Chapter 299 : Evil Cult (4)
Chapter 299: Evil Cult (4)
"It is not certain, but given the circumstances, the possibility seems high."
When Il-mok answered with cold sweat running down his back, the Heavenly Demon soon gathered his demonic energy back into his body and let out a deep sigh.
"Hah..."
The culprit who had tried to kill Il-mok had already been dealt with long ago by the Heavenly Demon's own hand.
For the former Chief Elder was that very culprit.
And the Heavenly Demon had made a promise to the former Chief Elder that he would kill only the Chief Elder and spare those who followed him.
But now, the situation was different.
‘I merely thought it was preparation for the struggle over the position of Cult Leader.’
Viewed in the Cult's doctrine that the strongest becomes the leader, the former Chief Elder's assassination plot was nothing particularly special.
However, borrowing outside power was a different matter entirely. And to borrow the power of the Central Plains, which had driven the Cult out to Xinjiang, no less.
‘…Is that why he insisted on taking all the blame by himself?’
He had thought the man was simply taking responsibility as the leader of a faction, but now it was clear he had been trying to hide evidence of collusion with some faction in the Central Plains.
"Hidden Guard Pavilion Lord."
"Command me, Lord of Ten Thousand Demons."
"Mobilize the full strength of the Hidden Guard Pavilion. From now on, investigate the backgrounds of everyone connected to the former Chief Elder. There is a risk they may cover their tracks, so handle this as secretly as possible."
"I shall obey your command."
The Hidden Guard Pavilion Lord showed the utmost respect with a bow to the Heavenly Demon and left the Heavenly Demon Palace to carry out his orders.
He had a feeling that for the first time in a long time, blood was going to flow in the Divine Cult.
Once the Hidden Guard Pavilion Lord departed, the Heavenly Demon sighed again and then recalled a question and looked at Il-mok.
"Come to think of it, when the incident related to the Black Bean Demonic Tea occurred in the past, didn't you say you found out about it from an innkeeper?”
"That is correct, Master."
"Hmm. It has become difficult to obtain even in the West, and not many in the Central Plains know of it either. I wonder how that innkeeper knew about such a thing."
"......"
The Heavenly Demon was simply asking whatever came to mind, but Il-mok felt as if a blade had been pressed to his throat.
‘This… is bad.’
His web of lies was about to fall apart.
Il-mok tried to come up with a good excuse, but decided playing dumb was safer.
"...Your disciple was also puzzled by that. Perhaps Uncle Taehyeon worked for a merchant guild that traveled to and from the Western Regions before he established the inn."
"Hmm. That might explain why he was so knowledgeable. Did you not say you also learned about using alcohol for disinfection thanks to that innkeeper?"
"Y-Yes, that is so."
"The more I think about it, the more regrettable it is. If that Flying Dragon Pavilion Lord hadn't harmed the innkeeper, we could have recruited him to our Cult along with you."
As the Heavenly Demon murmured with apparent regret, Il-mok smiled bitterly and slightly lowered his head to gaze at the Ascension Sword.
He was thinking about the Flying Dragon Pavilion Lord’s soul, trapped inside the blade after Il-mok killed him.
Misunderstanding Il-mok's demeanor, the Heavenly Demon spoke with his usual easygoing expression.
“Hahaha. I shouldn't have brought that up.”
He thought Il-mok was bowing his head because he missed the dead innkeeper.
"For now, let us discuss the matter of the Black Bean Demonic Tea again after the investigation results come in."
"I shall follow your will, Master."
"Good. I believe I heard your story up to the city called Samarkand. What happened after that?”
The Heavenly Demon changed the topic out of consideration for Il-mok, and Il-mok continued his story with a much lighter heart.
He spoke of the agreement made with the Majid Family and described Merv, a massive city within the territory of the Muslims.
“The night we finished trading in Merv, we were attacked by the Muslims.”
He recounted his battle with Zafir and the soldiers who had come from the Omar Family.
While explaining how he had gained enlightenment during the battle with them, Il-mok omitted any mention of the self known as Seo Ji-hoon.
"While fighting the warrior called Zafir, the question you had posed to me came to mind, Master. And I came to realize how contradictory and weak I truly was."
“Hahaha. So their greed actually helped you reach enlightenment. The way the world works is truly a mystery.”
Having heard the story of Il-mok's enlightenment, the Heavenly Demon laughed with genuine satisfaction.
Afterward, Il-mok discussed matters related to future plans, such as the slaves purchased in Merv and Ohalak's tribe.
Having heard everything, the Heavenly Demon nodded and spoke.
"That discussion would be better held again after gathering those who will be handling the work. You must be tired from your long journey, so return and rest for today."
"I shall obey your command, Master."
As Il-mok left the Heavenly Demon Palace after completing his report, the Heavenly Demon watched his retreating figure with a warm expression.
‘Hahaha. What a blessing for an old man. Even when I’m gone, the Cult’s future will be bright as long as he’s here.’
The Heavenly Demon felt as though all the worries that had arisen when he heard about coffee had been washed away.
***
When they arrived at the main headquarters after climbing the Tianshan Mountain Range, James found it difficult to hide his shock.
He had never imagined that an organization like this could exist somewhere in these desolate mountain ranges.
‘They have to be devil worshippers!’
He thought those things were just legends from the days of witch hunts. But here they were, real as day.
And they were in the Far East, not Europe!
Terrified, James followed the instructions of the Black Tiger Corps members to survive.
Twenty or so days had passed since he began traveling with them.
James, who already had a talent for learning languages, had done his best to learn their language.
Thanks to that, he had reached a level where basic conversation was possible if he added hand gestures.
And since the slaves came from all over, he naturally became their leader.
"Rest here today."
When someone from the Black Tiger Corps said something to him, James would then explain it to the others who had been sold as slaves.
The next morning.
“You. Come with me.”
When a man with a difficult-to-pronounce name called Ouyang Hyeok suddenly called for him alone, James followed him with an inexplicable sense of foreboding.
They soon arrived at a massive, palace-like structure, and a young man with a familiar face stood before it.
‘The D-Demon King!’
It was Il-mok.
“Go on in.”
James entered the Heavenly Demon Palace with Il-mok and Ouyang Hyeok, and in the center of the vast room sat an old man of ordinary appearance on a Grand Throne.
James felt a sense of incongruity at the sight of this benevolent old man who seemed out of place in an evil cult.
But he soon witnessed a scene that nearly made him faint.
"Black Tiger Corps Lea Ouyang Hyeok greets the Lord of Ten Thousand Demons."
“This Eighth Disciple greets his Master.”
He saw Ouyang Hyeok, who had brought him here, and the Demon King simultaneously paying the utmost respect to that old man.
‘Th-There's someone higher than him!?’
And that wasn't even the end of it.
"I greet the Grand Teacher."
"I greet the Eldest Brother."
The Demon King and Ouyang Hyeok were also paying respects to a middle-aged man.
While James stood frozen at this bizarre sight, Il-mok quietly approached him and handed him a piece of paper.
"My Master and my brother."
It was written in English and written as briefly as possible to avoid any misunderstanding.
James froze completely upon reading that.
‘The D-Demon King's master... C-Could he be Satan himself?’
James now understood just how terrifying that benevolent-looking old man truly was.
Despite being paralyzed with fear, James recalled what he had seen and heard, and with his trembling body, he bowed deeply to the Heavenly Demon.
"Heavenly Demon! Greetings!"
The Heavenly Demon burst into unpretentious laughter at James stiff greeting.
"Hahaha. Receiving a bow from a colored-eyed person is quite a novel experience."
When the Heavenly Demon finished speaking, Wi Jin-hak clasped his fist and asked.
"Master, why did you call the Black Tiger Corps Leader and this Westerner here?”
He had only come here at the Heavenly Demon's summons and had not yet heard the specific details.
The Heavenly Demon looked at Il-mok, who stepped forward to explain.
"I will explain briefly. Eldest Brother, this man is a slave I purchased during my journey to the Western Regions."
"A slave?"
Wi Jin-hak showed a subtle reaction.
The Heavenly Demon Divine Cult didn't actually like the idea of slavery, even if they did treat their fanatics as free labor.
Yet here was his youngest brother bringing in a colored-eyed person as a slave. Wi Jin-hak couldn't help but be puzzled.
He was only listening because he trusted that his wise youngest brother had some reason. If anyone else had said they bought a slave, Wi Jin-hak would probably have unleashed his fury immediately.
"I purchased him as a slave, but I do not intend to treat him as one. Since our Cult does not yet have influence in the Western Regions, it was not feasible to kill all the slave merchants and liberate the slaves, so I purchased them instead."
"So you're saying you bought the slaves and brought them here to free them?"
Wi Jin-hak seemed to accept that, but Il-mok added, "Freeing them is part of it, but I also want to use them to solve our manpower shortage. And I actually got the idea from watching you, Eldest Brother.”
"???"
When Wi Jin-hak looked puzzled, Il-mok smiled and said.
"Before I left for the Western Regions, I saw you and Sixth Brother suffering from overwork, and while thinking about how I could help even a little, this idea came to me."
"Bwahahahaha! As expected, only my youngest brother and Master care about me! Hahahaha!!"
Wi Jin-hak burst into hearty laughter at Il-mok's explanation.
"I only purchased forty slaves this time, but if we continue trading between the Western Regions and Gansu Province, we should be able to recruit more manpower. Additionally, if we use the money earned in the Western Regions to purchase rice and food in the Central Plains, it should be entirely possible to feed the increased numbers."
"What our Cult lacks most right now is people and money, so this truly seems like the best solution."
When the Heavenly Demon chimed in agreement, Il-mok continued explaining the grand plan he had envisioned.
"The problem is that they don't know our language, but this can actually be helpful for the Grand Teacher's office. We can use them as test subjects for your new textbooks and trainee teachers before they start teaching the kids.”
"Oh. That's not a bad approach. And if we make them carry messages and supplies, our best fighters won't have to waste time on errands.”
Afterward, Il-mok, the Heavenly Demon, and Wi Jin-hak continued discussing how to make better use of those who were newly joining the Cult.
James gulped as the three of them looked at him like he was a delicious piece of meat.
‘Wh-Why are those devils looking at me like that? Are they planning to offer me as a sacrifice!?’
To James, they looked exactly like demons plotting something terrible.
Thus, the three devils chatted happily for a while.
Then, the Hidden Guard Pavilion Lord who had been standing silently in the back as always unusually chimed in.
"Lord of Ten Thousand Demons. There is something I wish to tell you."
"Oh? It seems you've thought of something excellent."
With permission granted, the Hidden Guard Pavilion Lord bowed his head once and replied.
"This was written in the report submitted by Jin Hayeon, who accompanied the Eighth Young Master to the Western Regions. For some reason, the Eighth Young Master has not mentioned it himself, so I wished to speak on his behalf."
"???"
While the person in question looked puzzled, the Hidden Guard Pavilion Lord continued.
“The other reason the Eighth Young Master purchased the Westerners and nomad slaves is because of the grand vision he has in mind. The Eighth Young Master aims to learn various languages from around the world and spread our Cult's doctrine to the entire world."
When the Hidden Guard Pavilion Lord spoke while looking at Il-mok with an uncharacteristic expression of great admiration, silence momentarily fell over the Heavenly Demon Palace.
And soon after, a flood of praise poured from the wide-eyed Heavenly Demon and Wi Jin-hak.
"Hah! How admirable!"
"Hahahaha. As expected of our youngest! This Eldest Brother of yours couldn't even imagine such a thing."
"Jin-hak is right. This old man also never imagined such a vision."
Il-mok quickly bowed his head.
He had to, or else they would have seen him grimacing in horror.
Dyeing the entire world in the colors of the Heavenly Demon Divine Cult?
Setting aside that horrifying vision, the problem was Il-mok's own future.
He could clearly see how much he would be worked to the bone to achieve that outrageous goal.
Now that he had successfully achieved Transcendence and his mental illness had disappeared, all he wanted to do was slack off and live the good life.
This was nothing short of a disaster.