Chapter 15: They All Look Similarly Ugly

TL: FoodieMonster007

Seo Daeryong followed me out holding the dead crow, his expression completely confused.

"Hang it there."

I read the 'Are you serious?' look in Seo Daeryong's eyes and spoke firmly.

"Hang it in the middle where it can be seen clearly."

I had Seo Daeryong hang the dead crow in the middle of the hallway most used by the Demonic Army.

Members of the Demonic Army flocked over when they heard the news. A few looked intrigued, but most scowled and spat curses.

"Damn it! What is that?"

"Why the hell would someone hang an unlucky dead crow?"

"Does being an investigator give him the right to do anything?"

"Those unlucky bastards from the Sanzu River Hall."

"Ptui, ptui, I knew I had a bad dream last night."

"Isn't that the perfect spot to hang a corpse after tearing it to shreds?"

They wore martial arts uniforms with numbers on their chests that symbolized their units. That was how I knew. The ones cursing the most were Demonic Army members from the First Unit, the same ones I had nearly clashed with at the entrance.

Of course, they did not mention me by name, but cursing the Sanzu River Hall was the same as cursing me.

Just as the atmosphere turned hostile, one person could not stand it any longer and stepped forward.

"Isn't this going too far?"

His voice boomed through the hallway.

"Who said that? They all look similarly ugly here."

As everyone scowled, one man stepped forward.

"I am Jang Ho, Captain of the Demonic Army's Third Unit."

Jang Ho was the largest among the Demonic Army members. His muscular frame looked ready to burst from his martial arts uniform, and a long sword scar slashed across his face, enough to make anyone flinch.

Seo Daeryong's telepathy quickly reached me.

[Jang Ho, the Captain of the Third Unit, is known to be the strongest in martial arts among all the Captains. His personality is nothing to scoff at either.]

Indeed, the presence Jang Ho exuded was overwhelming compared to anyone else there.

"And what is our Captain Jang dissatisfied with?"

"Do I really have to spell it out for you? What do you mean by hanging such an ominous thing in a public walkway?"

"Isn't it better than being thrown on a bed?"

"Stop ruining people's moods for no reason and just catch and punish the one who did it."

I stared quietly at Jang Ho. He showed no intention of backing down. The powerful demonic qi he emitted pressed down on me and Seo Daeryong. For a moment, my breath caught in my throat. He was certainly worthy of his reputation as the strongest among the Captains.

"You have a point. Detective Seo, take that down."

"……"

Seo Daeryong took down the crow he had hung up. The watching members of the Demonic Army openly sneered.

"What a coward."

"He only listens after a beating, anyway."

"How dare he act up, not knowing his place."

I left them to their blatant curses and ridicule and returned to my room.

As soon as we entered the room, Seo Daeryong asked.

"Why on earth did you make me hang the crow's corpse? Especially if you were going to take it down so easily."

His face flushed red, his pride clearly wounded.

"To find out who sent the anonymous letter."

He asked with a bewildered expression.

"So, did you find out?"

"……"

"What?"

The answer was so unexpected that Seo Daeryong's eyes went wide.

"……"

I looked at the crow and said.

"Thanks to this little fellow. So go out and give it a proper burial."

The next day, the official investigation began.

I gathered the Demonic Army's Third Unit first. Since Jang Ho, the Captain of the Third Unit, was the one who stepped forward during yesterday's crow incident, his complaint was expected.

"What is the meaning of this?"

"The meaning of this? Haven't you heard I'm here to investigate?"

"Then why are you investigating our Third Unit first, instead of the First Unit?"

"That's for me to decide."

"Aren't you holding a grudge over what happened yesterday?"

"What happened yesterday?"

Jang Ho bit his lip and glared at me.

"You will all submit your records. I'm going to investigate everything, from your recent activities to your financial records."

At that, the members of the Third Unit began to murmur. Even an ordinary person will have a handful of dust if you shake them down, and these were members of the Demonic Army. To put it bluntly, the kindest person here would probably be the leader of some backwater gang.

Jang Ho roared.

"Even you can't do that."

"I can."

"……"

Jang Ho smashed the desk in front of me.

"Hey, you're free to get excited, but don't forget that rebellion is a serious crime."

At the mention of rebellion, a few demonic practitioners from the Third Unit rushed to stop Jang Ho.

"Please calm down, Captain."

"He's not someone you can deal with nicely."

I provoked Jang Ho further.

"I'll start the investigation with you, the Captain."

"Fine! Let's settle this between us! The rest of you, get out!"

Demonic qi swirled around Jang Ho.

His subordinates tried to calm him down.

"Captain! You mustn't get agitated."

"Don't worry, just get out."

"……"

His subordinates shot me a menacing glare before leaving. I could feel that they followed him with genuine loyalty.

Once all his subordinates had left, Jang Ho spoke coldly.

"You'll regret treating me like this."

The scar slashing across his face twisted, making it look even more hideous.

I stared at Jang Ho for a moment, then lowered my voice and asked quietly.

"How long are you going to test me?"

For a moment, Jang Ho flinched in surprise.

"What are you talking about?"

"You're the one who sent the anonymous letter, aren't you?"

In that instant, Jang Ho's eyes wavered.

"What are you saying?"

However, he was not a man skilled in lying. After his eyes, his voice began to tremble. Soon, Jang Ho readily admitted the truth.

"How did you know?"

As the once-agitated man spoke quietly, he seemed like a different person.

"Yesterday, you stepped forward in a situation where you didn't have to. Wasn't that to avoid the Demonic Army General's suspicion?"

"That's right."

"Also, your Third Unit's martial artists are the most disciplined. When the crow was hung, only your subordinates refrained from cursing or sneering. The way they worried about you just now was another sign. They say you can know ten things by seeing one. A man who runs his unit like this would surely find it hard to overlook corruption within the organization."

In truth, that was not how I figured it out.

I realized Jang Ho was the one who sent the letter the moment he first appeared, thanks to Seo Daeryong's telepathy.

[Jang Ho, the Captain of the Third Unit, is known to be the strongest in martial arts among all the Captains. His personality is nothing to scoff at either.]

The moment I heard that telepathy, I remembered something from before my regression.

There was an incident around this time where a Captain of the Demonic Army died. The reason it stuck in my memory was that I'd heard the deceased Captain was the strongest among all the Demonic Army Captains. Why would someone so strong in martial arts die? I remembered having that question.

I was certain the dead man had been Jang Ho. He must have submitted the letter and tried to solve the Demonic Army's problems, only to be killed by someone within the Demonic Army.

Just as I expected, the person who sent the letter was Jang Ho.

"I couldn't write the full details because I wasn't sure if the letter would be taken seriously."

He had suspected that the Sanzu River Hall might also be under the influence of the Blood Heaven Blade Demon.

"However, I never imagined that the Second Young Lord would come to investigate."

"What did you think when you heard I was coming?"

"Forgive my impertinence, but I thought we were doomed."

I turned to Seo Daeryong and remarked.

"Is honesty a trend among young people these days?"

"However, Second Young Lord, you're younger than us."

"Ah, right."

After a grin, I asked Jang Ho.

"What exactly is happening here?"

"The Demonic Army General is using the Demonic Army for his private gain."

"……"

The details Jang Ho shared about the situation were far more serious than I had imagined.

"He's taking money to dispatch his subordinates on assassination contracts."

"What?"

Even I, who am rarely surprised by anything, was shocked. I thought he was just taking bribes from some regional sects. Something that should never happen was happening.

With masters like those in the Demonic Army on the move, they would not be doing it for a pittance. He must be raking in an enormous amount of money.

Seo Daeryong asked in surprise.

"How is that possible?"

"He uses their leave or sends them out under the pretext of special training."

"Even so, I don't understand."

Unlike Seo Daeryong, I realized the one way it could be possible.

"The entire First Unit is involved."

"How did you know?"

Jang Ho was startled that I guessed it instantly.

"They were the first to block our way. They were also the ones who cursed the most at the sight of the crow's corpse. Whenever something happens, they move as one. Didn't I say it before? You can know ten things by seeing one. You can tell just by looking at the First Captain. So, how did you find out about this?"

"The martial artist who killed the investigator in the previous case and then committed suicide was my friend. He was also the one who submitted the letter."

"So he didn't commit suicide, he was forced to."

"That's right. He told me he had submitted the letter a few days before he died."

In my life before regression, I never knew about this incident. There was only Jang Ho's death. This means the case was never solved and was simply buried.

"How close were you?"

"We joined the cult at the same time. He was like family."

"Why didn't you reveal it then?"

"At the time, after those bastards murdered my friend and the investigator, they monitored the inside with terrifying strictness. It was hard to even breathe properly."

"Who killed them?"

"I believe the Demonic Army General gave the order, and Godang, the First Captain, carried it out himself."

If what Jang Ho said was true, this was a massive corruption case involving the Demonic Army General and the entire First Unit of the Demonic Army. On top of that, it included the murder of an investigator. This was truly the largest-scale crime in the history of our Cult.

Could my father and Sama Myeong really have been unaware?

They must have noticed something. That's why they sent me.

They sent me to test whether I could handle this case by going head-to-head with the Demonic Army General. Even though I could die facing him… now that I think about it, that's pretty harsh.

Father, that saying about a beast raising its young strong by dropping them off a cliff isn't true. They say if the cub falls, the parent rushes down with its fast legs to carry it back up!

I looked at Jang Ho and said.

"You had a good friend."

"He was the good friend. If I were a good friend, I would have stepped forward when he died."

"That would be a foolish friend."

Not everyone in the Demonic Army was trash.

Watching this, Seo Daeryong also seemed moved. The investigator who died in the previous case had been a Senior he respected.

Both men suffered from the shared pain of having lost someone close to them in that incident.

Watching these two, I felt there was hope for the 'lost demonic way'. The Heavenly Demon Divine Cult I envision is a place where people like them hold important positions.

"Thank you for mustering your courage."

"Seeing you figure me out at once, I decided to trust you, Second Young Lord."

"A good choice. By the way, will there be any problem if I go through your financial records?"

"None. You can shake them down as hard as you want, and not a speck of dust will come out."

"Everyone has dust. I can even turn things you don't consider dust into dust, but don't worry. I won't shake you down that hard."

I opened the door and went out. In the distance, the subordinates of the Third Unit were waiting.

"Captain Jang has agreed to submit all the records on your behalf. So you can all return."

Jang Ho played along with my act, shouting loudly.

"We'll see about that! If I'm found innocent, I won't let this go!"

His eyes held a look of gratitude. By saying he was taking responsibility for the investigation on behalf of his subordinates, I had made them trust him even more. The Jang Ho from before my regression died, but the Jang Ho of today will not.

Saving those who shouldn't have died. That is the purpose of my regression.

After closing the door, Seo Daeryong said to me.

"Second Young Lord, you seem very different from the rumors."

"What do the rumors say?"

"Just…"

"Just say it honestly. You're just relaying a rumor, right? It's not your own opinion."

"There are words that you are not suited for the position of the Heavenly Demon. I apologize."

"It's fine. Couldn't that be a compliment?"

"Pardon?"

"Is being suited for the Heavenly Demon a compliment? I don't think so. I believe ruling our Cult through a reign of terror is an outdated idea. Don't you think our Cult needs to change now?"

At the mention of change, a strange light flickered in Seo Daeryong's eyes, but he soon replied in a somewhat somber tone.

"Change isn't as easy as it sounds."

"True. It's not easy."

"If you become the Heavenly Demon, will you try to change our Cult?"

Of course.

If it doesn't change, my family will be annihilated, and our Cult will only be waiting for the outcome of being closed-off.

However, instead of voicing those inner thoughts, I said something else.

"Honestly, I'd rather travel around the Central Plains and have fun than become the Heavenly Demon."

This was also true to some extent. Once I kill Hwa Mugi, I plan to travel the Central Plains and enjoy myself to the fullest.

"Everyone else would sell their souls to become the Heavenly Demon…"

"You're saying I sound like someone who has it all, is that it?"

"I won't deny it."

"That's because you're a power-oriented person."

"Me?"

I asked him abruptly as he widened his eyes as if wronged.

"Are you happy when you help someone?"

"……"

"Are you happy when you get promoted?"

"…Yes."

Seo Daeryong then sighed and berated himself.

"Ah, so I am a power-oriented person?"

"Everyone's conditions for happiness are different. For some, it's money or power. For others, it's living quietly, and for some, it's righteousness."

"Is it possible to be happy by practicing righteousness?"

"Sounds hypocritical?"

"……"

In my past life, I knew someone like that. A person so selfish that he wore the mask of righteousness to hide it. In the end, he even deceived himself. He was not a good person, but he believed until the very end that he was walking the path of righteousness.

Seeing people like that made me more uncomfortable than those who were honest about their ambitions, but I have no intention of criticizing him. That was just his way of living.

"In this murim, there are many who truly live by righteousness. They are people too great to be measured by hearts the size of a soy sauce dish, like yours or mine."

He stared at me for a moment, then sighed.

"Since I'm a power-oriented person… I don't really know."

I chuckled looking at Seo Daeryong. I do not know how he appears to his peers, but to me, at least, this side of him seems cute.

"Enough with the unbecoming self-reflection. Go and get Jang Ho's records. Like I said before, go easy on him, and bring more investigators from the Sanzu River Hall. We're going to create the impression that a large-scale investigation is about to begin."

"Understood."

I stood by the window and looked outside. Just then, in the building across the way, the Demonic Army General was standing at a window, looking in this direction. Our eyes met, but I pretended not to notice.

Because what I was looking at was not that insignificant man, but the Heavenly Demon Hall, visible far beyond him.