episode_0030

“Sir! You have accused an innocent mother!”

Thud!

The lumberjack mother, bound by ropes, trembles and kneels.

Her clothes are stained with dirt, and a smell of burnt flesh emanates from her body.

“You revealed your own sin!”

“Oh my! Sir! I, I don’t know anything!”

In response to the magistrate’s sharp words, the lumberjack mother cries out in injustice, banging her head on the ground.

“This… This was caught while burning your daughter! This isn’t a piece of a woman’s clothing!”

“Oh no! It’s not true. No! It was just a hole in our house’s blanket that caught fire! How could you know and burn a piece of clothing from a woman you don’t even know…”

“You… you woman!”

The magistrate’s face turned red as if it were about to burst.

These women dare to insult him together… These audacious ones must be taught a lesson!

“Tie the woman to the chair immediately! We need a confession!”

“Woof woof woof woof!!! Please! Don’t do this! Stop!”

Perhaps she anticipated her mother receiving punishment.

The deeply filial lumberjack, somehow managing to twist his mouth to free himself from the gag, is tied to a chair, contorting his body and shouting.

Despite the old woman’s pleading, the guards silently tie her to the chair.

“Hit her back.”

“Yes!”

Thwack!

“Ahhhh! Ugh… Ugh! Sir! Please…”

The lumberjack mother, unaccustomed to such pain, couldn’t withstand even a single blow properly.

“Hit her again!”

Thwack!

“Ahhhh! Hahaha… hahaha… Wailing… Sir, I… I don’t know…”

“She still can’t properly explain what you burned! What are you doing? Hit her without holding back!”

At the magistrate’s command, the guard’s cane strikes high into the air…

“No! Rather hit me! Spare her! No! Please stop! No, no, don’t! They kidnapped me! I’ll confess! They tried to take a bathing woman to their house! I’m a sinner!”

“No, child!”

The lumberjack mother shouts, trying to silence the lumberjack, but the damage had already been done.

As the sinner confessed, the guard’s hand, raised in anticipation, slowly descended, observing the magistrate’s reaction.

With a disapproving click of his tongue, the magistrate gestured to release the lumberjack’s mother with a nod.

…Thus, the incense was burned, and before properly interrogating the burnt incense, the sinner confessed.

While punishment could be given based on the confession alone, it was not proper to hang someone without the evidence of the burnt incense.

“Sigh… Such despicable acts they commit.”

The magistrate, with a grim expression, sat back down and delivered his verdict.

“The sinner shall receive one hundred lashes.”

“Yes!” x20

The guards’ resounding voices echoed, and the lumberjack, with a knife at his throat, was dragged away to prison.

In front of the prison, the wailing lumberjack mother, now seemingly devoid of tears,

“Ugh… Ugh…”

Groaned with a cracked voice, burying her head in the ground as if pleading to the magistrate.

She too is a mother… She too is a child… Why are they so pitiful towards each other? Why were they so pitiful to themselves…

If an outsider had seen this tender maternal love, their heart would ache. Yet, no one here who knew their nature showed sympathy or interest in the frail old woman.

I, too, do not feel much sympathy for that sight. I am only worried if Heesun will be okay with this.

In truth, the right to condemn that scoundrel lies solely with her, more than me, more than the magistrate.

The figure standing blankly, Gil Yong-aje addresses me.

“… You’ve been through a lot, Sang-a.”

“What have I been through? I just stood quietly and testified…”

In my speaking hand, all burned up, only fragments of cloth remained.

This must have been Hee-sun’s winged garment….

My heart was heavy.

And the fact that I existed relieved that Hee-sun might leave alone… was agonizing.

“Why is this guy so stubborn? Well, it seems like an important garment… But it doesn’t seem like the kind of person to be criticized by his grandniece…”

“Our Hee-sun wouldn’t get angry about this. It’s just a personal thing for me.”

“Really.. How could someone like him, who acts like this, still not be married?”

Was my melancholy demeanor too obvious? Watching me carefully, Gil Yong-aje teasingly made a joke, and I gratefully chuckled.

“Haha, maybe he did it to meet our Hee-sun. By the way, what about the woodcutter? I thought he’d be beaten right away.”

“Well… Normally, we don’t hit immediately after the verdict; it’s a principle to hit after a certain period has passed, considering the circumstances of the sinner, and if they confess, the number of hits decreases…”

“Confess?”

“Yes, if you donate a certain amount of property, the number of hits is reduced accordingly… Well, where would money be in that corner of the house. Oh, when he repents, the hits decrease by the length of the shin he was hit on, and since he has a sick spot, that’s taken into account, so he’ll probably receive around 50 or 60 hits.”

“I see….”

“Hey hey, even with just ten hits, if done wrong, it can turn into a sitting punishment, so don’t be too disappointed. If he receives all of them, he won’t be able to fulfill his role properly.”

That’s true, but can the woodcutter really exit the story with this?

“Do you think he’ll survive and come back? People like him are usually tough.”

“Well, that must be my luck. By the way, are you going home now?”

“Why? Should we have a drink before the sun sets?”

“Hey you! Do you think I’m an idle bum like you? Our grandniece has been alone at home all this time, so don’t make trouble for no reason and just go in.”

“Haha, okay. Okay. Then go in. Aje.”

“Sure, go in safely.”

I turned around and parted ways with Gil Yong-aje.

I had just laughed as we parted, but as soon as I turned around, the laughter disappeared.

My steps were heavy.

Was it because I wanted to see Hee-sun and go home immediately, or was it due to a strange sense of guilt in my heart? I hesitated on the way home.

When the direction home came into view, I turned my feet around and… went around the village once more… then when the direction home appeared again, I turned my feet around for another lap…

Sigh… Why did I become such an idiot?

I’ll just take one more walk around the village before going home.

“Get out of here! Won’t you leave? What kind of old man comes here! If an old man starts acting up here, I’ll have to teach him a lesson! Please just leave!”

“I, I’m begging you… If you have any leftover food, just a little…”

“Just get lost!”

Bang!

The door closed with a loud noise. The old man, perhaps feeling less hungry, sat down and sighed repeatedly.

‘That house…?’

That house. Han Namu-kun’s house with the golden axe.

The old man, who had been dying, suddenly became lively overnight, and I was able to sell golden and silver axes to Yeosangin at a good price.

Well… How much for the leftover food?

It seems more like a guest than a beggar, and it’s not like he’s squatting down to eat roughly or being driven away with just something to eat, as there are more people who need it, right?

At that moment, a young man approached the old man and spoke.

“Excuse me, sir. Please come with me. I’ll treat you to some dried radish greens soup and corn rice.”

“Oh… Is that okay? Thank you, thank you…”

I thought he was a decent young man as I glanced at him, but judging by his attire, he seemed to be in a tight situation too.

Ah, looking at his face, he’s from that rich young master’s land, scraping by as a tenant farmer.

That rich young master is so harsh, squeezing out rent like that. Even if that guy works the fields for a hundred days, he won’t gain weight like that. There are several siblings in that household,

How will that young master manage piling up such a cruel business like that? There are limits to enduring on the edge of a golden axe…

In a world where even fairies exist, building up a business like that will surely not end well…

I approached the old man and the skinny tenant farmer.

“Hey, tenant farmer.”

When I called out to the tenant farmer, who was helping the old man up, he looked at me.

“No, are you the mountain hermit, sir? What’s going on? How have you been? You look a bit better? When did you get married?”

“It’s been a while since I got married. Anyway, who’s hosting whom now? I know all about your family’s situation. Come with me, I’ll take care of the old man, so you take this and buy something delicious for your siblings.”

I handed a coin to the skinny tenant farmer.

“No, this is too much. Why are you giving me a coin? It must have been hard to hunt during winter.”

“If an elder gives, just accept it! I’m giving it to you because I appreciate what you’re doing. I had a job last time and earned some money. When you do good deeds, you should receive rewards to make the world a better place. So don’t worry about it unnecessarily, go buy something delicious for your siblings.”

“Oh, sir…”

The tenant farmer looked at me with a touched expression.

This guy, thinking of sharing despite having nothing, is more special than anything else.

After advising him not to let his siblings go hungry needlessly, I gave him some money and sent the tenant farmer home.

“Come with me, young master. It might be burdensome for that household to share a meal. But, are you a newcomer? Are you from another village?”

Even with my question, the old man just stared at me deeply without saying anything.

“Why are you staring at me like that? Let’s go. Besides, there’s plenty of food at home, we bought a lot during the last market visit.”

“…What an interesting young man.”

Instead of answering my question, the old man suddenly made some clapping sounds.

“Oh, the old man has many surprises! What are you doing? Come in first. No, don’t come in. I’m already full!”

At my urging, the old man chuckled and hoisted me up on his back.

I felt relieved that I had an excuse to go home, wandering in my thoughts.

Upon arriving home, I briefly sat the old man on the bench in the yard.

Since Heesun seemed surprised, I started explaining…

“Hey, Heesun! Come out! Uh… sorry, but we have a guest!”

As I had suddenly brought a stranger home, I cautiously called Heesun from the front of the room.

“It feels like a husband caught by his wife bringing a friend secretly.”

Not exactly caught, but since she could sense it, maybe it wasn’t entirely wrong?

“Hello, sir.”

Heesun seemed to be busy inside, as there was some noise before she slowly opened the door and came out.

“I’m sorry for bringing someone without asking. But the old man seems so hungry and frail…”

“It’s okay. Heehee, I know my husband’s nature very well. Is the old man very hungry? Should we offer him something?”

Even though a stranger might feel uncomfortable, Heesun showed no signs of discomfort.

How can someone be so angelic like this?

Did it really come down from the sky? Oh. Is that right? It came down from the sky! I exclaimed softly.

“No, no, I brought it. Why are you suffering? Just relax in the room. I’ll feed you and send you off well.”

“Hehe, does my husband really hate struggling? Tsk! But let’s go together. It’s nice when we’re together, isn’t it?”

Kind Heesun kissed my cheek and linked arms with me, leading me to the kitchen.

“Honey. By the way, about grandfather—”

Heesun, who was speaking, suddenly stopped in her tracks.

Why is that? I followed Heesun’s gaze, and at the end of her gaze, there was an old man.

What’s going on? As I stared at the old man, he too looked astonished as he gazed at Heesun.

It wasn’t because he was amazed by beauty.

It was a shock like facing an unexpected situation, something that shouldn’t have happened, akin to being seen by someone who should not have seen.

“What, are you two acquainted?”

Even with the question,

Heesun, still linked arm in arm with me, stood frozen like a statue, and the old man sitting calmly across from us also remained stiff with a shocked expression, as time passed by.