Iron Fan
I had thought this day would come sooner or later.
Truth be told, I hadn’t been entirely at ease either.
I’d never said, with my own mouth, that I’d come from the North Sea Ice Palace, but everyone else had already decided that was the truth.
It was hard not to feel like I was deceiving them. So of course I’d felt a little uneasy.
And yet, right now, I felt strangely relieved.
When I took the Ice Soul Divine Art manual from my robes and placed it on the clan head of the Jegal Clan’s desk, his eyebrows shot up.
"Huh?"
"I’m the one who obtained this. I wanted to hand it over to someone from the North Sea Ice Palace, but I didn’t know where they were. Still, since everyone kept mistaking me for someone from the North Sea Ice Palace, I figured that if I stayed quiet, that person would eventually come looking for me, so I didn’t exactly deny it when they said I’d come from the ice palace. But now I have somewhere proper to entrust it, so I suppose it’s fine to bring it out like this."
I did feel a little awkward referring to myself as “I’m the one who obtained this” and “I’m the one who obtained this” no, as a girl, but there was nothing for it now.
I was in the middle of defending myself by any means necessary, so I had to use whatever looked even slightly advantageous.
"Hmm."
"If it’s the famed Jegal Clan, I’m sure you’ll be able to deliver this to the person from the ice palace. So, with no shame intended, I’m asking you to please do that."
"That’s not difficult. But I’ll need you to explain how you came by it."
At that, I hesitated. How far should I tell the truth?
Then I decided that since I’d started, I might as well tell him everything. In the end, the facts and the decision weren’t mine to make anyway.
"I got it from someone called So-Sintou."
"So-Sintou?"
"Yes. A disciple of Sintu."
The clan head of the Jegal Clan toyed with his folding fan as he stared at me intently.
Right. Honestly, it was better to just say everything. I had no idea how much they knew, and acting slippery now would only make things worse.
"I see. But there are still parts I don’t understand. Your appearance, and the Ice Soul Divine Art, for instance. How do you intend to explain those?"
"Since I was born and raised like this, what could I possibly say about my appearance? As for the Ice Soul Divine Art… I made a mistake, sir. I read it once out of curiosity, and before I knew it, I’d learned it."
"Ha. You’re saying you simply read it once and learned it by yourself?"
That was the hardest part to explain.
How was I supposed to explain the game system to these people?
So I decided to be honest and leave the judgment to them.
"Yes, Clan Head."
"And you expect me to believe that?"
"Since that is the truth, this girl has no way to make excuses, Clan Head."
Fortunately, the clan head of the Jegal Clan didn’t look offended. He looked interested.
Right. This kind of approach only worked because it was the Jegal Clan.
Unlike other martial families, the Jegal Clan valued scholarship and wisdom as well.
"Haha. Very well. Then let’s try it this way."
He rose, walked to the bookshelf, and pulled out a single volume, which he set down beside the Ice Soul Divine Art manual.
It wasn’t a very thick book. On the cover were the characters Cai Li Folding Fan Art.
"That martial art was created by my grandfather. It’s a technique performed with a folding fan. Simple, yes, but it also contains deep subtleties. Try learning it."
"Yes. Understood."
What surprised Paeng Jeon-ho, Moyong Jua, and Jegal Seyeong far more than the clan head’s words was my answer.
They probably knew this should be impossible under normal circumstances.
That aside, I took the manual and calmly read it once.
To anyone watching, it probably didn’t even look like I was reading. It would have seemed more like I was just flipping through it.
And when I finished reading it all the way through, that message popped up.
I’d expected as much, so I calmly set the manual down and said to the clan head, “I’ve learned it all.”
"Hoho. Is that so? Good. Then, would you mind reciting the mnemonic formula for me?"
Once I’d learned it once, I could call the mnemonic up immediately.
So I recited it at once, and by the time I reached the second page, the clan head’s face was full of astonishment.
When I finished reciting everything, he immediately turned around, rummaged through a drawer, and pulled out a folding fan.
A folding fan. A proper one. Something that martial men who appreciated a touch of elegance sometimes used.
But what the clan head took out was a little different.
It was an iron fan, made of thin iron plates, its surface carefully engraved with floral patterns.
He set it down before me and smiled faintly.
"Take it."
At his words, I picked up the iron fan, and despite how it looked, it had a fair amount of weight to it.
Probably because it was made of iron. Still, even a thin iron plate folded this way and that was basically one solid lump of metal, so it wasn’t exactly light.
"Would you be able to demonstrate a form once?"
"I’ve only just learned it, so I’m worried I might only be able to imitate it clumsily."
As I said that, I took hold of the fan.
I’d tried the Splitting Light Sword Art before, so I knew the drill.
Now that I’d learned the martial art, mimicking its forms shouldn’t be difficult.
So I held the iron fan, stared at it for a moment, then snapped it open and shut again.
Hmm. I think I can do this. Then… the first form was called Fan Grace Protects the Body, right?
An elegant fan defending the body?
I opened the fan, gave it two or three fluttering waves as if I were dancing, then folded it back up and hid it behind my back.
It was a simple movement, but even I, who knew next to nothing about martial arts, could see how elegant it was.
And practical, too.
What I was holding was a fan made of iron.
Of course it couldn’t be compared to swords or sabers, but it looked incredibly sturdy.
If I could channel internal energy into this fan, it would probably be able to deflect just about any ordinary attack.
So I kept going through the forms.
Since it was my first time, I was clumsy, but somehow I managed to imitate the technique reasonably well.
The corner of the Jegal clan head’s mouth lifted as he watched me.
Even stoic Paeng Jeon-ho couldn’t hide his surprise, staring at the Cai Li Folding Fan Art I was performing.
Moyong Jua and Jegal Seyeong were watching with open admiration as well.
When I finished the forms and snapped the iron fan shut, the Jegal clan head broke into a broad grin and laughed heartily.
"Hahaha! Yes! Everything you said was true! Hahaha! To think I’d live to see my grandfather’s Cai Li Folding Fan Art again!"
He looked genuinely delighted. So delighted, in fact, that I felt a little pressure from it.
"You’re a prodigy! No, calling you a prodigy is still not enough! Did you say your family name was Baek?"
"I’m Baek Harin."
"Yes. Miss Baek. Baek Harin. I shall receive you as an honored guest of the clan, so please think of this place as your own home and stay comfortably. Seyeong."
"Yes, Clan Head."
"Show her to her room. Yes, the Waseonchae will do. It should also be a good place for the Paeng boy and the Moyong girl to stay together."
"I will do so, Clan Head."
"Keh-heh-heh. I’ll make sure this manual is delivered to the one from the ice palace. My younger brother serves as a military advisor to the Alliance, so passing it along won’t be difficult."
"Thank you, Clan Head."
"Very well. Go on and rest. Ah, and that iron fan is a gift for you, so please do accept it."
"It seems like a precious item… are you sure?"
"Keh-heh-heh. Young people these days don’t use fans like that anymore. No, they can’t even lift one lightly. So doesn’t that make you its rightful owner?"
At that, perhaps curiosity got the better of her, because Jegal Seyeong looked at me and asked, “Miss Baek. Could I… try holding it?”
"Of course."
When I handed it over, Jegal Seyeong took the fan and was instantly startled.
Right. It was heavy.
If you used that thing to fan yourself, you’d either tear a muscle in your arm or turn into a monster—one of the two.
"Good heavens?"
Seeing that reaction, Moyong Jua took the iron fan too and made the same shocked face.
She even tried to snap it open like I had a moment ago, but that wasn’t easy either.
And even Paeng Jeon-ho, who’d merely been curious, picked it up, went “Huh?” and looked stunned.
"Then I’ll accept it gratefully, without further protest."
"Good. The name of that iron fan is Hwaeunjeopseon. It’s a folding fan, so it uses the character for fan, but this one uses the character for butterfly. Would you like to open it again?"
When I received the fan back from Paeng Jeon-ho and opened it, there really was the pattern of a butterfly hidden beside the floral design.
"Keh-heh-heh. There’s a reason for that name. By the time anyone notices the hidden butterfly pattern, they’re usually already in quite a difficult situation. That is why it was named so. As you can imagine, that makes it a more fitting weapon than a mere fan."
"Ah. I understand, Clan Head."
"Indeed. So it’s best that no one sees the butterfly engraved on it. In any case, go and rest. I have many things I’d like to ask, but we can take our time with those."
With that, we left the clan head’s room.
And the three of them hurried me along to Waseonchae as though they couldn’t wait to ask me all the questions they’d been holding back.
Waseonchae was a very beautiful place.
It was a detached residence divided into several rooms, and in front of it sat a small pond and a pavilion.
Besides, this was the Jegal Clan. It wasn’t a place just anyone could wander into.
If you were to rank the safest places in the martial world, this would be one of the first names that came to mind.
So by the time I arrived here, I felt my shoulders finally loosen.
Maybe that was because the misunderstanding I’d been carrying had been cleared up.
Or maybe because I’d brought the Ice Soul Divine Art manual here and handed it over, lightening my burden.
"Miss Baek! Miss Baek! Miss Baek! This is no time for sightseeing! Come sit down already! Hurry!"
But then Moyong Jua immediately started making a fuss.
And, absurdly enough, even Jegal Seyeong and that stoic Paeng Jeon-ho were urging me to sit, their faces full of curiosity and eager anticipation.
I guess there was no avoiding this. Well, I’d call it the price of coming to a comfortable place.
"Yes. Go ahead and ask. I can tell you everything now, with nothing left to hide."
At my words, the three of them promptly settled themselves in place.
What’s more, Jegal Seyeong even called for a servant girl and ordered her to prepare drinks and refreshments.
Wow. They were going all in.
Looks like I wasn’t getting out of this one so easily.