Chapter 1040: The Divine Tree and the Master.

“What a damn nuisance…”

“What?”

I frowned at his words. What did he say?

“……What did you say?”

“…You’re a damn nuisance.”

“Ah… you’re saying he’s the damn nuisance?”

Nod.

The leader nodded his head, influenced by the demonic energy. Seeing that, I rubbed my forehead.

“…Wow, what a stellar answer.”

Seriously, so much valuable information.

Should I just beat him up? I considered it, but barely held back.

“Not that. Give me something useful, like information. Is he part of the Moonlit Tribe?”

“…No.”

That was a relief. At least he answered when I asked like this. Ah, I get it. I realized.

‘This guy. I can’t let him explain anything.’

Looks like I need to get yes-or-no answers.

This is driving me nuts.

“Not part of the Moonlit Tribe… so does that mean he also received the Master’s grace?”

“…Yes.”

“Hmm.”

Well, if they aren’t from the Moonlit Tribe, it’s almost certain they’d be like that. So, next…

“Is he a General?”

“…Yes.”

I narrowed my eyes upon hearing the answer. Just as I thought.

‘He was a General too.’

That meant he was the last one remaining.

‘The one with the least intel.’

The one among the Generals who had the least intel, the one nobody really knew what he did.

Location-wise, it was said to be between Mount Mareong and the Hwasan Sect, at the Black Phoenix Palace (黑凰宮). I heard he was there.

‘Did that guy show up and lend power to the leader?’

Whether the leader wanted it or not, the fact that he appeared here is a problem.

This implies…

‘The Master might know about what I’ve done.’

The General lending his power meant that the current Master. My mother, who had lost her memory and wanted me dead, might know about this.

I scowled and asked him.

“Do you know Yusa is dead?”

“……”

The leader’s body trembled. Then, looking at me, he nodded, quivering.

‘Damn.’

He knew.

‘How did he know?’

I wondered. I did kill Yusa near Ya-wol, but…

‘There was no one else around.’

I’d made sure no one could tell he was dead. I thought it would take some time before he was discovered.

‘The fact that he reacted this quickly means he received the information just as fast.’

How did he find out?

‘…Sigh.’

Nothing came to mind.

‘For now, that’s not the important part.’

It’s not how he found out that matters.

‘The important thing is that he knows.’

The problem is that he knows. Isn’t that why I didn’t lay a hand on the leader?

‘It would have been dangerous if Cheonma hadn’t been there.’

Fighting there without Cheonma, I might have ended up facing two Generals. The situation would have been absolutely terrible then.

‘Was bringing Cheonma along a stroke of genius…?’

It seemed asking Cheonma to come with me had been helpful.

‘…Cheonma.’

Thinking about Cheonma gave me a headache of its own.

‘Damn it.’

There’s more than one thing I need to handle.

I pinched the bridge of my nose.

‘And why did that have to be dropped?’

Cheonma said she dropped what she was trying to catch. How are things progressing then? Especially since I hadn’t left Mareong Village for three days.

I was waiting for Cheonma, you see.

‘No…’

A thought flashed through my mind. Could this whole situation be Cheonma’s scheme?

‘It’s possible.’

Not if it was the blockhead I thought was the current Cheonma. The form I saw before was definitely the Cheonma from a past life.

If I consider it was her, it wouldn’t be strange at all.

‘To keep me pinned down?’

I quickly shook my head, dismissing the thought that went that far.

‘No.’

It couldn’t be.

While I thought Cheonma might do something like that, I also thought that precisely because she was Cheonma, she wouldn’t.

If it’s the Cheonma I know…

‘She’d just smash everything, that’s all.’

She wouldn’t bother with schemes.

“Tsk.”

I clicked my tongue and stretched.

I looked straight at the leader. Focusing my power and waving my hand slightly, the demonic energy binding him vanished.

Confirming this, I sighed.

‘I can’t stay here any longer.’

There’s no time to wait. I don’t even know if Cheonma will show up or not.

I looked up at the sky.

‘It’s still a long way until night.’

Broad daylight.

There was still plenty of time until night. Moving under the cover of darkness would have been the optimal choice for departure, but…

‘…Tsk.’

It seemed better to move right away. Waiting any longer would cause problems.

No, the problem had already occurred.

“Krrrk…”

I looked at the leader groaning on the floor.

“Hmm.”

What should I do with this one?

‘Take him?’

Is he useful if I take him? He listens, sure, but it’s based on coercion, so I can’t really use him creatively.

Taking him along for infiltration or reconnaissance in this situation seemed like a stretch.

‘Then…’

What should I do? As I pondered, a method occurred to me.

‘Ah.’

That should work.

“Hey.”

I said to the leader.

“Krrrk…”

Instead of answering, he let out a quiet groan. Looking at the leader like that, I commanded.

“Conveniently, you’ve got some work to do.”

I brought back the demonic energy I had dispelled.

This was the moment the leader got his task.

---

I returned to Mareong Village. Mareong Village had changed over the past three days.

Unlike the usual serene and quiet atmosphere, which felt almost sealed off. Murmuring sounds were becoming audible.

Are they gradually realizing the leader is gone? That might be it, but…

Compared to their newfound liveliness, Yeong-ryeong’s condition remained unchanged.

Sitting still by the sacred tree, feeling the wind, or wearing a veil, I could tell she wore a pitiful expression.

Seeing that, I approached and asked.

“Still putting on a pathetic show today, huh?”

“Ah…”

Yeong-ryeong reacted to my voice. She moved weakly as she looked at me.

“Why? You wanted to escape so badly, but now that you’re actually free, does it feel… empty?”

“……”

From the position of a shrine maiden serving the Master, bound within Mareong Village, you craved freedom so much.

I went through all that to give you freedom, so why are you like this?

‘Ah. Right.’

I stopped mid-thought and realized belatedly.

‘Come to think of it, I forgot to ask the leader about this.’

Why he came to Mount Mareong and captured other creatures. I’d momentarily forgotten to ask.

‘I’ll ask later.’

The leader would already have left Mount Mareong and be on the move, thanks to my command.

‘This would be a good opportunity to check.’

What happens when the distance between us increases. I figured I could figure it out.

Will the command I placed be released once we’re far enough apart? It didn’t happen with other Mind Spirits, but it might be different with Man-gye, so this is a good experiment.

“I think I need to head out for a bit, so take care.”

“…You mean now?”

“Yeah. Something came up.”

“……”

Yeong-ryeong’s eyes drifted somewhere. Her gaze landed on my chest.

The spot where the jewel was embedded.

Seeing that, I chuckled.

“Whatever greed you have, forget it. Isn’t this what you wanted?”

“Esteemed one… can you hear the Master’s voice?”

“The Master? The Master of Man-gye?”

“…Yes.”

“No. Not at all.”

There’s no way I can hear the voice just because I absorbed the jewel.

She kept looking in that direction, seemingly missing the Master’s voice, but…

“Don’t get your hopes up. I can’t hear it.”

I couldn’t hear it.

I wanted to hear it more than anyone, but…

I couldn’t hear it.

“…Anyway. I’m going and coming back, so wait here when I get back.”

There’s no need to return to Mareong Village. My business here is done, so I could just leave.

I told Yeong-ryeong I would return.

There’s only one reason.

‘Because Cheonma might show up.’

So, telling her to wait here before I left was the right thing to do.

This time, I’m just scouting and returning, so I’ll be back before long.

“……”

Yeong-ryeong didn’t answer. I’d felt it for a while now; she seemed somewhat broken.

But I didn’t bother paying attention.

‘Whatever her circumstances may be.’

There was no reason for me to care. I had my own path to follow.

I turned my back. I put force into my feet.

I leaped towards the ceiling, which was no longer blocked.

Hwaruru!!

Sparks erupted, increasing my speed.

The destination was the Black Phoenix Palace.

It was where the General known as ‘Crow’ resided.

---

Thump.

Arriving at the location, I landed on the ground.

I recalled the flames enveloping my body and looked around. It took roughly two days to fly here.

Moving at top speed, I had reached my destination.

Unlike Mount Mareong, which was composed solely of rocks, the place I arrived this time was a space lush with vegetation.

In contrast to Mount Mareong, where not a trace of life could be felt, this place was teeming with the presence of living beings.

“Hmm.”

It was almost overwhelmingly vivid. I could feel the presence of insects down to the smallest detail. Compared to the near absence of presence in Mareong Village, it was almost uncomfortable.

‘…It’s very different from its name.’

Hearing it was called the Black Phoenix Palace or whatever, I expected it to be ruins or have an ominous vibe, much like Mount Mareong.

‘It’s just a forest?’

It looks like a perfectly ordinary forest. Could this really be the place where the Black Phoenix Palace is?

With doubts arising, I infused my energy and spread out my senses.

Hwaaaaaa—–!!!

My energy spread in all directions.

If the information the turtle gave me before was correct, he should be around here.

As I thought this, not long after spreading my senses, I caught something at the edge of my perception.

‘There it is… Hmm?’

Catching it was good, but… I frowned at the sensation I felt.

It seemed the same as last time, yet different.

I was surprised last time at Mount Mareong because there was no presence at all. But this time…

‘There’s a lot.’

Conversely, there were many presences.

And a hell of a lot of them, too.