Chapter 368: Fracture (2)
Cheon Yura and I were walking through the middle of the streets of Miok Fortress with our identities hidden.
Yes, wearing those same masks.
“It’s gotten quite deserted.”
Miok Fortress was known as the center of Heavenly Demon Cult’s nightlife, a place where the lights never went out.
But now, even though lights were still flickering in various places, the city had clearly lost its former liveliness.
“Even the night market is closed.”
The same night market we had visited in the past now only radiated silence.
“It feels... lonely.”
Yura, walking through the dim street, shook her head with a touch of self-mockery.
I walked beside her, shoulder to shoulder, and spoke.
“It’ll regain its liveliness soon.”
She gave a faint smile and nodded.
“Yes, hearing you say that gives me some peace of mind.”
For the past three months, we had given our all to restore the situation of the Cult against the petty deeds of the Cheon Clan.
But despite the secret cooperation of the Jin Clan and the Sa Clan, we failed to strip away the influence of the Cheon Clan.
But even that wouldn’t last much longer.
A fairly positive response had come back through the carrier pigeon from where Gu Chil was sent.
If ‘they’ truly hadn't forgotten their debt and cooperated, then it might really be possible...
Thud!
“Aaaargh!”
Just then, a crashing sound rang out from afar.
Cheon Yura and I reacted at the same time.
“A fight?”
“It’s too one-sided to be called a fight.”
Brawls were common occurrences in Miok Fortress.
No, not just brawls—murders happened often enough here too.
Cheon Yura and I quickly moved toward the direction of the sound.
And there...
There were a few stalls that looked like they were preparing to open, and someone was clearly obstructing that process.
“Hey, didn’t you hear our warning?”
“You were being obedient for a while.”
A middle-aged man who seemed to be a street vendor kept bowing.
“F-Forgive us, heroes. But if we don’t bring in some income, we won’t be able to survive…”
“What’s with all the whining? Don’t you know that the great Cheon Clan prohibited you lot from selling?”
Thud!
“Urgh!”
The merchant was kicked by one of them and went flying.
In that moment.
Though her face was hidden by the mask, I could see the light of fury flare up in her eyes.
Cheon Yura walked up to them.
“What do you think you’re doing?”
Her cold voice immediately drew their attention.
“What’s this now?”
“A mask? A woman?”
They gave a puzzled look at Cheon Yura’s disguised appearance.
Following behind, I tilted my head as I looked at the opponents.
‘They don’t look like mere thugs... there are traces of martial training.’
Most of them seemed to be around Second Rate Martial Artist level, but even that shouldn't be enough to run around threatening merchants like this in a group.
“Who the hell are you to interfere with the operations of our Black Ant Unit?”
“Black Ant Unit?”
That was definitely a name I’d heard before.
‘Where was it again?’
It seemed like it had been quite a while ago...
Then, Sa Biyeon’s words resurfaced in my mind.
—They’re one of the subordinate groups directly under the Cheon Clan, not part of the Thirty-Four Demon Squads. They usually handle the Cheon Clan's dirty work, especially on behalf of the branch families.
Ah, right.
Cheon Yura must have recalled the same thing, as she gave a slow nod.
“So, this is one of the Cheon Clan’s puppets, huh?”
“Puhaha! You just figured that out?”
The bastards began to surround Yura.
“What should we do now? It’s too late to run away, you know?”
“Hmph, she’s got a fine body. Even without removing the mask, she looks like quite the product…”
You bastard—did you seriously just say that?
I’ll crush every bone in your body...
“It’s because of scum like you running wild that even the Cult Leader’s decree fails to change the believers’ minds.”
“Kuhuhu! Isn’t that obvious? Haven’t you heard the saying, ‘The law is near, but the fist is far’?”
“It’s the opposite.”
“Oh, is it? Anyway... our lovely little lady won’t be going home today…”
Bang!
The man speaking those words was sent flying by Cheon Yura’s single punch.
“……!!”
“A-A master?!”
Only then did they realize she was not someone ordinary.
“W-Wait! Do you even understand what it means to interfere with the affairs of the Cheon Clan? Even if you’re from a prestigious family—”
“Shut up and die.”
There wasn’t even a need to draw her sword.
With only her fists, she knocked down over ten of them in a single second.
Thud! Thud! Thud!
After the heavy impacts, not a single one remained standing.
I approached the fallen Black Ant Unit thugs to check their condition.
‘Even with those words, she didn’t kill them.’
Did she go easy because they were still technically Cult members, even if they were garbage?
“Y-Young Heroine! Th-Thank you!”
The merchants rushed toward her.
“Have those bastards always run wild like this? Weren’t the Jin Clan and Sa Clan’s patrols supposed to be stopping things like this?”
At her question, they hesitated a little before answering.
“It’s relatively quiet during the day. But as soon as night falls, they crawl out like ants and try to control us.”
“No matter how capable the patrols are, there’s no way they could know every crack in the back alleys of Miok Fortress, which spread like an ant hell.”
“…Is that so?”
They were the kind of bastards who deserved the name Black Ant.
Moreover, those who committed these acts under the Cheon Clan’s orders weren’t limited to just this group.
All across Ten Thousand Mountain, these things were happening covertly.
Crack!
Cheon Yura lightly bit her lip.
In the end, if the root cause wasn’t resolved, then no fundamental solution could be reached.
“Hearing reports and seeing it for yourself are two very different things.”
“Of course. That’s what it means to hold a high position.”
“In my heart, I want to erase the Cheon Clan from this world.”
“……”
This incident was only a fragment of the evil committed by the Cheon Clan.
Just like the incident at Black Point Blood, most of what occurred behind the scenes of the Cult was related to the Cheon Clan.
“…The limitation on the movements of the Divine Ghost Unit is a critical blow.”
The Divine Ghost Unit, a direct information-gathering branch under the Cheon Clan.
If Yura had full command over them, things wouldn’t have deteriorated to this extent.
At that moment, Bu Il-hwa, the Vice-Leader of the Divine Ghost Unit, who had been following us from behind, deeply bowed.
“I apologize, Cult Leader. I’m lacking…”
“This isn’t the fault of the Vice-Leader.”
She responded firmly to Bu Il-hwa’s apology.
“It’s the fault of the Leader, who failed to choose whom to serve.”
As she said, the current Leader of the Divine Ghost Unit served the Council of the Seven Elders under the Cheon Clan, not the Cult Leader.
‘Indeed, if we plan to take down the Cheon Clan later, we must start by replacing the Divine Ghost Unit’s Leader.’
Even if the Divine Ghost Unit worked for the Cheon Clan, the one they were truly meant to serve was the Cult Leader alone.
“Cult Leader.”
Suddenly, the Left Guardian, Wang Cheongeol, appeared and bowed.
“What is it?”
The Left Guardian glanced briefly in my direction, then turned his gaze back to the Cult Leader.
“The ones the Grand Duke spoke of… they are coming.”
***
Cheon Clan, Council of the Seven Elders meeting.
“The situation is quite encouraging.”
“Hehehe… at this rate, public sentiment toward the Cult Leader will hit rock bottom.”
Just as commoners blame the king when there’s no food to eat, it was no different within the Heavenly Demon Cult.
To the average cult member, the fact that the Cheon Clan issued the blockade order didn’t matter much.
In their minds, regardless of political intricacies, Cheon Clan = Cult Leader was a deeply ingrained belief.
“Well, there are those sharp enough to catch on, but it’s not enough to change the overall tide.”
“It’s about time we move on to the next phase.”
“Before that, if the Cult Leader were to lose patience and make another blunder, that would be ideal…”
It was then.
Someone appeared in the corner of the meeting room and bowed before the Elders.
“Reporting to the Elders.”
“The Divine Ghost Unit Leader? What is it?”
Several Elders showed mild surprise.
Usually, reports were delivered by subordinates. It was rare for the Leader of the Divine Ghost Unit to appear in person.
The Divine Ghost Unit Leader explained the reason for their appearance.
“Approximately five hundred heavy-armored cavalrymen have appeared two hundred li south of Ten Thousand Mountain.”
“…What?!”
Five hundred, heavy-armored cavalry.
Neither word was something to be taken lightly.
“The one they are escorting appears to be Lord Baek Cheong, Ju Baek Ryeo.”
“A Lord?”
“Yes. Judging from the direction of their march, it is clear that their destination is not the Bukcheon Geom Clan, but our Cult.”
A royal of the Empire, appearing so suddenly.
“Why would the Empire come at a time like this…?”
One Elder frowned.
“I’ve heard of unrest near the northern border, but that wouldn’t be reason enough to come to our Cult…”
“How rude. Even if they’re the Empire, they should have given prior notice.”
For a while, the room buzzed with speculation over their motives.
“Surely the Cult Leader didn’t invite the Empire in, did he?”
“If that were true, it would be the most foolish and suicidal move imaginable. It would be like begging to be removed from his seat as Cult Leader.”
Though nearly delusional, many nodded at the idea.
“Well, neither the Cult Leader nor the Grand Duke would be so foolish as to tie their own noose.”
The meeting dragged on, but in the end, no conclusion was reached.
Fourth Elder, who had presided over the meeting, sighed and waved a hand.
“For now, let it pass. No need to stir up a hornet’s nest unnecessarily.”
“Understood, Fourth Elder.”
They didn’t know that the Empire’s Lord also held the position of Merchant Lord in a major trading company.
Because of that, they made a fatal mistake.
Three days later, Lord Baek Cheong, Ju Baek Ryeo, arrived at the front of the Heavenly Demon Pavilion.
“Welcome to the Heavenly Demon Cult, Lord.”
Creeeak!
As the front door of the palanquin opened, a dark curtain similar to the one in the Cult Leader’s Hall came into view.
From within, Lord Baek Cheong’s calm voice was heard.
“I am not in a condition to be seen by others, so I ask for the Cult Leader’s understanding.”
“…That is more than understandable. I am simply grateful that you have come in person.”
Lord Baek Cheong had experienced an ordeal in the Yoo Family's Sacred Mountain that could easily have taken her life.
She barely survived, but as a result, her appearance had aged to that of someone nearly elderly.
Due to her noble status, it wasn’t entirely impossible to reverse, even if not fully…
‘Still, I thought she would send a representative, not come herself.’
Even more unexpected was her arrival not as the Merchant Lord, but as the Lord.
Soon, Lord Baek Cheong stepped out of the palanquin, her entire body covered in cloth.
“It’s been a while, young master. Have you been well?”
“…?”
“…Young master?”
Cheon Yura frowned and looked my way.
Normally, “young master” was used to refer to an unmarried younger brother-in-law…
Even if she was pursuing my master, I really wished she wouldn’t joke like that in a setting like this.
“Ah, should I change the title now that you’re married?”
“…Lord.”
I sighed and glared at her. She shrugged and shook her head.
“Hehe, just a joke, Grand Duke.”
If she had room for that kind of jest, perhaps she’d regained some composure.
“I’ll escort you. I apologize for not holding a welcoming banquet due to the urgency of time.”
“It’s quite all right. The matter is important enough that I’m not concerned with formalities.”
In the small hall where the previous Cult Leader had handled affairs atop Dagger Peak—
Everyone else was dismissed, and only the Cult Leader, Lord Baek Cheong, and I remained.
“Then, shall we begin in earnest?”
Lord Baek Cheong pulled out the letter I had sent and held it out.
“Our Baekga Trading Company is prepared to invest in the Heavenly Demon Cult without limit.”
Cheon Yura and I both showed immediate changes in expression.
Unlimited.
Spoken by the Merchant Lord of the Continent’s top trading company and a member of the imperial family, the weight of that word was immense.
‘I’m sure all I wrote in my letter was about the shares of the trading company she had previously transferred to me…’
Even that alone would unleash tremendous financial power, but it was nothing compared to the word “unlimited.”
The amount of money could easily reach tens of millions.
At that moment, Lord Baek Cheong’s tone changed sharply.
“However, there is one condition.”
As expected, this offer didn’t come without any strings attached.
“A condition, you say?”
……
After a short pause, Lord Baek Cheong suddenly bowed deeply to Cheon Yura and me.
“One day, please aid our imperial family with the power of the Heavenly Demon Cult.”
“……!”