As Prophet - Chapter 1



Only Krnovel

As a prophet

Episode 1. Sinking of the Tax Grain Ship

He disappeared from the world on a day in the third lunar month when spring rain and flower rain were falling.

Not far from Gyeongchang, the ship broke and sank. It was a sad accident in which two officers and a cadet who had been on board to ensure the safe transport of the grain also drowned. The bodies of the three were recovered, but his body was not. He must have died… … .

In the area where the Segokseon sank, the boatman Yun Gaedong was questioned. However, Yun Gaedong, who was being questioned, suddenly made an excuse that it was not a big mistake that he was unable to salvage it because he had offered old rice.

At the time, it was sufficiently suspicious that more than half of shipwrecks were intentional, but there was nothing that could be done about what had already happened.

Ultimately, if the tax did not arrive at the designated warehouse, the Hanyang government held the local government accountable. This was an excessive responsibility that was beyond the capabilities of local officials.

In the end, the only thing left for the government was to collect the taxes again. The people were the ones who had to pay taxes again, so in the end, only the people suffered. The ones who benefited were the fish and the transformed creatures that lived along the route from the West Sea to the Han River.

There were certainly those who benefited from wrecking the ship, and some died in the process. One officer and two sergeants were killed. And he disappeared.

The problem started when the old and worn-out fishing boats they had were no longer able to sail, and the excessive greed of the boatman Yun Gaedong, who postponed the fishing boat day after day while leaving a perfectly good ship behind and overloaded it with the large amount of cargo that came up in early spring, was another cause.

The county magistrate, who heard the news of the shipwreck, beat his chest and regretted it. He could not hide his suspicions about Yun Gaedong, who lied during the interrogation that the tax was old rice, but there was no other way. He had to finish collecting the tax again and transporting the required amount to Gyeongchang.

“There’s one person missing?”

“He is my younger brother.”

“If he’s your younger brother, he’s the young man you brought home last summer.”

“Yes. He is not my real brother, but a priest. We have the same teacher.”

The magistrate turned his head, smoking a cigarette. He knew who it was. He would rather resign and go far away. If he could just avoid this difficult situation, he felt he could endure whatever happened next.

“We should consider him dead.”

The magistrate sighed again at the spleen’s words.

“It’s a pity that people are dying, but what I’m saying is that compensation is necessary.”

“It’s a shame. They say they can do something about Segok, but when it comes to dead people… … .”

Perhaps, given the course of events, the spleen itself should have been on board.

The evening bird cry was sad in Gwanpunggak as darkness fell. Some say it was a cuckoo, others say it was a scops owl, and it let out a cry as red as blood.

“Let’s give generous rewards to the officers and soldiers’ homes.”

“I understand. What about the missing boy? He is my priest. He can’t be dead.”

“Not dead yet? I can’t tell if he’s dead or alive.”

“They said they searched the entire neighborhood.”

“Did you find the body? Or did you not find it?”

“No. But… … .”

“So you’re saying that you want to compensate the missing person as well?”

“He was a child with upright conduct and a very clear gaze. He was born with the qualities of a great warrior.”

The magistrate sighed again, shook out the ash from the ashtray, and vigorously swept the ashtray inside. It was as if he was showing off that the current conversation was not that important. The magistrate’s actions were extremely natural and it seemed as if it was natural. It might have been because it was getting dark.

“What kind of child is he? What kind of relationship are they?”

He asks knowingly. The spleen placed his right hand on his left chest. It seemed like a gesture to straighten his clothes, or it seemed like part of a military salute.

“When I was young, I went into the mountains to study. You know? It was about two years.”

“That’s right. I thought you were going to go into the mountains.”

“I am the disciple of the master I learned from back then. Although we did not study together, I think of him as a disciple.”

“Ahem, that’s hard to explain. There must be a reason why I’m not good at explaining. But it seems like there was quite a bit of an age difference.”

“He was good. The reason I didn’t go with Segok Line was because I trusted that child. Segok Line is important, and the county office is important. I trusted the priest.”

“There was no such talk, was there?”

“I was concerned that my private relationship would be revealed.”

“Ahem, it’s personal. But you didn’t tell me, the magistrate?”

The ‘duty to report in advance’ that is discussed after the incident has occurred is likely to be a problem for the speaking party.

As the silence passed for a moment, the sound of the owl echoed through the air again. The spleen raised its head and looked in the direction of the sound and muttered.

“I reported it. You didn’t pay attention. So you just let it go.”

“You reported it?”

“Yes.”

A person who insists that he reported something he doesn’t remember hearing loses credibility. This is because it’s not just about not reporting something, it’s also about making false statements.

“Phew.”

“… … .”

“You have done your job as my nephew without any problems so far. I am truly grateful. The topic for today is the handling of missing persons.”

The word ‘processing’ made Spleen tremble. It seemed as if he was protesting that it was an expression he could not possibly accept.

“Then I’ll compensate you there too. How many days has it been? If he were alive, he would have come back. If he can’t come back… … .”

I was about to say the word death, but I held back because of the deep sadness that gathered in Bijang’s gaze. If we were that close, I should have said it in advance. Bijang doesn’t take care of each and every person.

“I’m going to the main mountain. What should I explain?”

“Are you talking about Mt. Sobeksan?”

“yes.”

“If it’s someone that important… … .”

“He is a great boy.”

“Well, if that’s what you think, then yes.”

“Please use tomorrow as a fake day and bring forward one more fake day next month.”

The magistrate gently grabbed his ignorant nephew’s shoulder. He was the secret officer he had been with since his first term. He handled everything cleanly and guided his subordinates well. He had leadership skills and was virtuous, so his subordinates followed him well. It was also his job to command the thoughtless officers of the government office.

“Isn’t that a public affair? What kind of affair is this? Just go to the main temple and report immediately! You’re in a difficult position. I brought a priest, but he died while working.”

The magistrate no longer hesitated to use the word death.

“I will go and speak to the Master. I am sorry for leaving for a few days as I am busy with work.”

The magistrate sighed again as he watched him head towards the secretariat with his shoulders hunched.

The weight of the person that the spleen spoke of was relatively light, and he was worried about the three grains that had to be prepared immediately. He had to explain what he had done with the old rice, but it was definitely the shit that guy had switched them.

I had to call the local leaders together for this matter, and my heart was heavy as I had to discuss countermeasures with them shortly. The more important thing was to prepare the tax song to be offered again.

What will the people say if they are asked to pay again when they have already paid? The central government is the one in trouble. In any case, the people are responsible.

The county magistrate Baek Sa-ban was thinking of asking the rich and the landed to pay more. The common people did not have the means. How much more could they collect from those who had just passed the barley pass? If they wanted to urgently replenish the tax, there was no way out but the rich. However, they were not the kind of people who would pay even if they were to rebel.

My thoughts were complicated and my heart was heavy, so I quickly forgot about the missing person. I only remembered that the spleen would be gone for a few days. I was only worried to the extent of hoping that nothing else would happen while he was gone.

* * *

A white-clad man in plain clothes crossed the ferry. He hung only a sword on his belt. He stood alone on a boat with a dozen people on board, glaring at the other side. He stood there so fiercely that it was unnecessarily frightening. The boatman asked.

“Nari, where are you going?”

Although many people were riding, the intention was to ease the tense atmosphere caused by the armed spleen.

“I’m going to the main temple.”

“Ah! If it’s the main temple, it’s far away?”

“It won’t happen in one day, it will take two days.”

“Are you busy?”

He was acting so cute, but he didn’t look familiar. The stern Baek-ui-hyeong turned to the boatman with a hardened face. The boatmen didn’t look good after something happened. I still remember how many times I had to go and nag them to hurry up and set sail. I thought of Yoon Gae-dong, who kept delaying the date, saying that something was broken and he was fixing it, and that there was another problem. If things don’t work out, it’s a disaster from the start. It was also wrong to only rely on him because there was no other choice.

The boatman secretly advised Baek Ui-hyeong.

“It is dangerous to stand. Please sit down for a moment.”

“Sigh.”

The spleen sat on someone’s luggage on one side of the old building. The tip of the sword hanging on his side was sticking out. He couldn’t help but sigh every time he changed his gaze or position. Things were going very wrong.

The boatman muttered to himself in the wind as no one came near him because Baek Yi-hyeong was frowning.

“There is a rumor that the Segok Line incident was done on purpose by that guy, Yun Ga.”

The spleen sparkled. It was not without suspicion. The fact that he delayed day after day, the fact that he overloaded the truck to transport various spring products at once, and the fact that he said that the rice to be paid in taxes was the best rice when inspecting the grain, but during interrogation, he said that there was no need to dry it because the county had offered old grain. There were more than a few suspicious things.

“Are you saying that a crazy person did something that would ruin his karma?”

“There is a calculation that it is more profitable for the three-grained ship to sink. He is now alive. The three-grained ship that was taken away is all mine, and I will also transport the additional three-grained ship, so I will receive the freight.

When there are people, they look like they are dying and ask for help and mercy, but when there are no people, they drink and have fun. They say that they go far away to have fun because they feel noticed in their village.

It was rumored in this water. He sank the ship first. Think about it. How did it happen that it went all the way to Hanyang and sank? It happened just one day before Gyeongchang. The troops who had been running for a month were tired and relaxed.”

I have my doubts, but what difference will it make if I discuss it here? I have to focus on my work now. I am really worried about what I will say when I get to the main office.

“A person has died. We are now on our way to the missing person’s home.”

“That’s why I’m saying he’s a bad guy. If it was work, he shouldn’t have killed people.”

The spleen looked at the boatman in a daze.

“I don’t know about other people, but in our world, that’s a serious mistake. We’ll never do business with him again. I don’t know how much he made from this, but it won’t be easy to get work from him in the future. Who would trust him with work? We would never do it.”

The spleen’s forehead was furrowed narrowly.

“More than that, a person died.”

“If that’s true, then so be it.”

“It’s a shame. I’m on my way to comfort and compensate you.”

“What can I do when someone else did it?”

“What can we do when things are not clear?”

The boatman looked around inside and out and then quietly made a suggestion.

“Can I help you find out about Sosaeng?”

“Whew. How is it?”

“All the people of the county have to suffer because of that one guy. Does that make sense? We have to beat up guys like Yun Ga who are causing this.”

“That’s true, but there’s no proper evidence.”

“Well, I’ll look into it for you. Since we’re in the same industry, I’ve heard of it.”

The boatman’s eyes lit up with conviction. He acted as if he had secured solid evidence to catch the bastard.

“But why are you so angry when it’s not your business?”

“Aren’t you angry? All the people of the county have to pay taxes again… … It’s a nuisance. This happened because of that one guy, Yun Gaedong. We have to make sure that guys like that don’t come out again.”

I felt like I understood the public outrage. But I am the spleen of the current government. It would be clean if I cut it down, but as a public figure, I cannot express my anger in private.

When the boat reached the ferry dock and tied the rope, the people on board sympathized with the boatman’s words and even asked him to catch that guy.