Appearance of the Heavenly Demon - Chapter 64

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This chapter was translated by Lunox Novels. To support us and help keep this series going, visit our website: LunoxScans.com
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Episode 64
Baek Yeol-han felt like crying.
The two of them had said such absurd things that he’d actually forgotten the important part.
“So, that means… that’s….”
As Byeok Gyodu’s eyebrows drew low.
“I heard.”
Byeok Gyodu’s gaze shifted to Yeon-woo, who stood behind Baek Yeol-han.
Yeon-woo had hung back precisely because Baek Yeol-han, anxious about how Yeon-woo and Sa-ma Hyeon might react, had insisted on speaking first.
“There’s something strange mixed in there. Don’t you see?”
Yeon-woo pointed at the rice ball in Byeok Gyodu’s hand.
As if asking why he didn’t notice what he obviously should.
‘Wait, just a moment—!’
Baek Yeol-han, startled, was about to stop Yeon-woo.
“I’m afraid I don’t see it.”
Byeok Gyodu simply answered in that level tone of his.
Baek Yeol-han’s hand went to his chest in relief.
‘Thank goodness.’
He was a magnanimous man, after all.
In the meantime, Byeok Gyodu, examining the rice ball with a puzzled look, asked the three of them.
“So you wanted to go see the Kitchen Quarter?”
Baek Yeol-han nodded, his face brightening.
“Yes! I would be grateful if you would accompany us!”
“That’s no trouble at all.”
Byeok Gyodu tossed the lump of rice lightly, caught it, and led the three of them forward.
“Let’s go have a look. If poison truly is mixed into the food as you say, then something will turn up at the Kitchen Quarter.”
The three exchanged glances, their faces alight.
“Yes!”
* * *
“Jang Hwajoo! Is Jang Hwajoo here?”
The three felt slightly flustered.
It was good enough that Byeok Gyodu had come to the Kitchen Quarter with them.
But the moment they stepped inside, he walked straight into the kitchen and, without preamble, called for the Hwajoo.
The Hwajoo was the master of this kitchen.
In other words, he was the total responsibility holder of the Kitchen Quarter.
“Oh! Lord Byeok Gyodu, is that you? What brings you here…?”
At Byeok Gyodu’s call, the Hwajoo stopped his work and hurried over.
It was only natural that the servants in the Kitchen Quarter had their eyes fixed on him.
‘This isn’t how I wanted to look into it so noisily….’
He had meant to examine the traces of poison quietly, nothing more.
But if they made a spectacle of it like this, drawing attention, how could he look around freely?
Baek Yeol-han, flustered, turned to look at Yeon-woo and Sa-ma Hyeon.
Yet to his surprise, the two simply watched Byeok Gyodu’s actions calmly, showing no sign of trouble.
“Hwajoo. Take a look at this.”
“This is rice, is it not?”
“They say it contains poison.”
“What?!”
The Hwajoo stared at Byeok Gyodu in shock.
His hand trembled slightly.
“P-poison, you say?”
“These youths claim so. Though it looks like ordinary rice to me. Did you perhaps put poison in it yourself?”
“N-no such thing! Poison?!”
The Kitchen Quarter erupted into murmurs.
Whispers burst out in pockets: ‘Poison!’ ‘They’re saying poison came out of the rice?’ and the like.
The Hwajoo cried out in panic.
“It w-was not I, I assure you! Ah yes, wasn’t it Hwang Suksoo who prepared the rice this afternoon?”
Hwang Suksoo, named as the culprit, let out a yelp and quickly shook his head.
“N-no! I only tended the fire! That’s right—didn’t you wash the rice?”
“Would I poison it deliberately?! And how would I know if someone else fetched the water?!”
Poison found in a meal was a grave crime.
It was clearly a malicious act aimed at the life of a student.
It wasn’t inconceivable that someone could lose his head in an instant, so the servants were all clamoring to prove their innocence.
“Hmm.”
Byeok Gyodu raised an eyebrow, surveying the servants for a moment.
Jang Hwajoo called out again.
“Sir, sir, look at this! They all say it wasn’t them, don’t they?”
“Well, here’s the thing.”
Byeok Gyodu raised an eyebrow and asked.
“Isn’t it Jang Hwajoo who makes the final inspection of all the food?”
“…!”
Jang Hwajoo drew in a breath.
What, what—?
“Me, are you suspecting me?! No! I truly…!”
“Then eat some.”
Byeok Gyodu suddenly thrust the rice in front of Jang Hwajoo.
A lump of white rice was shoved into the face of Jang Hwajoo, who instinctively recoiled.
“…Yes…?”
“If you didn’t put poison in it, then eating it and proving your innocence would settle the matter, wouldn’t it?”
Jang Hwajoo’s pupils trembled visibly as he stared at Byeok Gyodu.
But Byeok Gyodu, showing no sign of backing down, simply thrust the rice further into his face.
“Go on, show me. That there’s no poison in it.”
“…!”
Hwajoo’s gaze fixed on the lump of rice for a moment.
Jang Hwajoo squeezed his eyes shut and suddenly bit down on the rice.
In that instant, the sound of sharp intakes of breath came from all around.
Crunch, crunch. Crunch, crunch.
In the silence so suffocating it was hard to breathe, only the sound of chewing echoed for a long time.
Jang Hwajoo swallowed the rice with a gulp.
“….”
“….”
Again, silence hung in the air for a while.
Every eye was fixed solely on Jang Hwajoo.
Jang Hwajoo’s eyes flew open.
Then he cried out triumphantly.
“See! There’s nothing wrong with it! I’m telling you, there’s no poison in it!”
At that same moment.
“Whew—!”
“Ah….”
“Good grief, we nearly lost our heads over that.”
The servants’ relieved voices burst out.
Byeok Gyodu raised his eyebrows and withdrew his outstretched hand.
“Well then. I thought it was just rice too. But the boys were so anxious about it being poisoned that—”
Byeok Gyodu tapped Jang Hwajoo’s shoulder gently.
“As Gyodu, I felt I had to confirm it for them, so I was a bit reckless. I hope you won’t be too upset with me.”
“Hahaha, yes. It’s fortunate that we’ve confirmed there’s no poison in it.”
Thus the brief commotion came to an end.
The three men had no choice but to follow him out of the Kitchen Quarter, as Byeok Gyodu led them away, saying it seemed best not to be in the way.
It had been a brief but intense time.
As Baek Yeol-han left the Kitchen Quarter, his expression bore the look of someone utterly drained.
When Byeok Gyodu suddenly summoned Hwajoo and rashly brought up poison, when he ordered Hwajoo to eat the rice, when Hwajoo actually ate it and chewed and swallowed it—
Baek Yeol-han was too shocked and startled to breathe properly.
As a result, all his strength had been drained away.
“Well, there’s no problem now, right?”
Baek Yeol-han nodded weakly.
“Yes. I apologize, Gyodu. There seems to have been some misunderstanding.”
“Haha, it’s fine. You’ve only just arrived at Maryong Hall, so it’s natural to be frightened. There are so many sinister rumors circulating.”
“Sinister rumors…?”
“Yes. The rumor that students die by the dozens each day.”
“Ah….”
‘So I really was the only one who didn’t know.’
No, just my family—
“In the early days of an opening, such things happen from time to time. But this year, the Gyodu are being especially careful about this sort of matter, so I’d appreciate it if you’d all trust us.”
Baek Yeol-han swallowed hard.
“Yes, Gyodu….”
To waste the time of such a kind Gyodu on some bothersome affair.
How terribly rude.
“Well then, I’ll be taking my leave. Go on back and finish your meals.”
“Yes! Please go!”
Byeok Gyodu gave each of their shoulders a light pat, then headed back to Gyodu Quarters.
The three bowed respectfully after him, then made their own way back to the Dormitory.
“Phew—thank goodness there was no poison! I was so scared about what might happen to the Hwajoo in there.”
Walking along with visible relief, Baek Yeol-han pulled a rice ball from his pocket.
It was what remained of the rice he’d brought along from the Dormitory, just in case.
He would eat it when he got back to the Dormitory, but with hunger gnawing at him, he began unwrapping the leaf—and was just about to take a bite when—
“I’d advise against eating that.”
“Hm? There’s poison in it.”
Baek Yeol-han flinched.
After a moment of stunned silence, he burst out: “Why do you keep doing that?! Didn’t you just hear? There’s no poison, no poison!!”
Why do they keep trying to scare him?
What’s wrong with these people?!
But the answer that came back was only Sa-ma Hyeon adjusting his Small Crown, his eyes full of pity.
Baek Yeol-han felt his chest tighten. He wrapped the rice ball up again. “What?! Again? What is it this time?”

“What’s so strange about it? That the Hwajoo ate the rice straightaway, right there in front of everyone—as if to show someone that the rice contained no poison?”
“But he did show us. It was shocking, sure, but because of that we confirmed it for certain, didn’t we?”
Sa-ma Hyeon let out a low sigh and continued. “That’s precisely the problem. It’s far too certain. Even if the Kitchen Quarter were completely innocent, would anyone eat food that’s been touched by servants on the way from the Kitchen Quarter to the Dormitory, after being told it contained poison?”
“…!”
Right… that is odd.
Poison could be added not only by those in the Kitchen Quarter.
The servants who carried the food, and the servants in the Dormitory—either could have added it just as easily.
In other words, no matter how innocent the Kitchen Quarter claimed to be, once someone heard there was poison in the food, they could never eat something that had passed through another’s hands.
“They… might not have… known….”
Is that possible? Unless one were a fool.
“Known? Unlikely. They were prepared. They must have either taken antidote beforehand, anticipating they would be forced to eat it, or had it ready to consume immediately.”
Baek Yeol-han couldn’t escape the shock.
Now that he thought about it, there were not one or two strange points. No—from the very beginning.
“The one who made him eat it… was Byeok… Gyodu, wasn’t it?”

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