The next day.
Today I decided to play with Soo-oh.
That’s because from today, the preliminaries end and the main promotion battle takes place. Heavenly Demon is busy on this day.
Of course, everyone else is busy too.
First, Gapjae and Byeongil are participating. Gapjae is burning with enthusiasm to rise higher, while Byeongil is doing so to keep his position.
Jung Jaewoo only attended as an escort for the Heaven Palace Hall Master, and the Moon Emperor Hall originally doesn’t show up for this competition.
Complaints?
There are no Heavenly Demon Divine Cult members who have complaints about the Moon Emperor Hall. If you’re a hall master, you have no business with the Moon Emperor Hall which is in the lowest position, and if you’re below that, you disappear.
So they’re processed into sacrificial offerings to be used in the Blood Vessel Secret Religion and taken to the meeting point with the Severance Religion and plop.
It was being operated in such a gloomy way.
I think I might need to learn these methods too.
A suitable pseudo-religion that can supply warmth.
I’ll think about that slowly, and today at noon since no one is coming, I started a big cleaning.
“Do we have to clean on a rare day off?”
“Yes. We have to do it now. I’ll teach you one by one.”
I’m full of memories of cleaning experts including Joanna. I’m well-versed in cleaning methods. Unlike food, cleaning doesn’t cross worlds.
So rather than making her work, I diligently cleaned the small house together with Soo-oh in a way of teaching her work.
Things like how to remove stains if there are any, or how to store clothing and such for a long time.
Various necessary common sense things for living.
There’s a lot of information that might be needed someday.
It’s good to learn as much as possible if you can.
Because she’s not learning what she really needs to learn.
How to converse with people.
How to distinguish what can and can’t be said in conversations.
How to get up after being hurt.
How to wrap someone’s wounds.
What’s collectively called social skills.
Unless it’s a more developed society, you can’t go far alone.
I hope she lives long, even if it’s to give me warmth.
There’s a common saying, right?
Die young and become a hero, or live long enough to become a villain.
Heavenly Demon, me, and the Heavenly Demon Divine Cult people are all lacking in learning normal social skills.
So I should teach her in advance what she’ll learn later.
Thinking that, I did a big cleaning, tidying up the whole house.
And when that was finished.
Under the sky tinged red, a person is standing in front of the completely collapsed fence.
A visitor has come.
A woman wearing the original Heavenly Demon Divine Cult outfit.
It’s Gu Milmil.
It’s the clothes Heavenly Demon wore once before and then put in a corner, never wearing them again. Thinking about how she handled the clothes then, I thought there was some lingering attachment.
Seeing the person in front, I think I roughly understand now.
Heavenly Demon must have had some thoughts about Gu Milmil.
“Welcome, Miss Gu Milmil.”
When I greeted her, she made a very surprised expression.
“You, you’re that child who was here then?”
She must have finally remembered.
I have changed a lot, to the point where it’s hard for me to notice.
“Who is it?”
Soo-oh jumped down from the roof with a hop. I had sent her to tidy up the roof a bit, but I’m not sure if she’s finished.
“There was someone who gave Soo-oh medicine to remove the insects from her body, right?”
“Ah! That person from then! Huh, weren’t you an old lady?”
Soo-oh looks at Gu Milmil with surprise. But there’s less gratitude in Soo-oh’s expression than I expected? It’s mostly interest.
I pointed to the porch with my hand, and Gu Milmil walked inside.
Gu Milmil came into the house and tried to enter the room.
Huh?
Ah, come to think of it, that’s right. Originally when guests come, they should go into the room, but.
“It’s better not to go inside.”
“Is it because the house is old? I don’t mind such things, eek!”
She lets out a groan as soon as she opens the door.
It’s extremely hot in there.
It’s nice in winter, but tough in summer. I’m not exaggerating, but if you stay in there you’ll really die of heatstroke.
Gu Milmil points to the inside of the room with a dumbfounded expression.
“Are you trying to steam yourselves to death?”
“There’s a structural flaw with the kitchen being connected right next to it, so while it might be fine in winter, it’s difficult in summer.”
“You can’t even go in at all.”
I pointed to the porch, and Gu Milmil nodded and sat down.
“Soo-oh. Bring some water.”
“Choseol, we only have one dipper in our house?”
Come to think of it, we didn’t use separate cups.
It’s good that if you put the water jar near the hearth, it gradually heats up from the residual heat so there’s no need to boil it separately. And strangely, nothing grows in the water.l
It feels like I could make a steam engine if I just touched it a bit, but the fire that never goes out is too eye-catching so…
I guess I’ll have to go.
I sat Soo-oh down in my place and went into the kitchen.
Then I went out the back door, picked up two stones from the ground, and twisted them.
Cup complete.
A crack that can only be seen if you look closely went through the air. I should ask Heavenly Demon for some tableware.
Thinking that, I opened the lid of the suitably hot jar and poured two cups of the clear water inside. Then I immediately returned to where Gu Milmil and Soo-oh were with them.
According to some people’s memories, you should bring them on a tray here, but we’re not living well enough to care about that.
And Gu Milmil doesn’t seem like someone who would expect much from a clearly poor place.
So when I came out with the water, I could see Gu Milmil and Soo-oh talking in front of me.
The content of the conversation is asking if her body is okay now. Soo-oh answers awkwardly using polite speech.
Fortunately, Soo-oh learned how to treat adults from Heavenly Demon.
So she’s carefully talking without being too awkward. It’s fortunate that she’s acquired the minimum social skills.
“Here you go.”
“Thank you. But you two. Why are you alone in a place like this? Wouldn’t it be better to go to the village if possible?”
It seems like an innocent question, but looking at Gu Milmil’s expression, she’s asking while very carefully observing me and Soo-oh.
Is she being considerate so that if someone shows a negative reaction, she can immediately dismiss it as nothing?
“No. We can’t go and eat insects again.”
“Ah. Right. That’s true.”
The Heavenly Demon Divine Cult basically lives with parasitic insects in their bodies. It’s a harsh place for Soo-oh who had an aversion to insects to live.
“Rather, in another place…, it would be difficult to live.”
Gu Milmil’s gaze subtly touched Soo-oh’s hair. That’s right. Right now, harvesters are evil demon heads in the martial world.
In a place full of monks, they chased Oh Myeongseong away as soon as he fully became a harvester. They likely have the ability to distinguish harvesters.
If we go out, should we target that place?
Anyway, I focus on Gu Milmil again.
“You came to hear about Oh Myeongseong’s transformation, right?”
“Yes, that’s right. You said you knew about that state. Does that mean you know about that reverse heavenly demon energy?”
Hm. Come to think of it, they sporadically used such proper nouns in places with monks.
“What’s reverse heavenly demon energy?”
“You don’t know? It’s an energy that originally only Heavenly Demon could use. It’s an exceptionally evil demonic energy that even Father couldn’t understand its true nature until the end.”
Gu Seongyong didn’t tell Gu Milmil about the traces Eunjae left behind.
So she doesn’t know exactly. But to think such an ominous name is attached to me.
It’s quite accurate.
Well then, let’s reveal the reasons one by one.
“First, the reason Oh Myeongseong changed is because he used the Qi Absorption Technique.”
Immediately, a knife extended from Gu Milmil’s hand.
No, it came out and stopped.
“What are you?”
That’s because Soo-oh’s hand stopped right in front of Gu Milmil’s carotid artery. Just before killing intent burst out.
I raised my hand to stop both of them.
“Now, calm down. Soo-oh. Just learning the martial art called Qi Absorption Technique brands you as a public enemy in the martial world. It’s natural for Miss Gu Milmil to react sensitively.”
Soo-oh frowned, but when I waved my hand, she pouted and removed her hand from Gu Milmil’s neck. Then she stepped far back and drew her sword.
“You’ve become an amazing expert in just 1 year.”
Gu Milmil looked at Soo-oh with a surprised expression and slowly put her sword away. Just last year. She must have examined Soo-oh’s insides while removing the insects here, so she knows immediately.
“She has a good teacher.”
I deliberately swallowed the answer of Heavenly Demon. Instead, I moved the topic elsewhere.
“Oh Myeongseong stole what you call reverse heavenly demon energy from someone who uses it. So can you understand why he transformed?”
At my words, Gu Milmil frowned and said no.
I see.
Then it’s time to know the truth.
“I divide myself among people. Those who receive me have all their wounds healed, become smarter, stronger, and their hair turns purple.”
Gu Milmil looks at me with an expression that doesn’t understand what I said.
And only after a long time passed did she barely understand what I said.
“You’re the reverse heavenly demon energy?”
Gu Milmil understood.
“Is that what you’re going to call it?”
So I gave this answer back.
Demonic energy that rebels against heaven.
I guess you could see it that way. I was about to explain about the contract to Gu Milmil. But faster than that, Soo-oh interrupted my words.
“Choseol isn’t like that!”
Soo-oh shouted loudly.
Soo-oh came up to me, hugged me from behind, and pointed her blunt sword at Gu Milmil.
“She’s my benefactor and my family. Don’t call her that way.”
At some point, Soo-oh’s polite speech disappeared too.
A chilly wind inappropriate for the season passed by, and Gu Milmil took the posture used for greeting in this world.
“I apologize. Miss Soo-oh.”
Then Soo-oh quietly glared at Gu Milmil and put away her sword. And after letting out a small sigh, she points at me with her hand.
“Not to me, but to Choseol, do it.”
She went back to polite speech again. Well, Gu Milmil is an adult in many ways. She’s a couple years older than me too.
“I’m sorry. Miss Choseol. Is it okay to call you that?”
I nodded.
“Yes. I don’t care how others call me. Anyway, let’s return to the conversation. Miss Gu Milmil. I’ll tell you what you want to know.”
And I went back to talking about Oh Myeongseong.
Hoping that this story will shake up the Heavenly Demon Divine Cult greatly.