Chapter 2 – The World Without Heavenly Demons (2)

Heavenly Demons. It’s a term that anyone who has read a martial arts novel would know.

No, it’s a term that appears even outside of martial arts novels. It’s just that it’s so cool, you can’t help but use it.

Calling the heavens demons? How can you resist that?

I agree that Heavenly Demons are badass in their own right. However, these days, there’s a slight feeling that they’ve been overused just because they’re cool.

In the past, Heavenly Demons appeared as the ultimate boss of absolute evil. They were charismatic villains.

But at some point, they started to become the protagonist, taking the route of being a necessary evil or even a good guy.

Recently, they just appear as heroines.

The villain who shouted about persecution and the desire to unify the martial arts suddenly transforms into a cute heroine?

It’s like my memories have been hit by a time-space beam… it’s so frustrating.

But still, Heavenly Demons are cool. Just putting Heavenly Demons in anything makes it cool.

There’s no need to mention Heavenly Demons’ Destruction or Heavenly Demons’ Reign, and Heavenly Demons’ Death Beam was thrilling in itself.

If only I had asked my master about the existence of demons in the demon realm when I learned martial arts from him.

Well, to cut to the chase, there are no demons in this martial arts world. I heard it from my master, who used to wander around the world when he was young, so it must be true.

“My name is Hong Yeon-hwa. Although I have lost my power now, I swear here that I am the 7th leader of the Heavenly Demon Religion and that I will definitely repay the debt I owe you in the name of the current Heavenly Demon.”

But now, someone who claims to be a Heavenly Demon has appeared in front of me.

And to make matters worse, it’s a woman who is my ideal type, shaking… no, pushing out her big breasts as she speaks.

There are three possibilities that come to mind right away.

1. She has memories of Earth like me.

2. There are demons hiding somewhere in this world.

3. She’s just crazy.

It must be one of these three.

However, I plan to leave my past life in the past. I’ve already died once and am living a new life here.

Longing for a past life that I can’t go back to will only make my current life miserable. …Honestly, my past life wasn’t that great either.

Don’t coin me….

I shook my head and pushed away the blue graphs that I had briefly thought of, then opened my mouth.

“Um, Hong soldier?”

“What?”

Her puzzled expression is somewhat cute.

“My name is Jin So-chan. But what is the Heavenly Demon Religion?”

“What? How can you not know about the religion? Are you living in some remote mountain, cutting off ties with the world…?”

“Well, this place is a bit remote, but it’s not that deep. I go down to the village once a week to buy necessary things, so it’s not like I’m completely cut off from the world.”

“But how can you not know about the religion? They may not have bothered the common people, but they destroyed the Wulin Alliance and shook the world.”

What nonsense. The Wulin Alliance is still doing well. Just last week, I saw some warriors from the Wulin Alliance drinking in the village.

I still remember their appearance, wearing clothes with big martial arts symbols on their backs, enjoying the attention of the people.

Anyway, it doesn’t seem like option 2. The way she confidently revealed her identity as a Heavenly Demon earlier, and if there really was a secret organization, the leader wouldn’t reveal their identity so easily.

Let’s think a bit more.

“Don’t say such big things. The Wulin Alliance is doing fine. If it disappeared, the bandits under Samaryeon would take advantage of the situation and who knows what kind of evil deeds they would commit.”

But Hong Yeon-hwa just tilted her head to the other side, looking puzzled.

“Samaryeon…? What kind of nonsense is that? And isn’t it the Wulin Alliance members disguised as the orthodox sect who commit evil deeds? I still remember the atrocities committed by Nam Gung-sega, which were worse than those of a dog.”

These days, the only stories about Nam Gung-sega are just rumors. Like how he suppressed a rebellion, or how his eldest son has great talent and will win the next Yongbongji meeting and receive the nickname “Sword Dragon,” or how they provided food to the Anhwi-sung area during last year’s famine.

There might be different stories behind the scenes, but all the rumors that I hear are just rumors.

At that, Hong Yeon-hwa frowned and started jumping up and down. She kept listing the evil deeds she had witnessed and punished herself.

Her shocking recitation of the Cheonin-gongno incident from the Gupha-ilbang was impressive, but I couldn’t concentrate on the content.

Thump thump.

Every time she jumped, her breasts shook freely.

Of course, the underwear here is not as good as those on Earth. The breast wrap doesn’t hold the breasts as well as modern bras do.

And the clothes Hong Yeon-hwa is wearing now are my clothes. The loose collar couldn’t withstand the movement of her breasts and was slowly opening up.

Her collarbone was already exposed, and it was gradually slipping down even further.

I can’t…take my eyes off…!

However, I couldn’t show any signs of suspicion, so I nodded my head with a serious expression.

“I see.”

“Hmm…if that’s the case.”

“No matter what, that’s a bit…”

I didn’t forget to make appropriate responses.

“…are you listening to my story?”

But it seems like I’ve been caught. Hong Yeon-hwa glared at me.

How…? I’m sure from her angle, she couldn’t tell if I was looking at her face or her chest.

No, now that I think about it, she doesn’t seem to care about her loose collar. Maybe my lack of reaction is the problem.

I’ve heard that a low-pitched voice gives a sense of trust. I opened my mouth with a calm voice.

“Of course, I was listening. As Hong So-jo said, the orthodox sect is undoubtedly a corrupt group, and the Wulin Alliance is doing fine.”

“That’s right! You heard me correctly! And the one who destroyed the Wulin Alliance is none other than the Heavenly Demon religion!”

Hong Yeon-hwa put her arms around her chest and raised them up, nodding her head proudly.

I only heard some parts, but I remember a few of them because she talked so much. But each one was really no joke.

Nam Gung-sega’s cattle were forced to commit crimes against helpless women and then killed to cover up the crimes.

At the Sachondang Gate, they kidnapped beggars and used them for human experiments.

The priests of the Hwasanpa were crazy about money and sold the surrounding villagers.

Just remembering these things is enough. At this point, it can be said that they are bastards disguised as the orthodox sect, just like Hong Yeon-hwa said.

Of course, only if Hong Yeon-hwa’s words are true.

If you listen carefully, many things were different in the details. The names of the characters, the names of the martial arts, and the members of the organization were all different.

It feels like they just adapted the martial arts novels sold on the street.

By the way, there are martial arts novels in this world too. Just like there were modern novels in modern times.

Anyway, since my reaction wasn’t cool, Hong Yeon-hwa thought for a moment and suddenly clapped her hands and pointed her finger.

“That’s right!”

“What?”

“That clothes!”

“Clothes?”

“The clothes that Lady was wearing! There’s a Heavenly Demon religion symbol embroidered on the sleeve!”

Is there such a thing…?

I handed her the well-ironed clothes as she requested. I just had them ready in case I needed to change clothes.

Hong Yeon-hwa unfolded the sleeve to check. It was a plain black outfit with no special pattern, but the fabric looked good. There was a unique pattern embroidered in red thread on the sleeve.

“This is it! This is the symbol of the Heavenly Demon religion! And this outfit! The Bo-ui made by the Cheonjamsa is the most precious item that only the leader can wear! This outfit symbolizes the existence of the Heavenly Demon religion and that I am the current Cheonma!”

Hong Yeon-hwa showed me the sleeve of the outfit with pride, having found what she was looking for.

Hmm…

I put on the most compassionate smile I could and spoke calmly.

“I understand. I believe that Hong So-jo is a Cheonma. From now on, I can call you Cheonma?”

“Do you believe me? There’s no need for that. I’m generous. I won’t demand too much respect from someone who is neither a member nor an enemy of the religion, so there’s no need to change your address now.”

“Okay, then…”

I nodded as if I understood, but I could see that Hong Yeon-hwa was still uneasy.

“Do you understand now? I have the ability to repay you as much as you want. By the way…”

I could sense what Hong Yeon-hwa was trying to say, which was quite different from her previous confident attitude.

Does she think she’ll kick me out if I have nothing to offer?

“You can stay here as long as you want and rest. It’s not deep in the mountains, but it’s still in the mountains. If you try to go down to the lower village in your current condition, you’ll collapse, and all my efforts to save you will be in vain, won’t they?”

“Th-thank you! I promise to repay your kindness.”

Hong Yeon-hwa’s expression brightened like a blooming flower. I smiled back at her.

“By the way…since we’re talking about it, can I call you something more comfortable than Hong So-jo?”

“Huh? Why are you suddenly saying that?”

To be honest, it’s harder than I thought to maintain this formal tone that doesn’t suit me. It hurts my throat to speak like this for too long.

There’s no such thing as an effortless coolness in this world…

Of course, I can’t say that, so I tried to beat around the bush.

“We’ll be seeing each other often, and if we keep up this formality every time, we’ll both get tired. Of course, Hong So-jo can also treat me comfortably.”

“I see…that’s true. I said that I don’t need too much respect, and above all, you’re my benefactor…Okay! I’ll allow you to call me something more comfortable.”

“Thank you.”

“Huh…?”

“You said I can call you something more comfortable, right? We look about the same age, so I was just trying to be more casual.”

“About the same age…?”

Hong Yeon-hwa looked like a startled pigeon. What’s so surprising? We’re just getting closer by dropping the formalities.

One of the reasons I saved Hong Yeon-hwa was to help someone in need, but another reason was that she’s my ideal type.

“I think we’ve wrapped up the conversation for now. Shall we eat something? Your body is still in bad shape, so I’ll make some soup for you. Just wait a bit,” I said, passing by Hong Yeon-hwa, who still had her mouth open.

***

As I chopped the wild boar meat I had hunted earlier and put it in the soup, I recalled the pattern I had seen on the sleeve earlier.

It was definitely the symbol of the Pungyu Sangdan, right?

It seemed like Hong Yeon-hwa was the third member, which meant she was a bit of an oddball.

…So what? She’s pretty and has big breasts, so it’s okay!

And considering what she went through at a young age, it’s no wonder her mind is a bit off.

The Pungyu Sangdan, which used to be thriving in this area until recently, was wiped out by a master of the Safa named Cheokan Geumgwi.