Absolute Regression

The carriage kept running toward somewhere.

I was curious. Where would Evil Smiling Demon go first?

I knew about the big incident that happened when he left the cult this time, but I didn’t know the details of where he would go first and who he would meet.

Someone must have angered him over the past two years. Was he going to kill that person?

Or perhaps he would rent an entire brothel and throw a wild party?

Maybe he would kill someone and then head to the brothel.

At that moment, Soma suddenly asked.

“Why did that escort become your heart?”

He wasn’t the type to ask about an ordinary escort, but he took an interest because I was someone he liked.

“Then, is the Second Young Master dead now?”

I stared at him and asked.

“Are we alive?” 2

For a moment, the Evil Smiling Demon was at a loss for words, unsure of how to respond. I added with a smile.

“She’s quite beautiful too.”

“You have a peculiar taste.”

“She is the most beautiful in my eyes.” 3

“Before returning to the cult, I should help you raise your standards for women, Second Young Master.”

“Perhaps I could show you instead.”

I wished Seo Daeryong were here.

Inspector Seo, did you ever imagine you’d be discussing women with the Evil Smiling Demon? That’s what the future holds.

Then, from the coachman’s seat, a voice called out.

“We will stop for a meal in the village.”

From the first day of the journey, we had separate meals.

Sometimes at different inns, and sometimes Soma would get a separate room for eating.

Today, I naturally finished my meal with Lee Ahn and left the inn. At the end of the street, I saw some Black Path thugs harassing a merchant.

I tried to ignore it and walked back to the carriage when someone spoke from behind.

“You’re just going to walk away and pretend you didn’t see that?”

It was the Evil Smiling Demon, who had just finished his meal at the inn across the street.

“Was it just a show of justice to become the successor?”

At his mockery, I laughed and replied.

“I do have a bit of a pretentious side.”

“I like it very much. That’s how people should be. Pretending to be good is exhausting.”

We laughed as we looked at each other.

While walking toward the carriage, Soma asked.

“Why do you hate evil so much, Young Master?”

“I just ignored evil and walked past it.”

“Because if you touch one or two of them clumsily and just leave, those people will eventually face retaliation, won’t they?”

He had read my mind exactly. If we were to take action, we would have to uproot them completely. We didn’t have the luxury to do that at the moment.

“This trip is to show Soma-nim the world.”

“I find it unpleasant because it seems like such scum is part of my world.”

“That’s a misunderstanding.”

“Then let’s clear up the misunderstanding.”

With a nod, he signaled to Cheong Myeon. Cheong Myeon briskly walked toward the Black Path thugs.

Having heard our conversation earlier, he would make sure to clean up even their leader. Of course, it wouldn’t be long before new Black Path thugs took their place.

I signaled to Lee Ahn with my eyes to join him, and she swiftly moved.

“I’ll go with him.”

Lee Ahn followed behind Cheong Myeon.

Evil Smiling Demon leaped onto the roof of the carriage.

“This is the perfect spot to watch from.”

I also jumped up and sat beside him.

“Did you enjoy your meal?”

“I just ate something quickly.”

“During the journey, I’ve noticed you don’t eat well.”

“I don’t find any joy in eating.”

“Is it because of the mask?”

A slight expression of displeasure crossed his face. Mentioning the mask always made him flinch. But I brought up the topic without hesitation.

To remove it, I would need to drag the mythical mask into reality.

“I never liked eating much to begin with.”

“It’s because of the mask. If you take it off, I’ll treat you to an exquisite meal.”

For the first time, Soma tilted his head in curiosity. From the look in his eye sockets, I could read this emotion.

What on earth are you? What is your identity that you constantly provoke me like this?

Just then, a scream was heard in the distance.

Our gazes naturally turned toward Lee Ahn and Cheong Myeon.

The two of them were fiercely beating up the Black Path thugs, then they started leading them somewhere.

Watching this, the Evil Smiling Demon spoke.

“You said before, right? The only time evil looks cool is when it’s subduing other evil. How do I look? Am I cool now?”

“You look cool.”

“Then why don’t I feel good?”

“It probably feels like a piece of your flesh is being torn off.”

Despite my joke, the Evil Smiling Demon laughed. He then repeated his earlier question.

“Why do you hate evil so much?”

Since he had asked twice, I should give some sort of answer. After a brief pause, I spoke to him.

“There are people who go out of their way to push others off a cliff as they walk along the path. If they want to go ahead, they can simply walk faster and pass by. I’m not saying they should help those who fall from exhaustion; they could just mind their own business and continue their way. But why do they push others? When I see those kinds of people, I want to push them too. So, I plan to push them all away.” 4

“Then I would want to push as well.”

His eyes gleamed coldly within his eye sockets.

Soma, how many people have you pushed into misery throughout your life?

I smiled at him and said.

“So, try not to walk ahead of me.”

“Then I should stand behind you?”

“Let’s walk side by side. It’s not a bad idea to walk with the tension of knowing we could push each other at any moment.”

This was the relationship I desired with him.

The Evil Smiling Demon laughed loudly.

“Good. You’d make a fine companion, Second Young Master.”

After a while, Lee Ahn and Cheong Myeon returned to the carriage, exuding a faint smell of blood.

Lee Ahn’s eyes trembled slightly as she looked up at us sitting side by side on the roof of the carriage. No matter how much she trusted me, it wouldn’t be easy to completely shake off the fear that Soma’s presence brought.

The carriage started moving again.

After several days of travel, we arrived at a manor.

A man was waiting in the yard.

I put on the white mask hanging at my waist correctly and followed the Evil Smiling Demon out. I would reveal my face later, depending on the situation.

“It’s been a while, Demon Supreme.”

The Evil Smiling Demon nodded coldly.

I remembered who the man was.

Lim Ho, the wealthiest man in Guizhou.

Originally, this Guizhou was the region Soma was responsible for.

The Eight Demon Supremes managed various regions, overseeing businesses such as trading companies, escort agencies, ironworks, brothels, and taverns, either intervening in their affairs or directly operating them. Even Gu Cheonpa, who only seemed to leisurely read books, had still a region he was in charge of.

Lim Ho was the head of the Great Lake Trading Company in Guizhou and a staunch supporter of the Evil Smiling Demon.

“You seem to have lost some weight.”

At his blunt remark, Lim Ho bowed.

“I’ve lost a bit of weight recently. Thank you for noticing.”

Soma patted him on the shoulder as if to encourage him.

“Thank you.”

Lim Ho was both fearful and grateful.

At that moment, Lee Ahn sent me a telepathic message.

—Did you see how he patted his shoulder just now? He didn’t slap or break it. I thought he was a different person.

—If the Evil Smiling Demon was just a crazed killer as the rumors say, he wouldn’t have been among the Eight Demon Supremes. Watch how he deals with and treats people. Whether it’s something to learn or as a cautionary example, it will surely help you in running the Haunted Shade Corps in the future.

—Yes, Young Master.

There are many faces behind that mask. Some are from the past, and new ones will emerge as he interacts with me now.

Lim Ho asked the Evil Smiling Demon.

“Would you like to have a meal first?”

“No, let’s see the heads of the trading companies first.”

“Yes, please follow me.”

Lim Ho didn’t ask about me at all.

He probably guessed I wasn’t an ordinary subordinate since I had gotten off the carriage with him, but he didn’t dare ask for an introduction. Just from that, it was clear how much he feared the Evil Smiling Demon.

Of course, that didn’t mean Lim Ho lacked courage or was a coward. He was a person who ran his trading company in partnership with the Demon Cult. Among merchants, the Evil Smiling Demon could be a legend.

Lim Ho led us to the main hall.

Inside, about twenty people were waiting. They were all individuals who managed large and small trading companies in Guizhou.

As Soma entered, they all prostrated themselves and bowed.

“We greet the great Demon Supreme.”

The Evil Smiling Demon sat at the head seat.

One of the trading heads stood up and approached him.

He respectfully presented a ledger to Soma. This seemed to be a ritual they always performed when he visited.

Evil Smiling Demon slowly flipped through the ledger.

Watching this, Lee Ahn sent another telepathic message.

—I didn’t know the Evil Smiling Demon could read ledgers.

—He can’t.

—What?

—Cheong Myeon, standing behind him, is relaying the contents to him telepathically. He’s the smartest and most astute person in the Valley of Wicked. That’s why he’s the Evil Smiling Demon’s right-hand man.

—Ah, I see.

Soma wasn’t just asking about the ledger but also knew personal details about the trading heads. He expressed regret for missing someone’s son’s wedding and offered condolences to someone who had lost a loved one.

—Cheong Myeon tells him all this too, right?

—No, the Evil Smiling Demon remembers all this from the reports he receives.

—Really? He remembers all that and says these things? That Evil Smiling Demon?

From my past life, I had realized one thing.

Real villains are meticulous.

It can’t be generalized, but the major villains I experienced were meticulous. They had great observational skills and memory.

On the other hand, the great heroes of the orthodox sects I met were not meticulous. They often forgot things easily. They considered it a natural carelessness born from prioritizing justice and righteousness, but I thought that was already a disadvantage against the villains. After all, lofty ideals can’t beat the meticulousness of counting with one’s fingers.

In the meantime, Soma had finished his short interviews with each head of the trading companies.

The trading heads were in awe, fearful of the Evil Smiling Demon, yet moved by his ability to remember and mention their personal lives.

—These short meetings held annually will bind those people for ten, twenty years. How could they dare betray when the Evil Smiling Demon smiles and inquires about their families?

—It’s scary.

—Yes, this is what makes it scary.

After greeting the trading heads, Lim Ho stepped forward to report on their behalf.

“As you can see, our income has significantly decreased over the past two years. The reason is the White Bird Trading Company.”

The White Bird Trading Company, which recently entered Guizhou, grew faster than any other company. Behind it was the active support of the Unorthodox Alliance.

This situation started because of the massacre of Unorthodox Alliance martial artists by the Evil Smiling Demon.

The Heavenly Demon Divine Sect neither officially apologized nor compensated the Unorthodox Alliance for the incident. Instead, they placated the Unorthodox Alliance by sanctioning Soma.

However, the Unorthodox Alliance didn’t consider that enough.

As an act of retribution, they established the White Bird Trading Company in the Evil Smiling Demon’s territory, blatantly siphoning off his income.

Being punished by the Heavenly Demon, the Evil Smiling Demon couldn’t start a fight, so he could only watch them expand over the past two years. During this time, the dissatisfaction of his subordinate trading companies had continued to grow.

The Evil Smiling Demon seemed well aware of the White Bird Trading Company issue, so he did not mention it further.

“Now that I can move personally, don’t worry too much.”

Only then did the faces of the trading heads brighten with joy.

With those words, Soma concluded the meeting. He was well aware that such gatherings could become targets for enemies. The meetings were brief and secretive.

After boarding the carriage, the Evil Smiling Demon spoke to Cheong Myeon.

“To the White Bird Trading Company.”

“Yes!”

The carriage started moving.

I subtly spoke to Soma.

“You were quite kind to the heads of the trading companies. I almost thought you were the Kind Smiling Demon, not the Evil Smiling Demon.”

“Aren’t they the ones who make money for me? A kind word will make them bring in much more money, so why should I treat them coldly?”

His words were in stark contrast to the Black Path thugs who robbed and bullied merchants. Real villains are like this. They tighten the noose around you while smiling, making you continually suffer in a seemingly good atmosphere.

“They got the name wrong from the start. It’s not ‘baek’ from ‘white’, but ‘baek’ from ‘hundred’ in White Bird Trading Company, as in ‘a hundred punishments to serve as a warning.’ I plan to show them why I’m called Evil.”

When I didn’t react, he spoke again.

“Aren’t you worried? Do you think I can’t kill them all? Do you think I won’t because I’ve just been freed from my sanctions?”

“No, I can feel that you’re very angry right now, Soma-nim. The air inside the carriage is already different.”

“Then why don’t you stop me? If an incident happens at the White Bird Trading Company, you’ll be the one to take responsibility.”

“Okay, let’s try it. Soma-nim, please stop the carriage. Calm down and let’s go somewhere else.”

“No.” 5

“I expected this response. That’s why I’ve been thinking about how to stop you.”

“You’ll have to think a lot.”

With that, Soman leaned against the carriage and closed his eyes.

He sighed audibly for me to hear, but my gaze out the window remained calm. The night was deep, but the river and lake never slept.

1 : This part reminds me of Suzume… ‘O Divine Gods who dwell beneath this land…You have long protected us for generations…Thy mountains and rivers that we have long called our own…We respectfully return to thee!’

2 : …Depends on your circumstances, emotions and beliefs. Philosophy is especially something that depends on the individual, contrarily to psychology, which often results from outside social interference. Anyways, it also make for a nice conversation subject on a travel ^^

3 : Talk louder, so she can hear it outside the carriage !!! ^^

4 : Pushing them into despair huh ?

5 : How surprising really, I’m utterly shocked.

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