NOVEL NEXT Chapter 79
“What’s happening right now…?”
Seoyeon, doubting her own ears, asked back without realizing it. His words were so far outside the realm of common sense.
“Jeokhwa Yeon Family. One of the five families alongside the 27 magicians like Paecheon.”
Originally, the most formidable force among the five families was Heukryeon, but they had retreated from the political world 14 years ago, leaving only their parent company, S&C, for reasons unknown.
Over that void, Jeokhwa and Paecheon fiercely contested interests. However, the victor has almost solidified as Paecheon.
Yet, someone who was once the heir of Paecheon openly declared that they conspired with their arch-nemesis.
“…You must be out of your mind.”
“Cough… Hahaha, kiddo. You have no idea how I came to this position…”
The man continued speaking with an unwavering demeanor.
“Even before you were born, I had numerous competitors above me… Cough! I had to feel the threat of survival from them every single day. And the way to survive… was only one… cough, cough!”
“So you conspired with Jeokhwa? With Paecheon’s greatest enemy? That’s treason…!”
“Cough, cough! Hahaha, it was a deal that was beneficial for both sides. Jeokhwa, cornered by the lord’s offensive, could catch a breath, and I successfully survived to rise higher… Cough! It’s turned into this mess now, though…”
“So the reason for fleeing was…”
“What more is there to say? The lord caught on. That old man is sharp… Cough!”
“…”
In his words, it implied that he had gained the cooperation of hostile forces to eliminate his competitors without suspicion.
The village attack was also conducted in that context.
Until now, there hasn’t been a single person who has overcome particle hypersensitivity, an incurable disease, but theoretically, if a patient successfully goes through the awakening, they would gain endless magical talent.
It was right before such an impossible event would occur, so he was trying to act before an insurmountable competitor was born.
However, the many attacks she suffered upon returning to the capital were the result of numerous hostile factions who had heard the information he leaked.
Seoyeon clenched her fist tight, trying to suppress her anger. If she hadn’t been unable to understand Ma-eul, or hadn’t undergone incomplete awakening, or hadn’t regained control over her body afterwards—if any one of those things hadn’t happened, she too would have become a helpless victim of such trickery.
Additionally, the man had provided some of Paecheon’s internal secrets to them, which was why Jeokhwa had managed to survive persistently despite being battered by frontline offensives.
Though there were shocking revelations one after another, one piece of the puzzle still hadn’t connected properly.
“…Then what’s the relationship between Jeokhwa and the demons? Are they even disguised demons?”
“Hahaha, cough! That’s stretching it, don’t you think? They’re supposed to be one of the five families… cough, cough!”
With that, the man continued to explain enthusiastically as if to satisfy her curiosity.
“Have you ever heard of the curse of the spirit master?”
“…I have.”
Anyone who had been involved in high society had heard that story at least once.
It was said that Jeokhwa’s lineage suffers from side effects due to spirit magic or their constitution, which was why many of them had notably shorter lifespans or unfortunate endings.
However, this was merely a rumor, with no tangible evidence to ascertain the truth. Therefore, most people believed it was simply a coincidence blown out of proportion by hostile factions.
“Cough…! The curse of the spirit master isn’t just idle gossip. It’s their lethal weakness. It poses a significant threat to their existence.”
But the man in front of her opened his mouth with utter confidence.
“They suffer from greater mental side effects the more talent they possess in spirit magic. I believe it’s called mental corruption. The reason they couldn’t respond properly to our offensives is precisely because of that. Cough, cough! The current head of Jeokhwa is also suffering from severe side effects stemming from that. Last I heard, he’s been holed up in a private estate.”
“…”
“They say the next heir of Jeokhwa shows similar symptoms. You might know more about it since you fought endlessly in the cradle.”
The sight of Yeon Minha she had seen and heard in the cradle indeed had some subtle aspects that seemed off to deem her normal.
“And they opted to research forbidden interference-type mental magic as a method to overcome mental corruption.”
“What…?”
Before she could even process the shocking revelation, the man continued to unleash more bombshells.
“They also secretly started colluding with the demons for that purpose. All modern magic-related interference research materials have been eliminated, so they sought help from dark magic instead. Cough, cough…”
“…”
“Do you remember the Great Demon Invasion a year ago?”
Of course, there was no way she could forget it. The calm man continued his explanation.
At that time, the national army and the private soldiers of each family formed a blockade to repel the intruders. However, the blockade was breached for absurd reasons, leading to sporadic damages across the northern regions due to the remnants that escaped.
And the point of breach was precisely in the area under Jeokhwa’s jurisdiction.
“What that means is…”
“They were not breached. They allowed it to happen. To infiltrate collaborators into the south at the request of the beasts.”
In summary, he had once again requested Jeokhwa to carry out his elimination as usual.
And it coincided perfectly with the timing of the Great Demon Invasion. Jeokhwa, to avoid being suspected of conspiracy, sent low-ranking beast demons among the infiltrating demons to carry out his request.
The low intelligent monsters, loyal to orders and fixated on their targets, were nothing less than ideal pawns for their purpose.
“…How can you know all the details so thoroughly? No matter how much a collaborator you are, there’s no way you could grasp all those intimate matters.”
“Cough…! I’ve planted an insider in Jeokhwa. I had to get a hold on their leash. There was a perfect candidate, you see. Cough, cough!”
“Do you have any materials or evidence that can prove that?”
“I’ve kept them safely in a certain location.”
“…Does your brother know about this? Does the lord know?”
“Other than the fact that I’ve made contact with them… Cough…!”
He shook his head.
Baek Seoyeon managed to extract the location of the evidence from his mouth. There was no longer any reason to stay with him.
The man said with a voice a little filled with anticipation.
“Cough, cough! Let me go now. Otherwise, I might really die. Don’t worry. I won’t let my shadow stray near your capital. Just let Paecheon handle it… Hack! Cough!”
Yet, his flickering hope was shattered by a large fist that was violently shoved down his throat.
Baek Seoyeon, who had been listening quietly with no hostility, was no longer there.
In her place stood a pair of golden eyes filled only with heavy, sticky anger.
“Cough…! Hack! Why!! Cough…!!”
“You foolish brother. Would you let someone who threatened your life go free?”
“Cough! Cough…!”
“If all that was at stake was my life, I might’ve let you go. But you… you have crossed the line.”
“No, no…!”
The desperate cries of the man crumbled helplessly amid her rage.
A bright light began to shine through his dark throat.
Then the flames ignited.
“Geeehhh… Kaaaah!!”
The magical fire that first burned his vocal cords rapidly spread throughout his body. Flames began to rage out of every orifice of his face.
Leaving the man, who thrashed in agony, behind, Seoyeon silently turned away.
Soon after, with a loud crack, the makeshift building collapsed, and a horrifying scream echoed faintly from behind.
*
“Cough… cough…!!”
The surroundings were filled with a chilling aura and icicles. Through the hallway and corridors, dozens of corpses lay in sight.
There was only one survivor in this place. A man barely propped against a pillar, continually spewing blood-stained coughs.
His body was covered with grotesque tattoos. A faint red glow flickered in his eyes.
The fingers were severely frostbitten, taking on a purple hue. Some were broken, exposing bones and raw flesh.
It was a matter of a single night that the criminal organization of warlocks, Yageugdan, which operated under the protection of powerful figures and was unassailable by the law enforcement bureau, was decimated.
The trouble began when a Yageugdan low-level member displayed disrespect by failing to recognize her.
However, the reality was merely an excuse to eliminate them without facing external scrutiny.
Pitter-patter… pitter-patter…
The girl who was the cause approached with a gloomy step. With every step she took, frost traced and scattered around her.
Once reaching in front of her, the leader of Yageugdan shouted, sounding wronged.
“How… how could Paecheon do this to us…!! This is betrayal…!!”
His words held an appearance of validity. After all, Paecheon was one of the families that had actively supported them and involved them in dirty work.
Yet, the girl who heard his plea snorted arrogantly, as if he wasn’t worth listening to.
“Betrayal? What a ridiculous thing to say. How dare trash like you speak so arbitrarily.”