At my provocation, the air around us grew heavy and stifling. The demonic qi flowing from the Extreme Evil Laughing Demon had seized control of the surroundings.
His demonic qi was special. The reason he had earned the epithet “Extreme Evil” was precisely because of this demonic qi known as the Laughing Evil Heart.
The Laughing Evil Heart awakened humanity’s primal violence.
When exposed to the Laughing Evil Heart, one’s heart would pound violently and the urge to kill someone would arise. In truth, if one’s cultivation was weak, one might even draw a sword and stab the person beside them to death.
Even experts with deep internal energy found it difficult to fight normally under the influence of the Laughing Evil Heart.
“Behind this mask are two faces. If the face other than the one Second Young Master has seen until now awakens, even I find it difficult to handle. That is why removing the mask is hard.”
If the face I had seen until now was the Laughing Demon, then the other face must have been Extreme Evil.
“I did not say that to be rude to you, Laughing Demon. It is just that, to my mind, a friend is someone whose face you should be able to see without reserve, whether they have two faces or three. It was said out of youthful bravado, so if I was rude, please forgive me.”
I had been exposed to this Laughing Evil Heart before my regression as well. Back then, I had not learned the Heavenly Demon Protection Art, so I had to endure it with great difficulty.
But now was different.
The Heavenly Demon Protection Art activated naturally and blocked his Laughing Evil Heart. My Heavenly Demon Protection Art had not yet reached great completion, but it had reached a level where it could easily fend off the Laughing Evil Heart being emitted now.
Instead of intensifying the Laughing Evil Heart further, the Extreme Evil Laughing Demon slowly withdrew his demonic qi. The smiling eyes in the holes of his mask gradually settled into coldness. The laughter fading meant that he had calmed his anger.
“As expected, Second Young Master is remarkable. You are not shaken at all by my Laughing Evil Heart.”
“I was trained in malice and venom from a young age, you see. You know, don’t you? That my elder brother was harsh to me, if no one else.”
The Extreme Evil Laughing Demon laughed out loud. As if he had never created such tension, he had returned to the way he had been when I first saw him.
“As expected, Second Young Master is an amusing person. It is truly a pity that we could not become friends.”
“Then I will take my leave.”
As I opened the door to leave, the Extreme Evil Laughing Demon spoke.
“As expected, I still believe Second Young Master killed the Soul-Seizing Demon Venerable.”
“You misunderstand.”
I did not deny it vehemently. This very tension between him and me was the most important element in maintaining our relationship.
As the door closed, I saw the Extreme Evil Laughing Demon left alone in the white room.
* * *
At the entrance to the Valley of Villains, I met Seo Daeryong.
“Investigator Seo, what brings you here?”
“I am in the middle of training. I was running as part of my physical conditioning.”
“Of all places, in front of the Valley of Villains?”
“It just turned out that way.”
“If things got dangerous, were you planning to rush in and save me?”
He was even carrying the great saber he used for training.
“I’m touched.”
“I said that’s not it. How could I possibly break through that place?”
“That’s why I’m touched. You came to save me even though you knew full well you’d die.”
“I just came to take a look. If I heard sounds of fighting from inside, I was going to inform Master.”
“As expected, you’re smart. Of course that’s what you should do. You shouldn’t charge in when you don’t have the skill and die pointlessly. With a right arm this wise, what do I have to worry about?”
Only then did Seo Daeryong seem relieved that I had come out safely, and he belatedly let out a sigh of relief.
“Phew, my legs are still shaking. Even if it was you, Pavilion Master, I was a little worried.”
“Investigator Seo.”
“Yes.”
“Keep worrying about me from now on too.”
“What?”
“I’m asking you to worry about me. I can make mistakes, miss the mark, and do foolish things too. So keep worrying and helping me.”
Seo Daeryong smiled faintly.
“Of course. If your right arm doesn’t do it, who will?”
“My left arm, I suppose.”
“Do you have to ruin this nice atmosphere like that?”
The two of us walked out, bantering back and forth like that, until I stopped and looked up at the tree overhead.
“What are you doing up there?”
To my surprise, the Blood Heaven Blade Demon was sitting on a tree branch.
“Watching the sunset.”
“Here, of all places?”
“And keeping an eye on whether my disciple is slacking off.”
At that moment, Seo Daeryong was startled. Tears welled up in the eyes that had been staring blankly up at the Blood Heaven Blade Demon. It was the first time the Blood Heaven Blade Demon had called him his disciple.
“Master! Thank you, Master.”
Seo Daeryong’s voice was damp with emotion. The Blood Heaven Blade Demon, who hated this sort of atmosphere, thundered at him.
“What are you staring at? If you came to train, then run!”
“Yes! Master!”
Seo Daeryong began to run. Seeing that he even forgot to say goodbye to me, it seemed the Blood Heaven Blade Demon calling him his disciple had truly moved him.
I lightly flew up and sat on the branch beside him.
“You brat, it’ll break.”
“I’ll be as light as a feather.”
Even with two people sitting on it, the thin branch did not break.
“You did well.”
“Well, did I?”
“You saw how happy he was, didn’t you? So you shouldn’t put things off. Just say everything when the moment comes, take credit for everything, hate when you hate. That’s how it should be.”
“A young whelp is educating an old man now?”
“Yes. You need to learn. That way you can live while mingling with young whelps.”
“If only you couldn’t talk.”
We looked at each other and chuckled.
“If you were so worried about me, you should have said so.”
“I came because I thought you might make that bastard fly into a rage. When Extreme Evil gets angry, he truly loses his mind.”
“Have you seen it?”
“I saw it once. Truly, no one could stop him.”
Yes, I knew that sight too. The phrase “no one could stop him” fit perfectly.
“With you, I thought he might somehow go mad and rampage.”
“Why me?”
“Because you really do have a way of infuriating people. Why would the Extreme Evil Laughing Demon be any different?”
“Fortunately, it didn’t go that far today.”
“You were able to come out without bloodshed because you are the Cult Leader’s son. Otherwise, one of you would have died.”
“Thank you for worrying about me, elder.”
“What thanks? Let’s go.”
“The sun is setting over there. Let’s watch for a moment before we go.”
“Getting old is sorrowful enough. What sunset?”
The Blood Heaven Blade Demon lightly launched himself away and left.
Left alone, I sat on the tree branch and watched the setting sun for a while.
Suddenly, I recalled the Extreme Evil Laughing Demon’s final moments before my regression. The sight of his eyes glittering with the last flare of life.
—I don’t remember. Even when I was young and played tag with my friends, did I want to kill the one who was “it”? Since when was I like this?
—Do you regret it? Living wickedly.
—Regret? What regret? I regret not killing more before I go. Now that I’m actually about to go to hell, I’m scared, that’s all. Scared. Ah! It’s suffocating. Take off the mask for me… Thanks. First time, isn’t it? Seeing my face?
—You must’ve heard you were handsome when you were young. Why did you wear it your whole life?
—When I was young, my master chose me and asked. If I followed him, I would never be able to take off this mask for the rest of my life. Could I do that? In exchange, he said he would let me live a life where I could kill people to my heart’s content. I said yes without hesitation. Ah! Come to think of it, I was already like that back then. That’s why Master recognized me.
—After your master died, at least you had the chance to take off the mask, didn’t you?
—You’d know if you wore one too. Once you put it on, you can’t take it off. Because your heart feels at ease. Wearing the mask, killing, and killing again. Killing. Later, it was the mask that was killing people.
—Where do you think you’re going, blaming the mask? You killed every last one of them.
—You noticed? Hahaha, cough. It’s hard to really laugh. This mask became my symbol, so how could I take it off? Should I send a message throughout the martial world saying, “The Extreme Evil Laughing Demon will be removing his mask starting today”? Hey, Mucheol. Ah, Mucheol probably wasn’t your real name either. What’s your real name?
—……
—Did you ever think of me as a friend, even once?
—……
—You bastard. If you come to hell, I’ll kill you with my own hands then.
—Fine. Take all the revenge you want then.
—It’s been hurting so much since earlier. Draw the sword now, my friend.
—Farewell.
The Extreme Evil Laughing Demon died by my hand.
At the time, while gathering materials for the Great Art, I had no choice but to eliminate him. He was a villain who deserved to die, but at the very moment of his death, he died thinking of me as a friend.
I never called him a friend to the end. Perhaps, at least in that moment, I had been the greater villain.
* * *
Despite my sudden visit, Father willingly permitted a game.
Usually, we played baduk in silence, but today I spoke a great deal.
“…Some time ago, I met the Demon Buddha. I said things I didn’t mean, probed him, and also made a sincere effort to learn what kind of person he was.”
Father offered no reply and focused only on the board. Normally, he would have scolded me, asking why I was being so noisy, but today he remained still.
Father had noticed. He had realized his son had come because his heart was troubled and he wanted to talk about this and that.
I continued speaking.
“Today, I also met the Extreme Evil Laughing Demon. I dislike that man. Not because he supports my elder brother, but because killing people while smiling like that makes him seem like a madman.”
Father captured a stone and said,
“Make dead stones only here.”
He was telling me not to kill any more Demon Venerables. When the Soul-Seizing Demon Venerable died, he had told me not to kill any more, and now he was emphasizing it again.
What if I had to kill the Extreme Evil Laughing Demon again? What if that, too, was fate? If so, he and I were bound by a truly tenacious tie.
I could only hope that would not happen in this life.
“Do I have the skill to kill the Extreme Evil Laughing Demon? In any case, the reason I’m going around meeting the Demon Venerables is…”
I went on speaking again. While he was listening so obediently, I intended to say everything I wanted to say.
“It was for my own sake, and also for my brother’s. At first, when we went hunting, I boasted confidently that I would make all the Demon Venerables kneel and line up behind me, but now that I’m actually facing them, it isn’t so easy. You were right, Father. Dealing with people is the hardest thing in the world.”
Father said nothing and only played baduk. It seemed he had decided to merely listen today.
“Please don’t misunderstand and think this side of me makes me unfit to be heir. If I go through all these worries in advance, I’ll actually be able to show a stronger side later.”
“This is a rare opportunity. Why don’t you curse your elder brother too?”
“I’m not going to curse him for a while. He has it hard, gliding around elegantly like a swan. Beneath the water, he’s working his feet nonstop, so it must be exhausting! He isn’t the type to come and confess like I do, after all.”
For an instant, I saw Father chuckle. It was an extremely subtle and swift change, but now nothing escaped my Divine Eye Art.
“As expected, chattering away is making the game more and more unfavorable for me. I’ll focus now.”
And so I concentrated on the baduk. As we entered the endgame, I asked,
“When I sometimes don’t know what to do, may I come see you?”
Father’s hand, which was about to place a stone, paused briefly in midair.
“Isn’t that against the rules? Asking the judge for the answer?”
“Don’t think of yourself as the judge. You can just think of it as giving me pointers.”
Father placed the stone down.
“Giving pointers is rather fun.”
He did not say yes or no directly, but it meant he permitted it.
I knew. Even if he treated me kindly like this, it was separate from choosing the heir. He was someone who could declare tomorrow, “Your elder brother is the heir.”
The result of the game was that I barely won by two houses.
“Your skill is improving more and more. Are you perhaps not letting Strategist Sima sleep? Now that would be against the rules.”
“Do you not have a strategist as well?”
“They say they can’t play baduk.”
“Where in the world is there a strategist who cannot play baduk?”
“Now that I think about it, you’re right. I’ve never even seen a strategist who couldn’t play baduk in storybooks. I must have been deceived by a strategist who can’t even play baduk.”
At my banter, Father chuckled.
“Then I will see you next month.”
I greeted Father and was leaving when he asked from behind me,
“Is the burden heavy?”
The moment I heard those words, emotion surged in my chest. It was the first time Father had spoken words containing comfort.
“It would be a lie to say it is as light as a feather, but it is not so heavy that I cannot endure it.”
“Then that is enough.”
Then that is enough. Why had those words been so pleasant to hear lately?
If someone recognizes my efforts… yes, then that is enough.