Cold sweat soaked my back.
“Outcast! Let’s get started quickly!”
The kids urged me on, while Sa Gong-hyeon watched me intently.
Hah…
They tried to kill me as an accident in the Tang Clan, but here in the Jeomchang Faction, I might just die of shame. Well, I can’t delay this, and a person doesn’t die of embarrassment.
Maybe.
Since I can’t avoid it, I might as well enjoy it. The man who does his best in what he has decided to do is none other than Ho Cheon-an. In the end, Sa Gong-hyeon came here trying to find the reasons for the children’s good behavior. So why not involve him in this performance too?
“Teacher, since it has come to this, how about you join in as well?”
“Haha? I’m not sure I understand what you’re saying, Helper.”
I sent a silent message to Sa Gong-hyeon so the kids wouldn’t hear.
[The kids say they have done good deeds, but how would I know if they really behaved well or badly? They probably just said that to get treats.]
“Haha. I see what you mean.”
[When the children come forward, please share their past actions with me telepathically.]
“Infinite Life Buddha.”
“Alright! Let’s begin today’s prayers!”
“Waaah!”
“Hey! Line up in order!”
The first child stood in front of me. Normally, we’d do a joint prayer, but today we would do it differently.
“Hah.”
“Wow. Treats!”
“They look delicious.”
It seems the treats only showing up was a sign my power was waning. But anyway, the goal today isn’t to treat the children, so it’s fine. I shook my head at the child reaching out for the treats and scooped them into a bowl instead.
The kids were taken aback by my sudden change in behavior.
“Last night, the Holy One appeared in my dream. They were angry about some kids lying.”
The children gasped.
“So today, the Holy One will listen to our prayers and determine whether you lied or not!”
The kids looked anxious. Well, they must have been happy to eat the treats, and some probably behaved honestly, thinking they’d get more. But there are definitely those who merely said they acted well without doing so.
I subtly winked at Sa Gong-hyeon.
[Cheonghae, that child… Ah, I remember they broke the ink stone while playing during scripture class today.]
Acknowledged.
I turned over the bowl and said.
“Today, you all slept early and practiced diligently, right?”
“Yes! Outcast!”
“And you didn’t cause any mischief or do anything bad today, right?”
“…Uh, no.”
“Hmm! Good! If you lied, the Holy One would have taken your treats away!”
I lifted the bowl.
And of course, there were no treats inside.
“Hah… You little rascal! How dare you lie before the Holy One!”
“Ugh..! I’m sorry!”
“Can’t you confess your sins to the Holy One immediately?”
Seeing the terrified child with tears welling up in their eyes made my heart soften a bit, but this is what discipline is about.
“I broke the ink stone during scripture class! And I hid the broken ink stone in the locker while pretending not to know!”
“And?”
“I tickled my sleeping friends!”
“Ah! You were the culprit yesterday!”
“And the day before too! It was you?!”
The habitual offenders quickly generated chaos among the victimized kids. Ignoring the noise from outside, I turned to the child.
“Haha… What are you doing! Quickly offer a prayer for forgiveness to the Holy One!”
“Hiiing… Holy One. *sniff* I’m sorry.”
The child appeared scared and started crying and snotting. I glanced at Sa Gong-hyeon. A slight nod indicated that this level was good.
“Good!”
After flipping the bowl, I dramatically clasped my hands together.
“Open it up.”
The child, wiping their snot and tears with their sleeve, cautiously flipped the bowl over. Inside, there were surely treats that shouldn’t be there.
“Ah…!”
“The Holy One loves honest children! Because you bravely prayed for forgiveness, the Holy One has generously granted treats!”
“Waaah…! Thank you, Holy One!!”
The child named Cheonghae left, clutching the treats while weeping.
“Next!”
The kids, who had crowded in front of me, hesitated and stepped back.
“Haha…”
Sa Gong-hyeon looked at Ho Cheon-an, who was drawing out prayers from the frightened children one by one.
It was an incredibly miraculous ability.
“Haha… I don’t know if this is divine power, but it’s certainly divine magic.”
He simply flips over the bowl, and treats appear and disappear at will. Since Sa Gong-hyeon was supposed to signal which child should be scolded or not, it made Ho Cheon-an’s technique even more impressive.
It was definitely just an empty hand, yet when he clasped his hands, treats came out! No matter how many times I saw it, it was a mystery, but the real trick was the next part. He placed those treats into the bowl. And then decided, based on the telepathic message, whether to give the treats to the child or not at that moment.
[So-ye didn’t commit any serious wrongdoings. Today, they just followed me around and helped out here and there.]
Rather than spreading the word from the beginning, he simply decides whether to act based on what he hears instantly. I couldn’t discern the difference between the two moves no matter how hard I tried.
[Yoon-seong threw stones at a wild animal while wandering around the grounds last night.]
He doesn’t take treats from good children; he simply gives them. When a liar opens the bowl, it’s empty. There’s nothing suspicious, just the motion of flipping over a bowl, yet with that alone, he manipulated the existence of treats! I couldn’t help but be amazed.
Then, a child who didn’t seek forgiveness appeared, even after the treats disappeared. Noticing Ho Cheon-an’s signal, Master Cheongheo shook his head slightly and sent a silent message.
[It’s certain. Though I’m not perfect, I’ve reached Hwa-gyeong. I was quietly observing when the children seemed to be about to act recklessly.]
Yoon-seong threw stones at a rabbit that wandered into the grounds last night. It was indeed a mistake to throw stones at an animal he could have easily scared away, potentially causing serious injury or death.
“Hah, are you really saying you didn’t do anything wrong?”
“Ugh…”
“Hoo. Then it can’t be helped.”
Ho Cheon-an pretended to cover the bowl and threw it high into the air. Everyone gasped at his sudden action and looked up at the bowl soaring in the sky. Ho Cheon-an caught the falling bowl and naturally absorbed the impact, flipping it over again.
“Open it up.”
Sa Gong-hyeon was genuinely startled.
Inside the bowl, there were stones.
“When did this happen?”
A mix of surprise and admiration struck Sa Gong-hyeon. He almost clapped his hands, but stopped himself.
Of course, Sa Gong-hyeon was surprised, but the real surprised one was Yoon-seong.
“Th-thud! Thud!”
“I have no idea why a stone came out. But the Holy One probably knows the reason. And you too.”
Yoon-seong, with a dazed expression, took the stone with a hiccup. Sa Gong-hyeon could only laugh at this scene.
With that, the performance called prayer ended, and the good children happily licked their treats, while the bad ones sulked with faces full of gloom. Yoon-seong looked down at the stone with a teary face.
“You rascal.”
Hyeok Gi-rin squatted down in front of such a child and said.
“What happened? Tell Big Brother.”
“Ugh… I just…”
Yoon-seong tearfully shared what had happened the night before.
“Did you not think it would hurt or kill the rabbit when you threw stones?”
“Sniff, sniff. I just wanted to chase it away!”
“But you know too, don’t you? That it was the wrong thing to do.”
Yoon-seong fell silent, and Hyeok Gi-rin gently patted Yoon-seong’s head. How many times did Hyeok Gi-rin pat Yoon-seong’s head? Finally, Yoon-seong, in a voice barely louder than a mosquito, said.
“… I’m sorry.”
“Yes. Good job.”
Hyeok Gi-rin took a treat from his pocket and handed it to Yoon-seong. Yoon-seong looked at the treat and sobbed as he put it in his mouth.
Sa Gong-hyeon watched Hyeok Gi-rin’s actions with a warm smile. Indeed, Hyeok Gi-rin was a child who had all the virtues needed to be Big Brother.
Sa Gong-hyeon looked around at the children, lost in deep thought. The wrongdoers reflected on their actions, while the good children shook with joy at being recognized. A significant change arose from just a few treats and Ho Cheon-an’s skill. To think he could guide these children so easily in the right direction.
“Hmm….”
Sa Gong-hyeon gazed at Ho Cheon-an, thinking.
‘I need to have a talk with him.’
* *
“Oh….”
This seems like a serious problem.
After repeating the grueling Dragon March and splits today, I grabbed Arin’s legs and prepared a magic show at the entrance to the guest house when…
“Oh, the Helper has come out…”
“So, is that performance about to start now?”
“Haha, didn’t you say it’s a prayer meeting?”
“Eh, whatever it is, what difference does it make?”
Seonpungdogol. Everyone was wearing robes, neatly arranging their white hair and sporting long beards. It looked like if just one of them showed up in the secular world, people would drop to their knees saying, “Oh, Immortal!”
What is this…. What’s going on?
As I stood frozen, only rolling my eyes, I noticed other kids frozen with me. Today, the kids who had sworn to be good were sitting in perfect order as if they were in military formation, hinting at the seriousness of the situation.
Hyeok Gi-rin, who came out with the Black Cat while chatting, looked shocked. It seemed he was just as unaware of the situation.
I glanced at Sa Gong-hyeon, whom I suspected was the instigator of this chaos.
“Haha, just do it the same as yesterday.”
No, Teacher, you’ve created this situation and now say to do it the same as yesterday?! Are you kidding me right now?
In a situation where the heads of the Jeomchang Faction came together and stared only at me? You want me to do a performance praying to the Holy One with divine powers?
“Haha. You seem quite surprised, Helper.”
“Hmm, I can’t even remember when I last saw a performance like this.”
“We’ll ignore everything and just start the performance!”
“Ah, um… Sorry. I’ll begin right away.”
After the teachers said one thing after another, I reflexively responded. I still didn’t grasp the situation, but anyway, the teachers had personally come to watch my magic show. In light of this situation, I couldn’t just sit there and refuse to perform…
So, half in a daze, I started the show.
“Outcast! Outcast! I diligently practiced swordsmanship today and ate all my bellflower greens!”
“Good job!”
Seeing that Sa Gong-hyeon didn’t send any telepathic messages, that child was definitely good. Honestly, my hands trembled from the stares, but I succeeded in making the treats appear without a mistake.
“Waaah!”
The first child to jump out seemed so happy to be recognized as a good child that they didn’t even put the treats in their mouth right away and ran to the Black Cat, showing off that they received the treats.
“Our little blind one is a good child!”
“Hehe!”
The attitudes of the children were clear enough to see whether they were good or bad without Sa Gong-hyeon needing to tell them. The children who had spent the day well were looking proud, while others seemed nervous.
“Hmm! I commend your courage to pray for forgiveness!”
“Thank you…”
Some children received treats but looked dejected.
I couldn’t focus on the kids’ reactions. I was distracted by the teachers, who whispered and observed my magic show, chattering among themselves.
Cold sweat was pouring down my back!
“Hyeok, watch over the children’s sleep. We need to talk with the Helper for a moment.”
“No… Teacher…”
“Haha, we’ll just chat. We wouldn’t eat you or anything.”
Hyeok Gi-rin, looking pale, had to lead the kids away. Then the teachers began surrounding me.
“Umm… Teachers?”
“Haha… Well, it seems like you must have more than just that trick, so why don’t you show us?”
“Um… Should I?”
I quickly demonstrated a shell game with cups.
“Hah… Did you see that?”
“No? I didn’t see anything?”
“Your internal energy is undoubtedly elite, but how is this possible?”
“Can you do it once more?”
Surrounded by 11 experts of Hwa-gyeong level staring at me with their internal power raised! Even if they weren’t here to harm me, it was still terrifying.
Could someone save me, please?
Silently screaming inside, I quickly set up another shell game.
“Ugh…”
“It’s not easy, huh.”
“Good! First, could you show us some of your other techniques?”
And so, I demonstrated a few other magic tricks. Half of the teachers were competitive, while the other half enjoyed the performance, and I continued performing under their divided gazes for a while.
“Hmm… I see, that was impressive.”
“Yes… I feel sorry for misleading you with my petty tricks.”
“Your tricks aren’t something to be embarrassed about, but it’s true that they fooled the eyes, haha.”
Finally, the teacher who had been leading the group introduced themselves.
“I am Yeong-yul. Now, let’s get straight to the point. Your method of dealing with the children impressed me greatly. So, I ask you this: would you teach your techniques to our Jeomchang? We will pay handsomely.”
An unexpected proposal popped up.
Are they asking to buy my gambling tricks… or rather, my magic skills from the Jeomchang?
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