Chapter 18: Radiance Like Shattered Ink

Despite her worry, examining how it was firmly wrapped with clean cloth, it seemed no further treatment was necessary.

Hyeonwol, lowering his gaze at the approaching presence, smiled bitterly.

“Don’t worry.

It’s truly just a light sprain, but with the situation being what it is, it seems everyone got swept up.”

“Please don’t say such things.

Your precious health is already delicate enough….”

“Are you teasing me now too?”

Heh.

Hyeonwol let out a light laugh.

His expression suggested he was hearing all kinds of jokes.

Deputy Head Yoon Je-eun had known him since his robust days as Crown Prince, so mentions of his health naturally seemed to be taken as jokes.

Yoon Je-eun, who had been about to retort something, ultimately chose to close her mouth.

She swallowed the rebuttal that had risen to her throat—as if she wouldn’t know that the Head had secretly requested the Medical Department to brew tonics full of pain-relief effects under the guise of recuperation and was downing them like water.

A small gap that Hyeonwol, thorough in all matters, hadn’t anticipated.

It was just that the Head of the Medical Department who carried out that secret order was among the majority of Wolsigak members who excessively remembered the grace of Hyeonwol having personally taken them in long ago… but it was more than enough to reach the ears of Yoon Je-eun, who effectively oversaw Hyeonwol’s direct organizations both inside and outside the palace.

“Anyway, the inner courtyard will become more bustling, so there will be many things to attend to.

I’ll leave it to you from now on.”

“Yes, Head.

Are there no specific instructions regarding Seol Cheon-yu?”

“Lin is very afraid of that child, so make sure they don’t encounter each other as much as possible.

By the way, I’m in a predicament.

If I’m away from the princely residence for too long, when something happens in the palace, I might not be able to respond immediately….

If I’m not at Wolsigak, what will those Demonic Cult members suspect?”

Hyeonwol furrowed his elegant brow and wore a thoughtful expression.

“Hmm….

Though I appear this way, I am a palace official, so perhaps I can just announce that I’m entering the palace to report to my superiors.

But I also get the feeling that Aseol might be roughly guessing my identity.

It doesn’t feel like I’m deceiving him when I deceive him, so it’ll just be annoyingly troublesome.”

Judging by how he clicked his tongue while saying this, Hyeonwol seemed to have no particular concerns beyond that.

Vaguely watching the executives behind him, still unable to exchange even telepathic messages and only wrestling with their eyes, Yoon Je-eun keenly realized that their brilliant Head was more indifferent to his own affairs than one might think.

There are always people who are terribly oblivious when it comes to their own matters.

She had already guessed that their lord right beside them was that type… but still, facing it directly like this.

Knowing it was excessive meddling, Yoon Je-eun nevertheless let a worry pass through her mind about whether Seol Cheon-yu’s feelings would ever be requited.

***

Two days later, on a secluded path near Wolsigak’s main headquarters.

Seol Cheon-yu was walking through the streets of the capital, familiar despite being memories from long ago, with a fresh feeling.

There were quite a few glances cast his way from passersby.

Even in the capital, said to have the most beauties in the world, Seol Cheon-yu’s neat appearance and beautiful looks distinctly drew attention.

Nevertheless, newly realizing that there was no one who could pick a fight or cause him harm now, Seol Cheon-yu felt the passage of time.

How had he survived on these very streets just ten years ago?

Calmly dismissing unnecessary thoughts, Seol Cheon-yu turned into a deeper alley.

How far did he go?

On the discarded materials scattered in the narrow alley, in the shadow beneath a shabby eaves, a black bird as large as an adult’s arm met Seol Cheon-yu’s gaze.

That black bird had peculiar aspects.

Contrary to its massive size, its innocent eyes were like a sparrow’s, its straight tail feathers resembled an eagle’s, but its entire plumage was pitch black darker than a crow’s.

Since such a strange bird was the only one of its kind under heaven, Seol Cheon-yu tilted his head while staring at the black bird.

Immediately after, an astonishing thing happened.

As the black bird flapped its wings a couple of times, in the blink of an eye, the bird disappeared and a young man in black martial arts robes, closely resembling it, appeared in its place.

The young man, with innocent eyes like the black bird, had a youthful face that seemed barely past his twenties.

He cautiously watched Seol Cheon-yu’s mood and then quietly prostrated himself before him.

Anyone even somewhat knowledgeable about martial arts secrets would immediately recall a certain sect upon seeing this scene.

The Mystic Beast Gate.

They were one of the martial world’s mysterious sects that could be considered to engage in almost no external activities.

However, due to the peculiarity of their martial arts that allowed them to transform into mystic beasts, they were relatively well-known among outsiders.

But it was only their appearance that became beastly; their martial power didn’t particularly increase, and with extremely few disciples, they had left no significant traces since emerging into the martial world, often being mistaken for strange spiritual creatures.

Of course, aside from that, it was surprising that a young man appearing to be a disciple of that minor sect was with the head of the Demonic Cult.

Although the Mystic Beast Gate was ostracized and driven to the heretic path for their strange martial arts, the young man’s appearance exuded a puppy-like innocence, and together with Seol Cheon-yu’s bright appearance that didn’t look like a demonic cultivator at all, the two seemed like young masters from an orthodox sect out on a pleasure trip.

The Mystic Beast Gate disciple, continually watching the mood of Seol Cheon-yu, who was his peer, quietly opened his mouth.

“Lo, lord.

Your subordinate has returned.”

“You’re late.”

“I have no excuse.”

The young man, who should surely be a Mystic Beast Gate disciple—Yoo Seo-han—served Seol Cheon-yu as his lord.

He was an outsider who, along with his older sister Yoo Seo-ryeong, had won the favor of the previous Demonic Cult leader due to their rare martial arts and had been staying as guests of the cult.

Not long ago, during the process of rooting out Blood Cult spies, the siblings had faced a situation where their lives were threatened by cornered Blood Cultists.

The one who saved them then was Seol Cheon-yu, so afterward, they broke the boundaries of their sect and willingly became his subordinates.

However, Yoo Seo-han’s will hadn’t been strong in that process; it came about through his sister’s firm persuasion.

The clear fact was that thanks to his sister—Yoo Seo-ryeong—who had recognized Seol Cheon-yu’s potential before he stood out in the Demonic Cult, Seol Cheon-yu had paid special attention to the Mystic Beast Gate disciples, and because of that, their lives continued to this day.

Yoo Seo-han couldn’t oppose Yoo Seo-ryeong’s will to repay their life’s benefactor, and inwardly agreeing with her words, he ended up walking this difficult path.

But his innate martial arts talent wasn’t exceptional, and his nature was weak, so he would get scared and tremble at Seol Cheon-yu’s every word.

Consider it fortunate he had some use as a carrier pigeon—always subjected to his sister and lord’s harsh words, the young man reported today with a sullen face as well.

“There’s no particular abnormality in the new cult’s situation.

Though you immediately emerged into the martial world after succeeding to the cult leader position, thanks to the martial prowess you displayed at that time, the elders have been docile, so my older sister said.

She thinks it’s probably because tracking the Blood Cult is a more urgent matter….”

“Your sister seems to be handling things well as always.

Have you heard about the capital situation?”

“Yes.

From the guard leader… so I heard you’re currently staying at Wolsigak’s main headquarters.”

“You can stay there too for the time being.

Wolsigak’s hospitality is quite generous.

Isn’t it good that you can sleep comfortably now?”

Yoo Seo-han, who had been wearing a puzzled expression all along, flinched at Seol Cheon-yu’s words and examined his lord’s expression.

He wondered if it was his imagination, but no—Seol Cheon-yu seemed to be in a quite good mood.

His aura was as frosty as always, but his tone carried a gentle, smiling warmth.

Overwhelmed by extreme awkwardness, Yoo Seo-han unconsciously stepped back two paces.

In a good mood—why on earth?!

Having arrived in the capital and heard the full story from the Demonic Cult guard leader he met first, Yoo Seo-han had expected his lord to be quite dissatisfied with this situation of being semi-forced into cooperation with Wolsigak.

Hadn’t he even gone so far as to establish his residence at Wolsigak’s main headquarters as retaliation?

That’s why he had been twice as cautious as usual, but his lord seemed rather pleased, and he absolutely couldn’t understand why, to the point that fear was creeping in.

“What?

Do you have a complaint?”

“No, not at all….”

See?

Even with his usual clueless words and actions, not a hint of reproach!

Seol Cheon-yu was instead faintly beaming, wasting the usefulness of his handsome looks in this secluded alley where no one could appreciate them.

What scheme was he plotting to look so delighted?

Even if not as much as the Blood Cult, Wolsigak must have thoroughly displeased the Heavenly Demon.

Yoo Seo-han broke out in a cold sweat, silently mourning for Wolsigak.

If he had known that Seol Cheon-yu was simply purely happy about being able to have another tea meeting with that Wolsigak head tomorrow, he might have nearly fainted.

Of course, that was in the near future.

***

Same time, in the inner courtyard of Wolsigak’s main headquarters.

While Seol Cheon-yu was away temporarily, Hyeonwol was pacing outside to greet a guest.

He happened to spot Lin, who had been going in and out between the inner and outer courtyards.

Since Seol Cheon-yu started staying in the same inner courtyard, the child had abruptly holed up in her room, but soon began carefully coming and going throughout Wolsigak again.

Thanks to the location of her residing quarters being far, and her noticing that the Demonic Cult members including Seol Cheon-yu had no interest in her, let alone any threat.

Above all, she seemed reassured that Hyeonwol was in the same place.

Hyeonwol sat leisurely under a tree in a corner of the courtyard, sharing small talk with the child.

Under the tree, which had shed almost all its leaves, there was a large rock good for sitting on.

Their conversation wandered boundlessly across broad topics, from the quality meals Wolsigak provided its members to trivial cultural matters of their previous world.

Thus, while they were getting along chatting about this and that.

Lin opened her mouth with a determined face as if getting to the main point.

“About that energy I said was inside you, my lord, it’s really peculiar.

Once I became aware of it, I could see it spread throughout the whole world.

But there’s no rule at all!

It’s really like air….

Like that splattered ink I happened to see the other day.”

The child, as if exploring the invisible energy again, looked around with clear yet alien eyes.

“It flows in objects and plants everywhere, and the amounts vary.

There are quite a few people with large amounts in their bodies, and usually, they were people with high martial arts levels.

But it’s not like all of them have strong martial arts.

I also have a considerable amount, dozens of times more than others.

However…. compared to anyone, it’s not as vivid as yours.

And not as shattered either!

Really, it doesn’t seem like it can circulate like internal power….

How on earth did it get to that state?”

Lin’s tone gradually sank as she spoke, and by the end, she was sulky.

Hyeonwol didn’t hide his smile, beaming.

The child’s heart worrying about him was endlessly pleasing.

“It’s amazing that you figured out all those things.

Your eyes don’t get tired when you see them?”

“They don’t get tired!

Oh my, you should be worried about your own body right now…!

Ahem, anyway!

What I observed from a distance is….”

Glancing around at the empty surroundings for no reason, Lin leaned toward Hyeonwol.

In the inner courtyard, there was only one maid sweeping fallen leaves in the distance.

Hyeonwol briefly checked her and listened to the child’s whisper.

“Seol Cheon-yu, I mean.

That energy of his was truly….

‘Brilliant’ is an understatement; he had an enormous amount.

Is that because he’s the protagonist, after all?

Even though I quickly severed my spiritual vision in surprise, that golden light is unforgettable.”

“Oh ho…?”