Chapter 137

Chapter 137

“Si, Goddess. Here is today’s meal…….”

Inside a dark room.

A girl bound by thick chains, quietly gazing only at the closed window, turned her gaze at the woman’s voice to look at the wooden door. A modest meal coming through the cracks of the rattling wooden door.

“Please enjoy your meal……!”

After finishing her words, the girl listened to the voice of the woman hurriedly moving away, then slowly crawled across the floor and sat in front of the meal that had entered, staring blankly outside the door. She had no appetite at the moment.

‘Boring……’

Five years since her memories began.

For three years, she didn’t know what boredom was. The chains binding her body, the meals that came in periodically, and the room where nothing could be seen—those were the girl’s entire world.

Those who came to visit the girl didn’t exchange words with her. The girl didn’t speak to them either. She knew that even if she spoke, nothing would come back.

However, two years ago, the girl learned of joy and learned of boredom.

Through the faint smell of oil that periodically came to her from outside the door.

‘When will he come?’

This time he said he was going outside. He said he’d return after sleeping three nights. But in this room where not a single ray of light enters, how could she tell when night was?

‘I hope he comes soon……’

Choil.

Recalling the smell of that absurd person who claimed to be her older brother, the girl tapped the chains with her finger for no reason, then hid herself in the darkness again with an expressionless face.

In the darkness.

With red eyes that couldn’t be human.

“The feast of a hundred demons……you say.”

Empty bandit stronghold.

In response to Seonwoo Gang’s murmur, everyone closed their mouths tightly and didn’t offer opinions. The matter had become grave beyond words.

Seomun Cheok, who had maintained silence for a moment, gripped his spear shaft and muttered in a voice that seemed ready to crumble. Because it wasn’t something that made sense.

“Does this make sense?”

Demon realm.

People in the secular world call the devoured domain of demons that way. A separate world isolated from the mortal realm, centered around a great demon or some kind of core where demons gather and gather.

Because it’s isolated from the mortal realm, cases where the laws of the mortal realm don’t apply are common. A place where vegetation turns purple, the sky turns gold, and rivers are dyed red.

Strange and demonic. Just by looking, you can tell it’s not the mortal realm. Such places are demon realms.

If such places are demon realms.

“A phenomenon where a normal place becomes a demon realm when night comes……have any of you heard of this?”

“No.”

At Seomun Cheok’s question, Seonwoo Gang and Baek Risan simultaneously shook their heads.

“I haven’t read all the demon extermination records, but……at least I’ve never heard of such a phenomenon until now. If there had been such a strange case, I surely would have heard of it at least once, right?”

“Same for me. Even when I was at the main house, I never heard of such a story.”

Either this was also a lie, or it was an exceptional case that had never been reported.

Seohwa, who had thought for a moment, subtly turned her gaze toward Jinwoong.

“Branch Master Jinwoong. Do you patrol at night too?”

“Actually, we patrol outside the county more often at night than during the day. People with bad thoughts usually cause more trouble at night than during the day.”

“The patrol times of the missing people were…….”

“All at night.”

“Things roughly match up.”

Things generally match up. If demons appeared only at night and disappeared during the day, this strange phenomenon where time seemed to have stopped could also be attributed to the demons’ doing.

However, there was one thing that caught her attention.

“Things roughly match, but even if it’s the demons’ doing, it doesn’t make sense that people had their bundles stolen by bandits.”

Demons disguising themselves as humans?

It’s not that they don’t exist. Rather, you could say there are many. Demons that feed on fear naturally resemble fear, and humanity approaches many things as fear.

Just as there are many human-shaped demons, there are also many demons that deceive themselves as humans. Most are exposed because they can’t hide their chilling demonic energy, but demons specialized in that area can sometimes go unnoticed even when skilled experts pass by.

However, wouldn’t there be no reason for such demons to steal people’s belongings and then let them go?

“If we assume this child’s words are true, there are two possibilities. Either the disappeared bandits are actually alive and settled somewhere.”

“Or someone is impersonating the bandits……either way, it’s not an ordinary matter.”

The situation was escalating.

Seohwa felt a slight dizziness at the situation gradually taking shape through Choil’s testimony. The pressure she felt from having to make decisions in Baek Riyun’s absence.

‘If it were Sect Master……’

What would he have done?

Seohwa, who had thought for a moment, shook her head. No matter how much she thought about it, Baek Riyun couldn’t come here right now.

“There are a total of two methods we can take.”

“I’m listening.”

“The first is to return as is and wait until Sect Master joins us. He said it would be roughly finished in two days, so he’ll probably return by the day after tomorrow. We could investigate safely.”

“There are disadvantages. We don’t know how pressing the time is.”

Matters involving demons always come down to seconds.

Just as they had prevented the Hundred Demons Night Parade in Akyang, which nearly became a great disaster with just a difference of half an hour, matters that could be easily prevented with early suppression could turn into major incidents if delayed for just a moment. A situation where what could be stopped with a hoe must be stopped with a plow.

“The second is simple. It’s the complete opposite of the first. We continue investigating on our own before Sect Master arrives.”

“Even if we continue investigating……what are you thinking? Wait until night comes to see the demons move?”

“No.”

At Baek Risan’s question, Seohwa shook her head.

“That would be the most certain way to investigate the situation.”

It’s dangerous. If Baek Riyun were here it would be one thing, but in a situation without him, it’s too much of an adventure. The missing Gyoryongpa martial artists probably didn’t try to fight against the demons either.

“We won’t use that method. Instead.”

Seohwa, who shook her head, turned her gaze toward Choil.

“We need to follow the clues step by step.”

“Clues.”

“Yes. If we don’t know the situation well, we just need to ask someone who does, right?”

Don’t go out at night. Because you’ll be dragged into the feast of a hundred demons.

Choil said that rule was created five years ago. If it were a rule created simply because people who went out at night died, they wouldn’t have used such direct words as the feast of a hundred demons.

“Either they saw it, or…….”

They’re involved in the series of incidents.

Swallowing her latter words, Seohwa looked around and closed her mouth for a moment. And soon the decision fell.

“Let’s go to Choil’s village.”

There’s much to investigate.

Why they’re still alive knowing this place becomes a demon realm at night, and why the village located in this vicinity isn’t attacked by demons.

“Guide us.”

Probably all the answers are there.

“We’ll depart right away.”

At Seohwa’s words, Choil subtly stuffed the tableware he’d collected into a container, shouldered it as a pack, and turned toward the opposite direction of Anhwa County.

“It won’t take long.”

[A quest is currently in progress.]

[Cause and Effect]

[Branch Sect Recruitment]

[A new karma has taken shape.]

[Hyeoleung Pacification Grade 9]

“Hmm.”

Hyeoleung Pacification.

Looking at the window floating before my eyes, I quietly lowered it and looked down. The Hyeoleung Manor Lord prostrating before me, holding his breath quietly.

“So the major sects in the vicinity are based in major cities and have no particular interest in Anhwa County.”

“That’s correct.”

“So you thought you could easily take it and advanced into Anhwa County?”

“Your words are most correct!”

“That seems problematic—what do you think?”

“You shouldn’t do this going forward.”

“Keu-euk.”

Confirming the Hyeoleung Manor Lord swallowing his tears secretly, I wore a bitter smile. While he wasn’t someone to have sympathy for, his actions were so pitiful it felt like bullying the weak.

But that’s that and this is this.

“Let’s end it at this for now. You just need to not lay hands on it going forward, right?”

“Young Hero. No, Great Hero. Anhwa County was this manor’s territory but…….”

“Are you dissatisfied?”

“No…….”

Having completely suppressed the Hyeoleung Manor Lord with momentum so he couldn’t make a peep, I sat in the Manor Lord’s seat and tapped the armrest with my finger. Wouldn’t it be good to do what I can before returning?

“I want to ask something.”

“……Please inquire.”

“Do you know anything about the disappearance cases in Anhwa County? After all, until now it was Hyeoleung Manor’s territory, wasn’t it? You must have investigated something.”

“That’s…….”

“Surely you’re not going to say that until now you only received tributes from Gyoryongpa and paid no attention whatsoever to Anhwa County’s security, are you?”

Seureung!

As I slightly drew the Uicheon Sword along with my words, the Hyeoleung Manor Lord broke out in cold sweat and rolled his eyes. The excuse that flowed out immediately.

“I, it’s not that we paid no attention to security. It’s just that the situation wasn’t favorable.”

“The situation wasn’t favorable?”

“Yes. Among places deep in the mountains, Anhwa County is even more so. Not only is there a forest spanning three hundred li……isn’t it a land where demons have frequently appeared since long ago?”

“Demons frequently appear?”

“Did you not know?”

The Hyeoleung Manor Lord, having found a breakthrough, brightened and continued speaking.

“You may not know about the geography of this vicinity, Great One, but the forest located in the southeast of Anhwa County is so massive that its tributaries extend to Guizhou and Guangxi. That place where demons frequently swarm because the Murim Alliance’s or Sado Alliance’s hands don’t reach.”

“I heard it’s an area giving the Imperial Army headaches. But isn’t that ultimately Guizhou and Guangxi’s story? I understand the Imperial Army pays special attention to prevent demons from flowing in.”

Guizhou, Guangxi, and Yunnan are scorned as southern barbarians in the Central Plains, but they are undeniably lands where people live. To maintain civilization, securing a certain level of security is essential, and the Imperial Army plays that role.

“That’s true for great demons whose presence can be felt even from far away. But not for minor demons. Moving from forest to forest, from cliff to cliff—it’s nearly impossible to block all of that with human hands.”

“Hmm.”

As I let out a murmur, the excited Hyeoleung Manor Lord made a fuss.

“It’s been a land where demons have occasionally crossed over along the mountain range since long ago. If we carelessly dispatch personnel and provoke the demons hiding in the mountains…….”

“If we provoke them?”

“Wouldn’t a Hundred Demons Night Parade occur? Hehe.”

Chaeng!

Looking at the Hyeoleung Manor Lord laughing as if to extract his liver, I drew my sword and cut about an inch of hair near the Manor Lord’s ear. The Manor Lord, who had frozen unable to say anything at the instantaneous strike.

“You don’t interfere because you fear a Hundred Demons Night Parade will occur?”

“Don’t make excuses. You must know that if demons gather and time passes, something more terrible than a Hundred Demons Night Parade could happen.”

Demons flow in along the tributaries of the mountain range?

There’s no way the Imperial Army didn’t know what a local unorthodox sect like Hyeoleung Manor knows. The reason they didn’t bother to stop it was because they judged that the scale and level were sufficient to leave to local martial artists.

“You can solve it but refuse to bear the loss. How is that different from sucking out only the sweet parts and discarding it?”

“……I, I’m sorry.”

“Tsk.”

I clicked my tongue and sheathed the Uicheon Sword again. If it were a demon lord who killed as easily as eating, it would be one thing, but I couldn’t just cut down an opponent who had surrendered.

“I’ll be watching whenever I pass by this vicinity.”

“How could there be any objection!”

It seems I’ve extracted all the information I can. It seems useless to extract any more beyond this.

Should I return soon?

Looking at the Manor Lord banging his head on the ground, I turned my body toward where Anhwa County was.

“I’ll be leaving now. Handle the aftermath yourself…….”

The moment I spoke and tried to draw up my internal energy.

[Caution!]

[A massive karma is taking shape!]

Along with the semi-transparent window that appeared—

The world.

Turned crimson.