It's Not Over Until It's Over - 5
To convince Sajian, I had to address his deepest regrets first. Sajian carried a heavy guilt for failing to protect his sect, which was like family to him, and his beloved hometown. Because of that, he saw his past self—the elder of Yangminmun—as a completely separate person from who he was now. With his past erased, Sajian was little more than a listless old man.
So, to transform this listless old man into an ordinary elder, I needed to recover the bodies of Yangminmun's leadership. Whether for moral reasons or practical ones.
'That way, at least, he'll listen to me.'
Bringing the dead back to life was impossible, but gathering corpses left to rot in barren fields was doable. If I recovered those old ties abandoned on the cold earth, Sajian's guilt might ease a little. He could face the memories of his Yangminmun days again.
When his guilt subsided and he could look back on the past. When he acknowledged that his current self was the same as his past self. That would be the moment for a true conversation with Sajian.
Of course, talking and persuading were two different things.
"Samshik, the fate of Guangxi rests on you."
- Shiiik!
- Sieeak!
- Shiuuuk!
"Yeah. I believe in you."
In any case, to persuade Sajian, I needed to talk to him. To talk, I had to soothe his trauma. And to soothe his trauma, I had to find the bodies of Yangminmun's leaders.
Finding bodies that had eluded searchers for decades was no easy task. But what if I used a spirit beast that slithered along the ground? With that hope, I deployed Samshik.
Centered on the sites where Yangminmun had once battled bandits in the past. And on the areas where the Mongols had rampaged through Guangxi under the pretext of suppressing rebellions.
"Do you think it'll work? Snakes are close to the ground, sure, but Samshik spends more time in your sleeve than..."
As Samshik slithered this way and that after being set down, Ak I-yeon spoke up, her voice laced with worry.
She had a point, honestly. Captured by Nang-jung Wang, Samshik had spent more time in human hands than in the wild, and far more curled up in my sleeve than crawling the earth. He was just a young hatchling, too. Even if snakes or snake spirit beasts had special senses, they probably hadn't awakened in him yet.
"If it fails, no big deal. We'll just take solace in having tried."
But giving up without trying because the odds were low would be irresponsible. You had to attempt it to get results.
"The officials searched for decades without using spirit beasts. So we'll try our unique method, and if it doesn't work, we'll call it a field trip for Samshik."
"I hope it turns out well, though."
"Me too."
With that, Ak I-yeon and I—and even Jo Wi-cheo, ready to rush over at a signal—watched Samshik in silence.
Now, success or failure hinged on him. A task humans had failed at for decades; the fates of Sajian, Geomju-bu, and Guangxi hung on this spirit beast and the will of heaven.
- Shiiik!
Samshik seemed to grasp the weight of it, unusually enthusiastic as he roamed the ground. Impressive, but a bit odd.
If he'd been like this all along, he wouldn't have holed up in my sleeve like a hikikomori.
'...He'll get more active once he grows bigger.'
I forced a positive spin. He stayed in my safe sleeve because he was small and young. Once he bulked up, he'd boldly venture out and roam the world.
Yeah, definitely. Even now, tiny as he was, he came out when there was a reason. As an adult, what reason would keep him in—
- Shiiik!
Oh, Samshik's digging.
'He's good at it...'
Did snakes normally dig? I wasn't sure. I'd have to have seen wild ones.
Samshik exceeded my expectations.
"This is working."
And in the most positive way possible.
I'd hoped for him, but even recovering a fraction of the unrecovered bodies would be a miracle. And in a short time? Unthinkable. I figured days or weeks for maybe one.
This wasn't underestimating Samshik—it was reasonable. Decades of dirt, rocks, and grass piling over the corpses. How many traces had vanished?
Spirit beasts might not find them easily either; it was just that we could try because he was one.
'How many is this now?'
Yet Samshik pulled it off. In just four days, he'd uncovered twenty-one bodies.
- Shiiik!
- Sieeak!
- Shiuuuk!
Aware of his feat, Samshik shook his head every which way, wagging his tail in a joyful dance.
- Buooong!
Buong beside him honked happily, sniffing the air.
Buong had lent his nose to the search too.
'Good job, my kids.'
I gazed at them warmly. If Samshik was a ground-hugging snake, Buong was a mak that ate such snakes for breakfast. He hadn't actually eaten any, but he retained the instincts.
Thanks to that, Buong had shoved his snout in the dirt, snuffling around, and sniffed out underground remains. Exemplary work.
'Twenty-one.'
The number far exceeded expectations, so I took a moment to process.
Five leaders' bodies unrecovered. But Samshik and Buong found twenty-one. Over four times the max.
'If they couldn't even find the leaders, regular disciples were hopeless.'
It made sense. Yangminmun survivors, locals who revered them, and officials monitoring public sentiment—three groups had gritted their teeth searching. Yet even leaders eluded them. Regular disciples? Forget it.
Bitter truth: hierarchies exist. Armies prioritize colonels over privates, majors over colonels, and so on.
'Better late than never.'
I smiled wryly at the bones below. Thanks to the spirit beasts, not just leaders but regular disciples saw light again.
Spirit beasts were heaven-sent creatures, so apparently heaven pitied Yangminmun's tragedy too—not just Sajian.
'Of course it should.'
Heaven had gone mad, plunging the world into chaos. Yangminmun met tragedy protecting the people amid it. If heaven had a conscience, it owed them pity and mercy.
Made me mad it took this long. Heaven had been slacking while I busted my ass like a dog.
"My lord, we'll handle transporting these remains too."
"Good. See to it."
As the urge to punch heaven surged, soldiers from the Branch Manager approached, carefully gathering the bones.
From day one to now, twenty-one bodies unearthed. The Branch Manager was going nuts in multiple ways, dispatching troops to haul them as they surfaced.
Already headache-plagued by ethnic strife, now Yangminmun bodies—the unifiers—emerged? He'd probably hold a grander funeral than for his own ancestors.
- Shiiik.
- Buoong!
"You guys worked hard. I'll buy whatever you want to eat."
I stroked Samshik and Buong as they approached.
If ethnic tensions eased, these two would be top heroes.
I'd planned a week, but on day six, they stopped searching—like no more to find.
Final tally: twenty-seven bodies in Geomju-bu's embrace.
"My lord has done a great deed for Geomju and Guangxi! We are truly grateful!"
The Branch Manager, whom I hadn't seen in a while, bowed repeatedly with a beaming face.
"You're too kind. The spirit beasts found them, soldiers moved them—I just watched. I hear you're preparing a grand ritual for these unrested souls, so you're the one making a noble choice for Geomju and Guangxi."
"What humans failed for decades was solved the moment you arrived! Even the spirit beasts follow you—what else could it be but your virtue? Your words make me feel ashamed and unworthy!"
His fervent reaction drew a subtle smile from me. Geomju-bu's standing must have skyrocketed to the heavens, just as hoped.
I'd worried they'd forgotten Yangminmun, but like respect for Sajian, the fallen sect lived on in the people's hearts.
Made sense. Decades ago, they'd risked lives for the common folk. Kids and youths then were middle-aged or elderly now—natural to cherish the memory.
"We'll summon monks and Taoists for a grand ritual. Pojeongsa, the inspection commissioner, and the regional commander will attend too."
"Fitting. Heroes who devoted themselves to the people deserve no less."
"Yes. It's their due respect."
I nodded calmly at the all-star lineup from Guangxi.
'Perfect.'
Relief washed over me inwardly. Twenty-seven remains recovered, grand ritual with VIPs. Solid grounds to ask Sajian, 'Hear me out.'
Of course, I wouldn't say, "I found the bodies, so join up quietly." This was to mend his psyche for normal talk, not hold corpses hostage for forced recruitment.
This was 14th-century Northeast Asia, after all. Even in the 21st century, messing with bodies got you bricked; here, even a royal like me would meet the executioner's axe.
Couldn't have that.
A few days later, the Left Vice Censor-in-chief returned.
"We've found the remains of Yangminmun personnel who fell in the past."
"...Pardon?"
With unimaginable news.
"We're holding a grand ritual. Would you grace us with your presence?"
And an offer impossible to refuse.