Chapter 217. Nine in the Fifth Place (13)
The Heavenly Demon Cult was now a hundred percent in Si-Hyeon's hands. Moreover, they had a lot of grudges with Martial Heaven from the beginning.
As for the Justice Coalition, they would either make Woo-Moon the leader or allow one of his allies to take charge. The Hegemon Clan, the Black Bull Gang, and the Cruel Sandstorm Riders had been destroyed, so a lot of their enemies were no longer.
Among the other forces, the North Sea Ice Palace had already pledged to fight Martial Heaven alongside them, and Woo-Moon had secured the imperial government's promise as well. With the addition of the Heaven Slaying Alliance, it seemed that, at least in terms of the size of their forces, they had enough to challenge Martial Heaven.
'The problem is the number of masters. We're at a disadvantage when it comes to Paragons and Absolute Masters.'
Martial Heaven's strongest, the Martial Heaven God, and the second-in-command, the Martial Heaven Emperor, were at least at the Paragon realm.
'... They might even be at a higher level.'
No, “might” was not the right word. They were definitely at a higher level.
At that thought, Woo-Moon's chest tightened.
***
Si-Hyeon met with her subordinates.
“Are you saying that you will be acting separately?”
“Yes. Since the Hegemon Clan has collapsed and we will be joining forces with the Justice Coalition, there currently isn't an enemy that we can identify or attack. There most likely won't be a battle until Martial Heaven reveals itself or we find them directly. So, I'll be alongside my senior brother until then.”
One of the elders looked flustered.
“B-but my lord. If you leave, many will feel uneasy.”
However, at that moment, Woo-Moon, who had been waiting somewhere else, appeared.
“Then I'll go to the Heavenly Demon Cult. It's no big deal.”
“Oh, okay... huh? What did you just say, senior brother?”
Woo-Moon smiled at her.
“I haven't visited the Heavenly Demon Cult yet. For now, I'll go to the cult and stay with you. It's fine. I'll stay there for a while, and afterward, I'll... I'll think about that later.”
“Senior brother...”
Si-Hyeon felt like crying. Woo-Moon's consideration touched her heart.
Woo-Moon definitely had a lot of fond memories for the Baek Family and could call it home. Yet even though he had a place to return to, he was willing to follow her to the Heavenly Demon Cult.
“Oh, we need to contact Jo Mu-Jae as well. I'll tell him to come to the cult.”
“Ah!”
She almost cried again, even more emotional due to Woo-Moon's consideration of Jo Mu-Jae.
'That's right. Now... now everything has been revealed. There's no need to avoid seeing Uncle Jo.'
“Then, let's go to the Baek Estate first before we head for the Heavenly Demon Cult,” Si-Hyeon said.
After she responded to Woo-Moon, Si-Hyeon turned to the elders.
“You guys go ahead. I'll return in three days.”
“Understood, my lord.”
Just when it seemed like things were coming to an end, the elder who had spoken to Si-Hyeon first opened his mouth again.
“But... ... my lord.”
“What is it now?”
“When do you plan on getting married?”
The elder glanced at Woo-Moon as he spoke.
Si-Hyeon’s face turned red while Woo-Moon smiled brightly.
'When we get married, we'll be able to do that every night...'
Woo-Moon had only been crazy about cultivation and learning martial arts when he was younger, without any interest whatsoever in the opposite sex.
A thief who starts late knows not of the dawn coming[1], and after sharing kisses with his loved ones and even going so far as to spend a night with Si-Hyeon, he had opened his eyes to the matters of men and women, and the thought never left his head.
Though ashamed, Si-Hyeon felt relieved.
Seeing that the elders considered Woo-Moon first when they asked about marriage, it seemed that everyone had now come to terms with the fact that she was in love with Song Woo-Moon of the Righteous Faction, that they were now lovers, and that they would get married in the future.
In the past, she would get terribly pissed if the elders ever brought up marriage, but now, the elders seemed rather adorable when they began the conversation again.
Well, it wasn’t that the elders were terribly enthusiastic about Woo-Moon, but they had no other choice.
They had worked hard to persuade Si-Hyeon to get married to Hwi Ji-Gang when Woo-Moon was thought to be dead, but there was nothing else they could say now. Moreover, Woo-Moon's actions showed that he didn't have any prejudice or dislike for the Heavenly Demon Cult, either.
Even though he wasn't a member of the Heavenly Demon Cult, there wasn't much reason to refuse a marriage between the two, especially as Woo-Moon was a Paragon.
“It would be better to get married as soon as possible, right?”
While she tried to make it seem as though she was reluctant, Si-Hyeon actually couldn’t wait a second more. The elder naturally noticed her true feelings and smiled to himself; he found that this Heavenly Demon, a terrifying figure in her own right, was also a cute little child.
Although they were lord and subordinate, the elder actually had a granddaughter who was around Si-Hyeon's age. He knew these things.
“Of course. I think the Marriage of the Heavenly Demon should be held before the end of the month. After all, we don't know when the final battle with Martial Heaven will take place.”
“So soon?”
Si-Hyeon pretended to be alarmed but was secretly happy on the inside. It seemed as though the elder had understood her feelings.
“Yes, my lord.”
“Ha... well, if that's what you think is right, then I have no choice but to follow your directives. What do you think, senior brother?”
Woo-Moon was also secretly ecstatic.
“Right, right. Let's do that, then.”
The elder turned to Woo-Moon this time.
“I would like to ask what your plans are now that the marriage has been brought up... I would like to raise one of your sons to be the Little Heavenly Demon of the Heavenly Demon Cult and continue the cult's lineage.”
Woo-Moon and Si-Hyeon were taken aback. They had absolutely no idea that the elder would bring something like that up.
Moreover, Si-Hyeon grew nervous.
'Our son as the Little Heavenly Demon of the Heavenly Demon Cult.... What will senior brother think?'
Woo-Moon thought for a moment, then nodded his head nonchalantly.
“Just because he'll be the leader of the Heavenly Demon Cult doesn't mean he's not my son, right? It would be interesting to have a Heavenly Demon in the family.”
“T...Thank you, Senior Brother.”
To be honest, Si-Hyeon felt a sense of responsibility toward the cult. Even though she had taken on the role of Heavenly Demon only to use the cult as a tool for revenge, it was inevitable that she would grow fond of it and its members over time.
Then, Ma-Ra suddenly appeared.
“Ah!”
The elders of the Heavenly Demon Cult were shocked. While they always knew that there was an assassin near Woo-Moon, they were still surprised when she suddenly appeared without warning.
Ma-Ra looked at Woo-Moon.
“Woo-Moon.”
“Yes?”
“The lineage of the Death God must also be continued.”
“...”
Woo-Moon felt like Ma-Ra was so cute at the moment that he wanted to hug and kiss her to death, but he held back with his superhuman patience. After all, he was in front of the Heavenly Demon Cult elders.
“Of course. Why are you asking such an obvious thing?”
“Oh, you know.... Nothing important.”
Ma Ra smiled faintly and disappeared again, only to be replaced by yet another person who didn’t want to be left out.
“I-I must also continue the North Sea Ice Palace's lineage...”
Woo-Moon nodded happily at Yeo-Seol’s words.
“Tsk tsk, why are all of you mentioning such obvious things?”
Obviously, neither of the two cared all that much about continuing their respective lineages, but having a child with Woo-Moon was in fact something they very much looked forward to.
Yeo-Seol smiled brightly, and as she stepped back, the Ten Swords of the North Sea stood guard around her.
There was a sense of duty and loyalty that had never existed before in their eyes.
Woo-Moon's threats and Yeo-Seol's kind heart had changed their perspectives. Seeing her stay true to her benevolent nature despite having the ability to call upon her Paragon lover's incredible strength made them look at her in a new light. Moreover, her cultivation was far better than they had expected, giving them another reason to trust her.
It was enough for the Ten Swords of the North Sea and the other North Sea warriors to see Yeo-Seol differently.
After a while, Si-Hyeon parted ways with those of the Heavenly Demon Cult and went with Woo-Moon, Ma-Ra, Yeo-Seol, and the Baek Family members who were returning to the family estate.
“Unnie!”
Si-Hyeon smiled at Ye-Ye's call.
Even after the misunderstanding was resolved and Woo-Moon and Si-Hyeon were reunited, they were both busy and didn’t have time to greet the others properly.
Ye-Ye hugged Si-Hyeon with tears in her eyes, and Si-Hyeon stroked her hair.
It wasn’t just Ye-Ye. Baek Ryeong, who used to be considered the cutest along with Gun-Ha in the Baek Family, also ran to Si-Hyeon with tears in her eyes.
After their greetings, Ma Ra appeared in front of Si-Hyeon.
Ma Ra smiled—something that Si-Hyeon had never seen before.
“It's a relief.”
It was a sentence that had many meanings. It meant that she was glad that Si-Hyeon was alive, that the misunderstanding was resolved, and that she had returned to them.
“Thank you, Ma-Ra. Please take good care of me in the future. From now on, you're my real family.”
It was a true statement, as all three women would become family if they married Woo-Moon.
‘Family...’
Ma-Ra repeated the word in her mind once again. As she contemplated her lingering feelings, she went back into Woo-Moon's shadow.
Then, Yeo-Seol came to talk to her as well.
“I-it's good to meet you!”
Si-Hyeon was two years older than Ma-Ra, while the latter was the same age as Yeo-Seol. In other words, Si-Hyeon was the eldest of the family.
“Hello, it's nice to meet you. Thank you for being by my senior brother’s side all this time.”
Si-Hyeon was truly grateful.
She was thankful that Ma Ra and Yeo-Seol had filled the void that she had left behind and that Woo-Moon hadn't had as difficult of a time as he would have otherwise.
“O-of course, Unnie! I'm also glad you've returned.”
Yeo-Seol’s face turned red when she called Si-Hyeon “Unnie.” Then she carefully looked at Si-Hyeon’s expression.
“Unnie? Unnie... hehe. It sounds nice. Thank you, little sister. I'll be in your care from now on.”
Seeing Si-Hyeon smile brightly, Yeo-Seol also felt ecstatic and giggled cutely.
Yeo-Seol’s aegyo[2] really was outstanding. It was hard to believe that she had grown up in such a cold and barren place like the North Sea Ice Palace with the way she was acting.
“Oh dear, you're so cute,” Si-Hyeon said as she hugged Yeo-Seol.
Woo-Moon was about a head taller than Si-Hyeon, but Woo-Moon was very tall for a man, and Si-Hyeon was also on the very tall side. Ma-Ra was shorter than her, while Yeo-Seol was shorter still. When Si-Hyeon hugged Yeo-Seol, Yeo-Seol hugged her back tightly, and the whole thing looked just like a little sister hugging her older sister.
‘She's warm.’
She had heard many rumors about Si-Hyeon, and Yeo-Seol was actually terrified by the fact that Si-Hyeon was the fearsome Heavenly Demon.
However, actually meeting her in person, Yeo-Seol could tell that she was a really warm and affectionate person.
Yeo-Seol smiled brightly. She was happy to have one more family member, not to mention that it was such a great older sister.
“Now, let's hurry up and go. It'll be much more comfortable inside the house than in a place like this,” Woo-Moon said.
Si-Hyeon and Yeo-Seol nodded while Ma-Ra sent him a voice transmission as an answer.
“Ma-Ra.”
Ma-Ra appeared.
“Yes?”
“While Si-Hyeon and I can see you even if you hide, Yeo-Seol can't. Show yourself more often so she won't be lonely.”
“Hmm... okay.”
Yeo-Seol smiled brightly, taking Ma-Ra’s hand, and the group moved together.
“Ah... I’m really jealous,” Baek Jeong-Woo said.
Watching Woo-Moon walking sweetly with the most beautiful women in the murim, especially the strongest Paragon beauty, the bachelor that was Baek Jeong-Woo was so jealous that he almost exploded.
Then, his friend, Baek Ho-Woong, came next to him and poked him in the side.
“Tsk tsk. Why are you so jealous? You have your own lover, too.”
1. Someone who learns something later than others has a tendency to grow even more obsessed with it. From the idea that a thief who starts their robbing later in the night doesn't realize the dawn is coming due to their frenzy. ☜
2. A child-like or feminine cute/charming characteristic. A uniquely Korean concept with such a unique meaning that it is now part of the English dictionary. ☜