Bathhouse (2): Jeoldam's Draconian Laws
Gather all those who have violated the sacred laws of Jeoldam.
At the man's command, the bailiffs sprang into action. Dozens of criminals were dragged in by the jailers and forced to kneel on the ground.
"What are these wretches' crimes?"
The magistrate spoke with an air of boredom. "Bring them forward one by one."
At his order, a bailiff hauled the first male criminal to the front.
"This one gazed upon the royal palace with his naked eyes last night."
"Criminal, state your defense."
The magistrate's words prompted the man to cry out in desperation. "It... it was a mistake, Your Honor! I had no intention of challenging the king's authority!"
"A fatal mistake indeed. In my mercy, I shall spare your life. But such error-prone eyes must be removed, naturally."
A bailiff brought forth a rusty tongs at the magistrate's word. "Gouge out his eyes and send him on his way."
"Your Honor! Your Honor!!"
The criminal wailed, but the magistrate ignored him coldly. Soon, screams echoed through the hall, and the next criminal stepped forward.
"This one boiled and ate a chicken without permission this morning."
"Criminal, state your defense."
"I'd gone three days without food, Your Honor! I had to eat that chicken to survive! It wasn't an attempt to waste national resources or undermine the king's authority!"
The magistrate clicked his tongue. "I understand your plight. But in the end, didn't you consume state property without leave? This crime demands your life."
Shing.
"Dispatch him painlessly with a single stroke."
"You..."
Before the criminal could finish, the bailiff drew his sword and severed his head. It rolled to where the other criminals knelt, and the next one advanced.
"This one uttered profanities within five hundred ri of the palace..."
"This one ate more than four meals in a day..."
"This one swam in a waterfall..."
Countless criminals came forward, only to vanish under the magistrate's judgments. Finally, the last one—a woman—trembled as she was brought forth.
"This one committed the most heinous crime and was saved for last."
"What is it?"
"She dug up soil trod by the king himself and turned it into farmland."
Gasps of horror rippled through the onlookers. Her crime was that grave.
"Hah..."
"Y-Your Honor! I'm innocent! I had no idea it was land the king had stepped on! I never meant to treat his authority lightly..."
"I will hear no defense from the criminal."
The magistrate raised a hand to silence her. "Men, boil her alive in a cauldron."
"Your Honor! Your Honor!!"
She screamed at the top of her lungs, but no one listened. Water filled a massive cauldron and began to boil over a roaring fire.
"Toss her in."
"Your Honor!"
The bailiffs seized her and flung her into the pot, slamming the lid shut. Unspeakable agony. Scalding water poured into her eye sockets, nostrils, and mouth, cooking her from the inside. In that horrific torment, she became a lump of meat and ended her life.
[That's my story...]
"Uh, well..."
What the hell was I supposed to say? Even I, no history buff, knew Jeoldam wasn't a real kingdom. And laws that absurd? No way in hell.
Did she come from another world?
Hell, I'd possessed a demon king in a world without this kind of bullshit. If this girl hailed from some world where Jeoldam existed, it tracked.
But the real question was...
"So why the fuck are you attacking people?"
[Huh?]
I wasn't asking about her backstory. I wanted to know why she was assaulting humans. Her tale alone gave zero reason to harm anyone. Unless she was some vengeful spirit lost to rage, but no—this thing could hold a conversation with me. So why the attacks?
[Instinct.]
"Instinct?"
The answer caught me off guard.
[My instincts scream at me to hurt people. That's why I do it.]
"Can't hold back?"
[It's not something I can just endure... I lose my mind at the sight of people.]
Now that was a fresh twist. Attacking humans out of instinct? I'd have to compare notes with other monsters on this.
"If I let you go, you'd just attack more people, right?"
[Yeah... Probably. I've regained my senses now, but once you leave...]
She hesitated, then continued.
[Maybe it's better if you kill me now. Otherwise, I'll just kill again.]
"..."
I shut my mouth. Was that an easy call to make?
No.
Only someone innately good could think that way. Should I kill her? A good soul?
"Let's run an experiment."
Suits me to stretch out and poke at what's within reach.
Crackle.
I slashed my hand through the air, opening a portal in the shadowed corner of the rooftop, out of sight. It revealed a crowd of people.
"Wanna kill 'em?"
-Kieek! Kieeeek!!!
"Fucking hell..."
I pinned her back with my arm as she lunged for the portal. Just seeing people set her off like this. Time for the test.
"Hoo..."
I exhaled deeply and began infusing her with demonic energy.
Mana and demonic energy. When depleted, how do you replenish? Two ways: wait for natural recovery or chug a mana potion. No potions here, so it's the former by default.
That raises a question. Good beings use mana, evil ones demonic energy. What happens if a good soul uses demonic energy?
It won't refill naturally. Wrong plug for the charger. Good souls generate mana, never demonic energy.
So what occurs?
Simple.
It corrupts the user into evil. Instincts drive evil acts to refill demonic energy.
Like hunger craving food, thirst craving water. Demonic energy shortage? Crave evil.
That's my experiment.
Demon.
Mana or demonic energy deficiency is like a disease—headaches, dizziness, weakness. The instinct to refill is the body's fight against it.
Demons escape that instinct.
-Kee, kieek...
"Good, taking it well."
Demons are evil by nature. Say a demon helps an old lady with her bags. Evil act. Gives a beggar coin for a feast? Still evil. Even "good" deeds fill demonic energy because they're pure evil.
Turn her into a demon, and she's free from that instinct.
Will it work?
Problem: Neither I nor the Demon King ever demonized a living being. She hated life that much; I just never bothered. No clue if it'll stick, but better than killing her.
-Kee, kieek... grrr...
Her body gradually shifted back to human form. Bloodshot eyes cleared, pale skin regained color.
Finally, fully human again, her frenzy ended.
"Wha... why does my voice...?"
"Done."
A innocent-faced woman stared at me in shock, all traces of before gone.
"What did you do to me...?"
"Whatever. Look here."
I grabbed her head and turned it toward the portal's crowd.
"Wanna kill 'em?"
"..."
Her eyes trembled as she slowly spoke.
"Ah, no..."
Grief? Despair? Her voice brimmed with something watery.
"I don't want to kill at all. Why would I?"
She was free from demonic energy's chains.
Hmm~ hmm~.
Someone entered the bathhouse humming.
"Hello? Here for an investigation. Mind if I come in?"
The humming woman smiled at the counter staff.
"Pardon? Investigation? No prior notice..."
"Ah, sorry for the late intro. Here's my card."
She kept smiling and flashed her business card.
[Monster Management Association, Korean Branch. Field Investigation Team 10 Leader, Lee Da-yoon.]
"Okay to investigate?"
"...Yes."
Lee Da-yoon breezed past the dazed employee into the women's bath.
She held up her card high. "Investigation in progress. Please cooperate~."
-Investigation? Oh, sure...
-Yeah, that makes sense...
-Let's stay out of the way...
Anyone who glimpsed the card stepped aside blankly.
Creeeak.
Her suit spotless, she entered the bath and scanned meticulously—from doors to showers to the water itself.
The energy lingers thick.
KyaAAAAAHHH!!!
Her detector had been screaming nonstop since she started.
Really the same monster...?
In her career, she'd heard that shriek only thrice. Village chief in a small town. Monster-infested PC bang. And now, this bathhouse.
A monster randomly hitting bathhouses across Korea on a cycle. Its unpredictability marked it for extermination soon.
But the Association confirmed its disappearance here, dispatching her.
Lee Da-yoon swallowed hard and noted mentally.
SUMMARY:Bathhouse monster eliminated. But identical energy detected as in village chief incident and PC bang monster. Suspected same entity.
ASSESSMENT:Minimum 4th Grade based on energy density.