The Sub-Teacher, Kang In-ho – 2

The banquet’s atmosphere grew increasingly lively, with the sounds of tipsy people singing echoing from various corners.

The cook, seemingly moved by the earlier incident, kept bringing me mountains of meat dishes.

Unable to ignore his sincerity, I sat there, obediently accepting and devouring the dishes he brought.

As a result, my stomach was so full it was uncomfortable even to sit still.

Once the meal was mostly finished, the Heavenly Demon introduced some of her close aides.

“I’ve already introduced her, but this is Youngma.”

Youngma greeted me once more, and I tried my best not to let my gaze linger on her attire.

Instead, I focused on her face, her sharply cut bob and stern expression making her look like a killing machine.

“This is Fist Demon.”

“Fist Demon at your service, Young Cult Leader.”

A handsome young man bowed deeply.

His bright, smiling face was the complete opposite of Youngma’s, and I had a feeling they were truly incompatible.

He rambled on about how happy he was to meet the Young Cult Leader, which the Heavenly Demon often mentioned, but his words were a series of things I couldn’t relate to, so I just offered appropriate responses.

“Fist Demon… so you use your fists?”

Suddenly curious, I asked, and he seemed so honored that I’d shown interest in him that he gestured exaggeratedly.

“That’s right! A man’s gotta use his fists! With these fists, I’ve crushed the skulls of those righteous bastards!”

As he re-enacted a straight punch as if reliving the memory, the wind generated by his fist struck my face.

“……..”

As Fist Demon flapped his clothes and started dancing, Youngma’s brow furrowed beside him, a secret only I noticed.

“This is the Chief Manager. He’s in charge of all the Cult’s affairs.”

The Chief Manager was a different kind of handsome than Fist Demon. If Fist Demon was cheerful, the Chief Manager was like a calm wave.

Most of all, his eyes were constantly smiling. What do you call that? Ah, slit-eyes. Yes, he’s a slit-eyed character.

“Chief Manager at your service. It is an honor to meet you, Young Cult Leader.”

His polite demeanor made me bow my head in response.

“If you have any questions about daily life, ask the Chief Manager.”

“Yes.”

“I shall take my leave. Chief Manager, once ‘preparations’ are complete, bring the Young Cult Leader to the Heavenly Demon Palace.”

“As you command.”

With those words, the Heavenly Demon rose from her seat.

Apparently, for the underlings to have fun, the higher-ups had to disappear quickly.

Suddenly, I was left alone at the banquet, sharing a few more drinks with the Black Heaven Cult’s People.

“Young Cult Leader, it is time for you to retire to your chambers.”

How much time had passed? As I tried to grasp my tipsy mind, the Chief Manager approached and spoke to me.

I staggered to my feet and left the banquet hall, receiving greetings from everyone.

The remaining people seemed intent on continuing the banquet. I distinctly heard Fist Demon raise his glass and shout, “Let’s drink till we drop tonight!”

Youngma said that all the high-ranking Cult’s People had gone to their chambers, so there was no need for her to stay any longer, and then she disappeared.

I followed the Chief Manager. It was a place that was familiar, in a way.

“This is the Disciple’s Palace. It will be where the Young Cult Leader will be staying from now on.”

The place where I first opened my eyes.

“But I remember there being a coffin here.”

At my awkward informal speech, the Chief Manager smiled.

“Originally, it was a place personally decorated by the Chairman to honor the Young Cult Leader’s spirit, but now that the Young Cult Leader has returned alive, how could we keep a coffin?”

“But I don’t see a place to lie down. Or, I don’t see one.”

“Ah, you will be sleeping elsewhere tonight. I only guided you here to introduce you to the place where you will be staying in the future.”

“Then where am I sleeping tonight?”

“First, you should take a bath. I will guide you.”

The bathhouse prepared in the Disciple’s Palace.

Just in case someone would come in to wash my body, I looked around, and the Chief Manager said apologetically.

“In the Chairman’s case, a servant would come in to help with the bath, but since the Young Cult Leader is a man, the Chairman has forbidden any servants from assisting with your bath.”

Well, it’s a problem if a woman comes in, and it’s an even bigger problem if a man comes in.

And entrusting my body to someone else is too big of a psychological barrier for me, with my modern way of thinking.

I let out a sigh of relief and washed my body thoroughly.

While traveling with Namgoong Soyeon, and while returning with the Heavenly Demon, I had washed my body with water from streams, but this was the first time I had properly washed since coming here.

I lathered up my body until it squeaked, and applied the incense-like things that the Chief Manager handed me at each step.

A fragrant scent naturally rose from my body.

“It’s been a while since I’ve taken a bath.”

As I stretched and spoke, the Chief Manager smiled gently.

“Now, I will escort you to your sleeping quarters for tonight.”

Following him with a small lamp, I left the Disciple’s Palace.

On the way, we encountered guards, who saluted smartly upon seeing the Chief Manager and me.

“Take care.”

At my meaningless words, they seemed moved and shouted loudly, “Have a pleasant night, Young Cult Leader!”

Their disciplined appearance didn’t seem like someone else’s business.

Judging by the direction the Chief Manager was heading, it seemed we were going to the building facing the Disciple’s Palace.

“How is it?”

The Chief Manager, matching my slow pace, asked.

Not understanding the intention of the question, I tilted my head, and he asked again.

“Do you find it beautiful?”

The same question as the Heavenly Demon. I nodded.

“It’s beautiful. The sunset I saw with Master on the way up, and the Black Heaven Cult’s buildings in the mountains.”

“I’m glad to hear that.”

He chuckled.

His appearance felt somewhat familiar, so I asked him his name.

“What is the Chief Manager’s name?”

“My name, you ask? Now that I think about it, I’ve only been called Chief Manager since taking on the position.”

“Were you called some kind of Demon before becoming Chief Manager?”

“That is so. But that is not my real name. Youngma, Fist Demon, Sword Demon, all of them are names they got after entering the Black Heaven Cult.”

Before becoming Chief Manager, he was called Poison Devil.

Poison Devil with that kind face, it was a bit unexpected.

What was his name before that? Curious, I asked him again.

“Jegal Hwi.”

He hesitated for a moment, then answered me with a ‘what the heck’ expression.

“Jegal as in…”

“That’s right.”

The Jegal Clan, isn’t that a prominent family? How did someone from the Jegal Clan end up in the Black Heaven Cult?

“Young Cult Leader. This place is where the abandoned gather.”

As if answering my question, he said quietly.

“Despised for being from a collateral line, harmed by the righteous sects’ power struggles, scorned for not having money, humiliated for not having backing… this Black Heaven Cult is made by loners gathering together.”

“……”

“In truth, we have no god we believe in. Black Heaven Cult is just the name of the gathering.”

“The name Heavenly Demon is also like that. What religious leader in the world would call themselves Heavenly Demon?”

Now that I think about it, that’s true. I know that Heavenly Demon is a term used by outsiders.

But the Heavenly Demon called herself Heavenly Demon.

“Because the hypocritical world calls itself evil, it calls itself Demon. That is the Chairman’s thought. In truth, this hypocritical and dirty world is evil.”

Because the hypocritical world calls itself evil, it calls itself Demon.

Namgoong Soyeon’s words, criticizing them as an unapproachable Demonic Cult, suddenly came to mind.

Could there have been a misunderstanding?

I thought briefly.

With the Chief Manager’s explanation, I didn’t say anything more in the somber atmosphere.

And so, we entered what seemed to be the largest building in this Black Heaven Cult.

For some reason, only the lamps were lit, and there were no servants.

The Chief Manager, who was walking ahead, stopped, and I stopped as well.

“Now, if you go straight ahead from here, you will find your sleeping quarters for tonight.”

As if he couldn’t go any further, he bowed and stepped back.

Thinking it was a unique etiquette of the Black Heaven Cult, I scratched my head and walked along the hallway.

At the end of the hallway, I opened the room closed with a sliding door. A sweet and sticky scent clung to my nose.

“You’ve finally arrived? It took longer than I thought.”

There, the Heavenly Demon was wearing thin clothes.

“No, what is this.”

Could it be, are we sleeping together?

Looking around, I was looking for another door, when the Heavenly Demon came and grabbed my shoulder.

“You’ve come to the right place. The Disciple’s Palace isn’t ready yet. So, you’ll be sleeping with me tonight.”

“No, Master. Logically… how can a man and a woman sleep together?”

I tried to shake off her hand, which was subtly stroking my shoulder, but her hand didn’t budge, as if entangled in tough Vines.

“Why can’t we sleep together? If two people are in tune, they do it outside too.”

“No, does sleeping together include that kind of meaning?”

“That’s right. Isn’t it obvious? Surely… you haven’t injured your lower body.”

“I’m perfectly fine.”

I flared up for a moment.

“Then what’s the problem?”

She looked at me with a truly uncomprehending face.

“Things like this should be done after getting to know each other better.”

“Is there a need to know each other better between us?”

Argument defeated 1.

“I don’t know about Master, but I have no memory…”

“I remember everything.”

Argument defeated 2.

“How can there be romantic feelings between a master and a disciple?”

“Look for such stuffy rules in the righteous sects.”

Argument defeated 3.

Her face was getting closer and closer.

She wrapped her hands around my neck and pulled me in.

-Smack.

Lips lightly touching lips.

The sensation I felt after a long time made me dizzy.

What color is my face now? Probably the color of a well-ripened persimmon.

The Heavenly Demon, who was enjoying the lingering feeling of the kiss with her eyes closed, wore a devilish smile.

She released her arms that had been wrapped around my neck and placed her hand back on my shoulder, bringing her lips close to my ear.

And she grabs my arm with one hand.

Led by her hand, my hand brushed against her thigh, and soon headed inside her.

“I am the one who has struck fear into the martial world, the Heavenly Demon. There is no one in the world who can surpass me.”

The sensation at my fingertips becomes sensitive.

Following her hand, I continue to move inward.

As if exploring a deep canyon, my hand goes deeper.

-Tap

At the end of the hot skin, my hand reached something moist and slippery.

“But this below is worse than a third-rate martial artist… tonight, I will give you the chance to defeat me.”

Breathing heavily, she whispered in my ear.