Chapter 54
Chapter 54
『 Translator – Divinity 』
Seo Hyo-eun looked at Cheon Ha-seong and thought he was fascinating.
It was because although a mountain of work was piled up to the point where she didn't know where to even begin, Cheon Ha-seong seemed to be coming more alive.
‘How did he live when things were so uninteresting before? What would Head Instructor Cheon have done if he hadn't met me? How grateful must he be to me?’
Seo Hyo-eun, feeling proud inwardly, left the training ground.
***
The Fourth Demonic Marquis was an excellent spy.
Moreover, playing the role of a spy while knowing many of the So Demonic Clan's strange secrets from Cheon Ha-seong and Cheok Gyo-woon couldn't have been more fun.
For a long time, she had lived without being able to properly hold her head up, being pressed down by the Second and Third Demonic Marquises, but now that she knew what a ridiculous person the Second Demonic Marquis was, her confidence was naturally restored.
It was surprising that she had given birth to another man's child and married the Cult Leader while hiding the fact that it was her own biological child, but the fact that she had taken that son as her adopted son and was trying to make him the Young Cult Leader was even more dumbfounding.
The Fourth Demonic Marquis had thought she herself was a formidable person, but after hearing the story about the Second Demonic Marquis, she gave up that thought. She had come to think that even someone like herself was doing a pretty fine job of being a person.
If the Fourth Demonic Marquis had been the one to visit the two first, the Second and Third Demonic Marquises might have suspected her. However, since the two had been the ones to actively draw her in first, they talked about many things without much suspicion.
They had no reason not to trust the Fourth Demonic Marquis. Especially in the current precarious state where the So Demonic Clan's masters had died in large numbers and the family was facing a great crisis, it didn't seem likely that the Fourth Demonic Marquis would just let this opportunity slip by.
The Fourth Demonic Marquis, listening to what the two Marquises said, would sometimes nod her head and say things in agreement.
When the two of them denounced the Cult Leader, the Fourth Demonic Marquis also added a few words.
“I heard that Young Master Cheok was humiliated by Cheon Ha-seong at the Martial Arts Academy. What must Cheon Ha-seong have thought of the Cheok Demonic Clan to be able to do such a thing in front of people? You shouldn't just let this slide. For the sake of the Divine Cult leadership's reputation, this is something that should absolutely not be overlooked.”
When the Second Demonic Marquis spoke and urged her on as if she were worried about her, the Fourth Demonic Marquis also nodded.
“As it is, I am planning to deal with Cheon Ha-seong at some point. For now, it seems the Cult Leader trusts him quite a bit, so I am waiting, but in any case, the Cult Leader is not one to give his attention to another person for long. In a little while, when the Cult Leader's protective shield is gone, I am thinking of paying him back for all the humiliation I have suffered, so you do not need to worry.”
“A good thought. If there is anything you need our help with, just say the word. We will help with anything.”
Listening to the Second Demonic Marquis's words, she barely held back the urge to say, 'Are you even in a position to do that?'
The Third Demonic Marquis did not speak much and seemed to be watching the Second Demonic Marquis's expression a lot. Seeing that, the Fourth Demonic Marquis thought how important a person's spirit was.
The Second Demonic Marquis was a person who would not lose her spirit even if she lost everything, whereas the Third Demonic Marquis seemed like a person who would not be able to find her confidence even if she had everything.
After the people with different dreams in the same bed returned to their respective quarters, the Fourth Demonic Marquis spoke with Cheok Gyo-woon, who had been waiting at the Marquis Hall.
The Fourth Demonic Marquis now had no reservations about revealing all of her deepest thoughts. As they went through difficult times together, their trust in each other had deepened, and now they had even developed a willingness to take risks for each other.
“Mother, did it not seem as if the two Marquises suspected you at all? Even if you do not know, I am worried sick that they might be plotting something else behind your back.”
“You do not need to have such worries. No matter how much the two of them try, this mother will not be easily taken down.”
“I hope so too, Mother. For now, I will go and deliver the news to Head Instructor Cheon.”
“Yes. Do so. While you're at it, ask him to look over your techniques a little more.”
The Fourth Demonic Marquis, having heard that Cheon Ha-seong had looked over his techniques, was hell-bent on creating more time for Cheok Gyo-woon to be with him.
Since Cheok Gyo-woon's desire for that was even greater, he went to find Cheon Ha-seong as soon as the Fourth Demonic Marquis's words were finished.
Cheon Ha-seong listened to the story as he naturally headed for the Cult Leader's office.
Seo Hyo-eun was also there with the Cult Leader.
Somehow, it had now become very natural for Cheok Gyo-woon to be included in such a setting.
Cheon Ha-seong briefly relayed the words Cheok Gyo-woon had shared in front of the Cult Leader and then stated his own thoughts.
“Cult Leader, I think we are thinking about this matter too difficultly. The So Demonic Clan has many secrets. There are people living in fear, desperately not wanting their secrets to be known. If we just expose those secrets, the So Demonic Clan will self-destruct from internal division.”
At Cheon Ha-seong's words, the Cult Leader also slowly nodded his head.
“You are right. There is no need to use an ox-slaughtering knife to kill a chicken. If you touch a precarious part, even a dam will burst quickly. Do as you think best, son-in-law.”
At that, Cheok Gyo-woon, as if he didn't understand, quietly looked at Cheon Ha-seong.
“What do you intend to do, Head Instructor Cheon?”
Cheon Ha-seong looked at Cheok Gyo-woon and just gave a meaningful smile.
“Can you gather people in the public square tomorrow? It would be good if as many as possible come.”
“That is not difficult. Should I call the martial artists? I will have all of our family's martial artists gather.”
“No. There is no need for that. The true face of the So Demonic Clan will be revealed there tomorrow. I need people who will see that and spread the rumors to the other followers.”
“Understood. I will have them walk the streets and slowly leak the rumors to others.”
As he said that, he had a face that was curious as to whether he really wouldn't be told.
However, Cheon Ha-seong sent Cheok Gyo-woon back without telling him the exact details until the very end.
The Cult Leader and Seo Hyo-eun also didn't press for details. It was because some things are more fun to watch when you don't know the exact details.
***
The Divine Cult's public square was always crowded with people coming and going.
This was because a densely populated residential area and a large market were formed with the public square in between.
However, on that day, there were unusually more people than on other days, seeming to be five or six times the usual number. The peculiar thing was that the people weren't trying to move on, but were staying in that place.
Seeing that, even more people gathered out of curiosity, and the public square gradually became so crowded there wasn't even room to stand.
At that spot, Cheon Ha-seong appeared with Gi Mun-yong.
They were both wearing human-skin masks, so even someone who originally knew the two would not have been able to recognize them.
The one who fired the opening salvo was Cheon Ha-seong.
“Are you saying I'm lying? I'm telling you I clearly saw a person who looked exactly like Young Master So Jeon. I'm telling you that person definitely came out of the Second Demonic Marquis's Residence.”
“Then that person must have been Young Master So Jeon. Where in the world would there be a person who looks exactly like Young Master So Jeon?”
The one who retorted as if frustrated was Gi Mun-yong.
At first, almost no one paid attention to their conversation.
When the name of a clan's Young Master suddenly came up, a few people from the So Demonic Clan who happened to be passing by did find it strange.
The So Demonic Clan was such a huge family that if a hundred followers of the Divine Cult were gathered, there was a high chance that five or six of them would be from the So Demonic Clan.
As a result, people naturally began to listen without them having to make a prior effort to draw them to the square.
“Do you think I'm a fool? If that person were Young Master So Jeon, why would I be saying this? Isn't it because I clearly saw Young Master So Jeon leave, and then about thirty minutes later, a person who looked exactly like him came out of the Second Demonic Marquis's Residence that I'm saying this? Both of them were wearing high-quality silk clothes, but the color of their clothes was definitely different. One was wearing a dark green long robe, but the one who came out later was wearing a dark purple long robe.”
“Make some sense. You must have gone drinking somewhere the other day and seen wrong again. You've never been good at remembering people's faces, have you? What nonsense is this from a man who once chased after a woman's backside thinking it was his wife?”
As the trivial talk continued, people grew interested and gathered around them.
It was a story about none other than Young Master So Jeon. Since he was such a famous figure, even if they didn't know him well, he felt familiar, and they were also curious.
Just then, a person who had been in a completely different place muttered as if to himself.
“I wonder if that person isn't alive. A person I knew was a famous midwife, and she said she once delivered twins when she went to the So Demonic Clan's residence to deliver a baby. Could it be that the babies she delivered back then were the Young Masters? Come to think of it, the timing is a perfect match.”
He was Cho Seok-myeong, wearing a human-skin mask just like Cheon Ha-seong.
While Cheon Ha-seong and Gi Mun-yong spoke well without trembling, Cho Seok-myeong's voice trembled as if he were nervous. The part he had been assigned was the most dangerous. He broke out in a cold sweat, worried that the people of the So Demonic Clan might appear at any moment and stab him in the neck.
At the sound, which was like a thunderbolt from a clear sky, the people's reactions were immediate. It was a speed like a wildfire spreading in a strong wind.
“I knew it. So that's what it was. Young Master So Jeon was a twin!”
“Make some sense. If Young Master So Jeon had a twin sibling, why wouldn't it have been known until now? And how can you believe what some strange fellow is saying now, when no one has ever said such a thing before?”
“I can swear it. I'm telling you, I definitely saw someone who looked exactly like Young Master So Jeon come out of the Second Demonic Marquis's Residence. I'd bet my arm on it! The Second Demonic Marquis must know. So if the So Demonic Clan asks her, wouldn't they be able to find out?”
By then, Cho Seok-myeong had already disappeared from the spot. From the beginning, the task assigned to him was to tell the midwife's story and leave.
Although it seemed like Cheon Ha-seong and Gi Mun-yong had taken their spots randomly and started talking, in reality, they had stood there after calculating in advance even where Cho Seok-myeong would stand.
Cho Seok-myeong finished the story he was supposed to tell, went into an alley, and took off his human-skin mask and outer clothes. Then, after hiding them, he performed his ultimate lightness skill and completely escaped the area. Even if the people of the So Demonic Clan who were in the square had been watching him, there was no way for them to chase after Cho Seok-myeong.
Cheon Ha-seong and Gi Mun-yong, thinking they had fanned the embers sufficiently, watched the atmosphere and slipped away. The people had more they wanted to hear from them, but they couldn't just grab them either.
Cheon Ha-seong and Gi Mun-yong left the spot while talking to each other, and once they reached a place where people couldn't see them, they disappeared just as Cho Seok-myeong had.