Chapter 10: The Divine Demon, the Unforgettable
"Anyway... you solved tough cases left and right, didn't give a damn who you were dealing with, even went after the Six Demon Clans’ personnel head-on. The Law Enforcement Hall's reputation shot way up because of that. So even the higher-ups couldn't just write you off as a bad egg."
Huh… so that’s what I was like?
“It’s not like you asked them to fight your battles. You just charged in and handled things by the book. It made them look good, upheld justice, and best of all, kept them out of the line of fire. It was a win-win for them!”
Isn't he basically saying I took on dangerous jobs that everyone else hushed up, jobs the higher-ups should've handled?
Either way... it means my superiors and I weren't exactly on close terms.
So they didn't help me; they didn't protect me; they just kept their distance.
"But... why do you think it was the Cult Leader who put me in the Law Enforcement Hall?"
"Well, who else would pull something like that?"
“Well… it didn’t have to be him. It could’ve been the Six Demon Clans…”
"Ah, there was a good reason to think that. The Cult Leader gave you the Heaven-Reaching Token."
"Heaven-Reaching Token?"
"Here's what I heard. After you solved several major cases, the Cult Leader personally commended you one day and asked what reward you wanted. Some of those cases even touched on things that affected the cult members' morale. But... when you heard that, you asked to be granted access to the upper archives. So the Cult Leader asked why he wanted that, and you said your martial arts weren't strong enough to carry out your current duties properly. The Cult Leader laughed heartily and gave you a token. Everyone figured you'd get access to the first-grade archive at best. But guess what? The Cult Leader gave you the Heaven-Reaching Token. One that grants access all the way to the special-grade archive."
Maeng Heum glanced at Yu Gyeongseong, who was lost in thought, and continued his explanation.
"Since you probably don't know anything, let me explain a bit more. You can count the number of those tokens on one hand. The head of the personal guard, the Six Demons, and the Six Strike Force Commanders—that's about it. Even our Hall Master doesn't have one. So anyone with half a brain who saw that would've thought, “Ah, the one who planted this young punk in the Law Enforcement Hall was the Cult Leader!” I mean, come on, you think he’d hand out a prize like that just for closing a few cases."
"Why?"
"Huh?"
"Why would the Cult Leader do that for me?"
"How the hell would I know? I'm not the one involved. Both sides kept their mouths shut about it. I grilled you over and over, but you never told me a damn thing, so how was I supposed to know? Huh?"
"......"
"Anyway, you were already kind of an outsider in the Law Enforcement Hall, but after you got that Heaven-Reaching Token, whenever you had free time, you'd either hole up in the special-grade archive or just train. So what do you think happened?"
So that’s why. That's why I had no friends.
Maeng Heum's light tone tickled Yu Gyeongseong's ears.
“You were pretty much the number one hermit in the entire Divine Cult. And you did it to yourself.”
***
After he had met with every member of his squad, Yu Gyeongseong was finally alone.
What he had gotten back were four money pouches. Opening them, he found they were filled with silver taels.
All of them were the same weight.
Maybe because I asked for them back so fast, no one had time to get sticky fingers.
‘Still, all four of them definitely took a peek…’
Hmm.
Still, Yu Gyeongseong felt puzzled.
Why would I have entrusted them with money in the first place?
Was I just worried about losing my life savings? Was the plan to become the strongest fighter in the world and then retire rich?
'....'
Something's off.
If there was another purpose behind this... what would it be?
'I didn't trust even my squad members... so I used the money to divert their attention?'
This was clearly a large sum. You could tell from how all their attention was completely focused on the money.
[I wondered why you were handing over so much money.]
Carrying money pouches around isn't unusual.
So even if someone had suspicions, this would help things slide by smoothly.
Especially if there's quite a bit of silver inside...
Even if someone checked, their eyes would naturally be drawn to the money.
Clatter… jingle…
Yu Gyeongseong poured out all the contents.
He picked up each silver tael and examined it carefully.
'....'
Nothing strange.
He thought there might be some marking on the surface... But they were just plain silver taels.
Of course. My past self knew they’d look inside. He wouldn’t have put the message right on the silvers.
'Then...?!'
A thought suddenly struck him.
His eyes fell on the ordinary leather pouch.
When the pouch is full of silver, you can't see the inside lining.
Yu Gyeongseong turned the money pouch completely inside out.
But nothing particularly caught his eye.
Just an ordinary leather surface.
"......"
But at this moment, the texture he felt with his fingertips, this thickness.
'...double-layered?!'
The pouch split apart smoothly under his touch.
Another identical piece of leather was attached.
And what came out from between them was a piece of paper.
Yu Gyeongseong instinctively realized what it was.
'A message I left... for myself...'
Now it was clear.
Before I took the Great Law, I knew.
I knew I was going to forget everything.
'....'
Yu Gyeongseong looked down at the unfolded papers.
Looks like his past self was extremely cautious, seeing that he had divided the message into four separate pieces.
And he recognized one fact immediately.
'It's in code...'
He skimmed through it, but had no idea what it meant.
Even if someone had gathered all of these and pieced them together, they wouldn't understand what it meant at all.
‘This was designed so that I, after having received the Great Law, could be certain of the information’s authenticity.’
Which means only I would be able to decipher it.
But how the hell am I supposed to crack a code when I can’t remember anything?
'...!'
Then something flashed through his mind.
The one thing I didn't lose.
The Grand Grotto Mystic Mantra.
Looking again, he saw that its oral formulas were jumbled and mixed throughout the cipher.
'Remove all the incantations.'
And just like that, four clear lines of text appeared.
[Doubt them. The only one you can trust]
[When they answer "Unforgettable," that person.]
[There is one existence. If I said Divine Demon]
[If the Cult Leader is gone, doubt the Six Demon Clans]
Looking at these contents, Yu Gyeongseong was certain.
'This is it. This is the whole message I left.'
What my past self wanted to convey to my future self consisted of three points.
That's why I only left it with four people.
That’s why he split it into four pieces and gave them to four different people. That way, even if someone found one piece, and even if they somehow managed to decode it, a single fragment would be useless.
At this moment, three sentences appeared before his eyes.
[If the Cult Leader is gone, doubt the Six Demons.]
[There is one person—and only one—that you can trust.]
[They are the one who answers Unforgettable when you say Divine Demon.]
***
'If the Cult Leader is gone...'
This phrase weighed on my mind.
Did I anticipate that the Heavenly Demon would be gone?
Right now, he's gone... so according to this message, I should doubt the Six Demons.
At this moment, a new rule was etched into his mind.
[The Six Demons cannot be trusted.]
The next message I left.
The word ‘only’ resonated in his heart. Did it not mean there was no one to trust but this single person?
The only person I can trust... is the person who answers "Unforgettable" when I say Divine Demon.
'...It's not the Cult Leader?'
If he were that person, wouldn't I have left a message saying to trust the Cult Leader or rescue him?
But it didn't say anything of the sort.
The Heavenly Demon's whereabouts are unknown.
It feels like he was subdued by the Six Demons.
Maybe he's already dead.
Either way, that doesn't seem to be what's important.
Yu Gyeongseong organized his thoughts.
My past self had left a path for me to follow. It was short and clear.
'Now... what I need to do is...'
Find that one person I can trust without being manipulated by the Six Demons.
Then, from that person, I will be able to hear the truth.
The truth of what happened… to me.
***
The Law Enforcement Hall Master's office.
Vice Squad Leader Byeon Wu of the Fifth Squad stood before the Hall Master.
He'd rushed over immediately after meeting Yu Gyeongseong.
"Wu Wonta is sticking to Squad Leader Yu?”
While ordinary cult members didn't know much about this, the Hall Master knew well that Wu Wonta was the Life Demon's right-hand man.
There are even rumors that he might inherit the mantle of Life Demon.
That fact alone was enough to grasp how serious this situation was.
“Yes. We were dispatched in response to a report of a major fight between warriors, but when we arrived, the combatants were gone, and only he was present. He then guided us away immediately, claiming it was the Cult Leader’s order, at which point all squad members were separated into different rooms. A short while later, Squad Leader Yu entered.”
The Hall Master fell into thought.
Up to that point, he could make sense of most of it.
After all, it was the Cult Leader who put Squad Leader Yu in the Law Enforcement Hall in the first place, and it was the Cult Leader who summoned him yesterday.
But the report that followed was unexpected.
"Squad Leader Yu has lost his memory."
"...How?"
“He said he got hit with some kind of spell on his mission, but… I think it’s real. His manner of speaking and his attitude... even just the way he carried the conversation was different."
“How so?”
“The first thing he blurted out upon seeing me was… for me to hand over what he had entrusted to me.”
The Hall Master stared intently at Byeon Wu.
“And was there such a thing?”
"Not with me."
The meaning contained in that answer was clear.
He might not know, but the other squad members might have something.
The Hall Master gave an order.
“Get the entire Fifth Squad in here. Now!”
***
It was a long day for the Fifth Squad of the Law Enforcement Hall.
This was because everyone, including those who were off-duty, had been suddenly summoned. And by order of the Cult Leader, no less.
They had rushed over in a hurry, wondering what the hell was going on... but contrary to their expectation, nothing major happened.
Well, unless you count your amnesiac boss showing up instead of the Cult Leader as a "crisis."
Just when they thought it was over and they could finally relax, they got another summons. This time, from the Hall Master.
And the method was the same as before.
They met with their superior one-on-one.
From the format of the meeting alone, it was not hard for the squad member to figure out how they should act.
The Hall Master's intention was completely embedded in the format itself.
[I’m going to cross-check every word you say, so don't lie.]
So they spoke honestly.
It would’ve been hard to hide anything anyway, and besides… It’s not like it was a big deal.
Before they knew it, the sun had set and the darkness had deepened.
The Hall Master had finished his meeting with all of the Fifth Squad’s members and was now sitting alone in his office.
Tap tap
He drummed his fingers on his desk, a habit when he was thinking hard.
‘So he left them bags of money…’
An image of Yu Gyeongseong’s face floated in his mind.
He was a man who knew nothing of spending money. So you could assume he just saved up a bunch of cash and asked some guys he trusted to hold onto it for him before a dangerous mission.
You could assume that if you saw this matter lightly.
But...
Tap tap
‘…Is it really that simple?’
***
It was the same as yesterday.
At a time too early to be called morning, the Six Demons moved first.
Wu Wonta sent word inside.
"Squad Leader Yu. The Six Demons wish to have breakfast together."
Then Yu Gyeongseong came out the door.
Looking at the welcoming face before him, he opened his mouth
"Divine Demon!"
'...?'
It didn't take long for Wu Wonta's smile to falter.
He was trying to figure out what the hell that was supposed to mean, but Yu Gyeongseong just turned and started walking away.
Wu Wonta was completely baffled.
Wait, he’s just walking off?
Wasn’t I supposed to say something back?
No, that can't be right… Why did he stare at me like that? He looked like he was expecting an answer, right then and there.
After trailing him for a while, Wu Wonta broke the silence. He knew it might make him look pathetic, but that was the least of his worries right now.
The whole reason he was here was to figure out what this man was up to for his Clan Lord, so he had to swallow his pride and ask.
"Squad Leader Yu. What did that mean just now...?"
But the answer he got was completely dismissive.
"It's nothing."
Normally, Wu Wonta would’ve dropped it, but not this time.
“If it was nothing… then why?”
"Just a battle cry. To get myself psyched up!”
"......"
He clearly had no intention of explaining anything. So there was only one option.
Wu Wonta desperately put his brain into full gear.
'Divine Demon... Is that his new goal? To become something like that?’
Then a thought suddenly occurred to him.
‘Or… is he telling me that’s what I should call him?!’
Maybe he was too embarrassed to just come out and say it, so he was dropping a weird hint!
Wu Wonta nodded to himself.
Yeah, that actually sounded like a plausible theory.
Hmm...
'He's going to fight the Sword God... so Divine Demon does fit, doesn't it?!'
To him, lost deep in thought, Yu Gyeongseong bid him farewell.
They had already arrived at their destination.
"Well then, Squad Leader Wu, enjoy your breakfast!"
Wu Wonta just stared after him with a dazed look as he walked through the door.