Cha-gwang tilted his head. "Third Young Master? Is there such a position in our school?" There was no such position. However, there were beings referred to as Young Master or Young Lady. "He is the disciple of the sect leader!" Clang! "Huh?" Cha-gwang blinked. Before he knew it, his sword had fallen to the ground. What’s going on? Did I lose strength in my hand? Even when I was dying, I never let go of my sword. What is happening?
When a person receives a great shock, it naturally takes time to accept reality. Cha-gwang was experiencing that right now. At that moment, the voice he least wanted to hear at this moment pulled him back to reality. "Why should I listen to you?"
Seoryang, stroking his chin, squinted his eyes. "Thinking about it, there’s no absolute reason to. I just hope you take it as a suggestion. Because..."
Pop! He pulled the cork from a wine bottle. "I might want to chop off your heads, you know? Then it wouldn’t be fun for either of us, right?"
Wihongryeon’s complexion changed drastically. It was rare to find someone speaking like that in front of the Great Demon Lord of the world. The problem was that he had gotten into a dispute with one of those rare individuals.
Seoryang looked at Cha-gwang. "What was it? It’s a good day, so I’ll let it slide this time?"
"Uh... uh..."
"Haha, kid. It’s okay! Is there really a need to show patience? In a world where living freely is a must, right?"
"That... that..."
"Ultimately, I’ve lost the desire to let it slide. You know, a good painting requires harmony in strokes. Now, come in."
Cha-gwang felt his mind going blank. - Is this crazy bastard trying to die? - ...This bastard! He had no idea he was talking to the Third Young Master and spat out nonsense. He felt like cursing himself a hundred times worse than the insults he had just thrown.
At that moment, Wihongryeon knelt down. "Unbeatable in the new sect, blessed by ten thousand demons. I, Wihongryeon, greet the Third Young Master."
Unlike Cha-gwang, who was frozen in shock and fear, Wihongryeon remained calm. Although her neck was quite red.
Seoryang, who had been looking down at her, shook his head. Crack. Crack.
"Ah, now I feel a bit more comfortable."
"......"
"I don’t like being overly treated by anyone. It’s embarrassing and noisy. But today feels quite sweet."
Wihongryeon had no response. Even if she didn’t know the young man in front of her was the Third Young Master, a crime was still a crime. It would be insufficient to just bury her forehead in the ground and beg for forgiveness.
Yet, her greeting ended there. Seoryang smiled. "Great Demon Lord."
"Yes, Young Master."
"Can I take a bit of your time?"
"......What do you mean?"
"Tell the kids to enjoy the feast, and let’s have a drink just the two of us. It shouldn’t take long."
In that moment, Wihongryeon realized. 'He already knew?!' He clearly knew today was the day of the Great Demon’s feast and that it was being held at the Zamilu. If not, such a line wouldn’t have come out.
She raised her head to look up at Seoryang. He still wore a smile, looking down at her with an almost transparent gaze.
Wihongryeon stood up. "Cha-gwang."
"......"
"Cha-gwang!"
"Yes? Ah, yes!"
"Take care of the kids and have a drink. You don’t have to behave just because the Young Master is here."
It was a difficult thing to say in front of the Third Young Master. When Cha-gwang looked at Seoryang with anxious eyes, Seoryang nodded as if it were natural.
"That’s how it should be. Otherwise, I’ll be more uncomfortable."
Cha-gwang bowed deeply. "I... I will obey."
He walked awkwardly toward the upper floor. At that moment, Seoryang’s voice came from behind him. "Hey."
Cha-gwang’s steps halted. A casual call made his neck feel damp. "......Did you call for me?"
Seoryang grinned. "From now on, live a bit more freely."
Cha-gwang immediately bent at the waist. "I apologize!"
Seoryang turned his gaze to Wihongryeon. "Shall we sit?"
"......Yes."
As the two sat down, Cha-gwang, who had been awkwardly lingering, hurriedly escaped to the upper floor.
A moment later, a murmur spread from the upper floor. They too had heard everything that had happened on the first floor, so they dared not speak loudly.
Seoryang shrugged. "I don’t know what kind of food you like. I prefer something light."
"......"
"If it doesn’t suit your taste, order something else."
Wihongryeon, who had been quietly staring at Seoryang, called for Jomsui. "Bring one Donggwachung."
"......Yes."
As Jomsui hurriedly disappeared, Seoryang raised his drink. "A toast?"
"It’s an honor."
He filled Wihongryeon’s cup and then his own. "Cheers."
"Yes."
The two emptied their cups simultaneously. Seoryang frowned. "This is too bland of a drink."
If Duwikyeong had heard that, he would have fainted. Wihongryeon asked, "Shall I have another drink brought?"
"That’s fine. It’s all the same drink."
Watching Seoryang continuously sip his drink, Wihongryeon asked, "Do you have something to say to me?"
"Um?"
"You seemed to have known today was the day of the feast in advance."
"It would be harder not to know. Rumors spread quickly within the inner sect."
Being so straightforward made it easier to talk. Wihongryeon asked, "I’ll ask directly. Was I your target?"
Perhaps due to her rather stiff tone, it felt particularly provocative.
"Well, that’s not wrong."
"If you had something to say to me, you didn’t have to wait until the feast."
"I’m sorry. I just happened to think of you today."
"It wasn’t a matter you could wait until the feast to discuss."
Seoryang smiled. He was clearly showing discomfort. It seemed the rumors about him being confrontational even to the Great Demon Lord were not unfounded.
If he reacted this way even though she was the Third Young Master, it was indeed not an ordinary temperament.
"I have a habit of acting immediately when I think of something. If it’s rude, I apologize."
Wihongryeon’s eyes glimmered.
This was her first time seeing the Third Young Master. She had little time due to many operations and had no desire to get entangled with someone of high status.
But she had heard the rumors. 'A tyrant of the ages. Possessing outstanding talent and strong drive, but equally violent and cold.'
It was a character that was hard to win over. Logically speaking, that was the case.
However, before being caught in the trap of the mind, there were many who secretly followed the Third Young Master. They thought being violent was better than being timid and indecisive.
In the martial world, violence was sometimes considered a virtue.
For such a person to even say "I’m sorry" in a formal sense and use the word "apology."
'He must want something from me.'
Wihongryeon emptied her cup. "What is it that you desire?"
"I like that you’re quick to the point. I also hate rambling."
As Seoryang filled his cup, he said, "Confess."
In an instant, Wihongryeon’s eyes sparkled. "I don’t understand what you mean."
"I said confess. It’s a minor offense anyway, so it’ll probably end with a warning or a demotion, right?"
"I have committed no crime."
"That can’t be true."
As he emptied his cup, Seoryang chewed on some meat. "Does the Great Demon Lord receive a thousand nyang for monthly expenses?"
"......!"
"You guys are the worst, not the strongest, right? The Heavenly Demon Army only gets eight hundred nyang for monthly expenses, yet you’re taking over a thousand? Do you think that makes sense?"
Saaah. The demonic energy surged from Wihongryeon’s body. The emotion carried by the demonic energy was panic. She had been so shocked that the control she had perfectly maintained over her demonic energy was now slipping.
Seoryang grinned. "Go confess at the Criminal Law Hall. If you confess, you’ll get a lighter sentence, right? It’s not like you stole public funds; it’s just something you accidentally received at a drinking party. With that level of offense, even the Criminal Law Hall can’t imprison the Great Demon Lord."
"......"
"Oh, and make sure to reveal the name of the person who handed you the money. Got it?"
Pusss. Wihongryeon’s cup shattered into pieces. Unable to contain her agitation, her demonic energy began to rampage.
"......How did you know?"
It was a clear revelation. No matter how she tried to play dumb, it didn’t suit her character.
Seoryang smiled. "I happened to hear it."
"......"
"Anyway, I’ve said what I needed to say. Let’s wrap up the feast and then you can go confess. Understood?"
Dudududud. The table shook, and the plates on it clattered.
At the same time, the murmurs from the upper floor and the third floor quieted down. Even if they pretended not to, they had all heard the conversation.
Wihongryeon’s pupils turned blue. The demonic energy was about to fully open.
"I see. So I wasn’t your target."
"Um?"
"Was the Third Young Master your target?"
It was a statement proving that the one who gave the money was the Third Young Master. Seoryang grinned. "That’s correct."
He admitted it so easily. Wihongryeon was taken aback by his honesty.
"Are you trying to pressure the Third Young Master through me?"
"That’s one reason, and there are other minor reasons as well."
"Why on earth..."
"I have no reason to tell you."
At that moment, Jomsui brought the Donggwachung.
The tense atmosphere made Jomsui’s face pale. He placed the Donggwachung as politely as he could and fled the scene.
"Still, you have some loyalty. If it were me, I would have just pocketed everything, but you shared it with your subordinates?"
"......"
"What are you doing? The food you ordered has arrived. Eat."
"I have no evidence."
"Eh?"
Wihongryeon smiled.
It was a smile close to mockery. The gaze filled with ferocity was an added bonus.
"I don’t know where you heard it, but there’s no evidence. If you came to pressure me, you should have at least brought some evidence."
It was a rather rude remark. It meant that she was getting anxious.
Seoryang chuckled. "Is a crime without evidence not a crime?"
"Of course."
"Is it your hobby to complicate things?"
"You’re the one complicating things, Third Young Master. Why come on a good feast day and bring up a trivial crime to suggest a confession? I can’t understand."
Wihongryeon stood up. "I’ve had enough. Then..."
"Was it Cha-gwang?"
"......?"
"Was the order to keep the situation under wraps to prevent the money received from leaking out?"
"......!"
"Do you really want to complicate things? Shall we check the accounts to see how much that troublemaker has consumed here?"
Wihongryeon’s body surged with killing intent.
Regardless of what the truth was, she didn’t like being cornered by the Third Young Master. No, she was irritated by the situation itself.
"Are you trying to take this to the end?"
"Oh, look at this kid’s way of speaking."
"Please leave. I ask that you do not provoke me any further."
Seoryang asked, seemingly amused. "What will you do if I do? Will you draw your sword?"
"That wouldn’t happen."
Crack.
Wihongryeon laughed and raised her fist. "I wouldn’t want to leave a scar on a high-ranking person."
"Oh? So it’s okay to leave a bruise?"
"The fact that a Third Young Master got beaten by a mere Great Demon Lord would be too embarrassing to tell anyone."
In the martial world, valuing strength above all was common sense. Especially if it became known that a successor aiming for the next leadership was beaten by a mere Great Demon Lord, it would be a fatal blow.
The problem was that Seoryang was someone who regarded that value as less than a stone on the roadside.
"It’s fine. People get bruises and bleed when they fight, right?"
"......You!"
"And by the way, let me tell you the truth, can you really leave a scratch on my body with that delicate fist of yours?"
Wihongryeon smiled.
Seoryang cheered inwardly. 'She’s lost her cool.'
Wuuuuuu!!
Her entire body was engulfed in blue demonic energy.
"I won’t draw my sword, so don’t worry..."
Puhhh!
"Cough!"
Wihongryeon, who had been hit hard, crashed into a table and rolled over.
The atmosphere rapidly cooled due to this shocking incident.
Seoryang, who kicked out, tilted his head. "What? Wasn’t this just the beginning?"
"......"
"Damn, I thought the Great Demon Lord would have some skill, but why is it so sloppy?"
From the wreckage of the broken table, Wihongryeon stood up.
Her face, stained with killing intent and madness, was no different from a demon.
"You’re dead."
Seoryang chuckled. "Go ahead and try to kill me, you crazy woman."
On the historic feast day of the Great Demon, the worst madman began to rampage.