“...A message came from the Demonic Cult?”

I asked with my expression tightening slightly, and Freak Demon answered at once.

“Yes. A message was delivered.”

“A message? About what...?”

“The word was that the Young Cult Leader will soon head to Henan, and that the Eight Demons are to assemble.”

“...”

My brow knotted immediately. Head to Henan. The Demonic Cult was coming to Henan?

That?

I remembered what Divine Spear had said. That insane talk about opening negotiations with the Demonic Cult. I was pretty sure he’d also said I was supposed to go out there as a representative.

They’re actually doing it?

Would the orthodox faction even allow that? More than anything, the Demonic Cult coming to Henan at all was the problem. They were the same people who had once reduced Henan to chaos and left the Alliance Leader in that state. Letting them come here in the first place was bizarre.

The Young Cult Leader.

I thought of that damned bastard. The absurd evil qi he possessed, and the Heaven-Slaying Star.

“Hm.”

As the sound left my mouth, I looked toward one wall.

The Divine Sword.

Henan...

It was about time for me to head back there anyway. Back to Henan. Back to the Murim Alliance. The timing lined up too neatly.

Is this going to be okay?

Of course it wasn’t. I drew in a breath and held back a sigh.

“Little Sky.”

Freak Demon spoke to me.

“Go ahead.”

“If I may speak boldly, you must be wary of the Young Cult Leader.”

“...”

“He is one who lacks the proper qualification, yet through cunning and talent he obtained a hollow claim.”

“...He lacks the proper qualification?”

“The Young Cult Leader is not of the former Sky’s bloodline, the Heavenly Demon’s, nor is he one who learned the Demonic Cult’s divine arts.”

“What?”

What was that supposed to mean? He hadn’t learned the Demonic Cult’s divine arts?

“To be precise, he cannot learn them.”

“...Why?”

“Because he is not the former Sky’s blood relative.”

I hadn’t known he wasn’t of the Heavenly Demon’s bloodline.

Then what the hell is he?

And on top of that—

A martial art you can’t learn unless you’re of the bloodline?

Did something like that really exist?

While I stood there, caught by the thought, Freak Demon only repeated himself.

“You must be wary of the Young Cult Leader.”

Be wary of him.

As if I hadn’t been already. All it did was make me pay even closer attention.

If things had gone the way they were supposed to...

He should have been someone I never needed to get tangled up with. How had it turned into this?

If I had to trace it back, the problem probably started the moment I grabbed that damned Divine Sword.

Tch.

It was almost pathetic, the way I still longed for the peaceful life I used to want.

Everything had twisted and tangled so badly that now I even had to worry about the Demonic Cult.

It really was a rotten life.

*****

Another day passed.

By the time the soreness left behind by the Azure Wolf Festival had eased a little, I had already finished the morning training that had now become routine.

I didn’t have the dream-vision today.

Maybe learning that form had caused it.

Or maybe that damned old man Yoo Cheongil had done something.

Yeah. Not “didn’t.”

Couldn’t.

Normally, if I wanted to, I should have been able to enter it. But today, no matter how I tried, I couldn’t get in.

It was obvious.

That old man did something.

He definitely had. Otherwise none of this made sense.

What the hell is he thinking?

He wouldn’t show himself, and now he’d blocked off the dream-vision too. I had no idea where he’d run off to. It wasn’t as if I could sit down and have a proper conversation with the Heavenly Demon either, so all it did was irritate me more and more.

“...Whew.”

That was that.

“Here.”

I spoke as I held something out to someone.

Standing in front of me was Yu Yeon.

“This is the right one, yeah?”

At my words, Yu Yeon nodded.

What I had handed her was the Mount Hua robe from Yoo Cheongil’s vault.

The one lined with black fur.

I had meant to give it to her from the beginning, and after the conversation we’d had at Mount Hua, I’d gone into the vault and brought it out.

The owner had acknowledged it already, so it wasn’t as though taking it would add to my karma.

The moment I handed it over, Yu Yeon took the robe and put it on.

She was wearing it right away?

“...Are you sure it’s okay for you to wear that?”

It still seemed like a precious object from Mount Hua, so I asked, and Yu Yeon nodded again, then traced something in the air with her hand.

She was writing on empty space, but it wasn’t that hard to understand.

“You already got permission? From who? Your master?”

Yu Yeon nodded once more.

...When the hell did that happen?

I didn’t bother asking any further. If Mount Hua’s former Sect Leader had already approved it, what was I supposed to say?

“Fine. Whatever.”

I’d given it to her. That was enough.

With that, I ended the matter.

Yu Yeon carefully ran her hand over the robe draped across her shoulders.

No.

She isn’t stroking it.

It was closer to the opposite.

It looked more like she was pouring her feelings into the robe, wanting it to stroke her instead.

I didn’t bother thinking about who she was remembering as she did it.

I didn’t need to.

I already knew.

*****

Right after I finished talking with Yu Yeon, the next person I went to see was Moon Immortal Sword.

“Excuse me.”

“Come in.”

I stepped into the Sect Leader’s office, a place I seemed to be visiting a little too often lately, and as always, Moon Immortal Sword was reading through letters.

Just look at that mountain of them...

When does this man even train?

He spent every day buried in work like that. Did he even have time left for cultivation?

“I heard you summoned me.”

I ignored the letters and asked. Moon Immortal Sword lifted his gaze to me.

The moment I met it, I faltered.

Damn.

Maybe it was because of the look I’d seen in that congealed memory.

Moon Immortal Sword’s eyes felt different now.

Or maybe not.

No, his mood really doesn’t look all that good right now either.

He seemed lower than usual. Like something had put him in a foul mood.

“Bang Seongyeon.”

“...Yes, Sect Leader.”

I answered, a little tense.

“Are your preparations complete?”

“For what...?”

“To return to the Alliance.”

“...”

I swallowed once before answering.

“...Yes.”

At that, Moon Immortal Sword gave a small nod.

“Then gather the personnel and head back to headquarters. The strategist has sent a letter.”

He handed me the letter he had been reading.

It bore the seal of the Murim Alliance—of the main headquarters itself.

The contents weren’t long, but if I boiled them down, they were basically this:

You’ve stayed there too long. Come back now.

What the hell?

This is where I’m supposed to be in the first place.

Why was he telling me to come back? Since when had I become a Murim Alliance man?

It was ridiculous, but I didn’t really have anything to say in return.

“...But when you say gather the personnel...”

“The lineup is already decided. Report to the Lesser Moon Unit leader and prepare.”

“Ah. Yes.”

I couldn’t bring myself to ask anything else.

Why was he so intimidating today?

He was downright unnerving.

...The Murim Alliance.

It looked like the time had finally come for me to go back.

Ah, hell.

I’d even thought of it as going back.

That was the scary thing about habits.

*****

After leaving the Sect Leader’s office, I went straight to the Lesser Moon Unit leader.

“Teacher.”

“...Ah, right.”

That was what this man had been /N_o_v_e_l_i_g_h_t/ calling me.

It had been a while since I’d heard it, so it felt especially awkward.

I spent too long in the dream-vision.

My time in there had been so exhausting that sometimes my memories of this side got faintly tangled.

“Uh... the Sect Leader said I should report in, since I have to return to headquarters...”

“Ah, so it’s already time.”

Saying that, the man started packing his things.

“What are you doing...?”

“I am preparing to return.”

“Preparing? Why?”

“Pardon?”

“Huh?”

For a moment, neither of us understood the other.

So I asked, just to be sure.

“When I go back, are you coming too, Unit leader?”

“Yes. Of course.”

“What about that is obvious...?”

Was he insane? What part of that was obvious?

If he was the Lesser Moon Unit leader, then shouldn’t he be staying with the Lesser Moon Unit? What kind of nonsense was this?

As I stared at him in disbelief, he answered,

“The Sect Leader has entrusted me once again with the duty of escort.”

“What does that even—”

“I heard you are going to act as the representative in the negotiations. And so, I was told the strategist personally made the request...”

“Ah, goddammit.”

So that was it.

If the request had come from Thousand-Mile Divine Eye himself, then even the Lesser Moon Unit leader would move for it.

...Is it really okay for him to leave his post this often?

This was the leader of the Lesser Moon Unit, not just anyone, and he kept going off on assignments like this. Was that really fine?

“In any case, I will attend you again this time, Teacher.”

“...Ah. Right.”

It looked like I was about to make the great Lesser Moon Unit leader serve as my escort for a second time.

And the way his eyes were shining, as if he was wondering what else he could learn from me, was unbelievably burdensome.

...Is this really okay?

I honestly had no idea.

*****

Another day passed, and by the time we were preparing the carriage—

people had gathered and were fitting out a small carriage.

The Murim Alliance headquarters wasn’t that far away anyway, so there wasn’t much to prepare.

“Do we need this too?”

“It would be better if we loaded it.”

“Honestly, I’m fine as long as there’s room for me to lie down.”

Two enormous men were murmuring over something as they inspected the carriage from every angle, and all I could do was stand there staring at them awkwardly.

“...What am I looking at?”

Seriously, what was this scene?

The Lesser Moon Unit leader—an absolute master—and the Tyrant, said to be the strongest of the Five Kings Under Heaven, were huddled together discussing what provisions to put into the carriage.

“Hm... Maybe I should’ve fed them more.”

The one-armed old man—currently serving as the coachman, but in truth the Sword Emperor, one of the beings beyond heaven—was looking over the horses with visible regret.

“How is your body feeling, young master?”

And Freak Demon, once one of the Heavenly Demon’s subordinates and the Holy Cult’s strategist, was asking after my health while dressed as a woman.

“...”

Was this really right?

That was the truly fundamental question here.

Holding back a sigh, I asked Freak Demon,

“...By the way, is it really okay for you to stay beside me like this?”

“What do you mean?”

He looked at me as though he didn’t understand the question.

“I mean... you avoided showing yourself before because the other masters might notice you, didn’t you?”

“Ah... that part.”

Freak Demon smiled.

“I’ve already taken care of it.”

How?

He’d taken care of it?

What did that even mean?

Just as I was standing there in confusion—

“We’re done getting ready...”

Someone spoke to me in a voice so lifeless it sounded like he was dying.

It was Poison Dragon.

Looking at him, I asked,

“But... why are you doing this?”

“Huh?”

He stared blankly at me.

“No, seriously. You’re not even one of our people, so why are you naturally helping with the work?”

“Ah.”

Only then did Poison Dragon seem to realize it. His eyes widened.

So he really hadn’t noticed.

That explained why he’d been carrying luggage around with the disciples like it was the most natural thing in the world. Even the disciples had been giving him strange looks, and he hadn’t cared at all.

“...Goddammit...! I got too used to it...!”

Poison Dragon reacted in frustration.

What was wrong with this idiot? He was actually kind of hilarious.

“You’re hopeless.”

“And whose fault is that...?!”

“What was that?”

The moment I glared at him, Poison Dragon flinched and turned his eyes away.

What was I supposed to do with him?

I should really send him off soon.

It wasn’t like I wanted to keep dragging him around forever.

But he still hadn’t learned what he came for, so I didn’t really have a choice.

Honestly, he’s kind of convenient too.

He had a rotten attitude, but when I told him to do something, he did it, and he wasn’t bad at handling work.

It was only Rain of Flowers Filling the Sky that he still hadn’t learned.

I was shaking my head at him when Yu Yeon appeared next.

She had the black robe she’d received yesterday draped over her shoulders.

“...You’re really coming too?”

Yu Yeon nodded.

She’d been included in the group too.

And, unbelievably, she had gone and gotten Moon Immortal Sword’s permission herself.

I’d assumed she would head straight back to Mount Hua.

I guess Mount Hua doesn’t mind?

I was curious what their side thought about it, but looking at Yu Yeon, it felt like none of that mattered to her in the slightest.

She doesn’t look like the type to obediently do what she’s told anyway.

Yu Yeon was more stubborn than she looked.

Far more.

Next...

I’d thought maybe Cheon Uijin or Dohyeong, the ones who had gone with me last time, might come along too.

But they aren’t part of this group.

This time, Moon Immortal Sword had arranged the party himself, so I had no say in it.

Which was why—

“Oh, good morning.”

—that man was included.

“Well? Slept well? Hahaha!”

Wrapped in bandages and grinning brightly as he approached—

Silver Moon Sword, Yu Yul.

The moment I saw him, my face twisted into a frown.