Chapter 6
“The Young Supreme One would not wish for me to do that either. I believe I know the Young Supreme One, and I do not wish to do anything that would anger her.”
“Hah...”
The Fourth Demonic Marquis stared at Cheon Ha-seong, dumbfounded. The more she looked at him, the more she coveted him. At first, she had disliked him and been so angry she wanted to grab him and tear him to shreds, but as she calmly observed him, she felt she wanted to adopt this very man.
‘It wouldn't be impossible, would it?’
As she was thinking that, the Fourth Demonic Marquis remembered why Cheon Ha-seong was here in the first place and sighed.
Seo Hyo-eun was the daughter of the deceased First Marquis. Though not a child she had given birth to, as her husband's daughter, she was her daughter as well. But if she were to adopt Cheon Ha-seong, the man who had been intimate with that daughter, then Seo Hyo-eun would have been intimate with her own older brother. Even if he wasn't her older brother when they were intimate, what would the cult followers say?
Even while she was thinking this, Cheon Ha-seong continued to pressure her, and that pressure was accompanied by his energy.
The Fourth Demonic Marquis, never having imagined she would be on the receiving end of the very method she had intended to use to test Cheon Ha-seong, made a disbelieving face and stood up.
“I cannot guarantee that you will be able to see the Cult Leader just because I go.”
“Understood, Marquis. Thank you for your consideration.”
“‘Consideration?’ You emit energy as if you'll kill me if I don't stand up, and you call that consideration? Don't you think that's detestable?”
However, the Fourth Demonic Marquis didn't want to waste time repeating the same words either, so she left the room.
***
Somewhere in the Heavenly Demon Divine Cult's Leader's Hall.
It was by no means an ordinary event for the Cult Leader, Seo Ak-san, to come to a different room instead of the Cult Leader's office at this hour.
The warriors standing guard in front of the door saw the Cult Leader coming down the hall and hastily sucked in a breath.
Then, as they paid their respects, the Cult Leader waved his hand with an annoyed expression.
“Has the Young Supreme One eaten?”
“Yes, Cult Leader. She ate well. She asked for more, and she finished everything we brought her again.”
“‘What do you mean she asked for more?’ Why do you make the Young Supreme One say such a thing! How embarrassed must she have been to say that? What would you have done if she felt awkward asking and just let it pass even though the amount was insufficient!”
The Cult Leader's anger seemed to grow with every word.
However, the warriors had their own side to the story. If the Cult Leader knew just how much food they had brought in the first place, he would never be able to say such things.
When the Cult Leader hurried inside, Seo Hyo-eun was sitting on a chair, staring blankly into space.
“What are you doing just sitting there? Is there something you're worried about?”
Unlike what Cheok Gyo-woon had told Cheon Ha-seong, the Cult Leader's eyes as he looked at Seo Hyo-eun were full of worry and affection.
It was only natural. Seo Hyo-eun was the flesh and blood born from the only woman he had ever loved.
Because of the Extreme Yang Martial Arts he practiced, the Cult Leader could not impregnate another person's body. It was because no woman could handle all of his energy.
The Cult Leader himself had no desire to have a child at the risk of endangering the woman he loved. However, it was something his wife, the First Marquis, had desperately wanted. Her reason was that while she would one day leave, if she gave birth to a child, the fruit of their union would remain forever.
No matter how much his wife wanted it, he could not grant a request that would hasten her death. However, his wife's pleas did not stop for a single day during the four years they lived together.
In the meantime, at the earnest request of the Divine Cult's leadership, the Cult Leader took three more Marquises. They were determined to have him take an adopted son from their families to inherit the position of Cult Leader if a legitimate heir was not born.
As he took other Marquises, the Cult Leader's heart for the First Marquis grew even deeper. The other Marquises, learning that it was difficult to have a child because of his martial arts, gave up on it early on. However, the First Marquis alone pestered the Cult Leader to the very end, and eventually, the Cult Leader accepted her request.
It was only after the First Marquis's death that he learned why she had so desperately wanted it. The Divine Cult's Demonic Physician couldn't tell the Cult Leader because of the First Marquis's desperate plea, but the time she had left had never been long. The First Marquis knew her time to depart was not far off, and that was why she had wanted to leave behind a child of the two of them by the Cult Leader's side, no matter what.
Fortunately, the First Marquis was able to live for about four more months after giving birth to Hyo-eun. The child resembled her mother to a startling degree. Her appearance could have changed over time, but Hyo-eun only resembled her more as she grew.
Even after more than twenty years since his wife's death, the Cult Leader could not forget her, so how could he not love Hyo-eun, who looked exactly like her?
“I don't understand you, Hyo-eun-ah. If you're curious about something, can't you just ask? Must you test his heart to this extent?”
“That's because you don't understand, Father. That man probably didn't even know I had feelings for him. And he fundamentally dislikes people. It's not just me; it's like he dislikes everyone in the world.”
“What does that matter? If you like him, can't you just take him and live with him? It might be different if he weren't a cult follower, but didn't you say he is? Is there anyone among the Divine Cult's followers who would dare defy the words of this father of yours? If he says no, can't I just sever his tendons and meridians and place him by your side? It's obvious you liked him for his face anyway, so wouldn't it be fine even if his mobility is a little impaired?”
Seo Hyo-eun looked at her father, wondering what on earth he was talking about.
“Why do you think that?”
“You resemble your mother. And your mother said so herself. That she chose me for my face.”
“…”
Seo Hyo-eun was at a loss for words. She couldn't understand why on earth her mother would have said such a thing.
That she chose him for his face... did that mean she chose him because his face looked so amusing?
“Father, you'd better get your facts straight. If you talk like that, people will think that man's face is on the same level as yours.”
“On my level?”
In all the world, Seo Hyo-eun was likely the only person who could say such a thing to the Cult Leader. The Cult Leader, too, thought he couldn't just let it slide this time and was about to get angry, but he couldn't.
He wondered if this was what it meant to be a doting fool; for some reason, he just couldn't get angry at anything his daughter said.
“Let's have a look at the face of that great bastard. I'm telling you to bring him here.”
He was angry, wondering what kind of bastard had dared to steal the heart of his precious child, but for now, he just wanted to see his face.
“I told you, no! What if he gets scared? Father, try to think from his perspective. What would you do if a person you became close to one day turned out to be the Heavenly Demon's only daughter?”
“Well…”
The Cult Leader thought about it. If he heard such a thing, he would systematically consider the things that would happen afterward.
First, once the Cult Leader found out, he would probably wonder if that person would threaten his position, and he would likely discuss what kind of effect his appearance would have on the succession structure.
Since the Heavenly Demon Divine Cult is ruled by the law of survival of the fittest, he would want to check how strong he was, and under the pretext of checking his strength, he would send countless people to engage him in bloody battles.
If he didn't like him, he would probably send several supreme masters at once to kill him without a trace.
The Cult Leader seemed to understand what his daughter was worried about.
“That's not the only problem. I am your only flesh and blood, Father. The ones adopted as sons by the other Marquis Halls probably haven't thought of me as a competitor until now. But if a person I love appears, then the problem changes.”
“Yes. It would be so. It can't be helped.”
Seo Hyo-eun had brought it up subtly because she wanted to know what her father thought about the issue.
The Cult Leader never let it slide if someone talked about the succession issue. He considered it treason to speak of it while he was still going strong, and would show his power on the spot.
There were many who had ended up half-paralyzed or had their dantian destroyed for bringing up the topic of succession.
The Cult Leader was only a gentle father in front of Seo Hyo-eun; it was difficult for him to hear others call him a good lord.
“If he is the bastard you love, then it would be better to back him than some bastard who doesn't have a single drop of my blood. Furthermore, isn't that bastard the one who will be the father of the child you will one day bear?”
“That's right, Father.”
Seo Hyo-eun, also knowing that her father was sensitive about the topic of succession, had brought it up carefully, and fortunately, he had accepted her words without much protest.
“So, Father, you must not persecute him. You have to help him. The adopted sons from the Marquis Halls will also be eagerly looking to attack him, so from now on, you have to help him, Father.”
“There is no need to worry about that. Those bastards are just kids the Marquises adopted. That is why I have not yet given them my surname. Only you have inherited my surname, Hyo-eun-ah. Do you understand?”
Seo Hyo-eun nodded.
“Yes. You just trust this father of yours.”
However, even after speaking so magnanimously, there was something that bothered the Cult Leader.
He thought he would accept him for the most part if he was the bastard his daughter liked, but didn't he know too little about him?
“When will you bring that bastard here, Hyo-eun-ah? When will I get to see him?”
“I told you, not yet, Father. But I'll show him to you when the time is right and he is also ready. Though, telling him who I am comes first.”
As she spoke, Seo Hyo-eun's face looked drained. It seemed she was worried about whether things would go well.
Cheon Ha-seong was an astonishingly intelligent person, and his judgment of situations was fast. Moreover, his ability to read the lay of the land was beyond comparison.
If she told him she was the Heavenly Demon's only daughter, Cheon Ha-seong would grasp in advance just how many people would target him and launch countless surprise attacks.
‘Of all people, Cheok Gyo-woon had to show up, making it an even bigger problem. He already seemed to have ill feelings toward the leadership, and on top of that, he saw Cheok Gyo-woon treating a candidate from a common follower background so harshly. He would know that if he were to marry me, countless people would be after his life, wouldn't he?’
It was then that a voice calling for the Cult Leader was heard from outside.
“Cult Leader, the Fourth Demonic Marquis requests to see you.”
The Cult Leader was enjoying talking with his daughter after a long time and did not want that time to be disturbed. So, without much thought, he spoke.
“I will not see her.”
“She says she will use her Right of Audience.”
“The Right of Audience?”
The Cult Leader's face immediately contorted.