Tactical Kkieak-i Turns the Tide - 5
With the deployment of tactical Kkieak-i, the Sunghyeon-hyeon region was swiftly pacified. The beasts that had been prowling relentlessly turned tail the moment they spotted Kkieak-i and fled across the border. Even those approaching from the Vietnamese side grasped the situation and abandoned their push toward the moonlight border. As the beasts retreated en masse back to Vietnam, the poachers' illegal crossings naturally dried up. Why risk smuggling in when there was plenty of game on their side? No one was a pervert getting a thrill from crime.
"Good bird."
- Kki-eak!
I stroked the triumphant returning general, who puffed up proudly, flapping its wings. Well done, my Kkieak-i. You reined in those warlords rampaging without their king. Your master is proud of you.
The poison bird is truly fearsome.
I felt the awe-inspiring might of the poison bird anew. Of course, I harbored an instinctive fear of them myself—even in front of the Baekryeon Cult Leader, I hadn't cursed out loud when I first saw Kkieak-i. But I never imagined it could quell a beast uprising shaking the entire region with a single flight. With this level of deterrence, it might as well be a Hwagyeong master in the beast world. After all, Hwagyeong experts were living monsters whose mere presence suppressed conflicts.
Hwagyeong master Kkieak-i.
I pictured it for a moment: Kkieak-i wrapping its beak and talons in qi and pummeling foes. Would a poison-spewing poison bird be scarier, or one that beat you senseless with qi? A pointless fancy, but it piqued my curiosity.
"Here. The tangerines as promised."
Anyway, I slid the box of pre-prepared tangerines toward Kkieak-i. I'd peeled them one by one for you, knowing you'd return exhausted—
- Kkiiiieeeak!
Kkieak-i suddenly let out a piercing screech.
What's that about?
The cry was so fierce I flinched. I'd kept my promise—why the fuss? I wasn't passing off a bitter orange as a tangerine.
- Kki-ik, kkiiiiiik!
Undeterred by my confusion, Kkieak-i pecked angrily at the box with its beak, displeasure plain as day. What was wrong? It had been thrilled when I promised tangerines, so this wasn't sulking over the reward. And I'd even peeled them for easy eating. Where else would you find such a considerate master?
...
No way.
On a hunch, I pulled a tangerine from my bosom. While packing the box for Kkieak-i, I'd set one aside for myself. Untouched and pristine, since it had been stored in my clothes. When I cautiously offered the intact one, Kkieak-i snatched it without hesitation.
It... likes the peels...
Come to think of it, I'd heard fruit peels were packed with nutrients. Not sure if that applied to tangerines like apples or pears, but...
Like chicken without the skin?
Still baffled, I tried to understand Kkieak-i's perspective. What if you ordered chicken, rushed over beaming, and they said, "Peeled the skin off for you!"?
Horrifying.
I got it instantly. Stripping chicken skin without permission was a capital crime.
"Want me to collect the peels for you?"
- Kki-eak!
Kkieak-i nodded vigorously. From now on, if I ever fed it food, I'd give it raw and unprocessed. It couldn't eat its staple poison anymore, so it deserved to enjoy other treats as it pleased.
Poor thing.
I absentmindedly stroked its head. It could stay with me only because it no longer ate poison, but that didn't make it any less pitiful.
Sunghyeon-hyeon, on the brink of collapse from overwork, finally gained a miraculous respite. The soldiers patrolling with hollowed faces, the officials clutching scrolls and books with deathly pallor, even the county magistrate losing his vitality day by day—they'd all recovered to the point where you could call them human again, not half-zombies. A true blessing.
"Without Jwa-cheom Do-eosa's grace, we surely would have had officials dropping dead from exhaustion. We are truly grateful, my lord."
"Wasn't this mess partly my doing? Spare me the thanks—it embarrasses me."
I waved off the county magistrate's bow hastily. A bit of shamelessness was a bureaucrat's virtue, but this crisis was at least fifty percent my fault by any measure. Hearing "Thanks for not letting us die" from someone I'd nearly killed? Impossible for any decent human. I still wanted to live as one. I was a Confucian scholar of sorts, after all.
"Besides, the poison bird has brought temporary peace, but as I said before, it's just a stopgap. They'll come surging back in time."
"It's fine, my lord. We held out for months against the sudden uproar. With the precious time you've given us, we can use it wisely and handle the next wave with ease."
His confident reply had me nodding unwittingly. Fair enough. A sudden beating leaves you scrambling defensively, but with time to catch your breath, you can devise proper countermeasures. For Sunghyeon-hyeon, this truce was both recovery time and a chance to overhaul defenses. But plotting strategy amid rest wasn't simple. Even pure rest wouldn't erase months of fatigue.
"Take this."
I handed him the letter I'd prepared in advance.
"My lord, what is this?"
"A letter written in my name. When you've held out to the end but feel Sunghyeon-hyeon's resources alone won't cut it, send it to the Pojeongsa."
"P-Pardon?"
"I know what worries you. This letter is entirely my doing—not yours."
I patted the startled magistrate's shoulder. He feared the label of "the local official who couldn't handle things and begged superiors for help." Requesting aid from the Pojeongsa would bring relief, but evaluations would forever note, "Sunghyeon-hyeon's branch requested support? Not the cleanest operator." That's why the request had to come in my name, not his—a central official unilaterally borrowing the prefect's strength.
Least I can do for insurance.
This ordeal was my fault from the start, after all.
"Send it anytime, but don't miss the right moment."
"...Understood, my lord! I won't forget!"
The magistrate, who had been fiddling dazedly with the letter, bowed ninety degrees in gratitude. A chance to legally leverage the name of Jwa-cheom Do-eosa and crown prince's grandson—even one-time—was a massive gift for a mere county magistrate. But I didn't mind. This wasn't a gift from inspector or prince. It was simple restitution for a man who knew righteousness and propriety.
All Nang-jung Wang's fault.
I inwardly cursed Nang-jung Wang bitterly. If he'd treated Samshik well, it never would have run away. Then I wouldn't have gone grabbing human-faced beasts as poison substitutes. Anyway, Nang-jung Wang's fault. That's what I'd decided.
The beast uproar sparked by Gaga was resolved thanks to Gaga. Not that I'm biased as his fiancée, but Gaga really has a kind heart. He took responsibility for something he could have ignored.
If Gaga hadn't spoken up first, the magistrate wouldn't have known about the human-faced beast—and even if he learned later, he couldn't blame Gaga. The gulf between Jwa-cheom Do-eosa and a county magistrate was vast. Yet Gaga accepted it all instead of dodging. He mentioned acting on Nang-jung Wang's request but ultimately handled it himself.
Would've been tough without Kkieak-i.
I smiled faintly at Kkieak-i pecking at its tangerine. Coincidentally, right after meeting it in Shiwandaishan, this crisis hit. Without Kkieak-i, it would've been unsolvable. Heaven had sent it to Gaga for precisely this—to reap what he'd sown with his own strength, to ease his burdens.
The love of spirit beasts.
Gaga, blessed with spirit beasts' affection and heaven's favor. Sure, it was an odd sort of favor—touring the realm's corners in hardship—but it meant heaven trusted him. As one of the pillars upholding Daesong alongside the Emperor.
If Gaga had chosen silence, what would I have done?
The thought crossed my mind. If Gaga, the inspector, and Baek-su-mun leader had all conspired to hush it up, what choice would I have made? Truth be told, I knew Gaga had captured the human-faced beast. His letter from Akwangjeo had mentioned it.
Would I have stayed silent too?
If my beloved fiancée kept quiet in that situation, could I have chosen justice?
Tough.
It was hard. I couldn't boldly claim I would. If I just stayed silent, everything would be fine—why speak up? But Gaga had done the impossible. In a spot where he risked the magistrate's resentment or blame, he chose justice.
What an amazing person.
I chuckled softly. Astonishing that someone my age existed like that—and prouder still that he was my fiancée.
"Kkieak-i."
- Kki-eak?
Kkieak-i looked up at my call.
"Want to grab some dongpo pork together?"
- Kki-eak!
It kicked aside the half-pecked tangerine with its foot and scurried over eagerly. It had loved tangerines just recently, but apparently too many in the last few days had soured its appetite for now.