The roar of thousands of warriors shouting in unison startled Yu Gang.

Every one of their bows and greetings was directed toward him.

Yet Yu Gang had no idea how to respond.

As he stood there, ◆ Nоvеlіgһt ◆ (Only on Nоvеlіgһt) frozen, the Heavenly Demon approached his side.

Yu Gang turned to face him—this man who, before thousands, stood unflinching, looking down at them with absolute confidence.

“This is your place.”

The Heavenly Demon turned his gaze toward Yu Gang.

His deep eyes pierced into him, sharp enough to seem as though they could see through his very soul.

“This is what it means to be the heir of the Heavenly Demon.”

“...”

“Merely for being my son—this is the power you will hold in your hands.”

The Heavenly Demon turned his eyes back to the warriors below.

“I conquered death itself to obtain this strength. But you—you need not even stain your hands with blood.”

A dry, mocking laugh slipped past his lips.

“How could this be anything but an undeserved inheritance?”

“I...”

Yu Gang clenched his fists tightly.

Even parting his lips in front of the overwhelming Heavenly Demon was no easy feat.

“I don’t want it. I never have.”

The Heavenly Demon’s brow twitched faintly.

“You misunderstand me. These are things you will gain whether you wish them or not.”

Thousands of warriors.

Their loyalty. Their obedience. Their very lives.

“You are my son. You must inherit all that I have built.”

From the Heavenly Demon’s silent gaze, Yu Gang felt an invisible pressure tightening around his chest, choking the air from his lungs.

“I was clear, was I not?”

“...”

He had been.

At their first meeting, the Heavenly Demon had told Yu Gang he was to become the Young Cult Lord of the Heavenly Demon Divine Cult—his successor.

“But I never gave you an answer.”

“You still fail to understand my words.”

KUUUUUUUUM....

Black energy surged around the Heavenly Demon.

He was not even releasing his inner power, yet the aura of a conqueror radiated from him in crushing waves.

“Your will is irrelevant. You are my son, and you will inherit what I have achieved.”

“I refuse. I—”

At Yu Gang’s final rejection, the Heavenly Demon’s aura grew fiercer still.

It spread across the pavilion like a storm about to burst—

“Cult Lord!”

The Heavenly Demon’s Lady stepped between Yu Gang and the Heavenly Demon.

She seized her husband’s arm.

“Soyah is only uneasy because he’s not yet used to the Cult. You must give him time to adjust.”

“...”

The Heavenly Demon fixed his gaze on her.

Gradually, his energy subsided.

“Soyah, that’s enough for today. Go and rest.”

Yu Gang looked at his parents in confusion.

He had never longed for warm parental affection.

Yet this—this didn’t feel like parents treating him as a son. It felt like they were seeing him only as a means to succession.

What kind of parents...

“....”

He gave a small nod to both and descended from the pavilion.

Behind him, he could still hear the Heavenly Demon’s Lady speaking softly, trying to soothe her husband.

Below the pavilion, the Lady’s attendants and guards stood waiting.

They bowed to Yu Gang, but none stepped forward to follow him.

Passing through the ranks of thousands of warriors, Yu Gang left the training grounds alone.

Even then, behind him, the Lady’s voice still reached toward her husband.

****

“Young Master!”

As he neared his quarters, a voice called out to him.

Yu Gang turned to see someone hurrying toward him.

“Why walk so fast?”

“Master Baek Yeong.”

Baek Yeong approached at a brisk pace. 𝕗𝕣𝐞𝐞𝘄𝐞𝚋𝚗𝗼𝘃𝗲𝗹.𝚌𝕠𝚖

He was one of the Heavenly Demon’s closest aides who had been standing atop the pavilion moments ago.

“Do you have a moment?”

“Yes.”

The two entered Yu Gang’s quarters.

As soon as they stepped inside, Baek Yeong deployed a qi barrier.

That alone meant the conversation was not to be taken lightly. Yu Gang sat with a faint look of tension.

“What is it you need to say that requires a barrier?”

“Hmm...”

Baek Yeong rubbed his chin, his face grave.

After a pause, he raised his right hand slightly and spoke.

“First, let me make it clear—I stand entirely on the Cult Lord’s side.”

“Yes, I know.”

He had saved Baek Yeong’s family; his loyalty must run deeper than words.

“Even so, I feel I must say this. The young lady also asked me to....”

The young lady?

“As a father myself, I just can’t rest easy.”

“...Please speak.”

But Baek Yeong hesitated again for quite some time.

The only sound was his fingers tapping lightly against the table—tok, tok, tok, tok.

Then came words that struck like a hammer.

“The Lady is not your real mother.”

“!”

Yu Gang’s eyes flew wide.

Leaning forward, his voice trembled in disbelief.

“What... do you mean? My mother... isn’t my mother?”

“To be exact, your real mother is dead. I did not see it with my own eyes, but that is what everyone said—and it’s almost certainly true.”

“Then...”

“The Lady is the Cult Lord’s second wife. Your real mother, Lady Dan, left the Demonic Sect, and afterward the Cult Lord took a new wife.”

Yu Gang’s gaze shook violently.

He had believed without question that she was his mother.

She had called him by his childhood name, cooked for him, sewn his clothes—called herself his mother. He hadn’t even thought to doubt it.

There had been moments that felt oddly unfamiliar, but he had blamed it on the long years apart.

And now he was told she wasn’t the woman who had given birth to him.

“She told me... that my childhood name was Soyah...”

“The Lady has never seen you before. As I said, she came to the main palace after Lady Dan left.”

“...”

“I don’t blame her feelings. Though you are not of her own flesh, she still has to live as your mother now, does she not?”

So she wanted to act the part of a mother.

Withholding the truth had likely been a choice for both their sakes.

It would make it easier to grow closer.

“...”

Baek Yeong continued to speak, but Yu Gang no longer heard him.

It had been only a few days, but to discover that the woman he truly believed was his mother shared not a drop of blood with him—it hit harder than words could express.

Yu Gang, who had been moved to find he still had family, now felt that same emotion collapse into emptiness.

“The young lady who asked you to tell me this... was it Lady Namgoong?”

“It was.”

Baek Yeong recalled his conversation with Seolhwa days before.

****

“You know about Yu Gang’s past, don’t you?”

Her eyes as she asked were like those of a wildcat.

One wrong answer and she’d bare her claws instantly. Under that sharp stare, Baek Yeong had nodded.

“I do.”

“Do you intend to keep it hidden to the end?”

“Hmm...”

He hesitated.

“That’s not really my place, is it? It’s the Cult Lord’s affair...”

“Then do you think the Cult Lord will ever tell him the truth?”

“Uuuhm...”

From what he knew of the Cult Lord—he would not.

“Please. I’m asking you.”

“...”

“I believe you’re a man who knows what’s right.”

****

Tsk.

He wasn’t telling the Young Master the truth because she asked him to.

He simply couldn’t stand pretending ignorance while everyone in the Demonic Sect deceived the Young Master.

Even if she hadn’t said a word, he would’ve told him—eventually.

“Anyway, the Lady would have told you someday as well. I’m sure she meant no harm, so, Young Master, you should—ah! Y–Young Master!”

Before Baek Yeong could finish, Yu Gang shot to his feet and stormed out of the room.

By the time Baek Yeong reached out to stop him, the wide-open door was all that remained.

“....”

He withdrew his hand and scratched the back of his head.

Maybe I shouldn’t have said it.

But whenever the Young Master was with the Cult Lord and Lady, Seolhwa’s sharp gaze came to mind—so he couldn’t help it.

“Well... it was bound to come out anyway.”

Yes. Whether late or soon, the shock would be the same.

He’d done the right thing, he told himself.

****

“It’s fortunate the Cult Lord calmed his anger.”

“As expected of Madam. The Cult Lord always heeds your words.”

The sound of soft laughter came from the entrance of the residence.

“Young Master really is something. I can’t fathom what he’s thinking. The Cult Lord offering to make him heir—how could he not see what an honor that is? Others would kill for that position.”

“He didn’t grow up in the Cult, so he doesn’t understand yet. With time, he’ll learn.”

He probably refused because he didn’t yet grasp the prestige of the Heavenly Demon Divine Cult—but someday he would.

He’d realize that position was beyond compare, far above something like the leadership of the Martial Alliance.

“Madam, you truly are magnanimous! The Young Master must someday appreciate your devotion!”

As she entered with her attendants, the Heavenly Demon’s Lady halted—there was a maid lingering at the front of the hall.

“What is it?”

“M–Madam!”

The maid rushed toward her.

“It’s... just now, the Young—”

She glanced nervously toward the inner hall, about to continue, when—

“Mother.”

From within the hall, Yu Gang appeared.

His expression was shadowed.

Conscious of what the servants had just said, the Heavenly Demon’s Lady froze for an instant.

But remembering they hadn’t said anything problematic, she forced a gentle smile and approached him.

“Soyah. You were here.”