DEB 123

That’s right…

I have to do so much more with all of my disciples.

There was still so much they hadn’t done together. 

They’d never picked a nice restaurant and gone out to eat, never gone to a movie theater, never visited an amusement park or any place they could all enjoy as a group. 

Before even the small peace he held in his hands slipped away, he wanted to share more experiences with his disciples. 

Be with them.

He wanted to pile up both extraordinary and ordinary memories like a mountain, to build a barrier strong enough to protect them all. 

As if reading his thoughts, his disciples began sprinting toward him faster, determined not to let him zone out. 

And leading the charge, of course, was Ash.

Wait? Ash?

Huiyun blinked in surprise as he spotted the red-haired man sprinting toward him, leaving the others behind with terrifying speed.

“Yashaaaaaa!”

Ash charged like a bull, and Huiyun instinctively caught him in an embrace, only to quickly grab his cheeks.

“Ash! Are you alright?!”

He’d figured Ash would turn up if the Gate was cleared and the boy hadn’t fallen into the Demon Realm, but he had still felt uneasy when not even a strand of Ash’s hair was visible in the underground. 

It gnawed at him, wondering if his own misstep had put the boy in danger.

So seeing him return so full of life, it was an overwhelming relief.

His anxious heart melted at the sight of Ash’s face. 

He squeezed his cheeks, pushing out his lips cartoonishly, and looked him over. 

Ash mumbled back through squished lips, “I’b fine, I’b fine!”

With a sigh of relief, Huiyun slowly let go at Ash’s pleading, and turned to take in the rest of his returned disciples.

Vina, Zenith, Verita, Vita, Moot, and Ash, six in total.

“I’m so glad… every single one of you made it back.”

They’d split into three groups before the return, so he’d worried about someone getting left behind. But now, all had returned safely.

“That’s harsh, Master Yasha. You didn’t even spare a thought for me.”

“…!”

A sudden voice from behind sent chills down his spine and made him jump. 

Hyeon, looking a bit more worn than the others, raised an eyebrow at Huiyun with a disappointed look.

Even the other disciples didn’t seem sure whether to welcome Hyeon or be wary. 

The surprise at his sudden appearance was mutual.

And Huiyun felt the same. 

Since when had he been back there?

More importantly… where had he been this whole time?

He distinctly remembered Hyeon entering the Gate with them, but somewhere along the way, his presence had vanished. 

Hyeon often had a weak sense of presence when among the others, but Huiyun couldn’t believe he’d forgotten him so completely.

…Am I seriously getting early-onset dementia?

While Huiyun struggled with that alarming thought, Hyeon grumbled about being neglected. 

Ash, now clinging protectively to Huiyun, swatted Hyeon’s hand off his shoulder with a scowl.

“Don’t touch him with your dirty self. What happened to your clothes?”

“If you knew who I rescued from the Demon Realm, you wouldn’t be so dismissive… You really don’t appreciate my efforts.”

Hyeon dusted off his filthy clothes and stepped aside. 

Behind his tall frame—though slender, not small—several unconscious figures came into view.

“These people…”

“I found them in the Demon Realm and brought them back. Judging by their appearance, they’re probably members of the raid squad from the Bureau, so I brought them just in case. Good call, right?”

Grinning like a magician revealing his trick, Hyeon proudly showed off the missing persons he’d returned with. 

Vina carefully checked their faces and confirmed they were indeed Bureau-affiliated Hunters. 

Though all were tied up and unconscious, Zenith confirmed they weren’t in critical condition. Huiyun looked at Hyeon with renewed surprise.

So that’s where he’d gone.

He’d clearly entered with them, so when had he gone to the Demon Realm?

Before he could ask, a soft yowl echoed from Hyeon’s ankle. 

It was the spirit beast, Siho.

…So that’s where you’d gone too.

The two who had disappeared without a trace had apparently traveled to the Demon Realm together. 

Huiyun didn’t even need to ask who opened the portal.

“You went to the Demon Realm?”

“I said that from the beginning, but it seems no one was listening to me.”

“I was just confirming. Don’t be sulky. More importantly, if you were going, you should’ve taken one of the others with you. It could’ve been dangerous.”

Scolding him lightly, Huiyun watched as Hyeon sighed and scooped up Siho.

“I wanted to, but this fox led me through the portal by himself and didn’t let anyone else through. And I did call out, but no one turned around. So, fragile little me had to go alone. But thanks to him, I brought these people back safely and returned without injury.”

“Huh. I didn’t hear your voice at all.”

“I shouted pretty loudly, but no one noticed. Maybe the fox put up some kind of sound barrier?”

A reasonable guess. 

Huiyun accepted Siho from Hyeon and looked into the spirit beast’s blue eyes. 

The creature gave him a closed-eyed smile and purred softly. 

The more he got to know this fox, the more suspicious he seemed.

Able to open portals to the Demon Realm, potentially put up a sound barrier, and choosing to bring only Hyeon… 

There was a lot to investigate, but that could wait.

For now, Huiyun simply stroked his silky fur.

She’d returned safely, and that was enough.

“You helped Hyeon find the missing ones, didn’t you, Siho?”

–Yipp!

The blue fox wagged his tail proudly and lifted his chin as if asking for more praise. 

Smiling faintly, Huiyun turned to Hyeon and nodded.

“Well done. I appreciate your efforts.”

Then he looked at Ash.

“When I went underground, you weren’t anywhere to be seen. Where did you go?”

“Well, I saw you jump down, and right after that, these black hands came up from the floor and pulled me into a deeper place. I thought Moot was playing a prank on me at first, but looking back, I don’t think it was him.”

Ash shrugged nonchalantly, and Moot shot him a pointed glare. 

To avoid another fight, Huiyun subtly stepped between them and looked Ash over again.

He’d already checked once, but still, falling alone like that, it made him worry as his master.

“You didn’t run into trouble?”

“Nope. I wanted to get out on my own, but I couldn’t move. I figured someone would come save me… but no one did. I was so hurt, Yashaaaa.”

“Back off from Yasha, Ash. You don’t look very hurt to me.”

“Well, nothing really happened there, I guess.”

“You said you couldn’t move. Maybe you were poisoned during a fight?”

“Not sure.”

“Then it’s worth researching.”

“Yasha, protect me. Don’t send me to Moot. Got it?”

Ash, sensing Moot’s suspicious interest, hid behind Huiyun. 

Relieved that Ash was safe, Huiyun stepped in before the bickering trio could escalate.

“More importantly, I have something to tell you all. Listen closely for a moment.”

He lined up all six disciples and explained everything that had happened underground, from the ritual to every detail he’d uncovered. 

Once finished, Hyeon was the first to speak, brows furrowed in thought.

“Then the imbalance at the Black Swamp… it might be due to the conflict between those two factions?”

“If something in the Demon Realm triggered the swamp’s change, then this seems the most likely cause.”

“Hmm… The swamp’s balance would only collapse if the number of suicides skyrocketed. Could it be related to the ritual? Like they were using the suicides as sacrifices?”

“It’s possible. But if someone’s trying to become Demon God, they must be a Lord. I wouldn’t be surprised if those Lords ordered their non-followers to die.”

“There’s also a chance both things happened at once.”

“Right.”

As expected, Hyeon was sharp. 

Huiyun didn’t deny the possibility, and Hyeon clapped his hands once.

“Great. At least now we can say with confidence that the Demon Realm is behind the swamp’s transformation. All that’s left is pinpointing the exact cause. I’ll have to rely on you a little longer until we figure out why they were forced to commit suicide.”

Hyeon bowed slightly as he said this. 

Moot, who had looked tense, gave a crooked smile, that was his usual reaction when something rubbed him the wrong way.

“A fight between Demon God followers and a faction trying to become Demon God, huh? Sounds like a pain. It’d be nice if they just wiped each other out, but since both factions are probably pulling strength from the Gates, it won’t be that simple.”

“Exactly. Once things stabilize, both sides will try to gain influence on the surface faster than their rivals.”

“Ugh. That means tons of Gates are gonna pop up.”

Ash groaned and leaned his head on Huiyun’s shoulder. 

As he started to push him off, Huiyun sighed and set his focus.

“From now on, our goal will be to investigate both Demon God followers and the faction trying to become Demon God. And if I’m right, the followers will try to create human believers too. Vina, inform the Bureau to thoroughly interrogate the squad Hyeon brought back.”

“It’s true, we don’t know what those people were doing in the Demon Realm. I’ll contact the Bureau Director directly.”

Vina’s confident response gave Huiyun peace of mind. 

Then, Vita raised a hand.

“Yes, Vita?”

“I’m not quite sure, so I’m asking, what are we actually going to do next?”

Their goal was clear, but what they should do right now wasn’t. 

Huiyun looked over each disciple’s face before letting the corners of his eyes soften.

“For now… until we receive further news, let’s focus on enjoying what little rest we have left.”

His disciples blinked at him.

“…Who are you?”

Ash asked with a deadpan tone, and Huiyun silently lifted his dominion to prove he was indeed Yasha.

Doing it with incomplete power didn’t quite satisfy him. 

Maybe when he got his next command, he should tag Ash with one too.