Chapter 510: Side Story 30: The Twins (8)
Divine Thief, Great Thief.
To the twins, those were names overflowing with dreams and hope.
But surprisingly, it wasn't Mister Cheon or Mister Jin who had filled them with those dreams and hopes.
-Now, like this, like this, like this….
-Wooowww!
The child merely wiggled his fingers a few times, and the candied fruit in Sunha's hand suddenly vanished before her eyes.
-Dad secretly taught me this. He said if I master it properly, I could even become the greatest Divine Thief under heaven.
The child, who was about the same age as the twins, proudly boasted about the heroic tales(?) of his father that he had heard.
Of course, those heroic tales had been seriously distorted.
-The Divine Thief is amazing….
Unfortunately, the distortion planted in one child spread exactly as it was to the others.
While Sunha's eyes sparkled with admiration for the greatness of the Divine Thief, she suddenly felt that something was wrong.
Something that had been in her hand never came back.
-But where did my candied fruit go?
-I ate it.
-Hey!
The precious candied fruit, of which she was only allowed one a day, disappeared into the mouth of the evil intruder.
That day, Sunha learned the meaning of murderous intent for the first time in her life.
“Find him! He couldn't have escaped very far!”
The incident had occurred at a tavern called Sound Wind Pavilion, one of the more successful taverns in Luoyang despite being located on the outskirts.
One reason for its success was the background of its owner. The proprietor had started in the Black Lotus Union before retiring from the Murim Alliance as a respected veteran martial artist.
In the current Luoyang, where success largely depended on having strong connections within the Alliance, he had effectively started from a completely different starting line than everyone else.
The group headed first to Sound Wind Pavilion, where the incident had taken place.
The timing was poor for immediately chasing after the Black Evil Phantom.
The storage room of Sound Wind Pavilion was already filled with dozens of martial artists gathered around the tavern owner.
“W-We absolutely... absolutely must recover it! That liquor was meant to be presented on the Alliance Leader's birthday this autumn!”
The elderly tavern owner appeared to be a master approaching the Peak Master Level.
Yet even such an expert had completely lost his composure and was panicking.
“Hmm... so it was supposed to be a gift for Auntie Alliance Leader.”
“But does she even like liquor?”
“Who knows?”
San Dojeon, who knew the truth, quietly interjected.
“She enjoys it well enough. And rather than calling her Auntie, you should call her Aunt.”
Actually, even "Aunt" was a rather dangerous form of address.
In any case, Baek Sang-ah wasn't merely someone who enjoyed drinking a little—she was one of the Murim Alliance's hidden heavy drinkers.
“Still, she's not someone who would criticize others just because a gift was stolen.”
No matter how precious it was, her character wasn't so petty that she would blame someone over something beyond their control.
The problem lay elsewhere.
“I-If the Dark Demon Grand Duke learns of this, he won't let us off!”
“…….”
The fearful voice of the tavern owner echoed from afar.
Right. The one obsessed with liquor wasn't Baek Sang-ah—it was So Cheon.
He had once boldly sneaked all the way into the Heavenly Demon Pavilion, where Jin Yeomyung lurked, just to drink a single bottle.
'Trying to steal the Heavenly Demon Divine Sword would probably have a higher chance of success.'
Naturally, that was an irreverent thought that could never be spoken aloud.
“Y-You must find it! I don't care what methods you use!”
At the tavern owner's desperate shout, the area around Sound Wind Pavilion erupted into frantic activity.
“Can you find any traces?”
The twins asked hopefully, but San Dojeon crushed their expectations.
“It will be difficult. Even I have never specialized in tracking techniques....”
The same was true for the twins. They learned all kinds of things incredibly quickly thanks to their natural talent, but they hadn't mastered tracking to the extent of pursuing someone worthy of being called a Divine Thief.
“Ahem! Since everyone seems troubled, perhaps I should....”
The boy, Yuseong, stepped forward with a dry cough.
Just then—
The already noisy surroundings of Sound Wind Pavilion became even more chaotic.
“T-The Chief Strategist has arrived!”
“W-What?!”
Just as they said, Jegal Eun, the Chief Strategist of the Murim Alliance, appeared at Sound Wind Pavilion with over ten guards.
“Oh! It's Auntie Jegal.”
“Yeah, it's been a while.”
“…….”
San Dojeon didn't bother stopping the twins from using such a sensitive form of address even toward Jegal Eun.
The twins hid behind a wall and watched her arrival.
Since Luoyang itself was practically the Murim Alliance's front yard, it wouldn't have been strange for her to appear anywhere.
But why now, of all times?
“C-Chief Strategist, what brings you to such a humble place?”
The owner of Sound Wind Pavilion greeted Jegal Eun with a completely dazed expression.
He had reported the incident to the Alliance as soon as it happened, but he never imagined the Chief Strategist herself would personally come.
“I heard the Black Evil Phantom has appeared. Is that confirmed?”
Jegal Eun immediately got to the point.
“I-It's not certain, but the Heavenly Three Creations Brew was being stored together with the other treasures of this establishment. However....”
“The other treasures were untouched, and only the liquor bottle disappeared?”
“T-That's correct.”
“I see. I understand.”
“……??”
The people around them couldn't understand the conversation and were left bewildered.
It was certainly strange that only the liquor bottle had been stolen while the other treasures remained.
Even so, there wasn't enough reason to connect that fact directly to the Black Evil Phantom.
But among those who had been together since the days of the Black Lotus Union, there was a certain understanding that only they could share.
“It seems... we can no longer simply stand by and watch.”
“C-Could it be that the Chief Strategist has already identified the culprit...?”
“One should never jump to conclusions. After all, there would be no reason for him to do such a thing.”
The tavern owner cautiously asked.
“…Really?”
“…….”
He had no reason.
And yet he would do it anyway.
That was simply how So Cheon operated.
Until now, there had only been enough circumstantial evidence but no proof, preventing her from confronting him.
However, before coming here, Jegal Eun had first confirmed one fact.
So Cheon was not at his lodging.
Although there had been many occasions where the Black Evil Phantom's activities didn't overlap with So Cheon's whereabouts, making her refrain from showing suspicion, this incident at least gave her enough grounds to question him.
At that moment, a previously silent young man suddenly stepped in front of Jegal Eun.
“Chief Strategist, please step back for a moment.”
“…Captain of the Guard?”
Twenty years had passed.
Though the chaotic era had ended and a measure of peace had returned, countless problems still remained.
To protect the Murim Alliance's effective second-in-command, they had assigned her a master of the Flower Realm.
Guardian of a Hundred Swords, Yang Ho.
A young expert who had recently entered the ranks of the Ten Great Talents, he was a sword genius who had reached the Flower Realm at the age of forty.
Yang Ho let out a lion's roar toward the distant wall.
“I know not who you are, but this is the territory of our Alliance! There is no need to keep hiding. Show yourselves!”
“……!”
The expressions of Jegal Eun and the tavern owner stiffened.
If even they couldn't detect the intruders' presence, then the opponents were at least on their own level.
And if it wasn't just one person but an entire group, Yang Ho's caution was perfectly understandable.
Soon, whispers came from beyond the wall.
“…How did we get discovered?”
“He must have sensed the aura of the Guardian Lions. Especially since the Three Dragons cultivate the Tyrant Art, whose aura is extremely aggressive and easy to detect. Still, our opponent is rather capable.”
Over ten figures emerged from the darkness.
“T-This is!”
The moment Yang Ho saw San Dojeon standing at the front, his tension reached its peak.
His opponent was a Flower Realm... or perhaps even an Extreme Demon Realm expert.
He was certainly no weaker than Yang Ho himself.
“Chief Strategist, please fall back! Our opponent is...!”
Just as Yang Ho hurriedly prepared for battle—
“Hm? Right Guardian?”
“A formidable foe... hmm?”
Yang Ho had already drawn his sword halfway before stopping.
No matter how powerful he was, Yang Ho was still relatively inexperienced. Naturally, he didn't recognize the infamous face of San Dojeon, who had long served as the Right Guardian of the Heavenly Demon Divine Cult.
“…It has been a long time, Chief Strategist.”
“How is the Right Guardian here...? Ah!”
Jegal Eun let out a sigh as she saw the two children clinging to San Dojeon's thigh(?).
Cheon Yura had indeed sent her an urgent letter informing her that the next Young Cult Leaders of the Heavenly Demon Divine Cult had secretly run away toward Luoyang.
But she had never expected to run into them so suddenly.
Cheon Seonyu and Cheon Sunha politely greeted her.
“Hello, Auntie!”
“It's been a long time, Auntie!”
“A-Aunt...!”
Having devoted the prime of her youth to the Black Lotus Union and the Murim Alliance, Jegal Eun had reached an age she was rather sensitive about.
A vein bulged slightly on her forehead.
Her beauty, once considered worthy of being one of the Four Beauties of the Central Plains, had only grown more mature with age.
However, after spending so many years unmarried, she was under considerable psychological pressure.
Naturally, the Murim Alliance martial artists, who knew this well, grew tense as they carefully watched her expression.
There wasn't a single fool present who would lose control of his expression while on guard duty and fall out of favor with the Alliance's second-in-command.
“Y-Yes. Young Ladies. It has indeed... been a long time.”
Jegal Eun desperately maintained her smile as she greeted the two girls.
Fortunately, another person who emerged from behind San Dojeon immediately gave her something else to focus on.
“I never imagined that Clan Head Yoo would be accompanying you as well.”
“…Haha.”
At Jegal Eun's remark, Yu Cheong gave an awkward laugh.
Although still somewhat young compared to the other Seven Great Clan Heads, he was nevertheless the head of one of the Seven Great Clans.
“The Right Guardian is one thing, but... whatever brings the busy Clan Head Yoo here?”
“Haha, well....”
Unable to think of a proper answer, Yu Cheong scratched the back of his neck repeatedly.
Saying that he had simply followed along because a boy who felt like his father had invited him sounded ridiculous even to himself.
So he decided to shamelessly stick with one excuse.
“I'm on vacation.”
“…Vacation?”
The busiest of all the Seven Great Clan Heads... on vacation?
“Please keep it a secret from our Cult.”
“…….”
“…….”
A cold breeze seemed to pass between the two of them.
For an instant, the look Jegal Eun gave Yu Cheong became exactly the same as the one she reserved for So Cheon.
Yu Cheong pretended not to notice.
“For now, I shall escort you all to the Guest Pavilion. It is already late, so please stay within the Alliance tonight and pay your respects to the Alliance Leader tomorrow morning.”
Capturing the Black Evil Phantom was urgent, but she couldn't simply abandon the honored guests of the Divine Cult.
Just then—
A boy about the twins' age stepped forward and spoke.
“Are you not going to pursue this Black Evil Phantom?”
“……?”
Both Jegal Eun and Yang Ho blinked at the sudden appearance of the boy.
'When was he there?'
Had his presence simply been hidden beneath the overwhelming auras of all the other experts?
Neither of them had noticed him in the slightest.
“If we leave now, I believe we can still catch him.”
“…Is that true?!”
He could catch a thief who had plundered the storage room and vanished without leaving the slightest opening?
Without leaving a single trace?
“The technique is decent enough, but it's full of immaturity. Perhaps because the disciple is still young.”
“…Young? Are you saying you've actually seen him?”
Yuseong shook his head.
“I haven't seen him directly, but I can read causality. The one who appears to be his master can even erase that causality itself, but the disciple is still far from reaching that level.”
What in the world was he talking about?
Jegal Eun couldn't understand his words.
Yet somehow... she understood them.
At last, she realized the truth behind the being known as the Black Evil Phantom.
“Master Yang, please escort these honored guests back to the Alliance together with the other guards.”
“C-Chief Strategist?”
“The pursuit will consist only of the Young Ladies, the Right Guardian, myself, and that young man. My apologies, but Clan Head Yoo....”
“That's fine.”
Quick-witted as always, Yu Cheong shrugged.
As an honored guest of the Heavenly Demon Divine Cult, he had been legitimately asked to lead the escort back.
Truthfully, the more involved he became from here onward, the more awkward his position would become.
After all, what followed was essentially a private family matter that absolutely could not become known to outsiders.
The Guardian Lions, who had originally been assigned to protect the twins, obediently followed Yu Cheong upon San Dojeon's command.
Once all the unnecessary people had departed, leaving only those truly involved—
“Please lead the way. At once.”
“V-Very well.”
Seeing the ghostly determination burning in Jegal Eun's eyes, Yuseong unconsciously swallowed.
That expression reminded him of a certain woman from his past who used to unleash storms of scolding upon him.