A Baby Cat Who Commands the Dog Clan - Chapter 238

—————

This chapter was translated by Lunox Novels. To support us and help keep this series going, visit our website: LunoxScans.com

—————

Chapter 238
As I traced through the plan once more, I found myself suddenly curious about Nam Goong Baek’s thoughts.
“…Isn’t this too cowardly?”
“No.”
His answer came without hesitation.
Heh.
I couldn’t help but laugh.
“Honestly, it’s cowardly, isn’t it!”
My laughter, clear as ringing silver bells, echoed through the air.
‘My elder brother always says everything I do is fine.’
Indeed, this course of action strayed considerably from the principles of righteousness and honor I had learned thus far.
Nam Goong Baek shook his head stubbornly.
“It’s not cowardly at all. This is already war, and for me…”
Nam Goong Baek paused for a beat before continuing calmly.
“…For me, your survival, Seol, is righteousness and honor.”
At his words, I fell silent for a long moment.
Then I spoke in a small voice tinged with moisture.
“I will gladly become cowardly.”
My voice, beginning softly, swelled into passion that rang in Nam Goong Baek’s ears.
“To annihilate the Demonic Cult and protect the people I love!”
Then my voice grew small again, tinged with sorrow.
“Because I must also avenge my mother…”
My small fists trembled with rage.
I was undoubtedly recalling what had happened during the day.
* * *
When the sun hung high in the sky.
I was in the tent conducting final preparations for the strategic meeting.
“So, our Dawn Light Alliance…”
The Dawn Light Alliance.
A name meaning the light of dawn.
It was a name I had chosen.
Since the Heavenly Demon’s emergence, it meant people bringing the light of dawn to the Martial Arts World shrouded in darkness.
‘With a name like this, it can be used not only in the Central Plains but also in the Outside Territories.’
I winked toward the Northern Sea Ice Palace Master and the Five Poison Valley Master, who sat to one side.
And that wasn’t all.
‘Though I haven’t received a definitive answer yet, that person can also use this name.’
I smiled with satisfaction.
Of course, another candidate was a name like “Alliance Against Demons,” which opposed the Demonic Cult.
‘But that’s not pretty!’
I frowned.
I had barely managed to change their minds about the elders of the Martial Arts World insisting on using the Martial Arts Alliance.
Hong Seol continued her explanation while observing the Three Martial Oddities, one of those “elders of the Martial Arts World.”
“As I mentioned before, I drew in the Heavenly Demon for three strategic reasons.”
The Martial Arts Alliance Master Eon Soo Ryang and the Heavenly Physician’s Son Je Gal Hyeop, along with the other elders of the Martial Arts World, listened intently to Hong Seol’s explanation.
Nam Goong Baek and Dang Yi Woon were also present at the gathering.
“First, the marriage cannot be established without going through the Golden Cat Sect, and second, there are the martial artists lying in ambush.”
It was none other than the Northern Sea Ice Palace Master who raised the objection.
“But ultimately, if we cannot defeat the Heavenly Demon, none of this matters, does it?”
On the Northern Sea Ice Palace Master’s face, both the coldness of a martial artist and concern for his granddaughter were simultaneously evident.
“That is why I have prepared the final, third move.”
Hong Seol explained my plan to the Northern Sea Ice Palace Master.
“What, is that truly so!”
The Northern Sea Ice Palace Master marveled at Hong Seol’s words.
“Yes. If you look at the map, there is no sea here or there, is there? So….”
It was when the excited Hong Seol’s finger pointed to the map spread across the table.
“Th-they’ve arrived! The Demonic Cult delegation!”
At Wi Sa’s sudden outburst, tension rippled across the faces of all those who had been studying the map.
Je Gal Hyeop waved his white fan as he looked toward Hong Seol.
“They have arrived on schedule, as promised for tomorrow.”
Hong Seol nodded.
The pretext for drawing in the Heavenly Demon was the wedding ceremony with Hong Seol.
Following the Martial Arts Alliance Master’s orders, all the sects and families had cleared the roads.
Because of this, the Demonic Cult delegation was able to reach this place without a single battle.
Of course, secret reports from messengers followed wherever they passed.
What Seo Gwang Ryun intended was a lure, not a genuine wedding ceremony.
Wi Sa’s report continued.
“However, the Demonic Cult members are requesting to send people to the valley where the Ancestral Shrine is located.”
“For what reason?”
“They wish to confirm whether we have laid out any formation arrays.”
“What formation array would work against the Heavenly Demon? Such baseless suspicion!”
Unlike the Martial Arts Alliance Master Eon Soo Ryang’s reaction, curiosity gleamed in the face of the Chief Strategist Je Gal Hyeop.
“Oho, who will go out to confirm? Is it Dok Ryung Ma Gun, Dang Song Baek?”
The Je Gal Family was originally renowned for their mastery of formation arrays.
Therefore, they could not help but take more than a passing interest in someone from the Sichuan Tang Family, who likewise specialized in formation arrays.
Of course, since most of the Dang Sect’s formations relied on mechanical mechanisms, their approach differed somewhat.
The messenger answered.
“According to their own conversation, someone called the Heavenly Slaughter Witch will conduct the inspection.”
“Heavenly Slaughter Witch? An epithet I have not heard before.”
Eon Soo Ryang furrowed his brow.
“We have no record of direct combat with this person, but they are said to be a formidable expert holding the tenth position among the Ten Demon Generals.”
Hong Seol, who had been listening quietly to the messenger’s words, suddenly seemed to remember something and asked.
“What does the Heavenly Witch look like?”
“She wears a veil, so I cannot say with certainty… but she is a middle-aged woman who gives off an eerie impression.”
At that moment, Nam Goong Baek and Hong Seol’s eyes met.
“Seol Ah, surely not!”
“That surely must be it, Elder Brother!”
* * *
Wi Sa, who stood guard atop the cliff with a quiver slung across his back, wore a startled expression.
“What is the matter?”
The figure who appeared before him was Hong Seol, who had excused herself from Seo Gwang Ryun’s people and rushed out.
“….”
Hong Seol sprinted to the cliff’s edge and gazed down below.
Whoosh.
Though it was spring, the wind still carried a chill.
Buffeted by that cold wind, I could see a woman moving busily about in the valley below.
“…!”
No matter how much her face was concealed by the veil, I recognized her instantly.
A face I had never forgotten, not even in dreams.
Once, the person I yearned for more than anyone else—now, someone I despised with a hatred that surpassed even that longing.
“…Je Gal Seon!”
‘That woman. The one who drove my mother to death!’
Seeing that face again after so long, I felt my blood turn to ice.
Unable to contain my fury, I snatched the bow from Wi Sa’s hands beside me.
“Hey!”
With lightning speed, I drew an iron arrow from the quiver on Wi Sa’s back.
Clack!
In an instant, I nocked the iron arrow and drew the bow taut.
My hands trembled as I pulled the string with all my strength.
The sharp arrowhead traced back and forth, following the ornate hairpiece of the woman in the valley below.
I strained my eyes to examine the opposite cliff where the Demonic Cult members had established their formation.
‘Nine archers have nocked their arrows… or is it ten….’
Beyond them, there were several more Demonic Cult members ready to unleash flying blades at a moment’s notice.
I exhaled a hot breath through my mouth.
“Huff.”
Restraint was the right answer now.
The moment I released this arrow, it would be no different from starting a full-scale battle.
‘The plan I prepared is not yet ready to execute. If I act now, I will ruin everything.’
I knew this.
My mind understood it, but….
‘Then what of my mother’s vengeance?’
The desire to pierce Je Gal Seon’s throat with an arrow surged through every fiber of my being.
“If you wish to shoot, then shoot.”
At that moment, a quiet voice resonated in my ears.
It was Nam Goong Baek, who had followed me out.
“Even if you loose an arrow, I won’t blame you, Seol.”
That calm declaration, paradoxically, chilled my mind.
‘If I draw my bow now, I’ll never hear this tender voice from my brother again.’
I slowly lowered my bow.
Thud.
The bow returned to Wi Sa’s hands, who had been standing helplessly between the two extremes.
“I’m sorry.”
After offering a quiet apology, I turned my body toward the tent.
Nam Goong Baek quickened his pace to walk beside me.
“Are you truly all right?”
“Yes. It will all be over by tomorrow anyway.”
I hesitated before adding more.
“Thank you, Baek Elder Brother.”
“For what?”
“For always taking my side.”
“…Did I?”
“Yes!”
“Then know this. From now on, I will always stand with you.”
“…!”
In that instant, my heart plummeted.
Nam Goong Baek, gazing at me, smiled with his eyes crinkling at the corners.
“Even if you declared your intention to assassinate the Martial Alliance Master, I would gladly assist. Leave the burial of the corpse to me.”
“Baek Elder Brother, you’re incorrigible!”
At his rare jest, I burst into delighted laughter.
The knot of resentment that had tightened upon seeing Je Gal Seon’s face began to loosen.
Then, mischief suddenly bubbled up within me.
Just how far would Baek Elder Brother tolerate me?
“What if I said I wanted to learn the Imperial Sword Technique, which is only permitted to the patriarch of the Nam Goong Family?”
“The day I become patriarch, I shall teach it to you at once.”
“What if I said I wanted to infiltrate Shaolin disguised as a monk?”
“We shall shave our heads together and take refuge in the Buddha’s teachings.”
“What if I said I wished to become the Heavenly Demon?”
“I shall become the First Demon General and serve the newly ascended Heavenly Demon.”
“Then what if I said I would marry into Sichuan?”
“…!”
At those words, Nam Goong Baek’s face, which had been smiling throughout, froze like stone.
“…Do you truly mean it?”
It was only after a considerable time had passed that the words escaped Nam Goong Baek’s stiffened tongue.
But Hong Seol had long since slipped away, her laughter ringing out as she entered the tent where the strategy meeting was underway.
He rubbed his forehead with one hand.
“Ah, this is absolutely maddening.”
Meanwhile, Je Gal Seon was diligently making her rounds through the valley, alone.
Wi Sa, watching her from above, murmured with evident bewilderment.
“Does it really take this long to verify a formation?”
Regardless, Je Gal Seon remained utterly absorbed in whatever consumed her attention.
She was unaware that she had barely escaped with her life from Hong Seol’s grasp mere moments ago.
As time wore on, Je Gal Seon finally straightened her back.
Her eyes, visible above the cloth mask, gleamed with a peculiar satisfaction.
“At last, I can repay my grudge.”
A sinister smile played across her lips.

—————

This chapter was translated by Lunox Novels. To support us and help keep this series going, visit our website: LunoxScans.com

—————