The Heavenly Demon Cult’s Strongest Maid - Chapter 260
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This chapter was translated by Lunox Team. To support us and help keep this series going, visit our website: LunoxScans.com
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Episode 14
“….”
When a person is too shocked, they can lose their words.
That was me right now.
Gyeom-ah, why are you appearing here?
Don’t tell me you followed me?
Since when exactly?
“I knew it was bullshit. You being the third prince, my ass!”
Smack!
When I remained silent despite seeing Eok Hwi-gyeom, the bandit uncle who brought him struck the back of Eok Hwi-gyeom’s head.
The sound was so loud that my whole body flinched.
“Sister! First of all….”
“This bastard dares to call someone sister? Do you even know who that person is?”
Thwack!
Before I could even stop him, Eok Hwi-gyeom got hit on the head once more and collapsed forward.
Seeing that he couldn’t even dodge such a light attack, it seemed they had restricted his internal energy.
‘Oh my, how pitiful.’
His cheeks had become quite hollow in just a few days.
That’s what I kept telling him repeatedly – leaving home means hardship.
Why can’t humans believe what others say until they experience it themselves?
Honestly, I’m that type too, but I wouldn’t act as recklessly as Eok Hwi-gyeom.
“Axe Uncle, please untie him….”
Just as I was about to belatedly correct them about Eok Hwi-gyeom’s identity.
“Hey there! You, the pot-bellied uncle!”
Yang Ha-rin, who had been eating with the Phoenix Corps members, shouted loudly and approached.
“…Are you talking to me?”
“Yes! You have the biggest belly here, don’t you?”
Yang Ha-rin examined Eok Hwi-gyeom’s condition and immediately started questioning him.
“You could have just talked to him, so why are you hitting the kid’s head? This kid’s already stupid enough – if he gets worse, will you take responsibility, uncle?”
“…What?”
“They say when the head is bad, the body suffers. Tsk tsk, how pathetic! What kind of sight is this, the Demonic Sect’s third prince captured by bandits?”
“…Do you think I wanted to get captured?”
Eok Hwi-gyeom, who had been busy avoiding Yang Ha-rin’s gaze, finally couldn’t stand it anymore and got angry.
“They suddenly appeared and ganged up on me – what was I supposed to do! These bastards stole all my money and weapons, so I had no choice!”
This was his first attempt at running away from home in 17 years.
He had been confident that he’d made perfect plans, but these damn bandits ruined everything.
The moment his carefully saved money was stolen, Eok Hwi-gyeom lost his reason, and someone struck the back of his neck, making him faint. The place he opened his eyes was here.
“Uncles, do you happen to have a few extra lives?”
“…No.”
“We only have one each.”
“Then go bring back what you stole from him right now. His Majesty doesn’t particularly favor his youngest son, but do you think he’ll just sit still when his son is treated like this? The Sura Sect will mobilize and more!”
“Gasp! S-Sura Sect?”
“So this kid really is the third prince?”
From the context of the conversation, it seemed likely, but hearing it for real made their legs feel weak.
They had not only beaten up the Cheonma’s son but also imprisoned and threatened him, so it was understandable.
“S-Seolha, niece! Is all this true?”
Axe Uncle asked me again while panting, his eyes hoping I would please say no.
But I couldn’t say something false was true.
“Well….”
“Yeah.”
“I was deeply hoping in my heart that it wasn’t true, you know? But damn it, it’s correct.”
“…!”
“First, please release the restriction on his internal energy. And prepare a seat for him over here. I think I’ll have a lot to ask.”
Axe Uncle granted all my requests even while having breathing difficulties.
“Hey, Eok Hwi-gyeom. Why do you look like this?”
Yang Ha-rin looked over Eok Hwi-gyeom as he clumsily got up, as if she was dumbfounded.
“Are you trying to join the Beggar Sect or something?”
“…I’m not!”
“Why are you getting angry at me? You’re the one who did wrong, yet you’re taking it out on the wrong person! If I had known this would happen, I would have just left you to get beaten up more.”
“Do you think I would have just kept taking it? If I put my mind to it, something like this wouldn’t even take an hour….”
“Eok Hwi-gyeom.”
“…Yes, sister.”
My voice was very quiet, but Eok Hwi-gyeom immediately shut his mouth and took a docile stance.
“The people here aren’t just ordinary bandits.”
“…Then what?”
“They’re my great-grandfather’s subordinates. You know what Nokrim Sibpalchae is, right?”
There was no way the Cheonma’s son wouldn’t know about Nokrim Sibpalchae, one of the pillars of Sado-ryeon.
“You weren’t captured because you let your guard down, but because your skills were lacking. You should at least know that much properly. Right?”
“….”
“But what about your escort? Why are you alone?”
“…I ditched them.”
Well, if he had escort warriors with him, it wouldn’t have come to this situation.
“What were you thinking when you followed me? Do you really want to go to Jungwon with me?”
“I begged you so much to take me with you! You were the one who refused me, sister!”
“So you had no choice?”
Growl.
A familiar yet strange sound flowed from Eok Hwi-gyeom’s stomach as he glared at me as if feeling wronged.
“…How many days have you been starving?”
“I don’t know…. About three days? Or was it four?”
“You said you followed me, yet you got caught that quickly?”
“The carriage was going too slowly, so I went ahead to the side and….”
Ah, so that’s how he got caught by Axe Uncle, who had been waiting for me with his neck stretched out.
Should I call this fortunate or unfortunate?
“Hey, you need to eat first. After you finish eating, go wash up! If Gae Bang-do sees you now, he’ll treat you like his big brother!”
“How dare you keep comparing me to someone? Do you find it funny that I got caught by bandits?”
“Wouldn’t it be funny? You’re noisy, just eat!”
Yang Ha-rin shoved food into Eok Hwi-gyeom’s mouth, telling him to shut up and just eat.
Even though her tone was blunt, she seemed concerned about Eok Hwi-gyeom saying he had starved for three or four days.
“How is it? Delicious?”
“That one too!”
Eok Hwi-gyeom nodded and even specified menu items.
“This?”
Yang Ha-rin quickly picked that up and put it in Eok Hwi-gyeom’s mouth.
At times like this, I got confused whether these kids were friends or enemies.
“Listen while you eat.”
With his mouth full of food, Eok Hwi-gyeom looked at me.
“I’ll provide you with an escort, so stop here and go back.”
“I don’t want to! I absolutely won’t go back!”
“Rice is flying out of your mouth. Can you finish eating before you talk?”
“How do you think I made it all the way here! You might as well tell me to die!”
As if you’d die just because I told you to.
He seemed to want to show some kind of unwavering determination, but I didn’t have time to waste on him.
“Gyeom-ah, I’m not your babysitter.”
“Who doesn’t know that?”
“Bongwang Fortress and I are going out to Gangho because we have important business. I don’t even know what dangerous situations we might face. Honestly, some of us might die. Naturally, it’ll be hard to protect you. Do you understand what I’m saying?”
“Who asked you to protect me?”
“What?”
“I’ll take care of myself. I may be far inferior to second brother, but I’m also Cheonma’s son!”
Look at this guy.
Even after I’ve said all this, he shows no sign of backing down.
He must have come here with quite firm resolve.
‘Sigh.’
How do I send him back?
Should I knock him unconscious?
Just as I was considering several options in my mind.
“Why don’t you just take him along?”
Yang Ha-rin suddenly took Eok Hwi-gyeom’s side.
“He’s not at an age where he’ll listen if you try to stop him. Say he goes back to Headquarters. What’s to stop him from running away again?”
“I’ll keep running away until I succeed! There’s no such thing as giving up in my dictionary!”
They’re really in perfect sync, aren’t they.
Both Yang Ha-rin defending Eok Hwi-gyeom and Eok Hwi-gyeom eagerly agreeing with Yang Ha-rin seemed equally childish to me.
“Most importantly, Eok Hwi-gyeom needs to experience more hardship. If he lives like a frog in a well, he’ll end up like I used to be, right? You know well how pathetic I was back then, don’t you, sister?”
“Then will you take responsibility for him, Yang Ha-rin?”
“Huh?”
“If Gyeom causes trouble, will you clean it up? You’re not just taking his side without thinking it through, are you?”
“No, I just…”
Look at that.
She stepped forward without any plan.
When Yang Ha-rin couldn’t readily answer, Eok Hwi-gyeom looked at her with desperate eyes.
As if his fate depended on Yang Ha-rin.
“You’re not confident, are you? So Ha-rini, you should also stop…”
“Fine!”
“…Huh?”
“I’ll take responsibility for him.”
“Really?”
“But.”
Suddenly Yang Ha-rin’s eyes narrowed slyly.
“From now on, you have to call me noona. Otherwise, I’m pulling out too!”
Oh ho!
This puts him in complete checkmate!
Eok Hwi-gyeom had never once called Yang Ha-rin, who was one year older than him, noona.
Instead, he had acted arrogantly, flaunting his status.
‘Which will he choose?’
I watched the two of them with interest.
Return to Headquarters, or swallow his pride.
For Eok Hwi-gyeom, it was truly a dilemma.
“Hmm, so you’d rather go back to Maegyo than call me noona? I see! I was trying to help you out of our past friendship, but it can’t be helped. Then we’ll say our goodbyes here. Take care. See you next time!”
Just as Yang Ha-rin turned around without hesitation.
“N-noona!”
Realizing he had no other option, Eok Hwi-gyeom finally surrendered to Yang Ha-rin.
“What? I can’t hear you well.”
“Damn it, noona! Noona! Ha-rin noona! I called you noona, okay!”
“Puhup!”
Eok Hwi-gyeom shouted “noona” into the air as if doing three cheers. Thanks to that, I burst out laughing, and a victorious smile bloomed on Yang Ha-rin’s face.
“One last thing. There won’t be any special treatment just because you’re the third prince. From now on, I’ll treat you as a Bongwang Fortress member. Can you handle that?”
“Of course!”
“You also know you’re the youngest among the members?”
“…No.”
“Ha-rini, go give Maknae some education. Let me know anytime if he rebels.”
In any organization, there are always things the youngest members have to do.
Would Eok Hwi-gyeom really be able to handle that?
I’d actually be happy if he gave up saying it was too dirty to bear.
I could use that as an excuse to send him back.
‘By the way, our Master is going to be shocked.’
As his disciple, I should write him a letter tonight.
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This chapter was translated by Lunox Team. To support us and help keep this series going, visit our website: LunoxScans.com
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