The Heavenly Demon Who Reigns

'Why is Cheon Myeong here...'

No, it wasn't so strange that Cheon Myeong was here.

Since the place where he was now was not anyone's private property, wouldn't Cheon Myeong also be able to wander around freely?

But to run into Cheon Myeong at this point in time when he had ordered Jo Ducheon to assassinate him, Jo Seokjin couldn't help but have all sorts of thoughts in his head.

"..."

Jo Seokjin looked at Cheon Myeong without a word.

And after glancing at Baekjo, who was sitting on Cheon Myeong's shoulder, he opened his mouth.

"Is that bird perhaps raised by you, Young Master?"

"So?"

"Then you should manage it properly."

Saying that, a sneer appeared on Jo Seokjin's face.

"I almost mistook it for a masterless bird and was about to kill it."

"..."

"I'm not in a very good mood right now. The thing that was loitering in front of my eyes was annoying."

As Jo Seokjin said with a sneer, Cheon Myeong did not say anything for a while.

And soon, he said with a faint smile.

"I'm sorry if I made you feel bad. This guy is quite a lively one."

"It's okay. That's how animals are."

"Thank you for understanding."

Thump- thump-.

At that moment, Cheon Myeong slowly approached Jo Seokjin.

Jo Seokjin felt a somewhat ominous feeling from that appearance.

"By the way..."

"..."

"It seems that you also can't manage what you're raising properly."

Saying that, Cheon Myeong stopped walking.

At the same time, Jo Seokjin's brow twitched slightly.

Jo Seokjin immediately realized that Cheon Myeong was saying that to him in order to test him.

'What I'm raising?'

Of course, Jo Seokjin was not raising an animal.

Cheon Myeong would not have thrown those words at him with the same meaning as what was heard on the outside.

Thinking about those words in relation to Cheon Myeong, someone immediately came to Jo Seokjin's mind.

'...Jo Ducheon?'

What he was raising.

Jo Ducheon was also a being that fit that description.

In fact, since Jo Seokjin had only thought of Jo Ducheon as a mere tool, in a way, the being that was worse than a raised animal was him.

"..."

For Cheon Myeong himself to say such a thing to him at this point in time when he had ordered him to be killed.

It's not good. A bad smell was wafting.

'Could it be that that guy knows that I'm trying to assassinate him?'

Isn't that why he's testing me like this?

But nothing was confirmed yet.

For now, the priority was to play dumb and find out how much Cheon Myeong knew.

"I don't know what you're talking about."

"..."

"I don't raise animals like you, Young Master."

Jo Seokjin said with a relaxed smile.

At that moment, Cheon Myeong began to rub his chin with his right hand.

Although that appearance seemed as if he were stroking his beard, since Cheon Myeong had no beard growing on his chin, it looked like a meaningless action to an outsider.

"...?"

Jo Seokjin also thought the same.

Soon, Cheon Myeong lowered the hand that had been rubbing his chin and said to Jo Seokjin.

"There was an assassin who came to kill me a few nights ago."

At that moment, a light appeared in Jo Seokjin's eyes.

If those words were true, did that mean that Jo Ducheon had already attempted to assassinate Cheon Myeong?

However, it was not yet known whether the time Cheon Myeong was talking about was when he had attempted the assassination with a Musibong, or after that.

'I need more confirmation.'

He couldn't tell with what intention Cheon Myeong had brought up those words to him.

So the action he had to take at this point was...

"Did such a thing happen?"

"..."

"Who on earth would do such a thing... but I'm glad that you seem to be safe, Young Master."

Jo Seokjin said, even making an expression he didn't usually make, as if to say that he was surprised.

"When did such a thing happen?"

"You're quite interested."

"Of course. How can I just let it go when such a thing has happened to you, Young Master? If you wish, I will help you find the guy who did such a thing."

If he just knew the date, he could know that part for sure.

Jo Seokjin was hiding such an inner thought and was speaking as if he were sincerely worried about Cheon Myeong.

"Really? Then it wouldn't be bad to discuss it."

"..."

"Three days ago. That night, an assassin came into my room."

Three days ago...?

That day was after he had given Jo Ducheon another chance.

Does that mean that Jo Ducheon had tried to assassinate Cheon Myeong again three days ago?

But the fact that Cheon Myeong was alive and well meant that Jo Ducheon's assassination had ended in failure.

'To think he would fail the assassination.'

But that wasn't the important thing now.

Although the assassination had ended in failure, there was still something that needed to be confirmed most importantly.

"...I see, but what happened to the assassin?"

"What happened?"

"It's the assassin who tried to assassinate you, Young Master. Of course, you couldn't just leave him alone, right?"

"That sounds as if the assassin had to die."

As he said that, Jo Seokjin swallowed his words for a moment.

As Cheon Myeong had said, Jo Seokjin wanted the assassin to die.

'Jo Ducheon... I have to kill that guy before he says anything unnecessary.'

Jo Ducheon is a useless guy who can't even assassinate Cheon Myeong properly.

But if that guy were to let his mouth slip, it might cause harm to him.

Of course, Jo Ducheon would be properly trained in that area, but because of the situation where Cheon Myeong had come to see him, Jo Seokjin could not be completely at ease.

"..."

Cheon Myeong was looking at Jo Seokjin without a word.

As Cheon Myeong continued to maintain his silence, Jo Seokjin began to get anxious.

Just as he was about to say something out of anxiety, Cheon Myeong opened his mouth first.

"He's dead."

"...What?"

"My escort killed the assassin."

Although it was Cheon Myeong who had actually killed him, Cheon Myeong had changed that part to Soyeon Sang.

If he said that he had killed the assassin, Jo Seokjin would think it was strange.

Since he was still at a stage where he had not revealed his strength, he had changed his words like that.

"I see."

Jo Seokjin said calmly.

But in Cheon Myeong's eyes, that appearance looked as if he were relieved.

"I wanted to keep him alive and interrogate him, but he died before that."

"Ah, you were going to interrogate him about who had sent the assassin?"

"...That's right."

"That's a shame. If you had, you might have found out who was behind it."

That sounded as if he were saying that since the assassin was dead, the person behind him could never be found out.

"Yes... it's a shame."

Cheon Myeong muttered to Jo Seokjin with a meaningful gaze.

"But you seem to be very sure that there is someone behind that assassin."

"What?"

"I didn't say first that I would ask about the person behind him through interrogation."

"..."

"Why are you so sure?"

A moment of silence.

Jo Seokjin began to speak with a laugh of disbelief.

"Wouldn't that be natural to think so?"

"Really? There's a good chance that the assassin himself had a grudge against me and came to kill me directly."

"Well, that's also a good possibility."

"..."

"I was short-sighted and didn't think that far. That's why I naturally thought there would be someone behind him and asked."

Jo Seokjin said with a relaxed smile.

A smile that felt as if he were sure that he would not be able to find out anything no matter how much he tested him.

Cheon Myeong felt as if Jo Seokjin were saying that to him now.

'Is this how it's going to be, after all?'

There would be no answer just by testing him like this.

After meeting Jo Seokjin directly, it didn't seem that he was a guy without much thought.

If he had been a simple guy, he might have been able to lead him to a decisive slip of the tongue, but then again, if he had been, he wouldn't have shown the bold move of assassination.

As expected, it seemed that he needed to use that move.

Swish-.

At that moment, Cheon Myeong put his hand into his bosom.

Then, Jo Seokjin's gaze also naturally moved accordingly, and as soon as Cheon Myeong took something out from his bosom, he threw it in front of Jo Seokjin.

Ting-.

As something small fell to the floor, a sharp metallic sound was heard.

A gaze that moved accordingly.

Jo Seokjin's expression changed when he discovered what had stopped in front of him.

And to Jo Seokjin, Cheon Myeong said with a grin.

"It looks familiar, doesn't it?"

"..."

"You'll know what that is."

As Cheon Myeong had said, Jo Seokjin knew what had fallen to the floor.

The unique hidden weapon of the Snake Jo Family, the Neuk-a.

Even at this moment, the Neuk-a that had fallen to the floor was also worn on Jo Seokjin's right hand.

'Why is that...'

Just in case, he checked his hand, but the Neuk-a was still on Jo Seokjin's right hand.

That meant that what had fallen there had not come from him.

In the first place, since he had seen Cheon Myeong take it out from his bosom, there was no need to check his finger.

To the extent that he hadn't thought of that part, Jo Seokjin was now greatly shaken mentally.

'Could it be... that Neuk-a is Jo Ducheon's!'

That thought was probably right.

So isn't that why Cheon Myeong had come to see him now, and why he had taken out the Neuk-a in front of him like this?

Jo Seokjin finally understood all of Cheon Myeong's actions.

'Stupid guy!'

To think he would take a Neuk-a to Cheon Myeong's assassination.

This was no different from openly saying that the Snake Jo Family was behind it.

Of course, if the assassination had ended successfully, that part would not have been a problem, but in the end, hadn't the assassination ended in failure?

Although he would have been educated in that area on a regular basis, this could be called Jo Ducheon's mistake.

'With this, I can't just deny it.'

What Cheon Myeong had until now was just a suspicion.

Especially since Jo Ducheon was dead, there would have been nothing but what could be called a suspicion.

So Jo Seokjin had also been at ease until now.

Because no matter what Cheon Myeong said to him, as long as he was careful with his mouth, he was the one who was at an advantage.

But now, the situation had changed.

The Neuk-a that had come from Jo Ducheon's corpse was not an uncertain suspicion, but a definite piece of physical evidence.

As long as he could not deny the fact that the Neuk-a was the unique hidden weapon of the Snake Jo Family, Jo Seokjin could not continue to act as he had been.

'Kuh...'

No matter how fast Jo Seokjin's head spun, this situation was completely unexpected.

This situation was now a checkmate that Cheon Myeong had presented to Jo Seokjin.

Jo Seokjin desperately pondered a move to receive Cheon Myeong's checkmate and raised his head.

Then, Cheon Myeong said to Jo Seokjin with an expressionless face.

"That was worn on the hand of the assassin who attacked me."

"..."

"Now, I will ask you what I am really curious about."

At the same time as those words, Cheon Myeong's gaze turned cold.

"Why was the unique hidden weapon of the Snake Jo Family worn on the hand of the assassin who attacked me?"

(End of Chapter)