When Cha Iran arrived at Geom Mugeuk’s residence, she ran into someone unexpected at the entrance.
“Huh?”
She was a woman who would not so much as blink no matter what vicious demons she faced, but there was only one person who could fluster her—and that was the Sword King.
The two of them bowed to each other in greeting.
“The Young Cult Leader invited me for a meal.”
“As he did me.”
It was clear that Geom Mugeuk had called them both without telling either of them.
Since the Sword King already knew that Cha Iran had feelings for him, meeting like this was terribly awkward.
“Let’s go in.”
“Yes.”
The two of them stepped into the place from which a delicious smell was wafting.
“Brother Ak, you’re here? Welcome, Squad Leader Cha.”
Geom Mugeuk was cooking in the courtyard. A large table was already set with liquor and dishes, and meat was grilling beside it.
“Please wait just a moment and you’ll be able to eat.”
Just then, Ian came out of the building carrying wine cups, bowls, and chopsticks.
Cha Iran greeted her first.
“Unit Leader.”
“Squad Leader Cha, you’re here?”
Looking at the dishes laid out on the table, Cha Iran asked Ian,
“Is today a special day?”
Ian turned and asked Geom Mugeuk the exact same thing.
“Is today a special day?”
“It’s the day the Drunken Demon gifted me some fine liquor, so I’m having a drink with friends. Also, it’s the day our Brother Ak announces the design for his new life.”
When Cha Iran looked at him as if asking what that meant, the Sword King appeared flustered, as though this was the first he had heard of it.
Cha Iran grasped the situation.
“Now that even the Heavenly Killing Star is gone, you needed a new prey.”
At her joke, the Sword King nodded.
“We do come from that side, don’t we?”
This time, Cha Iran nodded in agreement.
“Don’t misunderstand! Today’s prey is this meat I cooked.”
Geom Mugeuk cut the meat he had been grilling and brought it to the table.
“This is the first time the four of us have eaten together, isn’t it?”
It was a gathering Geom Mugeuk had planned. He had wanted to drink with the four of them like this, and as it happened, the Sword King had provided the pretext, while the Drunken Demon had provided good liquor.
After tasting the Drunken Demon’s liquor, Cha Iran marveled at its flavor.
“It’s truly delicious.”
It was a taste she had never experienced before, one that naturally lifted her spirits.
Ian sent a sound transmission to Geom Mugeuk.
—You prepared this gathering to bring those two together, didn’t you?
—No.
—Then why?
—Because I wanted to spend time with you. Those two were just a bonus while I was at it.
Knowing full well that it was not true, Ian still smiled happily at the pleasing words.
Seeing them exchange sound transmissions and smile, the Sword King shook his head. How could he not know what that Geom Mugeuk was scheming? He was probably going to bring up the inn to Cha Iran.
Just then, Cha Iran asked the Sword King,
“Do you still wish to leave?”
By now, the Sword King had completely abandoned the thought of leaving.
“It feels as though the place I reached after leaving was here.”
At those words, Cha Iran smiled. The same was true for her.
“Oh, right. You agreed to take charge of our squad’s swordsmanship training, didn’t you?”
Geom Mugeuk cut into their conversation.
“That may be difficult. Brother Ak is planning a new business.”
“What kind of business?”
“He intends to build the largest inn in the Central Plains.”
Geom Mugeuk explained what kind of inn it would be. Luxurious and splendid, with the rule that absolutely no fighting would be allowed inside.
“He’s looking for a business partner right now. Someone sharp and decisive would be ideal. Our Brother Ak is surprisingly softhearted.”
Geom Mugeuk openly revealed his true intentions.
“Are you not interested in such a business, Squad Leader Cha? You must have earned plenty of money to invest, too.”
When Cha Iran hesitated to answer, the Sword King stepped in.
“Stop talking nonsense.”
He was stopping him because he worried Cha Iran might feel pressured. Of course, Geom Mugeuk was not the sort to stop just because of that.
“I’m not telling the two of you to date. I’m giving Squad Leader Cha a chance to choose.”
Geom Mugeuk’s gaze turned to Cha Iran. She could feel it. He truly was giving her an opportunity, exactly as he said.
Not an opportunity to go into the inn business, but an opportunity to hold on to this man named Ak Gunhak.
Her relationship with Ak Gunhak right now was ambiguous. If only he had not known that she liked him, perhaps it would not have been this awkward.
If she could not create some kind of change, their relationship would simply drift along and come to an end. Moreover, if he truly proceeded with that inn business, there would be no occasion for them to meet in the Divine Cult.
Geom Mugeuk’s eyes seemed to be saying this to her.
Aren’t you an assassin? Your target is right in front of you. Don’t let him get away!
At last, her answer came.
“I’m interested.”
Since he had not expected Cha Iran to say she was interested, the Sword King was slightly flustered.
“I’d like to take part in that business too.”
The Sword King asked her,
“Were you interested in running an inn?”
Cha Iran answered honestly.
“No. Not once in my life have I ever thought of running an inn.”
“Then why?”
Cha Iran gazed at the Sword King and mustered her final bit of courage.
“Because I am still holding on to your right foot.”
The Sword King understood what she meant.
On the day he had first reunited with her in the Heavenly Demon Divine Cult, Geom Mugeuk had said jokingly that he would hold on to Ak Gunhak’s left leg so he could not run away, and told her to hold tightly on to his right leg.
That was why he knew how much courage she had gathered to say this now.
This was her confession.
The Sword King did not dislike her either.
It would be a lie to say he disliked a woman so beautiful she could contend for the title of the greatest beauty under heaven, but because she was such a woman, he also felt burdened. Most importantly, he still did not know what kind of person she was.
“We do not know each other well, do we?”
Looking quietly at the Sword King, Cha Iran replied,
“Does knowing someone for a long time mean you will know them well?”
She looked at Geom Mugeuk.
“Did you decide to change your life only after knowing exactly what kind of person the Young Cult Leader was?”
At least, she had not.
And neither had the Sword King. Even now, he still did not know everything about what kind of person Geom Mugeuk was.
And yet he had become his friend. He had seen one good side of a person, become intoxicated by its intensity, and changed his life.
When the Sword King made no reply, Cha Iran emptied the cup before her and said,
“Don’t feel burdened. I only said it because I thought if I didn’t today, I never would. I hope your business prospers.”
She also greeted Geom Mugeuk and Ian.
“Thank you for inviting me today. The liquor and food were truly delicious.”
She had no regrets. If she had let him go without even saying this properly, she would have regretted it all along.
Just as she rose from her seat, the Sword King spoke in a strong voice.
“Let’s do it.”
Cha Iran looked at the Sword King in surprise.
“Let’s open an inn together.”
The Sword King lifted the liquor bottle, telling her to receive a drink.
“They say we can’t fight inside the inn, but if there are bastards who refuse to listen to the very end, let’s beat them up together as we run it. If it fails, let’s curse that friend of mine to our hearts’ content. We’ll say he lured us into opening some strange inn and made us ruin ourselves splendidly.”
Cha Iran sat back down, accepted the Sword King’s drink, and said,
“If I don’t start, then so be it, but if I do, I will absolutely make it the number one inn in the Central Plains.”
At that momentum, the Sword King flinched inwardly. So this was why she was needed?
Only belatedly did Cha Iran look at Ian and say,
“Ah, I should have received your permission first, Unit Leader.”
Ian said playfully,
“Indeed. Unauthorized departure is a serious crime, so what should we do?”
“How about this? We’ll allow you and the Young Cult Leader to use our inn for free for the rest of your lives.”
“I think that should be enough.”
Meanwhile, Geom Mugeuk and the Sword King were exchanging sound transmissions.
—This is an unexpected variable, Brother Ak! I feel like Squad Leader Cha has already taken your inn from you! Maybe even you too.
—Don’t make me walk this path and think you alone can slip away.
—I’ll have to watch and judge whether Brother Ak lives well or not.
The two of them looked at each other and smiled.
It had only been a thought of trying his hand at running an inn, but Geom Mugeuk had set the stage for that inn to grow into the number one inn in the Central Plains, and for him to do it together with the greatest beauty under heaven.
Both the Martial Alliance Leader and the Evil Dao Alliance Leader had watched his every move and struggled to take him in, yet this Young Cult Leader was trying to send him out like this. Telling him to live his own life.
‘Thank you, my friend.’
Geom Mugeuk raised his cup high and said,
“Now then, to our lifelong free inn!”
* * *
The next day, when Geom Mugeuk went to the Thousand Poison Forest with a bottle of liquor in hand, the Poison King’s right-hand man, Sangseon, came to greet him.
“It has been a long time, Young Cult Leader.”
“Have you been well?”
“Thanks to you, I have been well. Young Cult Leader, congratulations on repelling the great enemy.”
They walked together, exchanging various words, when Sangseon said something unexpected.
“Ah, please do not be surprised today.”
“What do you mean?”
“After the battle at Maga Village, the Poison King changed a little.”
“Don’t tell me he has shut himself off from the outside entirely and sunk into a world of his own?”
At that, Sangseon gave an unexpected answer.
“No. It is the opposite.”
“Pardon?”
“You will understand when you see him.”
Sangseon gave an unreadable smile.
In that way, Geom Mugeuk arrived at the Poison King’s workshop. The Poison King was alone in his workshop. Sitting on the edge of a large worktable, the Poison King lifted his head and greeted Geom Mugeuk.
“You’re here?”
Geom Mugeuk flinched in surprise at the unfamiliar sight of the Poison King greeting him first. He had always been deeply absorbed in something.
“Have you eaten?”
When he even asked whether he had eaten, Geom Mugeuk shouted,
“Who are you? Who are you, and why are you inside the Poison King’s body?”
The Poison King laughed and looked at the bottle Geom Mugeuk was holding.
“Is that liquor? Bring it here.”
He felt like a completely different person. Geom Mugeuk understood why Sangseon had told him not to be surprised.
With a bewildered look, Geom Mugeuk approached and handed him the liquor he had brought.
The Poison King drank straight from the bottle. He wiped the liquor running down the corner of his mouth with his sleeve.
“Unfortunately, I just failed to compound the Blood Serpent Deadly Poison. I thought I would succeed this time. But what kind of liquor is this, for it to be so good?”
“The liquor is good because the Drunken Demon gave it to me, but…”
Geom Mugeuk stared fixedly at the Poison King’s face.
“Were you originally this kind of person?”
“What was I like?”
“You didn’t speak much, and you were always lost in some other thought.”
“That would not do. A person who handles poison must be colder and more rational than anyone.”
Now that he thought about it, that was true. How could someone who blankly stared at poisonous insects handle poisons capable of killing hundreds or thousands of people in an instant?
Just as there was a lonely side of himself, the Poison King had another side hidden as well.
“Demon Buddha! Look at this. You’ve been completely fooled until now! You were used as an herb gatherer by such a coldhearted man!”
At Geom Mugeuk’s cry, the Poison King smiled faintly and held out the bottle. Geom Mugeuk also drank deeply and refreshingly before asking again,
“Why did you put on that act?”
“It was not an act.”
“Then?”
“With only a cold and rational self, one cannot comprehend the ultimate essence of poison arts. Only by going mad over poison, watching poisonous insects all day, and thinking only of poison can one complete poison arts.”
When he needed to immerse himself in his own world, he had to do so, and when he needed to be rational like this, he had to be this way.
He was saying that only by possessing both sides could one reach the true final realm of poison arts.
“If poison is used incorrectly, it is not only you who dies. Your family dies, your comrades die, and even passersby die. That is why, if you are not prepared to go mad over poison, you should not learn poison arts in the first place.”
Perhaps for the Poison King, of those two contradictory sides, the more comfortable one was when he was deeply immersed in his own world.
But now, he had closed the door to that world and come out to this side. Geom Mugeuk had the feeling that even if he came tomorrow, or the day after, the Poison King would remain exactly like this.
“It is because of my father, isn’t it?”
The Poison King, who had been drinking, flinched.
Until now, the Poison King’s existence had been the strongest deterrent against war. But once war broke out, the Poison King would become the cult’s most powerful weapon.
This intelligent Poison King knew. With the death of the Heavenly Killing Star, a true battle would now begin.
Not a battle to protect the Young Cult Leader, but his father’s war to unify murim. In the end, this was what the Poison King’s change meant.
The Poison King had begun preparing for war.
Geom Mugeuk handed him the liquor bottle and said,
“Please teach me how to make one antidote.”
“What need does someone immune to all poisons have for an antidote?”
Then unexpected words flowed from Geom Mugeuk’s mouth.
“An antidote that can stop the unification of murim.”
The Poison King looked at Geom Mugeuk. No matter how much his words and actions had changed, the person inside was still the same Poison King who had once barked like a dog with him.
“To make an antidote, you must first understand the poison properly.”
The Poison King had said before that the flower of poison arts was not poisoning, but detoxification.
“Have you ever asked the Cult Leader about the unification of murim he dreams of?”
“!”
He had not yet asked his father. What kind of world do you dream of?
“If you want to make an antidote, you must know exactly what kind of poison it is.”
The Poison King’s advice told him what he had to do first when he sat at that drinking table, just as the Drunken Demon had advised.
With a bright smile, Geom Mugeuk expressed his gratitude to the Poison King.
“Thank you for your words. Thanks to you, I have a sense of how I should make the antidote.”
But the Poison King did not give him only a clue to the antidote. He also left him with the question of whether that poison truly needed to be detoxified.
“On that day, the Cult Leader was prepared to die.”
The Poison King’s gaze deepened as he recalled that time.
“He was determined to save you, no matter what. He was sincere.”
Could he dare imagine his father’s feelings as he entrusted his safety to the Poison King? Or the feelings of the Poison King as he received that order?
“Considering that the person he entrusted his son to at the very end was you, Poison King, it seems my father trusted you the most.”
The Poison King shook his head.
“That cannot be.”
Perhaps the relationship between the Poison King and his father was like the relationship between him and his father before his regression. Misunderstanding, rigidity, and prejudice had formed a wall between them.
“Sometime, please speak openly with my father about poison arts. Show him this side of you as well. It may not be as bad as you think.”
Have a conversation with the Cult Leader? That was not an easy thing for the Poison King.
“There are days like today, when no matter how hard you try and how much care you take, you fail to compound a poison.”
At that, Geom Mugeuk said casually, for the sake of improving the relationship between his father and the Poison King.
“Shall I teach you one way to make an antidote too?”
With an expression that said this was truly a secret, and that he was telling only him in particular, Geom Mugeuk whispered,
“Start practicing fishing from today.”