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Translator: 8uhl
Chapter: 12
Chapter Title: Vice Cult Leader (1)
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"It's bigger than I thought."
"Shouldn't you say it's rather small? He is, after all, the strongest person after the Cult Leader…"
Guided by Yang Jeon, Jinmyeong arrived at the Vice Cult Leader's residence and looked up.
The main gate alone was massive, a world apart from his own manor.
Soon, the gatekeepers who spotted Jinmyeong and Yang Jeon approached them.
"This is Young Master Jinmyeong, the Cult Leader's youngest disciple. He has an appointment with the Vice Cult Leader today."
"Wait a moment."
The gatekeeper who went inside to confirm returned shortly after.
"You may enter."
Upon entering, a woman who appeared to be a handmaiden was waiting for them.
"I will guide you."
"Hmm."
Seeing her, Jinmyeong's eyes filled with interest.
"What is it?"
"Oh, nothing. Just… amusing?"
He was still a disciple of the Heavenly Demon, no matter how incompetent.
Of course, he was inferior to the Vice Cult Leader.
"It seems working at the Vice Cult Leader's residence makes everyone think they've become the Vice Cult Leader themselves."
"…"
Yang Jeon flinched as Jinmyeong's voice dropped low.
"Why are you being so scary?"
"I was just wondering if this is how I've always been treated."
The gatekeeper who first saw Jinmyeong had merely glanced at him without a word.
In fact, a smirk had lingered on his lips.
And the person waiting for him was just a single handmaiden.
"I wonder if the other disciples would be met by just one handmaiden like this."
"…"
That wouldn't be the case.
Of course, the Vice Cult Leader wouldn't come out personally to greet the other disciples.
But they wouldn't be left waiting with just a single handmaiden like Jinmyeong was.
"Wouldn't the chief steward at least come out?"
"I suppose so."
"So what should I do? I'm not strong enough to tear this place down…"
If Jinmyeong had the skill, the martial prowess to take on the Vice Cult Leader's residence by himself, he wouldn't have let this slide.
"Since I have no power, I have no choice."
He would let it go for now because he lacked power, but it meant he would remember this.
"Please wait here."
Jinmyeong quietly observed the place the handmaiden had led him to.
'This doesn't seem to be a reception room.'
It was a bit lacking for a place to meet the Vice Cult Leader.
It seemed more like a waiting area.
"By the way, is it alright for you to say such things?"
"What things?"
"Weren't you just voicing your dissatisfaction with the Vice Cult Leader?"
If the person in question wasn't present, you could badmouth anyone without a care.
But the handmaiden guiding them must have heard the conversation.
In fact, when Jinmyeong's voice had dropped, the handmaiden leading the way had visibly flinched.
"If he gets angry over something like this, it just shows the measure of his character."
Jinmyeong chuckled and sat down in a chair.
"Well then, shall we wait?"
"…But aren't you going to ask?"
"About what?"
Yang Jeon, who had been watching Jinmyeong calmly pour tea, asked.
"Things like how I have a connection with the Vice Cult Leader to arrange this meeting?"
"Yes."
"I'm thinking about it. Whether to ask you, or to ask the Vice Cult Leader."
"Couldn't you just ask me instead?"
Yang Jeon said urgently, sweat beading on his forehead.
Jinmyeong chuckled and shook his head.
"I have a rough idea, so I'm not asking. I won't ask the Vice Cult Leader either, so don't worry too much."
With that, Jinmyeong said no more and simply sipped his tea.
"Ugh."
Unlike Jinmyeong, who drank his tea calmly, Yang Jeon's face grew increasingly stiff.
"What's wrong? You're fidgeting like a puppy that needs to go out."
"No, it's nothing."
He couldn't very well say it was all Jinmyeong's fault.
They had been waiting for quite a while with no word from the Vice Cult Leader, so Yang Jeon couldn't help but grow anxious.
'If this man just had a rotten personality, it would be a relief, but…'
If that were the case, he wouldn't be this anxious.
But Jinmyeong had also acquired an unknown level of skill.
The masked intruders who had broken into Jinmyeong's bedroom a few days ago.
Hadn't he seen their gruesome state with his own eyes?
'Just how did he get so strong?'
Of course, he wasn't as strong as the Vice Cult Leader.
But he had a feeling that the current Jinmyeong wouldn't lose to his senior brothers.
"My apologies for this."
How much longer had they waited?
It seemed they had waited for over two hours.
The door to the guest room where the two were waiting opened, revealing a middle-aged man.
"I am Yang Geómun, the chief steward of the Vice Cult Leader's residence."
Jinmyeong stared quietly at Yang Geómun, who had introduced himself as the chief steward.
Then, he glanced at Yang Jeon and chuckled.
"So that's how it was."
"What do you mean?"
"Nothing. More importantly, is it finally my turn?"
Yang Geómun nodded at Jinmyeong's question.
"That's right. The Vice Cult Leader is extremely busy, which is why this happened."
He was the second-in-command of the Heavenly Demon Divine Cult.
He was probably considered the busiest person in the entire cult.
It was even said that the Cult Leader idled away while the Vice Cult Leader handled all of the cult's affairs, big and small.
"Even for a disciple of the Cult Leader, meeting the Vice Cult Leader like this is no easy task."
Moreover, meeting the Vice Cult Leader was by no means an easy feat.
Countless people wished to meet him, but very few were actually able to.
"So you're telling me to consider it an honor?"
"That is…"
Yang Geómun flinched as Jinmyeong's voice dropped.
"Everyone here is strange. It was like that earlier, too. Hey, Chief Steward."
Jinmyeong's gaze fell upon Yang Geómun.
"Are you the Vice Cult Leader?"
"No, that's not what I…"
"Or does being the chief steward of the Vice Cult Leader's residence give you the right to disrespect me, a disciple of the Cult Leader?"
"…"
In terms of status alone, even the chief steward of the Vice Cult Leader's residence was inevitably lower than Jinmyeong.
But this was not a place where status decided everything.
"In that case, shall we settle this with force?"
Yang Geómun's back began to grow damp with cold sweat.
He had never imagined he would be so overwhelmed by Jinmyeong's presence, which only doubled his bewilderment.
Yang Geómun tried to shake off Jinmyeong's aura, but his body only grew heavier.
"Now, now, that's enough."
Yang Geómun's body felt lighter only when Yang Jeon stepped between them.
Jinmyeong clicked his tongue and looked at the two of them.
"I'll let it go this time for his sake."
"Thank you, Young Master."
Yang Jeon grinned at Jinmyeong's words.
But a bead of sweat was trickling down his forehead.
Perhaps because he had taken the full brunt of Jinmyeong's aura while blocking it from Yang Geómun, his legs felt shaky.
"Well then, shall we go? Please lead the way."
At Yang Jeon's words, Yang Geómun nodded with a dazed expression and began to guide them.
"You may enter here."
The hall where the Vice Cult Leader conducted his duties was the largest and most ornate within the residence.
Jinmyeong looked at the hall, a stark contrast to his own quarters, before stepping inside.
"Hmm."
Upon entering, a man sitting on a large chair glanced at him.
"Well. It's been a while."
The man set aside what he was looking at and turned to Jinmyeong.
"It is a pleasure to meet you for the first time. I am Jinmyeong."
"The first time?"
The man's face stiffened at the words "the first time."
"Didn't you hear from that fellow Yang Jeon? That I've lost my memories."
"Hm. I heard you still remember some things. Have you really forgotten everything?"
The man nodded and looked at Jinmyeong.
"I am Shin Horyang, the Vice Cult Leader. This is not the first time we've met, but I'll tell you just in case."
"Thank you."
Shin Horyang quietly observed Jinmyeong.
"You want to become the Young Cult Leader?"
"To be precise, I want to become someone of some importance."
It didn't have to be the Young Cult Leader.
Jinmyeong had no desire to become the next Cult Leader.
'My goal is just to protect this place from the protagonist.'
After that, his goal was to hide well until the protagonist solved everything, and then live a life of leisure once it was all over.
'I know it's impossible, but…'
To have a voice in the Heavenly Demon Divine Cult meant to have power.
Ultimately, if he protected the cult from the protagonist, it meant he would also have to participate in the wars that followed.
'That's a problem for later…'
In any case, the most important thing right now was to use the Vice Cult Leader, Shin Horyang, to rise to a position comparable to the other disciples.
"Helping you is not difficult."
Even Jinmyeong was surprised by Shin Horyang's answer.
He hadn't expected someone of the Vice Cult Leader's stature to offer help so readily.
It made him feel foolish for having worried about how to persuade the Vice Cult Leader.
"But I can't help you for free. What can you give me in return?"
"As you know, I have nothing to give."
"That's right. It's not like you have anything to offer."
Shin Horyang knew this as well.
If Jinmyeong had possessed anything of value, he would have used it instead of coming to him.
"Well, then. I suppose I can only receive something after you've succeeded."
"Yes."
If the Vice Cult Leader, Shin Horyang, sided with him, Jinmyeong would inevitably draw attention.
It meant he would instantly surpass the other disciples.
"But first things first, right? Prove that you are worthy of it."
Shin Horyang knew about Jinmyeong.
He was, of course, a brat not worth helping.
Unlike his talented childhood, he couldn't even properly learn martial arts now.
That's what he had thought.
"I heard there was an attack recently?"
Before he heard about the assassination attempt, that is.
"Still, I'd like to see for myself."
"How should I prove it?"
"Hmm. How about you try attacking me? I see you have your swords with you."
Shin Horyang pointed to the wooden case slung over Jinmyeong's shoulder.
"Don't hold back. Give me everything you've got."
"Understood."
Jinmyeong also intended to use his full power.
'If he dies from my attack, he doesn't deserve to be the Vice Cult Leader.'
He had to go all out to capture his interest.
*Woooong!*
Soon, five swords rose from the wooden case on Jinmyeong's shoulder and floated in the air.
"Hoh?"
Seeing the five swords hovering around Jinmyeong, a flicker of interest appeared in Shin Horyang's eyes.
"Here I come."
With those words, one of Jinmyeong's swords shot toward Shin Horyang.
*Clang!*
Shin Horyang blocked the attack with a swing of his hand.
"Impressive, but that's all."
Shin Horyang clicked his tongue as he watched the next sword fly straight at him.
The power behind the sword was considerable, but it was monotonous, simply flying straight ahead rather than executing any swordsmanship.
*Fwoosh!*
Shin Horyang's eyes gleamed as the sword he was about to strike became wreathed in white flames.
*BOOM!*
Once again, Shin Horyang's hand collided with Jinmyeong's sword, and like the first, it was knocked back.
"Hmm."
But Shin Horyang's expression was different from before.
He looked down at his own hand, which was trembling slightly.
A small cut had appeared, and blood was trickling from it.
"Hehe. Interesting. This isn't the end, is it?"
"Of course not. You should watch your back."
"Hmph!"
Shin Horyang immediately spun around, drew his saber, and struck down the sword coming from behind.
*Swish!*
But the remaining four swords did not miss the opening created when Shin Horyang's attention was diverted behind him, and they shot toward him.