A World with Radishes and Cooperation-3

Namgoong Soyeon had said the village was close, but it was actually quite far.

I was already panting, struggling to keep up with her. She tilted her head and matched my pace.

“I thought you were a Martial Artist, but I guess I was mistaken.”

She must have thought I knew Martial arts because of the training marks on my body.

We camped out a few times on our way to the village, sitting by the fire and talking about various things.

Mostly, it was her rambling on her own. What could I possibly know about this place?

“By the way, Gang Gongja, what were you doing there in the first place?”

“Ah, that’s…”

I hesitated, then told her about the strange religious group.

Leaving out the part about possession and other nonsense, I said that I woke up in a strange place, ran away from suspicious Cult’s People, and fell off a cliff. Her eyes welled up with tears.

“Oh, my… How pitiful. You escaped from the clutches of the wicked Demonic Order.”

“Demonic Order?”

“Yes. The Demonic Order. A very evil group that shakes the Central Plains.”

If it was the Demonic Order, was she talking about the one with the Heavenly Demon?

“But, Namgoong Soyeon, why were you there?”

“Ah, I…”

She stared blankly at the flames and said,

“I was looking for the entrance to the Demonic Order to assassinate the Heavenly Demon.”

“Assassinate?”

“Eh… What’s with that face?”

“I don’t know much about the Heavenly Demon, but aren’t they incredibly strong?”

“They are, aren’t they?”

“You’re saying you’re going to fight the Heavenly Demon one-on-one?”

I was implying that she looked weak, and she puffed up her cheeks.

“How rude. Judging someone by their appearance is the mark of a complete amateur.”

“I’m not a Martial Artist, though?”

I retorted bluntly, and she made a face of realization and said, “Ah.”

She took out jerky, stuck it on a stick, repeatedly dipped it in the fire, and handed me a piece.

“But, you’re not going to the village because of me, are you? You said you came to meet the Heavenly Demon.”

I asked, savoring the hard, salty taste of the jerky, and she shook her head.

“No, there’s no way to enter from the outside because of the Mystic Formation, and more than anything, I received intelligence that the Heavenly Demon isn’t here.”

“I see…”

“Gang Gongja.”

She handed me another piece of jerky and said,

“Yes?”

“Would you like to go to the Martial Arts Alliance with me? I have a feeling that you have some connection to the Demonic Order. It’s just a hunch.”

If I parted ways with her, I would be even more lost.

If I could build a relationship with her until we reached the Martial Arts Alliance, maybe I could gain a foothold in this world.

That was my calculation.

“Yes. I was feeling lost because I couldn’t remember anything.”

The Heavenly Demon stood blankly for a long time, staring intently at the calligraphy.

“Cult Leader?”

The Chief Manager cautiously called out to her, but she didn’t respond.

How much time had passed? The Heavenly Demon opened her mouth.

“Youngma.”

“Yes.”

Someone wriggled out of the shadows in the corner of the palace.

“Did you see any traces?”

“Yes. I searched the area from the place where the intruder jumped off.”

“Did you find anything?”

“I found this a little further away.”

Youngma held a luxurious garment in his hand.

“……”

“Any other traces?”

“Judging from the lack of damage, it seems they changed into other clothes. The traces are about 5-7 days old.”

“I see. Chief Manager, where are the criminals?”

“They are in the execution ground now.”

The criminals were kneeling in the execution ground, bound.

Their faces turned pale with the appearance of the Heavenly Demon, and the one who seemed to be the leader among them slammed his head on the ground and shouted.

“Cult Leader! I’m sorry. It’s all my fault. Please, take my life alone…”

“Silence.”

It was a small voice, but everyone in the execution ground held their breath at her voice.

“So, you’re asking to be spared with your life alone.”

“……”

“To think you would dare to bargain with this Heavenly Demon, the Order’s discipline has fallen so low.”

“That, that’s not it.”

“Shut up.”

The Heavenly Demon slowly approached the leader and placed her hand on his shoulder.

“Originally, I was going to cut off your hands and pluck out your eyes.”

“……”

The leader trembled and looked up at her, and the hand holding his shoulder tightened.

-Crack

With a bizarre sound, his arm was torn off.

“Kuaaaaaaack!!!”

The beast’s scream echoed through the execution ground.

“Tearing off everyone’s limbs here wouldn’t soothe my heart… What should I do?”

She brought her palm to her cheek and said cutely.

It was a very troubled tone, but no one could look her in the eye.