Chronicles of the Demon Faction - Chapter 876



Only Noblemtl

Side story 226. The Magical Scripture and the Magical Realm (1)

“Hmm, the tea smells good.”

A cheerful smile appeared on Heo Seong-gwan’s face.

“I haven’t had time to leisurely drink a cup of tea lately. Seriously, I’ve never been this busy since I took the post of General. If I had to pick one, it would be similar to when the leader was fiercely planning his strategy before he ascended to the throne.”

He looked really tired as he sighed lightly and pressed his palms to his eyes.

But Baek So-dam was not fooled by Heo Seong-gwan’s words and actions.

He is a man who will do anything if necessary. He is the kind of person who pretends to be weak today, but tomorrow he will mobilize all available forces to kill his opponents.

Baek So-dam didn’t know if he was really tired or not. Furthermore, it didn’t really matter to him whether he was tired or not.

She simply loathed Heo Seong-gwan. She was surprised at herself for being able to keep a straight face while meeting him alone.

“A hundred won.”

“Please speak.”

“I know you’ve been feeling a lot of pain lately.”

It wasn’t recently. Baek So-dam had hated the snake named Heo Seong-gwan ever since he first rose to prominence in the military. Heo Seong-gwan would know that too.

“But please understand. It is really difficult to rule a new religion. Although I have become a general by the grace of the cult leader, I have never once thought that I was the best.”

“Is that so?”

“That’s right. That’s why you have so many soldiers under your command. I think this is probably the first time in the history of our school that we have had this many soldiers in our military department.”

That was true.

But it wasn’t because Heo Seong-gwan lacked ability. Of course, he was a small-minded person who used his natural intelligence for collusion, but he wasn’t a piece of shit who was greedy and had no ability.

The reason why the military department was greatly expanded was purely for Heo Seong-gwan’s own benefit.

The position of General of the Armed Forces is a position of supremacy, but it is also a position that few people can fill for their entire life due to the enormous responsibility and workload.

Heo Seong-gwan was a man who had no intention of dying quickly because of his work. Rather, he was a corrupt man in power who tried to use his power over all people to get whatever he wanted.

But like it or not, the new religion had to run properly. Heo Seong-gwan selected a lot of talented people to do his work for him. Naturally, the work he did for him included bribery.

Thanks to this, the military department of the Shinto religion at that time boasted the largest size in history.

“There are many people who help me despite my shortcomings, but as the head of the military department, I have to do my job properly so that the new religion can run smoothly and the soldiers can do their work with peace of mind.”

Heo Seong-gwan burst into hearty laughter.

“I’ve been a bit lazy lately. So, I’ve been working on a lot of different things lately.”

“… … .”

“I miss my youth. I had good stamina back then.”

Baek So-dam laughed at him inwardly.

If we’re talking about stamina, it would be much better now that I’ve been doing my job properly, taking good elixirs, and learning first-class magic from the new religion.

Even if his physical strength had declined, it would not have been because he worked hard. It would be a much more credible inference to assume that his physical strength had declined because he built a palace that no one knew about and had been hanging out with many beauties there.

“I plan to increase the time I have for tea with the civil war officials in the future. Of course, I call them every once in a while for a meeting, but wouldn’t it be better to have them come and have a brief chat so that the new religious rule can run more smoothly?”

“Your Majesty the General.”

“hmm?”

Baek So-dam put down her teacup and asked calmly.

“Why did you come to me?”

Heo Seong-gwan showed his open disappointment.

“Haven’t I told you everything? There must be another reason. Baek Won-ju is the one who controls the finances of our school. I thought that I should take care of Won-ju more than anyone else.”

“Is that so?”

“It seems like I have a strong dislike for Wonju.”

Heo Seong-gwan burst into hearty laughter.

“Is it because of the criminal law incident? If you still can’t forget that, then I have nothing to say. And you, even now, thinking about it, you went too far.”

“I know I just left, and it’s ridiculous to like or hate someone more because of something that’s already over.”

Baek So-dam’s eyes sank.

“I’m just curious as to why the General came to see me.”

“Should I tell you again what we just talked about?”

“Why did you come?”

Heo Seong-gwan, who had been quietly watching Baek So-dam, smacked his lips.

“Well, since you don’t believe me that much, I guess I have nothing more to say.”

“… … .”

“But don’t misunderstand. Since you asked so mischievously, I thought that bringing up a topic that had nothing to do with the purpose of the conversation would make it go more smoothly, so I thought I’d ask you one thing.”

“Yes, that’s right.”

“The military has been having a headache lately because of one bad rat.”

“… … .”

“Of course, it would be embarrassing to tell Wonju about the military affairs. It’s not a good look to be pulling out your hair because you can’t catch a single rat.”

So this was it.

Baek So-dam quenched her thirst with tea without saying a word.

Heo Seong-gwan asked secretly.

“That rat was so fast that even the military couldn’t see it clearly. But then, at some point, it turned into an exorcist, which surprised me greatly.”

“… … .”

“I heard that you’ve been to Hwanheewon a couple of times. Do you know about it?”

Baek So-dam smiled bitterly.

“If you do that, I am the head of Hwanheewon, so how can you not know that?”

At that moment, Heo Seong-gwan’s eyes flashed.

“Why didn’t you tell me? Even if you don’t know the situation at headquarters, you should know that he caused an accident.”

“Your Majesty the General.”

“You alone would not have committed such a crime because of personal feelings… … I wonder if there might be some other intention that I don’t want to imagine.”

“Your Majesty the General.”

“Please speak.”

Baek So-dam swung her sword with a calm expression.

“Why did you bring up something that is not the work of the Hwanheewon and accuse me of not doing it?”

Heo Seong-gwan’s eyes narrowed.

“That is a statement that is hard to overlook. He was clearly a criminal. Who would let a criminal wander around the school? This is not the work of the Hwanheewon, but rather something that is natural for a Mine… .”

“I have never heard of any public announcement that he was a sinner.”

That was actually the case.

Heo Seong-gwan hoped that this situation would be resolved quietly within the military. So, after dismissing Seo Pil, he beheaded him in an attempt to regain the trust of his subordinate soldiers.

But Seopil escaped in an incredible way. He even took the documents containing the military department’s corruption with him.

Heo Seong-gwan realized that fact rather late. It was because he had something to do, but he was shocked to a degree that cannot be described as bone-aching.

However, he could not declare Seopil a criminal because some of his subordinate soldiers knew that Seopil had stolen several confidential documents from the military and ran away.

The human mind is truly treacherous. The soldiers wanted to kill Seo-pil to see if the commander-in-chief was strong-willed. However, if he tried to capture Seo-pil by force, he would doubt his ability.

That is, he wants to bury Seo-pil on his own without having to involve the criminal party or others.

And it was the same for Heo Seong-gwan. He needed to clearly impress upon his subordinates his power and authority. If he could not catch even one little rat and dragged in the criminal party, what would be the honor of the military commander?

For such a complex yet simple, childish yet difficult to overlook reason, Seopil was not officially convicted of a crime.

Furthermore, if he were to be convicted, it would also be officially acknowledged that the military had taken bribes. The military had a clear reason to deal with Seo-pil quietly.

‘Of course, if it was really dangerous, we wouldn’t have wasted time like this.’

If the confidential documents he had stolen were enough to shake his position to its core, Heo Seong-gwan would have also acted urgently.

The confidential documents that Seopil stole could cause significant damage to the reputation of the military and the General Military. However, it was also information that would surely fade away as time went by, even for those who remembered that such a thing had happened.

That’s why Seopil is so great.

He knew exactly whether or not he was officially a sinner depending on what he did.

That’s why Baek So-dam also didn’t accept the confidential document that Seo Pil handed her. She didn’t want to get entangled in it for no reason, and she couldn’t burn it even if it was enough to stain Heo Seong-gwan’s collar.

“Hmm.”

Heo Seong-gwan, who had been glaring at Baek So-dam with narrowed eyes, soon raised both his hands.

“Okay. I lost. I tried to show off, but you ended up embarrassing me.”

Baek So-dam smiled coldly.

If even a tenth of what she had done had been true, she would have killed herself. It was shocking how shameless she was to say such things, despite her shameful actions.

“Let’s talk frankly. Can you please arrest him and bring him in front of me?”

Baek So-dam tilted her head.

“I don’t understand.”

“I can’t understand you either. If you could just let go of that stiff pride a little, everyone would be at ease.”

“If the General decides to take action, isn’t it possible to catch a single rat? Even without moving the criminal court, isn’t it possible with the General’s power?”

Heo Seong-gwan smiled bitterly.

“You bastard. If that were possible, would I have come to you, who looks at me with such a prickly gaze, and complained? Of course, it was nice to look at your beauty.”

“Do you think I can do the impossible, Your Majesty?”

“You are stronger than him. In martial arts and power.”

“I think I should just give you back what you said.”

Heo Seong-gwan shook his head.

“There are many things you don’t know. I can’t tell you everything. Do you understand?”

“Wouldn’t it be enough to just run Milmajo? After all, it’s an organization that operates under the ‘official’ orders of the military.”

“Milmajo is currently out of school.”

Baek So-dam sighed.

“Aren’t there many elders you are friendly with?”

“You’re talking dangerously. Ask those old men for a favor? Whether it’s a public favor or a private favor, the moment I come into contact with those old men, it becomes politics.”

To be exact, the mere fact that he bows his head once will have a negative impact on the military.

Baek So-dam shook her head.

“I’m sorry, but we are very busy right now.”

“I know. And you probably won’t grant my request unless it’s really necessary.”

“Then how… … ?”

“How about this?”

Heo Seong-gwan smiled and clapped his hands together.

“Is there anyone you’ve been eyeing recently?”

“… … !”

“I won’t touch him for the next three years. In any way.”

“… … .”

“What do you think? Are you willing to make a deal?”