Chapter 341:  A New Era (2)

The succession ceremony had begun.

When the Master of the Demonic Pavilion, who also served as the High Priest, waved the enormous black banner, those waiting in position began beating the drums all at once.

Doom! Doom! Doom! Doom!

With the sound of the drums, the next phase of the ceremony proceeded.

Whoosh!

Crackle!

The braziers placed all over the peaks ignited.

This fire was not ordinary; it was the Blue Flame used in special rituals practiced by the Heavenly Observers of the Demonic Pavilion.

If I were to briefly summarize the procedure of the succession ceremony, it went like this:

They would perform ten rituals passed down from the ancient Sun and Moon Divine Sect in sequence.

After that, they would don the three sacred artifacts symbolizing the Cult Leader’s authority—

the Heavenly Demon Seal,

the Heavenly Demon Divine Sword,

and the Black Dragon Ascension Robe —

and then circle the Eight Great Demon Peaks once.

That marked the end.

Well, I said "briefly summarize," but it wasn’t as easy as it sounded.

It was a grueling task just to endure the ridiculously complex rituals.

After all, there had been Cult Leaders in history who were assassinated while circling the Eight Great Demon Peaks.

But Cheon Yura and I skillfully leaned on each other and carried out the ceremony together.

I, as the Demonic Faction Lord, stood by her side for the first time in centuries, kneeling on one knee before her and pledging my loyalty.

‘Hmm, it’s a bit disappointing.’

This ceremony wasn’t a wedding, and it certainly wasn’t something conducted on equal footing.

Whether as the Demonic Faction Lord or whatever else, I was still nothing more than someone who served the Cult Leader.

It was closer to an appointment than a marriage.

Facing my bowed head, Cheon Yura personally placed the crown awarded to the Demonic Faction Lord upon me.

Well, a crown wasn’t a bad recognition.

After all, she was also wearing the matching crown that symbolized us as a pair.

Thus, the ceremony continued for the entire first half of the day.

Heavenly Researcher, the Lord of the Heavenly Demon Pavilion, draped the Black Dragon Robe over her shoulders, and the Great Elder, Cheon Yeongha, humbly presented the Heavenly Demon Seal while bowing low.

By the time all ten rituals, including several whose purpose was unclear, had concluded, it was well past noon.

The Master of the Demonic Pavilion once again roared at full strength to declare the enthronement of the new Cult Leader.

Once again, the heavens and earth trembled with roaring cheers.

“Let’s go, Jin Yeomyung.”

Already seated on the massive palanquin reserved for the Cult Leader, she reached her hand out to me.

We would now ride this palanquin to make a full circuit of the Eight Great Demon Peaks.

“…Alright.”

I chuckled softly and took her hand.

As soon as I climbed onto the palanquin, all the Guardian Lions surrounded it with an impenetrable formation.

Some distance away from the Ascending Demon Peak where the succession ceremony was being held.

Of course, with that "some distance" being over ten li, there was no way an ordinary person could witness this.

However, for the two standing here—people who clearly exceeded the bounds of ordinary—it wasn’t all that difficult.

“Oh, they’re moving.”

Detecting the massive shift in the crowd, So Cheon muttered in admiration as he watched the ceremony’s conclusion.

It suddenly hit him—his friend had truly become someone of great stature.

“Ugh, does this mean I have to start speaking formally to Myeong from now on? I really don’t like that…”

So Cheon grumbled and pouted his lips.

For someone like So Cheon, who lived recklessly, this was actually quite a serious matter.

After all, Jin Yeomyung was still the same tyrannical employer who bossed him around.

Just a week ago, he had nearly died catching two runaway assassins all by himself.

‘Hmm…’

But So Cheon couldn’t keep complaining out loud.

“……”

Ever since the ceremony had begun, the person next to him had been exuding an increasingly uncomfortable aura.

Knowing the reason behind that discomfort, So Cheon couldn’t dare to bring it up.

Trying to lighten the mood, he had kept chatting by her side, but her expression didn’t change one bit.

Eventually, So Cheon couldn’t stand it any longer and asked directly.

“Uh… are you alright?”

“……”

Only after a long pause did a response finally come.

“…What if I’m not?”

“…Hmm.”

So Cheon awkwardly scratched the back of his head.

For some reason, he couldn’t bear to keep watching the twin-tailed woman staring off into the distance, her face full of regret.

So Cheon pulled something out from his robe and tossed it to her.

“Drink this.”

She instinctively caught the round white porcelain bottle and tilted her head.

“…Is this alcohol?”

“It’s pretty strong.”

She clicked her tongue softly.

“You stole this from somewhere, didn’t you?”

Even though she felt like trash, she was certain this porcelain bottle hadn’t come into his hands through legitimate purchase.

“Can’t you just drink it without asking?”

“Hmph.”

She snorted softly and casually popped the stopper.

A pungent, unfamiliar scent of potent liquor immediately hit her nose.

Had it not been for the accompanying floral fragrance, she would have grimaced on the spot.

“This is… Thousand-Day Brew, isn’t it?”

So Cheon shrugged.

“Heh, it’s rarer and more expensive than most fine liquors.”

As he said, Thousand-Day Brew was notorious for its strength but was just as renowned for its rarity and price, rivaling the finest spirits.

“Ha…”

Without hesitation, she tilted the bottle and poured it down her throat.

“Whoa, whoa?! You’re not supposed to drink it like that!”

Thousand-Day Brew was dangerous enough that an ordinary person could die from drinking it carelessly.

Of course, a top-level martial artist wouldn’t die from a little poison or strong liquor.

But still, the sensation of her throat and stomach burning should have been overwhelming!

Gulp, gulp!

But she stubbornly downed nearly half the contents before pulling the bottle away from her lips.

"Kuuuuh!"

"Are… are you alright, Lady Baek?"

Baek Sang-ah shot a half-lidded glare at me.

"If I said I wasn’t… what would you do?"

She used the exact same words as before, not missing a single syllable… but somehow, her tongue sounded a little twisted this time.

"Uh, um…."

"Ha, seriously… I feel like crap, and there’s no way to explain it."

Baek Sang-ah suddenly turned her head to the side and spoke.

"You too, right?"

"……."

Where her gaze landed, Sa Biyeon stood, accompanied by a few martial artists.

Sa Biyeon glanced back and forth between us before letting out a quiet sigh.

"I heard two unidentified experts showed up at the main house’s intelligence division, their martial level unassessable… so it was you two?"

Baek Sang-ah raised one corner of her mouth and tossed over a sealed bottle.

"Enough talk. Here, drink this. You can’t be in a good mood either, can you?"

"……."

Sa Biyeon caught the bottle Baek Sang-ah had thrown.

It was obviously a liquor bottle.

Normally, she would have scolded Baek Sang-ah for drinking on duty.

But—

Pop!

The resealed bottle’s stopper popped off with ease, releasing its contents once again.

Though the pungent aroma should have assaulted her senses, Sa Biyeon tilted the bottle and drank the Thousand-Day Brew without hesitation.

"Uh, what…?"

I watched her with wide eyes.

She had just appeared out of nowhere, and now she drank something without even checking what was inside?

‘Do they share some kind of silent understanding I don’t know about?’

While I was still wondering, Sa Biyeon downed the Thousand-Day Brew and let out a soft chuckle.

"…Not bad."

The liquor must have been potent because a faint blush began to color her cheeks.

But that was all.

"This isn’t enough, though… What do you say?"

Baek Sang-ah stood up and spoke.

"I doubt your master wants to be disturbed by anyone tonight."

"……."

True enough.

Although today marked her first day as Cult Leader, it was also, in another sense, our first night as a married couple.

And since we had unintentionally interrupted them several times before, even more so now.

More than anything, I just wanted to calm this restless feeling that wouldn’t settle.

"Well, I guess it’ll be fine."

"It’ll be the first time I’m drinking properly with you. Will I finally get to see the Sa Clan’s famed drinking prowess?"

"After I returned from Qinghai Province, I did spend some time at the main house. You won’t regret this."

The two women bonded over their shared resolve.

"Uh, hey? Lady Baek? Lady Sa Biyeon?"

Watching their backs gradually grow distant, I blinked in disbelief.

"…And what about me?"

The main house was closed, and I couldn’t enter the Jin Clan anymore.

I didn’t feel like going to the Underworld King’s Unit’s training ground where So Soryu was.

But if I recklessly barged into the Heavenly Demon Pavilion where Jin Yeomyung was staying tonight…

‘I might really die….’

I had no doubt that multiple blades would fly for my neck.

In the end, I had only one option left.

"Guess I’ll head to the Tower of Demonic Heaven…"

If Bu Il-hwa, the owner of the Tower of Demonic Heaven, was around, I was ready to cling to her for dear life.

***

Night had fallen deep.

It was already well past midnight, yet the fires across the Eight Great Demon Peaks still burned brightly.

Cheon Yura and I had been showered with one-sided cheers and praise so loud that my ears still rang after making a full circuit of the peaks.

Some people had even clung to cliffs where no paths existed, screaming our names….

Honestly, I had felt a little overwhelmed by their madness.

Anyway, after making the rounds until late into the night, I finally returned—

‘So this is how it ends, huh.’

After parting with Yura, I had holed myself up in the private residence prepared for me inside the Heavenly Demon Pavilion.

Though they called it a residence, it was more like a massive mansion with a vast garden and dozens of servants.

It wasn’t all that different from staying at the main house of the Demonic Heaven’s Jin Clan.

‘Damn it! I’d actually been looking forward to a sweet, romantic first night….’

I tried my best to suppress the rising disappointment.

That’s when—

"Jin Yeomyung, are you in there?"

Startled!

I abruptly sat up at the voice calling from outside my door.

"…Yura?"

It wasn’t someone imitating her voice. I could clearly sense Cheon Yura’s presence.

When I opened the door, there she was, standing right before me.

"Weren’t you supposed to be meeting with the former Cult Leader?"

At my casual speech, I noticed the Right Guardian behind her flinch slightly.

But it seemed like he had already given up.

"Yeah, I was."

Cheon Yura nodded softly.

"Then why…?"

She hadn’t participated until the very end of today’s succession ceremony.

She had probably reached her limit.

To be honest, if I had seen him again, I might have punched him in the face regardless of success or failure.

I had expected her to go and receive guidance or teachings from the now former Cult Leader, Cheon Taejong.

But then, she grabbed my hand and urged me to follow.

"Come with me. It’s ready now!"

"…What’s ready?"

It was already past 2 a.m.… What could possibly be ready at this hour?

"Isn’t it obvious?"

For some reason, Cheon Yura’s face and voice sounded unusually excited.

And then she spoke, softly but with immense weight.

"Our wedding ceremony."

“…A wedding ceremony?!”

“Come on, let’s go. Father is waiting.”

Father, not the former Cult Leader.

That one word she used carried an oddly heavy meaning.

I got dragged by Cheon Yura into a black carriage, as if I had been abducted.

She sat beside me and spoke.

She still seemed a little excited.

“I heard that normally, weddings aren’t held separately like this.”

“…That’s true.”

“But the day before the succession ceremony, Father said he wanted to prepare a small wedding for you and me inside the Heavenly Demon Pavilion.”

He had prepared a wedding for us?

“The ceremony we had this morning definitely felt more like an official declaration of hierarchy than a real marriage.”

I silently nodded in agreement.

So, she had felt the same way I did.

“That’s why, apparently, when Father went through the succession ceremony in the past, he held a private wedding like this with Mother afterward.”

Cheon Yura covered the back of my hand with hers and spoke softly.

“This time, it’s truly about you and me becoming family.”

“…!!”

Family.

From my first life until now, I had never really placed much meaning in that word.

Jin Gun-ak had felt more like a business partner than a father.

My mother had secluded herself deep inside the clan’s inner quarters since my childhood, making her nearly impossible to meet.

And while I had managed to suppress my younger sibling for now, even in my past life, he had growled like a beast trying to devour me.

Feeling something like family in the Demonic Heaven’s Jin Clan had been pretty much impossible.

But the moment I heard those words from her.

Something began to boil deep in my chest, like a volcano coming to life.

And strangely enough…

I didn’t hate the feeling at all.

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