Chronicles of the Lazy Sovereign Novel - Chapter 252

# 252

“Did you say… bloodline?”

Baek Hoemyung exclaimed in horror.

“Shhh.”

The Great Elder raised a finger to his lips as if asking for silence.

Although there was no one nearby who could hear, the Great Elder’s caution demonstrated the importance of the matter.

“But I’ve never heard of the Demon King’s bloodline.”

“They say they didn’t tell anyone. When the child was born, the battle was already tilted, so the Demon King did not reveal its existence.”

“Where did you hear that? Even if it’s a rumor, I’ve never heard it. My information network is not inferior to the Beggar Sect or the Hao clan.”

The Great Elder nodded.

“Of course, as heir, you must know all the rumors in the world. But even the Beggar Sect or the Hao clan do not know the affairs of the Demon Cult.”

“……Do you mean you heard it from them?”

“It’s hard to say more. Just know that the clan has been plotting against the martial world for a long time, and their influence extends to the Demon Cult.”

Baek Hoemyung’s body trembled.

‘Does he mean the clan has influence over the Demon Cult?’

He thought he knew most of the clan’s affairs, but every time he heard something like this, he realized how deep and extensive the clan’s influence was.

Sometimes, he felt like a puppet acting according to the leader’s wishes. As if he knew what Baek Hoemyung was thinking, the Great Elder spoke:

“This has been preparing for generations. The heir’s grandfather and great-grandfather had the power to control the world, but they recognized that they could not control the Central Plains and retreated. Do not forget how deep the clan’s grudge is, since they were people who could have been the best warriors of their time, but chose to live as hermits.”

“Yes. I didn’t forget.”

“Anyway…”

The Great Elder seemed to hesitate for a moment, and then smiled.

“They are just rumors. And if the Demon King’s bloodline were alive, it would have already appeared. It should already be an adult. If more time passes, he will not be able to master the Demon King’s martial arts.”

“……Is there no chance that he has already mastered them?”

“That’s impossible. I can affirm it. The Demon King’s martial arts cannot be learned alone.”

Although he had doubts, it was not appropriate to question the Great Elder.

“It’s just an old man’s curiosity. The leader must have many plans to control the Demon Cult, even without that.”

“Yes.”

“Anyway, the Demon Cult will follow our plan. They are almost finished moving to Mount Hua.”

“Is there any chance they have realized?”

“They will know.”

“…Isn’t that a big problem?”

“They will know that someone is approaching. But…”

The corner of the Great Elder’s lips curved upwards.

“It doesn’t matter. Those they catch will only be Nokrim thugs. They will only think: ‘The King of Nokrim is plotting something.’ They will not realize the true plan.”

“I trust you.”

“Not in me, but in them. So, heir, focus on the success of this plan.”

“Yes, I understand.”

Although he answered cheerfully, Baek Hoemyung’s expression was not bright.

The words he had just heard bothered him.

‘The Demon King’s bloodline…’

What if it really existed?

What if the Demon King, who controlled the Demon Cult, had left offspring, and the Demon Cult gathered around him?

‘The world will fall into chaos again.’

But it could also be an opportunity for them. If they could stop the chaos caused by the Demon King’s heir, the world would never forget their existence.

Baek Hoemyung closed his eyes to calm himself.

***

His eyes were like blades.

His cold gaze was scary even to his companions. His purity, which did not tolerate any injustice, was even more annoying to others than an enemy.

The man knew that.

Although they were companions, he was not so insensitive as not to realize that they avoided him.

‘How well they pretend to be righteous.’

He had heard the saying: “Water that is too clean has no fish.” Every time he heard it, he felt nauseous.

Could it be said that they were dirtying the water so that the fish could live?

The man felt annoyed by the hypocrisy of those who brazenly said that they could not live without dirtying the water.

‘Everyone is rotten.’

That is why he could not be with them today.

After a battle, people usually drink to calm down, but the man went out and wandered alone.

The martial world was not what he thought.

Righteous people only existed in books. While they pretended to be righteous, they were corrupt.

There were people who really cared about the martial world, but they were few. And due to the long war, people began to seek peace.

‘Is the martial world just a place of disputes?’

It may be too soon for him, still young, to feel remorse. But he cannot explain this feeling of oppression without using the word remorse.

He needed a glass of strong alcohol.

His superiors said he was too pure, and his friends said he was not yet corrupted.

And him?

How should he evaluate himself?

Dreamer?

Idealist?

The man smiled softly.

‘A fool.’

Or a psychopath with OCD.

The man shook his head and approached the river.

Suddenly, a strong aroma of liquor reached his nose.

The man’s gaze turned to the origin of the aroma.

‘Rice liquor.’

It was a familiar aroma.

It was the smell of cheap liquor sold in the markets, a liquor that the righteous, who fought for the Central Plains regardless of their lives, would not even taste.

An aroma without fragrance, without flavor, only strong, a liquor that one drinks quickly to get drunk and pass out.

And…

That cheap liquor was attracting the man.

In this battlefield, the aroma that best fit was not that of the fragrant rice wine from his camp, but that of that cheap liquor. The man walked towards the origin of the aroma.

After breaking through the reeds, the man found a small clearing hidden among the reeds, and saw a figure dressed in black sitting there, drinking.

The man stared at the figure dressed in black.

The figure dressed in black, sitting alone under the faint moonlight, had something that attracted attention.

The line of the man’s jaw, with shadows due to the moonlight, was beautiful even for a man. It was like a scene from an ancient Chinese ink painting.

The head of the man dressed in black turned slowly.

“Unwelcome guest.”

A low voice.

A low voice with a pleasant resonance.

“I’m sorry.”

The man lowered his head.

He felt that he had ruined the perfection of the place. When the man turned around to leave, the man dressed in black spoke:

“Shouldn’t you be celebrating your victory? I didn’t expect there would be someone else besides me who was sad and alone.”

The man smiled bitterly.

“I don’t like crowds.”

“Me neither.”

The man dressed in black looked at the man and took a bottle of liquor. Then he threw it to the man.

*Thud.*

The man caught the bottle and looked at the man dressed in black with curiosity.

“If we become drinking companions, you won’t be an unwelcome guest.”

The man smiled softly.

“Are you asking me to make friends after having escaped from people?”

“Wouldn’t it be enough to be silent?”

The man smiled at the brazen attitude of the man dressed in black.

He didn’t remember when he had seen such a sincere attitude.

“What is your name?”

“Name?”

“Shouldn’t we know the names of our friends?”

“Well, for true friends, status and name do not matter.”

“Aren’t we that much friends?”

The man dressed in black nodded and said:

“My name is Cheok Moku.”

The man frowned.

‘What a strange name.’

No one would name their child like that. It was obviously a fake name, but the man did not ask.

What does it matter? It was a fleeting encounter.

“I…”

The man spoke:

“My name is Wei Yanho.”

Wei Yanho suddenly got up.

Cold sweat broke out on his face, as if he were surprised.

‘An old dream.’

Wei Yanho raised his hand and wiped his face.

It seemed that he had had a dream that he had not had in a long time, and that today’s event was pressuring him.

‘I must forget it.’

Wei Yanho looked at Han Sang-ah, who was deeply asleep. She had been restless all night because of her children’s duel, and had only fallen asleep in the morning.

After looking at her tenderly, Wei Yanho got up carefully so as not to wake her. After getting out of bed and sitting in a chair, Wei Yanho poured tea and drank it slowly.

‘Today is the day.’

The day finally arrived.

The day when Wei Sanho and Wei Yanho would fight. Wei Yanho sighed.

He never thought this would happen. He did not want to see this as a father. Other families would be happy to see their children competing, but the Wei family did not.

Wei Yanho could not rejoice in the victory of any of his children.

He looked out the window and saw the bright sunlight. Unlike the faint moonlight.

“…Wife.”

“Hmm?”

Han Sang-ah was already awake and was looking at him.

“I’m sorry, I said I would be careful, but it seems I woke you up. There is still time, sleep a little more.”

“Husband, will our children be okay?”

Wei Yanho smiled at Han Sang-ah’s sudden question.

“Of course.”

Wei Yanho said sincerely:

“No matter who wins, no one will get hurt. They are our children. They are that kind of children.”

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