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Translated By Arcane Translations
Translator: FusionX
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“Hero Wi, thank you. You’ve saved my life.”
“I was simply fulfilling my obligation. I was compensated for my services.”
“Haha, you’re too humble, Hero Wi.”
The Hao Clan Leader looked at me, his face beaming with relief. He had clearly been tormented by the traitors.
“Thanks to you, we were able to eliminate the traitors in one fell swoop. The internal restructuring will proceed swiftly. As soon as it’s complete, I’ll provide you with the information you requested, and…this token.”
“Token?”
Was there such a thing? I looked at the object he offered. A silver token engraved with the character for “five.”
“…What is this for?”
“Wherever you go, whether it’s a brothel or an inn, present this token, and you’ll receive the Hao Clan’s assistance without any further formalities. You can also use it to access our safe houses throughout the Central Plains.”
Convenient for covert operations.
“Thank you. I’ll be returning now. Send someone to the inn with the information on suspected Demonic Cult branches once you’ve organized it.”
“Understood.”
Time to go.
I discarded my blood-soaked outer robe, opened the now unlocked door, and stepped outside.
Fortunately, there were no Demonic Cult reinforcements.
‘They probably didn’t think they needed many people to deal with the Hao Clan.’
While powerful, the Demonic Cult wasn’t numerically superior to the martial artists of the Central Plains. They likely intended to rely on a small, elite force.
“…Sigh.”
The Hao Clan Leader would try to keep tonight’s events secret, but the Demonic Cult would eventually learn about me.
…Therefore, I had to cripple them as much as possible before they found out.
I formulated a plan as I headed back to the inn.
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“Mister!”
“Welcome back, Benefactor.”
“Did anything happen while I was gone?”
I checked Hye-ryeong for injuries, just in case. She looked at me with a surprised expression.
“M-Mister?”
“Nothing happened.”
The Demonic Cult wouldn’t know where to find us.
They weren’t even aware of our existence.
“Benefactor, did everything go well?”
“It’s all taken care of.”
It wasn’t a big deal.
The Demonic Cultivators sent to deal with the Hao Clan were mostly peak experts.
If they had sent a transcendent expert, things would have been different, but they probably couldn’t afford to spare one.
They were still recovering from their defeat decades ago.
Even the Demonic Cult only had about ten transcendent experts.
While that was a formidable force for a single organization, it also meant that only ten out of their vast numbers were top-tier fighters.
Moreover, the Heavenly Demon hadn’t reached the Zenith of Demonic Arts yet, so they would be conserving their forces.
Therefore, I had at least a year to freely raid Demonic Cult branches without encountering any significant resistance.
I had to cripple them, leaving them no resources to wage war. They should just stay in the Tian Shan Mountains.
“I’m glad to hear that. Hye-ryeong was so worried, she kept watching the door.”
“Really?”
“Of course!”
“You know I can handle myself.”
They should be more worried about their own safety.
“But I still worry!”
“I understand. But don’t worry too much. I’m a survivor. I’ve survived being surrounded by twenty thousand enemies.”
Well, I wasn’t alone. I had the knights with me.
“Benefactor…you’ve lived a difficult life.”
“Twenty thousand? Isn’t that a bit of an exaggeration?”
“It’s true. Though, like I said, I wasn’t alone. I had the knights with me.”
“Knights?”
Hye-ryeong tilted her head, unfamiliar with the term. I resisted the urge to pinch her cheeks and explained.
“Elite cavalry.”
“You were a cavalryman, Mister?”
“Didn’t I tell you before?”
“I think so…”
I wasn’t sure if I had told her or not. I hadn’t talked much about my past.
I wasn’t one to dwell on old stories, and there hadn’t been a reason to.
“Anyway, we were the elite of the elite. The weakest among us were at the peak of the first-rate level, and many had reached the pinnacle of the peak expert level.”
The strongest knights in Europe.
God’s Butchers.
The Iron Devils.
The titles we were once known by still lingered in my mind.
I had heard them countless times.
…But after a single defeat, we were annihilated, and our legacy was buried in the sands of time.
How pointless.
“…Mister?”
“Benefactor, are you alright?”
“I’m fine. Just thinking about the past.”
I loosened my clothes and lay down on the bed. I could feel their gazes on me, but I was too tired to care.
I blinked a few times, staring at the ceiling, then spoke.
“Good night.”
“…Good night, Mister.”
“Good night, Benefactor.”
I drifted off to sleep.
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“Mister, are we going back to the Martial Alliance now?”
“Perhaps.”
“…Are we going somewhere else?”
Why was she looking at me with such apprehension?
“Benefactor, aren’t you pushing yourself too hard?”
“If I push myself a little, I can cripple the Demonic Cult.”
I thought of the information on suspected Demonic Cult branches hidden in my pocket.
While its accuracy wasn’t guaranteed, it was compiled by the Hao Clan, so it shouldn’t be completely wrong.
I had to carefully calculate my moves to maximize my gains.
“But…”
“Hye-ryeong, Mokgyeong. Now is the time to strike and weaken them.”
“But it’s dangerous.”
“Life is always dangerous.”
Ever since I arrived in this medieval world, my life had been in constant danger. The Martial World was so peaceful that it felt like a long vacation.
But it was time to act.
“…Still…”
“If you’re worried, you can come too.”
“Huh?”
“The fastest way for a martial artist to improve is through life-or-death battles.”
“Benefactor, that’s too dangerous! Hye-ryeong shouldn’t be involved in…”
“I want to! No, I will go!”
…Hmm.
I looked at Hye-ryeong, her eyes blazing with determination as she glared at Mokgyeong.
Was her pride wounded? While Mokgyeong and I were exceptionally strong for our age, Hye-ryeong was a skilled martial artist in her own right.
“You said it yourself.”
“I’m going with you, even if it’s to the Demonic Cult’s headquarters!”
“That’s a bit much.”
She was too enthusiastic.
Had I made a mistake?
I ignored Hye-ryeong’s burning passion and looked at Mokgyeong. His expression was calm, as always.
“…I intend to accompany you, Benefactor. Revenge requires bloodshed.”
“Even if they’re not your targets?”
“If I ignore evildoers simply because they aren’t my targets, innocent people will suffer.”
That was a very protagonist-like line.
Well, he was the protagonist.
“Anyway, we’re going to raid every suspected Demonic Cult branch on our way to Wuhan.”
“Wouldn’t it be better to seek assistance from the Martial Alliance branches?”
“No, involving the Martial Alliance would make things too complicated.”
Explaining that I was using information purchased from the Hao Clan would be troublesome.
The Hao Clan was technically a Demonic Sect. It wouldn’t look good for a member of the righteous factions to be receiving their assistance.
Besides, the Martial Alliance was likely infiltrated by the Demonic Cult.
It was safer to handle this discreetly, using it as a training opportunity for Hye-ryeong and Mokgyeong.
Or…I could bring someone to vouch for our actions.
There had to be a Beggar Sect branch in Xiping.
“Let’s go. Our next destination is Xiping.”
“Xiping? The city down below?”
“Yes.”
“It will take about two days to reach it.”
“Then let’s go.”
Having finalized my plan, I used Qinggong to travel along the seemingly endless road.
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thanks for the chapter