Absolute Regression

< Chapter 15: They All Look Equally Ugly >

Seo Daeryong, holding the dead crows, followed me with a puzzled expression.

“Hang it up there.”

Seeing Seo Daeryong’s eyes asking if I was serious, I firmly replied, “Hang it right in the center where it’s visible.”

I had Seo Daeryong hang the dead crows in the middle of the hallway where the Demonic Army most frequently passed.

Hearing the commotion, the Demonic Army swiftly gathered. Some showed curious expressions, but most frowned and cursed.

“Damn it! What is that?”

“Why the hell would you hang dead crows, bringing bad luck?”

“Is this some investigator’s trick?”

“Ugh, I had a bad dream last night too.”

“That spot’s perfect for hanging a torn-apart corpse, not a crow.”

They wore uniforms with numbers symbolizing each unit, so it was easy to tell. The Demonic Army from the First Division, who nearly clashed with me at the entrance earlier, were the ones swearing the most.

Though they didn’t directly mention me, cursing the Underworld Pavilion was essentially cursing me.

Just when the atmosphere became hostile, one person couldn’t hold back any longer and stepped forward.

“Isn’t this going too far?”

His voice echoed through the hallway.

“Who said that? You all look equally ugly.”

While everyone frowned, the man stepped forward again.

“I am Jangho, the Third Leader of the Demonic Army.”

Jangho was the largest among the Demonic Army. His muscular body looked as if it would burst out of his uniform, and the long scar running across his face was intimidating.

Seo Daeryong quickly sent me a message through sound transmission.

―Jangho, popularly called the Third Leader, is known to be the strongest martial artist between the six Division Leaders. His personality isn’t ordinary either.

Indeed, Jangho’s presence was overwhelming compared to everyone else there.

“What does Leader Jang find displeasing?”

“Do I really need to spell it out? Why would you hang something so ominous where people walk?”

“Isn’t it better than throwing them on someone’s bed?”

“Stop ruining everyone’s mood and punish the person who did this instead.”

I stared at Jangho quietly. He showed no intention of backing down. The powerful dark energy he emitted pressed down on both me and Seo Daeryong, momentarily taking our breath away. It was evident why he was regarded as the strongest among the Division Leaders.

“You make a valid point. Investigator Seo, take them down.”

“Yes.”

Seo Daeryong took down the hanging crows. The Demonic Army members watching him openly mocked him.

“Such a coward.”

“He’ll only listen when you beat him.”

“Does he even know where he is, acting so arrogant?”

Ignoring their blatant insults and laughter, we returned to the room.

As soon as he entered, Seo Daeryong asked, “Why did you hang up the crow’s corpses? If you were going to take it down so easily…”

His face was red with anger, his hurt pride evident.

“I wanted to find out who sent the anonymous letter.”

He asked, looking perplexed, “So, did you find out?”

“Yes.”

“What?”

Seo Daeryong’s eyes widened in disbelief.

“How?”

I looked at the crows and said, “Thanks to these guys. So go out and give them a proper burial.”

* * *

The next day, the full-scale investigation began.

I gathered the Demonic Army Third Division in one place. Since Jangho, the leader of that division, was involved in yesterday’s crow incident, his dissatisfaction was obvious.

“What is the meaning of this?”

“What do you mean? Haven’t you heard that I’m here to investigate?”

“Then why are you starting with us instead of the First Division?”

“Because I want to.”

“Are you holding a grudge over yesterday’s incident?”

“What happened yesterday?”

Jangho glared at me, biting his lip.

“You must submit all records. We will investigate your recent activities as well as all financial records.”

The Demonic Army Third Division members began to murmur. Even ordinary people would have some dirt if you dig deep enough, let alone the Demonic Army. To exaggerate a bit, the kindest person here would probably be a minor boss of some local gang.

Jangho shouted furiously, “Even if it’s you, you can’t do this!”

“Oh, but I can.”

Bang!

Jangho smashed the desk in front of me.

“Look, you’re free to get angry, but don’t forget that rebellion is a serious crime.”

At the mention of rebellion, a few members of the Demonic Army Third Division rushed over to restrain Jangho.

“Calm down, leader.”

“He’s not someone to deal with reasonably.”

I provoked Jangho even more.

“We’ll start the investigation with you, the leader.”

“Fine! Let’s settle this outside! All of you, leave!”

Powerful qi swirled around Jangho.

His subordinates tried to calm him down.

“Leader! You must not get agitated.”

“Don’t worry, just leave.”

“Yes.”

The subordinates glared at me with frightening eyes before eventually leaving the room. It was clear that they genuinely followed him with trust instead of fear and coercion.

After all the subordinates had left, Jangho spoke coldly.

“You will regret treating me like this.”

The scar across his face twisted even more grotesquely.

I silently observed Jangho before lowering my voice and quietly asking,

“How long will you keep testing me?”

Jangho flinched in surprise for a moment.

“What are you talking about?”

“You’re the one who sent the anonymous letter, aren’t you?”

Jangho’s pupils shook for a moment.

“What are you talking about?”

However, he wasn’t very good at lying. His voice trembled after his eyes did, and soon, Jangho admitted the truth.

“How did you know?”

The excitement in his voice dropped to a whisper, making him seem like a different person.

“Yesterday, you stepped forward in a situation where you didn’t need to. Wasn’t that to avoid the suspicion of the Demonic Army Commander?”

“That’s correct.”

“Also, your subordinates are the most disciplined among the Six Divisions. When attaching the crows, only your subordinates refrained from cursing or mocking. And just a moment ago, the way you stepped forward out of concern for them. As the saying goes, you can tell a lot about a person by observing just one of their actions. A person who runs an organization like this would find it hard to overlook corruption within it.”

In truth, that’s not entirely how I figured it out.

I realized Jangho was the one who sent the letter thanks to the message I received from Seo Daeryong when Jangho first appeared.

―Jangho, popularly called the Third Leader, is known to be the strongest martial artist between the Leaders. His personality isn’t ordinary either.

As soon as I heard that message, I remembered something from before my regression.

There had been an incident where one of the leaders of the Demonic Army died around this time. I remembered it particularly well because the leader who died was said to be the strongest among them. Why did someone with such strong martial arts die? I recalled pondering that question.

I was convinced that the person who died was Jangho. He must have sent the letter and tried to resolve the issue within the Demonic Army on its own when the investigation failed again, only to be killed by one of his colleagues.

Sure enough, Jangho was the one who sent the letter.

“I couldn’t include detailed information because I wasn’t sure if the letter would work.”

He suspected that even the Underworld Pavilion might be under the influence of the Blood Heaven Blade Demon.

“I never imagined that the Second Young Master would come out to investigate in person.”

“How did you feel when you heard I was coming?”

“Forgive me for saying this, but I thought we were doomed.”

I turned to look at Seo Daeryong and said,

“Is honesty trendy among young people these days?”

“You, young master, are younger than us.”

“Ah, right.”

After smirking, I asked Jangho,

“What on earth is going on here?”

“The Demonic Army Commander is using the Demonic Army for his personal gain.”

“How?”

The details Jangho shared were far more serious than I had imagined.

“He is accepting money to deploy his subordinates as assassins for hire.”

“What?”

Even I, who rarely gets surprised, was shocked. I had thought he might be taking bribes from some local sect. But a felony of this scale was something that should never have happened.

With masters like Demonic Army members moving, it wouldn’t be for small sums. They must be making a fortune.

Seo Daeryong asked in shock,

“How is that possible?”

“He uses vacation time or sends them under the pretext of special training.”

“Even so, it doesn’t make sense.”

Unlike Seo Daeryong, I realized there was only one way this could be possible.

“The entire First Division is involved.”

“How did you know?”

Jangho was astonished at my quick deduction.

“They were the first to stop us. They also cursed the most when they saw the crow corpses. When things happen, they move together seamlessly. Didn’t I mention this before? You can tell a lot by looking at one thing. Just by seeing the leader, you can figure it out. Now, how did you find out about this?”

“The warrior who killed the investigator and then committed suicide during the previous investigation was my friend. He was the one who sent the anonymous letter.”

“He didn’t commit suicide; he was forced to.”

“That’s right. He told me about sending the letter a few days before his death.”

In my previous life, I hadn’t known about this case. All I knew was about Jangho’s death. It means that this case had remained buried without being uncovered.

“How close were you to him?”

“We joined the cult at the same time. He was like family.”

“Why didn’t you reveal this back then?”

“After they killed my friend and the investigator, they monitored us so strictly that it was terrifying. We could barely breathe.”

“Who killed them?”

“I believe it was under the orders of the Demonic Army Commander, and that Godang, the leader of the first division, acted directly.”

If what Jangho said was true, this was a massive corruption scandal involving both Demonic Army Commander and the entire first division of Demonic Army. Including the murder of an investigator and the framing of the whistleblower, it was the largest crime in the history of our cult.

‘Did my father or Sima Myung not know about it?’

They must have had some suspicion. That’s why they sent me.

They sent me to test whether I could handle this situation against the Demonic Army Commander. Considering that I might die facing the Demonic Army Commander… it was quite harsh.

Father, the saying that a lion throws its cubs off a cliff to make them stronger is not true. When the cubs fall, the predator runs down swiftly to catch them and bring them back up!

I looked at Jangho and said,

“You had a good friend.”

“He was the good friend. If I were a good friend, I would have stepped up when he died.”

“That would have only made you a foolish friend.”

Not all members of the Demonic Army were scumbags.

Seo Daeryong, who had been watching, also seemed to be moved. The investigator who died in the previous investigation was a senior he respected.

Both of them had suffered the pain of losing someone close in that incident.

Looking at these two, I felt there was still hope for the ‘lost Demonic Path.’ The Heavenly Demon Divine Cult I envisioned was a place where people like them held important positions.

“Thank you for your courage.”

“I decided to trust you, young master, when you figured it out all at once.”

“It was a good choice. By the way, is there anything problematic if I dig through your records?”

“No. You can dig as deep as you want, and you won’t find a speck of dust.”

“Everyone has dust. Even things you don’t consider dust can be turned into dirt. But don’t worry. I won’t dig that deep.”

I opened the door and walked out. In the distance, the third division subordinates were waiting.

“Leader Jang has decided to hand over all records on your behalf. So, you can all go back.”

Jangho shouted in agreement with my performance.

“Just wait and see! If I am innocent, I will not stay silent.”

His eyes were filled with gratitude. By saying that he would take the investigation on behalf of his subordinates, he made them trust him even more. Jangho from my previous life had died, but the current Jangho would not die.

Saving those who shouldn’t die—this was the purpose of my return.

As I closed the door again, Seo Daeryong spoke to me.

“You seem quite different from what the rumors say, young master.”

“What are the rumors like?”

“Well…”

“Just be honest. You’re just relaying what you heard, right? It’s not your opinion.”

“They say you don’t fit the Heavenly Demon Divine Cult. I’m sorry.”

“It’s alright. That could be a compliment, couldn’t it?”

“Sorry?”

“Would it be a compliment to fit the current Divine Cult? I don’t think so. I believe ruling our cult through fear is an outdated idea. Our cult needs to change, don’t you think?”

Talking about change made a glimmer of light flash in Seo Daeryong’s eyes. However, he soon spoke in a somewhat gloomy tone.

“Change isn’t as easy as it sounds.”

“That’s right. It isn’t easy.”

“If you become the Heavenly Demon, will you try to change the cult?”

Of course.

If it doesn’t change, my family will be destroyed, and the cultt will be sealed off from the world. But instead of revealing my true thoughts, I said something else.

“Honestly, I’d rather travel around the Central Plains and have fun than become the Heavenly Demon.”

To some extent, I meant it. Once I killed Hwa Moogi, I planned to travel the Central Plains and enjoy myself to the fullest.

“Everyone else is willing to sell their souls to become the Heavenly Demon…”

“You think I’m being ungrateful, right?”

“I won’t deny it.”

“That’s because you’re a power-oriented person.”

“Me?”

He opened his eyes wide in apparent indignation, and I suddenly asked,

“Do you feel happy when you help someone?”

“…No.”

“Do you feel happy when you get promoted?”

“…Yes.”

Seo Daeryong sighed and then mocked himself.

“Oh, I guess I am a power-oriented person?”

“Everyone has different conditions for happiness. For some, it’s money or power. For others, it’s living quietly. And for some, it’s following chivalry.”

“Is it possible to be happy by practicing chivalry?”

“Does that sound insincere?”

“Yes.”

In my past life, I had encountered such a person. Someone who was so selfish that they wore the mask of chivalry to hide it, eventually deceiving even themselves. That person wasn’t virtuous but believed to the end that they were walking the path of chivalry.

Seeing such a person made me more uncomfortable than those who openly pursued ambition, but I didn’t intend to criticize them. That, too, was just a way of living.

“There are many people in the martial world who genuinely live by chivalry. There are people too great for us to measure with our small, soy-sauce-dish-sized hearts.”

He sighed after staring at me for a moment.

“I’m a power-oriented person, so… I don’t really get it.”

I chuckled as I looked at Seo Daeryong. To my peers, he might seem very annoying, but to me, this side of him appeared endearing.

“Stop the ill-fitting self-reflection. Go and dig up Jangho’s records. Like I said, do it moderately. And bring more investigators from the Underworld Pavilion. We need to create an atmosphere of a thorough investigation starting now.”

“Understood.”

I stood by the window and looked outside. At that moment, I saw the Demonic Army Commander standing by the window of the building opposite, staring in this direction. Our eyes met, but I pretended not to notice.

What I was looking at wasn’t the insignificant figure of the Demonic Army Commander, but rather the distant Heavenly Demon Pavilion that lay beyond.

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