Demonic energy works. I had just confirmed it.

"Heuk Saek has fallen."

The leader of the Black Faction—

The man known as Gubong’s father had succumbed to demonic influence and turned into a demon.

At first, when I infused him with demonic energy, I wasn’t entirely sure.

But afterward, judging by his condition, it was definitely taking effect.

However—

"Not completely."

I wasn’t sure why, but I had failed to fully enslave him.

If I had to sum it up, I’d say half-successful.

He had become a demon, but his loyalty to me wasn’t absolute.

There was no drastic shift in his mentality.

Most people who become demons show unwavering devotion to me.

But Heuk Saek... was different.

Was it because he himself was unusual?

Or was it because the Moonlit Night Tribe itself was strange?

"I’ll have to test this on others."

I had never planned to use demonic energy here.

More accurately, I never expected I’d need to.

"Why would I come all the way to another world and use something like this?"

That was my reasoning before.

But now—

"I don’t have time to be picky."

Now, I had to use whatever I could to finish things quickly.

"It worked?"

"Yes. But only partially—enough to put him on a leash."

It could shackle his body—but not his mind.

"Hmm."

Hearing this, Shin Noya made a peculiar expression.

Seeing that, I involuntarily glanced at him.

No matter how bad-tempered and violent he was, he was still a Taoist master.

And in Zhongyuan, he was once revered as a hero.

Wouldn’t he disapprove of such corrupting acts—?

"Only halfway, huh... It would’ve been better if you got his mind, too. Tsk, tsk. How can you be so damn incompetent?"

...Or so I thought.

Guess I didn’t need to worry.

"......"

"What? Why the hell are you looking at me like that?"

"...Nothing."

I shook my head slightly and let out a small cough.

"In any case... at least his body is restrained. And even if that weren’t the case, Heuk Saek will come over to our side soon enough."

He was a man of ambition.

And the easiest people to control were those with ambition.

The greater the ambition, the easier they were to manipulate.

People obsessed with power were always desperate for ways to achieve it.

They didn’t care about the methods—

Only the results.

And now—

"I’ve shown him power."

I had shown him something beyond his expectations—

And that alone would begin to change him.

That was my judgment.

"So, this side is more or less settled. How about yours, Noya?"

Mine was taken care of.

I had already expected Heuk Saek to fall—

And that expectation wasn’t far off.

But the more important one was the one Shin Noya had approached.

"Yusa."

General Yusa.

Right now, his decision was more crucial.

Keeping that in mind, I turned to Noya—

Only to see his expression somewhat sour.

"Hmm."

"What’s wrong?"

"He said he’d talk to me again later."

"...Oh."

That was surprisingly good news.

I had expected some resistance.

If he had thrown a fit and outright refused, it would’ve been a hassle.

But—

He said he would listen.

That alone was a step forward.

I focused on Noya’s words—

But for some reason, he didn’t seem pleased.

Why the hell did he look like that?

Feeling something off, I asked:

"What’s wrong?"

He answered.

"Something feels off."

"What do you mean?"

"Yusa."

"Yes?"

"That bastard has a good sense for things."

"I know."

Yusa was sharp.

And he took immense pride in it.

But—

"No, it’s more than that."

"How so?"

"His instincts come from his authority."

"...Authority?"

That ability—

Gluttony.

The power to consume anything.

The hungrier he was, the sharper his perception.

The hungrier he was, the stronger his body.

But that hunger was an eternal burden.

I had learned about it after Tiamat devoured his power.

And—

"Tiamat can devour their authorities, too."

There were four Generals in the Moonlit Night Tribe—

Each one possessed an Authority.

And Tiamat could consume them.

At first, I thought it could only absorb a dragon’s power. 𝗳𝚛𝚎𝚎𝘄𝕖𝕓𝕟𝕠𝚟𝚎𝕝.𝗰𝕠𝐦

But clearly—

That wasn’t the case.

When Tiamat devoured Yusa’s Authority,

It granted me insight into his power.

I already knew what Yusa’s ability was.

"So, are you saying that’s connected to why you’re making that face, Noya?"

I could understand why his instincts were sharp—

That was just part of his Authority.

But why was that a problem?

At my question, Shin Noya looked at me and said—

"Listen, brat."

"Yes?"

"Yusa isn’t just sharp. He’s far from stupid, too."

There was a strange trace of concern in his voice.

"Back at the banquet, we told Heuk Saek to steer things toward targeting Red."

"Right."

I had ordered Heuk Saek to say that.

That was the setup.

That was what led me to meet Heuk Saek.

That was what led Noya to meet Yusa.

And yet—

For some reason, Noya felt uneasy.

"We set up Red as the target. Yusa definitely heard that."

"Yes."

"But... Heuk Saek never directly mentioned himself."

"......"

Hearing that, my expression darkened.

He was right.

"Did I tell him to say it?"

When I ordered Heuk Saek in secret—

Did I specifically tell him to mention himself first?

"If it were me—"

If I were in Heuk Saek’s place,

I would’ve brought up myself first—

Then used Red as a scapegoat.

But what if—

"Heuk Saek didn’t do that?"

What if he didn’t?

"......"

Heuk Saek wasn’t an idiot.

But there was always a chance.

And if Yusa found that odd—

"What would he do?"

If Yusa found it suspicious, would he seek out Heuk Saek?

That was a possibility.

And if he did—

"That could cause some issues."

Even if I had corrupted Heuk Saek with demonic energy, the power known as Myeong could potentially override it.

If that power was truly absolute, then it could pose a real threat.

I sank into thought.

I considered the worst-case scenario—

Pondered it again and again.

Time was short, but in those fleeting moments, countless calculations ran through my mind.

But no matter how much I thought—

"...Hmm."

My conclusion didn’t change much.

"The water’s already been spilled."

What was done, was done.

There was no going back.

Nor was there a reason to.

"Well, might as well go through with it."

"That’s quite the carefree response."

"How do you see it, Noya? If Yusa really did notice something off—what do you think he’d do?"

I thought about Yusa.

I {N•o•v•e•l•i•g•h•t} didn’t know him well, but I had observed him long enough to make an assessment.

"Rather than immediately reporting it—"

He wouldn’t just rush off to inform someone for the sake of his position.

"He’d check first."

"He’d check first."

"......"

"......"

We both answered the same way.

Seeing that, Noya looked a little awkward.

I let out a small chuckle.

"He has ambition."

Just like Heuk Saek.

No—even more than Heuk Saek.

A man overflowing with ambition.

I could tell just by looking at his eyes.

How else did I survive in Zhongyuan, constantly surrounded by men like that?

"Where there’s ambition, there’s hope."

Even in the deepest pits, men like him would desperately claw their way up if they saw a chance.

There was no way he’d discard the opportunity without even verifying it.

"They say you should knock before crossing a stone bridge."

It was an old saying about caution.

But in this case—

"It means he wouldn’t cross without checking first."

It wasn’t the perfect analogy, but for Yusa, it was close enough.

"If he starts doubting, he’ll look into it first."

And all I had to do—

Was ensure his doubt turned into certainty.

"So, when exactly did he say he’d meet you?"

"Half a shichen (about an hour) from now."

"Hmm."

That wasn’t too far off.

"If he set the meeting for that time..."

If Noya’s concerns were correct, then he was preparing something.

Tension crept up my spine.

"Half a shichen..."

I marked the time in my mind—

When suddenly.

"Oh, and brat."

"Yeah?"

"You have to go alone this time."

"Huh?"

I narrowed my eyes at him.

"Yusa specifically requested that you meet him alone. And I need to return to Mount Hua soon. So, even if you're disappointed, there's nothing I can—"

"No, I’m not disappointed. Why were you planning to come in the first place?"

"...Huh?"

"I’ve got this. Just go back already."

"......"

I spoke so casually that Noya’s face twisted into something odd.

"Honestly, if you stick around now, you'll just get in the way."

"...Oh, uh. I see."

I was already telling him he wouldn’t be needed.

But for some reason—

Noya’s face looked strangely sullen.

What the hell?

I just told him he couldn’t help, so why did he look so damn disappointed?

"If you’re done talking, I’ll be off. Just tell me the location, and you can head back."

"......"

Noya clicked his tongue, looking awkward.

He clearly had more to say, but in the end, he stayed silent.

After that, I received the meeting location from him.

And to my surprise—

It wasn’t in the Moonlit Night Tribe’s territory.

It was in the forest—

A short distance outside the citadel.

The place where I was to meet Yusa—

Was where he would meet Cheonma.