So? Did Someone Force You to Become the Heavenly Demon?

Chapter 13: Traditions (1)

A small child, with black hair that seemed to have been dyed as it held a subtle reddish hue. Judging by the child’s height and build, she appeared to be around eleven or twelve years old.

Considering that this body called Il-mok was fifteen, there would only be a three or four-year age difference between me and the child. My original self, Seo Ji-hoon, however, was thirty-four.

No, having lived as Il-mok for another year, would that make me thirty-five?

Either way, the mental age gap was too large for me to feel any sense of peer connection. Instead, the child felt more like an adorable niece, one from a rather affluent family.

The quality of the child’s clothes, even at a glance, seemed exceptionally fine by this world’s standards.

‘Given that Jin Hayeon referred to her as Young Lady, it’s clear this isn’t just any ordinary kid.’

Upon closer inspection, both the child’s hair and eyes held a slight reddish tint.

‘How fascinating.’

Perhaps because I was staring intently at the child called Seon-ah’s eyes, she bashfully lowered her head and mumbled in a tiny voice. Not only did the child lower her head, but she also clutched a small doll she was holding, fidgeting her small fingers, clearly showing signs of nervousness.

“I… I was curious…”

Finding her demeanour both pitiful and cute, I unconsciously adopted a tone used when speaking to children.

“What were you curious about~?”

In response, Seon-ah, still bowing her head, raised her right hand and pointed a small finger.

And her finger was pointing directly at me.

“Me?”

At my question, the child’s head bobbed slightly up and down.

“I wonder why you were curious about me~?”

“I… I heard the adults talking. They said the new… new Heavenly Demon’s disciple is very smart…”

I got a rough idea of what had happened.

Thanks to the incident at the recent banquet, it seemed my Master and Senior Disciples had been spreading the word about me.

And as that rumor spread far and wide, it apparently reached this little one.

While I was pondering this issue.

A cold voice escaped from Jin Hayeon’s lips.

“Young Master Il-mok is busy preparing for his entrance to the Hall of the Demonic Way. Do not disturb him.”

At this cold dismissal, the child’s shoulders, who had been shy just from making eye contact, slumped even further.

‘Even if it’s due to the side effects of Demonic Arts, isn’t this too harsh for a child?’

Sighing deeply at Jin Hayeon’s personality issues, I spoke up.

“It’s fine. If she’s just watching, it won’t interfere with my studies, right?”

“But…”

As Jin Hayeon tried to object in a cold tone, I quickly turned my gaze to look at the child called Seon-ah.

The little one, surprised by my words, lifted her head and was looking at me with large, rabbit-like eyes.

‘Keuk.’

When the child was cowering, I felt a strong sense of pity, but the moment I met those bright, innocent eyes, I felt like I had been struck in the heart.

‘So cute!’

How should I put it?

In modern terms, it felt like being chosen by an adorable stray kitten.

Naturally, such a strange thought also crossed my mind.

‘What kind of place is this anyway?’

Not only was there Jin Hayeon, with beauty that could rival celebrities, but also this child, whose cuteness was on par with child actors. It was baffling why such talents were gathered in a cult like the Heavenly Demon Divine Cult.

“Can you promise me that you’ll just sit there and quietly watch~?”

At my question, the child who had been looking up at me with rabbit-like eyes nodded her head vigorously.

The sight of such a cute child adorably bobbing her head up and down was quite an attack on my heart.

Without realizing it, the corners of my mouth curled up as I approached the child and extended my pinky finger.

“Let’s make a promise with this uncle… ahem, big brother.”

“???”

To the confused child, I demonstrated how to link pinky fingers and seal the promise with a thumb.

“See, link your pinky like this, and then a thumbprint. If you break your promise, scary people will come and get you. Got it?”

“Yeees~!”

The child’s earlier timidity vanished, replaced by a bright exclamation. And beside me, Jin Hayeon, who had been watching this unfold, simply let out a deep sigh with a cold expression for some reason.

Regardless, I ended the conversation to prevent her from reprimanding the child further.

“Since the child has promised to observe quietly, how about we begin our studies?”

Jin Hayeon looked alternately between the child and me once again before sighing deeply and responding with her usual cold face.

“Very well.”

* * *

My daily routine proceeded as usual even though there was an additional young observer.

Seon-ah, true to her word, remained silent, simply watching.

After the two-hour lesson, Jin Hayeon announced, “Let’s take a short break.”

“Haah…”

A sigh escaped my lips involuntarily. Even for someone accustomed to studying for exams like me, two hours of uninterrupted learning was no easy feat, especially given my circumstances.

‘Is this why 50-minute classes and 10-minute breaks became the standard?’

I cleared my head of these useless thoughts.

Jin Hayeon sat across from me, sipping tea to quench her thirst after talking for two hours straight.

“Haa.”

Naturally, another sigh escaped.

‘They call it a break, but there’s nothing to do.’

Back in the modern world, I could at least use my phone to entertain myself, but there was no such thing here. And even if I were to do something on my own, I’m pretty sure Jin Hayeon would stop me before I could do anything.

Although she said she was assigned as a maid and tutor for me, she felt more like a warden than a servant and tutor.

‘At this rate, I’ll go crazy from sheer boredom rather than the early onset of my Demonic Art’s side effects.’

Lost in thought, I met the gaze of the little girl who had been watching me.

“What were you doing~?”

When I asked with a smile, the child blushed and answered.

“I… I was l-listening along.”

“Oh. Did you understand everything that sister was saying?”

“Yes…”

While the child’s bashful response was cute, it also made me wonder.

‘This child is… Eleven? Twelve maybe? Twelve years old seems a bit young to understand such complex content. Oh, that’s it. Since the child seemed to be from a well-off family, she must have started her education early.’

It occurred to me that perhaps, in a few years, she would also take the entrance examination of the Hall of the Demonic Way.

“What’s your name, little one? I’m Il-mok.”

Hearing my question, the child fidgeted with her doll with their small hands and answered.

“Se… Seon-ah. Hyeokryeon Seon-ah.”

‘Hyeokryeon…where have I heard that before?’

After briefly searching my memories, I remembered something.

‘Master’s name was Hyeolryeon Ilhwi, wasn’t it?’

I then remembered that my Master had said that the Blood Shadow Eighteen Swords, the martial art he had mastered before the Heavenly Demon Divine Arts, was a speciality of the Hyeokryeon family. Circumstantially, it seemed that the Hyeokryeon family was quite powerful within the Demonic Cult.

‘So that’s why Jin Hayeon called the child young lady.’

She was the daughter of a prestigious family within the Demonic Cult and likely a relative of my Master, the Heavenly Demon.

‘Should I keep using honorifics then? No, I’m Master’s disciple, so am I actually higher in hierarchy?’

Our positions within the Demonic Cult seemed to be on a similar level. In that case, it probably wouldn’t be a problem for me, as the elder, to speak informally.

“Then, what’s the name of that doll you’re holding, Seon-ah?”

“Um, M-Mommy.”

“Mommy        ?”

When I asked again with a puzzled expression, Seon-ah nodded.

“Y-yes, Mommy doesn’t hate Seon-ah like my real mother does, and she doesn’t leave me alone. S, so Mommy is my real mother.”

“……”

It felt like I had stumbled into a family matter I shouldn’t have.

“Ahem. So, Seon-ah,” I said, forcing a smile, “what do you usually do?”

“Similar to Big Brother. I study, and practice martial arts…”

“Only studying and training? You don’t get to play?”

“I… I just stay with Mommy.”

When she speaks of Mommy this time, she likely refers to the doll rather than her real mother.

‘We’re quite similar.’

A sudden sense of loneliness washed over me.

When I think about it, I also spend all day studying and training, with no time to socialize or relieve stress.

That banquet last time?

It was an uncomfortable affair where I was constantly worried about making a mistake.

Jin Hayeon, who was constantly by my side, is more like an inhuman machine. She only engages in work-related conversations.

Just as she has her doll, my only friend is my diary.

The diary where I poured out my frustrations about this damned cult every single day.

“We are the same, then.”

Perhaps feeling some inexplicable kinship, I felt more comfortable talking with Seon-ah.

“Do you want to come visit often? Big Brother is happy to have someone to talk with like this.”

“Really?”

“Of course.”

Seon-ah smiled brightly and asked without avoiding my gaze this time.

At that moment, a cold voice interrupted our conversation.

“Young Master. This promise may cause problems…”

As soon as she spoke, the child, who had just started to relax, cowered again.

“Now, now, Seon-ah kept her promise, didn’t she? I too will maintain my current schedule, so don’t be such a worrywart.”

Perhaps reassured by my firm response, the child looked up at me again.

“Then, are we doing that thing from earlier again?”

“That thing from earlier?”

When I asked in a puzzled tone, Seon-ah wiggled her tiny finger.

“Ah! The promise?”

“Yes! The promise!”

Seeing the cute little one’s bright smile, I felt some of the stress that had been building up during my confinement in the Demonic Cult dissipate a bit.

I smiled pleasantly as I hooked fingers with the child and made the promise.

Jin Hayeon, watching this scene from the side, sighed deeply.

‘I understand the importance of my entrance into the Hall of the Demonic Way, but why is she being so blatant? If this was a concern, she should have stopped it at the banquet!’

If the issue was the reduction in study and training time, that banquet was a far more serious problem. As if to answer my question, Jin Hayeon’s voice echoed in my mind through voice transmission technique.

– Young Master, getting close to the Hyeokryeon family’s daughter is dangerous.

“???”

What kind of nonsense is this?

As I wore a confused expression, she attempted to send me another voice transmission. However, before she could, an unwelcome intruder appeared.

Creeak. Bang!

Without even the courtesy of a knock, the main door of the Windrock Palace burst open.

My gaze naturally turned towards the entrance.

Standing there was a beautiful woman who seemed to be in her early thirties, her cold eyes scanning the interior of the palace. Behind her, I glimpsed the figures of several men and women.

The woman’s eyes changed subtly upon discovering Seon-ah near me, and Seon-ah’s shoulders hunched when her eyes met the woman’s.

“M-mother…”

Only after hearing Seon-ah’s timid voice did I notice that Seon-ah’s face resembled the woman’s.

As I realized that the woman was Seon-ah’s mother, her expression turned even more vicious as she glared at me.

“What is the meaning of this?”

Her tone was as vicious as her expression.

However, there was one more woman here who could match her viciousness.

“What is the meaning of your rudeness, Lady Cheonghwa? This place is where Young Master Il-mok, the disciple of the Lord of Ten Thousand Demons, holds his studies.”

At Jin Hayeon’s cold response, Lady Cheonghwa’s gaze passed over me and turned to her.

“You are the one who is utterly disrespectful. It doesn’t matter how esteemed he is, he’s merely the disciple of the Heavenly Demon, not the Supreme One himself. Are you suggesting that the Supreme One’s disciple is above the great Hyeokryeon family? And how dare a mere servant talk back to me and try to borrow the Supreme One’s authority for her own gain!”

Her viciousness rivaled that of mothers-in-law in K-dramas.

Apparently, her viciousness was a notch above Jin Hayeon, who was losing her emotions due to the effects of her Demonic Arts.

As Jin Hayeon remained speechless, Lady Cheonghwa continued her attack.

“The Eighth Young Master has only recently joined the Demonic sect, so his ignorance of our customs is understandable. You, however, are failing to educate the Eighth Young Master. You shall be punished accordingly!!”

Traditions? What traditions?

While that thought came first, there was something more important.

“Who are you to barge into another’s residence and create a scene?”

Even if Jin Hayeon was more of a warden than a servant, she was still my subordinate.

‘Really, there’s a limit to how much you can disrespect people.’

Berating my servant in front of me was no different from berating me directly. In fact, it was arguably more insulting. As I stepped between the two women, Lady Cheonghwa glared at me with venomous eyes. Had I been my old self, I might have cowered under such a gaze. In modern terms, she was the equivalent of a chaebol family’s daughter-in-law.

But now it just made me laugh inwardly.

‘So what if you’re a chaebol family’s daughter-in-law? I’m the favorite disciple of a cult leader!’

Though it wasn’t something to be proud of, it carried tremendous weight within the cult.