Chapter 610: The Heavenly Demon Is Overworked

TL: FoodieMonster007

A distant bell sounded, and Geom Mugeuk rose from the grand armchair.

"Ah! It's finally over!"

It was his first day as the Acting Cult Leader.

He had never felt a day drag on for so long. He would have much rather been training or fighting until he was bloody.

As he descended the stairs and prepared to leave the Heavenly Demon Hall, Hwi dropped his concealment and materialized before him.

"Uncle."

"From now on, you must call me Captain Hwi," Hwi corrected him.

"When it's just the two of us, I'll call you Uncle," Geom Mugeuk insisted.

Hwi's gaze was soft as he observed Geom Mugeuk. After the three of them had traveled with his father, he and Hwi had become incomparably closer. They had also learned much more about each other.

"Your quarters have been prepared in the inner court of the Heavenly Demon Hall. You must sleep there for the time being."

Since he was filling in for the Cult Leader, it was natural for him to receive the treatment and bodyguards appropriate for the position.

Walking through the inner court with Hwi, Geom Mugeuk asked cautiously, "Is Father alright?"

"He is fine."

"Then that's all that matters."

Geom Mugeuk had worried there might be another reason for the seclusion training. Fortunately, he detected no concern from Hwi. When it came to his father, Hwi was the most reliable source of information.

"This is the room."

The place Hwi led him to was a room situated across from his father's own quarters.

"Isn't this also a room Father uses?"

"That's right. He used to read and contemplate in here. He said to give this room to you, Young Cult Leader."

It was not as grand as his father's bedroom, but the room was decorated in a simple yet luxurious style. The bookshelf and tea table appeared ordinary, but they were all crafted by master furniture artisans.

This room also contained a large bed, made with clean, plush bedding. Geom Mugeuk sat on the edge of it and remarked, "I finally understand why Father goes to bed so early. How could he not fall asleep after being so stressed and working all day?"

The person who had watched it all from the closest perspective was Hwi, who now smiled before him.

"I'll be going now. Please call if you need anything."

"What I need is Father! Please, go and bring him here."

As he was joking and seeing Hwi out, something caught Geom Mugeuk's eye.

"Huh? This is…!"

Startled, Geom Mugeuk walked toward a display cabinet.

Something was placed on the display cabinet set to one side. To his surprise, they were the Demon Supreme dolls sold in the Demon Village.

All of the Eight Demon Supremes were present, and among them was a doll of Geom Mugeuk himself.

Previously, when Han Seol had visited the Heavenly Demon Divine Cult, a merchant selling dolls in the Demon Village had mentioned that a Young Cult Leader doll would be released soon. It seemed the doll had been released while he was away handling matters at the Yellow Dragon Academy.

What surprised Geom Mugeuk was not that his own doll had been made.

"Why is this here?"

Demon Supreme dolls in his father's room!

Hwi merely offered a faint smile.

"No way. Did Father buy these?"

To his astonishment, Hwi nodded.

"Before he entered seclusion training, the Cult Leader had a drink at the Alluring Inn in the Demon Village. On his way back that day, he saw the Young Cult Leader's doll and bought all of them."

This meant that after showing no interest before, he had purchased them upon seeing his son's doll. He must have bought the other Demon Supreme dolls as well because it would have seemed odd to buy just one.

An image of that day formed in his mind. His father, flushed from drinking at the Alluring Inn, buying the dolls on his way back.

He was touched that his father had bought them, but he was even more moved that he had displayed them like this.

"Please wait here for a moment."

Geom Mugeuk left the room.

A moment later, Geom Mugeuk returned with something in his hand. What he had used the Swift Step to fly off and buy was a doll of the Heavenly Demon. His father's doll had been missing from the display.

He moved his own doll from the center to the side and placed his father's doll in the middle.

"Now it's complete."

Watching the scene, Hwi's smile deepened.

Originally, he should have put these dolls away before giving the room to Geom Mugeuk. The Cult Leader was not the type of person who would want to show such things to his son. However, Hwi had deliberately left them out. He wanted to let Geom Mugeuk know the Cult Leader's feelings. The Cult Leader he served was a man who would never express his feelings to his son unless it was done in a way like this.

"Well then, please rest well."

As Hwi left the room and closed the door, he could see Geom Mugeuk staring at the dolls.

It was a good thing I didn't put them away.

The next morning, Geom Mugeuk had Hwi summon the bodyguards.

"Please gather all of the Heavenly Demon Hall's bodyguard unit. Include the Young Cult Leader's bodyguards from my residence."

Hwi was inwardly tense. It was one thing to ask for a few, but this was a request to summon the entire bodyguard unit.

"I understand."

Hwi obeyed the order without asking for a reason.

A short while later, all the martial artists of the bodyguard unit had assembled in the rear garden of the Heavenly Demon Hall.

There were several bodyguard units in the Heavenly Demon Divine Cult, but the most skilled among them were, of course, the Heavenly Demon Hall's bodyguard unit. In particular, the Group Leaders who guarded the Cult Leader alongside Hwi inside the Heavenly Demon Hall possessed formidable skills. Though their title was Group Leader, they were experts at or above the Captain level.

The Young Cult Leader's bodyguard captain, Cheokyeon, and his twelve bodyguards were also summoned there. They were extremely tense, as only the bodyguards who protected the Cult Leader were allowed inside the Heavenly Demon Hall. Not only was Captain Hwi present, but the other bodyguards were all great Seniors to them.

Geom Mugeuk greeted them warmly first.

"Hey, my bodyguards! It's been so long, I'm about to forget your faces."

"We greet the Young Cult Leader!" they all shouted thunderously, performing a clasped hands greeting in unison.

Geom Mugeuk approached Cheokyeon.

"Got a line of women following you around?"

Cheokyeon, who was now without the eyepatch he used to wear, had once claimed it felt awkward even after he achieved complete mastery of the Ghost Eye Art.

"No, sir!"

I don't even know the last time I went to the marketplace because I was training in martial arts!

If it had been just the two of them, he would have given such an answer. He could not give that kind of response in front of the watching Seniors.

Cheokyeon felt ashamed in front of Hwi and the Seniors. It was because they had not been properly carrying out their duties. Of course, everyone knew that Geom Mugeuk was free-spirited and liked to wander alone, but it was still a fact that they were not performing their duties properly.

"You've all trained hard in the meantime."

Geom Mugeuk could tell just by their stances how hard they had been training. In fact, they had dedicated themselves to martial arts training while waiting for Geom Mugeuk. Thanks to that, they were much stronger than when they had first met him.

After gathering all the bodyguards, Geom Mugeuk looked around at everyone with a calm yet dignified gaze.

"Captain Hwi, I have a request."

"Please, state it."

"While I am serving as the Acting Cult Leader, I will have my own bodyguards protect me."

At the unexpected words, not only Hwi but also the existing bodyguards of the Heavenly Demon were flustered. The Young Cult Leader's bodyguards were the most junior-ranked, and he was saying he would entrust his protection to them.

"I want to give them a chance to gain experience."

After a moment of consideration, Hwi replied politely, "I understand. We will do as you say."

Cheokyeon and the other bodyguards were all delighted. They were finally getting to properly serve as Geom Mugeuk's bodyguards. And it was a mission in the Heavenly Demon Hall, no less.

That was not the only reason Geom Mugeuk had gathered them today.

"I have one more request."

"Please, state it."

"With the exception of my bodyguards and Captain Hwi, I am granting a full leave of absence to all remaining bodyguards."

They were even more flustered by these unexpected words.

"This is also my first order as Acting Cult Leader."

He sealed it as an order. In truth, the person he most wanted to give a vacation to was Hwi, but he excluded him, knowing Hwi would never accept such an order.

Hwi could tell. Geom Mugeuk was trying to use this opportunity to give the bodyguards a chance to rest.

"I have the authority to disobey orders that conflict with my duties as a bodyguard."

That was the greatest authority given to a bodyguard Captain.

"I know."

"May I ask why you are doing this?"

Hwi guessed the reason, but he asked deliberately to let his subordinates know what was in Geom Mugeuk's heart.

"Because an opportunity like this doesn't come often."

Even during their last trip together, the bodyguards could not rest. Although they did not travel with them, they had to constantly communicate with Hwi and remain on standby, moving out of sight.

Geom Mugeuk's gaze turned to the bodyguards.

"While Father is away, get plenty of rest. Go visit your hometowns, travel with your families. Catch up on your sleep."

Who would have ever imagined the Young Cult Leader would grant them a vacation for their sake? They were all flustered, not knowing how to react.

Geom Mugeuk's gaze turned back to Hwi.

"Will you disobey?"

If he himself had been excluded, he would have disobeyed. However, he could not deny that this was a golden opportunity to let his subordinates rest.

"No. I will gratefully accept your order."

Once the vacation was decided, an unconcealable joy flashed across the bodyguards' faces. Of course, it was not as if they worked every single day without a break. They took turns resting on a rotation, but a proper vacation like this was something they could not even dream of.

"Here, share this among yourselves."

Geom Mugeuk gave them an envelope he had prepared. Inside was enough money to fully enjoy their vacation. Beyond the amount, they were even more moved by the gesture.

"Everyone, rest well and come back."

"Thank you!"

Gratitude was embedded in their thunderous reply.

All of the Heavenly Demon Hall bodyguards withdrew. Hwi left with them. Knowing Hwi's personality, he would not just send them all off at once. He would have to coordinate schedules and check the emergency contact network. He probably had a lot to do.

Now, the only ones left there were Cheokyeon and his bodyguards.

"Are you disappointed you can't go on vacation?"

At that, Cheokyeon answered, speaking for everyone. "We were disappointed that we couldn't do our jobs all this time!"

He could be honest since the Seniors were not present.

"You can protect me well, right?"

"……"

"I'm counting on you."

Not just Cheokyeon, but the other bodyguards' eyes burned with determination. One day, they would grow to be like the Seniors who came before them. Just as Hwi was by his father's side, this Cheokyeon would be by his side.

"Cheokyeon!"

"……"

He called out in a solemn voice, but the reason for it was something that flustered Cheokyeon.

"I haven't even unwrapped my giant dao, but should we go pick up some women?"

Cheokyeon's face turned red as he replied.

"You can't."

Geom Mugeuk's shoulders slumped as he walked away, sighing heavily.

"That's right, I can't. I still have a mountain of work left over from yesterday."

Sama Myeong piled another stack of documents next to the ones left over from yesterday.

"Don't tell me those are all things that need to be handled today?"

"Yes, that's correct."

Geom Mugeuk shook his head at Sama Myeong's answer.

"All this happened in a single day? That can't be right. You just made all this up and brought it here, didn't you?"

Sama Myeong responded to Geom Mugeuk's joke with one of his own. "Yes, I was up all night making it up. I didn't get a wink of sleep."

Geom Mugeuk shook his head.

"How can so much happen in one day!"

The Strategists of the All-Knowing Hall must have been sorting through information flown in from all over the Central Plains until late at night. Sama Myeong probably had not been able to sleep until late either.

"There was someone else who should have been sent on vacation."

Seeing as he did not ask what he meant, he must have already known about the bodyguards' vacation.

"If we were to leave our posts, the work of our Cult would be paralyzed," Sama Myeong explained.

"So what if it is?"

"Pardon?"

"It'll be paralyzed for about ten days. We'll just send an official messenger pigeon to the Murim Alliance and the Evil Alliance. 'We're taking a ten-day break, so don't you dare mess with us! If you do, it's war in ten days!'"

Sama Myeong laughed at the suggestion of starting a war after their vacation.

"We take turns and rest well, so please don't worry too much."

However, Geom Mugeuk knew. Sama Myeong himself worked without a single day off.

"I'm not worried about the young Strategists. I'm worried about the Chief Strategist."

"I am fine. There is a mental cultivation technique the Cult Leader taught me long ago. I practice it once when I wake up and once before I sleep, without fail. Thanks to it, I've become very healthy."

Indeed, his father probably paid close attention to Sama Myeong's health as well. After all, Sama Myeong was an absolutely indispensable person to our Cult.

Right, the best thing I can do for Sama Myeong is to finish this work as quickly as possible.

"Alright, let's pick up the pace today."

His work speed was definitely faster than yesterday.

While working together, Sama Myeong discovered one great strength in Geom Mugeuk. Geom Mugeuk asked questions well. He was not ashamed of what he did not know. He made an effort to clearly remember what he learned by asking.

As a Strategist, Sama Myeong considered this an even greater strength. He knew well from experience that pretending to know something you do not could sometimes lead to great disaster. That is why he always told his subordinates. Do not pretend to know what you do not. It is fine to go slow, it is fine to look ignorant, but never pretend to know something you do not.

Just then, Geom Mugeuk, who was flipping through documents, asked Sama Myeong, "But did Father really make decisions on matters like this?"

"Yes, he did. The Cult Leader often said that one cannot make big decisions without properly understanding the small details within the cult."

He could not believe his father had even said those words. The more he worked, the more new sides of his father he discovered.

"Father was the most misunderstood person in the world. Even by his own son."

When martial artists think of the Heavenly Demon, they imagine him indulging in all sorts of pleasures and debauchery, enjoying bloody banquets, but his father was silently working for the good of the cult. And even amidst all that, he took care of the Demon Supremes in his own way.

"The Heavenly Demon was overworked."

If I had known, I would have let him win at fishing.