Chapter 13

Fresh, steaming dishes soon arrived.

There were so many kinds that even the broad table seemed almost too small.

‘So I’m eating this again after ten years.’

The banquet is a day off from when it was held in my past life.

But the prepared dishes were largely the same. Only a few small things differed, likely due to the ingredient supply.

“Eat your fill. You’ve likely never tasted such delicacies.”

Though the Elder Council Lord’s voice was gentle, his meaning was not.

It carried the ridicule of “When would a lowly wretch like you eat food like this?”

He might think I’m overly sensitive.

But he’s the sort who hides base mockery behind a mild smile.

I’d had my fill of it in my past life, so I see straight through him.

‘First, eat.’

I dove into the food.

I had run around the Hall of Ten Thousand Demons and the True Demon Market all day, even spent my body thanks to Wi So-rang, and I walked more until I hitched Yuk Ja-heung’s carriage.

There was no way I wasn’t hungry.

The Elder Council Lord regarded me meaningfully.

“Eat and listen. We’re gathered to welcome you. Naturally, we’re curious what sort of person you are.”

“Nom, nom.”

“Won’t you tell us about yourself? How you’ve lived, what house you’re from, and so on.”

Gulp, gulp.

“Seventh Young Lord?”

“Ah, sorry. The food’s too good. What did you say?”

“…I asked you to tell us about yourself.”

“Hm. About me.”

I set my chopsticks down and swept the hall.

Everyone was looking this way.

Clearly, they were curious what kind of Little Demon the newcomer was.

“Name, Baek Su-gyeong. Age, seventeen. The place I lived, Nanzhou.”

“That’s all?”

“Yep.”

The Elder Council Lord stroked his beard.

“Since you don’t mention your house, it must not be notable.”

“Right. Just ordinary.”

“Yet you caught the Cult Leader’s eye. Family?”

“None. I wandered alone for years.”

“Then you were a vagrant?”

Laughter burst here and there at his words.

Seems my status was even lower than they thought.

I asked the Elder Council Lord,

“Something wrong with that?”

“Not wrong, just puzzling. Why would the Cult Leader favor a vagrant among so many?”

He smiled benignly and added a line,

“I’m just joking.”

Oh, so that’s how you want to play it?

Then I’ll answer in kind.

“I’m sure Master had his reasons. Or are you perhaps doubting Master?”

“Doubting?”

“You’re suggesting his judgment has dulled, or his discernment is flawed. Both sound… dangerous.”

“Ah—no, I didn’t intend…”

Flustered, perhaps.

He stammered, then shut his mouth.

Grinning, I added a line,

“Just joking. Haha.”

The already sour mood chilled at once.

A voice transmission shot in.

[Hey, are you crazy? I told you not to defy him. Push any further and this won’t end with words.]

It was Yuk Ja-heung.

I wished I could send one back.

Even when I didn’t defy them, it didn’t end with words.

And that was all because of you.

The Elder Council Lord watched me with subtly sharpened eyes.

“…You joke well. And you’re bold. You show no sign of being nervous.”

“You said you gathered to welcome me. Why would I be nervous?”

“Heh. True. Astute.”

Despite his answer, his face sank.

‘Now it starts.’

He kept stressing that my identity didn’t suit a Little Demon, trying to break my spirit.

But the more he tried, the more he’d realize I wasn’t easy prey.

From here he’d use more serious means.

In a low voice, he spoke.

“Come to think of it, I haven’t asked about your martial arts. I hear you had fine bouts with the Fifth Young Lord and Sixth Young Lady?”

“I did.”

“How long have you trained?”

“One month.”

His brow furrowed.

“You all but overpowered them after a month?”

“Overpowered? What are you saying? They just went easy on me.”

Which still meant I’d won.

As if to verify, gazes shifted to Yuk Ja-heung and Wi So-rang.

Yuk Ja-heung, embarrassed, toyed with his gourd with his head lowered, while Wi So-rang, cheeks stuffed, chirped guilelessly,

“It’s twoo! Sajae sow stwong! So stwong, so stwong!”

Murmurs rippled.

“He really beat both?”

“With just a month of training? How…?”

“It must be a lie.”

Some denied it, but only briefly.

The proud Yuk Ja-heung didn’t deny it, and the precociously martial-obsessed Wi So-rang admitted it readily.

They had no choice but to accept the rumor as true.

In a low, assured tone, the Elder Council Lord asked,

“So the Cult Leader must’ve taught you some extraordinary arts?”

“Not really. Aside from the internal art. He gave me a few tips. How to move and stuff, that sort of thing.”

I was referring to the Heretical Alliance’s Nanzhou branch incident.

“Tips? That’s all?”

“Yeah.”

“I doubt that was all.”

He started probing relentlessly.

He was insisting that I’d surely trained longer, or learned formidable techniques from the Heavenly Demon.

No matter my answers, suspicion remained.

‘Tsk, tsk. You’ll foam at the mouth at this rate.’

Watching him fish for faults, I almost pitied him.

Sadder still, he didn’t realize how he looked.

Grilling a green youth to verify the truth only shaved his own dignity.

But his eyes were half-rolled back.

‘Since I’m full, it’s time to flip this completely.’

Gulping down, I asked the Elder Council Lord.

“You seem to have many questions, Elder Council Lord. Feeling lonely, are you?”

“…Lonely?”

“The Elder Council’s where retirees are, right? Usually playing Go and such. So I thought maybe you poke around for fun. Loneliness normally makes people meddle.”

“……”

He’s the incarnation of greed. The old geezer hates being treated like a backroom old man.

What I said would slide in like the sharpest dagger.

But he wouldn’t know.

The fact that I had one more up my sleeve.

“Still, it’s better to be lonely anyway. At your age, if you crave power and butt heads, people will just call you pathetic in your twilight years. Don’t live like that. Just mingle with the young sometimes and live easy, alright?”

I said it laden with concern, like a grandchild to his grandpa.

He looked like he’d been clubbed in the back of the head.

He kneaded the back of his neck.

Then his underlings exploded.

“What unforgivable rudeness!”

“Seventh Young Lord, apologize at once. If not, we won’t sit still!”

“I only said it out of concern. Is concern a sin in the Cult?”

“Why you—still!”

The hall devolved into a mess.

The Elder Council Lord merely stroked his beard.

A silent sign he wouldn’t face me directly now.

No doubt he was sending voice transmissions.

Telling someone to crush me so I wouldn’t act up again.

‘Who’ll step up?’

A few of his followers’ faces came to mind.

One sprang up. A man around thirty.

“I can’t bear it. I challenge the Seventh Young Lord.”

I recognized him at once.

Mang Heun-baek.

I’d crossed him in my past life.

Under the Elder Council Lord’s wing, he provoked me incessantly.

I was angry, but I tried to hold back.

I wanted to avoid needless clashes.

But Mang Heun-baek was vicious.

When I wouldn’t bite, he hurt those near me.

Plenty quit their jobs or ended up at physicians because of him.

‘Perfect timing.’

I had exacted my revenge on him back in my past life.

But meeting him here must be fate.

I should settle it now before trouble brews.

So that my already weary road gets a bit easier.

I smiled, all politeness.

“Why spoil a fine day? A duel, really?”

“You’re the only one who finds it fine.”

Mang Heun-baek was serious.

Well, he might be right.

Most here want to see how I’ll be broken.

But one thing I’m good at is betraying expectations.

Today too.

“If you’re no coward, rise now, Seventh Young Lord.”

“Hm. Coward, is it? Guess I have no choice.”

We faced off in the central aisle.

His eyes blazed with resolve.

I could clearly see the desire to trample me and win recognition from the Elder Council Lord and the Cult.

He was Yuk Ja-heung’s substitute.

If Yuk Ja-heung had talent, clan backing, and martial arts taught by the Heavenly Demon, this one had a murderous blade art and rich real combat.

Plenty had lost their heads to his blade.

“Are you going to fight bare-handed?”

“Yes.”

“Then I’ll use the sheath, and not the blade.”

He put on affected modesty.

“Hm. How long have you trained?”

“Roughly twenty years.”

“Then drop the pretense and use the blade. Seems your training was for nothing.”

“…You insult me?”

Killing intent poured off him.

I smiled easily.

“It’s not an insult, just facts. Your stance is full of openings.”

Grit—he ground his molars.

“Let your skill match your arrogance.”

He drew and leveled the blade at me.

I couldn’t read his mind, but he likely meant to take an arm.

Impious against a Little Demon, but that’s the Demon Cult.

As I’ve said, the Demon Cult was a den of lunatics.

‘Watch closely.’

The Elder wore a faint smile, as if sure Mang Heun-baek would not lose.

Let’s see how long that lasts.

“Shall we begin?”

“Come.”

“You first.”

“Don’t regret it.”

He approached cautiously.

He didn’t dare strike rashly.

My level, what arts I’d learned, how much internal energy I had, and so forth.

Knowing none of that, it was only natural to be cautious.

But I was different.

Since I had fought him before, I had most of the info.

That gap is huge.

For example, when he feebly tests with his blade—

Paht—

—I can launch in at once.

“…!”

His eyes widened.

He clenched his grip, but it was a beat late.

I spread a thin, broad layer of Pure Demonic Qi over my palm and slapped the flat of his blade, spending about a third of my Pure Demonic Qi.

Thanks to that, palm met steel with a sharp clang!

His blade bounced aside, creating an opening.

I spun in and slipped into his guard.

Using the torque, I speared his nose with an elbow, and he grunted with a “Kuk!”.

“Your openings are huge. I told you—they show in your stance.”

Blood burst from his nose.

He might’ve grabbed at it, but with experience, he didn’t.

Instead he jabbed at my head with the hilt.

Not to land a blow, but just to make space open to swing.

Naturally, I didn’t bite.

Facing him, I tilted my head back.

As the hilt whiffed through air, I snapped forward and punched.

Pahk!

Fist to jaw.

Mang Heun-baek swayed on his feet. His skull was probably rattling.

“Why not just present your face to be hit?”

He glared and slashed spasmodically.

“Stop swinging on emotion. Your shoulders are too tight.”

Dodge, strike.

“Too little strength this time.”

Dodge again, strike again.

“Your torso’s over-turned. No, now you’re too stiff.”

Oddly, Mang Heun-baek seemed to care about what I was saying.

Can’t tell mockery from advice, can you?

But he seemingly realized it was mockery, as he finally raged.

“Graaa!”

Mang Heun-baek flailed with the blade.

It looked like he was desperate to hit me somehow.

“What are you doing? You couldn’t swat a fly like that. Something has to hit to kill.”

I kept needling him.

“Hey. Your legs are open.”

I feinted low with a kick, then turned midway to smash his flank.

“Guard your side!”

Feinting flank again, I slapped his cheek.

He could scarcely think.

The momentum was fully mine.

I poured the rest of my Pure Demonic Qi in, readying a finishing flurry.

And.

Pabababak!

I hammered torso, shoulder, face in succession.

He wobbled, and yellow, corn-like teeth dotted the air.

Pahk!

The last blow struck his right wrist.

Clang—!

His dropped blade clattered somewhere in the hall.

For a swordsman, losing their blade is like a death sentence.

Mang Heun-baek stared dumbly at the fallen blade, ruined, then collapsed in a daze.

The fight was over.

The hall, with at least a hundred inside, went dead silent.

I quite liked that silence.