Though the Seven Flower Centipede's gaze was rather dull-witted, what mattered now wasn't how the creature saw me.
"You heard all of that, didn't you, Cheonghwa Merchant Guild Leader?"
"…Yes."
Whether the internal injuries that had surged the moment his Dantian was destroyed had finally settled, the Cheonghwa Merchant Guild Leader answered with a weary look.
I casually picked up one of the documents scattered across the desk. A report outlining a plan to quietly crush a rival merchant guild. Nothing particularly important.
I crumpled the document into a shape that fit comfortably in one hand and personally wiped the blood from the Cheonghwa Merchant Guild Leader's mouth with it.
"I already know who's behind you. I have a rough idea of what your purpose is as well. All thanks to our Centipede Sect Leader."
"Hehe. That much is…"
Maeng Yu-baek, embarrassed at such an unexpected moment.
Judging by the history she had shared with me, it must have been so long since she'd received even empty praise that she reacted without thinking.
Of course, in the eyes of the Cheonghwa Merchant Guild Leader, she must have looked completely insane.
She had tried to leave the family just to avoid fighting, and yet she'd been hurt by her own brother who was determined to end her life.
How absurd must it look for her to forget such a trivial(?) matter in an instant and beam with delight?
Of course, I had no intention of correcting the Cheonghwa Merchant Guild Leader's misconception. If he thought of me as someone he couldn't understand, that was all the better.
I shoved the blood-soaked bundle of documents into the Cheonghwa Merchant Guild Leader's chest and continued speaking.
"Then you know well what you need to say now."
"…You want the second young master's weakness, don't you?"
"No."
"Pardon?"
"Cheonghwa Merchant Guild Leader. You seem to be unaware of this because you've pledged your loyalty to that second brat… but a fledgling who hasn't even become the Young Palace Mistress yet means nothing to me."
"…"
Only then did the Cheonghwa Merchant Guild Leader recall the fact that I had single-handedly destroyed the Heavenly Poison Sect, and his expression hardened.
However, there was someone who broke the mood I had so carefully built, so it didn't last long.
"Ah. White Moon Sword Lord, isn't it true that you've just turned twenty this year? Then the second young master must be three years older than you…"
"Shh! Young hero Cheon is the kind of person who speaks informally to everyone unless they're someone important to him or stronger than him! Last time, he even spoke down to the Lord of the Northern Ice Palace."
"Eek. Truly, in this world, strength is everything…!"
It was a scene of vicious slander.
"Tang So-wol. Don't teach the kid strange things. The reason I spoke informally to the Lord of the Northern Ice Palace wasn't because she's weaker than me—it's because she kept trying to make Seol Ri-hyang the Young Palace Mistress."
"Well then, what would you do if you met that second young master, who is older than you, young hero Cheon?"
"…He said he was twenty-three, didn't he? He's younger than you, Tang So-wol. And since I'm practically one mind and body with my betrothed, speaking informally to him is only natural."
"You see now, Centipede Sect Leader? Young hero Cheon is this kind of person. We'll probably be traveling together to the Beast Palace like this, so you'd best get used to him in advance."
"Yes!"
Maeng Yu-baek nodded vigorously.
I was a counterfeit child who had gone through a regression. Though I was better now, I was different from Seol Ri-hyang, who had been full of poison energy in her childhood, or Seomun Hwa-rin, whose youthful appearance belied her lofty status.
This was a genuinely innocent reaction befitting a child of that age.
Perhaps that was what felt refreshing. Tang So-wol kept trying to teach me strange things, and I shook my head at her, letting out a sigh.
"Hoo. Anyway, I have no interest in the Beast Palace's internal squabbles. Head of the Cheonghwa Merchant Guild, there is only one thing I wish to know."
"W-what is it?"
"The current state of the Beast Palace. And the Beast Palace Lord's temperament and skill. Yes. To put it bluntly, what do you think would happen if I went straight to the Beast Palace?"
"…!"
"Did he get angry because his son couldn't kill his runaway daughter? Or is he the type to smile and raise a glass with a guest? If we fought, how would he fight? What's his martial level? Has he defeated any strong opponents recently? If not, what about in the past?"
"…"
I lightly patted the shoulder of the Cheonghwa Merchant Guild head, who sat there with a dazed expression and his mouth shut tight.
"I've given you that many examples, so answering should be easy now. I'd like you to tell me, one by one, calmly."
"…"
"Tsk. Come to think of it, you were coughing up blood earlier. If your throat is parched, I can at least give you some water."
"…"
After a long silence, the head of the Cheonghwa Merchant Association finally spoke, his voice slow and deliberate.
"Great Hero White Moon Sword Lord… do you intend to exterminate the Beast Palace this time?"
"What?"
"If sending that vagrant was the problem, then I apologize. If you wish, I will kneel and dash my head against the ground in suicide. …So please, I beg you, reconsider."
The head of the Cheonghwa Merchant Association pleaded with a solemn voice. It seemed he had misunderstood things—and badly at that.
I gestured lightly toward Maeng Yu-baek. For some reason, Chil-gong shoved his head forward, trying to act cute.
When I pushed the creature's head away firmly, only then did Maeng Yu-baek realize I was calling him and approached.
After a moment of hesitation, Maeng Yu-baek shut his eyes tightly. Just like Chil-gong had done, he tried to press his forehead into my hand—so I flinched and pulled my hand back in alarm.
Instead, I grabbed Maeng Yu-baek by both shoulders and pulled him in front of me, making sure the head of the Cheonghwa Merchant Guild could see him clearly.
"It seems there's a misunderstanding. I merely wish to build a good relationship with the Beast Palace. If possible, I'd like to see this talented junior do a bit better for himself."
"Ah."
Only then did the head of the Cheonghwa Merchant Guild nod, as if he had finally grasped something.
"I understand. Even in that form, if the Beast Palace's legacy can be carried on…"
"…"
His expression suggested he was imagining a scene where I used Maeng Yu-baek as a scarecrow, made him the Beast Palace Lord, and pulled the strings from behind.
I knew this in such detail because, in the early days of the Demonic Cult's invasion, similar incidents happened frequently as the heads of established noble families and sects were murdered by the Heavenly Demon.
…Well, at this point, whether it's a misunderstanding or not, I suppose it doesn't really matter. Thanks to it, the head of the Cheonghwa Merchant Guild had loosened his tongue.
As if he had set down all his burdens, or perhaps had given up everything else to cling to a shred of loyalty, the head of the Cheonghwa Merchant Guild shared all sorts of stories with me.
That the Beast Palace Lord was a Harmony Realm martial artist, but the poison he had suffered from the Poison Demon was eating away at his body, preventing him from fully displaying his martial level.
That long ago, his mother had died in battle against the Five Poison Sect, and so he hated everything connected to it.
That because the Poison Demon had clashed heavily with the Beast Palace while establishing the Heavenly Poison Sect and expanding its territory, most people had come to despise the Heavenly Poison Sect.
That he had led the South Man Beast Palace, united as one, to its greatest peak in history.
That with my extermination of the Heavenly Poison Sect, the competition for Young Palace Mistress had begun to intensify in the Beast Palace, now that its common enemy was gone.
There were stories I had never known, things I had roughly guessed, and things I had known before the regression but which had changed because of me.
But among all of that, there was one thing that particularly bothered me.
It was the story that the Beast Palace Lord's condition was critical due to a poison that had yet to be cured.
This was a story I had never heard before the regression.
The Beast Palace Lord I knew was someone who had brought the South Man Beast Palace to its golden age, yet still couldn't match the forces of the Central Plains, so he only focused on building strength.
To add a bit more, he took advantage of the chaos brought by the Demonic Cult's invasion to stir up trouble across the Central Plains here and there.
There were small clashes with the Demonic Cult as well, but whether it was due to some kind of agreement, he had been quiet ever since taking Guizhou, or so I'd heard.
At the very least, among the stories I had heard, there was no rumor of the Beast Palace Lord being laid low by a poison he had suffered long ago.
In the first place, he was far too vigorous in his rampages for someone said to be hovering between life and death.
Now I understand. Whenever something doesn't add up like this, pointing at the Demonic Cult usually hits the mark.
Perhaps the Heavenly Demon healed the Beast Palace Lord's poison in exchange for having him rampage in time with the Demonic Cult's invasion.
After all, even before the regression, Maeng Yu-baek had left the sect one way or another.
It was said that with the Heavenly Poison Sect's Clan Extermination, the Beast Palace's attention had turned inward… but the fundamental cause of the Young Palace Mistress competition was that the current Beast Palace Lord was on his last legs.
If so, what we needed to do was all but decided.
Having organized my thoughts, I asked Tang So-wol.
"You said you absorbed all of the Poison Demon's poison when you reached Transcendent Peak."
"To be precise, I reached Transcendent Peak because I absorbed all of the Poison Demon's poison… but yes. I did absorb every poison remaining in the Heavenly Poison Sect at the time. Including the poison dissolved in the Poison Demon's blood and internal energy."
"Then, can you also cure the poison that afflicted the Beast Palace Lord?"
"Not every poison has an antidote, and poisons that have lingered in the body for a long time occasionally undergo changes, so I cannot say for certain… but at the very least, I can neutralize the poison energy."
"If we resolve the Beast Palace Lord's problem, that would be doing them a favor."
"Heh heh. The South Man Beast Palace is known for being fierce, but never acting worse than beasts. Even beasts know gratitude, so there's no need to worry on that front."
"Good. Then let's proceed right away."
"Yes. In the meantime, I'll research the poison that afflicted the Beast Palace Lord."
"Hm? Do you know what poison it is?"
"No? But there are few poisons that can afflict a Harmony Realm martial artist and persist so stubbornly for such a long time, so I plan to focus my investigation there. Two come to mind right away…"
Tang So-wol began muttering something complicated and focusing. As I left her to it for a moment, I felt someone tug at my sleeve and looked down.
It was Maeng Yu-baek, still standing before me with his shoulder in my grip.
"U-um… White Moon Sword Lord? Are you really going to heal my father?"
"Yes. Provided it's possible."
"Why…?"
"Hm?"
"I'm grateful, truly grateful, but… it feels like too much. In the short time since I left home, the one thing I've learned is that there's no such thing as a favor without a price."
"Well learned. And you're right—this is no favor without a price."
A grin stretched across his face, and Maeng Yu-baek began to tremble violently.
"S-Surely not… you're not really planning to use me as a stepping stone to take control of the Beast Palace from behind the scenes, are you?!"
"I have no interest in such troublesome matters."
"Then why are you looking at me like that…?!"
"…Please stop saying such frightening things."
Right beside him, Tang So-wol was beaming brightly.
"Ah, could it be that you're looking at Chilgong-i that way? At first, you tried to buy Chilgong-i, didn't you?"
"You're driving me crazy."
For some reason, I did my best to ignore the centipede writhing beside me as I continued.
"It's because I saw potential in you."
"Pardon?"
"Didn't I tell you the other day? That I don't want to back down with the excuse that there's nothing more I can do, nor do I want to compromise. If you live by your own words, then you'll either grow stronger or break along the way. So what if I help you avoid breaking?"
"Ah… If what the White Moon Sword Lord says is true, then I'll grow stronger, right?"
"Yes. That's what I meant by seeing potential in you. Lord of the Centipede Sect. If you don't lose your current attitude, one day more people will come to know the name of the Centipede Sect. …At least, that's how it was for me."
So this is a kind of investment. No matter how strong I become, this world isn't a place one lives in alone.
Wouldn't it be better to make allies of those I can? Especially when that person is clearly destined to amount to something one day.
What I said just now was based only on Maeng Yu-baek's attitude, but the very fact that he could command the Seven Flower Centipede after a single glance was remarkable talent in itself.
Even if it was the kind of talent the Beast Palace didn't wish for, its inherent brilliance wouldn't fade.
"Of course, it's not as if I want nothing at all."
"…Please, speak. What is it you wish for me to do?"
"Repeat after me. The Demonic Cult is not to be associated with."
"Pardon?"
"I said repeat after me."
"Th-the Demonic Cult is not to be associated with!"
Maeng Yu-baek repeated the words with a puzzled expression, and he smiled warmly at the sight of her before continuing.
"Good. Next: the Heavenly Demon is our enemy. Repeat after me."
"The Heavenly Demon… is our enemy?"
"A little louder."
"The Heavenly Demon is our enemy!"
"Mmm. Don't forget what you just said. That's all you need."
"Yesss…"
Maeng Yu-baek looked at him as if she were staring at some poor, pitiful sick person, but surely that was just his imagination.
After sending Maeng Yu-baek over to Tang So-wol, I turned my gaze back to the Cheonghwa Merchant Guild leader, who was still frozen stiff below the neck.
Now what should I do with this one…
As if sensing my deliberation, the guild leader, who had been listening to our conversation with a vacant expression, blurted out hastily.
"Th-the contract! I'll void the contract with the Centipede Sect! And I'll arrange a carriage bound for the Beast Palace!"
"Hm. And?"
"Uh…"
"How am I supposed to trust a man who's drawn a blade on me and let him live? At the very least, show me the sincerity of disarming yourself."
A merchant guild's martial strength comes from its gold coins.
He understood my words and nodded with a grimace.
"I'll give you every gold coin I can offer right now…"
"Oh, come on. You didn't have to go that far, but if you insist, I can't say no. I'll put it all to good use, so don't worry."
"…"
Anyway, the head of the Cheonghwa Merchant Guild, having saved his life, let out a sigh of relief.
So it ended well with no one dead after all.
See? I'm this merciful a person.
"You seem to be in a good mood, young hero Cheon."
"Yeah. I think I've become a better person than before…"
"As they say, a person should do what suits them best."
"…"
Anyway, I'm a more merciful person than I was before my regression!