novelraw Chapter 69
Chapter 69
Chapter 69
The attendant looked to be about thirty, and the owner in his late fifties; for a moment, the thought occurred that the two might be father and son. The look of concern in the owner's eyes was not one of merely worrying about an inn attendant.
“Bolt the door and hang a sign saying we are closed for the day.”
When Cheon Ha-seong spoke to the inn owner, he immediately bowed his head and shut the door. Seeing him speak like this, he had thought that there might be a chance his life would be spared.
“I will not take your lives for no reason. However, know that if you try any foolish tricks, I will cut down your necks without mercy. You must have already guessed to some extent, so you must have also thought of trying something foolish, but we are followers of the Divine Cult. And you are what would be called high-ranking people in the Divine Cult.”
At Cheon Ha-seong's words, the color drained from the two men's faces. They had been surprised at first, but listening to his words, it felt as if their minds had gone completely blank. They knew very well how dangerous it was to be branded as part of the demonic path in the current situation, so it was only natural.
Cheon Ha-seong took out a small booklet from his clothes, then went to where the inn owner was and stuck it in a gap on a shelf.
“They say that if the scriptures of the Divine Cult are discovered, that household cannot be forgiven. The same goes for a place that possesses a demonic arts manual.”
Saying that, Cheon Ha-seong smiled meaningfully.
Hearing his words, it seemed it was either a scripture of the Divine Cult or a demonic arts manual.
In truth, it was just a storybook of a so-so nature that someone had left in a room, but there was no way for the owner to know that. If asked why he had bothered to take it, let's just say it was foresight in preparation for such an event in the future.
The inn owner wanted to take it at once, remove it, and burn it, but he couldn't, because Cheon Ha-seong was standing there, blocking the way so frighteningly.
“If you just do as you're told, you will suffer no loss. We will pay for what we have eaten and slept, and after we leave, you will be able to resume business as normal. Though I don't know if you'll be able to do good business after a rumor spreads that it's an inn run by the demonic path.”
The inn owner shook his head as if he were half out of his mind.
“No, sir. Absolutely not. We cannot handle such a thing!”
Cheon Ha-seong smiled bitterly.
Seeing their actions, it seemed there were not a few followers of the Divine Cult who had been captured here after being reported by them.
“Say no more. I have warned you enough. The warning will end with this one time. If I seem like a person who only makes grandiose speeches, I can prove to you that is not the case.”
At that, the two men shook their heads as if they had made a promise.
“We do not think so. We understand that you, Sir Warrior, are by no means a person who would speak carelessly.”
At that, Cheon Ha-seong nodded and said to the attendant.
“Go upstairs and tell the people to come down and eat comfortably. It must be an ordeal to eat in a cramped room. Don't try any foolish tricks; just stand on the stairs and call up to them.”
In any case, his tone of voice had softened compared to the informal way he had been speaking just a moment ago.
The attendant, as if thinking he could keep his life as long as he listened well, did as Cheon Ha-seong had ordered.
A moment later, people poured down from the upper floor. They seemed to find it strange that only the inn owner and the attendant were on the lower floor, with no other customers.
Cheon Ha-seong briefly explained the situation and had them eat comfortably there.
The inn owner and the attendant seemed quite worried that they too would be branded as followers of the Divine Cult, but that sight could only look displeasing to Cheon Ha-seong.
In any case, because of that, the followers were at least able to rest comfortably inside the inn. And Cheon Ha-seong was able to order the attendant to do various things.
“I will give you money, so go out and buy a carriage. Wouldn't it be better for us to leave even a little bit sooner?”
“A carriage… you say? If someone like me suddenly buys a carriage, people will immediately find it strange. What need would an inn attendant have for a carriage? If I try to buy a carriage, they will think I am trying to flee in the middle of the night. Although for someone like me, a single cart would probably be enough to flee in the night.”
“Then wouldn't it be best to act in a way that doesn't arouse suspicion?”
The attendant made a tearful face as he looked at Cheon Ha-seong, who spoke coldly as if it were none of his business. Then, as if thinking it was useless to talk to this man, he spoke with his father.
The inn owner recalled everyone he knew and sorted out the most trustworthy among them.
“Go to him and ask him to buy a carriage for you. Then others will not be too suspicious. He will do it if you say I sent you. How much free alcohol and free food has he eaten at our inn until now?”
After many twists and turns, the attendant went out, and the people waited, worrying whether things would go well as they had thought. However, the attendant who had gone out with such difficulty returned not long after.
It looked as if there was not a drop of blood in his face, and in that state, he poured out his words urgently to Cheon Ha-seong.
“Dozens of martial artists from the Azure Sea Sect are swarming outside. They are going everywhere, pushing and hitting people, and demanding something. So I couldn't go out to the street and came back.”
If those were the circumstances, Cheon Ha-seong could not continue to press him.
“It seems we did well to bolt the door early today. If we had needlessly left the door open and the Azure Sea Sect martial artists had come in, they would have ruined the business and destroyed the inn.”
The inn owner, who was speaking to his son, quietly glanced at Cheon Ha-seong. It seemed he was thinking that he had inadvertently received Cheon Ha-seong's help.
“It would be best not to trust those people. They will only use you; they will not protect you. I believe you are not unaware of that.”
“The stomach's needs come first, so what can we do but live, sir?”
The inn owner said, as if to say they already knew all that, but there was no other way.
If it had been Cheon Ha-seong alone, it would not have been difficult to slip out of the inn, avoiding people's eyes.
But the many followers of the Divine Cult were the problem. And that was not all; there was another new problem.
Seeing the martial artists of the Azure Sea Sect stirring things up like that, it seemed they had found out that their colleagues had not returned.
He was also worried that their anger might be directed at the other followers of the Divine Cult.
“Do you know where the other Divine Cult followers live?”
When Cheon Ha-seong asked, the Divine Cult followers each told him what they knew.
Cheon Ha-seong looked at them, thinking it was not a matter to be postponed any longer.
“Hold out as long as you can with the swords I gave you yesterday. If you act like no one is inside and don't open the door, you should be able to hold them off to some extent. They won't bother trying to break in here when there are other places they can enter easily.”
Cheon Ha-seong spoke to each person, then looked at the inn owner.
“If these people are all safe when I return, I will give you thirty taels of silver. However, if even one person is injured or dies, I will find all of your families and relatives and kill them all. When you see me then, you will realize that the stories you have heard about the followers of the Divine Cult were not nearly enough.”
The inn owner nodded with a terrified face. It seemed he was now so scared that he couldn't even dare to have any foolish thoughts.
Before leaving the inn, Cheon Ha-seong looked at the people there. Just a day ago, their faces had been devoid of all will and filled with fear, but not anymore. They had never seen someone go to such lengths for them before, so they were deeply moved. And their determination to protect themselves had also grown.
“Please don't worry about us and have a safe trip, Head Instructor. Please take care of yourself. Thank you so much for helping us. Even if we were to die here, we will never resent you. And at that time, I think we will be able to die peacefully. Until now, we had a small, impious feeling of resentment towards the Demonic God, but now we will never do so again. Because the Demonic God has sent you, Head Instructor.”
Cheon Ha-seong felt it was a pity to hear those words.
“Do not think such things. You must see the Cult Leader. He is a truly good person. And the Young Supreme One is good too. They will also be happy to see you all. You must meet them, so be brave and endure.”
The Divine Cult followers who were there nodded with eyes full of emotion.
If there was someone who worried about their well-being to such an extent, they too decided they would gladly try to be strong.
From then on, an intense time passed for Cheon Ha-seong. He went to the places the people had told him about.
Each location was far from the others, so even if he found them, a good idea of what to do right away did not immediately come to mind. In any case, they all had to head to the Hundred Thousand Great Mountains eventually, and it was best to gather at the inn where the others were gathered.
‘If there are no injured people and moving is not difficult, it would be best to have them move there…’
Because the unexpected matter had grown so large, Cheon Ha-seong's worries grew.
He had only ever been a Head Instructor at the Martial Arts Academy; this was the first time he had experienced such a thing. He had never even thought about it in advance, so it felt as if his head wasn't working properly. However, since thinking such thoughts would be of no help anyway, he launched his body forward without hesitation.
Just then, a familiar person came into Cheon Ha-seong's sight.
It was his first time leaving the Divine Cult, so it was a strange thing to see someone he knew. But he had met the first person he had befriended in this place.
“Chef Paeng?”
As Cheon Ha-seong approached and called out, Paeng Ga-jong was startled and looked back.
Come to think of it, he was on the way to Cheonghaeru.
“Manager, where have you been? I was very worried, thinking something might have happened.”
“Something did.”
“Did you by any chance rescue those people?”
When he asked cautiously, Cheon Ha-seong answered with a nod of his head.
“Then is the disappearance of the Azure Sea Sect's martial artists also related to you, Manager?”
“It is. I had no other choice. They were bastards who deserved to die, and I do not regret it.”
Paeng Ga-jong looked at Cheon Ha-seong with eyes full of awe. This person seemed to have not the slightest hesitation in carrying out what he believed was right.
And if Cheon Ha-seong said so, then they must have really done something deserving of death. Hadn't he also known well of the Azure Sea Sect's usual conduct?
When Paeng Ga-jong asked where he was going, Cheon Ha-seong looked at him as if he had just remembered.
“Chef, is there by any chance a way to procure a carriage?”