Chapter 79

“What? The Black Panther Squad I sent to Namcheon Prefecture was all killed or captured?”

“Y-yes…”

“And that supposed link between me and the Heaven Rebelling Society they found there was a trap?”

“Y-yes…”

Heuk Jin-pung simply could not believe it.

Was this truly reality?

The Black Panther Squad was the Hundred-Succession Heuk Clan’s elite unit, and their leader Byeong Woon was a capable man whose greatest strength was his caution.

Yet his subordinates had all been taken out, and that brat Baek Su-gyeong’s loose tongue, pretending it was a slip, had actually been bait.

He had been toyed with by a brat who had only entered the Cult a few months ago!

Grrrk, his molars ground together on their own.

It was then.

“Clan Head! We have a major problem!”

Another subordinate rushed in, gasping for breath.

Heuk Jin-pung frowned and asked.

“What is it?”

“The Blood Gold Money House, the Demon Jade Merchant Guild, and most of the other trading posts within the Cult have sent notice that they are cutting off business with our clan!”

What nonsense was this now?

Heuk Jin-pung shouted without meaning to.

“What kind of bullshit is that!”

“T-they say that when they audited our ledgers, they found a large number of suspicious dealings.”

“Why would they suddenly audit the ledgers…!”

Perhaps it was because unbelievable news kept flying in one after another.

Heuk Jin-pung was at a loss for words.

It wasn’t just one or two. Most of the trading posts were cutting ties all at once.

There was no way this was a coincidence.

But this was only the beginning.

Before he could even catch his breath, a third piece of bad news crashed down.

“Clan Heaaad!”

“What now!”

A third subordinate came running in and reported with a grave expression.

“The Demon Inquisition Court and the Disciplinary Court have begun investigations into you and the main house!”

“On what grounds!”

“For treason due to involvement with the Heaven Rebelling Society, violation of doctrine from the extermination of the Blood Water Goong Clan, conspiracy to assassinate the Little Demon, and—”

“Enough!”

Heuk Jin-pung cut the report short, his beard trembling.

Things were developing so quickly he couldn’t keep up.

What kind of state was this for the great Hundred-Succession Heuk Clan to be in?

And all this chaos because of a brat who barely deserved to be called a Little Demon!

‘Baek Su-gyeong…!’

Just thinking of the boy’s name made his blood feel like it was boiling in reverse.

He had shown up as the so-called Little Demon, turned the entire Cult inside out, cut off the arm of his eldest son Heuk Un-hwi, and now he was trying to ruin even the Hundred-Succession Heuk Clan.

This couldn’t be that brat’s doing alone. It had to be Gal So-ye’s scheme.

‘How in the world did he win Gal So-ye over?’

Until now, Gal So-ye had never interfered in any affairs of the Seven Demon Houses.

It was undeniable that he himself had used the Heaven Rebelling Society.

But the Gal So-ye he knew would never have acted rashly without considering all the consequences.

So why was she stepping forward so aggressively now?

‘Whatever the reason, it doesn’t matter. I’ll make them pay for daring to look down on me and my clan.’

Anxiety pressed down on him.

He couldn’t simply sit and take it like this.

His position as Clan Head of the Hundred-Succession Heuk Clan would not allow it.

“Go to the other six houses at once and propose an emergency meeting! Tell them we will be discussing the Grand Strategist’s overreach!”

“Clan Head, please calm yourself fir—”

“Silence!”

Heuk Jin-pung bellowed.

His usual cool-headedness was nowhere to be found.

“What are you doing still standing here! Get moving!”

“Yes, Clan Head!”

His subordinates all rushed out at once.

Heuk Jin-pung slumped into his chair, breathing heavily.

This was not a challenge aimed only at the Heuk Clan, but at the entire Seven Demon Houses.

The Seven Demon Houses bore forty percent of the Divine Cult’s forces.

If they united, they had the power to replace a Grand Strategist ten or a hundred times over.

Gal So-ye was going to regret this bitterly.

“Clan Head, the warriors you sent to the six houses have returned.”

He didn’t know how much time had passed.

One of the subordinates who had gone out earlier came back.

Heuk Jin-pung asked.

“What did they say?”

“Well…”

“Speak!”

“The Demon Bell Geuk Clan, Radiant Moon Jin Clan, and Dark-Shadow Gu Clan all showed a positive response, but the Seventh Young Lord…”

“What about Baek Su-gyeong?”

“He is said to have visited the Illusory Hwang Clan, the Iron-Gold Wi Clan, and the Violet Lightning Yuk Clan. Perhaps because of that, they say they will not participate in any emergency meeting until you have cleared yourself of all suspicion.”

“…!”

Heuk Jin-pung’s mouth fell open.

He stayed like that for a long while, unable to say anything.

He should have been furious, yet the rage did not come.

The report was so absurd that his sense of reality seemed to be numbed.

‘Baek Su-gyeong swayed three of the Seven Demon Houses to his side?’

He knew that the boy had joined hands with the Illusory Hwang Clan.

But what about the Iron-Gold Wi Clan and Violet Lightning Yuk Clan? Was that brat’s influence really this great?

No, that couldn’t be it.

This, too, had to be Gal So-ye’s doing.

‘Wait.’

As that thought came to him, a chill ran down Heuk Jin-pung’s spine.

He realized this was no time to be idly chewing on his anger.

This was a race against time.

Why had Baek Su-gyeong visited only the Hwang, Wi, and Yuk clans?

Would Gal So-ye really leave the remaining three clans alone?

Not a chance. There was no way that cunning woman would leave the Demon Bell Geuk and Radian Moon Jin Clan untouched.

If one clan disappeared, that meant more to divide up for the remaining six.

She would surely offer them terms they couldn’t refuse to win them over.

Before that happened, he had to nail down an alliance with those three clans.

Heuk Jin-pung reached out toward the wall.

The yellowish whip hanging there flew into his grasp.

At the same time, his body shot out of the Clan Head’s residence at high speed.

“C-clan Head, please don’t!”

Ignoring his subordinate behind him, he ran straight to none other than the Demon Bell Geuk Clan.

He shouted at the guards.

“Take me to your Clan Head. Right now!”

But the answer he received was despairing.

“Our Clan Head is currently away.”

“Away? Where to!”

“We do not know, sir.”

“Damn it all!”

Suppressing his rage, Heuk Jin-pung then visited the Radiant Moon Jin Clan and the Dark Shadow Gu Clan in turn.

The results were the same.

The guards there, too, only parroted that their clan heads were absent.

His breath caught in his throat.

All three clan heads were away at this exact moment?

This was a clear line being drawn.

They had already abandoned the Heuk Clan.

“T-those wretches I ought to tear them apart!”

Heuk Jin-pung could not accept this situation helplessly.

He felt he had to at least grab the Dark Shadow Gu clan head by the collar and demand what he thought he was doing.

He glared at the guards blocking the main gate and murmured low.

“Stand aside. I am going to see the Dark Shadow Gu Clan Head.”

“That is not allowed. You cannot enter without our clan head’s permission.”

“Permission? You insects dare speak to me of permission!”

The thread of reason he had barely been holding on to snapped.

Black Smoke Blood-Wind Hardened Qi burst out from Heuk Jin-pung.

The black Qi surged out in all directions, sweeping over the Dark Shadow Gu Clan’s guards. They spat blood as they were hurled back, smashing through the gate and slamming into the ground.

“Get out here, Gu Mun-gwang! I need to see your face!”

Heuk Jin-pung shouted at the top of his lungs and headed for the Dark Shadow Gu clan head’s residence.

Warriors came rushing out in a swarm to block him, but before the Black Smoke Blood-Wind Hardened Qi they were like dead leaves before an autumn gust.

It was after dozens of warriors had fallen like that.

“What kind of rampage is this, Clan Head Heuk?”

Dark Shadow Gu Clan Head Gu Mun-gwang appeared, strolling over with his hands clasped behind his back.

“So that business about being away was nonsense after all. Gu Mun-gwang, you think you’ll get away with making a fool of me?”

“I have no idea what you’re talking about.”

“Don’t play dumb with me! Were you not trying to break the Seven Demon Houses’ unwritten rules?”

“Ah, that. But you’ve come to the wrong place.”

“What?”

“I am merely following the decision made by the Demon Bell Geuk clan head and the Radiant Moon Jin clan head.”

“And you dare call that an excuse?”

Gu Mun-gwang clicked his tongue.

“Stop making a fuss here and go to the Strategist’s Office instead. What good does it do to chase only the result and not the cause? And remember this. When the rain is pouring down, you have to get out of it first. Once you’re soaked to the bone, whatever you do will already be too late.”

In other words, lie flat before it was too late.

Heuk Jin-pung was swept up not only in anger, but in sheer futility.

Where had the Seven Demon Houses’ pride gone?

“You ratlike bastard. Don’t get cocky because you dodged this shower. You and yours might get swept away in the next downpour.”

Heuk Jin-pung hurled his venom and turned away without regret.

It would be closer to a real solution to confront Gal So-ye than to waste his strength bickering with Gu Mun-gwang.

‘I’ll make her regret crossing me, even if I have to crack open that brilliant skull of hers.’

Just then, one of Heuk Jin-pung’s close aides came running from outside the Dark Shadow Gu Clan’s main gate.

He panted, as if he had been chasing from the clan head’s residence.

The moment he saw how things were going, he hurriedly offered earnest advice to Heuk Jin-pung.

“C-clan Head, please calm yourself! Acting in anger is certain defeat. It looks like they’ve prepared thoroughly, so we should also pull back for now and—”

“Shut up!”

The aide’s eyes rolled back.

Heuk Jin-pung had seized him by the neck in a strong grip.

“Pull back? You want the great Hundred-Succession Heuk Clan’s head to tuck his tail like a rat and run?”

Crack!

The subordinate, tongue protruding, died on the spot, and Heuk Jin-pung tossed the body aside carelessly.

“I’ll twist that bitch Gal So-ye’s neck just like this!”

Consumed by madness and murderous intent, Heuk Jin-pung headed for the Strategist’s Office.

“As ordered, we have frozen the Hundred-Succession Heuk Clan’s cash flow.”

“The Demon Inquisition Court has dispatched people to the Heuk Clan.”

“The Disciplinary Court is interrogating the Heuk Clan warriors they captured.”

I stared at Gal So-ye in admiration.

Amid the reports pouring in without a break.

She remained unshaken, focused on her work.

“Grand Strategist, a message has arrived from the Demon Bell Geuk Clan to confirm the exact date of fulfilling the terms.”

“In fifteen days.”

“The representatives of small and mid-sized merchant guilds that trade with the Heuk Clan are requesting an audience with you.”

“Tell them I will arrange new business partners for them, so they are not to act rashly. Seventh Young Lord, what’s with your expression?”

Gal So-ye answered the endless questions and still somehow had the leisure to observe my face.

“Ah, I just think you’re amazing, is all.”

After provoking Heuk Jin-pung and persuading the heads of three of the Seven Demon Houses, I had come straight to the Strategist’s Office.

I had come to tell Gal So-ye the results, but to my surprise, she had already predicted all of it.

On top of that, she handled things that would have been difficult for me as casually as if she’d just stepped out for a stroll.

Once again, I thought it would be best never to turn Gal So-ye into an enemy.

“I actually think you are more impressive than I am, Seventh Young Lord.”

“In what way?”

“Your decisiveness, I suppose. The way you are prepared to bring down a member of the Seven Demon Houses without hesitation.”

“That’s only because they left me no choice. I’m someone who loves peace, you know.”

“For someone who loves peace, your methods are rather forceful. You efficiently wiped out several dozen Heaven Rebelling Society members as well.”

“…That was also because they didn’t leave me any options.”

“Whatever the reason, it is clear that you are remarkable, Seventh Young Lord.”

Only in the Demon Cult would you get praised for trying to ruin a clan and blowing up groups of people.

“By the way, there is something I am curious about regarding you.”

“What is it?”

“You said that during the battle you heard a Heaven Rebelling Society member mention Namcheon Prefecture.”

“Right.”

Yesterday, in the middle of our talk, I had dropped a line.

That those Heaven Rebelling bastards had uttered the name ‘Namcheon Prefecture.’

It wasn’t some amazing piece of intel.

The Heaven Rebelling Society had branches in several places, and I had heard in my previous life that one of them was there.

Namcheon Prefecture covers a wide area.

I hadn’t expected the information I gave to be particularly useful.

Since Heuk Jin-pung might know the location of that branch, I had only mentioned it so they could dig a more thorough trap.

But Gal So-ye had linked the vast information stored in her head and pinpointed the exact site.

Thanks to that, she was able to seize the place first, set the trap, and capture the Heuk Clan warriors.

Whatever those men testified to, their mere existence was undeniable proof aimed at Heuk Jin-pung.

Gal So-ye stared straight at me and asked.

“Is it really true that you just happened to hear the name Namcheon Prefecture in the middle of the battle?”

I was a little puzzled.

Why was she asking now about something she hadn’t questioned when I first mentioned it?

I answered as calmly as I could.

“It’s true. Why?”

“Because there are times when you give me chills, Seventh Young Lord.”

“Me?”

I gave a hollow laugh and asked back.

I didn’t think a word like ‘chill’ suited me.

But at her next words, my face stiffened without my realizing it.

“You know too much. Almost as if you came from the future.”

“…That’s impossible.”

I forced myself to keep a casual expression.

Gal So-ye turned her gaze back to the documents on her desk.

“I don’t truly believe that either. I haven’t gone insane yet.”

“Hahaha.”

I let out an awkward laugh and, inwardly, a sigh of relief.

Of course, there was no way my regression secret would be exposed, but every time something like this came up, my heart still lurched.

Kwaaang!

It was then.

A deafening boom sounded from somewhere, enough to shake the whole office.

“What was that?”

I instinctively looked out the window, but Gal So-ye answered in a bored tone.

“It seems the Hundred-Succession Heuk Clan’s head has barged in.”

“Geh.”

I almost jumped to my feet without thinking.

No matter how bad things were, he was storming the Strategist’s Office?

“Don’t worry. I have prepared the most reliable ally possible at this point.”

“And who is that?”

“Someone who, going forward, will be able to help you greatly, Seventh Young Lord.”

Gal So-ye

said calmly.

An ally? Someone who will be of great help to me?

Who in the world could that be?