Absolute Regression

Chapter 610: The Heavenly Demon is Overworked

At the sound of the bell ringing in the distance, Geom Mugeuk rose from the Throne Mat.

“Ah! It’s finally over!”

It was the first day of becoming the acting Cult Leader.

He had never felt a day drag on so long. He would’ve rather trained or fought to the death.

As he descended the steps and tried to leave the Cult Leader’s Hall, Hui released his concealment and revealed himself.

“Uncle.”

“From now on, you must address me as Commander Hui.”

“When it’s just the two of us, I’ll keep calling you Uncle.”

Hui’s gaze toward Geom Mugeuk was gentle. Ever since they returned from traveling with his father, he and Hui had grown far closer than before. They also learned much more about each other.

“Your quarters have been prepared inside the inner courtyard of the Cult Leader’s Hall. You’ll be staying there for the time being.”

Since it was a role substituting for the Cult Leader, it was only natural that treatment and protection equivalent to the Cult Leader followed.

As he walked through the inner courtyard with Hui, Geom Mugeuk asked carefully.

“Is Father alright?”

“He is.”

“Then that’s enough.”

Geom Mugeuk had worried there might be another reason behind this seclusion. Thankfully, there wasn’t a trace of concern in Hui’s demeanor. If there was anyone who could give the most accurate answer about his father, it was Hui.

“This is the room.”

The place Hui guided him to was the room opposite his father’s chambers.

“Isn’t this the room Father uses as well?”

“That’s right. He often reads and reflects here. He ordered us to give this room to the Young Cult Leader.”

Though it wasn’t the room his father slept in, it was still a modest yet refined space. The bookshelf and low table appeared ordinary on the surface, but each was crafted by a master artisan.

There was also a large bed in the room, furnished with clean and fluffy bedding. Sitting on the edge of the bed, Geom Mugeuk said,

“Now I understand why Father went to bed so early. After using so much energy and handling so many affairs during the day, how could anyone not feel tired?”

The person who had watched it all most closely—Hui—was smiling in front of him.

“I’ll take my leave now. Please call me if you need anything.”

“What I need is Father! Please go and bring him back, I beg you.”

As he joked and sent Hui off, Geom Mugeuk’s eyes caught something.

“Huh? What’s this!”

Startled, Geom Mugeuk walked over to a display case.

Something had been placed inside the cabinet by the wall.

To his surprise, they were dolls of the Demon Supremes, sold in the Maga Village.

All eight Demon Supremes were present, and among them was a doll of Geom Mugeuk himself.

Previously, when Han Seol had visited the Heavenly Demon Divine Cult, the merchant selling dolls in Maga Village had mentioned that a Young Cult Leader doll would be released soon.

It seemed that the doll had come out while he had been away dealing with matters at the Golden Dragon Martial Hall.

What startled Geom Mugeuk wasn’t the fact that a doll of him had been made.

“Why is this here?”

Demon Supreme dolls—in Father’s room, of all places!

Hui only gave a faint smile.

“Don’t tell me… Did Father buy these himself?”

To his surprise, Hui nodded.

“Before entering seclusion, the Cult Leader had a drink at the Flowing Wind Tavern in Maga Village. On his way back, he saw the Young Cult Leader doll and bought them all.”

So, he hadn’t shown any interest until a doll of his son came out—then he bought the whole set. Likely, he bought all the Demon Supreme dolls because it would’ve been odd to purchase just one.

The image from that day flashed through his mind. His father, slightly flushed with drink after visiting the Flowing Wind Tavern, buying dolls as he returned home.

Even the act of purchasing them had been moving. But to display them like this—it was even more touching.

“Please wait here a moment.”

Geom Mugeuk stepped out of the room.

Shortly after, he returned with something in his hand. With a burst of Star Light Step, he had flown out in an instant and come back with a Heavenly Demon doll. There hadn’t been one among the dolls on display.

He moved his own doll from the center and placed his father’s doll in the middle.

“Now it’s complete.”

Hui’s smile deepened as he watched.

Originally, he should’ve removed the dolls before handing the room over to Geom Mugeuk. The Cult Leader wasn’t someone who liked showing this sort of thing to his son.

But Hui had intentionally left them there. He wanted Geom Mugeuk to understand the Cult Leader’s heart. Because the man he served—the Cult Leader—was someone who would never express his feelings unless he did something like this.

“Then please rest well.”

As Hui left the room and closed the door behind him, he saw Geom Mugeuk still looking at the dolls.

He was glad he hadn’t put them away.

The next morning, Geom Mugeuk instructed Hui to gather the bodyguards.

“Summon all members of the Heavenly Demon Pavilion Guard. That includes the Young Cult Leader’s escorts stationed at my residence.”

Hui grew tense inside. This wasn’t just any task—he had asked for the entire guard unit to be assembled.

“Understood.”

Hui did not ask for the reason and simply obeyed the order.

Before long, all the martial artists of the guard unit had assembled in the rear garden of the Heavenly Demon Pavilion.

There were several guard units within the Heavenly Demon Divine Cult, but among them, those assigned to the Heavenly Demon Pavilion were naturally the most elite.

Especially the Unit Leaders who protected the Cult Leader alongside Hui within the Heavenly Demon Pavilion—each possessed extraordinary skill. Though their title was Unit Leader, their strength was on par with or above Division Leaders.

In addition, twelve bodyguards including Jeokyeon, the chief of the Young Cult Leader’s escort detail, were also summoned.

Since only the guards protecting the Cult Leader were allowed into the Heavenly Demon Pavilion, they were all extremely tense. Not just because of Commander Hui—every one of the other guards present were their seniors.

Geom Mugeuk greeted them first with a cheerful tone.

“Wow, my guards! It’s been so long, I almost forgot your faces.”

“We pay our respects to the Young Cult Leader!”

They all cupped their fists in unison and shouted with booming voices.

Geom Mugeuk approached Jeokyeon.

“Got a line of ladies following you around yet?”

Jeokyeon, who used to wear an eye patch out of awkwardness even after mastering the Ghost Eye Technique, no longer wore it.

“Absolutely not!”

I’ve been so deep in martial arts training I can’t even remember the last time I went to the marketplace!

If it had been just the two of them, he might have answered like that.

But with his seniors watching, he couldn’t say such things so lightly.

Jeokyeon felt ashamed in front of Hui and the seniors. After all, they hadn’t properly fulfilled their duties.

Of course, everyone knew Geom Mugeuk was highly independent and preferred going about on his own—but the truth remained that they had not carried out their mission properly.

“You’ve all been training diligently.”

Just by looking at the way they stood, Geom Mugeuk could tell how hard they’d worked.

In fact, they had devoted themselves entirely to martial arts training while waiting for Geom Mugeuk. As a result, they had grown much stronger than when they first met him.

Having gathered all the guards, Geom Mugeuk looked around at them with calm but dignified eyes.

“Commander Hui, I have a request.”

“Please speak.”

“For the duration of my time as acting Cult Leader, I would like to be guarded by my own escort unit.”

The unexpected statement startled not only Hui, but also the original Heavenly Demon Guards.

The Young Cult Leader’s escorts were mostly junior-level guards when compared to the Heavenly Demon Guards, and yet he was entrusting his protection to them.

“I want to give them a chance to gain experience with this opportunity.”

After a brief moment of contemplation, Hui responded respectfully.

“Understood. It will be done.”

All of the escorts, including Jeokyeon, were overjoyed. They would finally be formally guarding Geom Mugeuk—and at the Heavenly Demon Pavilion, no less.

But that wasn’t the only reason Geom Mugeuk had gathered them today.

“There’s one more request.”

“Please go ahead.”

“Everyone except my guards and Commander Hui—grant them leave.”

This time, the surprise was even greater.

“This is also the first order I’m giving as acting Cult Leader.”

He made it clear that this was a formal command. In truth, the one he most wanted to give time off to was Hui, but he knew Hui would never accept it if he did, so he excluded him.

Hui understood. Geom Mugeuk wanted to use this opportunity to give the guards a break.

“I have the authority to refuse any order that conflicts with my duty as Commander.”

That was the greatest authority granted to the Commander of the guards.

“I’m aware.”

“May I ask your reason for doing this?”

Hui already had an idea, but he asked deliberately so the subordinates would understand Geom Mugeuk’s intention.

“Because chances like this don’t come often.”

During the previous trip with the three of them, the guards hadn’t been able to rest. Even though they hadn’t traveled together, they had remained in constant communication with Hui, always waiting and operating from behind the scenes.

Geom Mugeuk turned his gaze toward the guards.

“While Father is away, get some real rest. Visit your hometowns, travel with your families. Catch up on all the sleep you’ve missed.”

Who among them could have imagined that the Young Cult Leader would grant them a vacation? No one knew how to react, and all were flustered.

Geom Mugeuk turned his gaze back to Hui.

“Will you refuse?”

Had he been excluded as well, he might have refused. But he couldn’t deny that this was the perfect opportunity to let the subordinates rest.

“No, sir. I gratefully accept the order.”

Once the leave was confirmed, a flash of joy spread across the guards’ faces. Of course, it’s not as if they’d been working every single day without rest—they did take turns resting—but a proper, official vacation had never even been a possibility.

“Alright, take these.”

Geom Mugeuk handed them envelopes he had prepared. Inside was enough money to fully enjoy their time off. Regardless of the amount, the thought behind it was deeply touching.

“Make sure you all get good rest.”

“Thank you!”

Their thunderous response carried genuine gratitude.

The guards of the Heavenly Demon Pavilion all took their leave.

Hui went out with them. Knowing Hui’s nature, he wouldn’t send them all away at once. He would be coordinating schedules, verifying emergency contact lines—there would be much to do.

Now, the only ones left were Jeokyeon and the escorts.

“Are you upset you didn’t get to go on vacation?”

Jeokyeon then answered on everyone’s behalf.

“We were more upset that we haven’t been able to do our jobs properly!”

Now that the seniors were gone, he could be honest.

“You’ll be able to protect me well, right?”

“Yes, sir!”

“I’m counting on you.”

Not just Jeokyeon, but the rest of the escorts had fire in their eyes.

One day, these guards too would grow to stand ahead like their seniors. Just as Hui stood at Father’s side, Jeokyeon would stand at his own.

“Jeokyeon!”

“Yes, sir!”

Though he called him with a solemn voice, what came next only left Jeokyeon flustered.

“You’re not wearing your eye patch anymore—shall we go charm some ladies?”

Jeokyeon, his face turning red, replied,

“No, sir.”

Geom Mugeuk drooped his shoulders and let out a long sigh as he walked away.

“You’re right, no way. There’s still a mountain of unfinished work from yesterday.”

Sima Myung had piled yet another stack of documents next to yesterday’s paperwork.

“You’re not telling me these are all things that need to be handled today, are you?”

“Yes, that’s correct.”

At Sima Myung’s reply, Geom Mugeuk shook his head.

“You’re telling me all this came up in a single day? No way. You made all this up and brought it in, didn’t you?”

Geom Mugeuk made a joke, and Sima Myung took it as one.

“Yes, I was up all night making these up, couldn’t sleep a wink.”

Geom Mugeuk shook his head.

“How does so much happen in just one day!”

The military officers of the Heavenly Communication Pavilion must have been sorting through incoming intelligence from all over the Central Plains until late at night. Sima Myung likely hadn’t slept either.

“Looks like I gave leave to the wrong people.”

From the fact that he didn’t ask what that meant, it was clear Sima Myung already knew about the guards being granted leave.

“If we vacate our posts, the cult’s operations will come to a standstill.”

“So what if it does?”

“Pardon?”

“We shut down for about ten days. Send official letters to the Martial Alliance and the Unorthodox Alliance: ‘We’ll be resting for ten days. Do not disturb us. If you do—war, ten days later!’”

At the idea of taking a vacation and then launching a war, Sima Myung chuckled.

“Everyone’s already taking turns getting rest, so please don’t worry too much.”

But Geom Mugeuk knew. Sima Myung himself had no days off—only endless work.

“I’m not worried about the young officers. I’m worried about the Chief Strategist.”

“I’m alright. The Cult Leader once taught me a cultivation method. I practice it once in the morning and once before bed. Thanks to that, I’ve become very healthy.”

That made sense—his father would surely care deeply about Sima Myung’s health. Sima Myung was someone the cult absolutely could not do without.

Right. The best way to care for Sima Myung would be to finish the work quickly.

“Alright, let’s try to speed things up today.”

Indeed, their pace was noticeably quicker than the day before.

While working together, Sima Myung discovered a significant strength in Geom Mugeuk.

Geom Mugeuk asked questions often. He wasn’t ashamed of not knowing things. When he asked, he earnestly tried to remember what he had learned.

As someone in charge of military affairs, Sima Myung saw this as a valuable trait.

He knew from experience that pretending to understand something you didn’t often led to disaster.

That’s why he always told his subordinates: Don’t pretend to know what you don’t. It’s okay to be slow, even to look ignorant—just never fake understanding.

At that moment, as he was flipping through documents, Geom Mugeuk asked Sima Myung,

“Did Father really make decisions down to this level of detail?”

“Yes, he did.”

“The Cult Leader used to say that unless one understands the smaller aspects of the cult, one cannot make the greater decisions.”

Even hearing that his father said such a thing was hard to believe. The more he worked, the more he discovered new sides of his father.

“The most misunderstood man in the world was my father. Even by his own son.”

When martial artists thought of the Heavenly Demon, they imagined him immersed in indulgence and blood-soaked feasts. But his father had been silently working for the sake of the cult. Even in that, he had looked after the Demon Supremes in his own way.

“The Heavenly Demon was overworked.”

Had I known this... I would’ve let him win at fishing.