So? Did Someone Force You to Become the Heavenly Demon?

Chapter 42: Assassination (4)

Despite the hasty cleaning effort since the morning, the sword marks from the assassination attempt still decorated the walls in my room.

Only Eldest Brother, Third Brother, and I remained. Everyone else had been dismissed.

“What’s wrong?”

“Is there a problem?” Eldest Brother asked gravely, likely noting my solemn expression.

“What I’m about to tell you is just a possibility, not a certainty,” I began.

With that, I shared the theory I had just formulated.

“Currently, the man called Chu-gak is known to be a spy from the Murim Alliance, but he might actually be an assassin sent to target me from within the Divine Cult.”

“!!”

“What do you mean by that?”

“First, let me recount the assassination attempt. I survived it thanks to Third Brother. His frequent late-night visits had led me to prepare a way to detect intrusions into my quarters.”

“So that’s why you said it was thanks to me.”

Third Brother nodded grimly, finally connecting the dots.

“Yes, this was a secret I kept to myself. Since both the two guards and Miss Jin disapproved of Third Brother’s late-night visits, it was a measure    I quietly prepared to avoid startling them.”

“I… hadn’t realized you went to such lengths.”

“Anyway, the point is, I survived because I had taken those precautions. Otherwise, I would have died without even realizing an assassin was there.”

“Hahaha! Indeed, Third Brother practically saved your life!”

Eldest Brother’s praise brightened Third Brother’s gloomy mood, but I pressed on.

“The important thing here is what if I hadn’t been prepared? What if I had just died without making a sound?”

“If you’d died?”

“Yes. If that happened, who would be the first person to come under suspicion?”

Eldest Brother and I both turned to Third Brother, whose face instantly paled at the implication.

“Had I died silently, my body would’ve been discovered by Miss Jin or the guards in the morning. Considering they are aware of Third Brother’s occasional night visits, what do you think would happen?”

“But I was in my quarters at that time, wrestling with Qi Deviation.”

Third Brother weakly objected, feeling wronged.

“That’s precisely the problem. Consider this, Brother. If I had lost my life that night, and at the moment of my death, you were experiencing Qi Deviation. If, amidst these circumstances, a bloodstained sword or something of that nature were discovered in your room, what would they conclude?”

“They’d assume I killed you unknowingly under the influence of Qi Deviation.”

A shared gloom settled over them. After a moment, as if just remembering something, Eldest Brother asked in puzzlement.

“But why would a blood-stained sword suddenly appear in Third Brother’s room?”

“For my theory to work, those targeting me would need to know where and when Third Brother fell into Qi Deviation last night. Meaning, someone close to Third Brother leaked that information.”

“!!!”

“If such a person exists, receiving the sword after my assassination and secretly placing it in Third Brother’s room during his Qi Deviation would be a simple matter.”

Of course, there was a logical leap here, one they hadn’t noticed in their shock.

Would the assassins really stake their plan on Third Brother’s unpredictable Qi Deviation? Even if they intended to portray him as the culprit using his Qi Deviation, how could they possibly know exactly when to strike, assassinate me, and plant evidence before his episode concluded?

Even if they were to convict him solely on circumstantial evidence, the level of preparation, timing, and precision required for this act seems improbable.

Unless…

‘They had a way to induce or control the timing of Qi Deviation.’

I didn’t know if such a thing existed, but…

“If this theory is correct, it means a mole exists among those aware of Third Brother’s nighttime activities—likely someone close to him.”

Jin Hayeon, Kwan Mu-yeol, and Jang Hwi.

At least one of these three was the assassin’s accomplice.

“We must report this to Master immediately!”

Eldest Brother sprang to his feet, murderous intent radiating from him like a heat haze.

I quickly stopped him.

“Didn’t I tell you this is just a possibility? And with the evidence pointing towards the Murim Alliance, the odds of this theory being correct are slim. Besides, we have no direct proof.”

“Proof? We’ll get proof if we interrogate those three!”

“……”

Honestly, even I who came up with this theory wasn’t entirely convinced. It was just a compulsive thought that my obsessive mind couldn’t let go.

Furthermore, the idea of torturing people with whom I had been close was not something I was comfortable with.

“The odds are this theory is wrong,” I said carefully.

“Furthermore, if we report to Master without identifying the mastermind, they might go into hiding. We need to proceed cautiously. This concerns not just me, but you as well, Eldest Brother.”

“???”

Seeing his bewildered expression, I explained.

“Assuming this incident isn’t actually the Murim Alliance’s work, but a deliberate scheme to frame Third Brother, then why would they target me with such an elaborate scheme?”

“Because I saw you as an ally?”

I nodded.

Try as I might, that was the only reason I could find.

To be precise,

“They likely see us as obstacles to becoming the next Heavenly Demon.”

Someone was trying to take out the Heavenly Demon’s disciples to get the position for themselves.

As understanding hit him, Eldest Brother’s face darkened with fury he could barely contain.

“For people calling themselves members of the Heavenly Demon Divine Cult to resort to such underhanded tactics!!”

His anger stemmed from the fact they had chosen vile methods rather than fair competition.

However, even as his eyes glinted red from suppressed anger, he didn’t erupt like the last time and maintained his sanity.

He truly had achieved Transcendence in his Demonic Art.

And then he turned that murderous face towards me, asking through gritted teeth.

“Do you have a plan, youngest?”

Meeting his terrifying aura head-on, I replied calmly.

“Again, this is just a theory based on a slim possibility. But I do have a plan, just in case.”

***

That night, somewhere within the Demonic Cult.

The Divine Guardian and three men met in secret.

“Tch. For someone from the Dark Shadow Pavilion, to not even be able to handle a newbie who’s only been in the Cult for half a year. Trash.”

In response to the man on the right, the Divine Guardian reassured.

“At least we successfully diverted suspicion to the Murim Alliance. Our preparations paid off.”

The plan to frame the Third Young Master had been devised long ago, using intelligence gathered by moles planted near Il-mok. But its execution had been delayed for some time because of the need to prepare for the worst-case scenario. In case of the assassin’s failure, they needed time to create fake evidence to shift blame to the Murim Alliance.

Yet the man on the right remained uneasy, eyeing the central figure.

“But is it truly safe? What if they find out about what we used on Third Young Master?”

The central figure clicked his tongue dismissively.

“Don’t worry. It leaves absolutely no trace after use.”

Irritated by the whining, the central figure turned to the Divine Guardian.

“This incident means the guards will be replaced, and we lose our operative.”

“We simply need to prepare another operative, so do not concern yourself. More importantly, what are your plans now?”

The central figure stroked his beard briefly before answering.

“Using what you mentioned back then might not be a bad idea. Didn’t you say the Eight Young Master has been suffering from side effects of his Demonic Art recently?”

The fact that Il-mok had consulted his bodyguard about how to deal with the side effects had also already reached these guys.

“By making his death look like a Qi Deviation, just like we did with the Fifth Young Master?”

The central figure nodded.

While this technique was limited to certain Demonic Art side effects, they possessed the ability to induce Qi Deviation by exploiting those very side effects, just as they had with the Third Young Master.

***

The next morning, Master visited Windrock Palace again.

“The Heavenly Demon descent! Ten thousand demons bow!”

“We greet the Lord of Ten Thousand Demons!”

Master accepted their greeting and commanded them.

“I have something to discuss with Il-mok, so leave us.”

“As you command!”

Once alone, he eyed the sword in my hand.

“You might reopen your wounds if you push yourself too hard.”

“It’s just a shallow cut, nothing serious. Perhaps because I’m still young, I seem to heal quickly. Hahaha.”

“You speak as if you’ve experienced getting old.”

“Ahem. It’s something I often heard from Uncle Taehyun. He complained about waking up sore even after a full night’s sleep.”

Almost let slip that I’d transmigrated there for a second.

Luckily, Master didn’t seem to find my words suspicious and moved on to the main point.

“We investigated Chu-gak’s connections. The Dark Shadow Pavilion Leader was scrutinized first, but nothing suspicious was found. We are now looking into his associates, but the evidence suggests he acted alone.”

His tone mirrored the Eldest Brother’s simmering rage.

It seemed he was quite furious that a Murim Alliance spy had infiltrated and even targeted his youngest disciple.

“Also, I plan to replace your guards and attendant. Now that your studies are complete, Miss Jin’s lessons are no longer required. I’ll assign more experienced guards.”

He was concerned for my safety. Dismissing them was likely to discuss this           .

And this was the conversation I had been waiting for.

“If my safety is the concern, wouldn’t it be enough to just increase the number of guards? Is there a need to dismiss them?”

“I understand you’ve become attached to them during your time together. But their failure cannot be ignored.”

“But I’m perfectly fine, aren’t I?”

“The fact that an assassin reached your room is a failure in itself.”

“I’m alive. It wasn’t a complete failure. Please just assign additional personnel.”

“Why are you going so far to defend them?”

I adopted the most cringe-worthy sorrowful expression that I could muster without dying.

“If they’re punished because of this incident, won’t their future lives in the cult be difficult? How could they rise higher while branded as failures?”

Master observed my near-tears performance, stroking his beard.

“How noble. Your concern for your fellow believers is commendable.”

“Thank you, Master!”

“But only this once. You are my disciple, the future of the cult. Your life is not your own anymore. Protecting those who failed their duty out of sentimentality could lead to greater problems.”

“I understand! I’ll keep that in mind!”

I prostrated myself on the floor, showing Master the utmost respect.

This was how cultists normally behaved toward the Heavenly Demon.

And, it wasn’t like I was really begging Master because I felt sorry for those three.

‘First step complete.’

Though the possibility was low, if my theory was correct, at least one of those three was an enemy mole.

And as a famous movie quote said, keep your friends close, and your enemies closer

The first step to my plan was to set myself as a bait.

***

The fish seemed in no hurry to take the bait, as nothing noteworthy happened that day.

And that night.

Shortly after Il-mok retired to his room.

Knock, knock.

“Young Master, are you asleep?”

Jin Hayeon’s voice came from beyond the door.

“What is it?”

“May I come in?”

At this hour? Why?

Though suspicion arose in his mind, Il-mok told her to enter.

The moment Jin Hayeon stepped into the room, Il-mok’s mind short-circuited.

“Wh-why did you bring all that stuff with you?”

She was wearing what seemed to be her nightwear with a blanket and pillow clutched in her arms.

The problem was, why did she bring all that?

“I heard from the Heavenly Demon that you forgave my lapse in duty.”

Could it be that she’s trying to repay the favor in that way?

“I, I didn’t tell Master that with that intention in mind.”

Her response, however, defied expectations.

“Since you granted me mercy, I must prove my renewed dedication. I believe my tardiness stemmed from being too far from you. Therefore, from now on, I will stay in your quarters and be by your side constantly.”

“So, you’re saying you’ll sleep here for protection?”

“Yes.”

“Every day?”

“Protecting you allows for no rest days.”

“……”

Jin Hayeon answered with that same cold expression he saw everyday.

After considering briefly, Il-mok nodded.

“Do as you wish.”

Definitely not because he had any ulterior motives.

‘Right. Jin Hayeon is also one of the suspects. Since I’m the bait, something might turn up if she’s close by.’

Il-mok told himself.

But why was his heart beating faster?