Chapter 135: Choice and Suspicion
Sa Eumryeong's sudden words caught me off guard.
But I kept my face perfectly calm as I looked at her.
“Someone is trying to assassinate the Cult Leader?”
I narrowed my eyes.
“Who?”
Sa Eumryeong didn't answer immediately.
Instead, she watched my face with a faint smile, as though savoring my reaction.
“It's someone you've already met.”
I frowned.
“Someone I've met?”
Sa Eumryeong leaned forward slightly.
Her pale, slender finger slowly traced the surface of the table.
“That person is...”
She deliberately paused.
Then finally spoke.
“Overlord Saber Ghost Demon Muk Jincheol.”
For a moment...
my thoughts came to a complete stop.
What?
What the hell is she talking about now?
I was about to question her immediately...
but first, I glanced to the side.
Yeom Yuhwa's face came into view.
She couldn't hide her surprise either.
After seeing both our reactions, Sa Eumryeong covered her mouth and laughed.
“Hohoho. It seems that surprised you.”
She smiled.
“Well, I couldn't believe it easily when I first learned the truth either.”
I turned back toward her.
“You're saying Muk Jincheol is trying to assassinate the Cult Leader?”
“What exactly do you mean?”
Sa Eumryeong slowly crossed her legs.
“Among the Ten Demons, there are those harboring treacherous ambitions to depose the Cult Leader and rise as the new Heavenly Demon.”
Her gaze turned cold.
“And the wicked man leading them is Overlord Saber Ghost Demon Muk Jincheol.”
"...!"
That was unexpected.
Muk Jincheol had come to me only moments ago and named Sa Eumryeong as the mastermind behind the rebellion.
And now...
Sa Eumryeong was calling Muk Jincheol the traitor.
I kept my mouth shut.
Rather than interrupting carelessly...
it was better to hear the rest first.
When I didn't speak, Sa Eumryeong naturally continued.
“On the surface, Overlord Saber Ghost Demon appears completely loyal to the Cult Leader.”
Her smile faded.
“But in reality, he is anything but.”
“Ever since the Sacred Flame went out and the Cult Leader confined himself within the Heavenly Forbidden Prison...”
She continued calmly.
“he has been harboring treasonous ambitions.”
I silently listened.
“He subtly began spreading the notion throughout the Divine Cult that a Heavenly Demon reduced to an idiot could no longer be called the Heavenly Demon.”
She lightly tapped the table.
“He never said it outright, of course.”
“But among the Ten Demons, everyone could sense that Muk Jincheol coveted the position of Heavenly Demon.”
Her explanation continued for some time.
And everything coming from her mouth sounded strangely familiar.
The framework was almost identical to what Muk Jincheol had told me.
Only one thing had changed.
The name of the traitor.
“...That is what happened.”
At last, Sa Eumryeong finished her explanation.
A brief silence filled the room.
I was the one who broke it.
“So.”
I looked directly at her.
“Why are you telling me all this?”
Sa Eumryeong's eyes curved faintly.
“Is there really any other reason?”
“As a loyal follower of the Divine Cult, I'm merely telling the Heavenly Demon's Kindred Spirit something he needs to know.”
I narrowed my eyes.
“Is that really all?”
“Of course...”
The corner of her mouth rose.
“not entirely.”
She smiled.
“I also wished to tell you how the Cult Leader's safety can be protected.”
I decided to test her intentions.
“Don't tell me you're going to ask me to run away with the Cult Leader.”
Sa Eumryeong lifted her chin and laughed.
“Hohoho. Of course not.”
Her eyes narrowed into crescents.
“How could a follower of the Divine Cult say something that would disgrace the prestige of the Heavenly Demon?”
She looked straight at me.
“The Heavenly Demon, master of the Divine Cult, symbolizes strength.”
Her voice became firm.
“A possessor of strength choosing to flee?”
She shook her head.
“That would only dishonor the name of the Heavenly Demon.”
I asked,
“Then what method are you proposing?”
Sa Eumryeong's lips parted softly.
“A traitor who dares harbor sinister intentions toward the Cult Leader should receive the punishment he deserves.”
“Punishment?”
“Yes.”
Her gaze turned icy.
“We cut off Muk Jincheol's head.”
The atmosphere in the room dropped several degrees.
Even Yeom Yuhwa quietly sucked in a breath.
Sa Eumryeong continued.
“From what I saw yesterday, the Cult Leader listens rather well to you, Mujin.”
I frowned.
“I wouldn't go that far.”
“We simply understand each other to some extent.”
“Hohoho.”
She covered her mouth and laughed.
“Isn't that effectively the same thing?”
Her laughter seemed to brush against my mind itself.
Just listening to it made my thoughts feel faintly hazy.
Damn.
Even her laughter is suspicious.
There was a reason she was called the Phantom Demon Musician.
For all I knew...
she might even be mixing illusion arts into that laughter right now.
Then—
Sa Eumryeong's smile disappeared in an instant.
“Heavenly Demon's Kindred Spirit.”
Her voice became cold.
“We cannot leave Muk Jincheol alone.”
“We must strike before he does.”
She continued without hesitation.
“The forces following him are not insignificant.”
“If we are going to eliminate him, we must move quickly and secretly.”
Her eyes sharpened.
“Fortunately, preparations are already mostly complete.”
“All that remains is execution.”
I looked at her.
“If you've already made all your preparations, then I don't understand why you came to me.”
Sa Eumryeong answered as though she'd been waiting for that exact question.
“Muk Jincheol's martial arts rank among the finest of the Ten Demons.”
Her expression became serious.
“If I confront him directly...”
She paused.
“even I may lose my life.”
I narrowed my eyes.
“Then?”
“We need the Cult Leader's power.”
My expression hardened.
“The Cult Leader's power?”
“Yes.”
Sa Eumryeong nodded.
“Although the Cult Leader's mind is currently unstable...”
Her gaze drifted slightly.
“he has not lost his martial power.”
She calmly continued.
“When we move against Muk Jincheol, the Cult Leader only needs to be present with us.”
“Even if he merely stands there...”
Her eyes gleamed.
“the forces supporting Muk Jincheol will not dare act recklessly.”
