The Reason for Trust - 8
By the time training drew to a close, dinner was ready and waiting.
Had Yo Hwan decided to show off her skills? Working with ingredients she'd bought at Cheongho, she turned out one mouthwatering dish after another—the kind that looked nearly impossible to make outdoors.
"Er... why are you giving me so much?"
"You need to eat well to keep your strength up. Saw you training hard earlier. Everyone, eat up!"
No one who beheld the mouthwatering dishes piled onto the plates—portions generous to a fault—could hold back a gasp of admiration.
While everyone was still marveling, Chang Ju and Yo Hwan made their way over to where the Moonlight Squad members had gathered.
The squad appeared to be drinking on their own. Nothing excessive, from the look of it, but apparently the two of them meant to join the circle and share in the food.
In the end, the only ones left at our campfire were Chae Jin, Chae Ryeon, and me.
"I do seem to be intruding."
"Not at all. Ah—though if you'd prefer, why don't you two eat on your own? You haven't seen each other in so long; I imagine there's plenty to catch up on."
But Chae Ryeon only flashed a sly grin.
It wasn't as though the two of them were on bad terms, as far as I could tell... Well, it's a bit rich for an outsider to weigh in on family matters anyway. There was a better topic at hand.
Midway through the meal Yo Hwan had made, I asked, "By the way, where is this secret realm Moon Watching Pavilion is bound for, that you'd pass all the way through Seomhwachon to reach it? Ah—of course, you needn't answer if it's a secret."
The locations of secret realms were mostly treated as confidential, and understandably so. After all the trouble of investigating and discovering one, having some random outsider snatch it away would be like a cat having its fish stolen right out from under it.
All the more so with Chae Ryeon going in person, leading Moon Watching Pavilion's Moonlight Squad no less—this had to be a realm of considerable importance.
So I asked without expecting much, but she answered breezily enough.
"It's a place called Chang'e's Seat. It's a little further past Yangwi Fortress."
"Chang'e's Seat, hmm. Chang'e... as in Chang'e of the Moon Palace?"
"Oh my? You know of her?"
"I have ears too, you know."
Chang'e's Seat was a secret realm left to posterity by Chang'e of the Moon Palace. Famed for a beauty worthy of her name as the fairy of the moon, she bestowed a single blessing upon her realm.
"Those who pass through this realm shall be graced with her radiance."
Sure enough, in Celestial Moon, clearing the realm did raise one's charm—as if to prove the legend true, if only by a small margin.
A boost to charm translated into real advantages when buying goods or driving a bargain, which made this one of the more frequently visited secret realms.
"Ah. So that's why every last member of the Moonlight Squad who came along was a woman."
"Hehe. Yes. That was among the information on the realm that survives in our pavilion's records."
"I see. So all of you simply want the blessing from Chang'e's realm, then? No interest in the rewards?"
"Hmm. According to the records, the rewards to be had there amount to Moon Spear Stones and a few accessories Chang'e left behind... Honestly, we don't particularly need any of that."
In that case, this was my chance.
I needed Moon Spear Stones.
The Moon Essence Stone Oh Chil had given me a while back could certainly be used for talismans, but Moon Spear Stone was another of the materials that went into them. Where a talisman of Moon Essence Stone restored inner energy beneath the moon, one of Moon Spear Stone restored stamina under that same light.
Which meant keeping a supply on hand was simply good sense.
"Then might you sell me the Moon Spear Stones?"
"Huh? You're going to make talismans with them?"
Chae Ryeon, as expected. She knew exactly what the stones were for.
Well, a woman who handled every manner of affair for Moon Watching Pavilion would naturally have that sort of knowledge.
"That's right."
"Sure. I'll just give them to you."
"No, I'll pay for them."
"No, really, it's fine. Well... I wouldn't exactly call it repayment, but."
Chae Ryeon raised a finger.
"The truth is, Father gave me one instruction."
"And what was that?"
"To look into you a little, Innkeeper. Oh—did that upset you? If so, I'll apologize in his place."
"What's there to be upset about? Though I wonder—why would the Blade Emperor want to learn about a mere innkeeper like me?"
"I couldn't rightly say? He just looked rather grave about it. But honestly, I'd rather not run a background check on you. You're hardly a stranger, after all. Our Moon Watching Pavilion owes you an enormous debt."
Was it because of the Chae Jeok-yo business?
But that matter was already settled and done.
I shook my head, and Chae Ryeon smiled sweetly.
"So, here's my question. Would it be all right if I came to visit Seomhwachon now and then?"
Chae Ryeon? I looked at her, and she met my gaze without a flicker of hesitation.
"By all means. Truth be told, I wouldn't mind a background check—the Ha-O Gate branch in Yangwi Fortress has probably already finished one."
"Ahaha. Still, it would feel a bit off for us to formally commission Ha-O Gate."
"Or was I supposed to call in the Beggars' Sect?"
"It's not that. I simply prefer to judge with my own two eyes. And besides, I don't think it's your past that Father is curious about..."
For a brief moment, Chae Ryeon wore the same odd expression she'd shown while looking at Chae Jin earlier, then let out a small groan.
Anyway, if not my past, then what exactly was the old man curious about?
But instead of answering, she simply flashed that foxlike grin once more.
"In any case, when that day comes, don't you dare refuse me—have a room ready at the inn. And I do intend to pay for it, so don't you worry."
"So long as you don't wreck the place, I'll show you to the finest room with a smile. And I won't be taking any payment. Just as the Chae family welcomed me as their guest, I shall welcome you as mine."
At my words, Chae Ryeon's smile deepened all the more.
Nothing else of note happened on the road after that. We traveled the official highway by cart and reached the inn right on schedule, and Chae Ryeon's eyes sparkled at the sight of it as though beholding some marvel.
"Not much to look at, is it?"
"Ahahaha. Not at all! It looks quite cozy and welcoming, actually. The shop boys and servants all seem cheerful, too. I think I understand why my sister took a liking to this place."
"Is that so?"
"Yes. Oh—the general store! There are things we need before we set out. Could we buy them here?"
"If there's anything you need, take your pick."
Chae Ryeon went inside with a laugh. Chae Jin, who had been watching her with a worried air, now gazed at the inn with eyes that wavered, for some reason she couldn't name.
"It really does feel like coming home."
"Does it, now?"
"Hehe. Yes. Well then, I'll go unpack."
"Ah—before that, show Yo Hwan to her room, would you? The one next to Miss Chae's should do nicely."
"Ah, of course."
With a grin, she led a somewhat awkward Yo Hwan up to the inn's upper floor. In the meantime, I turned to Chang Ju.
"The county office will provide your house and your workplace. I'll have someone bring the government soldiers around, so wait a little while."
"Got it. Quiet little town, though, isn't it?"
"Don't like it?"
"Mmm, no. I'm an old battlefield rat, after all. Staying somewhere like this once in a while wouldn't hurt."
From the way she said it, I had a feeling she'd go back to her wandering ways eventually. But with the county hiring her, that wasn't mine to scold.
How long had I been waiting outside, pipe in hand? Chae Ryeon came out once she'd bought everything she needed, and while the two of us sat over tea, trading talk of this and that in the wider world, the servant I'd sent returned with the government soldiers in tow.
"Tell the Magistrate I'll call on him this evening."
"Oh! The Magistrate was just saying he'd like you to join him for dinner."
"In that case, I'd better call on him in proper style. Understood. Off you go. Chang Ju—until next time."
With an indifferent wave, Chang Ju walked off. Watching her go, Chae Ryeon smiled.
"You seem to get along well with the officials."
"No sense being on bad terms with them when there's no need."
"Fair enough."
Just then, Chae Jin and Yo Hwan came down from upstairs. Chae Jin—changed out of her usual Moon Watching Pavilion garb and into plain everyday clothes—brought Yo Hwan over to me, and I called for the cook inside.
"Yes? What can I do for you, Master?"
"This lady once cooked in the Imperial Palace. Learn everything you can from her."
"OOOOOOH!!"
The cook bellowed. It was only natural—a cook from the Imperial Palace would have more to teach than he could ever absorb. If he truly learned it all, he might one day find work not in Seomhwachon but in Yangwi Fortress itself.
"Ah! M-Master, I'm not saying I'd leave!"
"Haha. How could I stand in the way of a man who wants to gain experience and grow?"
"Master... I'm going to keep working here!"
"Yes, I know exactly how you feel. Even so, learn everything you possibly can. I know how hard you've toiled here all this time."
I patted the shoulder of our tearful cook.
Honestly, I did feel a little guilty toward him. He'd worked so faithfully all this while, only to be abruptly demoted to assistant cook.
But he seemed quite content with the arrangement, which was a relief.
"Yo Hwan, think of him as your disciple and teach him well."
"Haha, will do. He's braced for it, I take it?"
"Yes, ma'am!"
Yo Hwan led the cook—his eyes shining—back inside. Watching them go, Chae Ryeon grinned.
"Ah, I should be heading off too, Innkeeper. Until we meet again."
"Come by any time."
"Haha. Thank you for your hospitality. And, Sister? Walk with me a moment. The least you can do is see me off to the edge of the village."
"Huh? Fine, fine. Innkeeper, I'll be right back."
With the two of them out the door, the inn settled into a quieter calm.
Right. Time to catch up on my own backlog, then.
Back in my room, I went over everything that had come up while I'd been away.
No particular problems.
Backlog first, then.
I worked for a good long while, and had just raised my head for a breather when there came a tapping at the window.
I opened it to find a Courier Gate courier.
"I called a few days ago, but you were away, so I've returned."
"Mm. I stepped out for a bit."
The courier gave a nod and handed over four letters.
One was a management report on my buildings and land in another city. Two more were from the Cheonghoe Merchant Guild.
And the last one was...
"Oh."
It was from Sa Yun.
I took Sa Yun's letter first and settled into my chair.
Now, then. What would she have written this time?
When Chae Ryeon first witnessed that scene, her initial thought was simple bewilderment.
What am I looking at right now?
The next was sheer disbelief.
The very person Moon Watching Pavilion's outer disciples called a demon for teaching without mercy—guiding someone that gently? And setting that aside, why on earth be so flustered over a mere brush of hands?
The last was laughter.
Wow. To think I'd get to watch something this amazing and hilarious all by myself.
I wish I could show Father and my mothers.
A whole tangle of other feelings was mixed in besides, but where they all ended was pure, honest laughter.
Because frankly, it was entertaining.
A sight she'd believed she would never see in her entire life was unfolding before her very eyes—if that wasn't fun, what could possibly be?
She'd suffered dearly trying to hold in the laughter back then.
In any case, she had since studied the man who had made her sister that way, and Chae Ryeon had reached her conclusion.
He was not a bad man.
Such was the judgment she had passed on Yu Wol after observing him since their first meeting at Cheongho.
He dealt with people earnestly, and he disliked throwing his rank around.
He understood righteousness and propriety, and once he fixed his sights on a goal, he worked toward it with steady, diligent effort.
And judging by how he treated the inn's shop boys, the cook, and the general store staff, the man seemed to have warmth to spare.
So by any reasonable measure, he was a good man.
And... my sister may be a fool, but she's not the sort to be pushed around by a bad man...
On top of that, there was the simple fact that he had changed her sister.
That alone was enough to call him a fine man.
And small wonder: Chae Jin had always pursued nothing but ultimate speed.
She believed the martial way was a path to be sought alone, and that through it she would surpass all things.
Swiftness meant racing ahead by oneself. That was why Chae Jin, who chased swiftness, had grown faster than anyone else.
But what of slowness?
Slowness is slow.
Precisely because it pauses to gather so much along the way, it travels slowly—yet it arrives carrying far more, and far greater things.
The two were opposites, and holding both at once was never easy.
Chae Jin was a creature of the solo race, accustomed to forging ahead alone—so Chae Ryeon had been certain her sister would chase nothing but speed for the rest of her days.
And yet she had come to know slowness, and seized Moonlight Flash?
Which could only mean she had realized, entirely on her own, that she needed to slow down if she wished to carry something else with her.
And Chae Ryeon was absolutely certain that the thing Chae Jin meant to carry was Yu Wol.
If it weren't, there would be no explaining the look on Chae Jin's face as she stole glance after furtive glance at him—not just during that training, but the whole journey besides.
Good heavens. Good heavens.
So how was she supposed to just sit still?
"What did you want to talk about?"
Chae Ryeon, who had been walking her sister toward the village entrance while these thoughts unspooled, lifted her head at the sound of Chae Jin's voice.
She nodded at her sister, who was eyeing her with a sulky frown.
That's right. Like it or not, she was still her sister—someone had to help her along.
Not for free, of course.
She planned to drop by from time to time and enjoy this delightful spectacle.
"Sister."
"Hmm?"
"Just trust me."
"...What's that supposed to mean, all of a sudden?"
She may fool everyone else's eyes, but never mine.
Ever since she had first taken up the martial arts, Chae Jin had been her wall—the peak she had to climb. And so to Chae Ryeon, who had spent her life watching that wall, what lay in her sister's heart was already an open book.
So, lifting a triumphant face toward her prickly sister, Chae Ryeon made up her mind:
She would give her one of Chang'e's keepsakes from this secret realm.
After all, what man alive doesn't fall for a beautiful woman?
Just as the countless romance novels she'd devoured had taught her.
Love is something you conquer.
And in that campaign, precious few weapons serve as well as beauty.
And so, for a sister who knew nothing of adorning herself and had never once tried, Chae Ryeon resolved to lend a hand.
Of course, she couldn't quite deny the little voice inside asking that if she couldn't meddle in something this entertaining, what else was she supposed to meddle in—but she elected to ignore it for now.