Chapter 2 — 흉의 일족
Part 2, Chapter 13
The Hyung Clan
I knew at least this much: Trang’s clan had some connection to the Camellia Goddess.
When I first met Mord, he fairly reeked of her magic’s fragrance.
So up until then I’d assumed it was simply because one of their ancestors had married a devotee of the Camellia Goddess.
But could it be the entire clan had once been her people?
That raised a question.
“Then why did you leave the Camellia Goddess?”
Elric didn’t ask for no reason.
When he’d seen the goddess’s memories, she’d been alone in the Winter Palace.
The Camellia Goddess wouldn’t have driven out all her people. It had to be that they left of their own accord.
And—
As if Elric’s hunch was right, Trang spoke with a bitter look.
“Shameful as it is for this old man—though I call myself an imam or a priest… the truth is, we don’t even know when our clan—our family—first began.”
Because their ancestors had kept silent.
Out of shame over what happened then. Saying they’d wronged their god.
Not even records remained, so even after all this time, no one knew what had happened.
Trang explained that their clan called that era “the Forgotten Age.”
“So little has been handed down to us.”
Only that, for some reason, their ancestors left the god they served and went south.
And that they struggled to survive by mixing in among humans. That was about it.
“Eventually we joined the Hyung clan.”
Before that, Trang’s people had wandered from place to place.
But joining the Hyung clan changed nothing.
Because they were half-human, half-demon.
Unwelcome anywhere.
They didn’t dare hope for a welcome. It was a blessing not to be attacked on sight.
Even after blending in here, they could only drift, rootless.
Desert or mountain, it didn’t matter.
So long as no one passed by and there was a place to lie down, it was enough.
No food? They could endure. Cold nights? They’d share warmth to survive.
They were living that hard when, for the first time, someone from the Hyung clan thought of them as friends.
A man called the Star Mage, said to be the strongest in the history of House Mervinger after the founder.
Trang smiled.
“Usdan Mervinger. Your grandfather.”
* * *
Grandfather?
I never saw that coming.
I didn’t think my grandfather’s reach extended to the Hyung clan.
At first I doubted it, but soon I could accept it.
If it was Grandfather, who loved all, it was entirely possible.
He’d looked after the beastkin, too—why not the Hyung clan?
Then it makes sense Trang and the Rhine Alliance backed us to the end.
A small gesture of gratitude for Usdan Mervinger, the only one who’d called them friends.
“He truly was a man to be thankful for.”
Trang smiled, as if he’d slipped back into that time.
A life no longer spent wandering. No more hunger, no more fear of attacks from those who shunned them.
Peace seemed to be coming even for the Hyung clan.
“But after Lord Usdan Mervinger closed his eyes, what came for us was hell—no, perhaps something even bleaker.”
His face darkened as he said it.
The brightness that had been there when he spoke of Usdan Mervinger was gone.
And what followed was shocking.
“People began to appear out of nowhere and butcher us without mercy.”
“What…?”
Elric’s eyes widened.
“They said this: the reason Usdan Mervinger died… was because we cursed him.”
“What kind of insane drivel is that?!”
He couldn’t help shouting.
That Usdan died because of a curse from the Hyung clan?
If that wasn’t slandering his grandfather, what was?
But—
“But they truly believed it.”
A twisted smile tugged at Trang’s lips.
“Maybe they just wanted a place to aim their blame, to vent the fury of losing a towering hero like Usdan Mervinger.”
“…”
Thump.
Elric slumped onto the sofa without meaning to.
The words hit hard.
For the first time, his mind went blank.
“…Were they put up to it by someone—like the Inspectorate…?”
Trang shook his head.
“No. I can tell the difference between ordinary folk and those with schemes.”
“…”
Elric could only sigh.
The Great Demon War—he knew the world had been in chaos then. He knew many had mourned his heroic grandfather.
But this—
This was not it.
Damn it.
Did his parents know?
He wasn’t sure.
At times like this, you know what I think.
…What are you trying to say?
Sometimes the word “demon” seems to fit you humans better than it does us.
[…]
Well, it depends on the human, of course.
Elric had no retort.
Trang went on.
“We lived in constant fear, not knowing when they’d come.”
If their target was the Hyung clan, those people didn’t hesitate to swing weapons.
Even at children. At the old. At frail women.
There were no exceptions.
People disappeared almost daily.
A history of persecution and oppression too horrible to speak aloud.
By the time he finished, Trang’s face was utterly dark.
They were as bad as memories come.
“…”
“…”
“…”
Elric didn’t look much different. He, too, was shaken.
Having heard it all, he could now understand why Trang stopped supporting the Mervingers and turned to the imperial faction.
It had been an unavoidable choice to survive.
“Shameful as it is… our clan was in no state to think of anything but survival. That’s when the Lilim approached us.”
Trang trailed off.
Elric nodded as if to say he understood.
Just as the Grigori follow Azazel,
The Lilim worship Lilith.
And the Lilim alone had stepped back from the Great Demon War and preserved their power.
For a group that needed to grow quietly and in secret, there was nothing more tempting than the rootless Hyung clan.
Naturally, the Hyung clan answered the Lilim’s call.
Their hellish life could finally end.
“But we soon had to kick the Lilim away.”
“How so?”
“They…”
Trang’s fist trembled.
“Used our clan as sacrifices.”
Lilith only wants dolls that move exactly as she wills. She doesn’t want devotees with free will.
His eyes held anger and grief, all tangled together.
So the
Mephisto tossed out a line, almost idly.
A pretty word, “sacrifice.” They suffered worse than that.
What do you mean?
You think Lilith would let a sacrifice die cleanly? She would’ve tried everything—torture, experiments, you name it.
Recalling Lilith’s viciousness, Mephisto chuckled coldly. Her cruel hands, treating her vassals like tools, were enough to make even him sick at times.
“Once we understood their intent, we tried to sever ties with the Lilim at once.”
But their claws had already sunk deep within the clan.
Seventy percent sided with them.
In the end, they’d fled the wolf only to drag a tiger into the house.
So they searched for a new force to stand against the Lilim.
On their own, they couldn’t drive the tiger out.
In time, a few who went outside managed to bring in the Free Revolutionary Army.
But given who they were, the clash between Lilim and the Free Revolutionary Army showed no sign of ending. It only escalated.
Then, to make matters worse, the Imperial Court and the Inspectorate moved.
When he finished, Trang bowed his head.
“…That’s how it happened. I’m ashamed to bare the ugly truth of our clan.”
Haa.
Elric sighed and covered his face with both hands.
Startled, Trang spoke in a rush.
“I—I’m sorry. I shouldn’t have—”
But Elric’s next words left him speechless.
Elric sounded exasperated.
“Why should you be ashamed? It’s only natural.”
“…What?”
“You were trying to survive, weren’t you?”
“…!”
Elric could fully understand Trang’s clan. If survival was at stake, he might have done the same.
Honor? Survival matters more.
Just look at his sister, Haze.
People sneered at a scion of a great magical house taking up a sword, but she gripped that blade harder than anyone.
To survive. To live with her one and only little brother, Elric.
She’d raised him on money earned in blood—and he felt no shame.
He was grateful.
And it wasn’t as if they had abandoned us entirely.
The circumstances were bad, but Trang did his best to help House Mervinger.
Trang looked deeply moved by Elric’s words.
Anyone else would have mocked him as a spineless turncoat.
But Elric wasn’t like the others. He understood—more than anyone.
“So don’t ever think of it as shame. You did everything you could for your clan.”
Elric smiled as he said it.
In that moment,
Usdan’s face overlapped with Elric’s in Trang’s eyes.
The only ones who had called them friends and smiled so brightly. Seeing the face of someone he missed that keenly, Trang’s eyes reddened.
Maybe it was the same feeling—tears slid down Mord’s cheeks beside him.
Then it makes sense they’re asking for help.
Elric nodded at Mephisto’s words.
Even as the head of one of the Five Great Trade Houses, there were limits to facing both the Lilim and the Empire.
What they needed wasn’t piles of money.
Power.
Power to defeat their enemies and save their clan.
After a brief thought, Elric spoke.
“All right. Given your ties to the Camellia Goddess, we’ll help you at the House level.”
Trang’s eyes widened.
“Then…!”
“But there are conditions.”
Elric had three.
One: We can’t save everyone.
Two: We can’t help the Lilim’s followers.
Three: The same goes for the Free Revolutionary Army.
In short, the only people Elric would rescue were the families who still followed the Camellia Goddess and their close associates.
“Will you accept that?”
No matter that they were Hyung clan—following the Lilim was no different from choosing to become demons.
As a Mervinger, he could kill demons, not aid them.
Also, Elric had no intention of turning the Empire into an enemy yet.
Trang hesitated, then spoke.
“I understand. We accept. But the children and women—the elderly, at least—could you…!”
A trace of regret. Trang understood Elric, but he still wanted to save as many of his people as he could.
That was when—
“Traitor! Hypocrite! Dad was right!”
Zen started screaming at Trang.
But not for long.
“Grandpa only cares about his own! He doesn’t give a damn about the oth—!”
Mord clamped a hand over Zen’s mouth from behind.
“Mmph!”
Zen thrashed and tried to shout, but he couldn’t overcome Mord’s strength.
Looking down at Zen with a pained expression, Mord sighed.
He agreed with Zen, at least a little.
He, too, wondered if it was right to save only part of the clan.
But the wheels had already begun to turn.
He shook off the thought, telling himself there was no other way now.
Watching quietly, Elric thought:
It might be impossible to soothe a clan that had already begun to split.
* * *
“…Hah!”
A small room.
Chens, bound tight, sucked in air and snapped his eyes open.
Startled, panting, he looked around.
No light. He could see nothing.
Absolute darkness.
And for some reason, he couldn’t feel anything. He didn’t even know if he was alive or dead.
In that moment, the last things he’d seen flashed through his head.
He was… incredible.
It was humiliating to have been taken down without putting up proper resistance, but Chens was stunned to realize Elric’s abilities far exceeded what the Inspectorate had assessed.
Maybe he grew even stronger in the meantime…!
If true, it was terrifying.
His growth up to now had already defied belief—on top of that, he’d gotten stronger?
And it might not be the end of it.
“So you’re finally awake? Do you have any idea how long I’ve been waiting?”
The tone sounded almost glad, but Chens felt only fear. His body started to shake.
Realizing it, Chens knit his brows.
I’m trembling because I’m scared?
Unacceptable.
He was a veteran agent of the Inspectorate, trained to withstand every form of cajolery, threat, and torture.
Wounded pride, he clenched his fists and tried to stop the trembling.
But instead of stopping, the nearer Elric came, the worse it got.
“From now on… I’m going to try a little experiment on you.”
Elric’s voice was gentle.
A crescent smile curled at his lips as he spoke.
Watching him, Mephisto shook his head.
How pitiable.
Tsk.
A soft click of the tongue.
The Mage Who Devoured Talent