Chapter 102: An Unexpected Variable (2)
‘What’s that supposed to mean?’
I felt an odd sense of discomfort at Cheon Jumyeong’s words.
‘If it hadn’t been for Cheon Jumun, he would’ve wiped us out?’
It was basically the same as saying that our lives were spared only thanks to Cheon Jumun’s presence.
“Well, while we’re at it, may I ask just one thing?”
“Go ahead.”
“Even if we share the same objective, wouldn’t it be possible for us to disagree on who to put forward?”
I let out a small chuckle at such a feeble provocation.
“There can be no disagreement on this matter.”
Cheon Jumyeong’s smile deepened.
“And why is that?”
“Would a powerless puppet truly be able to shake the clan? Especially when the Clan Head is still very much alive and watching?”
“A puppet, huh…”
“The clan’s great heir, Sa Bihwan, isn’t without ability. No, rather, he’s quite outstanding.”
That saying about personality and ability being inversely proportional—it fit Sa Bihwan perfectly.
After all, pulling off backdoor dealings is no easy feat without the proper skill. Sa Bihwan had been doing such things for over a decade, and left the Main Cult without ever being exposed.
“Sa Bimun and Sa Bijun are essentially just Sa Bihwan’s puppets. Surely, you’re not suggesting we support the likes of them?”
“…You seem to know a great deal about the Sa Clan’s heirs.”
Cheon Jumyeong’s words were practically an agreement to what I had asked.
“Very well. If it’s the Young Cult Leader’s claim, then she is not without qualifications. I’ll let things proceed according to your will this time.”
“I appreciate the sentiment.”
I clenched my teeth inwardly.
He made it sound as if he had extended me some grand favor—when all he was really saying was that he wouldn’t interfere.
Even though he had absolutely no reason to hinder me!
“What are you two talking about?”
Cheon Jumun, unable to follow our conversation, tilted his head in confusion.
Cheon Jumyeong placed a hand on his shoulder and explained with friendly ease.
“This friend here will be taking care of the task we were assigned. Makes things much easier, wouldn’t you say?”
‘Truly a shameless bastard.’
I tried my best to suppress the boiling rage rising within me.
But then—
“That is not right.”
“Hmm?”
“…?”
Cheon Jumun, who had been standing there with his arms crossed and a bored expression, suddenly began saying strange things.
“The Cult Leader entrusted this task to the both of us. Delegating that heavenly mandate to another is a betrayal of that trust.”
‘Now what’s this?’
“Hey, Jumun…”
“Even if we let that kid handle the job, we must support him in some way. Only then will we be able to stand before the Cult Leader with honor.”
I subtly glanced over at Cheon Jumyeong.
As I suspected, his expression clearly showed how troubled he was.
For some reason, Cheon Jumyeong no longer tried to convince Cheon Jumun.
“Haah, fine. I’ll lend a hand to make things easier for him. That should be enough, right?”
Had he concluded that persuading him was hopeless from the start?
Cheon Jumun gave a slight nod.
“That much is acceptable.”
After a bit of negotiation, Cheon Jumyeong twisted his lips and shot me a glare.
“You really are disgustingly lucky.”
“……”
“I can’t break my word in front of that guy, so I’ll help you properly. However… if you fail, I’ll be gravely disappointed.”
“There’s no need to sugarcoat the threat that you won’t let me off.”
“Heh, bold as ever. My offer to join the Heavenly Thunder Corps still stands. Let me know if you change your mind.”
“There it is! That’s the hideout Lady Sa spoke of!”
At that moment, a commotion arose in the distance as several presences approached.
“Seems the Sa Clan elites have arrived.”
“…Damn it!”
I grimaced.
Because of the sudden appearance of Cheon Jumun and Cheon Jumyeong, I hadn’t been able to fully stage the fabricated evidence.
‘I need to leave this letter behind!’
No matter how skilled Gu Chil and Myeong-oh were, sneaking in cleanly amidst this chaos would be impossible.
That’s when Cheon Jumyeong made me an unexpected offer.
“This whole incident was partially my fault, so allow me to clean it up for you.”
“What do you mean?”
“That letter—hand it to me. I’ll place it safely on your behalf.”
“……!”
Indeed, if it was Cheon Jumyeong, he just might be able to pull it off.
‘But why?’
I briefly considered Cheon Jumyeong’s motives, but soon shook my head.
‘Refusing him here might only lead to trouble later.’
Even if he tampered with the letter somehow.
I calmly cupped my fist and bowed my head.
“I humbly thank the Lord for your generosity.”
“Hoho, do you not suspect me?”
“I believe you’re not the kind of person who would trample on another’s goodwill.”
“You, however, trampled on mine.”
‘Seriously holding a grudge, you son of a bitch…’
If I hadn’t experienced many years as the Chief Administrator, I might’ve let my expression slip right there.
“Tsk. No fun to tease at all.”
Seeing that I had no visible reaction, Cheon Jumyeong clicked his tongue with disappointment and shook his head.
“Still, since you rejected my offer, you’ll have to resolve matters concerning those two on your own, right?”
“……!”
My expression slightly stiffened, and only then did Cheon Jumyeong flash a satisfied smile.
“It’s not like the Asura King would step in over a couple of mere servants, so you’d best prepare thoroughly.”
True enough.
The Jin Gun-ak I knew wouldn’t risk antagonizing one of the core powers of the Cheon Clan over a couple of underlings.
More likely, he’d give them up as a show of goodwill in exchange for something else.
“Let’s go, Jumun.”
Growing bored of our conversation, Cheon Jumun perked up and followed after him.
I didn’t say another word until they were out of sight.
Gu Chil walked up to me.
“Young Master. You must leave. There’s nothing good about being discovered by the Sa Clan’s people.”
“…Right.”
We also no longer had any reason to remain here.
And shortly after we left, hundreds of martial artists from the Black Gold Sa Clan stormed in and seized the Yin-Yang Fist Demon’s hideout.
***
The operation itself concluded successfully.
The elders and elites of the Sa Clan raided the remaining hideouts of the Yin-Yang Fist Demon, suppressed the remnants, and reportedly uncovered significant evidence of corruption implicating high-ranking members of the Cult who had yet to be exposed as being linked to the Yin-Yang Fist Demon.
Thanks to that, Sa Biyeon, who had led the entire mission, saw her standing within the clan rise sharply. In contrast, Sa Bihwan, who was found to have ties to the Yin-Yang Fist Demon, saw his former position crumble and found himself driven into a dire predicament.
“The Clan Head’s expression as he finished overseeing the operation and headed toward the Elders’ Council was the brightest I’ve seen in years.”
Sa Biyeon had sent someone to report to me the entire sequence and outcome of the event.
“Thanks to this, Lady Sa Biyeon has gained substantial support from the elders who had remained neutral until now.”
The only issue was that the person who delivered that report… was none other than the Seventh of the Black Guards.
I looked at “her,” completely dressed in black from head to toe, and spoke with some reluctance.
“Uh, Lady Sa…? Was it really necessary for you to come here in disguise…?”
“I am the Seventh of the Black Guards.”
Sa Biyeon—no, the Seventh of the Black Guards—cut me off coolly.
“Ah, no.”
“I said I am the Seventh of the Black Guards. The person you refer to as ‘Lady Sa’ is my lord. Please mind your words.”
“……”
…Is denying the obvious with a straight face one of the Sa Clan’s signature traits?
With no choice, I decided to play along with her ridiculous insistence.
“Yes, Lady Seventh of the Black Guards.”
“You may speak more casually.”
“…Fine.”
“Excellent.”
Her satisfaction was evident, even beyond the mask.
I sighed and asked,
“So? Seventh of the Black Guards. Why did you come all the way here? If it was just to deliver news, couldn’t you have sent someone else?”
“Well, I came to convey a request from my lord.”
“A request?”
“Yes. My lord said the internal power struggle within the Sa Clan will become more intense from here on.”
“…Makes sense.”
This wasn’t some half-baked factional strife.
It was a hellish race that could only end when one side was completely destroyed.
To reach the finish line marked “Clan Heir,” you couldn’t approach with a half-hearted mindset.
This whole situation was something the Cult Leader was likely aiming for anyway…
“For the time being, I… no!”
“…Can’t you just talk normally?”
“Ah, I mustn’t. There are rules I must uphold even outside. Ahem! In any case, my lord says she won’t be able to visit the Lesser Demon Hall due to the intensifying conflict within the Sa Clan.”
Even if she was Cheon Yura’s personal attendant, in this situation, she couldn’t possibly continue tending to her while engaging in such dangerous work.
Cheon Yura must’ve known that too when she asked me to help.
“So, um… while my lord is absent, she wonders if the Young Master could look after the Young Cult Leader for a while…”
“Look after her?”
I asked back in disbelief.
Wasn’t that treating Cheon Yura like a child a bit too much?
“It’s not like you’re the only attendant she has. Besides, it’s not even the time for the Exchange Ceremony. Is there really a need to visit the Lesser Demon Hall?”
Even though thanks to Sa Cheongmun’s meddling, my relationship with Cheon Yura was somewhat exposed, openly maintaining contact like that wouldn’t benefit anyone.
“Th-that’s true! But the Young Cult Leader needs a channel to receive updates on outside matters…”
“She has the Divine Ghost Unit, which reports directly to the Guardian Council. Their intelligence-gathering ability is unmatched within Ten Thousand Mountains.”
“How… how do you know so much about the Cheon Clan’s internal affairs?”
Her eyes twisted in sheer disbelief behind her mask.
The existence of the Divine Ghost Unit was considered top-secret even within the Cheon Clan.
Even most of the direct bloodline of the Six Great Demonic Clans didn’t know about it unless they were part of the Guardian Council. Sa Biyeon only knew because she’d grown up practically as a sister to Cheon Yura.
“A-anyway!”
When I kept expressing my refusal, the Seventh of the Black Guards finally raised her voice in frustration.
“Just take the task, will you?! I’m recommending you with great consideration here!”
“Great consideration?”
“Ah, th-that is!”
She suddenly began flailing, clearly trying to come up with something to say.
“I still feel sorry for interfering last time, even if it wasn’t intentional…”
“Hmph.”
So she was still carrying that around with her?
“And the Young Cult Leader doesn’t have any official duties scheduled for a while. She has no friends her age in the Lesser Demon Hall, so she’ll probably need someone to talk to.”
“As far as I know, there are a few of similar age from the Cheon Clan’s side branches. Aren’t they her friends?”
“No.”
She answered decisively.
“They’re more like enemies than friends.”
Fire burned in her eyes.
“They lack talent but still shamelessly treat her with hostility. It’s not a mutual rivalry—it’s one-sided and baseless. In any case, they’re certainly not on good terms with the Young Cult Leader.”
“I… I see.”
With her pushing this far, I couldn’t really say no.
I let out a sigh and nodded.
“I won’t be able to visit often. Once or twice a month at best.”
After all, I was still a trainee of the Thousand-Day Pass.
Even though I could slip out discreetly from time to time, I still had official duties to tend to.
“That much will suffice.”
The heir struggle in the Sa Clan might drag on for years.
Given that, it made sense that Sa Biyeon would worry about Cheon Yura, even if she wasn’t physically involved.
‘Let’s just hope nothing major happens in the meantime.’
I chuckled faintly.