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Translated By Arcane Translations
Translator: Chaos
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Life in the Black Heaven Cult settled into a routine, and Mae-hwa and Yeon-hwa became my companions, alleviating my boredom.
Yeon-hwa, true to her youthful appearance, was incredibly curious. She bombarded me with questions about myself every few steps.
– What’s your favorite food?
– When did you meet the Cult Leader?
– Do you like flowers, Young Cult Leader?
The questions came rapid-fire, and I answered them as best I could.
My assessment of Mae-hwa as a seasoned servant proved accurate.
Just as I was reaching my limit with Yeon-hwa’s relentless questioning, Mae-hwa would intervene.
I would offer her a grateful nod, which she would acknowledge with a slight bow.
I was enjoying my leisurely life.
I would wake up, take a walk, eat my meals on time, play with Yeon-hwa, and in the evenings, help Master unwind after a long day of work.
Master was busy.
Especially as the day of her departure for the front lines, where the Sword Demon was stationed, drew closer, our time together decreased.
It was, in fact, surprising.
Considering her level of obsession, I would have thought she’d keep me by her side constantly, whether she was working or sleeping.
Perhaps due to her superhuman self-control, our interactions were mostly limited to breakfast, lunch, dinner, and bedtime.
She was probably busy with her duties as Cult Leader.
Mae-hwa had once mentioned in passing that Master carried the weight of the entire Cult on her shoulders.
Like Master, the Head Administrator was also difficult to get a hold of. I mostly learned about his condition through the servants’ gossip.
Apparently, he had another nosebleed yesterday and dismissed all the servants from his office.
He seemed overly concerned with appearances.
‘Sigh, he really shouldn’t overwork himself.’
It reminded me of my previous life.
I wondered how Lee Mina was doing.
I hoped she was well.
Perhaps, without me there, she had forgotten everything and was living a normal life.
“Oh! There you are!”
The Horse Demon approached with a mischievous glint in his eyes.
He was chewing on something, probably a stolen dumpling.
I had never actually seen him work.
Whenever I asked him what he did, he’d say he was finished with his tasks, but I honestly didn’t believe him.
“What is it now?”
The Horse Demon always seemed to be looking for an excuse to hang around me.
He probably wanted to get close to the Young Cult Leader, but…
“Well, since we’ve run into each other, how about a drink?”
“The sun’s still up.”
This was probably his main motivation.
Since Master was so indulgent towards me, he probably figured he could use me as a shield to slack off.
It was a foolish plan.
What if Master sent me away and decided to punish him instead?
Just like Shadow Demon said, he didn’t think things through.
“Does it have to be dark to drink? We can drink whenever we want. Sometimes, a drink under the sun is even sweeter.”
He wasn’t a bad guy, though.
He had a certain… harmlessness about him.
I casually responded to his persistence and looked around.
She should be here soon.
“Horse Demon, slacking off again?”
Shadow Demon descended from a nearby tree and scolded him.
After she had materialized from my shadow that time, I had asked her to keep her distance, at least when she was observing me (though she called it “guarding”).
The Horse Demon scowled at her appearance.
“Oh, it’s you again. Why are you always glued to the Young Cult Leader’s side?”
“I’m following the Cult Leader’s orders, as I’ve told you before. Now, go back to your duties. I believe you have some inventory to organize in the warehouse.”
“I already finished that.”
“The Head Administrator probably did it for you.”
They began their usual verbal sparring match, neither willing to back down.
“Would you like some tea? I also have some snacks.”
Mae-hwa quietly offered as their voices grew louder.
I nodded, and she unpacked a small bundle containing tea and snacks.
“Let’s share.”
I offered some to Mae-hwa and Yeon-hwa. Mae-hwa politely declined, but Yeon-hwa beamed and accepted the snacks.
Mae-hwa glared at her, but I gave her a reassuring look.
Yeon-hwa, Mae-hwa, and I sat in the shade of a tree, watching the Horse Demon and Shadow Demon bicker.
“Wow, this is entertaining.”
“They say watching a fight is the most fun, Young Cult Leader.”
You’re right about that.
*Crunch*
The snacks were delicious.
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Their argument showed no signs of ending.
They had started with some semblance of civility, but now, having run out of sophisticated insults, they resorted to personal attacks.
It was hard to believe these two were Black Heaven Cult executives, members of the Three Demons who terrorized the Central Plains.
If the righteous faction saw them like this, they’d probably faint from shock.
“Hmph, you got your ass handed to you by Lightning Sword. And you’re lecturing me about martial arts?”
“And you got kicked in the ass by Lightning Sword. I still remember that you couldn’t sleep for three days because your ass was so swollen.”
“That’s… well, I was caught off guard! And Lightning Sword had gotten stronger.”
“You were also hungover from drinking all night.”
Shadow Demon smirked, and the Horse Demon’s face turned red.
“Fine, let’s settle this.”
He threw off his outer robe and assumed a fighting stance. Shadow Demon drew her dagger.
This was about to escalate.
“That’s enough. We’re all comrades here.”
I intervened, not wanting to get caught in the crossfire.
“I apologize for the unseemly display, Young Cult Leader.”
Shadow Demon bowed, and the Horse Demon scratched his head sheepishly.
“We’ve rested enough. Let’s return to the palace.”
I said to Mae-hwa, and she gathered the empty dishes.
We walked back along the path, retracing our steps.
As we passed through a dense tunnel of trees, I asked Shadow Demon and Horse Demon a question that had been on my mind.
“So, what’s the power level like in the Black Heaven Cult? Like, is there a ranking?”
“The Cult Leader is the strongest, of course.”
Well, that was obvious.
“Who’s second?”
“The Sword Demon. Even the Cult Leader acknowledges his mastery of the sword.”
“He’s a great guy, except for being so damn quiet. And he doesn’t drink much.”
Shadow Demon and Horse Demon answered in turn.
“And third?”
“Shadow Demon.”
The Horse Demon pointed at her with a pout.
Shadow Demon looked at me with a smug expression, as if to say, “See?”
“You’re admitting defeat surprisingly easily.”
The Horse Demon grumbled in response to my surprise.
Apparently, Master organized regular sparring matches between the Three Demons to encourage them to continue honing their skills.
The Sword Demon had always held the second spot, and the Horse Demon had been third, but Shadow Demon had recently defeated him, changing the rankings.
“That’s what happens when you neglect your training.”
She said, placing her hands on her hips, clearly proud of her new ranking.
I suddenly wondered if the Head Administrator participated in these sparring matches.
“What about the Head Administrator? Does he participate in sparring?”
“Um… well, he’s… a bit of a special case.”
Ah, right, the frail guy who got nosebleeds all the time.
Sparring was probably out of the question.
“Right, he’s not exactly in top shape.”
“Well, yeah, that’s part of it, but…”
The Horse Demon started to say something, but Shadow Demon elbowed him in the side, and he shut up.
That was odd.
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