Chapter 97: Volunteer Work (2)

"Alright, elders! Just follow my lead from now on!"

"???"

The elders who'd been bowing looked up at this young man addressing them out of nowhere, clearly confused.

The dementia care volunteers standing with Il-mok also shot him looks that practically screamed, "What the hell are you doing?"

Il-mok ignored them all. He grabbed a decent-sized piece of wood from the wreckage the Heavenly Demon had created and sliced it down to size with his sword.

"See? You just need to cut them into pieces about this big. Easy enough, right?"

What he'd made looked like a rough wooden plank.

Following Il-mok's instructions, a few elders who'd been standing around in a daze started using their martial arts to cut wood, following his example.

Watching this scene, the Heavenly Demon frowned and questioned Il-mok.

"Disciple, weren't we supposed to be taking care of these people? Why are you putting them to work?"

"Master, dementia is a condition that worsens the more one does nothing. Only by continuously providing new stimulation to the brain can we prevent further deterioration. It won't cure them, but it can slow the decline."

Il-mok wasn't exactly an expert on dementia, but his work as a social welfare civil servant had brought him into contact with care facilities plenty of times. He'd never directly cared for dementia patients himself, but he had picked up enough knowledge from what he'd seen and heard.

"If these were ordinary elderly people, I naturally wouldn't make them do such difficult work. They just need to exercise their internal energy. Plus, the process of channeling energy and moving their bodies will stimulate their brains."

The Heavenly Demon considered this briefly.

It seemed worth trying, so he decided to trust Il-mok's judgment.

"By my authority as the Heavenly Demon, I command you all to follow Il-mok's instructions."

As the Heavenly Demon released waves of his demonic energy with this declaration, the elders shakily got to their feet and shuffled toward Il-mok.

Il-mok demonstrated the wood-cutting again, and the elders began cutting in their own ways.

"Now, for the next step, dig the ground like this."

Thump. Thump.

"Then take a big tree and drive it into the hole you just made. Like this—"

Thunk.

Il-mok showed them by digging a hole and jamming a tree trunk into the ground. The elderly people started driving wooden posts into the earth beside him, one by one.

"Ah, this should be spaced a bit more apart. Put it right here. Perfect! You're all doing great! I knew I could count on you elders! Haha."

Il-mok laughed heartily while praising them, then turned to address the dementia care volunteers who were watching.

"I'm going to take Elder Kang and look for the other elders who haven't made it here yet. Pavilion Master, I need you to take over for me. Please keep showing them how to cut wood and build their shelter."

Il-mok's wood cutting and post driving were all preparation work for building houses. If these elders were going to live together, they'd need at least basic shelter to keep the rain off and walls to block the wind.

Of course, four volunteers couldn't possibly build housing for dozens of elders in a single day. But with the elders pitching in, it was doable. Sure, their memory issues made them scattered and confused, but when it came to raw strength, they had plenty to spare if they used their internal energy.

The Pavilion Master nodded reluctantly at Il-mok's instructions. The Heavenly Demon spoke up.

"What should this old man do, disciple?"

"Master, your role is actually the most important one. If any of the elders start getting agitated or lose control, you'll need to calm them down."

"Hmm."

The Heavenly Demon stroked his beard thoughtfully and nodded, continuing to emit faint waves of demonic energy while keeping an eye on the elders. He knew they were staying docile because of his Heavenly Demon Divine Arts.

"We'll head out now."

After Il-mok left with Elder Kang to search for more elders, the Pavilion Master cleared his throat and approached the group.

"Ahem. Stack these wooden planks you cut on top of each other like this. Then apply mud right here..."

As someone who'd spent years assisting the Heavenly Demon, the Hidden Guard Pavilion Master knew the basics of construction, even if it was just rough shelter-building.

It was a strange sight.

The Heavenly Demon was sitting leisurely in a supervisory role while the Hidden Guard Pavilion Master, who'd only gotten roped into this because of the Heavenly Demon's involvement, was down in the trenches working alongside dementia patients.

But the Hidden Guard Pavilion Master didn't complain. How could he let the leader of the Divine Cult get his hands dirty with manual labor?

Still—

"No, that's not right. Observe. I said to cut it here, like this."

"That's not what I meant."

"Sigh. You really think that's going to fit there?"

Dealing with dementia patients required the patience of a saint, and veins were starting to bulge on the usually composed Hidden Guard Pavilion Master's forehead.

Finally, his frustration boiled over.

"What the hell do you think you're doing!"

"My thoughts exactly. What exactly are you doing, Hidden Guard Pavilion Master?"

Il-mok had returned with Elder Kang and several more workers—no, elders they'd rounded up from their wandering around Oblivion Ridge.

"These people may have dementia, but they're still human beings who deserve dignity and respect. How can you speak to them so harshly?"

"Il-mok is right. Mind your tone."

"......"

The Hidden Guard Pavilion Master felt his anger spike, but with the Heavenly Demon taking Il-mok's side, there was nothing he could say.

You know what they say? Sometimes the peacemaker is more annoying than the one picking the fight.

'Control yourself. Control yourself. Control yourself.'

Since that peacemaker happened to be the Heavenly Demon, the Hidden Guard Pavilion Master couldn't exactly hold a grudge.

***

This same pattern repeated several more times.

Il-mok and Elder Kang would make rounds through Oblivion Ridge, tracking down wandering elders and bringing them back to the clearing.

"Sigh. Let me explain this again."

The Hidden Guard Pavilion Master found himself repeating the same instructions over and over, working alongside the elders to clear debris and salvaging useful materials to build their makeshift shelters.

After about an hour of construction work and elder-hunting, Il-mok and Elder Kang had successfully gathered all the wandering elders in the clearing.

"Whew. Now that everyone's here, we should probably get some food into these folks."

The moment Il-mok mentioned food, several of the elders who'd been working sluggishly perked up.

"Food?"

One elder tilted his head, seemingly unable to grasp the concept.

"I'm hungry."

Another had apparently regressed to childhood and was whining like a kid.

"Woman! Get me my rice! How long are you planning to work me like a dog!"

And one had somehow shifted into the mindset of a demanding mother-in-law.

The reactions were varied, but they all looked equally pitiful.

'If they eat with their hands in that condition, food poisoning would be the least of our worries.'

Their hands were caked with dirt and dust, and possibly worse things.

Il-mok shouldered the water jar he'd brought from Elder Kang's quarters and headed for the stream. He'd deliberately chosen a clearing near water to make this easier.

After filling the jar, Il-mok distributed bars of soap he'd also taken from Elder Kang's place to Elder Kang and the Hidden Guard Pavilion Master.

"We'll wash everyone's hands first, then we can feed them."

He would have loved to give them full baths since their clothes and bodies were filthy, but they hadn't finished the shelters yet. For now, hand-washing before meals would have to do.

The Heavenly Demon watched Il-mok, the Hidden Guard Pavilion Master, and Elder Kang washing the elders' hands, then spoke up.

"Disciple."

"Yes, Master."

"Hand those over."

"???"

Before Il-mok could process what was happening, the gourd and soap floated out of his hands and drifted through the air to the Heavenly Demon.

The Heavenly Demon had casually demonstrated his telekinesis ability. He moved to the water jar and began washing the elders' hands himself.

"M-Master? You're already doing plenty just keeping them calm with your Heavenly Demon Divine Arts..."

"Come now, what's wrong with washing the hands of people who've served the cult faithfully? I can manage this much while maintaining my technique."

As the Heavenly Demon washed their hands, something incredible happened.

"I'll remember this kindness for the rest of my life."

"Long live the Lord of Ten Thousand Demons!!"

"Long live! Long live!!"

Every elder whose hands the Heavenly Demon washed burst into tears of gratitude.

Their memories might be gone, but their reverence for the Heavenly Demon was burned deep into their bodies and minds.

Il-mok watched this almost cult-like display in fascination until he felt eyes boring into the back of his head. He turned to find the Hidden Guard Pavilion Master glaring at him with murderous intent.

'Great.'

Apparently, the man wasn't thrilled that Il-mok had gotten the Heavenly Demon involved in manual labor.

Il-mok clicked his tongue and busied himself with other tasks.

"Everyone who's had their hands washed, come this way! Elder, over here! Careful now!"

Il-mok began distributing food to the clean-handed elders, fruit they'd gathered while searching Oblivion Ridge, and simple provisions from Elder Kang's quarters.

After their basic meal, the construction work resumed with about twenty elders pitching in.

Repeating instructions was just part of the job now.

"Hey! Who are you people!"

"How dare you trespass on Divine Cult territory!"

The occasional outbursts where they'd suddenly get aggressive were actually the easier situations to handle since the Heavenly Demon's energy would quickly settle them down.

"I need to go potty."

"It's hard. Bad uncle! Stop being mean to me."

But then there were those who mentally regressed to toddler level and started whining.

"...Oh no."

Some went beyond whining and soiled their pants.

Il-mok separated these cases and fetched fresh water from the stream to clean them up.

'These are probably the severe cases.'

Dementia progresses through different stages, including mild, moderate, and severe. Even if they weren't technically moderate cases, anyone who'd regressed this far mentally needed special handling. If their minds had reverted to infant-level, they probably couldn't safely use internal energy anymore.

'Ugh.'

For someone with Il-mok's hygiene obsessions, cleaning elderly people who'd soiled themselves was absolutely torturous.

He fought down his nausea while washing the severe patients who'd become like babies, then brought them to the Heavenly Demon.

"Master, these people aren't in any condition to do physical work right now. Could you keep an eye on them and maybe keep them company?"

"Keep them company? I'm not sure I'd know how to talk to them."

Seeing the Heavenly Demon's uncertainty about how to communicate, Il-mok offered some guidance.

"Just think of them as small children. You could teach them basic characters like Heaven (天) or Earth (地)."

"Ah, that would help restore old memories while stimulating their brains. So it's killing two birds with one stone."

Understanding Il-mok's plan, the Heavenly Demon began teaching the regressed patients simple characters. He used his sword to write in the dirt, showing them how the characters were pronounced, and encouraged them to copy what he had done.

While the Heavenly Demon worked with the children, Il-mok started a new project. He gathered scattered wood pieces, cut them into small blocks with his sword, and began carving designs into each piece.

The Heavenly Demon glanced over at Il-mok's handiwork and nodded knowingly.

"Making mahjong tiles?"

"Exactly, Master. Gambling might be harmful when money's involved, but the mental exercise of remembering rules and matching patterns should be great for their condition."

Back in Korea, people said hanafuda were good therapy for dementia patients, and care facilities actually used card games and pattern-matching as regular activities. But since these elders would be more familiar with mahjong than flower cards, Il-mok was sticking with what they know.

"Hohoho. If it's a game that stimulates the brain, this would be more effective than mahjong."

The Heavenly Demon made this cryptic comment while channeling his Heavenly Demon Divine Arts. Dense waves of demonic energy flowed from him as he used his telekinetic ability to pull over large stones and tree trunks from around the clearing.

Then the Heavenly Demon flashed his sword at the airborne materials.

Clatter clatter clatter.

A perfectly square wooden table appeared, complete with carved grid lines, along with dozens of perfectly round black and white stones.

Watching his master instantly create a complete go set, Il-mok stared blankly back and forth between the Heavenly Demon and his own pile of wood scraps.

'...Could've helped me out with mine too. Show-off.'

Il-mok couldn't help feeling a little put out.