Chapter 18: Business Trip (3)

After that, I continued walking around Aksu County with Jin Hayeon and Branch Leader Ma Gang-il, observing the villagers and asking questions.

After about an hour of patrolling, the sky had turned completely black.

Most of the residents had already gone home, and there were hardly any people visible in the village, so we returned to the branch office.

“So, Young Master. Anything come to mind?”

When Jin Hayeon asked, Branch Leader Ma Gang-il also looked at me with interest.

"I have a few things in mind."

Though I said a few, honestly, there were too many to count.

And why wouldn't I be? From my perspective as someone who had lived in modern times, their way of life was too antiquated.

The list of things that needed to change was endless, but I had no plans to tackle all of them.

That would only lead to a terrible hell of paperwork.

My only concern was this: What could I fix that would be just enough to keep my Master happy, without landing me any extra work?

Lost in thought, I suddenly felt a strange sensation and turned my head.

"???"

For some reason, Branch Leader Ma Gang-il was standing still, staring at me with a surprised face.

Even Jin Hayeon seemed somewhat surprised.

‘She’s… Surprised?’

Having spent all day together for the past half-month, I could tell her expression was slightly different from usual.

"Is there some problem?"

When I asked in a blunt tone, the surprised Branch Leader Ma Gang-il answered, "As expected of someone chosen by the Supreme One. To find not just one, but several things to change in mere hours..."

"Ah..."

Only then did I notice my mistake.

Branch Leader Ma Gang-il had probably worked here for at least several years. My offhand comment could easily be interpreted as an insult to his experience. However, true to his nature as a fanatic, he showed no signs of being offended or jealous.

Instead, he seemed overwhelmed with admiration.

My mistake wasn't about offending him. It was about…

'...I need to be more careful.'

Like during the previous banquet and today too, things that seemed completely obvious to me were often viewed as surprising by these people.

'I thought they'd only be amazed by technology like smartphones, TVs, or even light bulbs.'

There was a common cliché that used to appear in Japanese manga or novels where a character from the modern world would astound the inhabitants of a fantasy world with everyday items.

—Ah, this is what we call a lighter.

—Ah, this is what we call a K-2 assault rifle.

Being a humanities major, I had dismissed such scenarios, as I couldn't even create a lighter, let alone a rifle.

When I first arrived in this world, I'd considered advocating for democracy. But in a world ruled by the Imperial Family, that kind of talk would lead me to my swift execution as a rebel. Since I was just a lowly inn waiter, I obviously just kept my head down and played dumb to survive.

Which is why I never noticed that the stuff I know from my humanities degree could seem like a miracle to these people.

"Indeed. The Supreme One's judgment is impeccable," Jin Hayeon declared.

Fortunately, the two fanatics beside me simply attributed my insights to Master's brilliance.

'Thank goodness they're idiots,' I thought.

I opened my mouth to subtly change the topic.

"By the way, Branch Leader Ma Gang-il, you don't seem to suffer from the side effects of Demonic Arts. Have you perhaps achieved Transcendence?"

From what I'd observed while working together until now, he always burst into hearty, cheerful laughter that didn't match his fierce face while mingling with villagers.

He didn't feel at all like a Demonic Art practitioner.

But Branch Leader Ma Gang-il hastily waved his arms at my question like I’d said something ridiculous.

"Hahaha. How could a mere Branch Leader like me achieve Transcendence? I just learned Demonic Art with a mild side effect, so it's not very noticeable. Young Master. Hahaha."

His mention of Demonic Arts with a mild side effect piqued my curiosity.

"If you don't mind, could you tell me what the side effect is?"

"Hahaha. It's nothing much. Just a minor side effect where I tend to feel happy for some reason. Hahaha."

"..."

Apparently, the side effect was mania.

"Actually, the Demonic Art I practice is said to induce uncontrollable laughter and mental instability at the Extremity stage, even in dire situations. One could even suffer seizures from laughing too hard. But my talent is limited, so I haven't reached Extremity yet. It's… fortunate, yet unfortunate. Hahahaha!"

"..."

Maybe because I now knew the diagnosis.

His hearty laughter somehow felt pitiful.

* * *

After returning to the branch headquarters, I was able to learn new knowledge about the Demonic Cult through Jin Hayeon.

She said that people like Branch Leader Ma Gang-il who regularly interact with local residents generally learn "relatively" safe Demonic Arts.

In other words, those assigned to branch headquarters typically either learned arts with side effects that were less likely to harm others or their cultivation level was low.

High-ranking cultists who had mastered powerful Demonic Arts from the Hall of the Demonic Way were typically assigned to the combat units, patrolling Xinjiang, undertaking missions, or stationed at the cult's headquarters.

It made sense. Placing individuals like my Eldest Brother, with his intermittent explosive disorder, or my Third Brother, plagued by paranoia, among ordinary civilians would be disastrous.

She also mentioned that while uncommon, some practitioners outside of the Hall of the Demonic Way who demonstrated exceptional talent and achievements could be promoted from branch headquarters to the combat units or the main headquarters’ divisions.

"Have all your questions been answered?"

When I nodded at Jin Hayeon's question, she rummaged through her bundle and pulled out some books, ink, and paper.

"Why are you taking those out?"

"Now that you've finished all your tasks for today, shouldn't we start studying the doctrine?"

"Ah..."

Between the grueling movement technique training I endured this morning and the village patrol in the afternoon, I had completely forgotten.

"I miss my diary."

At my frustrated muttering, Jin Hayeon tilted her head and asked.

"What did you say, Young Master?"

Jin Hayeon couldn't understand since I had mumbled in Korean.

* * *

The next morning.

After bathing and practicing my breathing technique, the joyous occasion of breakfast arrived—breakfast with Master.

"Hahaha. Eat comfortably." Master said with a benevolent smile. But as soon as I lifted my spoon, he launched into his questioning.

"So, did yesterday's tour inspire any thoughts?"

As expected, Master couldn't distinguish between meal time and work time.

Swallowing my sigh, I put down my spoon and opened my mouth.

"I thought of one thing, Master."

"Oh? I'm curious about what you might have thought of."

Branch Leader Ma Gang-il also put down his spoon and looked at me curiously.

After looking back and forth at the faces of the two old men staring at me with anticipation, I took a breath and laid it out.

"We should establish schools in every village and have our cult's branches teach the children."

"Schools... Is there a specific reason for this?"

"The biggest reason I thought of schools was because of Branch Leader Ma Gang-il's story."

No sooner had I finished speaking than Master's gaze turned toward Branch Leader Ma Gang-il.

Under that intense stare, the Branch Leader let out his trademark manic laugh, so I jumped in to explain.

"Didn't you mention yesterday that most villagers are illiterate, forcing you to teach the doctrines verbally?"

"Hmm. He certainly did say that. However, in that case, shouldn't we teach adults as well, not just children?"

"There is no need to do that. They are already devout believers. Also, they are too busy making a living to have time to study characters."

Master frowned. "You are implying while the adults are already devout believers, the children are not."

"!!!"

Ma Gang-il immediately leaped from his chair, prostrated himself, and began banging his head on the floor.

"It's my negligence, Supreme One! I will work more actively to spread the teachings to young children!"

Seeing Ma Gang-il bleeding from his forehead, I quickly interjected, "It's not the Branch Leader's fault! The circumstances have changed!"

"The circumstances have changed? Elaborate."

Cold sweat drips down involuntarily.

While Master wouldn't harm me right away, I didn't know what might happen to Branch Leader Ma Gang-il if I said the wrong thing.

"The way our Heavenly Demonic Divine Cult has expanded its influence is simple. We protected the common people of Xinjiang from the wicked, and in the process, we spread our doctrines. However, it has already been nearly two hundred years, so now there are almost no bandits or evildoers left in Xinjiang. Especially in Aksu, which is close to the main headquarters, I heard that they are almost extinct."

“So the changed situation you speak of means that the villains have decreased?”

"Exactly. While the older generation is deeply grateful to our Cult, the younger generation cannot relate to their experiences. Furthermore, human nature is inherently evil. When kindness overflowed continuously, they tend to view it as a right."

Adding a famous quote from a certain movie to reinforce my argument, Master nodded with an "Indeed."

My words aligned with one of the core tenets of the cult's doctrine: "Human nature is fundamentally evil."

"So, you're saying that children, having never experienced significant hardship, might take our benevolence for granted."

"Yes, Master. Moreso when adding the fact while it is less egregious than the wicked Imperial Court, our Cult still collects offerings. If this keeps up, there's a real risk someone down the line will start asking, 'Why do we even have to pay the Heavenly Demon Divine Cult?'”

"That's a valid concern." Master, seemingly convinced, turned to the still kneeling Ma Gang-il. "Branch Leader, rise. As my disciple said, you are not to blame."

"U-Understood, Lord of Ten Thousand Demons."

Ma Gang-il got to his feet, still looking completely dumbfounded, and stared at me with pure awe.

That look, combined with the blood trickling down his shocked face, was even more burdensome than usual.

But Master seemed unconcerned about such things, merely glancing at the risen Ma Gang-il before looking back at me.

"So ultimately, you're suggesting we use the warriors of each of the cult’s branches to teach children both letters and doctrine."

"Yes. Humans are greatly influenced by what they see growing up. The gratitude for receiving an education, coupled with early exposure to our teachings, will greatly increase their likelihood of becoming devout followers."

"However, you've overlooked one thing. As you said, commoners barely make ends meet. Will children have the leisure to attend school while they're busy helping with their parents?"

"That's why we have them."

I answered while pointing at Branch Leader Ma Gang-il.

"The branch members have been helping with odd jobs since the rate of criminality decreased, correct? It’s enough for the branch to set aside one or two members to teach the children. The rest can just do their usual duty.”

"Haha. As expected, you have thought of everything. Your excellent comprehension, combined with the side effects of the Soul-Stealing Heartless Sword, has produced a very excellent result."

"I, I guess so. Ha, haha."

I couldn’t exactly correct him, so I just had to laugh it off awkwardly.

After that general framework was set, Master and I began discussing the details.

"First, we should begin with the Thousand Character Classic. Even young children can master it within a year."

“Good point. However, as you know, the Secret Record of the Heavenly Demon contains characters beyond the scope of the Thousand Character Classic."

"We can't teach children the Secret Record of the Heavenly Demon directly since it contains much difficult content. We need to create a simplified doctrine book for children using only characters from the Thousand Character Classic."

"Hmm. Since we have time while they learn the Thousand Character Classic, we can create the simplified doctrine book during that year."

"Yes. If we teach children this way for about two years, all children in Xinjiang will be reborn as followers of the Heavenly Demon Divine Cult."

"Hahaha. In that case, the task of creating this simplified doctrine…”

Before Master could finish speaking, I quickly interrupted.

"It requires the expertise of those well-versed in the scriptures and with long-standing experience within the Cult. While I wish to undertake this task myself, I haven't even mastered half of the scriptures. Assigning it to me risks disseminating inaccurate information."

I couldn't allow my workload to increase again.

In fact, I had chosen schools among various options precisely because I had this in mind.

The people operating the schools would be the branch members from each region. It had nothing to do with me.

The same went for the simplified doctrine book. A newbie like me couldn't possibly write it.

“You’re right. It does seem a little too soon for you to take on this job, Il-mok.”

At Master's words, I almost let out a cheer of joy.

'I dodged the extra work bullet!'

Having achieved my goal, I quickly opened my mouth to prevent my Master from setting another trap.

"Master, the food is getting cold."

"Ahem. You're right. I’ll sort out the rest of the details when I get back to the headquarters. For now, let's enjoy our meal."

You could have confused it for a board meeting, but we were clearly in the middle of 'breakfast.'

But even after we got the green light from the master, a relaxing meal was out of the question.

"W-wouldn't it be better for Branch Leader Ma Gang-il to treat his head a little and then eat?"

Ma Gang-il was casually spooning food into his mouth with dried blood caking his forehead.

But Ma Gang-il merely laughed heartily at my consideration.

"Hahaha. It's fine. It's already dried up, so it doesn't matter much. More importantly, as expected of the Supreme One and his disciple. I was so caught up listening, I didn’t even realize I was bleeding! Hahaha.”

Branch Leader Ma Gang-il was simply bright and cheerful.