Chapter 684: I'm the One Doing the Killing

TL: FoodieMonster007

A kaleidoscope swirled within the Thousand Flower Palace Chairwoman's eyes.

As she looked at Geom Mugeuk, he could read several emotions in her gaze. There was surprise, fear, and then terror. The final emotion, born from that mixture of negative feelings, was hesitation.

"What version of me did you see?"

The Thousand Flower Palace Chairwoman did not answer Geom Mugeuk's question. She simply avoided his gaze instead.

Lee Ahn felt a sense of foreboding at her reaction. What could possibly be so unspeakable in this situation?

What on earth did she see?

The Extremely Evil Smiling Demon watched her in silence. He could have urged her to tell the Young Cult Leader, but he refrained from doing so. He didn't force her to speak, but simply waited for her to make a choice.

Geom Mugeuk tried to lighten the heavy atmosphere.

"Let me try and guess the prophecy. Did you see me at the vanguard of the war against the Demonic Sect? Attacking the Murim Alliance, and the Evil Alliance too. Striking here, striking there. Did I happen to unify the entire murim? Were thousands, tens of thousands of heroes bowing down and worshipping me?"

At his words, the Thousand Flower Palace Chairwoman slowly shook her head, as if to say that wasn't it. She still couldn't bring herself to look Geom Mugeuk in the eye.

"That's a relief. To be honest, I was worried you might have seen that."

Geom Mugeuk guessed again.

"Then you must have seen something like this. You saw me slowly climbing a flight of stairs. There must have been a grand throne at the top. And when I sat on that seat of power, the surrounding scenery finally came into view. Piles of corpses everywhere, and blood flowing like a river. In the end, I must have looked at the corpses and smiled coldly. Right? You saw a scene like that, didn't you? That's why you can't say anything, right?"

However, the Thousand Flower Palace Chairwoman shook her head again, as if to say that wasn't it either.

"It would have been better if I had seen that."

In that moment, the smile vanished from Geom Mugeuk's face. Lee Ahn and the Extremely Evil Smiling Demon also tensed. Her words implied the scene was even more terrible than his guess.

As all eyes focused on her, the Thousand Flower Palace Chairwoman spoke quietly.

"The Young Cult Leader was killing someone."

"!"

It was a statement that left no room for jokes. Who on earth could he have been killing that would make a scene littered with countless corpses seem better by comparison?

"Who was I killing?"

If he had been killing some random villain, the Thousand Flower Palace Chairwoman wouldn't have been this serious.

Her gaze slowly turned toward one person. The one she looked at with trembling eyes was the Extremely Evil Smiling Demon.

"You were killing Orabeoni."

"!"

At that moment, everyone was startled. A heavy silence, brought on by surprise and shock, fell over the room.

I kill the Smiling Demon? No way!

Geom Mugeuk was certain that could never happen. It was a truly absurd prophecy.

Then, a thought suddenly occurred to him.

Perhaps! Did she see that moment?

He wondered if she had seen the moment he killed the Smiling Demon in his life before regression. He thought that might be the only explanation.

If not that, there would be no reason for him to kill the Extremely Evil Smiling Demon. And the Extremely Evil Smiling Demon would never do anything to deserve such a fate. However, the prophecies of the Saintess Palace were supposed to show the future. He couldn't understand how it could show the past, and a past from before his regression at that.

Geom Mugeuk broke the silence with a laugh.

"What on earth did you do? No, what are you planning to do?"

The Extremely Evil Smiling Demon lightly returned Geom Mugeuk's joke.

"When you kill me, please make it painless."

The two men laughed as they looked at each other.

They were relaxed, but Lee Ahn could not be. She knew her words would be very rude, but since no one else was bringing it up, she felt she had no choice.

"Can the prophecies be wrong?"

The Thousand Flower Palace Chairwoman answered with somber eyes.

"A prophecy may not be given, but it is never wrong."

Words she neither wanted to say nor hear followed.

"What I saw will definitely happen."

If that's really true? Lee Ahn's heart began to pound. In this moment, she felt sorry for the Extremely Evil Smiling Demon, but she was more worried about Geom Mugeuk than him.

What if something like that were to happen? Could Geom Mugeuk simply get over killing the Extremely Evil Smiling Demon? It would remain a wound for the rest of his life. No, that event could change Geom Mugeuk. He could become very dark and gloomy.

"But fate can be changed, can't it?"

At her words, Geom Mugeuk nodded vigorously.

"Yes, it can be changed."

Geom Mugeuk also spoke confidently to the Thousand Flower Palace Chairwoman.

"Something like that won't happen. So please don't worry."

The Thousand Flower Palace Chairwoman kept her head down and showed no reaction. Perhaps because her heart was in turmoil, she still didn't meet Geom Mugeuk's gaze.

"You must be tired from receiving the prophecy, so please rest. We'll get some fresh air."

Geom Mugeuk rose from his seat and left the room, and Lee Ahn followed him.

After the two of them left, the Extremely Evil Smiling Demon asked the Thousand Flower Palace Chairwoman a question.

"Care for a drink?"

"……"

The Extremely Evil Smiling Demon got up and brought out some alcohol from a cabinet. There was a bottle he liked and one the Thousand Flower Palace Chairwoman liked, but he brought the one she preferred.

TRICKLE.

The Thousand Flower Palace Chairwoman emptied the drink in one go. Was it because she was worried the Extremely Evil Smiling Demon might die? She downed drink after drink.

The Extremely Evil Smiling Demon silently refilled her empty cup.

Then, after being lost in deep thought for a while, a certain resolve formed in the Thousand Flower Palace Chairwoman's eyes.

"Orabeoni."

The Thousand Flower Palace Chairwoman opened her mouth with difficulty, her voice trembling. It was the first time in her life she had ever felt so afraid.

"Orabeoni, I lied. The prophecy… I told it differently."

Despite the shocking confession, the Extremely Evil Smiling Demon's eyes showed no surprise at all from behind his white mask.

"You knew?"

Surprisingly, the Extremely Evil Smiling Demon nodded.

"How did you know?"

"I know you, so how could I not know?"

In truth, there was a decisive reason. She saw him die, yet Yeo Jong was too calm. The Yeo Jong he knew was not that kind of person. Since she was someone who believed the prophecies would absolutely come true, she would have considered his death unavoidable.

On top of that, she couldn't meet the Young Cult Leader's gaze. It wasn't because she was looking at the man who would kill the man she liked. He could clearly feel a sense of apology coming from her.

"Perhaps the Young Cult Leader noticed as well. He is, after all, a very bright and perceptive person."

"I'm sorry, Orabeoni."

"It's alright. You must have had your reasons."

The Extremely Evil Smiling Demon refilled the Thousand Flower Palace Chairwoman's empty cup again and asked, "What did you see in the prophecy?"

This was the moment the real prophecy she received would be revealed.

"It wasn't the Young Cult Leader."

After a brief pause, shocking words flowed from her lips.

"Orabeoni killed the Young Cult Leader."

"!"

Through the eyeholes of the white mask, the Extremely Evil Smiling Demon's startled eyes were visible. He had laughed when he heard he would die, and he had laughed when she said she had lied. But he was not laughing now.

"Orabeoni stabbed the Young Cult Leader's heart with a throwing knife."

Geom Mugeuk and Lee Ahn strolled through the inner garden of the Thousand Flower Palace. It was a beautifully decorated place, but none of the scenery registered in Lee Ahn's eyes.

"If I'd known this would happen, I shouldn't have come. I ran away to escape my worries, but how was I to know this kind of worry would be waiting for me?"

She had been worried about the First and Second Brigades fighting, but now she was worried about Geom Mugeuk killing the Extremely Evil Smiling Demon.

"This is why you have to see the world. Now that you're out here, that worry doesn't seem like such a big deal, does it?"

"Not a big deal! It's a conflict between the units directly under the heir of the Heavenly Demon Divine Cult! The worry here is just too immense!"

Geom Mugeuk laughed as if he found it amusing, but Lee Ahn did not.

"Why? Are you afraid it will really happen?"

"Aren't you scared?"

"Don't worry, something like that won't happen."

"Of course it won't, but still."

What bothered her was the fact that the person who made the prophecy was the Thousand Flower Palace Chairwoman. If it had been someone else, she would have dismissed it as nonsense, but the Chairwoman wasn't someone who would make a false prophecy, was she?

"Ah! Let's go back and ask."

"Ask what?"

"Where you kill the Smiling Demon. Then you can just never go to that place, right? Then fate will change."

"Oh! Smart, aren't you?"

"If I were smart, I would have asked earlier. We always realize things after the fact. Let's go, hurry up and ask."

However, Geom Mugeuk didn't move from his spot.

"But what if, by trying to defy fate like that, fate changes?"

As Lee Ahn flinched in surprise, Geom Mugeuk spoke with a profound gaze.

"What if I end up being killed by the Smiling Demon? What will you do then?"

For a moment, Lee Ahn couldn't say anything. Geom Mugeuk dying? That would be the moment her own world ended.

"What would I do? I'd shout 'Hooray, I'm finally free!'"

"Then that's settled."

Geom Mugeuk started walking with a smile, and Lee Ahn followed behind him.

What do you mean, settled? If you die, I'll die too! So for my sake, you absolutely can't die!

When the two of them had circled the inner garden and returned, the Extremely Evil Smiling Demon and the Thousand Flower Palace Chairwoman were waiting in front of their residence. It hadn't seemed like they would meet again so soon when they left the room.

The Extremely Evil Smiling Demon said to Geom Mugeuk, "This person has something to say to you, Young Cult Leader."

At that, the Thousand Flower Palace Chairwoman knelt on the spot.

Geom Mugeuk and Lee Ahn were startled by the sudden action.

"I lied to you, Young Cult Leader. The prophecy I saw was a different scene."

This time, she conveyed the truth without avoiding Geom Mugeuk's gaze.

"The prophecy I saw was of Orabeoni killing you, Young Cult Leader."

The moment she heard those words, Lee Ahn froze in shock.

"I was so surprised and flustered that I lied in the moment. I'm sorry."

Geom Mugeuk was neither surprised nor angry.

"Please, get up."

Geom Mugeuk hurriedly helped her to her feet.

"I understand. I would have done the same."

The Thousand Flower Palace Chairwoman could tell from Geom Mugeuk's calm reaction.

Just as Orabeoni said, the Young Cult Leader knew too.

This lie was so great that she would have had no excuse if the Young Cult Leader had decided to kill her for it. It was, after all, a lie concerning the life of the Heavenly Demon Divine Cult's Young Cult Leader.

And yet, he had already noticed and was pretending not to know. If she hadn't confessed in the end, Geom Mugeuk would have pretended not to know until the very end. The Extremely Evil Smiling Demon would have been the same. Really, these men.

"Whether I kill the Smiling Demon, or the Smiling Demon kills me, it's all the same. There's no need to distinguish between the two."

The Extremely Evil Smiling Demon's eyes were smiling. It was because he felt the same way.

Come to think of it, the fates of all four of them were on the line. If one person died, the aftermath would shake the remaining three to their core.

"Thank you for telling me the truth."

The Thousand Flower Palace Chairwoman bowed her head to Geom Mugeuk, who was thanking her instead.

The Extremely Evil Smiling Demon walked over and gently patted the Thousand Flower Palace Chairwoman's shoulder. If no one had been watching, he would have hugged her.

A little while ago, in the room, when she asked if she should tell the Young Cult Leader, the Extremely Evil Smiling Demon had told her this.

[What I learned from the Young Cult Leader was how to build a relationship without misunderstandings.]

That's why Geom Mugeuk told him everything. This time too, when he returned from his excursion, he told him everything that had happened in the Murim Alliance. You have to know to win. Problems always arise when you don't know.

The Extremely Evil Smiling Demon had relayed Geom Mugeuk's philosophy to her.

[The moment we decide to handle it on our own, things will get complicated.]

At those words, the Thousand Flower Palace Chairwoman had immediately gotten up, come out here, and waited for Geom Mugeuk.

Geom Mugeuk guessed that the Extremely Evil Smiling Demon was behind this swift confession.

"Thank you, Smiling Demon."

"I'm the one doing the killing. You don't need to thank me."

Geom Mugeuk smiled at the Extremely Evil Smiling Demon's joke.

The Thousand Flower Palace Chairwoman looked at Lee Ahn. Lee Ahn stood there silently, her face pale. The Thousand Flower Palace Chairwoman knew better than anyone how she was feeling right now. After all, she herself had lied for the Extremely Evil Smiling Demon.

The two men were composed, but the women were not at all.

The Thousand Flower Palace Chairwoman approached Lee Ahn and said, "I'm sorry."

"No, I'm the one who's sorry."

Lee Ahn felt truly sorry to both of them. When she heard the Extremely Evil Smiling Demon was the one to die, she hadn't been this shocked. She shouldn't have shown such a selfish side in front of them, but she couldn't help it.

The Thousand Flower Palace Chairwoman silently squeezed her hand.

Just then, the Extremely Evil Smiling Demon took a throwing knife from his robes. It was the Ten-Thousand-Year Cold Iron throwing knife he had received from Geom Mugeuk.

"Was this the throwing knife that killed the Young Cult Leader?"

The Thousand Flower Palace Chairwoman slowly nodded.

The Extremely Evil Smiling Demon looked down at his throwing knife. A prophecy showing him killing Geom Mugeuk with a throwing knife had appeared right after he received the Ten-Thousand-Year Cold Iron throwing knife as a gift, and even the manual for the Laughing Fragrance Dagger Technique.

The Extremely Evil Smiling Demon couldn't just let it go, so he handed the throwing knife to Geom Mugeuk.

"Please hold onto this for a while."

As Geom Mugeuk accepted the throwing knife, Lee Ahn's expression brightened.

"Ah! If the throwing knife is with you, then that can't possibly happen!"

However, Geom Mugeuk's thoughts were different.

"Wouldn't that just lead to a worse outcome?"

He knew better than anyone that this thing called fate was not so easily thwarted.

Geom Mugeuk returned the throwing knife to the Extremely Evil Smiling Demon and said, "If the Smiling Demon and I are entangled by a single fate, let's face it head-on and unravel it. Even if I'm stabbed by that throwing knife, I will survive."

The Extremely Evil Smiling Demon looked at the throwing knife. He could see the character for 'laugh' (笑) that Geom Mugeuk had personally carved into it.

Yes, just as we've always done.

The Extremely Evil Smiling Demon accepted the throwing knife with a smile.

"I'm ready."

Lee Ahn knew she couldn't stop the two men. They weren't the type of people to run from fate. So she said in her heart, I'm ready too.

Geom Mugeuk asked the Thousand Flower Palace Chairwoman, "Do you happen to know the location you saw in the prophecy?"

The Thousand Flower Palace Chairwoman closed her eyes for a moment, recalling the scene.

"It was a place with a high stage, watched by countless people."

"Was it a duel stage?"

"It seemed like it, but I'm not certain. What I saw was that there were a great many people there."

"Fortunately, it won't be a lonely death, then."

Just as Lee Ahn was glaring at Geom Mugeuk for his thoughtless joke, a person entered the area. It was the general manager of the Thousand Flower Palace.

He approached and handed a letter to the Thousand Flower Palace Chairwoman.

"What is this?"

"It's an invitation for you, Pavilion Master, to serve as a judge."

"Me? As a judge?"

If judging is required, that means it's a competition.

The Thousand Flower Palace Chairwoman unfolded the invitation. Her eyes widened as she read the contents.

"Where is the invitation from?"

At Geom Mugeuk's question, the Thousand Flower Palace Chairwoman held the invitation forward for everyone to see. Only then did everyone understand why the Thousand Flower Palace Chairwoman had been invited as a judge. The name of the competition was written at the top of the letter.

World's Number One Beauty Pageant.

As soon as he decided to face it head-on, fate sent an invitation.