episode_0063

[063화] Anger

****

Its appearance was an ominous sign.

It was an evil monster.

It was created by a monk who had been oppressed by the policy of suppressing Buddhism during the transition from Goryeo to Joseon.

No,

It was a hero who ended the war.

It was innocent, loved humans, and ate iron.

It was a monster that embodied the people’s desire for an extraordinary being who would eat all weapons and end the war, hoping for peace among the people persecuted by war.

Some say… it was a monster born out of the resentment of commoners being plundered by the corrupt officials.

Whichever it may be, it was related to war, chaos, and weapons.

– What is Balsam and how did it come about? 中

****

Thud! Thud! Thud! Thud!

“Kyaah! Save me!”

Sari raised its fist with determination and stomped its large front paw towards the soldiers.

“Aaah!”

The soldiers dropped their weapons and scattered, fleeing in disarray.

Scuffle scuffle

“Moo!”

Sari chewed on the partisan blades and arrowheads dropped by the soldiers…

Its body, which was the size of a house, began to grow little by little…

“Sari! Stop! Stop it! Come to your senses! You can’t kill people!”

Heesun shook her arms and shouted to try to snap Sari out of it, but Sari seemed to not hear her, having lost rationality.

With eyes reddened, Sari slammed a massive fist to the ground, making the soldiers drop their weapons.

Thud! Thud!

“Ah….”

Fearing potential casualties, I closed my eyes tightly at the precarious sight.

“How dare you drop your weapons! Are you still soldiers after that! Don’t run away! Stand and fight! You! You hunters! Hurry up and stop that one!”

“….”

The magistrate scolded the fleeing soldiers, urging them on while glaring at me.

Ignoring the magistrate’s words, I waved my hand, calling out to Heesun who was desperately trying to calm Sari down.

“Sari! Unni is okay now! Sari! Please don’t do this… Huk… Sari…”

“Heesun! Heesun, calm down and look here.”

I hugged Heesun tightly, preventing her from approaching Sari. The current situation with Sari was a bit dangerous.

“Heesun, I don’t think you should be here. Go to the government office first and tell Gil Yong Ajae about the current situation. And… It might be better for you to be with your aunt.”

“Oh, Brother…”

Tears fell from Heesun’s eyes.

From Heesun’s trembling voice… I could sense her guilt.

The tiger, the woodcutter, the magistrate… Sari, who had lost her mind.

Seeing all this unfold and realizing Heesun was blaming herself for everything… my heart ached.

And I was furious.

There are others who have done wrong, so why should our Heesun bear the guilt?

Where is Heesun at fault even in the slightest thing!

After hugging Heesun once, I took off my coat to cover her face.

“Husband, what if something happens to you! Not this… Ugh….”

Our lips touched…

“There won’t be any harm now, so don’t worry, Heesun. Everything will be fine. I’ll make sure of it. This isn’t your fault, so… don’t feel guilty. Just… trust me and wait in a safe place.”

“Hu… okay…”

A tearful reply.

As Heesun walked away, stepping on the piled snow, I turned back and, like Heesun did, shouted at Sari, waving my hands vigorously, trying to get her attention.

“Sari! Sari! Come to your senses!”

Sari continued to focus on disarming the soldiers and eating iron.

I remembered the mature atmosphere of that night when Sari was different.

Is the current Sari also a different personality like back then?

Surely, back then… that woman said the moment of choice would come…

“Sir, Sir! It seems that thing is unkillable!”

“Unkillable? What on earth is that?”

Trembling, Byungbang approaches the magistrate and reveals the true identity of Sari.

“It’s an immortal monster! One that hates scholars…! I heard it grows by eating iron!”

“What?! So, you mean there’s no way to stop it at all?”

“Well… I heard it can be killed by fire…”

“No! Were you aware of this all along? You frustrating fool! Look here! Quickly, prepare the fire arrows!”

“Yes!”

In an instant, the fire arrow is loaded and aimed at Sari.

“Wait! Don’t shoot!”

Sari shouts, fearing for its safety, begging them not to shoot the arrows.

Always prepared for such incidents, I had fed Sari with heat-resistant superalloys, durable superalloys, titanium, and modern steel, knowing that most deaths were caused by fire.

Even though I knew that a fire arrow couldn’t melt the superalloy that withstands 1,000 degrees…

Yet, the reason for my unease was the thought that if ‘fire’ itself was Sari’s weakness…?

Swish!

Despite my desperate plea, the drawn bowstring is released…

The arrow, with a crimson tail like a shooting star, flies towards Sari.

“Woooh!!!”

Sari reacts to the fire arrow hitting its body.

“Haha! Indeed, it seems fire is its weakness!”

“See! Following my orders has an effect! Quickly, keep loading and shooting the arrows!”

“Yes!”

Certainly… even when pierced with a spear or shot with an arrow, Sari showed no reaction, solely focused on consuming iron. However, the fire arrow surprised Sari, eliciting a response.

I quickly examine Sari, checking for any injuries.

“Phew… Thankfully. Well… fire is fire, so our unkillable Sari shouldn’t be harmed much.”

Crash!

“Woooh!”

Perhaps it wasn’t fortunate after all.

Swish! Swish!

“Woooh!!”

Due to an instinctual fear of fire, despite no actual impact, Sari retreats, covering its face with its arms.

“Hahaha, keep shooting! Use up all the arrows you brought!”

While the magistrate was pleased with Sari’s retreat, I grew more anxious.

Even though Sari instinctively dodged out of fear, realizing that the arrows weren’t harming it made me worry that Sari would become angrier and more unpredictable.

I quickly shout to the magistrate.

“Sir, this is getting too dangerous! Since that creature has retreated, we should stop now and deal with the guards! I will find a way to calm it down-”

“Shut up! How dare you question my command in the midst of battle!”

“No, I’m saying that the attacks are ineffective! Right now, you’re just provoking it! Please retreat now-”

“Take that insolent one and tie him up over there. It’s suspicious that you’ve been secretly nurturing such a monster. I’ll personally take him to the court for interrogation.”

“Sir! The guards are in danger! It’s not just about people getting hurt.”

The magistrate remains unaware of the seriousness of the situation escalating due to his trivial military play.

We should stop the attack now, evacuate, and calm Sari down, but…

“Woooh!!”

Crash!

With a massive roar, the ground shakes.

Sari… finally begins to unleash its pent-up rage.

“Aaargh!”

The momentarily emboldened guards, neglecting defense, start to panic as Sari charges towards them, causing chaos once again…

“Moo-oo-oo-oo!!”

Despite their insignificant gestures, the overwhelming size approaches as a huge threat,

As their running slows down, the soldiers drop their weapons and start to flee.

Angered by the soldiers chasing them, Sari is distracted by an iron weapon thrown in front of him and gives up chasing to eat the iron.

Witnessing this, the soldiers throw their weapons towards Sari and begin attacking.

“You guys! You noo.. ugh!”

The lord tries to stop the escaping soldiers but seems too preoccupied with his own life.

The soldiers push aside the lord blocking their path and flee.

“These guys won’t stop!”

A distant clamor is heard.

It’s Gil-yong’s voice!

“Hey, you guys! Don’t let them escape!”

Gil-yong has arrived! Gil-yong is here!

Seeing all the soldiers who were waiting at the office boiling with anger, it seems Hee-sun must have explained the situation well.

The village must be in chaos due to the sudden commotion in the middle of the night.

“Stop right there! I don’t know what’s going on, but since reinforcements are here, anyone fleeing will be considered deserters and punished!”

The soldiers hesitate at the intimidating roar of our lord.

Indeed, he is incomparable to that lord.

Although the lord seemed annoyed by Gil-yong bringing the soldiers, he couldn’t say anything as they brought reinforcements.

“Lord, what on earth is happening? What is that monster?”

“Hmph. Ask him and gather your forces to attack that monster immediately!”

The lord dismisses Gil-yong’s attempt to attack Sari, who is swallowing all the weapons, but Gil-yong stops the soldiers from attacking Sari.

“Wait.. Wait! It seems the soldiers’ weapons are all worn out, and Yubsa can control that thing. I just came back from listening. Can we really capture it? Lord.”

“Hey! This town’s leader is me! Are you trying to ignore four of us right now? Attack it now!”

“Sir! I can calm it down! I will calm it down! Just trust me once…!”

“Shut up and attack it now! I’m the leader here! Fire the arrows now!”

Finally, the soldiers ignite their arrows at the command of the leader and aim at Sari.

Ah.. Is this how Sari repels people? Is there no way to save Sari?

If there is no salvation.. If it becomes a monster that confuses the world by completely losing its mind, what should I do with our Sari?

Can I kill Sari?

No, Sari, who has become much stronger than the inextinguishable firefly in the fairy tale.. Can it really die?

“Shoot the arrows!”

Flaming arrows fly towards Sari again.

Seemingly realizing that it does not harm it, Sari ignores it and starts to charge at the humans who attacked it, feeling resentment towards them.

Thump.. Thump.. Thump..

The footsteps quicken…

At this rate.. Those people will all die.. We must somehow stop our Sari,,!

I quickly run and spread my arms to block Sari’s path.

“Moo-oo-oo!!”

Excited Sari starts to approach me as if to crush me…

“Sang-ah, you’re going to die! What are you doing!”

I’m sorry. Gil-yong, I can’t give up our Sari.

“Sari! Snap out of it!!!”

With a final outburst, I shout to awaken Sari.

Thump, thump, thump, thump,

The footsteps do not stop.

A looming shadow approaches.

As it is about to strike me and pass by…!

“Moo..?”

Sari’s ash-gray eyes turn slightly…

“S.. Sari?”

Tears well up in Sari’s large eyes.

Bang!

A huge sari disappearing with a sound.

Looking around, wondering if it had turned back into a puppy… There was nothing left in that spot.