By Zephyria 
He felt like grabbing the man by the collar and demanding to know why on earth he was acting this way. However, there were too many eyes watching. Seong Mu-yeon struggled to swallow his indignation.
Instead, he turned his head and sent a desperate look toward Ma Jin-cheon.
“…….”
But Ma Jin-cheon merely gave a faint, troubled smile and subtly averted his gaze. The relationship between the orthodox sects and the Demonic Cult was already complicated enough; he seemed worried that interfering in family matters would only stir up unnecessary trouble.
Seong Mu-yeon’s desperate gaze reached as far as the Demonic Cult’s camp.
Heukmajo was a lost cause. Whether she had received specific orders from Seong Mu-cheon or not, she had remained quietly in her place without saying a word until now. However, the expression on her face—as if she wanted to tear him limb from limb—remained unchanged.
Just then, Seong Mu-ryong let out a soft sigh and spoke.
“I will take the seventh. Please go back inside without worry.”
“Is that so? If you say so.”
Despite his previous stubbornness, Seong Mu-cheon turned away without lingering at Seong Mu-ryong’s single word.
“Mu-ryong.”
As he began to step away as if to leave immediately, he paused for a moment.
“Yes, Brother.”
“……Leave no survivors.”
Adding that one final sentence, he left the area completely, taking some of his subordinates with him.
“…….”
Seong Mu-ryong groaned inwardly. Seong Mu-cheon’s final order meant not just stopping the Third Young Master, but taking his life. In his own way, Seong Mu-cheon must have been feeling conflicted.
“Brother…….”
He looked at Seong Mu-yeon with a complex expression for a moment before turning back to Ma Jin-cheon.
“Later.”
The leaders of both sides began to converse in low voices. It was primarily an agreement regarding positions that neither side could concede.
It was not a place for Seong Mu-yeon, Baek Ryeo-il, or Heukmajo to intervene. Having nothing to do, they stood quietly with their mouths shut.
Seong Mu-yeon deliberately tried not to look in Baek Ryeo-il’s direction. Before he knew it, the spot where he stood was strangely closer to the Demonic Cult than the orthodox side.
Then, suddenly, a chill ran down his spine, and an eerie voice drifted from behind him.
“It’s been a long time, Seven Sons……. You’ve been hiding quite well all this time, haven’t you……?”
“…….”
Heukmajo had appeared right behind him unnoticed.
It was Seong Mu-yeon’s mistake.
He had been so focused on not being dragged back to the Main Palace that he forgot Heukmajo was in the Demonic Cult’s camp and had approached too closely.
Even without turning around, the chilling cold radiating from behind her made it clear exactly what kind of expression she was wearing.
“Actually, it’s not that long since we last met, is it……? I wondered why that fellow Il-gwang was acting so suspicious. Who would have thought the person wearing that crude raccoon mask was the Seven Sons?”
“It wasn’t a raccoon, it was a badger…….”
“Hahaha……. You really are something. You can still make jokes in a situation like this?”
Heukmajo laughed coldly.
“After you killed Wi Rim, I became so lonely that I had far too much time on my hands. I spent my boredom practicing water lily fragrance, and now I am no longer the person I used to be. Ah, kind Seven Sons. Aren’t you curious about how much I’ve grown?”
“I’m not curious…….”
“Oh, I’m sure you are.”
At that moment, a massive shadow loomed over them as Baek Ryeo-il intervened. He pulled Seong Mu-yeon away from Heukmajo.
“Get away from him, Heukmajo.”
“…….”
The smile vanished instantly from Heukmajo’s face. Seeing her expression stiffen, it seemed she was no longer in the mood for jokes.
Though she glared fiercely, the memory of being severely handled by him seemed to resurface, and she stepped back slightly and turned her head away.
“Seong Mu-yeon, I need a word with you.”
‘Eek!’
“Very well. I shall grant you a one-day grace period.”
In the moment of crisis, Seong Mu-ryong’s voice pierced through.
“We shall select the personnel to participate, complete preparations, and gather here by this time tomorrow.”
“Let us do so.”
Ma Jin-cheon nodded with a heavy expression. It seemed the conversation between the leaders had concluded just in time.
“Ryeo-il, come here.”
At his master’s call, Baek Ryeo-il had no choice but to leave Seong Mu-yeon behind and approach Ma Jin-cheon. Thanks to this, Seong Mu-yeon, having escaped the crisis, breathed a sigh of relief.
Seong Mu-ryong also gave a few instructions to Heukmajo.
“…….”
Even after Heukmajo left upon receiving the orders, he stood awkwardly for a long time, conscious of Seong Mu-yeon.
“Youngest.”
Finally gathering his courage, Seong Mu-ryong faced Seong Mu-yeon with a complex expression. An awkward atmosphere lingered between the two.
Seong Mu-ryong, who had been glancing around anxiously, spoke with difficulty.
“Youngest, I…….”
However, he opened and closed his mouth repeatedly, eventually swallowing his words. Seeing him unable to even speak a proper sentence made him almost pitiful.
Seong Mu-yeon let out a deep sigh.
“You don’t have to say any more. I know what you’re thinking, Brother.”
Seong Mu-yeon’s heart hadn’t been entirely at ease either.
Though he had done something unforgivable, Seong Mu-ryong was the only one among the seven brothers who possessed a shred of human affection. Even if his methods were extreme, he hadn’t acted out of malice.
The world was full of people who committed great mistakes and yet remained brazenly loud. But Seong Mu-ryong suffered and blamed himself, never trying to excuse or cover up his faults. That alone softened Seong Mu-yeon’s heart a little.
“Please forget about that matter now and don’t let it weigh on you.”
Seong Mu-ryong’s pupils trembled.
“……Are you forgiving me?”
Forgiveness……. How could he forgive him? But every time he looked at him, Seong Mu-yeon didn’t want to waste his life being consumed by rage and the memory of his mother’s death.
Rather than forgiveness, it was more like putting the memory in a small box, closing the lid, and letting it drift away into the past.
“I was a bit sensitive back then……. It was a result of misfortunes piling up; it’s not as if you did it on purpose, Brother.”
“Thank you for saying that…….”
Seong Mu-ryong likely guessed that his relationship with Seong Mu-yeon would never fully return to how it was before. But for him, this was enough.
Only then did a bit of color return to Seong Mu-ryong’s face. However, as if unable to completely shake off his guilt, he smiled weakly.
“Have you been well? I heard you stayed under Yak Seon. Did they bully you for being from the Demonic Cult? By the way, how is your health? I’m relieved to see your complexion looks good.”
Seong Mu-ryong began pouring out the questions he had been holding back, asking about Seong Mu-yeon’s well-being and checking him over, fussing as he usually did.
“And how have you been, Brother?”
But the warm atmosphere was short-lived, and the two quickly became serious.
“……As you know, it hasn’t been great. The atmosphere in the Main Palace is ominous. Father’s health worsens by the day, and even the elders are showing signs of division.”
Seong Mu-ryong rubbed the bridge of his nose as if exhausted.
“I tried my best to stop the Third Young Master, but as you know, we have restrictions on our actions once we leave Xinjiang, so it wasn’t easy. Voices doubting the eldest brother were even growing louder, so I had to do something……. If I hadn’t gained the cooperation of the orthodox sects, I was prepared to use force, but I’m glad it worked out well thanks to you.”
“You’ve been through a lot. But did you already finish the discussion? It felt like you barely spoke a few words.”
Seong Mu-yeon asked. He felt that the conversation between the leaders had ended too abruptly given the magnitude of the task ahead.
“We haven’t even started yet. However, we came here ready for battle, but they are not, so we must give them time to prepare.”
Supplies for battle could be procured somehow. However, the orthodox side, which was a mixture of various sects and families, needed to unify internal opinions and designate a decision-maker. Even then, since the orthodox group gathered here was hastily assembled, there would be many problems in various ways.
Seong Mu-yeon wasn’t worried. If it was Ma Jin-cheon, he would be able to lead the harmony without issue.
“So…… what will you do now? Will you go with them?”
Seong Mu-ryong asked, glancing toward Ma Jin-cheon and Baek Ryeo-il. Having finished their conversation, they looked back at Seong Mu-yeon. Seong Mu-yeon realized they were about to leave this place to join the people waiting for them.
“Or will you join this battle as well?”
Naturally, Seong Mu-yeon had no intention of sitting out this battle.
However…….
Seong Mu-yeon looked back at Baek Ryeo-il. He was staring intently at Seong Mu-yeon with a furrowed brow, as if he found this situation extremely displeasing.
“…….”
He could tell just by the expression. He was waiting for him. He clearly intended to prevent Seong Mu-yeon from participating in the battle by any means necessary.
“If you wish, I will arrange a position for you. A centurion would be a decent start. As you build merit, you can rise to a higher position. Will you fight with us? I-I’m not forcing you, of course……. But as the eldest brother said, I would be happy if you would just come back now.”
Seong Mu-ryong proposed cautiously, not wanting to upset Seong Mu-yeon, with whom he had only just reconciled after a long time.
Seong Mu-yeon was conflicted. Since Baek Ryeo-il would unconditionally try to separate them, he needed an affiliation and a justification. Joining as Yak Seon’s servant felt unstable, as it was a position easily ignored.
“I will fight alongside you, Brother.”
“Really?”
Seong Mu-ryong could not hide his joy.
“But you don’t need to give me a position. I have no intention of returning to the Cult.”
“……I see. I thought you would say that.”
Seong Mu-ryong’s face darkened abruptly. But he soon forced a smile.
“If that is your wish, it cannot be helped. It’s alright. Do as you please.”
“Thank you, Brother.”
Since Baek Ryeo-il and Ma Jin-cheon, unable to wait any longer, had just started walking, Seong Mu-yeon hurriedly followed them.
“I left something behind, so I’ll go grab it and be right back!”
Seong Mu-yeon passed the two and ran straight toward Seomun Yuha.
“Young master! What happened? Are you really forming an alliance with the Demonic Cult?”
“I’ll explain everything in detail, so let’s just go for now! We have to find Owl.”
“But is there something urgent? Why are you running?”
Why, my foot! Because Baek Ryeo-il is chasing me with his eyes wide open!