“Great Hero Wi. I am truly grateful. Thanks to you, I have saved ten years of effort.”
“Since I was properly paid for this, it was simply my duty, was it not?”
“Ho ho, Great Hero Wi, you are as modest as ever.”
The head of the Hao Sect looked up at me with a refreshed face, freed from ten years of stagnation.
It seemed he had been severely tormented by the traitors.
“Thanks to you, we were able to eliminate the traitors in one fell swoop. The internal cleanup will proceed swiftly. Once it’s finished, I will provide you with the information you seek and this silver token.”
“Silver token?”
Was there such a thing?
When I looked at the object Hao Sect master extended, I saw a silver badge with the character ‘Five’ (五) carved upon it.
“…What is this for?”
“Whenever you visit a brothel or an inn and present this badge, you can receive assistance from the Hao Sect without any additional formalities. Moreover, if necessary, you may also use our safehouses scattered across the Central Plains by showing this badge.”
This will make moving stealthily much easier.
“Thank you. Then I will take my leave. Once you’ve wrapped up the matters, send someone to the inn to relay all available information about the suspected branches of the Demonic Sect.”
“Understood.”
So, I should head back.
I took off my blood-soaked outer robe, threw it away, and walked out after unlocking the door. Fortunately, there was no sign of reinforcements from the Demonic Sect.
“Probably, they thought it unnecessary to send many people just to deal with the Hao Sect.”
Even if the Demonic Sect is powerful, they can’t outnumber the Central Plains martial artists in sheer numbers. It seems they run on a lean, elite force.
“…Hmph.”
As much as the Hao Sect master would try to bury tonight’s events, the Demonic Sect will undoubtedly hear about me sooner or later.
…Thus, before that happens, I must crush everything crushable.
I formulated a simple plan in my mind as I headed towards the inn.
—
“Aye, Mister!”
“You’ve come. Young Master Eun-gong.”
“Was everything alright while I was gone?”
Just in case, I grabbed Hye-ryeong’s shoulder and checked her over from all sides. Surprisingly, she looked rather flustered, raising her head to meet my gaze.
“A-Aye, Mister?”
“All’s well.”
Indeed, why would the Demonic Sect know about me and come here?
They probably didn’t even know of our existence.
“Master Eun-gong, were you able to resolve the matter?”
“It was taken care of swiftly.”
Not much of a hassle, actually.
After all, these guys they send out are generally at the peak of their martial prowess. Now, had a supreme master come, things might’ve been different. But they likely didn’t have the resources to send such a powerhouse.
They barely recovered from the devastating war decades ago, and it took several decades to stabilize thereafter.
Although I am aware that even the Demonic Sect likely has close to ten supreme masters…
Even having around ten supreme masters is extraordinary for a single faction. Conversely, it also means they’re not that many—barely equivalent to the combined might of four or five major sects within the Central Plains. At this point, even the Thousand Fiends likely hadn’t yet reached enlightenment into the transcendental realm, making their forces even more precious.
Thus, for at least a year, I have time to pillage their local branches here like a fish in water without interference.
I’ll plunder everything they’ve got so they can no longer afford war, leaving them trapped in Tianshan.
“It’s fortunate. Miss Hye-ryeong was very worried about you, constantly staring at the door.”
“Did she?”
“Worried!”
“Shouldn’t she worry more about who might die at my hands, knowing me?”
“Well, worry is worry, no matter what.”
“I guess so. But don’t worry too much. When it comes to surviving, I’m quite adept. I’ve cut down entire armies of twenty thousand and still made it out alive.”
Though, to be fair, I wasn’t alone; the knights were there with me.
“You’ve lived quite the eventful life, Master Eun-gong.”
“Twenty thousand’s quite an exaggeration, isn’t it?”
“No, it’s not an exaggeration. Sure, the knights were there with me, but it’s still true.”
“Knights?”
The unfamiliar term made Hye-ryeong tilt her head in confusion. Suppressing the urge to pinch her cheek playfully, I kindly provided an explanation.
“A unit composed of elite cavalry.”
“Was Mister a cavalryman?”
“Didn’t I mention it before?”
“It does sound familiar…”
I wasn’t sure whether I’d actually told her about it. Thinking about it, I don’t recall ever sharing much of my past with her.
I’m not the type to narrate tales of old, nor do I have much reason to do so.
“Anyhow, they were elite among the elites. The weakest member was on the fringe of first-class expertise, and the strong ones were near the peak of supreme mastery.”
The strongest knightly order in Europe.
The Butchers of God.
The Steel Demons.
Such epithets once defined us, and they remain entrenched in my memory.
Though we were decimated in our one and only defeat, I presume all records of us now lie buried in the sands.
How futile.
“…Mister?”
“Master Eun-gong, are you alright?”
“Yes, just reminiscing a bit about the past.”
I loosened my clothing and lay down on the bed. Though I could feel the two of them staring at me, rest was my priority.
Blinking a few times as I stared at the ceiling, I spoke.
“Sleep well.”
“…Sleep well, Mister.”
“Rest well, Master Eun-gong.”
I quietly slipped into slumber.
—
“So, will we return to the Martial Alliance now, Mister?”
“Hmm.”
“…Are we stopping somewhere along the way?”
Why does she look at me anxiously?
“Mister Eun-gong, aren’t you pushing yourself too hard?”
“If I push a little, I can clean out the Demonic Sect.”
I recalled the information, hidden within my robes, about suspected locations of Demonic Sect branches.
While it’s not foolproof, considering the effort the Hao Sect put into gathering it, it’s likely not entirely incorrect. We should use these leads to calculate the maximum benefit before proceeding.
“But…”
“Hye-ryeong, Mok-kyeong. We must move now to strike where it hurts them most effectively.”
“But it’s dangerous!”
“Life is always fraught with danger.”
Ever since I reincarnated into this blasted medieval age, there hasn’t been a moment when my life wasn’t steeped in danger. In fact, the martial realm was so peaceful it was almost vacation-like.
But now, it’s time to move.
“…Still…”
“Why not come along if you’re worried?”
“What?”
“The most effective way for a martial artist to ascend in prowess is through life-and-death battles.”
“Mister Eun-gong, wouldn’t that be too risky? Hye-ryeong should not be involved in such dangerous affairs…”
“I’m going! No, I will go!”
…Hmm.
I observed Hye-ryeong, her eyes blazing with fire, glaring at Mok-kyeong.
Could her pride be wounded? Despite her age, she isn’t one to falter easily before warriors elsewhere.
“Did I tell you to come?”
“I’ll follow you to the Demonic Sect!”
“That’s a bit…”
Isn’t this zeal a bit much?
Did I encourage her too much earlier?
Setting aside Hye-ryeong’s fervor, I instead turned my gaze to Mok-kyeong, whose expression remained calm.
“…I naturally intend to follow. Justice demands blood from foes, after all.”
“But isn’t this beyond your revenge?”
“If I ignore the villains not directly involved in my revenge, surely innocent lives will suffer.”
How very much like a protagonist.
Ah, she is the protagonist.
“Well, in any case, we’ll thoroughly ransack all the sites suspected of being tied to the Demonic Sect along our route back to Muhan.”
“Shouldn’t we seek out the nearest Martial Alliance branch for support?”
“It won’t work. If the Martial Alliance gets involved, it’ll turn into a bigger incident.”
It’s troublesome to explain that we’re using information bought from the Hao Sect. Besides, as the Hao Sect is considered heterodox, admitting to receiving their help could lead to gossip.
Besides, there are probably spies embedded in the Martial Alliance. It’s safer this way if we use this trip to train the girls as well, and we ransack sites quietly under our own steam.
Or…
We could bring along someone who can later corroborate our deeds.
An open branch in Seopyeong should suffice.
“Young ones, let’s go. Our next destination is Seopyeong.”
“Seopyeong? That’s the town below us, right?”
“Yes.”
“It should take about two days.”
“Let’s get moving.”
With the plan settled, I deployed my light body techniques and sped down the seemingly endless Gwan Road.
