Chapter 110: Cheong-ho's Message

"Since you're the captain, you must have figured it out, right? If you come back near this house, the thing inside you will grow rapidly."

"You piece of shit!! Just kill me already!"

"Why would I kill you?"

It's better not to kill these lunatics if possible.

It's not that I can't kill them all like the Hollow Lord did, take what I need, and use the rest as experimental material, but if I do that, more will just keep coming and coming.

These fanatics have an apocalyptic and self-destructive doctrine, so they are always looking for a place to "martyr" themselves in spectacular fashion.

This house probably got its reputation as such a fine martyrdom spot, which is why they crawled in here.

I opened the window and let the lump of flesh out of the house.

This creature didn't have a long lifespan, so it would create some eerie rumors around here for a while.

"By the way, it's not just about you dying. It will grow by assimilating with your flesh, so you'll become part of the monster while still conscious. According to your doctrine, you won't be able to go to that heaven or Valhalla or whatever it is."

There was a doctrine about becoming part of an eternal bonfire in some dimension formed somewhere in Fomalhaut.

"Ugh... you, monster! Demon!!"

"What demon? I'm just trying to live peacefully together, right?"

Even after that, the captain continued to hurl abuse and curses for quite a while, but curses and words were just a temporary shame.

I simply ignored them all.

"Hey, vice captain, snap out of it."

"Ugh? Ugh...?"

"Wow, you got beaten up a lot. Try eating this."

"Don't eat it! You shouldn't eat it!"

"Ugh? Ugh?"

"Oh, you're eating well."

"Nooo!!"

I treated the vice captain in a similar way and let them go.

After that, everything went smoothly.

I urged them to take their injured and leave immediately.

After about an hour of noisy commotion, a procession of stragglers was formed. It was a splendid sight to see them carrying or supporting each other as they went.

I waved my hand to those who were now heading on a long journey.

"Goodbye and don't come back."

"You vile bastard! The curse of flames will be upon you."

Curse, my ass.

Their god had been desperate to seduce me for months, so cursing me would be quite the feat.

Suddenly, I thought of a better way than parting so uncomfortably like this.

"Ah, wait a moment, Captain. Let me tell you one thing before you go."

I approached him and whispered some important information.

"Is that really true?"

"Well, if you don't want to believe it, don't. But in the spirit of friendship and loyalty, I'll give you a more detailed location. Listen carefully."

I even created a map using illusion magic and shared a few more key pieces of information.

"Really, here... really?"

"Yes, similar things can be found around Cheorwon, here and here."

"If they're similar, do they contain the same thing inside?"

"Yes. Anyway, I've done as much as I can, so let's avoid seeing each other for a while."

"...Fine, but you won't be able to maintain that arrogant attitude forever."

"Sure, sure. Do as you please."

"Tch, damn it... let's go back!"

After all the trouble I went through to save them, their attitude was quite ungrateful. Well, it couldn't be helped. It was impossible to befriend cultists from the start.

Once the cultists had all left, Heo Sang-hyeon reverted to his usual nervous expression.

"Shin-hwa-nim, is it really okay to let them go like that?"

He seemed to have relaxed.

Just a moment ago, he looked as if he was about to start torturing someone with that stern expression of his...

"Ah, it'll be fine. They'll be busy digging for a while."

"Digging?"

"Yes, I told them the location of their lost relic."

Of course, I wasn't talking about my ring.

What I revealed was the location of Helistic's secret laboratory.

I had specifically told them about a place where research related to the [Living Flame] was being conducted, so they would be too occupied fighting over there to show up here for a while.

I called the necromancy golems and ordered them to clean up the yard and the surrounding area, then stretched contentedly.

"Ah, is everything over then?"

But it seemed Heo Sang-hyeon's business wasn't finished yet. He waited while I dealt with various things for the cleanup.

"Shin-hwa-nim, I confirmed one more thing earlier."

"What is it?"

"Some of the people who tried to infiltrate here weren't cultists."

"Oh."

No wonder it felt strange.

Most cultists were resistant or completely immune to madness or fear. However, some showed excessively dramatic reactions to the necromancy golems.

Those who screamed and ran away must have been outsiders.

"I think they were hired thugs brought in from outside; what do you think? Did you confirm it?"

"Mhmm, just like you said, their identities were not clear. But it seems that among them there were people who could be called subcontractors of the Triad."

"Triad?"

"Yes. Some of the captives, or rather the injured cultists referred to those outsiders simply as Triad members. But it didn't seem like they were officially dispatched under the name of Triad."

"Ah, so these are the ones they send in situations where they can't openly use their name?"

"Yes, that's what I think."

Heo Sang-hyeon... he is more competent than I thought.

I hired him thinking he was merely a butler to manage household affairs and meals, but he might have more talent in other areas.

"Anyway, the Triad, huh..."

Come to think of it, both Jang Hyun-deok and Park Kwang-lim mentioned Cheong-ho once. If this is a scenario where the Triad and the descendants of Fomalhaut, no, the cultists, are involved... Damn it, stupid Cheong-ho. That's why I told you to act quickly.

It seems the [Triad's Division] scenario started while I wasn't paying attention.

"So, will the Triad contact us anytime soon?"

However, my prediction that the Triad would contact me was wrong.

***

The Triad had already made contact.

I just hadn't been able to check it.

"Hahaha, you mean you didn't know messages flooded in right after you returned from the Ghost Path?"

"The timing wasn't great. I was all over the place right after returning from the Ghost Path."

There were too many things to worry about.

Even so, it's a bit embarrassing that I missed information that could have been checked by simply turning on my smartphone and taking a quick look.

Originally, I was supposed to visit Vasilisa three days later, but I received an urgent call from Tudor and had to come back one day later.

Thanks to that, I was able to check Cheong-ho's messages, which I had been missing.

When I checked my smartphone, it seemed that Cheong-ho had tried to contact me several times during the fortnight I stayed at Thousand Gold Temple.

However, just like the telecom companies in the world I used to live in, the telecom companies in [Cthulhu World] cannot send signals to the Ghost Path.

"Hehe, thanks to you not being familiar with modern conveniences, I get to earn some pocket money."

"...I've told you several times, it's not that I don't use a smartphone because I don't know how."

I didn't ignore his messages because I wanted to, but still, to Cheong-ho, it would seem like the aloof Kim Shin-hwa was brushing him off.

From the perspective of the Triad's boss, it was a situation that could have caused displeasure but he chose to appease me instead.

"I don't know how you managed to tame Cheong-ho, but someone from his side came and left a hefty bonus."

"Still, it's impressive to send 200 million won just for a message."

It seems someone from Cheong-ho's side visited.

They left a bundle of money, saying it was a delayed payment for the previous job. It was probably meant to soothe my feelings and prompt me to respond to his messages.

I don't know exactly what misunderstanding he has, but there's no need to refuse the money they're giving.

Anyway, the message he conveyed with such a large sum was very short.

[The book is ready, so please visit when you have time.]

It's a message that's only about twenty characters long, excluding spaces. So about ten million won per character? It's a bit strange to measure sincerity by the amount of money, but that's the situation.

Tudor who pocketed a commission for delivering that short message laughed and said.

"Hmm~ It's probably not just money to appease you. There must be a reason Cheong-ho wants to meet you right away."

"A reason?"

"Strange people have been hitting the Triad's businesses lately. Because of that, the Triad heads have been suffering from severe headaches."

It seems things are unfolding just as I thought.

Cheong-ho had urgently gathered all his connections to consolidate his power in an emergency situation.

There weren't many who could challenge the Triad, which had practically taken control of the entire underworld in the central region, not just Paju.

"Isn't it two heads, not three, that are suffering from headaches?"

Tudor widened her eyes in surprise at my remark.

"Oh? Did you figure out the situation in Paju overnight? Only very sensitive people usually know that."

"Some friends I met yesterday told me a few things."

There was that, and I also had a rough idea of how the Triad's division scenario was unfolding.

I could guess what was happening to Cheong-ho now.

It wasn't three heads but two that were in trouble.

In Paju, the one hitting the Triad the hardest was, of course, the Triad itself.

"Hmm, really impressive. Although all three heads are getting hit side by side, there's one head suffering surprisingly little damage."

"Which head? It seems more likely to be Jeok-du rather than Heuk-wang."

Tudor whistled before she pointed her finger at me like a gun and continued.

"That's right. Among those in the know, there's a rumor that Jeok-du is secretly beating up the other heads under an alias."

So, Jeok-du had betrayed them.

One of the three heads of the Triad.

The Triad was an alliance of three organizations led by Jeok-du, Cheong-ho, and Heuk-wang. Among them, the only one cunning enough to join forces with the cult was Jeok-du.

"In the midst of your busy schedule, you spent money to summon me like this..."

"You get the idea, right? Cheong-ho seems to want to bring you to his side."

"So that's why those strange rumors were circulating? I thought they were spread by Vasilisa, so I kept quiet."

"Huh? Oh, I did spread those rumors."

"......."

"Kikiki, of course, I didn't do it alone. Cheong-ho picked them up and exaggerated them, and then I further inflated them. Just so you don't misunderstand, there was no prearranged plotting."

"Why did you do that?"

"It's all about spreading your infamous reputation in any form. Thanks to that, Cheong-ho's thinking has become more limited. He probably thinks he needs to spend whatever it takes to bring you in."

It was an evil plan.

In the end, Cheong-ho would believe this plan originated from his own mind and act according to Tudor's wishes.

"I'm—."

Even if Cheong-ho offered all his wealth, there was no way I would consider joining him. If I were inclined to become a mere member of the insignificant Triad, I would have already submitted to the Thousand Gold Temple instead.

"—Sorry, but I'm not really interested."

"It doesn't matter. You always move in the direction you want. When have I ever forced you to do something?"

"Hmm, that's true."

"So, what will you do about the message? This money is purely a bonus from the last request, so you can ignore it if you want, but aren't you going to get the book?"

If I went to see Cheung-ho for the book, I would be in a situation that would be hard to get out of.

"No. You have to take what is given to you."

There are many options I can choose from besides working under Cheong-ho.

And.

In any case, I will move as I please.