Chapter 45
“I plan to leave tomorrow.”
“I see.”
Even at Jegal Dam’s sudden words, Unyeong only nodded calmly.
It was about time. She had already expected as much.
“Thanks to Lady Seol, I’ve broadened my knowledge quite a bit. I ought to express my gratitude.”
“There’s no need. On the contrary, I should be thanking you. I know you’ve been very tolerant with me.”
Unyeong knew well. Jegal Dam had been patient with her far more often than not.
They had clashed many times in the beginning. Although she had tried to keep within reasonable bounds, there was no denying that it was largely Jegal Dam who had yielded.
Well, I couldn’t suppress my curiosity… and that’s why I kept hanging around, wasn’t it?
With a light smile, Unyeong looked at him.
“Think nothing of it. There’s nothing to forgive.”
“Then I’m even more grateful.”
But gratitude aside, the real point of her words began now.
“There’s something I’d like to ask of you.”
“If it concerns songs and records of the past, there’s no need to ask me. I intend to return to my clan and search the archives myself.”
Jegal Dam’s voice was firm, his will unshakable. Seeing that resolute expression, Unyeong smiled warmly.
“That’s not it. What I’m about to say may be difficult… but I hope you’ll accept.”
“I will listen.”
He inclined his head readily. Unyeong drew in a deep breath; she needed to steel herself.
“I’ve heard that the Jegal Clan has set up formations and mechanical arrays for other clans before. I’d like to install such formations and mechanisms in the Seol household as well.”
“…Lady, that is not a decision I can make.”
Jegal Dam’s expression turned awkward as he refused.
“I know. Only a handful of clans with close ties to your family have ever received such aid.”
“Yes, that is my understanding as well.”
“But wouldn’t it be possible… if the Seol household were to become one of those close allies?”
“That is… what do you mean?”
Jegal Dam faltered, his words cut short.
“Ah—I nearly caused a misunderstanding. Then let me put it this way: I know the location of a source of meteoric iron.”
In her memories, meteoric iron had been discovered in Hyogam County, Hubei. She’d heard who had claimed it but forgotten soon after.
When she first heard the news, she had felt both joy and sorrow—it was so close to her hometown of Hong’an.
“How could you possibly…?”
“That’s not important. What matters is that I know. It may not match cold iron in strength, but meteoric iron is precious. In terms of rarity, it may even surpass it.”
“I have heard as much as well.”
“But the Seol family cannot develop a mine alone. You understand why, don’t you?”
Jegal Dam could not answer. He couldn’t say yes, nor could he deny it.
Any iron mine was a treasure. Countless powers would rush to stake a claim, and with rare ores, the scramble would only intensify.
Yet the Seol family had no strength to hold such a mine by themselves.
“What if the Seol family and the Jegal Clan developed the meteoric iron mine together? Would that not be enough?”
Jegal Dam fell into silence. After a long moment of thought, he spoke.
“If what you say is true, then I may be able to persuade my elders.”
That was all Unyeong needed. Her face lit with a bright smile.
“Thank you, Young Master.”
“Do not take this lightly. Should your words prove false, both you and the Seol family will face the wrath of the Jegal Clan.”
His tone was stern, but Unyeong only smiled.
She knew for certain where the iron lay. The land could be bought. There was no problem.
“I’m not saying we must begin at once. The same goes for the formations. Once things are certain, I will send word. That will suffice, won’t it?”
“Of course, my lady.”
Jegal Dam sipped his tea, calming his shaken heart.
Conversations with Unyeong always went like this—unexpected revelations that stole the initiative before he knew it.
“I plan to enter the Martial Academy in five years. I hope you’ll enroll there before I do.”
At those words, Jegal Dam’s composure finally cracked, even more than when she spoke of the iron. He understood what she was truly implying.
His expression twisted. After a long pause, he asked hoarsely:
“You… truly believe…?”
“Yes. I am certain.”
That an age of chaos was coming.
Unyeong swallowed the rest of her words and only nodded.
She was still a child—he could have dismissed it as nonsense. But Jegal Dam couldn’t. Everything she had said, everything she had shown, everything he himself had suspected… it all aligned.
“The Martial Academy has fallen into disgrace. Yet it must be revived, and talents gathered there.”
The academy in Wuhan was once held in high regard under the Martial Alliance. Its graduates filled the ranks of the Alliance’s finest.
But after decades of peace, the Alliance revolved solely around the Five Great Clans and the Ten Great Sects.
Now the academy’s only purpose was to admit wandering swordsmen or minor disciples and churn out low-ranking warriors.
“But if the heir of the Jegal Clan were to enroll, wouldn’t that change?”
Her expression was earnest, deadly serious.
Unyeong remembered well what the Alliance had become before Jegal Dam, as Chief Strategist, rebuilt it from ruins.
When the threat of the Heavenly Palace grew, those in high office abandoned the Alliance, claiming they had to protect their own clans. In the end, even they perished.
The Alliance, bloated and crumbling, had its chains of command shattered, its intelligence network dissolved. It was the Chief Strategist who restored order and held the line until the bitter end.
My old friend… he was truly remarkable.
If preparations were to be made early, they had to begin from the ground up.
If heirs like Jegal Dam or Namgung Hwi joined the Academy, many talents would follow. And if she could gather the promising figures she remembered there, then the foundation would be strong.
“For now, I cannot give you an answer.”
“I understand.”
“I will need time to consider.”
“There’s no urgency.”
Unyeong nodded with a faint smile.
She understood his hesitation. It was one thing to vaguely suspect, another to be certain.
He would need time. And then—he would accept.
“Perhaps I may offer a thought to aid your deliberation.”
“I’m listening.”
“They say that at fifteen, you first set your heart on learning. Hence that age is called the year of aspiring to study.”
“Yes, that is true.”
“But my dearest friend once told me: what matters is not learning itself, but setting your heart firmly upon something.”
“Wise words indeed.”
Of course they were—they had been spoken by the future Chief Strategist.
He had once confessed deep regret—that he had squandered too many years wandering when he should have set an unyielding resolve.
“You will soon turn fifteen. I hope you can find a purpose that will never waver.”
“I will engrave your words in my heart. Thank you, my lady.”
Jegal Dam inclined his head.
In other words, stop wasting your time, you foolish genius.
Unyeong hid her exasperation behind a smile.
“And please accept this.”
She slid an envelope toward him. Inside were papers filled with coded ciphers.
“What is this?”
“A playful cipher system I’ve organized. Once you return, please use it when sending me anything related to the songs and records.”
“A code… interesting. Very well, I’ll use it.”
Jegal Dam accepted it without hesitation. Unyeong’s smile deepened.
He’ll be shocked when he reads it. Ah, what a shame I won’t see his face then. It would be priceless.
Her grin was full of mischief.
“And one more thing.”
At that, Jegal Dam chuckled softly.
“What amuses you so?”
“Nothing. Please continue.”
Why was this child so full of worries? Why did she always have ‘one more thing’ to say?
Yet this time, he found himself almost eager to hear her words.
“There’s an old saying: ‘Keep matters secret, and they will succeed; let words slip, and they will fail.’”
“A teaching of Master Han Feizi—yes.”
“Exactly. Therefore…”
“Do not worry, my lady. I will keep the Seol household’s secrets.”
“Thank you, Young Master.”
Her smile was bright as she bowed her head.
“But there is also another saying: ‘Heaven knows, Earth knows, you know, I know.’”
“…Meaning, there is no such thing as a secret.”
“Young Master!”
“A jest, only a jest. Hahaha!”
For the first time, Jegal Dam laughed openly, a hearty sound unlike anything Unyeong had heard from him
