Chapter 104: Unbelievable (3)

"Chat about what?"

The Sword Saint scoffed. He coldly addressed the Carnage Demon, who had changed her tune.

"You and I are in different situations."

The Sword Saint and Carnage Demon were looking for Choi Jung Soo for very different reasons.

The public believed that the reason the Sword Saint was looking for the Sword Demon was to restore his confidence after losing in a spar.

In comparison, the Carnage Demon needed to get revenge as the leader of the School of Carnage.

The justifications for their searches were at completely different levels.

"What is there to chat about when you are here to kill the Sword Demon?"
"Wait, you damn old man!"

The Carnage Demon acted shocked, as if wondering how the Sword Saint could say something so heinous.

"Why must I kill him?! You make it sound like I kill anybody who catches my attention! Seriously, where the hell did you hear something like that?!"

The Carnage Demon gasped, as if to say that the Sword Demon shouldn't speak such nonsense.

"…What?"

The Sword Saint looked at her in disbelief.

The Carnage Demon didn't care and slowly avoided the Sword Saint's gaze before smiling like a benign granny toward Cale.

'Survive! The top priority is to get out of here alive!'

Surviving was the most important thing for the Carnage Demon.

Despite being long past sixty, she wanted to live to see another day.

The reason she had killed the leader of the School of Carnage as her ten thousand and first assassination was to survive as well.

The extraordinary assassin who had successfully completed ten thousand kills.

The leader, who had been scared of her power, had been looking for a way to kill her. Once she realized that, she had made the first move.

That was how she had become the leader of the School of Carnage.

She then eventually received the title of Carnage Demon and had calmly led the school as its leader since then.

'Mm!'

The Carnage Demon flinched while looking at Cale and smiling.

She had smiled benignly as if to look as nice as possible and show him that she was full of goodwill, but his expression became cold.

It was as if he knew exactly what she was thinking about.

'I really can't take this guy lightly!'

The Carnage Demon started feeling anxious.

'I managed to survive in this dirty Martial Arts world and the world of assassins! I can't die here!'

That thought made her act more good-natured and smile.

'Mmm.'

It just made Cale feel unsettled even more.

The way the Carnage Demon was smiling…

It reminded him of Ron.

'…Do all assassins smile like this?'

This fake benign smile…

It made Cale feel uneasy about the Carnage Demon.

The Sword Saint noticed this.

Shh.

The golden tip of his sword took one step closer to the Carnage Demon.

"S, Sword Saint! I said calm down!"

The Carnage Demon urgently addressed Cale.

"Young master Kim-nim! May I please speak with you? I believe we can resolve our misunderstandings through words?"

She pointed toward Choi Jung Soo with both hands.

"I have ab~ solutely~ no thoughts of killing the Sword Demon-nim standing there! And I will not have such thoughts in the future either! Young master Kim-nim, I also promise to never even come around you or the Sword Demon-nim ever again! On my honor!"

"Aigoo. Do you even have any honor?"

The Carnage Demon pretended not to hear the Sword Saint's sneering remarks.

Honestly, honor was completely useless to her.

"...."

Cale stared at her and the Carnage Demon politely stood there.

Everybody became quiet.

It was silent for a moment. However, that did not mean that there were no movements.

Flick.

Sui Khan motioned with his head and Choi Jung Soo slowly walked over to him. Choi Jung Soo made eye contact with Choi Han in the process, but just slowly avoided his gaze.

Choi Han scowled slightly at that before relaxing his face after seeing Choi Jung Soo peeking at him and Cale with caution.

Ron observed all of this before making eye contact with Sui Khan. Sui Khan stared back at Ron who chuckled and looked away.

A tired smile appeared on Sui Khan's face as well and he placed a hand on Choi Jung Soo's shoulder.

"Ugh."

He tightly grabbed it.

Choi Jung Soo was about to say something because it was painful, but someone else broke the short moment of silence.

It was not Cale.

"Human, keep eating."

Pat pat. It was Raon, who was patting Cale's back.

Raon then walked over the Beacrox, who was standing in a corner.

Cale watched Raon move away before looking at the Carnage Demon and starting to speak.

"You will never come around us again if we quietly let you go?"

"Excuse me? Y, yes sir!"

The Carnage Demon vigorously nodded her head as she responded.

Cale did not hear what Raon had whispered to Beacrox because he was looking at her

"Hey Beacrox."

Raon called him by his name instead of his alias as Moan Bi Roh.

"Give me the thing on your back."

"...?"

Beacrox, who had started to put on a pair of white gloves, looked at him with confusion. Raon whispered in his ear.

"The stone statue. Give me the stone Central Plains."

Beacrox saw the flame in Raon's eyes at that moment.

His dark blue eyes were glowing fiercely.

"I have something to say to stone Central Plains."

His voice sounded extremely solemn.

Beacrox debated for a moment before starting to speak.

"You cannot destroy it, Raon-nim."

"Of course! I won't destroy it! I may destroy the Central Plains but I will not touch the stone Central Plains! I'm just going to chat with him! I'm only going to chat just like our human!"

The corners of Beacrox's lips twisted up.

Chief Eunuch Wi, who heard the conversation from the side, had his pupils shaking thinking that something was not going well but Beacrox happily pulled the stone young monk statue from the pouch on his back.

"…Thank you, Good Beacrox."

Raon grabbed Central Plains with both paws before peeking at Cale and then heading toward the corner of the deserted house. He then turned toward the corner and curled his body up.

Of course, the stone Central Plains was in his arms.

"Hey stone Central Plains, can you hear my voice?"

Raon's conversation had started.

Of course, it was a conversation where the other side could not respond.

"Stone Central Plains, release our human's seals. Do you want to watch me destroy the entire Central Plains? I am capable of doing that. I am a great and mighty Dragon. A single spell I cast can send a mountain flying."

Chief Eunuch Wi flinched and slowly moved away from Raon.

He heard the Carnage Demon's desperate plea as he moved.

"Not only will I never show up in front of you, the School of Carnage will never take any requests related to you or the Sword Demon-nim! All of us will not even look this way, sir!"

Cale nonchalantly commented.

"That will not work."

"…Excuse me?"

Cale smiled toward the Carnage Demon who flinched and asked.

Of course, there was still dry blood on him.

"Carnage Demon. It's not going to work if you get out of my sight."

"…What do you mean by that, sir?"

Cale started to think.

'Although running into the Carnage Demon right now was unexpected…'

He thought that it was a good thing.

'The Carnage Demon is a famous expert of the Unorthodox faction.'

According to the information on the Martial Arts world he received from the Imperial family, the Divergent Coalition was the representative organization of the Unorthodox faction. The School of Carnage was the leader of the assassin organizations within the coalition and the Carnage Demon, as the leader, was one of the Unorthodox faction's top experts.

Basically, through the Divergent Coalition… She was someone who had influence over the Unorthodox faction.

'If someone like that rolled into my lap…

I should use her, right?'

He had been worried about it.

He had wondered about how he could get rid of the living jiangshi planted in the Unorthodox faction.

Since the Namgung Clan and the Beggars' Gang were going to cooperate with Cale, the Orthodox faction should face no obstacles.

As for the Demon Cult, the Martial Arts Alliance, through the Nine Sects One Gang, were planning on having a meeting, so he could get himself involved with that to look around.

However, he had been concerned because he had no connection to the Unorthodox faction.

'I was so out of options that I even debated throwing Toonka into the Green Forest.'

There was currently a leader in the Divergent Coalition, but it was divided into two factions.

One faction was the group of bandits. The leader of the 72 Green Forests held that spot.

That was why Cale had debated using Toonka to push through that way.

'But there is nothing better than the Carnage Demon working for me.'

Furthermore, having stealthy assassins on his side would create a wonderful situation.

He knew because he had experienced this with the House of Molan before.

'Mm.'

Thinking about the Molans made Cale slowly walk toward Ron.

Ron, whose face was calm unlike before, smiled benignly at him. Cale slowly avoided that gaze.

With even Choi Jung Soo showing up, Cale wondered how to address this with Ron and Beacrox.

'First issue is dealing with the Carnage Demon!'

He had a lot to discuss with Choi Jung Soo as well, but that was also pushed back.

They both looked like messes to just say something like nice to see you, it's been a while.

The Carnage Demon flinched after seeing Cale looking at Ron.

'…That guy-'

This half white-haired man was the first person she made eye contact with as she destroyed the ceiling and came down.

This strong individual was the one who had seen through her stealth in the inn.

'Fuck.'

'Is young master Kim planning on having that guy cut my head off?'

Why was young master Kim saying that she could not get out of his sights?

"Carnage Demon-nim, you have seen something you should not see."

"…Young master Kim-nim, is it your friendship with the Sword Demon-nim that I am not allowed to know? Or maybe it is because I have learned of your relationship with the Namgung Clan? Something like that, I promise you that I can keep my mouth shut! Please trust me!"

"Hmph."

The Carnage Demon ignored the scoffing Sword Saint and clashed her hands together while looking at Cale.

"Please? Young master Kim-nim, please trust me."

Young master Kim laughed.

He then said the following.

"Carnage Demon. You have seen a living jiangshi healing session."

"...?"

The Carnage Demon did not understand.

"Young master-nim-!"

Chief Eunuch Wi became anxious and called out to Cale before speaking through sound transmission.

– Young master-nim, are you going to let the Carnage Demon know about it? She is a major figure in the Unorthodox faction! Furthermore, she is very cunning and hard to trust-

The Sword Saint relaxed his shoulders and nonchalantly commented at that moment.

"Young master Kim, are you planning on dragging the Carnage Demon into this?"

"Ah."

Chief Eunuch Wi finally realized what Cale was thinking and stopped his sound transmission.

"Sword Saint, will it be okay?"

The Sword Saint nodded his head at Cale's question.

"It will get out anyway. I now understand. Hiding the family's fault is not what is important to protect the family. What is important is to look after it so that no harm can come to it."

The Sword Saint sounded resolute.

"…Excuse me, just what are you saying?"

The Carnage Demon was the only one who did not understand.

"Oh."

Of course, Choi Jung Soo, who did not know much either, just tactfully gasped in admiration.

"Let me make it simple for you to understand, ma'am."

Cale spoke lightheartedly.

"The Blood Cult has created living jiangshis from under the surface of the Martial Arts world and they have planted them throughout the Triumvirate. One of the victims was in the Namgung Clan."

"…Then-"

The Carnage Demon's pupils were shaking and could not focus.

She was looking at Namgung Tae Wi. Namgung Tae Wi, who had been sleeping peacefully since earlier, did not fit in with this setting.

"Yes ma'am. Noble Warrior Namgung Tae Wi was the victim and I have healed him."

The Sword Saint smiled a bit at Cale's considerate way of calling Tae Wi a victim.

However, the Carnage Demon scowled and raised her voice.

"What unbelievable nonsense! How can you heal a living jiangshi?! That, that-"

The Carnage Demon noticed the red cover on Namgung Tae Wi's chest at that moment.

She had not paid much attention to it until now because she was focused on other things.

"Carnage Demon. He is speaking the truth."

The Sword Saint was admitting that Cale's words were true.

"S, such-"

The Carnage Demon could not believe that the Sword Saint would admit to something that makes the Namgung Clan sound bad.

At the same time, she was able to understand everything.

The reason that young master Kim, someone at the Nature Realm, had to use such a strong and pure power to the point that he coughed up blood…

The reason the Sword Saint looked so much older…

Namgung Tae Wi who was the only one sleeping through all of this…

Furthermore, the fact that young master Kim was now the Sword Saint and the Namgung Clan's benefactor…

Finally, the meeting between a major force in the Martial Arts Alliance and the Imperial family…

Everything made sense now.

As well as the situation she was in.

"Carnage Demon."

Cale quietly called out.

"If you did not see this, you could have had nothing to do with this, but… You have already seen it."

'Shit!'

The Carnage Demon realized it.

"Carnage Demon-nim, it doesn't look like I can let you go until everything is over."

She realized that she just got herself involved in something extremely annoying.

Honestly speaking, she didn't care about the Blood Cult and the Martial Arts world.

What was giving her a headache was that she might be dragged into an endless battlefield.

"You will need to start moving with us from today."

Cale smiled brightly.

And gently.

"Carnage Demon-nim, I had a lot of things to do with the Unorthodox faction, but it looks like I will be able to receive a lot of help from you regarding my business with the Unorthodox faction and the issue of the Blood Cult."

The Carnage Demon never agreed to help him.

However, young master Kim was already saying that he would get a lot of help from her.

And the Carnage Demon could not say anything against it.

'Fuck!

Young master Kim was at the Nature Realm and it was possible that he was the strongest expert in the entire Martial Arts world right now.

The Sword Saint and Sword Demon were also with him.

There was also that mysterious half white-haired assassin expert.

Roll. The Carnage Demon rolled her eyes around.

'Is there a way for me to escape?'

Cale gently commented at that moment.

"We have the Sword Saint-nim, the Sword Demon, and the Carnage Demon. We also have the Fist King-nim, an expert of the past generation. It looks like I have no reason to fear the Blood Cult from here on out."

'The Fist King...!'

Even with her pupils shaking, the Carnage Demon could see an old man looking at her and smiling.

'That guy is the Fist King! One of the three Kings...!'

The Carnage Demon clenched her eyes shut.

'Fuck! I walked right into a tiger's den!'

The Tiger, the King of the Mountain…

Or, in this case, Cale, looked at the Carnage Demon and smiled with satisfaction.

'I've found Choi Jung Soo and it looks like I can quickly take care of the issues with the Triumvirate and the Blood Cult.'

– Umm, Cale?

The crybaby old man asked at that moment.

– …How many more living jiangshis do we need to purify?

The old man sounded teary.

Cale's expression stiffened up.

He had forgotten about it for a moment.

—
Translator's Comments

More. A lot more. Welp.

***

If you find any errors or have suggestions, please feel free to provide feedback.

Thank you for reading!

[Author – Yu Ryeo Han]

[Translator – Anowa]

[Proofreader – Rai_Mayank]