Chapter 49

Ak Mu-jin shouted at the one-armed man.

“If we do not go this far, we will not be able to affect the Demon Cult at all. Have you already forgotten the subordinates who died such unfair deaths?”

“None of them would have wanted you, Unit Leader, to live a life built on lies. Much less drag this many people into it.”

“How could you possibly know what is in the hearts of the dead!”

Ak Mu-jin raged.

The one-armed man spoke calmly.

“Because if I had died, I would have felt that way. What about you, Unit Leader? If you had died, would you have wanted us to live like this?”

“……!”

Ak Mu-jin’s eyes wavered.

No one wishes for their precious comrades to walk a twisted path.

There was no way Ak Mu-jin did not know that.

He had simply turned away from it because he was desperate.

Just like now.

“You will understand me. Will you not?”

Ak Mu-jin swept his gaze over his other subordinates with desperate eyes.

However, no one answered.

Like the one-armed man, they began taking off their masks one by one.

Bitter, regretful expressions stabbed painfully into Ak Mu-jin’s gaze.

I shook my head slightly and looked at Ak Mu-jin.

“Unit Leader Ak, it is not too late yet. Go back to the Demon Cult. Go back to where the Elder Council Lord you hate so much is.”

“Relying on your paltry promise to help me take revenge? How am I supposed to trust you, the Demon Cult’s Seventh Disciple whose existence I had not even heard of until moments ago?”

“And who was it that got crushed by that so-called Seventh Disciple?”

I answered with a faint snort of laughter.

Ak Mu-jin pressed his lips shut. It seemed he had nothing to say in rebuttal.

I delivered the finishing blow.

“The current Ghost-Face Unit Leader. He regrets it. Siding with the Elder Council Lord just to survive.”

On the day Ak Mu-jin lost the subordinates he cherished, not everyone died or fled.

Some surrendered to the Elder Council Lord and saved their lives.

The current Ghost-Face Unit Leader was one of them.

He had received the order to annihilate the Longevity Cult, but upon learning that its leader was Ak Mu-jin, he intentionally suffered defeat and submitted a false report.

And he had been hiding ever since under the excuse of recuperation.

“Do you think the Ghost-Face Unit Leader handed over the Ghost-Face Token you lost for no reason? He is waiting for you in the Cult.”

Ak Mu-jin’s lips trembled.

He was reacting to the mention of the Ghost-Face Unit Leader and the Ghost-Face Token.

I relayed my last conversation with the Ghost-Face Unit Leader to Ak Mu-jin.

— Will you not regret it? If Corps Lord Ak returns, the Elder Council Lord might not leave you alone.

— Not a single day has passed in peace since that day. Not just for me. The men under me have all lost their smiles. One betrayal is enough. If the Corps Lord returns—”

“I will accept the Elder Council Lord’s blade with a smile. That is what he said.”

“……!”

“Are you really going to blow yourself up and leave behind a subordinate like that?”

“That foolish brat…”

Ak Mu-jin lowered his head.

In the low mutter that followed, there was a mix of emotions hard to put into words.

“What matters is this. Both the subordinates who stayed with you and those who could not all want you to stop what you have been doing until now, Unit Leader Ak. Stop dragging this out and just decide. Are you going back or not?”

I deliberately put some pressure on him.

After a long time with his head lowered, Ak Mu-jin asked in a cracked voice.

“…If I return to the Demon Cult, will I be able to take revenge on the Elder Council Lord?”

“Of course.”

I answered without hesitation.

A clash with the Elder Council Lord was inevitable.

I had no intention of leaving alone someone who blocked my path at every turn.

Ak Mu-jin turned his head.

He looked over the faces of his subordinates and the believers beneath the altar in turn.

I wonder how much time passed.

Strength returned to his eyes. He seemed to have made up his mind.

Ak Mu-jin asked his subordinates.

“Is it all right if we return to the Demon Cult?”

“Of course.”

The one-armed man answered at once, and the other subordinates each added their voice.

“Do not say what goes without saying. We still want revenge as much as ever. We just did not agree with your methods, Unit Leader.”

As if confirming all his subordinates’ will, Ak Mu-jin gave a firm nod.

He spoke toward me.

“I will accept the Seventh Young Lord’s proposal.”

His form of address and tone had changed.

I clenched my fist tight.

‘Yes, this is it.’

To be honest, this had not been an easy mission.

We had to subdue a heretical cult with thousands of believers using only myself and my guards.

But I had handled it in my own way.

Once the cult leader was gone, the Longevity Cult would naturally begin to collapse.

There were still things to do for a clean finish, but even this alone was an enormous achievement.

On top of that, I had even managed to bring Ak Mu-jin and his subordinates back to the Cult.

They would be an incomparably powerful card when it came to dealing with the Elder Council Lord.

“Do not betray us. If you do, I will choose to die together with the Seventh Young Lord.”

I gave a small snort at Ak Mu-jin’s words.

“Like how you were about to do that to the Cult just a moment ago with your believers?”

“That is right.”

“Do not worry. That will not happen. More importantly, you have heard the saying ‘he who tied the knot must untie it,’ right?”

“Of course.”

I pointed toward beneath the altar with my chin.

“They are the people who nearly lost their lives because of you. Ask their forgiveness and thoroughly disband the Longevity Cult. We will meet again after that.”

The atmosphere beneath the altar was on the verge of exploding.

Even at this moment, the believers’ shouts were pounding against my ears.

“What in the world are they babbling about up there?”

“Hey! Watch your mouth about the Cult Leader!”

“Cult Leader, my foot. Did you not hear the Seventh Young Lord? He said he was the Ghost-Face Unit Leader, the Ghost-Face Unit Leader!”

Voices shouting curses at one another and demanding an explanation raged back and forth.

Ak Mu-jin only looked down beneath the altar with wavering eyes.

“Let us head back to the inn.”

I spoke to Im Yeon.

From here on, it was something Ak Mu-jin had to endure.

Perhaps because my dantian was completely empty and I had taken many hits.

When I turned my body, my legs gave way.

“Ah, Young Lord!”

Im Yeon and one of the guards hurried over and supported me from both sides.

This time, I did not refuse.

On the way back to the inn, Im Yeon spoke.

“I am truly glad you are safe, Young Lord. To be honest, I really thought this mission would be impossible. And yet you resolved everything like this… Did you perhaps set out to find the Longevity Cult Leader with this exact result in mind from the very beginning?”

“That is right.”

I answered with confidence, but in truth the first emotion I had felt after the battle ended was relief.

Ak Mu-jin, the top-grade cold-iron dagger, and Insect Courage.

Without those two, I really would have struggled badly.

‘So this is why people cannot live alone.’

That realization came to me suddenly.

I had helped Wi So-rang, and because of that I had obtained the cold-iron dagger. I had constantly bothered the Heavenly Demon and become close to him, and because of that I had learned Insect Courage.

I could not be a good person to everyone, but at least with those close to me, it seemed right to live leaning on one another.

That would be much better than struggling alone.

‘For now, I should rest a bit.’

That night, I fell into a very deep sleep.

---

The pitch-dark night passed, and morning came.

My body felt much lighter than it had the day before.

I had taken an Energy-Restoring Pill before bed, and thanks to that, it seemed many of my injuries had healed.

As expected of an eighty-tael medicine, the effect was killer.

“—So, that is what happened!”

Im Yeon, who had gone outside, brought back news about Ak Mu-jin.

Apparently, a storm had swept through Shufu all through the night.

It was because of the way Ak Mu-jin chose to apologize.

“So you are saying he told them to hit him until they calmed down?”

“Yes, Young Lord!”

“……”

What kind of brainless way of wrapping things up was that.

Should I say that it was so like Ak Mu-jin? I had not imagined he would try to settle it with his body.

“No matter how much he has trained in the Rotting Corpse Body Art, there is no way he came out fine after facing hundreds or thousands of fists.”

“I heard his subordinates threw themselves in and took blows together with him.”

“That is heartwarming. Just like us.”

“Us, Young Lord?”

“If something similar happens to me later, you will do that too. Isn’t that right, Guard Im?”

“Do what, exactly?”

“What you just said.”

“I must have misheard you.”

“Wow, seriously?”

Im Yeon laughed awkwardly.

“The guards, myself included, will protect you in any situation, Young Lord.”

Well, would you look at that?

She had gotten a lot more glib.

I let out a small laugh and asked her.

“Did you pass on the message to gather everyone?”

“Yes, Young Lord. By noon, everyone who used to be a Longevity Cult believer will gather in front of the altar.”

“Good.”

The goal of this mission was to subjugate the Longevity Cult.

If we either destroyed or disbanded the Longevity Cult, the mission would be a success.

But I was not satisfied with just that.

After the Great Sacred Flame Council, the process of distributing merit takes place.

The Little Demon judged to have achieved the highest results is then chosen to carry the Sacred Flame during the Sacred Flame Festival.

In my past life, the one who carried the Sacred Flame had been the Great Sahyung.

Ridiculously, the person who had not even attended the Great Sacred Flame Council was selected.

The reason given was that the results of his prior missions far surpassed those of the other Little Demons, but that was nonsense.

It was because the Elder Council Lord and the faction that supported the Great Sahyung had pulled strings.

Anyway, because of that, only the Little Demons who had actually attended the Great Sacred Flame Council ended up looking like fools.

‘There is no way I am letting that happen to me.’

I had not the slightest intention of letting anyone take the role of carrying the Sacred Flame from me.

To make that happen, I drew a bigger picture.

“From here on, listen closely to what I say!”

Noon.

I shouted loudly from atop the altar.

Below the altar, as on the previous day, a great crowd had gathered.

From those people staring only at my lips, I could feel a vague unease and fear.

I was the Demon Cult’s representative and the one who dismantled the Longevity Cult.

They would want to know what I was going to say.

“The reason I have called you together is simple. To let you live.”

Ripples spread through the crowd.

There was a mix of bewilderment and resistance.

“Let us live? Then are you saying we might die?”

“What did we do wrong!”

I clicked my tongue and spoke.

“It seems you still do not grasp the situation. You are apostates. You belonged to the Divine Cult and then moved to the Longevity Cult and pointed your blades at us. From the Divine Cult’s point of view, there would be nothing wrong with washing not only you but all of Shufu in blood.”

A terrifying silence wrapped around the clearing.

They knew very well that the Demon Cult was insane enough to do exactly that.

In my past life, a great tragedy had actually occurred.

However, it had also been a great loss for the Demon Cult. There was nothing to gain from an empty land.

“What do we do?”

“What do you mean what? We run. Do you not know entire cities disappeared after they once rebelled?”

“Run, my ass. We should at least settle things with those Demon bastards. You know how much they have run rampant all this time!”

It became a madhouse beneath the altar.

Fear makes people irrational.

“Hey, quiet! Quiet down!”

Raising my voice as loud as I could to calm the commotion, I continued.

“I will tell you how you can live. It is to once again become members of the Divine Cult.”

I would create a different outcome from my past life.

I would reintegrate tens of thousands of defectors into the Demon Cult and firmly maintain the Cult’s control over this land.

That way, we would not lose the regular tributes that came up or our check on the Western Regions powers.

‘With this much in place, Geuk Mu-hyeok will not be able to steal it no matter what tricks he pulls.’

No matter how I thought about it, I could not stand the idea of that man Geuk Mu-hyeok eating the choicest cut raw.

“I know why you turned your backs on the Divine Cult. A lot of things must have happened. But that does not mean what you did was right. You tormented the old and the young and snickered while you watched. How are you any different from the ones who made your lives miserable?”

Many people lowered their heads or avoided one another’s eyes as if on cue.

They had no reason to feel proud of themselves.

“There are two conditions for being accepted again as members of the Divine Cult. One, that you did not kill any Divine Cult members. Two, that you sincerely regret the mistakes and evils you committed. The Divine Cult members who were imprisoned until yesterday will judge you by these two points.”

Some people let out sighs of relief, while others turned pale.

The crowd’s reactions were divided.

Even so, one mood held them fast.

That they could live if they returned to the Divine Cult.

“So, the choice is yours. Will you reflect on your past and seize a new chance, or will you keep turning your back on the Divine Cult until you meet your ruin?”

Here, I added a few more words.

That there would be no more unfair discrimination like before. That I would stake my name on that promise.

‘This should be enough.’

After confirming the mood of the crowd, I left the clearing without hesitation.

Not everyone would accept my proposal.

Some would run, and some would resist to the end.

However, things would likely proceed according to my plan without any major problems.

Because I knew better than anyone what human survival instinct was like.

That same evening, I headed for the noodle stall.

One of Ak Mu-jin’s subordinates had come to the inn, saying Ak Mu-jin was waiting for me there.

Just as he said, Ak Mu-jin was sitting alone at the stall.

His face was swollen, and bandages were wrapped all over his body.

Anyone could tell he had taken a severe beating the night before.

“You did not die, I see.”

“…My life is tenacious.”

“It seems that way.”

Smiling, I sat down beside him.

“You wanted to see me about returning to the Demon Cult, right? You are half-doubting whether it is really possible.”

“That is right.”

“A lot of things will happen from here on. The Elder Council Lord will desperately try to block your return.”

In other words, I was telling him to be prepared.

Ak Mu-jin answered calmly.

“I can handle it.”

“Then that is fine. I will cling to my master for three days and nights if I have to and get all of you reinstated, so do not worry about a thing.”

“Very well.”

With that, Ak Mu-jin fell silent.

A brief silence passed.

Watching him, I could not help finding it a bit funny.

Where had the man who had raved like he was possessed in front of his believers gone?

“Unit Leader Ak, want to put the mask back on?”

“For what reason?”

“You are too quiet. I feel like I would only enjoy talking if you had the mask on.”

“…I will pass.”

Ak Mu-jin closed his mouth again.

‘Seriously.’

I shook my head slightly and got up from my seat.

There was nothing left to talk about.

“You are not leaving?”

“I am not.”

“Suit yourself.”

Even as I left the stall, Ak Mu-jin remained sitting in the same spot.

---

“Owner!”

After Baek Su-gyeong left the stall.

The stall owner, made restless by the sudden shower, answered pleasantly.

He had been bothered the whole time by Ak Mu-jin sitting there for so long without ordering.

He was a regular customer, and now that the owner knew he had been the Longevity Cult’s leader, he could not even bring himself to complain.

“Take this.”

Ak Mu-jin took out a few silver taels and set them on the counter.

It was the cost of the stall he had destroyed while fighting Baek Su-gyeong a few days earlier.

“No, there is no need for this!”

The stall owner tried to refuse, but Ak Mu-jin left the silver where it was and stood up.

Blinking, the owner called out to Ak Mu-jin’s back as it receded into the rain.

“Si-sir. You have not eaten.”

Ak Mu-jin’s steps stopped.

The stall owner spoke again.

“Shall I prepare five bowls like usual?”

Ak Mu-jin shook his head.

“I will not be eating noodles for a while.”

On the day he cut off that bastard Elder Council Lord’s head and this wretched revenge ended.

On that day he would return to this place and empty five bowls again.

Thinking of his subordinates’ faces, Ak Mu-jin disappeared into the rain.

And a few days later, six men appeared in Shufu.

It was Heuk Un-hwi’s party.