Novels online

Chapter 20

##20fury. How about giving it to me?

It was only for a moment that Cheongcheon Podu's expression fell..

A subtle difference from the usual facial expression that most people wouldn't notice..

But I couldn't fool my eyes.

“What are you talking about??”

In an instant, he regained his usual color and asked me:.

As I stared at him silently, Cheongcheon Podu frowned and spoke again..

“I asked what he was talking about. I'm sure you didn't call me here just to play pranks... … . Did you really think I was a criminal??”

He sighed softly and shook his head as if he was dumbfounded..

But I was confident in my judgment.

I was thinking of verifying it from now on..

“That magic ball.”

I suddenly changed the subject. Fortunately, I got the response I expected..

“yes?”

“This is a martial art that the criminal learned. It is called blood and rain magic. This is one of the things that Buddhist monks used to practice in the past..”

“……I heard that he was an unknown magician..”

“I didn't know then, but now I'm sure.”

“…….”

Cheongcheon's eyes waver and his pupils dilate..

You may be able to hide your facial expressions, but you are not skilled enough to control all body reactions..

I turned my back and spoke leisurely..

“You've probably heard such a story. At first, you can achieve magic very quickly, but as you progress, you start to have problems with your body. Either the mind becomes exhausted and eventually goes crazy, or the energy and blood become distorted, leading to death.…….”

“……I've heard of it.”

“Fortunately, the blood demon attack is a fairly stable magic attack. The side effects were minimized through numerous experiments in the blood religion. As long as you don't overdo it, you won't go crazy or die..”

It goes without saying that I helped minimize the side effects..

“Why are you telling me that now?…….”

“But that's only when you learn proper blood magic. What Podu learned seems like a clumsy imitation. If you keep using it, you won't live long..”

“…….”

I spoke as I watched Cheongcheon Podu's breathing become increasingly rough and the whites of his eyes turn red..

“One of the side effects of blood magic. When emotions become strong, the whites of the eyes become red and bloodshot..”

“…… If you doubt me based on that alone, let me tell you that I haven't been able to sleep well for several days due to the investigation..”

“Do you feel pain in your neck and have trouble digesting it right after you start breathing? That's also a typical side effect..”

“…….”

“Ultimately, your nerves become more and more sensitive. To hide it, you always kill your emotions and remain expressionless..”

“My original expression is like this.”

“He said yes. a few years ago.”

“……Did you do a background check on me??”

Cheongcheon frowned as if he was displeased..

I nodded. Before coming to see Heo Il's body earlier, I met people who knew Cheongcheon Podu and heard their stories..

“At first, I was suspicious of the guard. Not only is he a top-notch expert, but he is also good at managing his facial expressions as he comes from a ronin background. It seems like it might be possible to acquire the martial arts of a ruined blood religion by wandering around... … . By the way.”

I looked at Cheongcheon Podu, whose expression was stiff, as if I felt sorry for him..

“A ronin who has experienced all kinds of hardships does not carelessly practice martial arts that can destroy the body. Especially if you have a wife and children..”

“…….”

“The process of learning blood magic is also quite painful. If I had to learn such martial arts, I would have been a more earnest person. For example, not the owner of the kiru who is sitting on a money cushion or his son who is like a son of a bitch.…….”

I looked at him and said.

“What if he was a boy who was born an orphan and had bad bones, but who desperately dreamed of becoming a military officer?.”

“…….”

Cheongcheon Podu was silent. After a while he spoke again..

“It's all hypothetical. It's just speculation without any evidence. I learned magic? How are you going to prove that??”

I knew how to prove that he had mastered magic, but there was no need..

My eyes turned to Cheongcheon’s feet..

“the shoes you are wearing.”

“……?”

“It was scorched by fire..”

“……!!”

“When I asked you if you were from the crime scene yesterday, you definitely said no, right? But why were my shoes scorched??”

“This is…….”

Cheongcheon is embarrassed and tries to make excuses..

I chuckled and cut him off..

“You changed your clothes on the way back after killing Heo Il, but I guess you didn't have the presence of mind to even change your shoes..”

In fact, only a faint trace remained, even if it had been scorched..

But I didn't miss that little difference.

Cheongcheon gritted his teeth and glared at me..

“I think that's enough to convict me.?”

“It must be difficult. But wouldn't this be enough reason for the Murim Alliance to investigate you further??”

“Pfft…….”

It was my perfect victory.

“You probably tried to kill Heo Il to cover the crime and end the case quickly. That impatience ruined the work..”

“under…….”

Red blood began to sparkle in Cheongcheon's eyes..

He glared at me as if he were going to kill me for a while, then opened his mouth in a cracked voice..

“……okay. I killed it.”

I thought he was going to attack me right away, but surprisingly, he accepted it meekly..

“Because I was a human being worth dying for..”

“That's right.”

But why did Cheongcheon kill Old Man Heo? I still couldn't figure out his motive for the crime..

In the end, I couldn't overcome my curiosity and asked.

“May I ask why??”

“Because that man was my biological father..”

“hmm?”

It was a completely unexpected story.

And it was different from what I knew. I tilted my head and asked.

“It's definitely an orphan…….”

“One of the many illegitimate children abandoned by that person..”

At that moment, I remembered one of the things Heo Il said on the kiru..

-I think I'm the only one that got angry?!

Cheongcheon seemed to have given up on acting without an expression, shaking his shoulders and laughing..

“After my mother died, I grew up in an orphanage. I studied so hard. His mother's will was for her child to become a well-to-do government official and receive a generous salary from the country. However, I had no ability to study and my body was weak. I studied all night and often passed out with nosebleeds..”

“Where did you get the blood demon ball??”

“…… It was when I was lying down on my mother's grave and lamenting about my situation. I used to visit him often after he passed away. A man with black lips threw me a booklet. They say that if you learn it, you will gain strength.…….”

Cheongcheon said he didn't know any more about the man named Heuklip..

He said that he learned it without even knowing that it was a level of blood magic, and as his body became healthy and his mind became clear, he was able to pass the Podu exam in a few years..

It was after that that Cheongcheon met old man Heo..

“One day after becoming Podu, old man Heo came to visit me. He said I look just like him when he was young... … . At first, I thought it was just an obvious story told through bribery. But then he suddenly pulls out a portrait from when he was young. that… … I thought I was looking in a mirror.”

“…….”

Afterwards, Cheongcheon learned that her mother had previously worked as a maid at Old Man Heo's mansion..

And when she became pregnant, I learned that Mrs. Son, who was old man Heo's mistress at the time, had kicked her out..

“Even though he knew that, he just ignored it. They probably weren't even interested. Well, he said that I looked just like he did when he was younger and that he was sure I was his son... … . He hugged me and laughed. That was the first time I thought of killing myself..”

“…….”

I just listened without saying anything. I let him pour out all the resentment he had built up..

Cheongcheon poured out words as if he needed someone to listen..

“Do you know what? That person suffered from falcon disease (dementia)..”

“If it's a falcon disease…….”

“My mind was going in and out. It was okay at first, but it got worse..”

“…….”

“Whenever he had time, he called me and told me all kinds of stories. What kind of environment he grew up in, how he succeeded, how many people he killed, how many women's lives he ruined... … . The person who boasted about that is my real father.!”

Grumbling.

Bloody tears flowed from Cheongcheon's eyes as he ground his teeth..

“Do you know what is the most shocking thing? He wrote my name in his will, saying he would leave everything he had to me..”

“……Did you have a will??”

“…….”

Cheongcheon responded with silence. I asked with an expression of incomprehension..

“Why on earth did you create a useless incident by killing him? If time had passed, all of Old Man Heo's assets would have automatically become yours..”

“I'm not interested in money. I don't want people to find out that man is my father! I especially don't want that person to be remembered as a good person.!”

“that…….”

If that's the reason, I can't convince you logically..

Moreover, he has even mastered the magic technique of making people more emotional..

“……That's all I have to say.”

Cheongcheon, who poured out all the facts, looked relieved..

I asked cautiously..

“So what are you going to do now? Are you going to turn yourself in or…….”

Before I could finish speaking, Cheongcheon pulled out a sword from his belt and made a surprise attack..

whirring!

I quickly took a step back. The tip of the knife grazed next to my ear. Cheongcheon, whose eyes were stained red, howled like a wild beast and attacked..

“No one should know that that man is my biological father.!”

“No, let me finish my sentence…….”

As if he couldn't hear you already, Cheongcheon attacked, swinging his sword wildly..

Blood Demon Gong is a martial arts technique that draws on the potential power within the body and temporarily explodes physical abilities and internal energy..

If you listen to it like this, it may seem like a secret to eternal life, but if that were the case, it wouldn't have been called magic..

‘Instead of a temporary increase in physical ability, you age faster and the more you use it, the less likely you are to develop bone disease..’

In other words, it is a martial arts equivalent to using one's lifespan..

“Wow!”

As such, Cheongcheon's strength, speed, and endurance are now comparable to those of a top-class expert..

On the other hand, I have not yet reached the 2-star level of Reverse Heavenly Art..

Although I made a dust-sized inner altar on the Danjeon, I was not able to use its power yet..

It’s not like you can’t use it at all if you set your mind to it… … There are some side effects.

‘Well, it's a situation where there's no need to use internal skills..’

It seems that Cheongcheon also studied martial arts diligently, but to me, who knows all the basics of blood magic, it was no different from struggling with a sword..

Whick! Swish!

After figuring out all of Cheongcheon's sword roots in just a few rounds, I dug into his arms and pointed out a few acupuncture points..

Cracking!

“……!!”

Cheongcheon's body, which had been injected with demonic blood, instantly stiffened..

I took advantage of his strength and pinned him to the floor..

―Kwaang!

I climbed on top of Cheongcheon’s body, which had fallen flat on the floor. He held down both arms with his knees and pressed his neck with his palms..

The blue sky beneath me whimpered and wriggled desperately..

“Killing… … Come on. Better now... … kill it.”

“Just calm down first.”

When I slightly released the hand that was pressing on the carotid artery, Cheongcheon begged, shedding bloody tears..

“I just killed a piece of trash that deserved to be killed. But the world will remember me as an immoral person who murdered my own father! So, please kill me now. If you're not going to live long anyway due to the side effects of magic,…….”

“He also has an impatient personality. When did I report this to the government office??”

“……what?”

Cheongcheon’s writhing body stopped. I slowly relaxed my arms and stood up..

Cheongcheon also stood up, touching his opened neck..

“Don’t report it… … I won't do it.?”

“I saw you doing it.”

“……What are you talking about??”

I am not a member of the Murim Alliance.

It is certainly not a political faction that promotes old-fashioned justice..

I thought that Cheongcheon killed those who deserved to be killed, and I didn't have any sympathy for them..

Above all, I was more interested in the ashes than the solution to this case..

“I'll pretend not to notice this.”

“why…….”

Cheongcheon was so embarrassed that he didn't even know that my tone of voice had changed..

“And I can also eliminate the side effects of blood magic. Although it will not recover the lifespan that has already been lost, it will allow you to use it in the future with minimal side effects..”

“Uh, how?”

I am a former martial arts instructor from a blood religion..

I know almost all the martial arts of the blood religion, and I also know what to do if you learn the martial arts incorrectly or are caught in a poison spell..

“instead.”

Of course, I don't plan on doing it for free..

I grinned and proposed a deal to Cheongcheon..

“That will is useless to you. How about giving it to me in exchange for your life??”