At the sound of a distant bell, Geom Mugeuk rose from the armchair.
“Ahh! It’s finally over!”
It was his first day as acting Cult Leader.
Never before had a day felt so long. He would rather train or fight until he was covered in blood.
As he descended the stairs and tried to leave the Heavenly Demon Hall, Hwi dropped his concealment and revealed himself.
“Uncle.”
“From now on, you must address me as Commander Hwi.”
“When it’s just the two of us, I’ll call you Uncle.”
Hwi’s gaze as he looked at Geom Mugeuk was gentle. After the three of them had traveled together with his father, Hwi had become incomparably closer to him than before. They had also come to know much more about each other.
“I have prepared quarters for you in the inner garden of the Heavenly Demon Hall. You will have to stay there for the time being.”
Since it was the position of acting in place of the Cult Leader, treatment befitting a Cult Leader and guards naturally followed.
Walking through the inner garden following Hwi, he cautiously asked.
“Is Father alright?”
“He is fine.”
“That’s a relief.”
Geom Mugeuk had worried that there might be another reason for this seclusion. Fortunately, he could find no trace of worry from Hwi. The person from whom he could get the most accurate answer regarding his father would be Hwi.
“This is the room.”
The place Hwi guided him to was the room across from his father’s quarters.
“Isn’t this also a room that Father uses?”
“That is correct. He used to read books and contemplate here. He instructed that this room be given to the Young Lord.”
Though it was not as large as the room where his father slept, it was elegantly yet luxuriously decorated. The bookshelves and tea tables looked ordinary on the outside, but they were all crafted by master artisans.
This room also had a large bed, with clean, fluffy bedding laid upon it. Sitting on the edge of the bed, Geom Mugeuk spoke.
“Now I understand why Father goes to sleep so early. With how much he worries and works during the day, how could sleep not come?”
The one who had watched that sight most closely, Hwi, was smiling before his eyes.
“I shall take my leave now. If you need anything, please call for me.”
“What I need is Father! Please, go and bring him here for me.”
Just as he was jokingly seeing Hwi out, something caught Geom Mugeuk’s eye.
“Huh? What’s this!”
Startled, Geom Mugeuk walked over to the display cabinet.
Something was placed on the display cabinet set to one side.
Surprisingly, they were the Demon Lord dolls sold in Magachon.
All Eight Demon Lords were there, and among them was a doll of Geom Mugeuk himself.
When Hanseol had visited the Heavenly Demon Divine Cult some time ago, a merchant selling dolls in Magachon had mentioned that a Young Lord doll would soon be released.
It seemed the dolls had come out while he was away handling matters at the Hwangnyong Martial Hall.
Geom Mugeuk was not surprised that a doll of him had come out.
“Why is this here?”
Demon Lord dolls in Father’s room!
Hwi simply gave a faint smile.
“Don’t tell me. Did Father buy these?”
Surprisingly, Hwi nodded his head.
“Before entering seclusion, the Cult Leader had once had a drink at a tavern in Magachon. On the way back that day, he saw the Young Lord doll and bought all of them.”
It meant that he had shown no interest until now but bought them upon seeing his son’s doll released. He must have bought all the Demon Lords’ dolls as well because it would have been awkward to buy just one.
The image of that day came to mind. His father, having had a drink at the tavern and returning with his face flushed red with intoxication, buying the dolls.
It was touching enough that he bought them, but it was even more moving that he had displayed them like this.
“Please wait here for a moment.”
Geom Mugeuk left the room.
Shortly after, Geom Mugeuk returned with something. What he had gone to buy in an instant using Rapid Step was the Heavenly Demon doll. There had been no doll of his father among the displayed ones.
He moved his own doll standing in the center to the side and placed his father’s doll in the middle.
“Now it’s finally complete.”
Watching that sight, Hwi’s smile deepened.
Originally, these dolls should have been put away before giving the room to Geom Mugeuk. The Cult Leader was not someone who wanted to show such things to his son.
But Hwi had deliberately not put them away. Because he wanted to let Geom Mugeuk know the Cult Leader’s heart. The Cult Leader he served was someone who, unless he did something like this, would never express his feelings to his son.
“Then please rest well.”
As he stepped out of the room and closed the door, he saw the sight of Geom Mugeuk gazing at the dolls.
It was good that he hadn’t put them away.
* * *
The next morning, Geom Mugeuk had Hwi gather the guards.
“Gather all the Heavenly Demon Hall guard squads. All of the Young Lord’s guards at my quarters as well.”
Hwi was inwardly nervous. It was not anything else, but a request to call all the guard squads.
“Understood.”
Hwi obeyed the order without asking the reason.
Shortly after, the guard warriors all gathered in the rear garden of the Heavenly Demon Hall.
Though there were many guard squads in the Heavenly Demon Divine Cult, those with the best skill were naturally the Heavenly Demon Hall guard squads.
In particular, the squad leaders who protected the Cult Leader inside the Heavenly Demon Hall alongside Hwi possessed tremendous skill. Though their positions were squad leaders, they were experts of pavilion lord level or higher.
There, the twelve guards including Jeogyeon, the captain of the Young Lord’s guard, were also called forth.
Since only the guards protecting the Cult Leader could enter and exit the Heavenly Demon Hall, they were extremely nervous. Needless to say about Commander Hwi, but the other guards were all great seniors to them as well.
Geom Mugeuk greeted them warmly first.
“Hey, my guards! It’s been so long I was about to forget your faces.”
“We greet the Young Lord!”
They all clasped their fists and shouted in booming voices.
Geom Mugeuk approached Jeogyeon.
“You’ve got a line of women following you around, haven’t you?”
Jeogyeon, who had worn an eyepatch because he felt awkward despite having achieved great success in the Ghost Eye Technique, was now without the eyepatch.
“No, sir!”
It had been so long since he had gone out to the streets claiming to train in martial arts that he couldn’t even remember!
Had they been alone, he would have given that kind of answer.
He could not give such an answer in a place where his seniors were watching.
Jeogyeon felt ashamed before Hwi and the seniors. Because they had been failing to properly carry out their duties.
Of course, everyone knew that Geom Mugeuk was inherently free-spirited and liked to go around alone, but nevertheless, it was true that they could not properly fulfill their duties.
“You’ve all trained hard in the meantime.”
Geom Mugeuk could tell from their stances alone how hard they had worked.
In fact, they had devoted themselves to martial arts training while waiting for Geom Mugeuk. Thanks to that, they had become much stronger than when they first met him.
Having gathered all the guards like this, Geom Mugeuk looked over everyone with a calm yet dignified gaze.
“Commander Hwi, I have a request.”
“Please speak.”
“During my time as acting Cult Leader, I will have my own guards protect me.”
At the unexpected words, Hwi as well as the existing Heavenly Demon guards were bewildered.
The Young Lord’s guards were, after all, the most junior class; yet he was saying he would entrust his protection to them.
“I wish to give them a chance to accumulate experience through this opportunity.”
Hwi, contemplating for a moment, answered politely.
“Understood. It shall be done.”
The guards including Jeogyeon were all delighted. They had finally been entrusted with properly guarding Geom Mugeuk. And it was a mission inside the Heavenly Demon Hall at that.
That was not the only reason Geom Mugeuk had gathered them today.
“I have one more request.”
“Please speak.”
“Except for my guards and Commander Hwi, I am granting leave to all the remaining guards.”
At the unexpected words, they were even more bewildered this time.
“This is also the first order I am issuing as acting Cult Leader.”
He hammered it in as an outright order. In truth, the person he most wanted to give leave to was Hwi, but he excluded him because he knew Hwi would never accept the order otherwise.
Hwi could understand. That Geom Mugeuk was trying to give the guards a chance to rest through this opportunity.
“I have the authority to refuse orders that conflict with guard duties.”
That was the greatest authority given to the Commander of the Guards.
“I am aware.”
“May I ask the reason for this?”
Hwi had guessed the reason, but he deliberately asked so that his subordinates could know what Geom Mugeuk was thinking.
“Because opportunities like this do not come often.”
Even when the three of them had traveled together last time, the guards had been unable to rest. Though they did not move together openly, they had to move constantly, coordinating with Hwi and waiting in unseen places.
Geom Mugeuk’s gaze turned to the guards.
“Rest well while Father is away. Visit your hometowns, go on trips with your families. Catch up on sleep.”
Who could have imagined that the Young Lord would grant them leave? Everyone was bewildered, not knowing how to react.
Geom Mugeuk’s gaze turned back to Hwi.
“Will you refuse?”
Had he been excluded as well, he would have refused. But he could not deny that this was a golden opportunity to let his subordinates rest.
“No. I gratefully accept the command you have given.”
As soon as the leave was decided, uncontainable joy flashed across the guards’ faces. Of course, it wasn’t as if they worked without a single day’s break. They had taken turns resting in shifts, but a proper leave like this was something they couldn’t even dream of.
“Here, take these and share them.”
Geom Mugeuk gave them the envelopes he had prepared. Inside was enough money to fully enjoy their leave. Regardless of the amount, they were moved even more deeply by his heart.
“Everyone, rest well and return.”
“Thank you!”
Their booming answers were filled with gratitude.
The Heavenly Demon Hall guards all withdrew.
Hwi went out with them. Given Hwi’s personality, he would not send them all off blindly. Adjusting schedules, checking emergency communication networks. He would have much to do.
Those remaining there now were Jeogyeon and the guards.
“Are you disappointed you can’t go on leave?”
At that, Jeogyeon answered on behalf of everyone.
“All this time, we’ve been disappointed that we couldn’t do our duty!”
Because the seniors were not present, they could be honest.
“You can protect me well, right?”
“Yes!”
“I’m counting on you alone.”
Not only Jeogyeon, but the other guards’ eyes blazed as well.
Someday these men would grow just like the seniors who preceded them. Just as Hwi was by his father’s side, this Jeogyeon would be by his side.
“Jeogyeon!”
“Yes!”
He had called out in a grave voice, but the business at hand was something that flustered Jeogyeon.
“You’ve taken off the eyepatch too, so shall we go pick up some women?”
Jeogyeon answered, his face reddening.
“We cannot.”
Geom Mugeuk slumped his shoulders and walked off, sighing deeply.
“Right, we can’t. The work from yesterday is still piled up like a mountain, after all.”
* * *
Sama Myeong had piled another stack of documents high beside the ones left from yesterday.
“Don’t tell me these are the tasks that need to be handled today?”
“Yes, that is correct.”
At Sama Myeong’s answer, Geom Mugeuk shook his head.
“You’re telling me all this happened in one day? No, right? You made all this up and brought it here, didn’t you?”
Sama Myeong took Geom Mugeuk’s joke as a joke.
“Yes, I couldn’t sleep a wink all night making them up.”
Geom Mugeuk shook his head.
“How can so many things happen in a single day!”
The Tongcheon Pavilion strategists must have categorized information flying in from all over the Central Plains until late hours. Sama Myeong, too, must have been unable to sleep until late.
“So there were people you could send on leave after all.”
He didn’t ask what he meant; it seemed he already knew about the guards being sent on leave.
“If we leave our posts, the main cult’s affairs will be paralyzed.”
“So what?”
“Pardon?”
“It would be paralyzed for about ten days. Send an official letter to the Murim Alliance and the Heretic Alliance. ‘We’ll be resting for ten days, so absolutely do not touch us! Touch us and there will be war in ten days!’”
Sama Myeong smiled at the remark that they should declare war after finishing their vacation.
“We are taking turns resting well, so please do not worry too much.”
But Geom Mugeuk knew. That Sama Myeong himself was working without a single day of rest.
“I’m not worried about the young strategists. It’s the Chief Strategist I’m worried about.”
“I am fine. There is a mental technique the Cult Leader taught me long ago. I perform it once after waking and once before sleeping. Thanks to that, I have become very healthy.”
Indeed, his father must have been very concerned about Sama Myeong’s health as well. Sama Myeong was someone absolutely indispensable to the main cult.
Yes, the best way to care for Sama Myeong was to finish the work as quickly as possible.
“Come, let’s pick up the pace today.”
Certainly, the work processing speed had increased compared to yesterday.
While working together, Sama Myeong discovered one great strength in Geom Mugeuk.
Geom Mugeuk asked questions well. He was not ashamed of what he did not know. He strove hard to remember what he had learned through asking.
Because Sama Myeong was a strategist, he regarded this point as an even greater strength.
He knew from experience that when one pretended to know what one did not, that pretense sometimes returned as a great disaster.
That was why he always told his subordinates. Do not pretend to know what you do not. It is fine to go slowly, it is fine to look ignorant, but absolutely do not pretend to know what you do not.
Just then, Geom Mugeuk, who was passing over documents, asked Sama Myeong.
“But did Father decide even this kind of matter?”
“Yes, he did.”
“The Cult Leader used to say that if you do not properly understand the small details within the cult, you cannot decide great affairs.”
He could hardly believe that his father had even said this. The more he worked, the more he learned new sides of his father.
“My father must be the most misunderstood person in the world. Even by his own son.”
When martial artists thought of the Heavenly Demon, they imagined him indulging in all manner of pleasures and revelry, enjoying blood-soaked banquets, but his father had been silently working for the cult. Even amid that, he had looked after the Demon Lords in his own way.
“The Heavenly Demon was overworked.”
If he had known, he would have let him win at fishing.