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Translator: Ryuma
Chapter: 18
Chapter Title: Business Trip (3)
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After that, I continued wandering around Warm Hostel County with Jin Ha-yeon and Branch Leader Ma Gang-il, observing the villagers or asking them questions.
After about an hour of what wasn't quite a patrol, the sky had turned completely dark.
Most of the residents had gone home by then, and with hardly anyone left in the village, we headed back to the branch hall.
"Young Master. Have you come up with any ideas?"
Jin Ha-yeon, who had been walking beside me, asked, and Branch Leader Ma Gang-il looked at me with an intrigued gaze as well.
"I have a few in mind."
A few? Honestly, they were overflowing.
It was only natural. From my perspective as someone from the modern world, the lifestyle here was far too outdated.
There were plenty of things that needed changing, but I had no intention of touching them all.
That would just invite a hellish workload.
My concern was singular.
Which one to touch on so that Master would be moderately satisfied, without any extra work coming my way.
As I walked while pondering that, a strange feeling made me turn my head.
"???"
For some reason, Branch Leader Ma Gang-il was standing there dumbfounded, staring at me with a shocked face.
Jin Ha-yeon wasn't as surprised as him, but she looked a bit taken aback too.
'They are shocked, right...?'
Even so, after spending the entire half-month glued to them, I could tell their expressions were a little different from usual.
"Is there a problem?"
When I asked in a bewildered tone, Branch Leader Ma Gang-il, still looking shocked, replied.
"Truly, as expected of the disciple chosen by the exalted one. To find not just one, but several things to change in merely an hour."
"Ah...."
Only then did I realize my mistake.
Branch Leader Ma Gang-il must have been working here for at least a few years.
From the perspective of someone who'd been on the ground for years, my words could have come across quite offensively.
But as expected of a devout fanatic, he showed no sign of displeasure or jealousy toward me.
He simply radiated an aura of boundless admiration.
So, the mistake I'd thought of wasn't about offending him.
'...I need to be more careful?'
It had been the same during the banquet last time, and today too.
What seemed utterly obvious to me was treated as astonishing by them.
'I thought they'd only be amazed by science-related stuff like smartphones, TVs, or even lightbulbs.'
There was this cliché that often appeared in Japanese manga or novels I'd seen back in the day.
- Ahh, this is called a lighter.
- Ahh, this is called a K-2 rifle.
Stories where modern gadgets amazed people in a fantasy world.
Well, as a liberal arts guy, I couldn't make a lighter let alone a gun, so I'd dismissed it as irrelevant.
When I first fell into this world, democracy had crossed my mind, but in a world where the imperial family firmly held power, shouting about democracy would get me labeled a rebel and executed.
As a mere errand boy and orphan, I'd naturally kept my mouth shut and played dumb, so I hadn't realized it.
That the liberal arts knowledge I possessed could seem miraculous to the people of this world.
It was something I needed to be cautious about in many ways.
Either way, in this world, I was a penniless orphan and former errand boy.
Knowing such things would inevitably raise suspicions.
"As expected, the exalted one's eyes are precise."
The two fanatics by my side were just overcome with emotion, thinking, 'The disciple chosen by the great Heavenly Demon!!'
'Lucky they're idiots.'
Letting out a sigh of relief inwardly, I casually changed the subject.
"By the way, Branch Leader Ma Gang-il doesn't seem to suffer much from demonic art side effects. Have you perhaps achieved Transcending Demon?"
From what I'd observed while together so far, despite his fierce face, he always burst into hearty, cheerful laughter as he mingled with the villagers.
He didn't seem like a demonic cultivator at all.
But at my question, Branch Leader Ma Gang-il flailed his arms as if it were absurd.
"Hahaha. How could a mere branch leader like me reach Transcending Demon? It's just that the side effects of my art are mild, so it doesn't show much. Young Master. Hahaha."
His mention of a demonic art with mild side effects piqued my curiosity.
"If it's not rude, could you tell me what the side effect of your demonic art is?"
"Hahahaha. It's nothing. Just a minor thing where I keep feeling inexplicably happy. Hahaha."
"..."
It seemed the side effect was mania.
"In fact, records say that even at Extreme Demon, no matter how depressing the situation, you keep laughing and lose your mind, or you could have seizures from laughing too hard. But my talent is lacking, so I haven't reached Extreme Demon yet. This is fortunate or unfortunate, who knows. Hahahahaha."
"..."
Maybe because I now knew his condition.
His hearty laughter suddenly felt pitiful.
* * *
After returning to the branch hall.
Through Jin Ha-yeon, I gained new knowledge about the cult.
Those like Branch Leader Ma Gang-il, who constantly interacted with local residents, were generally those who cultivated 'relatively' safe demonic arts.
Meaning, they practiced arts with side effects unlikely to harm others, or hadn't reached high realms, and thus were mostly assigned to branches.
Meanwhile, dangerous ones from the Demonic Path Academy—those with advanced demonic arts and high realms—were usually in the armed forces, patrolling New Frontier Province or carrying out missions, or active at the Heavenly Demon Divine Cult headquarters.
Of course, leaving people suffering from side effects like Eldest Senior Brother's anger issues or Third Senior Brother's paranoia near ordinary folk could lead to unimaginable disasters.
Additionally, even among non-Academy graduates, some steadily raised their realms and achievements, advancing from branch duties to the armed forces or headquarters, though it wasn't common.
"Have all your questions been answered?"
When I nodded at Jin Ha-yeon's question, she suddenly rummaged through her bundle and pulled out a book, ink, and paper.
"Why are you taking those out?"
"You've finished all today's tasks, so now it's time to start doctrine studies, right?"
"Ah...."
I'd completely forgotten, what with spinning like a top since early morning under the guise of lightness skill training, and then patrolling the village in the afternoon.
That she'd come here to tutor me.
"Feels like a diary entry."
At my muttered complaint laced with annoyance, Jin Ha-yeon tilted her head.
"What did you say, Young Master?"
She hadn't understood since I'd mumbled in Korean.
* * *
The next morning.
After bathing, Qi Circulation and Breath Adjustment. It was time for a pleasant breakfast.
Breakfast with Master.
"Heh heh heh. Eat comfortably."
Master said with a kindly smile, but the moment I picked up my spoon, he tossed out a question.
"So, after touring the village yesterday, did anything come to mind?"
As expected, Master couldn't separate meals from work.
I swallowed a sigh inwardly, set down my spoon, and opened my mouth.
"I have one idea, Master."
"Oh ho. I'm quite curious what it is."
Branch Leader Ma Gang-il also set down his spoon and looked at me expectantly.
After glancing back and forth at the two middle-aged men and the elder's expectant faces, I spoke calmly.
"Build academies in every village and have the children taught by our cult's branch members."
"Academies.... Is there a specific reason you want to build academies?"
"The biggest reason I thought of academies was Branch Leader Ma Gang-il's story."
No sooner had I finished than Master's gaze turned to Branch Leader Ma Gang-il.
Under that burdensome stare, Branch Leader Ma Gang-il let out his manic laugh, 'Hahaha,' and I added the explanation.
"Didn't the Branch Leader say yesterday at dinner? That most villagers here are illiterate, so doctrine is taught verbally."
"Hmm. Indeed, I recall that. But if so, shouldn't we teach letters to adults as well, not just children?"
"There's no need. They're already devout believers. Besides, they're too busy making ends meet to have time to study."
At my explanation, Master furrowed his brow and replied.
"Your claim that the adults are already devout implies the children are not."
"!!!"
Startled, Branch Leader Ma Gang-il suddenly jumped up from his chair, threw himself prostrate on the floor, and began kowtowing.
"My negligence, Lord! I will be more proactive in proselytizing to the children!"
As blood started flowing from his forehead, I hurriedly shouted.
"It's not the Branch Leader's fault! It means the situation has changed!"
"The situation has changed.... Can you explain what that means?"
Cold sweat broke out on its own.
Master wouldn't kill me on the spot, but one wrong word from me, and Branch Leader Ma Gang-il could be done for.
"Our Heavenly Demon Divine Cult expanded by protecting New Frontier's commoners from villains and spreading doctrine in the process. But nearly two hundred years have passed since then, and now there are hardly any bandits or thieves left in New Frontier. Especially in Warm Hostel County, near headquarters, they're practically extinct."
"So the changed situation you mentioned is that villains have decreased?"
"Yes. The older residents may feel infinite gratitude to our cult, but children find it hard to relate. Moreover, humans are inherently evil. Continued favors are taken as rights."
Adding a famous movie line, Master nodded with an 'indeed.'
It aligned with one of the cult's core doctrines: 'Humans are inherently evil.'
"So, children with no personal experience of great aid might come to see our cult's favors as a given."
"Yes, Master. Though less than the vile imperial family, we do collect tithes. Over time, someone might question, 'Why do we have to pay tithes to the Heavenly Demon Divine Cult?'"
"That's entirely plausible."
Seemingly convinced, Master turned to Branch Leader Ma Gang-il, kneeling on the floor.
"Branch Leader, rise. As my disciple said, you bear no fault."
"Y-yes, Heavenly Demon."
Still looking dazed, Ma Gang-il stood, gazing at me with admiring eyes.
With blood trickling from his forehead and a shocked expression, his stare was even more intense than usual.
But Master ignored that, glanced at the risen Branch Leader Ma Gang-il, and looked back at me.
"So, you're saying to have warriors from each branch teach letters and doctrine to the village children."
"Yes. Humans are greatly influenced by what they see growing up. If they learn letters from us as children, plus study doctrine steadily from young, the chances of them becoming faithful cultists are very high."
"But you've overlooked one thing. As you said, commoners are hard-pressed just with livelihoods. Will children have time to attend academies amid helping with that?"
"That's why we have them."
I replied, pointing to Branch Leader Ma Gang-il.
"The branch members were already helping with chores since villains decreased, right? Just have one or two teach the kids, while the rest handle the work the kids would have done."
"Heh heh heh. Indeed, you'd thought it all through. With your brilliant mind plus the Soul-Stealing Heartless Sword's side effects, a splendid result."
"T-that seems to be the case. Ha, hahaha."
I couldn't correct Master's misunderstanding, so I just laughed awkwardly.
Build academies in every village in New Frontier where the Heavenly Demon Divine Cult branches are established, and teach children doctrine.
With the broad framework set, Master and I began discussing details.
"First, teach the Thousand Character Classic. Even young children can master it sufficiently in a year."
"Sound advice. But as you know, the sacred text Heavenly Demon Secret Record contains characters beyond Thousand Character Classic level at times."
"The Heavenly Demon Secret Record has too much difficult content to teach children directly anyway. We need a simplified doctrine book made solely of Thousand Character Classic characters for kids."
"Hmm. Since they'll be learning Thousand Character Classic anyway, we can create the simplified book within that year."
"Yes. Teaching children this way over about two years will turn all of New Frontier's children into Heavenly Demon Divine Cult followers."
"Heh heh heh. Then, the task of creating that simplified doctrine book."
Before Master could finish, I quickly interjected.
"It requires research by those long-serving in the cult, well-versed in scriptures. I'd love to take it on since I suggested it, but I haven't even learned half the scriptures yet, so I risk teaching errors."
I couldn't take on more work.
This was why I'd chosen 'academies' from various ideas—foreseeing this.
Branch members would run the academies. Unrelated to me.
The simplified book too. I, just starting doctrine, couldn't make it.
"Indeed, this task is a bit early for you, Il-mok."
At Master's words, I nearly cheered inwardly.
'I dodged the work this time!'
Mission accomplished.
If the discussion dragged, I risked another trap, so I hurriedly spoke.
"Master, the food is getting cold."
"Ahem. So it is. I'll review additional matters back at the cult. Let's eat now."
It could be mistaken for a meeting, but we were strictly at 'breakfast.'
Even after Master's permission, a relaxed meal was impossible.
"Uh, Branch Leader Ma Gang-il, perhaps treat that head wound before eating?"
Blood from his forehead flowed freely as he shoveled food with his spoon.
But at my consideration, Branch Leader Ma Gang-il just laughed heartily.
"Hahaha. It's fine. It's already dried, so no issue. More than that, as expected of the exalted one and his disciple. Ideas I never thought of just flow out, and I was so absorbed I didn't notice the blood. Hahaha."
Branch Leader Ma Gang-il was utterly innocent.