Chapter 253

Chapter 253

At Baek Risan’s suddenly flowing voice, everyone’s attention focused on Baek Risan. At the same time, Songbyeok Jinin asked reluctantly.

“Baek Risan, Patron. Are you thinking of…… accepting that person’s help?”

“Shouldn’t we accept it? The current situation isn’t exactly good, is it? For searching for people, and also for rescuing my comrades.”

“This person is a Chilryun right now. If they’re Chilryun, aren’t they one of the highest-ranking people in the Demonic Cult?”

What was the reason we tried to search for people in the first place?

That’s probably to retrieve comrades who were captured inside the Demonic Cult. To gather forces, amplify our voice, and retrieve the captured comrades based on that amplified voice. 

“If we have a Chilryun’s help, there’s no need to search for people. We can just enter the Demonic Cult directly.”

“I don’t know what this talk about being the Blood Cult’s vanguard means, but anyway, what’s most important to me right now is that. The safety of my comrades.”

Searching for survivors, guaranteeing the safety of comrades.

Either way, if we have a Chilryun’s help, we can resolve it quickly and easily. At Baek Risan’s appearance, speaking with shining eyes on that point, Songbyeok Jinin showed an uncomfortable expression before sighing. And soon, Songbyeok Jinin nodding his head.

“I understand.”

“That means…….”

“It’s unpleasant, but I won’t oppose receiving help. Certainly, right now is a situation where we need to borrow anyone’s hand.”

To begin with, wandering around Xinjiang is largely due to Nakcheon showing favor to Baek Risan. Whatever decision Baek Risan makes, it’s not a situation where he can say this or that.

“I’m surprised that your mother had taken refuge in the Demonic Cult…… but in this matter, I’ll follow your decision.”

“Thank you.”

Now that she had obtained consent, there was nothing to be concerned about.

“Now, you, Eungryong.”

“If you want to hear where my mother’s grave is, you’ll have to help me a bit. You probably can’t find it on your own, right? The only people who know exactly where that place is are me, my family’s two idiots, and my father.”

“Tha, Miss.”

“What I want is clear. Finding out where my comrades who were captured inside the Demonic Cult are, and if possible, smuggling those comrades out and bringing them outside. If you can accomplish just that, there are no other demands.”

“……That is.”

A moment of silence.

At Baek Risan’s clear demands, Eungryong, who had been rolling his eyes while breaking into a cold sweat, sighed. And the following answer.

“I ca…… can’t.”

“……I guess you don’t want to hear where the grave is?”

“No, it’s not that…… it’s impossible. If I return to the Cult, I’ll be executed.”

“……What?”

What is yokryeok to a yokai?

That is water and food. Air and wind. Frigid cold or parched land without a drop of water. Mountains, and humid wilderness reaching to remote areas. While yokai can live in any extreme environment without much difficulty, it’s difficult to survive in an environment without yokryeok.

The Great Seal is a seal created with that perspective in mind. Artificially creating an environment without yokryeok to make an environment unattractive to yokai. Just as a desert without a drop of water is a difficult region for humans to survive in, creating the same environment for yokai.

Therefore, the Demonic Cult, commonly called the Heavenly Demon Divine Cult, which was created to protect humanity, focused on protecting that Great Seal. And.

Conversely speaking, that means breaking the Great Seal is the same as shaking the Demonic Cult’s foundation.

“You look troubled.”

“What are you thinking about so deeply?”

Before returning to the search party.

When I climbed up onto the distant castle wall and asked while looking at Ilryun staring at the far void, Ilryun looked back at me and showed a puzzled expression. Soon, a question flowed out.

“What do you think I’m thinking about?”

“Are you asking me back?”

“Yes. Since you spoke to me, we should converse. What do you think I’m thinking about right now?”

“Well…… Whether the traitors must absolutely be killed. Aren’t you thinking about that?”

The Demonic Cult’s Chilryun are irreplaceable, truly like the pillars of the Demonic Cult. Let me make a few assumptions.

If Jeokyeol falls out immediately, the Demonic Cult can’t know the Central Plains’ movements. If Ilryun falls out, the Demonic Cult loses its head, and other Chilryun also each handle major and minor affairs of the Demonic Cult. Being able to rise to a position where one can obtain the enormous authority called Chilryun conversely means shouldering that much duty.

“The Demonic Cult is always short on manpower. To find replacements will require tremendous time. So should they be punished or not…… Aren’t you thinking about that?”

“……Sharp insight. Except that the result and process are slightly different.”

At my answer, Ilryun smiled bitterly and raised his pipe to his fingertip, letting it droop diagonally. Tobacco smoke flowing long from his lips.

“Outside our Cult…… You who grew up in the Central Plains don’t know, but our Cult is more like one family than a collective. In both positive and negative senses.”

“No one is stingy with learning or teaching. There are no cases of hesitating to bestow teachings just because they’re children of another family, and superiority and inferiority aren’t clear. Do you know why that is?”

“Because of situations crossing the boundary between life and death…… is it?”

“Similar. It’s because of situations where everyone comes to think that maintaining authority is meaningless.”

Yesterday a friend died, today a sibling died. Tomorrow it will be me who dies.

In situations that change drastically day by day, people come to think that way. If I’ll die tomorrow, can’t I be a bit less constrained by worldly perceptions or position today? Shouldn’t I do as my heart desires?

“I’m the eldest among the Cult’s Chilryun. Most of the current Chilryun are children who grew up clashing with me.”

Except for Eungryong, whose abilities are specialized in spells, most obtained Ilryun’s advice and developed their abilities by sparring with Ilryun. Though not formally, all of them are no different from Ilryun’s disciples.

“It’s just an old man’s folly to feel troubled about having to kill such children with my own hands.”

“……It seems you’ve made up your mind.”

“There’s nothing to make up or not. If we don’t punish one to warn a hundred, discontent will burst out.”

Attempting to destroy the Great Seal. Thereby attempting to shake the foundation.

Of course that’s a serious crime, but it’s ambiguous to see it as a serious crime deserving the death penalty. That’s because hasn’t the War Faction that has recently gained power as the Demonic Cult’s mainstream been claiming to abandon the Great Seal and invade the Central Plains to establish their own territory?

Whether abandoning the Great Seal or destroying it, there isn’t such a big difference. If we abandon the Great Seal, great yokai will quickly swarm in and it won’t be maintained for even ten years before being destroyed.

But independent action is a different story.

“Taking independent action to destroy the Great Seal when the Cult’s collective will hasn’t been decided. Moreover, standing at the Blood Cult’s forefront.”

“Could there be a more serious crime than this?”

Ilryun knows very well about the other Chilryun. He can vaguely guess why they made such a choice. For them, this situation probably surpassed their critical point.

However, that’s their position. To assert what one believes is right in this world, one must pay the corresponding price. Even more so if it’s achieved by trampling others’ beliefs.

“The treatment has been decided. All that’s left is to capture the criminals and pass judgment.”

Lowering his pipe downward once more and exhaling smoke deeply, Ilryun turned his gaze to look directly at me.

“Are you returning to the search party?”

“Yes.”

“When the search party’s old monsters hear about our Cult’s situation, they’ll be pleased. Since it’s a situation where they can gain the upper hand in negotiations.”

“They probably won’t do that. If the Great Seal is destroyed, it’s troublesome for the Central Plains as well, isn’t it?”

“……Is that so.”

After thinking for a moment, Ilryun smiled bitterly and spoke.

“Help us.”

“If concessions are needed, we’ll make them. We can’t stop unsealing, but if you ask us to delay the timing of unsealing, we’re thinking of conceding several years from our side.”

“Wasn’t destroying the Great Seal what the War Faction wanted?”

“We want to destroy it, not have it destroyed by others. To us, the Great Seal is both shackles…… and pride.”

The pride of protecting humanity. The self-respect that the lives of tens of millions, or perhaps a hundred million, depend on their hands.

The Demonic Cult was maintained by that self-respect alone. To have the seal handed over to traitors now and have it destroyed by them would be utterly miserable.

“Help…… us.”

Help us.

After uttering those words, I quietly turned my back while looking at Ilryun maintaining silence. Because for the search party, this was an incomparably good situation.

‘We can use this as leverage to postpone the Great Seal’s release.’

Five years, no, if we delay three years.

Then we can prepare many things. We can discuss with the Imperial Palace and prepare for the countless yokai that will flood in from foreign lands, and we can prepare relief measures for those who can’t adapt to yokryeok.

Thinking of Central Plains people, buying as much time as possible is right. Helping protect the Great Seal, entrusting the Great Seal to the Demonic Cult, and just refining the situation for our own safety is right.

──Is that really so?

“This situation won’t affect negotiations.”

“……What?”

“I mean I won’t exploit your weakness.”

We need to extend the period.

That thought doesn’t change. Just a week, just a month.

That degree is insufficient. I also have no intention of conceding in negotiations. To prepare for the seal’s release, at least years of time are needed. That part will be rigidly maintained. However.

That’s a conclusion that should come from a process where both sides share opinions and reach agreement, not one side unilaterally suffering loss. If we just force opinions unilaterally like this, there will definitely be side effects.

“Whose job is it to protect the Great Seal?”

“That’s, our Cult’s…….”

“No. It’s humanity’s job. The search party is also humanity.”

We haven’t been in an environment to fulfill our duty. Therefore, we’ve made excuses that we couldn’t protect it. But what about now?

The Central Plains search party happens to be in Xinjiang, and we’ve secured supplies to operate in Xinjiang. If we don’t step forward even in this situation, it proves that all the words we’ve said until now were nothing but excuses.

“We intend to fulfill the duty we couldn’t fulfill.”

“If the Divine Cult’s hostility softens at the end of that, wouldn’t that also be a calculation?”

“Cunning, aren’t you…….”

At my words, Ilryun smiled bitterly and carefully nodded his head. And the following question.

“How long will it take?”

“I can’t give you an exact time commitment. However.”

More than half of the Sipcheon are here. All of them are people who have shouldered the Central Plains’ safety.

So surely,

“It won’t take very long.”