Absolute Regression

In the hollow eyes of the Evil Smiling Demon, both eyes were widely smiling.

Who would have imagined that in exchange for releasing his seal, he would be asked to take off his mask?

He was angry, but at the same time, he was enjoying himself. I must be the first to make him feel such contradictory emotions.

He probably never encountered anyone who dared to confront him so recklessly in his entire life. Even father didn’t treat the Demon Supremes so carelessly.

I knew how much Soma enjoyed moments like these. His blood would be flowing rapidly, and his heart would be beating wildly. I considered this a kind of illness.

“What if I promise to take off the mask and later don’t keep my promise?”

“Then I’ll rush at you and force it off.”

“Come on, let’s practice that right now.”

In an instant, the light in the Evil Smiling Demon’s eyes dimmed. Ready to fight, he was a completely different person from just moments ago.

“If that happens, my face might get skinned off.”

The Evil Smiling Demon relaxed and asked leisurely.

“So, if you can’t force it off, what will you do then?”

I stared at him for a moment and then calmly answered.

“I won’t do anything.”

The Evil Smiling Demon flinched. I had just given an answer that not even he, the person involved, knew.

Do nothing.

For a contrarian like the Evil Smiling Demon, this was the correct answer. He looked at me with an expression that showed he couldn’t understand.

“Are you saying you trust me?”

“To be honest, I don’t trust you. Evil Smiling Demon, your name doesn’t exactly inspire trust, does it?”

I smiled playfully, but he didn’t.

“Come on, let’s get up. You should go and have your meal too, Sir Soma.”

I didn’t explain the reason to him. Sometimes, not saying anything has the best effect. Especially when there’s no particular reason, like now.

Occasionally, the other person will inflate this trivial thing into something plausible on their own.

I got up first, and the Evil Smiling Demon followed.

We left the Flowing Wind Tavern and retraced our steps.

After walking beside me for a while, he stopped.

“Please wait a moment.”

He went to a street vendor selling masks. He bought a white mask and handed it to me.

“This is a gift to commemorate today.”

As I took the mask, I said to him.

“I suggested you take off the mask, but instead, you’re putting a mask on my face.”

I obediently wore the mask.

“It’s stifling. I bet you’d fight twice as well without the mask, Sir Soma. How long have you worn this to get used to it?”

“Not as long as you might think.”

“If that’s the case, it’ll take just as long for you to feel comfortable without it.”

Through the eye holes of the mask, the Evil Smiling Demon silently stared at me.

So this is how you’ve been looking at me.

Now, he could only see me through the eye holes of his mask. Maybe that’s a disadvantage for me, considering the Evil Smiling Demon had lived among many subordinates who wore masks for a long time.

I lifted the mask up to my head like a hat.

“Wear it like this. Isn’t it comfortable and nice? Wear it when you want, take it off when you want. Just like this.”

I tapped the mask sitting on top of my head with my palm, looking up at the sky.

“This guy would feel good too, looking at the sky like this.”

Then Soma looked up at the sky.

“Isn’t this fine? This way, we both get to see the sky.”

The Evil Smiling Demon stared at the sky for a long time with empty eyes, and when he finally looked back at me, he had made his decision.

“Fine. I will accept the Second Young Master’s condition. If you release my seal, I will take off my mask when we are alone.”

I didn’t truly believe he would keep his promise.

Before my regression, I only saw his face once before I died. He wouldn’t easily take off his mask.

But the promise itself was significant. Would I get to see his young face?

“Thank you, Sir Soma.”

The vertical line on my mental map shifted slightly to the right. It was still a long way off. Only when it moved past the halfway mark would he start to consider whether to kill me or not.

“With this condition met, I might finally be able to confront my father.”

We smiled at each other. Neither of us showed our true feelings, but our wide smiles marked the promise.

* * *

The next day, when I entered the Heavenly Demon Pavilion, the Strategist Advisor Sima Myung was also there.

After greeting my father, I joked with Sima Myung.

“Lately, I’ve been in a bind because of you, Advisor.”

“What do you mean?”

“My father has been following me as closely as two houses down.”

Finally understanding that the comment was about playing Go, Sima Myung laughed.

“You were tricked by a soldier who can’t play Go.”

“You’ve already heard.”

This time, I laughed. My father, usually so stern and unlikely to joke with anyone, shared all of this with Sima Myung. It showed how close Sima Myung was to him.

After a brief, light greeting, I revealed the purpose of my visit to my father.

“Father, I’ve come with a request.”

“Speak.”

“Please release the restriction on the Evil Smiling Demon.”

My father wasn’t surprised. He had likely been informed recently that I had been meeting with the Evil Smiling Demon.

Instead of my father, who silently looked down at me, Sima Myung stepped forward.

“May I ask the reason?”

“The Evil Smiling Demon came and asked for it.”

“Then why don’t you just refuse?”

“What if he threatens to kill my family if I refuse? Oh, in that case, I’d become the Heavenly Demon. Should I have really refused?”

Even though I was joking, Sima Myung didn’t laugh.

“This isn’t something to joke about. Do you know why the Evil Smiling Demon was restricted?”

“I know. He massacred the Unorthodox Alliance martial artists.”

“Soma is someone who cannot control his rage.”

“The longer he remains bound, the greater his rage will be when he explodes.”

Sima Myung couldn’t refute this.

My father, who had been listening, suddenly asked,

“Can you take responsibility?”

“Why should I take responsibility? The one who causes the trouble should bear it.”

“If a dog off its leash bites someone, is it only the dog’s fault? The one who let it loose must also take responsibility.”

“That’s true, but…”

“If you accept the condition of taking responsibility, I will release the restriction.”

“I can’t keep looking after him forever, can I? I’ll only take responsibility for what happens during the time immediately after the restriction is lifted, until he leaves the cult.”

“Agreed!”

Unlike my father, who readily agreed, Sima Myung looked uneasy and emphasized again,

“The Evil Smiling Demon has accumulated a lot of anger over the past two years he’s been confined in our cult. If he goes to the Central Plains, he may commit mass murder.”

“I’ll keep a close eye on him and ensure nothing goes wrong.”

Finally, I expressed my gratitude to my father.

“Father, thank you for granting permission.”

Of course, my father didn’t accept my thanks easily.

“Is this really something to be grateful for?”

From the perspective of the Heavenly Demon Pavilion, it was impossible to keep Soma restricted indefinitely. My request gave my father a sufficient reason to lift the restriction. Consequently, this also became a kind of test for the successor.

Father, I’m sorry, but this time the advantage is mine. I already know what the Evil Smiling Demon plans to do after he leaves the cult.

* * *

After leaving the Heavenly Demon Pavilion, I went straight to the Valley of the Wicked to find the Evil Smiling Demon.

“Did you really get permission?”

Soma seemed surprised that I had obtained my father’s permission in just one day.

“Yes. The restriction will be lifted tomorrow. An official document will arrive from the Heavenly Communication Pavilion sometime tomorrow.”

A look of admiration crossed the Evil Smiling Demon’s eyes.

“I didn’t expect you to accomplish this so quickly.”

“Now you understand why you should support me instead of my brother, right?”

“I’ll have to seriously consider it. But did the Cult Leader really just give his permission?”

“Of course not. My father set a condition.”

“What condition?”

After a slightly exaggerated sigh, I told him.

“If you cause any trouble, I’ll take full responsibility for it.”

“Oh! You’ve staked your position as the successor for my sake.”

“In a manner of speaking, yes.”

The Evil Smiling Demon couldn’t hide his surprise.

“Is this really worth it?”

“Meeting you? I think it’s definitely worth it.”

“You’ve risked too much just to flatter me.”

“Since you’ve already caught on, I’ll flatter you once more. Becoming friends with the Evil Smiling Demon is something no one else has experienced. It’s a worthy bet.”

The Evil Smiling Demon stared at me intently. He was probably trying to figure out my intentions, but he wouldn’t be able to discern anything from just my eyes and expressions. Not before, not now, and not in the future.

“So, in other words, I can cause as much trouble as I want, since you’ll be responsible.”

“It’s maddening, really.”

“You should have kept it hidden. Why tell me you’ve promised to take responsibility? It’s a weakness for you.”

“I had to tell you. Most of the problems we face arise because we don’t speak up when we need to.”

The Evil Smiling Demon gave a peculiar smile. It was different from his habitual smile.

“I don’t intend to underestimate you. I also don’t believe that hiding things will prevent them from happening.”

“Every time I heard rumors about you, Second Young Master, I thought they were exaggerated. But now I see they were greatly understated.”

“Perhaps that’s because it’s you, Soma.”

“What do you mean?”

“Even if the same report is given, the content will sound different depending on the emotions involved. But in front of you, Soma, your subordinates would naturally be tense. They’d likely give dry reports devoid of personal opinions or emotions. They probably didn’t convey who I am properly.”

“That’s a very reasonable explanation.”

His laughter sounded different again. He laughed like that when he had a lot on his mind.

“But you must promise me one thing.”

“What is it?”

“If you ever leave the cult, you must do so with me. If you break this promise, the restriction will be reapplied, and you’ll have to start from scratch.”

“Let’s not wait and leave tomorrow.”

This impulsive decision-making was typical of the Evil Smiling Demon. That’s what made dealing with him so challenging.

I responded without hesitation.

“I’m looking forward to traveling with you, Soma.”

I deliberately referred to leaving the cult as traveling.

“We’re not going on a trip.”

“If you go anywhere with a friend, it’s a journey, isn’t it?”

I aimed to approach this situation without anxiety, determined to prevent him from causing trouble. I intended to go out with him as if we were just going on a short trip. If my friend fought, I would stop him. If my friend was in danger, I would save him. Just with that mindset.

“Then I’ll take my leave.”

“See you tomorrow morning, Second Young Master.”

As I opened the door to leave, the Evil Smiling Demon asked from behind,

“Is there anywhere you want to go?”

I turned to him and said,

“There are many places. But on this departure, I want to see your world. Show it to me.”

“My world is boring. It might even be duller than Maga Village.”

“You feel that way because it’s your world. It might look different to others.”

He laughed, and I laughed along with him.

Meeting Soma often made me laugh, whether it was forced, hiding a dagger, or genuine. One way or another, I laughed. They say if you laugh often, you live longer. There’s that benefit too.

As I opened the door again to leave, I added,

“Oh, and Maga Village isn’t such a dull place. It’s a place where people live by selling masks to the Evil Smiling Demon, isn’t it?”

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