Chapter 378. Is Your Mood More Important Than Your Life?
I gathered up the flag and returned, only to see Eldest Brother awake and sitting on the platform.
Eldest Brother stared at the flames with a still-drowsy look, then turned to me.
“Third.”
“Yeah?”
“Did you set that fire?”
I nodded.
“Burned it all to the ground.”
Eldest Brother handed me my wooden sword and asked,
“Why?”
I set down the axe and the flag, then took the wooden sword.
“I snuck in, and there was poison-laced powder in the labor overseer bastard’s tent.”
Eldest Brother nodded.
“So you killed him and burned it down. How do you feel?”
I sat beside Eldest Brother and watched the flames soar. He was probably asking about the state of my inner demon.
I looked at the blazing fire and answered honestly.
“I feel nothing. Those overseer bastards would’ve killed the people who built the tents once the work was done. Trying to kill people who scrape together enough to feed themselves one day at a time… Do you know what the food they gave the laborers was like?”
“What was it like?”
“It tasted worse than what I make.”
“That is grave indeed.”
“Maybe after killing them, they would’ve pinned the crime on us. Look at this. The Hao Sect Master and the Sword Demon killed the workers. There’s a chance they could’ve spent money to seize control of public opinion. People are sensitive to bad news. If the merchant group that owns this flag spent money spreading rumors like that, you and I would have no choice but to take the blame. Now that I think about it, this isn’t the Demonic Cult’s way. Let me see that flag.”
Eldest Brother examined the pattern and writing on the flag.
“It seems the Myeongcheon Wi Clan, which belongs to the Outer Hall, has entered the main sect.”
“What kind of clan are they?”
Eldest Brother spoke in a slightly displeased tone.
“A clan that the Right Envoy and I disliked.”
“Why?”
Eldest Brother continued with his arms crossed.
“A clan that built wealth by using the cult’s forces. Even before entering the cult, they were great merchants traveling to and from the Western Regions. You can think of them as exceptionally wealthy.”
“Then they must have quite a lot of troops?”
“If they dip into the clan’s fortune and mobilize them, yes, you could say they have quite a number.”
There was something I did not understand, so I asked Eldest Brother.
“If they had that much money, did they really need to enter the cult?”
“You cannot calculate the thoughts of the rich that way. If they enter the cult, can they increase their wealth even further? Was that not the core of it? In truth, the Myeongcheon Wi Clan’s fortune is beyond measure. They were one of the clans that offered the most wealth to the cult. Even when I was the Left Envoy, they once requested troops, saying they would resolve a dispute that had arisen during trade. Their reputation was good enough that many cultists volunteered to support them.”
“Because the pay was certain?”
“More or less. But they used cultists for the bloody work while they themselves remained a merchant faction. Because they did this several times, the Right Envoy and I disliked the Myeongcheon Wi Clan. However, since they were always exceedingly humble toward the cult’s executives, or always generously handed out gifts and funds, they were also a clan that made one reconsider the power of money.”
“By gifts and funds, you mean bribes, right?”
“More or less.”
“Hmm, bastards used to throwing money around.”
That made me wonder what on earth the Cult Leader was thinking.
“How did the Cult Leader react to a Myeongcheon Wi Clan like that?”
Eldest Brother answered.
“It seems he regarded them merely as money managers who held funds, or as bastards who brought money when it was needed. In reality, that was what they were.”
Only then did I grasp the situation.
“Then these bastards are a clan in the same position as the cult’s chief administrator. They’re formidable in their own way, aren’t they? They were also a clan that was looked down on because of the atmosphere that revered the strong. If they belonged to the Orthodox or Unorthodox factions, they’d be a clan with power no one could ignore.”
Eldest Brother looked at me.
“Chief administrator? You really do think in a peculiar way. I suppose one could see it like that.”
A clan that belonged to the Demonic Cult while being looked down upon by the Demonic Cult. If such a clan had suddenly become the Left Envoy, the Right Envoy, or one of the Four Heavenly Kings, it had to be considered an exceedingly peculiar event.
I looked at Eldest Brother.
“Is there any other reason you dislike them?”
Eldest Brother smiled.
“There is. Swordsmen and top-class assassins who move for money are all close to the Myeongcheon Wi Clan. It means there are many insects around them lured by money. They were bastards who couldn’t hold their heads high while the Right Envoy and I were there, yet as soon as the two of us left, they stepped to the forefront… If the Cult Leader called them personally, they would have taken the positions of Left Envoy or Right Envoy. They are a clan the other Grand Dukes dislike as well. It is becoming even more pathetic than before.”
I felt I understood why Eldest Brother was displeased.
“So you dislike it because it doesn’t feel like fighting masters, but like fighting money. Fighting money is truly an endless battle.”
“Correct.”
“The Myeongcheon Wi Clan has met its match, then. To end up dealing with beggars like us…”
Only then did Eldest Brother’s expression ease a little. He gave a faint smile, then looked at the laborers working inside.
“…Let us send the laborers back now.”
“Mm.”
“Look at what those who are not even proper underlings of the Myeongcheon Wi Clan did in the tents. They may appear to be a merchant group on the surface, but in terms of cruelty, they are no less than any other clan. There is no meaning in having the laborers continue construction on the inn. What comes next will be troops without tents, or assassins who have been paid. We can face them and kill them, but we will not be able to keep these people alive as well. On the contrary, they will capture these people and use them to threaten us.”
I nodded.
“Can’t be helped. Let’s do that.”
I looked at Zaha Inn, where the frame construction was underway. Seeing it like this, it looked like the bones of a giant fish someone had eaten and left behind.
“But nothing should happen today at least. I’ll ask them to go to Baekeungji and procure some food and liquor, then dismiss them.”
“Do that.”
“Good grief, making a living sure is hard.”
I crossed my arms like Eldest Brother and watched until the flames of the burning tents died out.
* * *
Gwangmyeong Right Envoy, who had been eating alone in the main hall, lifted his head and stared at the door. Through the door as it slowly opened, a small man appeared with the sunlight at his back, then flung the door wide open.
Gwangmyeong Right Envoy said with a smile,
“Well, who do we have here? Grand Duke Yang, running away was not like you. Come in.”
Grand Duke Yang, who had opened the door, stared at the Right Envoy without replying.
“……”
Since the Right Envoy had the light at his back, he could not see Grand Duke Yang’s face.
“Grand Duke Yang, surely you have not gathered troops again and come here?”
“……”
“Were you such a foolish man? You should know better than anyone that it is meaningless.”
Without saying a word, Grand Duke Yang turned slightly to the side and lowered his head a little, like a person whose spirits had been crushed.
The instant Gwangmyeong Right Envoy sensed that something was off, he wiped the smile from his face and stood up.
“……”
He had heard no footsteps, yet he knew someone was coming. Then the sunlight streaming through the wide doors of the main hall was instantly blotted out by the appearance of a man, plunging everything back into pitch-black darkness.
The Guangming Right Envoy set down his chopsticks and seized his sword.
The man who had come to visit his wife’s family walked in as comfortably as if it were his own home and said,
“Right Envoy, were you in the middle of a meal?”
The Guangming Right Envoy frowned, then wasted a brief moment recovering from the glare caused by staring into the light. Thinking that he had been blinded, however briefly, before a powerful opponent sent a chill down his spine.
He had already missed his chance to flee. Forces were surging in from outside as well.
By the time he could make out his surroundings clearly, the Demon Cult Leader was watching him from across the table.
The Guangming Right Envoy took a sip of water as he looked at the Demon Cult Leader.
“……You have come?”
The Demon Cult Leader looked around the main hall of the in-laws’ house he had not visited in a long time, then turned his gaze back to the Guangming Right Envoy and spoke in an everyday tone.
“Grand Duke Yang was worried, saying it seemed you had fallen into qi deviation.”
Only then did the Guangming Right Envoy force himself to answer.
“Impossible. How did someone as indolent as you come all the way here?”
“Grand Duke Yang spoke honestly. He said you were difficult to deal with.”
The Guangming Right Envoy replied with a sour expression.
“I have surpassed Grand Duke Yang. How does it look to you, Cult Leader?”
As a blood-red hue began to creep into the Guangming Right Envoy’s eyes, the Demon Cult Leader sneered aloud, a rare thing for him.
“Your eyes are red. Be sure to get enough sleep.”
“…….”
“I thought you were a rigid, upright man. I do not know whether my eye for people is lacking, or whether people change. It would have been nice to have seen this side of you beforehand.”
“Beforehand?”
The Demon Cult Leader sat down across from the Right Envoy and said,
“Then I would have helped you become independent sooner.”
The Guangming Right Envoy glared at the Demon Cult Leader.
“……What sort of dogshit is that?”
The Demon Cult Leader gazed steadily at the Guangming Right Envoy and said,
“You have devoted many years to the Cult, so I should do at least that much. Even if you become independent, do not kill members of the Cult carelessly. In consideration of your labors until now, if you return the Great Cloud Sword, I intend to permit your independence without killing you.”
The Right Envoy sat down as well, glaring at the Demon Cult Leader.
“I truly cannot understand what goes through your head.”
“Only now that the moment of parting has come do you throw away courtesy, become curious, and change your expression. Have you forgotten that I respected you and treated you as the Right Envoy?”
The Guangming Right Envoy answered with his head tilted crookedly.
“Did you not come here to kill me anyway?”
“If I had, I would not have begun with conversation like this.”
The Guangming Right Envoy laughed.
“Cult Leader, have you perhaps fallen into qi deviation and lost your martial arts? I simply cannot fathom what is inside you.”
“Return the Great Cloud Sword.”
The Guangming Right Envoy unfastened the Great Cloud Sword from his waist, then drew it halfway before the Demon Cult Leader.
“This? Was this sword that important? Take it. In any case, I have now passed beyond the realm of being bound to a sword.”
The Guangming Right Envoy tossed the Great Cloud Sword before the Demon Cult Leader.
At that, the Demon Cult Leader opened his mouth.
“Grand Duke Yang.”
“Yes, Cult Leader.”
Grand Duke Yang, who had been waiting outside, strode in.
The Demon Cult Leader said,
“Deliver the Great Cloud Sword to the new Right Envoy.”
“Understood.”
Grand Duke Yang took the Great Cloud Sword lying on the table without even looking at the Guangming Right Envoy. He merely carried out the order, then went back out and closed the doors to the main hall.
The Guangming Right Envoy watched this sorry spectacle, then swept the food on the table away with his hand. With a crash, dishes shattered and food spilled everywhere, and the place soon became a mess.
The Guangming Right Envoy looked at the Cult Leader and said,
“So……? Do we fight now?”
The Cult Leader asked the Guangming Right Envoy without any change in expression.
“If you have anything you are curious about, ask.”
“…….”
“There must be much you do not know. I will answer whatever you ask.”
The Guangming Right Envoy replied with an expression of disbelief.
“How absurd. Fine. I shall ask. Compared to the time of the previous Cult Leader, the Cult’s influence and authority have weakened greatly. It seems to be thanks to the current Cult Leader. What do you think?”
“I cannot agree that it has weakened.”
“The Four Heavenly Kings died, and the Sword Demon defected. Countless ghosts who had retired died as well. And that is not even mentioning their subordinates.”
The Cult Leader replied,
“What do those deaths have to do with our military strength? Thanks to them, you became even stronger. Our strength weakening is something that occurs when you leave the Cult. Is that not so?”
“Are you saying I alone was a greater force than all the dead? Something like that?”
“You know that better than anyone now. In truth, the incidents that weakened the Cult’s strength were the Sword Demon’s defection and your declaration of independence. Those two.”
The Guangming Right Envoy muttered,
“What an absurd calculation.”
“To be more precise, our Cult’s strength remains unchanged.”
“Why?”
The Demon Cult Leader looked at his former subordinate and said,
“When I am here, compared to what force in the world has our strength weakened?”
The Right Envoy snorted and replied,
“If you are such a person, why did you not kill the Hao Sect Master and instead leave him as he is? With your skill, Cult Leader, you would have killed him long ago. Only innocent subordinates died for nothing. Thanks to that, I lost my men as well.”
The Demon Cult Leader replied,
“I see. But when did I ever order you to kill the Hao Sect Master?”
“What?”
“Did I not tell you to bring him? Why did that order, after being interpreted according to your own judgment, change into an order to kill him?”
When the Right Envoy struck the table, it split in two at once.
“Is that supposed to be an answer? He is not a man who would be dragged here meekly. Naturally, there was no choice but to kill him.”
The Cult Leader replied with a smile.
“Article One of the General Law states that even those who are not members of the Cult are not to be killed carelessly. Because there is no one who was a member of the Cult from the beginning. The very first part of the General Law says that whoever they may be, you must first make them members of the Cult. In that sense, the Sect Master was a man I had been watching.”
“Do not kill carelessly? What sort of dogshit is that? You killed countless people.”
“Who did?”
The Right Envoy pointed at the Demon Cult Leader with his finger.
“You did. Have you forgotten? Did you not massacre countless people? Did you think I would not know? I come from Crimson Island. I was of the Hong Family, the island lord’s household. Did you think I would not find out if you hid it?”
“That was the former Cult Leader massacring the clans that rose in rebellion, not me. Of course, the massacres I carried out were all against demonic clans as well. Rival clans and my half-brother’s maternal family. Their common trait was that they were all either competitors, or clans that rose in rebellion without submitting to the Cult Leader’s decision. The life-and-death duels and conflicts during the period when the Cult Leader is decided have nothing to do with the general laws agreed upon with Headquarters. After becoming Cult Leader, there was no need to massacre either. Nor did I arbitrarily take the lives of those who were not cult members. Think back. Who has died by my hand recently?”
Usa shook his head and spoke to the Demon Cult Leader.
“You’ve lost your mind.”
“Usa.”
“Why am I still Usa?”
“Hongye. You are currently in qi deviation. To think you’ve lost your composure like this. What kind of attitude is this when I am telling you the truth that was difficult to share? Does this mean your mood is more important than your life? Since when have you been so emotional?”
“…….”
The Cult Leader let out a long, low laugh before speaking.
“The former Cult Leader did not annihilate Jinhongdo. He only killed the faction that followed the Clan Leader. Return as the Clan Leader. Though the forces may be stronger than I anticipated, with your strength, you should be able to take control easily enough. As you know, not only some sects of the Esoteric Cult, but the exchange with the Great Masters of the small nations pushed to the frontiers has not been severed either. The reason you are alive is because of your declaration of independence. I do not intend to stop the branches of the teachings from expanding in a different manner.”
Usa answered.
“I will handle that myself. Why on earth did you spare Geomma?”
“What surprising words. It was you who subtly suggested keeping him alive. It seems your memory is no longer intact either.”
“…….”
“Of course, I had my reasons as well. I spared Geomma because he is a man suitable to be the next Cult Leader of our cult. He was more suitable to take on the position than my own children. In terms of both personality and martial arts. Why would I arbitrarily kill a man more suited to the Cult Leader’s seat than anyone else?”
“Why didn’t you tell me sooner?”
“How could I tell you beforehand when I didn’t expect you to leave?”
“Then what about me?”
“If Geomma refused, you were the next candidate. Isn’t that why I kept the Left and Right Messengers by my side? It was originally decided that when the Cult Leader is absent, those two would serve as Vice Cult Leaders. In fact, the two of you acted as such. What did you doubt?”
“…….”
“Since becoming Cult Leader, I have never killed a cult member without reason. Even if they made a grave mistake, the heaviest punishment was at most exile to the old Headquarters. When have I ever killed cult members arbitrarily, or treated the lives of non-cult members lightly? You know that I am the one who ends up taking the blame for all the killings committed by cult members anyway. And even if you failed and returned, I had no intention of blaming you. Rather, the process of continuously pressuring the Sect Leader itself was carrying out the order well… but for your comprehension to be so lacking.”
“What do you gain by continuing to pressure him like that?”
The Demon Cult Leader twirled his finger near his temple.
“He would have lost control and gone mad like you are now. I was going to personally save him when he fell into the deepest despair, but things did not go as intended.”
“What do you mean, why would you save the Hao Sect Leader?”
“That is the Cult Leader’s role. You fool, this means you have been completely defeated by the Sect Leader. Look at your state. Think about who caused your mind to fall into disorder.”
Usa let out a sigh.
“You are not the Cult Leader I knew. Since when have you been thinking this way?”
The Demon Cult Leader looked at Usa with a serious expression.
“…The vast majority of you are weaklings, those who distort orders to their own liking, those who cannot even properly look after themselves, those who struggle with qi deviation and merely shuttle back and forth to the old Headquarters, those who do nothing but slaughter, those beyond redemption. Those who have not accomplished a single thing properly—these are what cult members are. Most of you are trash. You only respond to fear. Except for Geomma who left the cult and you who declared independence, each and every one of you is vulgar, trash-like insects lying prostrate on the ground.”
The Demon Cult Leader pointed his finger at Usa.
“That is the reason I permit your independence. Because. You are slightly better trash among them. You insect-like bastard. How does it feel to have made a manly choice for the first time in your life?”
“…….”
“Go to Jinhongdo, establish the Blood Cult, and increase the followers. Then when I call, whether night or day, lead the cult members and run here like dogs. If you do not come, I will annihilate your Blood Cult, your cult members, your clan hiding in Jinhongdo, and even the family members you were unaware of. Then I will tear your four limbs and decorate them atop their corpses.”
“…….”
The Cult Leader looked at Usa’s rigid expression and laughed. Having stood up as if he had finished speaking, the Cult Leader looked down at the seated Usa.
“Hongye, why do you think I appointed you… as Usa?”
The Cult Leader approached and examined Usa’s face this way and that with his left hand. The hand movement was like inspecting a severed pig’s head.
The Demon Cult Leader placed his hand on Usa’s head.
“I appointed you because you were an exceptional insect. I permit your independence.”
Usa could not understand why he was unable to move at all. He tried to immediately counterattack with palm force but had no choice but to endure. Because he felt that his head would be torn off by the Demon Cult Leader first. Even though his martial arts had grown stronger, he knew that the Cult Leader’s level was still higher than his own.
“…….”
“You’ve grown quite well.”
Watching the back of the Demon Cult Leader heading toward the main hall, the former Radiant Right Messenger Hongye fell into the delusion that he might actually be an insect. The words “take care” that he used to say out of old habit rose to his throat, but he barely suppressed them.
Only then did Hongye realize that he had been living as the Cult Leader’s slave all this time. Furthermore, he came to know that the Cult Leader had never hated insect-like fellows.
Because…….
They were merely insects.