827 - Childhood Friend of the Zenith

The sudden interruption changed the atmosphere swiftly. What should I do... How can I resolve this? While I was pondering... “…So there it was.” Gae Cheonmunju pretended not to notice and continued his speech steadily. ‘Wow, he's really going with this.’ I wanted to point it out firmly, but since he was providing valuable information, I held my tongue. “Don’t you realize how despicable and chilling it is to call that a righteous sect?” “Oh really? And so?” “Don't misunderstand. You... are not a true righteous sect aspiring for justice and chivalry.” I could sense his hesitation in the middle of his words. He must have paused just to look at me. A hesitance to decide if it's a righteous sect or not—this seemed to trouble him. “Not a true righteous sect? Then who is?” Creak. Gae Cheonmunju stood as he answered. “Iltan Church. They are the true successors of the righteous sect.” “Hmm?” How did Iltan Church suddenly become a righteous sect? There wasn’t even time to question it. “…I’ll ensure to handle this matter precisely as you said. However, don’t misunderstand.” Whirl-! The sword floating in the air returned to Gae Cheonmunju. “This is a transaction. Just as you wish to achieve your goal, so does Gae Cheonmun…!” “Oh, I know. I know.” He waved his hand as if to assure not to worry. Even when Gae Cheonmunju spoke like that, I understood. After all, I had heard it before. It was simply that. “Make it a righteous sect. That’s it.” To be precise, it was a wish to eliminate the label of being a demonic sect by linking it with the main alliance. Such was the desire. Which means. Gae Cheonmunju wished to escape the demonic sect. ****************** After Gae Cheonmunju left, I sat quietly in the room and gazed at the ceiling. As the serene atmosphere continued, I quietly uttered a word. “Won’t you come out for a moment?” “Yes.” “—Whoa, goodness…” Startled, I looked down in front. Someone was sitting in a space where no one had been. A person wearing the mask of Yeonhong… or rather, the Dark King. “Did you call for me?” “…Ah, yes.” It was hard to respond. The appearance was clearly Yeonhong, yet the voice was the Dark King. The dissonance was hard to endure, but it felt awkward to point it out, so I decided to bear it. “…Oh, it was nothing. I just wanted to say thank you for your help.” “It’s nothing.” “...” “...” That was the end of the conversation. Nothing more to be said. It wasn't particularly strange, so I rose carefully. Since Gae Cheonmunju was dealt with, I too should get to work. As I planned to make a move. “Are you alright?” The Dark King spoke to me. “What about?” What was supposed to be alright? It was an odd question, so I looked at the Dark King. “Is it alright to let Daehwan go like that? If you desire, I will handle it.” “...” His calm words were chilling. The confidence that he could handle it if desired was truly terrifying. It's a relief he’s not an actual enemy. “Well, it doesn’t matter much.” “It seemed the intentions weren’t good.” “Yes, indeed they weren’t.” It was evident just by looking that Gae Cheonmunju was plotting something. One thing was clear though. “It doesn’t matter.” It wasn't of much concern anyway, as it was somewhat expected. “It was something I intended as well.” It was something I aimed for. Even though I’m not sure about the outcome, Gae Cheonmunju would eventually take action. Since he also had desires, he merely reached for my hand, but he would never leave things as they were. Despite knowing that, the reason I left him alone was none other than— “Both will be dealt with eventually. It’s convenient to have them bump into each other for now.” It was necessary to softly stoke the flames a little. Considering the future with Cheolgŏm, measures like this had to be laid down in advance. If there were any concerns, it would be if Gae Cheonmunju intervened in the matter earlier than I expected. ‘Seeing him today, I doubt he’ll do that.’ He seemed to have a much more cautious personality than I imagined. Thanks to that, I probably won’t have to worry about this part. “But if there is a slight issue…” I paused mid-sentence and slightly averted my gaze from the Dark King. ‘About the Iltan Church he mentioned.’ You are not a true sect but a rotten fake one. Iltan Church is the true sect. I recalled Gae Cheonmunju saying that. “Hmm.” Why did he say such a thing? Pondering over this… ‘Iltan Church, a true sect.’ Rubbing my chin, I speculated. With gathered information, something started to form. It struck me as curious. Why specifically mention true sects? And furthermore, what is Iltan Church? It’s a situation still too ambiguous to recall everything. Amidst this, I formed one hypothesis. Something that didn’t seem to connect yet could if tied together. One peculiarity he must have experienced, or perhaps had experienced. Wasn't there one known fact in my past life? ‘The chance meeting of Gae Cheonmun and the Gae Cheonmunju.’ In the past life, they were said to have stolen the Chance Meeting from the Geumcheonyeon family’s Vigor, and it seemed they obtained some chance even now. In regard to that, I was confident it wasn't Geumcheonyeon’s Vigor. The reason was obvious. ‘Because the chance from the Vigor was obtained by me.’ The space known as Geumcheonyeon’s Vigor became mine in this life, and the chance there was also my own. I had confirmed the space itself vanished afterward. How then did Gae Cheonmun achieve this state? Naturally, I assumed they obtained a chance from somewhere else… ‘No way.’ Could it be that Gae Cheonmunju indeed acquired Geumcheonyeon’s chance? And if that chance is linked to what’s known as the Iltan Church? ‘The name being Iltan Church is eerie enough.’ Yeon Ilcheon, the greatest in past times. Sharing the same name made it singularly unsettling. Moreover, wasn’t there something Gae Cheonmunju said as well? ‘The Iltan Church is indeed the true sect.’ What could this mean? As I pondered heavily, something peculiar brushed by my thoughts. ‘…A genuine sect.’ What constitutes a genuine sect? Before explaining its values or intent, first consider who defines a genuine sect. No need to search extensively. Even this place, where we resided, embodied that definition. ‘The Martial Arts Alliance.’ In the current world, the question of whether one is a righteous sect or not does not depend on a warrior's personal beliefs. Often it boiled down to whether or not one belonged to the Martial Arts Alliance. And in this context, the Martial Arts Alliance refers to— ‘It was said Yeon Ilcheon founded it.’ The organization established by Yeon Ilcheon, who had once halted the blood woes of the past. ‘…Hmm.’ The fact that the group suddenly named Iltan Church is associated with Gae Cheonmun, and claims to be the true righteous sect. Is all of this truly coincidental? Or could it possibly be, as I speculated... ‘Iltan Church might be connected with the Geumcheonyeon family.’ Thinking this, I glanced somewhere. It was at the Dark King seated with Yeonhong's appearance before me. I couldn't help it. Consideration had to be given to the Dark King’s origins. ‘It was said the Dark King is a descendant of the Yeon family.’ A descendant cursed from the Yeon family. Surely, he might know something, but still... ‘It’s odd he didn’t mention if he knew about Iltan Church.’ Besides, even if he knew it all, why would the Dark King remain silent…? ‘Ah.’ That’s right. I remembered. ‘The Dark King said he would investigate Iltan Church himself.’ It was the Dark King himself who showed interest and intended to delve further. That means, even if the Dark King is unrelated, he too must have found something suspicious. ‘Did the Dark King sense something related to his lineage from Iltan Church?’ Is that why he wanted to investigate further? It felt like everything was lining up. The part where this took place in Sichuan, where the Yeon family was known to exist, even assists. Could Iltan Church really have something to do with the Geumcheonyeon family? And does the Dark King know about it? If so, what does it mean? As questions swirled in my mind, I finally spoke to the Dark King. “Dark King.” When it comes to these things, it's often quicker to just ask directly. Upon my call, the Dark King turned to look at me. Still in Yeonhong’s disguise. It was still something I couldn't get used to. Nevertheless, ignoring that for now, I was about to speak to the Dark King. “About this Iltan Church.” “Yes?” “Perhaps... Yeon…?” Mid-sentence, I paused in bewilderment. Something seemed decidedly wrong. “…Um, Dark King?” “Yes?” “Why are you suddenly using that voice?” The odd part was the voice. Just moments ago, he was speaking in his own voice, but suddenly it changed to Yeonhong’s. Surprised, I asked while trying to maintain composure, but the Dark King only tilted his head in response. “What are you talking about, master?” “Yes? No... why something...” Thinking he might be teasing me, I was about to ask him to stop. Then— Bang—! “….!?” The door, which had been firmly shut, suddenly swung open, and someone appeared. “Are you insane?” I was more startled than even when the Dark King had appeared earlier. Who on earth was pulling such a stunt? Trying to calm my racing heart, I looked toward the door and spoke. “Who barges in so roughly…?” But then— “…Oh?” It was a face I knew well that appeared at the door. Through the light streaming in from beyond the door, as if to declare it was still broad daylight, stepped a man. Step. Not of particularly large stature, but evidently well-maintained with a unique muscular build for a middle-aged man. With a kind and familiar face that could remind one of someone else, only now it was scrunched up in a scowl. “…Uh… huh?” What is that gentleman doing here? As I stood there, baffled, trying to comprehend. “…Young Master Gu.” The middle-aged man alternately looked at Yeonhong—no, the Dark King—sitting in front of me, and myself. Or rather, the head of the clan that once ruled Sichuan. Known in the past as the lord of poison and iron, now the Vice Leader of the Sacred Dragon Division, Tang Sohyeol’s father. The King of Poisons looked at me and said. “…Is it another woman?” And for some reason, he seemed quite upset while saying it.