A Three-Way Standoff
I was caught completely off guard.
It was shocking enough that Byeokunja was in the Jegal clan head’s room, but that wasn’t the real surprise.
The woman with white hair and blue eyes, whose features were remarkably similar to mine.
If a stranger had seen us, they would have believed we were twins.
And judging by their faces, everyone in the room seemed to think the same thing.
“My goodness.”
The woman who looked like me was also staring at me, unable to hide her shock.
Then suspicion crept into her eyes as she looked from me to the Jegal clan head, to Byeokunja, and then to the woman seated beside him.
“It is certainly remarkable, but that young lady is not from the Ice Palace.”
At that, the Jegal clan head spoke.
“I think so too. She bears no mark of the Ice Palace. But after hearing from my granddaughter, I was told that the girl has lost her memories.”
“She has lost her memories?”
“Baek So-… no, that would only be confusing, since there are two Baek ladies now. Harin-sister.”
“Yes, Clan Head.”
“I think you should properly explain your condition before everyone.”
So I repeated, once again, what I had told Moyong Jua, Paeng Jeon-ho, and Jegal Seyeong yesterday.
The woman named Baek Jin-ah gave a small nod. Byeokunja and the woman beside him also grew a little more serious.
“Geukseon. In this situation, there is no violation of the alliance’s agreement with the Ice Palace.”
“I agree as well. However, that is for the alliance to decide. Of course, that is only if what the girl says is true.”
Then the woman called Geukseon turned and glared at me as if she meant to devour me on the spot.
No, why was she looking at me like that? And how old was she, anyway? She looked about thirty, but… that wasn’t the feeling I got.
She had the vibe of someone much, much older.
“Are you saying the girl is deceiving us?”
“Memory loss. What a convenient excuse. Would you answer the same way if a spy from the Demonic Cult said exactly that?”
“Hey now. How can you compare the Ice Palace to the Demonic Cult?”
“It’s an analogy. An analogy. I’m asking whether you’d believe a Demonic Cult spy if they were exposed and then claimed to have lost their memory. Besides, the energy coming from this girl is unmistakably Ice Soul Divine Art. How would you explain that?”
The Jegal clan head smiled and said firmly, “Didn’t you see just now? It was this girl who came looking for the manual of the Ice Soul Divine Art. She apparently ended up learning it by chance in the process.”
“Ha? Learn Ice Soul Divine Art by chance? Do you honestly think that makes any sense? No! Are you saying the head of the world-famous Jegal clan actually believes such absurd nonsense?”
The fiercely insistent Jegal clan head, and the strangely prickly woman called Geukseon.
Did the clan and the righteous sects have a bad relationship? The atmosphere certainly felt that way.
“Geukseon. The verification of this girl is already complete. She is a precious guest of our clan.”
Only after the clan head said that much did Geukseon slowly suppress her anger.
Well, if he’d gone that far, how could she keep snapping back forever?
“Then how exactly was she verified?”
“This child is a genius.”
At those words, Byeokunja, Geukseon, and Baek Jin-ah, who was seated beside me, all wore the same expression: What in the world is he talking about?
“Is there anyone who can read a manual once and memorize it instantly?”
“That’s ridiculous.”
“She did it. In front of this clan head. With complete ease.”
“Huh?”
The one who looked most surprised was Byeokunja.
He stared at me intently, his eyes brimming with curiosity.
“My girl. I’ve already seen you once, haven’t I?”
“Yes, Elder Byeokunja. I couldn’t speak clearly back then. I’m sorry.”
“It’s fine. That’s in the past; why would I make an issue of it? Leaving that aside, is what the clan head just said true? That you learned it instantly by reading the manual?”
“I’m still lacking, but… yes, I did.”
“Hah. So you really did. I don’t doubt the clan head’s word, but I’ll be itching until I see it with my own eyes. Then is it enough just to read the manual? Can you do it from a spoken formula as well?”
“I haven’t tried that yet.”
“Hm. Is that so? Good. Then we’ll find out. I’ll recite the formula for you, so listen carefully and learn it. If you do, I’ll believe you completely. Not just me, but everyone in Jongnam, and anyone who knows the name of the Sword Venerable, will believe you too.”
The Jegal clan head and Geukseon both looked visibly astonished.
And even I, who didn’t know the details of the situation, could tell that was no ordinary statement.
The name Sword Venerable. A venerable rank indeed. Not John—Venerable.
It was clear that title wasn’t something attached to just anyone.
In any case, Byeokunja began reciting the formula.
“Hey! Uncle-disciple! That’s the formula for Seven Star Steps, isn’t it!?”
“Why are you shouting and making such a fuss! And so what if it is!? It’s an old footwork technique nobody uses anymore!”
“Even so! Is it right to spread the martial arts of the sect so carelessly!?”
“If she can learn it from hearing the formula once, then she’d understand the essence just by watching it performed! And isn’t that a problem worth worrying about only after she’s actually learned it?”
That argument was so logically sound that Geukseon fell silent.
Then Byeokunja started reciting again, and I listened quietly.
When he finished, a message appeared before me.
Learned Seven Star Steps.
Wow. Nice. So I didn’t even need the manual? Just hearing the formula was enough?
“Is that right? You really memorized it all?”
“Yes, Elder.”
“Hah. You memorized it all? Then recite it for us.”
So I did.
Once I’d learned it, reproducing it in my head wasn’t difficult at all.
The expressions on Byeokunja’s and Geukseon’s faces were absolutely worth seeing once I’d finished.
Byeokunja’s eyes widened, the corners of his mouth lifting in delight. Geukseon looked stunned, almost offended by what she was seeing.
But why did the clan head look so pleased? He had this full-on proud father expression going on.
“Ha! This is the first time I’ve been this surprised in years! Good! Good! Then can you try performing it? If you can memorize the formula, the movement itself shouldn’t be difficult, should it?”
Byeokunja seemed genuinely excited as he said that, and I looked around briefly before rising from my seat.
The clan head’s room was fairly spacious, so I should have enough room to demonstrate.
After briefly recalling the formula once more, I looked for a movement I could execute even in a confined space.
“Then I’ll show you Hidden Cloud of Wenqu.”
With that, I stepped lightly into the footwork.
Hidden Cloud of Wenqu. A secret, swift footwork technique named for the Wenqu star among the Big Dipper, as elusive as a star vanishing behind clouds.
It was my first time using it, so it was a little rough around the edges, but since the system treated me as having learned the martial art, mimicking the form itself wasn’t difficult.
And once I’d completed the footwork cleanly, Byeokunja clapped his hands with a sharp smack and laughed heartily.
“Wahahaha! Yes! That’s it! That’s enough! Wonderful! You heard the formula once and pulled off Seven Star Steps like that!? Wahahaha! Girl, from now on, if anyone in the martial world gives you trouble, just tell them my name! Wahahaha!”
“Elder. This girl is a treasured guest of the Jegal clan. Why are you only now trying to claim her so casually?”
“What? Wahahaha. Ah, yes! Now I understand!! I should have known when the great Jegal Jinho spoke so confidently!”
Byeokunja laughed loud and clear once more.
The clan head, meanwhile, was looking at him with thinly veiled caution.
And in the meantime, Geukseon’s gaze toward me had also become somewhat unusual.
Then she turned to Baek Jin-ah and spoke.
“Jin-ah.”
“Yes, Senior Sister.”
“This girl is not from the Ice Palace, is she? She bears no mark of the Ice Palace, does she?”
Baek Jin-ah hesitated slightly.
What? Earlier she’d been so firm in saying I wasn’t from the Ice Palace.
“Why are you hesitating? Are you saying she is from the Ice Palace after all? Do you know what that would mean for the relationship between the alliance and the Ice Palace?”
“But that is still not certain….”
As she spoke, Baek Jin-ah seemed to realize the situation was becoming difficult and gave up early.
“…No. She is not from the Ice Palace.”
Geukseon’s expression became satisfied. Then she turned back to me and spoke again.
“You said your name was Baek Harin?”
“Yes, that’s correct.”
“You said you remember nothing? Not even your sect or your master?”
“Yes.”
“Then for now, you are essentially without sect or master.”
Only then did the Jegal clan head, realizing what Geukseon was aiming for, hurriedly cut in.
“No! Geukseon! How can you say something like that? The bond between a sect and its disciples does not disappear just because one loses her memory!”
“Clan Head. Who’s saying otherwise? And even if she does have a sect and a master, what does that matter? There’s no shame in having more than one master, is there?”
I had no idea what she was getting at.
Was she trying to take me in as her disciple? Then why was the clan head trying to stop her?
“Baek So-…”
But in the middle of all that uproar, Baek Jin-ah called out to me.
“Yes, please speak.”
“You are not from the Ice Palace. However, if you’ve already learned the Ice Soul Divine Art, then you and I are practically fellow disciples. Wouldn’t you say so?”
“Uh… can it really be that simple?”
“Elder Byeokunja, Elder Geukseon, Clan Head. Surely that is so, is it not? If two people learn the same martial art, then wouldn’t that make them fellow disciples?”
“Well now. You’re not wrong, but if that’s the case, this girl has also learned Seven Star Steps. By your logic, she could be considered a child of Jongnam as well.”
“Then that girl could also be considered a child of our clan. She has already learned Plum Blossom Butterfly Fan Art, created by my grandfather!”
When her logic failed against the rebuttals from Byeokunja and the Jegal clan head, Baek Jin-ah bit her lip slightly.
Then, with a look of determination, she took a small porcelain bottle wrapped in cloth from her bag.
The moment she did, Byeokunja, Geukseon, and the clan head all flinched.
“Baek So-… this is a fragment of the Ten-Thousand-Year Ice Crystal that can only be obtained from the North Sea Ice Palace. It’s a precious item, but you are the one who found the manual of the Ice Soul Divine Art for me. So you’re the one most deserving of this.”
Then she removed the stopper and poured the contents into her palm.
A tiny shard, like a sliver of ice, appeared there, and from it poured such intense cold that even I could feel it.
“Ho ho….”
“My goodness.”
“An iron fan wasn’t enough after all….”
The three of them sighed in admiration. Baek Jin-ah smiled faintly.
“Take it. Quickly. Since it has come out of the bottle, you should absorb it at once.”