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Translator: Ryuma
Chapter: 8
Chapter Title: The Cult Leader's Seal
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Clop-clop—
Clop-clop—
The steady rhythm of hooves echoed through the mountains.
Sitting in the carriage with his chin propped on his hand, Sima Jin gazed out the window with a complicated expression.
"What the hell is going on?"
Muttering softly to himself, Sima Jin tried to piece together how the order had come down.
His father wasn't the type to issue personal commands from the cult.
And no one else would dare summon a son of the Sima Clan.
That left only one possibility.
The Heavenly Demon.
He had personally summoned Sima Jin. That much was certain.
'...But why?'
He could guess who had appointed him, but he still couldn't fathom the intent behind it.
Why call for a wastrel who did nothing but drink all day?
Sima Jin couldn't unravel the mystery even after arriving at the Heavenly Demon Palace.
"Young master, we've arrived."
"You've had a hard journey."
Standing at the entrance to the Heavenly Demon Palace, Sima Jin dismissed the coachman.
As he stepped forward, he spotted an unexpected figure.
"Father?"
"You've come."
Sima Geuk, waiting at the entrance, greeted his son.
This isn't like him, Sima Jin thought, staring at his father. But Sima Geuk said nothing and moved without delay.
"Follow me."
Sima Geuk strode toward their destination.
Sima Jin hesitated for a moment before hurrying after him.
As they walked in silence, Sima Jin spoke first.
"Was there any intent from you in this appointment, Father?"
Sima Geuk paused briefly before continuing onward.
"It was the Cult Leader's sole decision."
"...!"
Sima Jin's pupils shook at the response.
The faint hope he'd harbored vanished.
Then...
"What kind of man is the Cult Leader?"
Hoping to probe the situation even a little, Sima Jin asked.
But Sima Geuk only kept walking, offering no reply.
After that, they exchanged not a single word until reaching their destination.
Upon arriving at Pure Heaven Pavilion, they encountered the Left Protector waiting at the door.
"The second son."
"Confirmed."
So this is the Heavenly Demon's office, Sima Jin thought, taking in the pavilion's exterior. That's when Sima Geuk finally spoke.
"What kind of man the Cult Leader is..."
Sima Jin's eyes widened at the sudden remark.
He'd asked that long ago—did his father still remember?
"I don't know either."
"...Pardon?"
The Great Military Strategist, who had served at the Cult Leader's side, gave that as his considered answer?
Staring at him in bewilderment, Sima Jin felt his father's hand on his shoulder.
"Don't push yourself. Just stay true to your duty."
"...Yes, understood."
With that, Sima Geuk departed, leaving Sima Jin alone to stare at the door.
'I have no idea why he called me or what he'll have me do. But if I botch a few tasks, he'll send me packing soon enough.'
The position of Sima Clan young lord hadn't been decided yet.
Until then, he had to play the fool consistently.
'My goal hasn't changed. No matter what, I won't reveal my talents.'
Steeling his resolve once more, he waited behind the Left Protector.
"Cult Leader, the second young master of the Sima Clan has arrived."
"Send him in."
The Left Protector—Jang Wi—bowed his head, opened the door, and gestured inside.
Meeting his gaze briefly, Sima Jin slowly stepped into Pure Heaven Pavilion.
◇◇◇◆◇◇◇
Knock knock.
"Cult Leader, the second young master of the Sima Clan has arrived."
A welcome voice reached Hyeok Mulin's ears as he speed-read through documents at his desk.
He'd finally arrived.
"Send him in."
With the sound of the door opening, a figure entered Pure Heaven Pavilion, looking around curiously.
Hyeok Mulin addressed him.
"I'll finish this up and go. Have a seat and wait."
"Pardon? Ah, yes, understood."
After instructing him to wait, Hyeok Mulin quickly wrapped up the documents.
Nothing difficult about it.
He'd handled such tasks even in his previous life, leading with his aged body.
Setting the papers aside, he rose slowly and approached.
Sitting across from Sima Jin, Hyeok Mulin met his eyes directly.
To the handsome young man with soft features, he offered a greeting.
"Pleased to meet you. I am the Cult Leader of this cult, Hyeok Mulin."
"I pay my respects to the exalted Heavenly Person. I am the second son of the Sima Clan, Sima Jin."
The current Great Military Strategist, Sima Geuk, was one of the finest schemers in the Heavenly Demon Divine Cult's history.
But decades later, Sima Jin, who inherited his position in the Sima Clan, was a genius beyond measure—a once-in-a-millennium prodigy.
'Yet family bonds kept him from revealing his abilities.'
Sima Jin had hidden his talents to yield the young lord position to his elder brother, eventually leaving the clan.
However, decades on, he suddenly returned home.
All the direct descendants of the Sima Clan had perished in an abrupt incident. The sole survivor, Sima Jin, returned in despair and wept bitterly, or so the tales went.
—If only I hadn't left... If only I hadn't abandoned the household...!
They said he shed bloody tears for three days straight, drowned in regret and self-recrimination.
Though he never took the role of Great Military Strategist, as clan patriarch, he led the Sima Clan to its greatest golden age.
'He's the one I need most right now.'
Someone to swiftly, accurately, and impartially handle the paperwork a Heavenly Demon must do.
As a scion of the Sima Clan, he couldn't be easily touched from outside, and he'd process matters more cleanly than anyone.
Moreover, he was someone Hyeok Mulin could entrust his absence to.
Freedom of movement.
That was the top priority for Hyeok Mulin above all else.
"Your seat is over there. To briefly explain your duties from now on..."
To that end, he'd prepared an extra desk in Pure Heaven Pavilion just for him.
After introducing the seat and tasks, Hyeok Mulin asked last.
"That's all the work. Anything else to say?"
"May I ask one thing?"
"Speak."
Nodding, Hyeok Mulin prompted him, and Sima Jin asked without hesitation.
"Why did you choose me?"
"Why, you say."
Hyeok Mulin pondered, chin in hand, eyes closing briefly.
Lost in thought, he soon smiled faintly.
"You and I have something in common."
"...Pardon?"
Sima Jin stared at Hyeok Mulin in bewilderment.
Chucking softly at the puzzled look, Hyeok Mulin moved on.
"It's just a temporary deputy strategist role for a fortnight. No need to feel burdened—work at ease."
"Understood. I shall obey."
Clap.
Hyeok Mulin clapped to refocus attention and stood.
"Then let's resume paperwork."
"Where should I start?"
"Take the documents on my desk and handle them."
Nodding, Sima Jin gathered a stack and moved to his desk.
Sitting down, he examined one.
'This kind of thing, huh. I get the gist.'
It was a petition: severe drought in Kuidun causing cultists to starve, requesting aid.
Grasping the core quickly, he flipped to the back.
His eyes widened in surprise.
The reverse side detailed the handling, decision, and reasoning.
This seemed like a document the Cult Leader had already processed.
'Much cleaner than I thought.'
Not just distributing relief grain— it outlined the nearest regions for quickest collection, margin of error for officials, support systems, yearly famine records, and future countermeasures. Meticulous beyond belief for a leader who'd reigned less than half a year.
'Not just a figurehead, then.'
Sima Jin glanced at Hyeok Mulin.
Just then, their eyes met by chance.
Sima Jin hurriedly looked away, but Hyeok Mulin spoke calmly.
"Ah, I forgot. Use this for approvals."
With that, he tossed something small.
Sima Jin caught it reflexively and looked down curiously.
The moment he saw it, his body stiffened.
'Th-this...!'
In his hand was the Cult Leader's official seal.
Sima Jin stared at Hyeok Mulin with trembling eyes, but he was already focused on his own work.
Sima Jin's gaze returned to the seal.
Its weight was light, but knowing its power, it felt crushing—as if his hand might fall off.
'Handing the Cult Leader's seal to a mere temporary deputy strategist?'
This alone could wipe out a prestigious clan in an instant.
Or declare war on the Murim Alliance and order the ravaging of the Central Plains right now.
What faith prompted handing such a vital seal to a notorious wastrel like him?
The burden went beyond heavy—even a genius like him couldn't comprehend it.
Gulp.
Swallowing dryly, Sima Jin steadied his breath and calmed down.
'Hoo, stay calm. Don't forget the essence.'
He had to scrap the plan to botch tasks.
A few wrong stamps could shake the entire cult, not just the work.
'Right, just do nothing and stay put.'
If he proved useless, they'd boot him out soon enough.
Adjusting his plan, Sima Jin nodded slowly.
◇◇◇◆◇◇◇
A day passed, then two.
Three, four, then five days.
Seven nights, and on the tenth day.
Sima Jin stared with a stiff expression at the empty Cult Leader's seat.
He turned to face the unchanged stacks of documents.
"I was wrong. Completely wrong."
Sima Jin admitted his plan had been flawed.
The Cult Leader showed no interest in what he did—practically neglectful.
But it wasn't deliberate indifference.
"Can a person really live that diligently?"
The Cult Leader he'd observed was busier than anyone in the cult.
Apart from occasional visits to process a few papers, he trained at Heavenly Martial Hall from dawn till dusk.
He even skimped on meals, wolfing down rations—a training maniac.
"So this is the current leader of the Heavenly Demon Divine Cult."
Hyeok Mulin.
He hadn't sought out rumors, but they'd reached his ears anyway.
Word had it he was untalented, weak, lazy, and had chosen the folly of divorce.
But Sima Jin could now declare them all baseless rumors.
"Who spread this nonsense? Not a word of truth."
The martial arts he'd glimpsed in the training chamber were profound, and he lived busier days than anyone, faithfully.
Hyeok Mulin wasn't one for meaningless actions.
He wouldn't push divorce for some idiotic reason.
"Could he have seen that path too?"
The sole way for the Heavenly Demon Divine Cult, the Hyeok Clan, and even him to survive.
He'd thought only he could see it in the world—his misjudgment.
"Definitely no ordinary man."
Intelligence, magnanimity, insight rivaling his own.
And gradually, Sima Jin understood the weight and burden on his shoulders.
Watching the Cult Leader up close for ten days, Sima Jin found himself subtly influenced.
Maybe he knows.
If he found that path...
Creak.
Just then, Hyeok Mulin entered Pure Heaven Pavilion.
After morning training, here for a break to handle work, he glanced at Sima Jin.
'No change.'
The stacks were the same size and position.
He'd completely stepped away from work.
Hyeok Mulin sat, opened a document.
As he finished yesterday's batch, Sima Jin's voice came from beside him.
"Cult Leader. May I ask one thing?"
First words in ten days—Hyeok Mulin replied indifferently.
"Speak."
Without looking, he continued his task.
Sima Jin steadied his breath and asked in a faintly trembling voice.
"What should I do?"
Stop.
Hyeok Mulin's hand paused.
Silence filled the room briefly, then his lips moved.
"I don't know."
"...I see."
"However."
Resuming his hand, Hyeok Mulin continued.
"Don't abandon yourself for others. Just follow your heart."
This was sincere.
Don't sacrifice for the clan.
It wouldn't end well for him or the family.
Sima Jin had lived a life of pain and regret, like his past self.
Even setting aside loyalty, Hyeok Mulin wanted him to live without regrets this time.
"...!"
A brilliant light flashed in Sima Jin's eyes.
Heavy silence followed, but soon Sima Jin broke it.
"Cult Leader, one last question."
Standing, he approached Hyeok Mulin slowly.
A massive fire ignited in his previously vacant eyes.
"How far does my authority extend right now?"
Hyeok Mulin's gaze rose slowly to meet his.
Then, deliberately, he spoke.
"Everything."
He declared it plainly there.
"All that I can do is your authority."