The King's Gamma (Previously The King's Beta)

Fifty Three

"It is not that we need you to return with us," Said General Hyun-Ki, Ses's master. "We need a herb named saeng-gye." (sustenance, living. Honestly, I don't feel comfortable using the romanized version of Korean, as most Koreans, to my knowledge(I could be wrong), do not even know how to read it since they mostly use Hangul. But for the sake of the story, I'm sticking to it instead of Hangul for ease of reading overall. If you want me to continue including the Hangul like with the previous chapter, let me know.)

I poured myself a cup of tea as well, staring at the general for a brief moment to determine if he was serious or not. He seemed to be. I picked up the graphite again, writing. "Why?"

"Our royal physicians have determined that it is the only thing that can save our King at this point."

"It's a poisonous, parasitic herb. It sustains itself by attaching itself to the organs of the host and eventually sprouting through their skin. Once the host dies it will continue to sustain itself on the corpse and grow until even the marrow is sucked from the bone. Thereafter it will either die and shed its seeds into the wind for the next host or imitate the flowers of an iris, to lure unsuspecting people into touching it, planting itself into their skin. The cycle will only continue from there until every living thing in the area has died. Are you certain that it is the herb you need?"

They stared at me in disbelief. "That can't be true. You are trying to fool us. You are a traitor to our nation!"

I stood up, walking past them to a corner where a drape had been thrown over something large. Pulling the drape off I showed them a magical barrier dome surrounding a small tree-like plant with iris flowers. But at the base of the grey trunk, they could clearly see the skeletal structures of several small rodents, the roots of the small tree clearly living off of the carcases.

"You're welcome to take it with you." I wrote then. "Just don't come to kill me when the same happens to your King. I warned you." I sat down on the small cot. "Please, take it. I have finished studying it. Also, leave the village people out of political affairs. You may leave my house."

General Hyun-Ki bowed his head. "You would allow us to kill our King?"

"I attempted to warn you, General. I also attempted to help, which you clearly refused. What more is there for us to speak of? You may take the plant and have your physicians give it to your King."

"Why is it named saeng-gye if it is parasitic then?!"

"It is correctly named. Untrained people just misunderstand its name. It is called saeng-gye because it takes sustenance, not because it provides it."

He stood, and walked towards me, and went down onto one knee. "Please accept my apologies for my ignorance. Will you help us?"

"If you ask me nicely tomorrow, I may consider it." I laughed soundlessly at his expression.

"You have no voice at all?"

I shook my head, smiling at them. "I have had a long day and so have you. Please leave now so that I may sleep.

**************

General Hyun-Ki's POV

We had just left her home when the village elder approached us.

"We have set your camp up with your men not too far from Miss Ppalgan's hut. Please rest for the night. She will not come out until noon tomorrow."

"You allow us to stay here even after what we had done?"

"Miss Ppalgan accepted you. We will as well."

The general frowned. "You place faith in a woman that you barely know?"