Because it was the Evil Heart Laughing Demon's way, one would think it would be incomparably cruel and wicked, but today was the opposite.
The Evil Heart Laughing Demon had asked Geom Mugeuk this.
“Do you wish for me to capture them alive?”
It was a statement that would surprise everyone.
It was thought to be a difficult task just to find the assassins, but not only find and eliminate them, but to capture them alive?
Was he trying to raise the difficulty of an already impossible task to its absolute limit?
It was enough to make one think so.
Geom Mugeuk said with a smile.
“How did you know what I wanted?”
“I just had a feeling you would.”
It was because he had not yet confirmed the relationship between Cha Iran and Ak Gun-hak.
Handling the matter without killing her subordinates, if possible, would be the choice to prevent any potential regrets.
So he had planned to ask separately, but the Evil Heart Laughing Demon had read his mind and spoken first.
As expected of the Laughing Demon Sovereign.
“Please do so.”
"I will accept the order.”
As expected, there was no hesitation.
The person who spoke for the Evil Heart Laughing Demon’s heart in this matter was Lee Ahn.
"Putting your subordinates in danger! You're too much!"
It was something she said to lighten the mood.
She knew Geom Mugeuk would take it as a joke.
“If you don't like it, you can be the Young Cult Master.”
He said that, but the emotion in Geom Mugeuk's eyes as he looked at the Evil Heart Laughing Demon was not shamelessness, but trust.
Trust that he could accomplish this much.
A firm belief that this order would not put him and his subordinates in danger.
He didn't forget to add a joke for the Faceless Ones.
“Even if they get on your nerves, don't kill them. And since they're women, don't hit their faces.”
Laughter rose in the eyes of the Faceless Ones as well.
Watching, Bi Sa-in was inwardly impressed.
The order had been given anyway.
In that case, words like those would raise the morale of the Faceless Ones more than a warning to be careful.
It was also a statement that looked after their pride.
Lee Ahn said to the Evil Heart Laughing Demon.
“If you ever need my help, I will help too.”
She couldn't bring it up again because the Evil Heart Laughing Demon had refused, but she meant that she could tell him about the assassins she had identified in the waiting room.
It was because no matter how she thought about it, it didn't seem easy to find them by any other method.
Besides, an additional order to capture them alive had been given.
Are you really okay, Laughing Demon Sovereign?
The Evil Heart Laughing Demon felt her concern for him.
“Do you know why I refused your offer?”
She truly could not have imagined this would be the reason.
“I already know who the assassins are.”
"!"
"I've found sixteen of them so far.”
He was saying that he had found the definite assassins.
Sixteen of them, at that.
Surprised, Lee Ahn looked at Geom Mugeuk.
Did you know, Young Cult Master? At her gaze, Geom Mugeuk shook his head.
It was a fact that even Geom Mugeuk did not yet know.
“May I ask how you found them?”
At Lee Ahn's question, the Heavenly Flower Pavilion Mistress stepped forward to explain instead.
“The Demon Sovereign started by investigating the other two judges, excluding me.”
After arriving at the Divine Flower Sect, the Evil Heart Laughing Demon hadn't just been spending time in the guest hall.
Since they were the people who would sit next to the Heavenly Flower Pavilion Mistress, he investigated the judges first.
“As expected, both of them were individuals with close ties to the Divine Flower Sect Master. They were people who owed him a great debt and were in a position where they could not refuse the Divine Flower Sect Master's request.”
The one thing that was unknown was this.
“I still don't know why I was called to be a judge.”
She looked back and forth between the Evil Heart Laughing Demon and Geom Mugeuk.
"I can only vaguely guess that it was because of the Laughing Demon Sovereign or the Young Cult Master."
Then, Geom Mugeuk said calmly.
“It might have been because of you, Pavilion Mistress.”
He didn't explain the reason in detail, but the Heavenly Flower Pavilion Mistress could tell what Geom Mugeuk meant by those words.
It meant that she might have been called because she was one of the Descendants of the Heavenly Will Palace.
The Heavenly Flower Pavilion Mistress continued her explanation.
Even if she didn't know why she had been called, the reason for calling the other two was clear.
“I watched them give scores carefully since the preliminaries. There were times when they gave higher scores to other women even when there was a clearly more beautiful woman. Of course, people can have different eyes, but coincidentally, their choices were the same every time.”
She had been judging not only the stage, but also the judging panel itself.
“I found the women they intentionally chose, but the problem is the women they missed.”
There must have been assassins who advanced to the finals through pure beauty.
Like Cha Iran.
Then, a question naturally arose.
“If so, why did they have so many participate in the contest? If they were going to pick them anyway, seven would have been enough, wouldn't it?”
In fact, even the final stage wasn't necessary.
“No, they could have just picked one.”
Because only the Greatest Beauty Under Heaven would attend the celebratory banquet with the Unorthodox Alliance Leader.
“I was curious about that too. But after seeing this, I understand.”
The Heavenly Flower Pavilion Mistress held out a folded piece of paper.
“It's the seating chart for the day of the final stage.”
Special seats for the women who had advanced to the finals were arranged behind the stage.
The final stage would proceed with them watching from behind.
“They're planning to do something on that stage that day. With the Young Cult Master's intervention, their plans have changed."
Lee Ahn's gaze deepened.
The prophecy the Heavenly Flower Pavilion Mistress saw also happened on the stage.
They were clearly plotting some conspiracy on the stage.
And that conspiracy was related to her as well.
Because she was the one who would be standing on the final stage.
What if Cha Iran and the assassins attacked her at the same time? It wouldn't be easy to stop Cha Iran alone, but what if the other assassins helped?
In the end, Geom Mugeuk would leap onto the stage to save her.
An assassination mission that could never be prepared for outside could happen on that stage.
Because it would be the moment Cha Iran and the elite assassins of the Cult of Beauties were all on the stage.
The one who broke the heavy silence was the Evil Heart Laughing Demon.
“They'll have to change their plans again."
He would definitely carry out the mission given by Geom Mugeuk.
“Because on that day, there will be only one assassin on the stage.”
Chief Steward Jo walked briskly.
As the one in charge of this contest, he was busy day and night these days.
From preparing for the finals in two days to the celebratory banquet for the Unorthodox Alliance Leader afterwards.
There were truly events left where a mistake would lead to big trouble.
When he entered his office, Chief Steward Jo was startled.
For a moment, he thought he had entered the wrong room.
Someone was sitting at his office desk, looking through documents.
"Who are you?"
At the startled Chief Steward Jo's question, the man sitting in the chair raised his head.
He gestured for him to come inside.
Chief Steward Jo recognized the other person at a glance.
'This person is?'
It was the martial artist in charge of escorting the Heavenly Flower Pavilion Mistress.
The mask with a single flower drawn on it was unique, and despite wearing the mask, his handsome features were hard to forget.
In any case, he was someone who shouldn't be here.
The moment Chief Steward Jo spun around to flee!
He bumped into someone.
Someone had been standing in front of the door.
Because the person grabbed his hand to keep him from falling, he naturally thought it was a Divine Flower Sect martial artist.
But it wasn't.
When he looked up, he saw a mask with a single flower drawn on it here as well.
Indifferent eyes stared at him from above the mask.
It was an even more frightening gaze because of the coldness that was so contrary to the action of grabbing his hand to keep him from falling.
When Chief Steward Jo turned back around, the Evil Heart Laughing Demon was looking at him.
The moment their eyes met, Chief Steward Jo could feel it.
'Different.'
It was different from the gaze of the man he had seen as an escort before, and different from the countless gazes he had seen until now.
Having lived as the general steward of the Divine Flower Sect for a long time, he had met all sorts of martial artists, including numerous martial artists from the Unorthodox Faction.
But this was the first time he had felt such a chill digging into his heart.
It was completely different from the familiar fear of violence and roughness.
“I have something to say, so come here.”
It was a calm but irresistible command, and Chief Steward Jo staggered toward the Evil Heart Laughing Demon.
The opponent was even more frightening because he spoke politely.
“What is it that you want from me?”
At that, the Evil Heart Laughing Demon pushed forward the documents he had been looking at.
“Contact them and tell them all to gather."
When Chief Steward Jo looked at the documents, he saw they were the personal information of the women who had participated in this Greatest Beauty Under Heaven contest and advanced to the finals.
“Why these people?”
"You don't need to know."
He could call them.
He was keeping track of where the contest participants were staying so he could contact them at any time.
They were all staying in inns or rented manors near the Divine Flower Sect.
He couldn't just do as he was told without question.
“I don't know the reason, but the Lord will investigate this matter later.”
He was indirectly saying that he would have to deal with the entire Divine Flower Sect then.
He said it thinking that no matter how scary this man was, he would surely fear the Divine Flower Sect Master.
The Evil Heart Laughing Demon stared at him silently.
A sliver of a smile formed in his eyes.
It was not the bright smile he showed Geom Mugeuk.
The Laughing Demon's smile that called for death.
The moment he saw that smile, a terrifying fear that made it hard to breathe tightened around Chief Steward Jo.
It felt as if he could hear the wail of a soul being torn apart in a dark, deep place.
"Did you know?"
It was a question with no context, but Chief Steward Jo's heart sank.
'It's finally happened.'
It was strange from the beginning that the Divine Flower Sect Master would suddenly hold such a contest.
He wasn't the type of person to even think of raising the Divine Flower Sect's reputation by holding such a contest.
This was clearly not an idea that came from the Divine Flower Sect Master's head.
He knew that better than anyone.
It was also strange that he called for the Flame Serpent Sword and the Iron Cold Blade after opening the contest.
If he didn't have some fear in his heart, he wouldn't have called them.
Furthermore, he suddenly invited the Unorthodox Alliance Leader to the celebratory banquet.
He had noticed that something was afoot, but Chief Steward Jo just pretended not to know and did what he was told.
Just as he had always done.
“I... know nothing about it.”
The Evil Heart Laughing Demon said, looking down at the documents on the table.
"Then prove it."
It was not a situation to hesitate any longer.
He had already felt death in the opponent's smile.
“What should I say when I call them?”
“Tell them there's a seating assignment for the final stage."
Chief Steward Jo said with a fearful face.
“But this kind of thing requires the Lord's permission.”
At that, the Evil Heart Laughing Demon said calmly.
“Your Lord won't have the leisure for that today."
"!"
Chief Steward Jo knew what that meant.
His heart pounded as if it would burst.
“It's the contest you prepared, shouldn't you see it through to the end?”
It meant that if he just listened well, he could live.
“Yes, I understand.”
As he gathered the documents, Chief Steward Jo's gaze fell on a separate pile of personal information set aside on the desk.
There looked to be about a dozen sheets, and they were also women who had advanced to the finals.
“Why are these women being left out?”
Incomprehensible words flowed from the mouth of the Evil Heart Laughing Demon, who was looking out the window.
“Those people have already been called.”
Old bachelor Noh, who sold all sorts of miscellaneous goods from a cart in the marketplace, was in a good mood these days.
It was because countless people filled the streets day after day due to the contest.
Besides, what beautiful women they were!
Before, he hated waking up in the morning, but these days, his eyes would fly open, wanting to go to work.
The woman choosing an item in front of him right now was also very beautiful.
'How wonderful would it be to marry a woman like this?’
He felt he could live his whole life carrying her on his back if asked.
“If you don't like that one, please look at this."
Noh found another ornament displayed on the cart and handed it to her.
"Huh?"
Noh looked around with a surprised face.
The woman who had been looking at items in front of his cart just a moment ago had vanished without a trace.
That woman was now in the carriage that had just passed in front of the cart.
No, to be precise, she had been loaded into it.
It was because her paralyzing point and mute point had been struck, and she couldn't move a single finger.
She stared at the man sitting across from her with wide eyes, as if she couldn't believe this situation.
The man was wearing a pure white mask and looking out the carriage window.
'A Faceless One!'
The woman knew who her opponent was.
She was no ordinary woman either.
Seventeenth Assassin.
She was the seventeenth bridge of the Cult of Beauties.
She had been careless.
She had never dreamed that a passing carriage would kidnap her.
But carelessness aside, the opponent's skill was too proficient.
The moment the carriage passed behind her, the door opened, and in an instant, her paralyzing and mute points were struck.
And at the same time, she was loaded into the carriage.
It had truly happened in the blink of an eye.
'Just where are they taking me?'
The Faceless One could have at least glanced at her, but he just kept looking out the window.
It truly felt like a country bumpkin had come to see the city.
How long did they ride like that? The carriage stopped in front of a building.
From the driver's seat, someone tapped on the back wall.
At that signal, the Faceless One in the passenger compartment got out of the carriage.
She felt the man from the driver's seat get off as well.
When he got out, he covered the window's curtain, so she couldn't tell what was happening outside.
The Seventeenth Assassin waited with an anxious and tense heart.
A moment later, the sound of weapons clashing came from outside.
In that instant, she knew instinctively.
The Faceless One was fighting with her colleague.
'Please! Please!'
Soon, the sounds of fighting stopped, and the surroundings became quiet.
A tense moment.
The carriage door clattered open.
Joy spread across the Seventeenth Assassin's face as she identified the person.
The woman standing in front of the carriage was the Fifth Assassin.
She was a senior she admired and whose skills were acknowledged.
She, who had completed twenty-four assassination missions without a single mistake.
'As expected! You took care of those fiends and came to save me!’
It was at that very moment.
The woman was pushed inside.
The Fifth Assassin, whose mute and paralyzing points had already been struck, was seated next to the Seventeenth Assassin.
"..."
The Faceless One who had pushed the Fifth Assassin in sat down and tapped on the wall of the driver's seat.
At that signal, the carriage departed.
The Faceless One did not give them a single glance, only looking at the scenery outside, and the carriage once again began to ride toward the next bridge.
......
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