hagun quietly examined his own heart. What was it that he truly wanted? Would crossing that line be mere recklessness? Or would it be a new challenge? He could not know until he crossed it, and so Jin Hagun was torn.
“I told you not to worry about it, Big Brother. You understand his situation too, don’t you?”
Instead of saying that he understood, Geom Mugeuk looked at Jin Hagun. His eyes seemed to hope that Jin Hagun would cross his limits.
‘You’re not going to take responsibility for my life, so why are you looking at me like that?’
Jin Hagun’s gaze shifted to Jin Haryeong.
“You can’t do it alone.”
“What?”
“If you step forward by yourself, you really will be expelled. If the two of us go together, at least you won’t be expelled.”
“You’ll help too, Big Brother?”
Jin Hagun nodded.
She had never imagined that her brother would make such a decision.
“Did you really give up your desire for power?”
“The opposite. I’m doing this to protect my power.”
Jin Hagun’s reason for helping was simple as well.
“I don’t want war either.”
In the end, this meant that he too believed Geom Mugeuk’s words. That he had invited the Unorthodox Alliance Lord because there was a reason to invite him.
Geom Mugeuk knew how great a decision Jin Hagun had made. He had staked his position as heir.
“If you’re expelled, I’ll protest in front of the Martial Alliance and demand that they reinstate you.”
Where Jin Haryeong had just imagined the main gate of the Heavenly Demon Divine Cult, Jin Hagun imagined the main gate of the Martial Alliance.
He pictured Geom Mugeuk standing before the Martial Alliance with a banner that read, “Reinstate My Friend Jin Hagun as Heir!”
It would be mortifying even to imagine, but—
‘That’s exactly the sort of thing this man would do.’
Geom Mugeuk said to Jin Hagun,
“Thank you. I’ll never forget what you’ve staked on this decision for the rest of my life.”
This was what Jin Hagun had learned from him.
Did they really need words between them? Geom Mugeuk still said things like this. Thank you. I won’t forget.
Once they had decided to help with this matter, Jin Hagun and Jin Haryeong naturally turned their gazes toward Geom Mugeuk.
“So? What’s your plan?”
* * *
The first person to visit Jin Paecheon was Jin Haryeong.
“What brings you here?”
“I came because I wanted to see you, Grandfather.”
Though Jin Paecheon was known for his overbearing nature, there was no doubt that he doted on his granddaughter. Besides, she had once been so sharp and difficult, but recently she had clearly begun to grow more mature.
“There was a gathering of the younger generation today, wasn’t there?”
“Yes, it went well.”
“Are there still young heroes who like you these days?”
“Of course. There were some today, too.”
“Was there no one among them you fancied?”
“It’s difficult to find a man as splendid as you, Grandfather. You were popular with the female heroes when you were young, weren’t you?”
A bright smile spread across Jin Paecheon’s lips. It was a smile rarely seen by others, reserved exclusively for his granddaughter.
“Your words are unusually sweet today. You must have something to ask of me.”
“Don’t misunderstand me. I’m speaking from the heart.”
“If you like someone, I have no intention of indulging my own desires. I’ll accept him. You know that, don’t you? I even accepted a servant as a prospective grandson-in-law.”
Jin Paecheon watched his granddaughter’s reaction as he mentioned Geom Mugeuk. He was worried that she might be unable to settle her feelings because of Geom Mugeuk.
“I should have held on to him back then.”
Hearing the regret in her voice, Jin Paecheon stared intently at his granddaughter.
“I’m joking, Grandfather.”
“You’d better be.”
Would Jin Paecheon not feel regret as well? If Geom Mugeuk had at least been an ordinary man from the Demon Cult, perhaps he might have forced the matter through somehow.
No, what was he thinking? How could he marry his granddaughter to a demon cultivator? His lingering regret existed only because the boy named Geom Mugeuk was so extraordinary.
At that moment, Jin Hagun entered the Alliance Lord’s Hall.
After respectfully greeting Jin Paecheon, Jin Haryeong asked,
“It’s been hard to see you lately, Big Brother.”
The two of them pretended that they had happened to meet by chance.
“I’ve heard you’ve been completely immersed in cultivation these days.”
“What brings you here?”
“I came because I wanted to see Grandfather. What about you, Big Brother?”
Jin Hagun then said to Jin Paecheon,
“The Demon Cult’s Young Lord is waiting outside. He says he has come to ask the Alliance Lord a favor.”
If all three of them arrived together, it would look like they had conspired beforehand, so they had come separately.
Jin Haryeong convincingly acted surprised. She trembled for no reason at the thought of Geom Mugeuk standing outside that door. No acting was necessary.
“Before you let him in, there’s something I’d like to ask of you, Alliance Lord.”
“Speak.”
“I don’t know what favor the Demon Cult’s Young Lord intends to ask, but if it is something you can grant, please lend me your support.”
There was a reason she was making a request she normally would not have made.
“You know about the child abduction case we dealt with during the Vanquish Demons Unit’s operation last time. On the way here, I asked the Young Lord about it, and he said he had broken the brainwashing placed on those children and sent them back to their respective homes. Did you know that?”
Jin Paecheon nodded. He had already received a report on the matter. He had been overjoyed to hear that the children had been rescued safely. That was why he had secretly been pleased to hear that Geom Mugeuk had come.
“That incident was the Vanquish Demons Unit’s responsibility, so in the end, I incurred a debt to the Young Lord. I’d like to repay it on this occasion.”
Jin Paecheon readily accepted his grandson’s request.
“Very well.”
A short while later, Geom Mugeuk entered the hall.
He bowed deeply and greeted them with due courtesy.
“Alliance Lord, have you been well?”
“Welcome.”
Jin Paecheon studied Geom Mugeuk with a calm gaze. His eyes were clearer and deeper than when they had met before.
‘His martial cultivation has risen even further since then.’
The more he looked at him, the more he wanted him. And that made his regret all the keener.
Geom Mugeuk greeted Jin Haryeong as though they were meeting for the first time as well.
“Miss Jin, it’s been a long time. Have you been well?”
“It’s inconvenient without a servant.”
Geom Mugeuk laughed at her joke and replied,
“If it’s you, Miss Jin, I can serve as your attendant anytime.”
Even knowing he was only teasing, his words made her heart flutter.
“I heard about your exploits in the Unorthodox Alliance. I heard you rescued all the children. That was truly remarkable.”
She praised Geom Mugeuk’s achievement once more. Today’s gathering was not about obtaining her grandfather’s permission, but about winning his favor.
“I was merely fortunate. The Unorthodox Alliance also gave me their full assistance.”
After exchanging greetings, Geom Mugeuk calmly explained why he had come.
“I received great help from the Unorthodox Alliance Lord while handling the matter there. So I invited the Unorthodox Alliance Lord to my regular tavern in front of our cult.”
Jin Paecheon said nothing. His aura began to sink.
The surroundings instantly turned cold, as though someone had flung open a window in the middle of winter.
As the Alliance Lord’s gentle gaze flew toward him like a sharp icicle, Geom Mugeuk continued speaking.
“The Unorthodox Alliance Lord said he didn’t want to cause any unnecessary misunderstanding with you, Alliance Lord. So I told him I would come and explain things to you to make sure there were no misunderstandings. That is why I came. It’s nothing serious, so please don’t misunderstand.”
Jin Paecheon’s expression hardened, and his gaze grew even colder. To him, it sounded as though the Demon Cult intended to join hands with the Unorthodox Alliance.
Jin Hagun and Jin Haryeong thought that, so far, things were going well. If Geom Mugeuk had not been the one standing before him, Jin Paecheon would already have thundered at him.
Jin Haryeong spoke coldly in her grandfather’s place.
“So you intend to hold secret talks with the Unorthodox Alliance. Since you’re bound to be found out anyway, are you confessing first?”
“It’s true that we would be found out eventually. But this isn’t a secret meeting. It’s a personal matter between the Unorthodox Alliance Lord and me. We’ll meet at a tavern where everyone can see us, so the entire martial world will learn of it.”
Geom Mugeuk emphasized that it was not a secret meeting.
“If you truly intended to meet him in secret, would you choose a tavern in Maga Village?”
“Why did you choose that place?”
The question had not been part of the plan. It reflected nothing more than her personal curiosity. It was also the place he had once said he wanted to invite her to.
“The place I intend to take the Unorthodox Alliance Lord is called the Wind and Pleasure Tavern. The owner’s name is Jo Chunbae. He’s kind, skilled, and knows how to create a pleasant atmosphere. When you sit upstairs, drink a cup of liquor, and look outside, you can understand why you have to go on living.”
Jin Haryeong was curious.
What did he see there?
“The tables there are sturdy enough that even a martial artist won’t break them. The customers who come there may be surprised when the Unorthodox Alliance Lord arrives, but they won’t be afraid.”
“How is that possible?”
Geom Mugeuk answered with complete sincerity.
“Because my demonic path is there.”
A brief silence followed.
Who could understand the profound meaning contained in those words?
Yet precisely because she could not understand them, Jin Haryeong wanted to visit the place even more.
She returned to the original plan and showed a coldness unlike her true feelings.
“You’re trying to beguile us with plausible words, but this is something we cannot permit.”
There was a reason Jin Haryeong stepped forward to oppose him. If she showed even the slightest sign of agreeing with Geom Mugeuk, her grandfather would only become more worried and enraged.
Jin Hagun, meanwhile, stood silently. Since he had already said that he owed the Young Lord a debt, he merely showed a faintly troubled expression.
“Whether you join hands with the Unorthodox Alliance is your business, but at the very least, don’t deceive us!”
Her shrill voice rang through the Alliance Lord’s Hall.
“Deceive you?”
“You say this is merely a private meeting between you and the Young Lord, but there’s no way the leader of the Divine Cult would fail to come when the Unorthodox Alliance Lord is visiting, is there?”
Jin Paecheon was concerned about that as well. In the end, it would become a meeting between the Heavenly Demon and the Unorthodox Alliance Lord.
“You’ll exchange messages through telepathy, won’t you? Their martial arts are so profound that Grandfather is the only one who could notice it. In the end, you and the Unorthodox Alliance could plot something in secret.”
She subtly emphasized that no scheme could be carried out recklessly as long as her grandfather was present.
“That’s a misunderstanding.”
Jin Haryeong said to Jin Paecheon.
“Grandfather, never give your permission.”
Jin Haryeong became enraged before anyone else, leaving Jin Paecheon no chance to get angry himself. Her outburst, coming from someone who seemed likely to take Geom Mugeuk’s side, had the desired effect.
“Haryeong, calm yourself for a moment.”
“This is an act of deception against you and the Alliance!”
“I said that’s enough!”
“I’m sorry, Grandfather.”
Jin Paecheon asked Jin Hagun, who had been silently observing the situation,
“What do you think?”
Jin Hagun offered an entirely new perspective.
“What are you plotting? Do you intend to lure the Evil Path Alliance Leader here and kill him?”
For a moment, Jin Paecheon was inwardly startled. He had been so focused on the possibility that the Demonic Cult and the Evil Path Alliance were joining hands to scheme against them that he had never considered the Demonic Cult might intend to kill the Evil Path Alliance Leader.
It was a question that was entirely plausible, so Jin Paecheon watched Geom Mugeuk closely for his reaction and answer.
For a moment, Geom Mugeuk was flustered and could not reply.
“I mean, are you planning to use this opportunity to attack the Evil Path Alliance?”
“Don’t make such a ridiculous accusation.”
“If the Evil Path Alliance Leader were to die in some unfortunate accident during this gathering, the Young Alliance Leader would naturally take his place. And aren’t you close to the Young Alliance Leader of the Evil Path Alliance?”
Jin Haryeong picked up where Jin Hagun left off. This was the most important moment in today’s plan.
“Then you’ll seize control of the Evil Path Alliance! Now I understand why you tried so hard to grow close to the Young Alliance Leader.”
Jin Paecheon found the speculation quite convincing. Who could guarantee that things would not turn out exactly that way? Besides, Geom Mugeuk, who was always so self-assured, seemed somewhat cowed, as though she had struck the heart of the matter.
“Am I wrong?”
“I came only to ask for permission. If you do not wish to grant it, you need only say so. There is no need to make such groundless speculations.”
Geom Mugeuk looked at Jin Paecheon.
“If the Alliance Leader shares your granddaughter’s opinion, then I shall take my leave.”
Jin Paecheon sensed something suspicious in the way he tried to withdraw without arguing the matter any further. He became convinced that there was undoubtedly some hidden motive behind this unprecedented proposal.
‘The balance between the Orthodox, Unorthodox, and Demonic factions is going to be shattered?’
Suddenly, Jin Paecheon recalled the appearance of the Heavenly Demon, Geom Ujin.
Whenever he thought of that man, the first thing that came to mind was his cold, arrogant gaze. That ambition-filled gaze, which made it clear he would never be content with merely becoming the Demonic Cult’s leader.
‘Is your gaze still the same?’
Geom Mugeuk respectfully cupped his hands and turned away.
“I shall take my leave.”
Just as Geom Mugeuk was hurriedly turning around—
“Wait.”
The shocking declaration that followed came from Jin Paecheon.
“I will attend this gathering as well.”
Startled, Geom Mugeuk hurriedly said,
“No, there’s no need for you to come. You only need to refrain from misunderstanding this as a gathering between the Demonic Cult and the Evil Path Alliance. There is no need for you to attend!”
At Geom Mugeuk’s insistence, Jin Paecheon spoke firmly, as if making a declaration.
“I said I’m going!”