On the way back to my room after the meal, a sigh slipped out of me without my realizing it.
"Hoo."
Regrettably, my perfect plan had been put on hold.
"I can't understand it…"
"Perhaps others felt the same way when they saw young hero Cheon?"
Tang So-wol shook her head. Seomun Hwa-rin, who had likewise been letting out heavy sighs, suddenly lit up as if a good idea had struck her.
Then she crept over to my side and began patting me near the shoulder blade.
Perhaps she had wanted to pat my shoulder, but her hand just couldn't reach.
"I understand, young hero!"
"Pardon?"
"The Lord of the Black Alliance is no ordinary figure, but even he has spent years flailing about trying to attract other Harmony Realm martial artists. If gentle persuasion didn't work, then forceful measures are the way to go. It's a bit aggressive, I admit, but I think your direction itself isn't bad."
"Oh…"
Perhaps it was because these words came from Seomun Hwa-rin, whose own words had become the Lord of the Black Alliance's most spectacular failure before the regression.
Her words comforted me far more than anyone else's could have. In the end, the plan was shelved, but… still. I wasn't wrong.
As I nodded, Seomun Hwa-rin, as if something good had happened to her as well, nodded along with an expression mixed with pride and satisfaction.
"Ahem. Just as you recognized me, I too recognize you… ah."
Seomun Hwa-rin, who had been about to say something impressive, trailed off and glanced at Tang So-wol.
At that, Tang So-wol wore her usual gentle smile and linked her arm through mine. The soft sensation and warm body heat transmitted through my arm.
Seomun Hwa-rin was visibly sulking, but at Tang So-wol's gesture, her expression brightened again as she carefully grasped my other sleeve and began shrugging her shoulders once more.
"Ahem, ahem. Anyway, even if the Lord of the Black Alliance and the Sword King oppose you, I and So-wol support you, so don't be so downcast!"
"I wouldn't say I'm downcast. And thinking about it again now, I admit it was a bit excessive."
"You call that a bit…?"
Tang So-wol's incredulous voice came from beside me, but I let it go in one ear and out the other.
From my standpoint, I was saving lives—these were people who would have either become my enemies or gotten themselves killed anyway—so a bit of heavy-handed coercion seemed like a fair price to exact.
But to anyone else, it probably looked like I was grabbing innocent people by the collar and threatening them.
There were plenty of other practical problems too.
They might be uncooperative, but they were still registered under the Black Alliance. If I, a member of the Tang Clan, beat them up, it could easily escalate into a dispute between the Orthodox and Unorthodox Sects.
The relationship between the Murim Alliance and the Black Alliance would need to shift from its current state before I could resolve this without trouble.
And then there was the most important matter…
Honestly, I wasn't yet at a level where I could take them on.
I had learned a somewhat aggressive method of focusing my internal energy and Intent while fighting the Sword Demon, but that was hardly enough.
Setting aside that one exception, I had yet to even reach a full year since stepping into the Harmony Realm. I had only just set foot on its threshold.
In contrast, the Unorthodox Sect martial artists of the Harmony Realm who either wandered idly from place to place or ruled their own territories like kings had long since ascended to that level.
I couldn't say how much they had grown since, but at the very least, they had surely moved past the threshold.
If we actually fought, there would be so many variables that I couldn't easily answer who would win and who would lose.
But to subdue an opponent without killing them—and to do so perfectly enough that they could feel the gap in skill—my martial level was far, far from sufficient.
"That's why I think there's merit in what the Lord of the Black Alliance and the Sword King elder said about postponing my plan."
"R-really?"
"Yes. First, I need to have that much power before I can even begin anything."
"…"
Seomun Hwa-rin, who had been pursing her lips as if about to say something, nodded.
"Then let's go with that!"
"Yes. Setting aside young hero Cheon's perfect plan for now… what do you intend to do from here on?"
"Hm? What do you mean, do? Everything I said back there is all of it."
Everyone was taken aback by my proposal, but even after the decision to postpone was made, we still talked about this and that.
Tang So-wol said she could create a poison that would disperse Demonic Qi, the Black Alliance said they would quickly take control of Haomun and extract information on the Demonic Cult, and the Namgung Clan said they would prepare to fight if necessary—not just the Sword King alone, but the entire clan.
There were also some fairly long-term plans that would take time and require a great deal of effort.
The most important thing we discussed was what needed to be done right now.
"First, we need to deal with the Green Forest, just as the Lord of the Black Alliance originally called us here for."
"As I recall, the Lord of the Black Alliance merely suggested we help each other when there was a need for subjugation…"
"Bandits are the kind of people who should be subjugated the moment they're spotted."
Back at the Dragon Phoenix Gathering, the rising talents would occasionally gather and take turns subtly bragging about themselves.
And the one thing that always came up without fail was bandit subjugation.
Most of the time, it was just some Third-Rate gang of the unorthodox path getting their heads chopped off while trying to carve out a spot for themselves.
Of course, there were occasionally those who had truly subjugated Green Forest bandits. Not that they had taken down the leader—just that they had cut down an action captain who had come to rob a merchant caravan, along with a few of his underlings.
A village head would be at least a Peak Realm martial artist, so they wouldn't lack martial strength, and being Green Forest bandits, they were veterans at running away—a difficult opponent for any rising talent to handle.
Anyway, that was the point. Bandit subjugation wasn't something you did just when you happened to cross paths with them—you could hunt them down with fire in your eyes and crush them. No, strictly speaking, that was actually how it should be done.
"Isn't this a rare occasion? The Namgung Clan, the former greatest clan in the world, and the Tang Clan, the future greatest clan, are joining hands with the Black Alliance. And since it's Green Forest subjugation, everyone would nod their heads in agreement."
"That is true, is it not?"
"This is a matter everyone acknowledges—the two pillars of the Orthodox Sects and the Black Alliance joining forces for the first time. There is no better opportunity than this… for forming a Righteous-Unorthodox Alliance."
"Excuse me? What did young hero Cheon just say?"
"You there. Did you say Righteous-Unorthodox Alliance?"
Tang So-wol and Seomun Hwa-rin asked back, startled. I slowly nodded in response to their reactions.
"The Heavenly Demon is a monster. He grows stronger faster than we can possibly imagine, and he's cunning beyond that—he'll strike at the blind spots we never even saw."
This wasn't the mindset of a powerhouse. An overwhelming strongman wields his strength when he must, and schemes when he must scheme.
It wasn't for nothing that the Murim Alliance, before the regression, had been stripped bare and reduced to half before frantically trying to form the Righteous-Unorthodox Alliance.
When you're most off guard, you get hit the hardest. There was no helping it.
That was the situation. In a way, you could say this was lucky.
Figuring out how to warn everyone of the Demonic Cult and the Heavenly Demon's danger had been a major problem—and now it was half-solved.
"So we need to move as fast as we can on our side too."
"You mean by forming the Righteous-Unorthodox Alliance?"
"Yes. At the very least, we should prevent them from being picked off one by one while they flounder."
That was the only thing I could do right now. It wasn't as if I could move the entire martial world, or even the imperial army, for that matter.
Hearing my words, sighs of admiration escaped from Tang So-wol and Seomun Hwa-rin's lips.
"So… you're saying that young hero Cheon intends to create and lead the Righteous-Unorthodox Alliance?"
"Heh. I didn't expect you to have thought that far. It won't be an easy task. No matter how much power matters in the martial world, distribution is just as important. …Still, it's not entirely impossible."
The two exchanged glances and nodded, but then Tang So-wol tilted her head as if something had occurred to her.
"But, young hero Cheon."
"Hm?"
"There is one thing I am curious about. Would it be alright to ask?"
"Go ahead."
"The Demonic Cult has one thing in common, doesn't it? Each person's circumstances may differ, but every one of them suffered an injustice at the hands of a Martial Artist, and no one would listen to their side of the story."
"There are a few special exceptions like the Sword Demon, who joined the Demonic Cult because he wanted to cut down every bastard who could wield a blade, whether from the Orthodox Sects or the Unorthodox Sects… but most are not like that."
"What?! The Sword Demon joined the Demonic Cult for that reason?! …Young hero Cheon and the Sword King seem relatively normal by comparison."
"?"
Tang So-wol spoke with a genuinely startled expression, as if she had just realized something truly new. I had never once been anything but normal.
As I tilted my head in confusion, Tang So-wol cleared her throat and moved on to the main point.
"Ahem. Anyway, aside from a few unusual cases, most Demonic Cultists have a past filled with grudges, don't they?"
"That's right."
"Is the Heavenly Demon the same?"
"…I don't know."
That wasn't just something to say. I truly didn't know.
Before the regression. The first thing those who learned that the Heavenly Demon was the Demonic Cult Leader did was to look into his past.
The Beggars' Sect, with fire at their feet, naturally joined in, and even Haomun, who well knew that if they sat still they'd be next to die, clung on to investigate the Heavenly Demon's past thoroughly.
But what kind of ordeal had he gone through to turn to the Demonic Cult, and to commit indiscriminate slaughter?
He probably thought that if he could resolve the grudge that made the Heavenly Demon resent the world, he might somehow be able to stop him.
Well, no matter how much they investigated, nothing came up, so they eventually reached the conclusion that he was simply insane.
Now I can guess why that result came about.
Isn't the Heavenly Demon a regressor? And one far more skilled at it than I am.
Perhaps he had already resolved the grudges that would have forced him to become the Heavenly Demon in the first place.
Just as I succeeded in preventing half of Tang So-wol's face from melting away, and in saving Seol Ri-hyang and Seomun Hwa-rin.
So I need to change the question a little.
Why does the Heavenly Demon go through multiple regressions, and why does he still seek to destroy the Murim?
…why he welcomes my existence, which only gets in his way.
For now, these are questions I cannot answer. However.
"However, there is one thing I know for certain."
"And what is that?"
"Whatever circumstances the Heavenly Demon may have, that bastard has crossed the line far too many times."
If that's the case, then in the end, there's no choice but to settle it with the sword.
That is the way of the Murim.
***
After returning to the room.
Since all the matters to discuss had been settled, I went to find Seol Ri-hyang to start preparing for the journey back.
As she had mentioned before, she was being treated to tea and snacks among the female martial artists who, despite their skill, were looked down upon within the organization for one reason or another.
I thought she'd be meeting them somewhere outside, but it turned out she was just hosting them in her own room.
The faction(?) Seol Ri-hyang had built in just a few days flinched at my sudden appearance and cast wary glances my way, but Seol Ri-hyang herself merely waved at me cheerfully.
"Cheon Hwi! Did you finish that important talk?"
"Just now. I came to tell you to prepare in advance, since we're heading back to the Tang Clan tomorrow."
"Ah, right. Well, if we'd stuck to the original schedule, we'd have been back long ago."
Seol Ri-hyang nodded. There was no point in staying any longer—it would only make the atmosphere more tense. I was about to head back to my room when—
Her voice came from behind me.
"Ah, by the way, do you know what, Cheon Hwi? I heard you're about to get a new alias."
"Hm?"
I had to hear this before leaving.