The girl’s illness was flu.
Due to not being able to eat or rest properly, her body had reached its limits.
The child who had fallen asleep emitted warm breaths in various colors.
Her cheeks were flushed, and her brow crinkled as if she were in pain.
“Hoo…”
“Could this child also be a gate refugee?”
The monks, upon hearing the child’s groans, couldn’t hide their somber expressions.
Ever since the gate appeared, the world had changed completely, and Korea had experienced tremendous chaos.
Although it was counted among the countries that successfully responded to the gate, it had not entirely escaped unscathed.
There were still vast areas that had yet to recover, and the number of people who had perished was beyond counting.
What crime could a small, cute child have committed to endure such suffering?
With many monks having lost their families and entered the temple, the room was filled with a gloomy atmosphere.
Jaim, who was holding cooled porridge, slowly shook his head.
“Considering this child’s past is not a task for beings like us. I can only hope that her stamina, which I cannot aid with, returns quickly.”
“Is there no way you can help more with your abilities, Master?”
In response to a young monk’s question, Jaim spoke softly.
“…That’s my limit. I can heal her wounds and cold, but for her stamina, we must wait for nature to take its course.”
In truth, no one felt the heaviness more than Jaim himself.
Having practiced the Buddha’s path, he had dealt with various regrets over the years, but he had never encountered anything like this.
“How much has this child suffered due to my arrogance?”
Thinking about how the last two months had been filled with sweltering heat and torrential rains filled him with an indescribable sense of guilt.
What had this little girl been eating all this time?
Where had she slept, and had she encountered anyone with a wicked heart?
With his eyes closed, Jaim fumbled with his prayer beads as he finally spoke with difficulty.
“I need to get some meat. She hasn’t had proper food in a while, so it should be nutritious but not greasy.”
His taste buds soured.
Yet, regret served no purpose.
Even if past choices had led to undesirable outcomes, the current moment was still the current moment.
“And… for the time being, I will take care of the little one, so do not neglect your duties.”
When Jaim opened his eyes again, there was no trace of his previous turmoil.
The monks returned to their routine without a word.
After all, if the child found out that all these grown men were gathered around looking at her, she might just faint.
“Master Jaim needs to rest too, so we’ll take turns caring for the child for the remaining time.”
“Do that.”
Thus, the monks exited their quarters and stood a good distance apart in a circle.
Even Jaim, with his keen hearing, couldn’t catch their voices from that distance.
“Then, I will take charge of caring for the child.”
Ha-in, a young man in his twenties who had recently become a monk.
Considering his age, he was perfectly suited for the tiring job of looking after the child, having the stamina of a young man to spare.
“Ha-in, take care of yourself. We can’t have you fainting the moment the child wakes up…”
The issue, however, was that he was too sturdy.
He was built like a hulk straight out of a crime or war movie.
It was astonishing that someone could look like that just from eating grass, and Ha-in, aware of this fact, quietly stepped back.
His head hung low, full of empathy.
The next to step forward was Do-yun, a monk in his thirties.
He too had recently become a monk after losing his family and was a pro-dad with experience caring for a three-year-old.
“Do-yun… how about you look after yourself first?”
This time, in stark contrast to Ha-in, the problem was that Do-yun was just too skinny.
Haunted by thoughts of his deceased child each day, he certainly wasn’t taking proper care of himself to survive.
Eventually, Do-yun, with a sniffle, had no choice but to step back.
At this point, the monks who had initially been eager to step forward realized that mediation was necessary.
It was then that the eldest monk, Mu-ae, in his seventies, stepped up alongside Jaim.
“Heh heh. It seems our worries and torments are so abundant that everyone is lacking in practice. All beings possess Buddha nature; how can one extend compassion to others if they do not first love and care for themselves?”
Everyone jolted at his words.
The monks, who had been brimming with enthusiasm, bowed their heads quietly as they listened to Mu-ae’s lecture.
“When you give while having no self attachment, then it is true charity. Though there is no order in altruism, the act of benefiting oneself is in itself a way to benefit others.”
However…
“Everyone must concentrate on their duties and cultivate a heart that reflects on what they were truly lacking.”
Uh, excuse me?
It seemed like a rather self-serving interpretation, didn’t it?
Unable to keep quiet, Jin-seong, a monk in his sixties, butted in.
“The interpretations regarding benefiting oneself and benefiting others are all dependent on the order and method, don’t you think?”
“…Hmmm.”
What on earth did that mean?
The younger monks sat there half in confusion, nearing enlightenment.
In simple terms, it was akin to asking which came first, the chicken or the egg.
Which should come first—helping others or helping oneself?
Ultimately, it all depended on personal interpretation and perspective.
“I had no idea you loved children so much, Mu-ae.”
“Uh… just let’s take turns looking after the child.”
Mu-ae cleared his throat awkwardly in response to Jin-seong’s pointed remark.
In the end, he too harbored a desire to care for an adorable child resembling a grandchild.
Thus, when the head monk was absent, the ten monks promised to take turns caring for the child once a day.
On September 10th, those ten monks made a pact.
The Ten Monk Agreement was formed.
*
Contrary to worries, the girl woke up looking perfectly fine after sleeping for half a day.
“Uh… uhh…?”
The first thing the girl felt was warmth.
Her last memory was indeed of falling into the valley below.
But the comfort she felt was incomparable to any grass or blanket she had ever known.
Suddenly startled, the girl popped up, realizing there was a thick cushion underneath her.
More surprisingly, it was in a room she had never seen before.
“Kidnapping!”
Could it be that the underground missionaries had found her?
If she were alone, that would be one thing, but they couldn’t possibly have allowed Mia to be captured too!
With her tiny fists clenched, she glared at the figure standing opposite her.
“Little one, don’t be too scared.”
This was an elderly man with a rather peculiar way of speaking.
Typically, when old men with wrinkly faces spoke, they would start with ‘tsk tsk’ and sneer, “you little brat,” followed by some sort of command like, “now hurry up!”
But this one was different…
Gulp!
Could he be the top dog among the old men?!
The girl swallowed hard.
Should it come to that, she might just wish for something, but major wishes come at a hefty cost.
She had no intention of using Mia’s body for such a purpose.
“This… this old man! Do you know who I am?!”
The girl mimicked the elder’s most imposing tone from her memory.
“…”
Although her voice was thin and trembling, lacking the majesty she intended, she was oblivious to this fact. Believing the old man across from her to be frightened, she swung her tiny fists dramatically.
“Did you think you could kidnap me and escape unscathed?!”
“…”
Jaim the monk was at a loss for words.
Who’d be scared of a capybara swinging its fists, after all? It was more unsettling to see the child awkwardly impersonating an adult, and he desperately bit his lip to stifle his laughter.
Of course… the girl had no idea.
That’s it!
The terrifying elder was even more frightened of her now!
With renewed bravado, the girl stealthily approached the old man, aiming for the door.
“F-Forgive me this one time! Be glad you’re still alive!”
This time, she refrained from swinging her fists. The distance was too close; she couldn’t risk getting hit.
Inflicting violence upon others and causing pain is a crime, after all.
Just as she firmly opened the closed door and stepped outside…
Thud, thud, thud—
A refreshing sound echoed as if something was being struck.
She was certain she had escaped outside.
But turning her gaze, she realized she was still indoors.
In fact, the small room before was now a much larger space beyond comparison.
In the center stood a plump, yellowed man, seemingly caught in a crime, with his hands raised high in surrender.
He wore an immensely satisfied expression, his eyes and lips curved in a rounded “O.”
And before that bizarre statue…
“Maha Prajna Paramita Heart Sutra…”
Ten men were chanting some unknown incantation while tapping rhythmically on a round wooden egg.
“…Aah! S-Sectarians!! Heretics! Cultists!!”
Without a doubt, these were the unscrupulous cultists the missionaries had warned her about!
W-What should I do now?!
How can I escape from here?
As the girl stood helplessly, stamping her feet in anxiety…
“Ah! Little one!”
“Little one? The little one?”
“The little one has awakened!”
Whoosh—
All ten smooth-faced men turned their gazes to the girl in an instant.
“……”
Shimmer!
The light from candles and LEDs reflected off their shiny heads.
“Ah…”
Faced with such an overtly heretical and terrifying sight, the girl fainted on the spot.
“Little one!!”
Fortunately, Jaim, who had followed closely behind, caught her, preventing her from collapsing onto the hard floor…
“Stopping the prayer midway shows a lack of discipline. Such excessive attention will only frighten the child!”
As he scolded her with a startled expression softened by the girl’s adorable antics, Jaim began his lecture.
Even at her young age, living alone in the mountains hinted at a rather unique past.
Her imitative tone resembling an adult’s and her instinct to resort to violence suggested she had indeed led a rough life.
“Do you understand? When interacting with the little one, be mindful not to go overboard. Think about how large you appear from her perspective and act accordingly.”
That day.
An unwritten rule emerged among the monks.
Whenever they faced the little one, they were to kneel and meet her gaze.
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