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Translator: Vine
Chapter: 32
Chapter Title: A Special Gift
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The two bickering individuals stopped talking and turned their heads when they sensed Namgung Cheongun and Seolhwa's presence.
Seeing Seolhwa appear, holding her father's hand, their lips stretched into wide grins.
The General Manager held back Seop Mugwang, who looked ready to bolt forward.
After glaring fiercely at each other for a moment, Seop Mugwang snorted and took a step back.
The General Manager smiled gently and stepped in front of Seolhwa.
"I greet the Young Lady once again. I am Namgung Mun, the clan's General Manager."
His formal greeting was accompanied by a gaze that dripped with affection as he looked down at her.
"Hello. General Manager Elder. I'm Namgung Seolhwa."
"Please call me General Manager Grandfather. You used to call me that."
"Yes. General Manager Grandfather."
A hint of regret flickered across Namgung Mun's expression.
"It is regrettable that I could not watch the Young Lady grow up by your side like this. Time truly is cruel."
He let out a bitter chuckle, then straightened his back and stepped aside.
"I've brought some gifts for the Young Lady. I hope they are to your liking?"
Seolhwa naturally looked behind him and stared blankly at the piles of items filling the courtyard.
The front yard of the pavilion was stacked with an enormous amount of goods, taller than a person's height.
"What is all this…?"
"These are the jewels, silks, gold bars, and elixirs that the Patriarch has bestowed upon the Young Lady."
"Why are these for me…?"
"The Patriarch instructed us to calculate everything you did not receive over the past eight years and give it to you. All of these are things you would have naturally received if you had been here in Namgung, so please do not feel burdened."
The mountain of gifts brought by the General Manager appeared, at first glance, to be more than double the wealth Seolhwa had possessed in her previous life.
"Would you like to take a look?"
The General Manager led Seolhwa forward.
There were not only boxes full of gold bars, but also top-quality silks and fabrics, and ornaments that looked like they were from foreign lands.
There were over 50 types of accessories, and more than a hundred matching outfits and embroidered shoes.
That wasn't all.
Many precious-looking elixirs were also visible, their valuable energy palpable even without direct inspection. It would take several months to consume them all.
"Look at this."
Namgung Mun opened a small, luxurious box.
For a moment, her eyes closed and opened as they were momentarily dazzled by a sparkling light reflecting the sunlight.
Inside the box was an intricately crafted ornament made of a clear, glass-like material that emitted a pure light.
The earrings, bracelet, and ring resembled snowflakes, truly a 'Seolhwa' (Snow Flower).
A subtle blue light shimmered in Seolhwa's black eyes.
"The Patriarch kept this, thinking of the Young Lady even before your return. It is a rare item he brought back from his travels outside the land. Isn't it beautiful?"
Seolhwa quietly nodded her head.
This treasure from beyond the borders, which she had never seen in her previous life, was indeed wondrous to her.
"Shall I have the maids organize them in your quarters?"
Seolhwa tore her gaze from the treasure and nodded.
"Bring the items into the Young Lady's quarters! If even one item goes missing, you will be punished, so don't even think of anything foolish! Move quickly!"
At the General Manager's command, the maids he had brought and the maids of the quarters scurried into action.
As there was a large quantity, it took quite a long time to move all the items inside the pavilion.
Watching the busy maids, Namgung Cheongun quietly remarked,
"It seems like the quantities the Jaegeondangju-nim would easily part with."
"I just came from there, after knocking him down for throwing a tantrum. What am I supposed to do when it's the Patriarch's command?"
Seop Mugwang snorted and interjected.
He looked down at Seolhwa with a sulky expression.
"You don't seem to like them much, do you? Little squirt."
The General Manager, who was beside them, jumped in protest.
"What nonsense! Are you blind? She's clearly delighted! And I told you to call her 'Young Lady'!"
"Once a little squirt, always a little squirt. Isn't that right?"
"No, but this man…!"
Seolhwa gently tugged the General Manager's sleeve.
"It's alright. I prefer that too."
In fact, Seop Mugwang held a significant position in the clan, but he wasn't truly a clan member.
He was Namgung Mucheon's man.
The Patriarch, Namgung Mucheon, had merely created a key position for him to keep him close, but the Bipunggeomdae was essentially Namgung Mucheon's personal force.
So, it was more comfortable for Seolhwa not to be treated as a Young Lady.
Seop Mugwang chuckled and playfully nudged the General Manager's shoulder.
"See? I told you I'm close with the Young Lady! Are you jealous?"
"No, I'm not!"
"You lost again."
He chuckled and looked down at Seolhwa.
His gaze was filled with pride.
"You've finally returned to the home you longed for so much. How do you feel? Gaining so much wealth overnight."
"I'm not sure yet."
Wealth, whether she had it or not, didn't matter.
What was important was how much she could change and save the Namgung Clan.
She hadn't returned hoping for riches and glory in the first place, so Namgung Mucheon's unexpected gifts only left her a little bewildered.
"It's good to be back in the clan."
"As expected, the gifts the General Manager brought are lackluster. Honestly, how can you not understand the heart of the one you serve so diligently?"
Shaking his head with a sigh, he pulled something hidden inside his long robe.
It was an object about half Seolhwa's height, wrapped in white cloth.
It seemed he had it from the start, but it hadn't been visible because his arms were crossed.
"Here, little squirt. I brought you a gift you'll like. It's my welcome-home present."
Seop Mugwang casually tossed it to her.
Seolhwa instinctively caught it.
It was heavier than she expected.
"I knew it. I knew the Bipunggeom were sly, but really, this is too much!"
"Is that something for someone who brought a mountain of gold and treasures to say?"
"These are gifts from the Patriarch!"
Seop Mugwang snorted at the bristling General Manager and looked down at Seolhwa.
"Unwrap it."
As Seolhwa untied the knot in the cloth, the wrapping automatically slid off.
"…!"
Seolhwa's eyes sparkled when she saw the object hidden within the cloth.
Seop Mugwang's gift was a sword.
And it was a sword of a suitable size for Seolhwa to wield.
The gleaming white scabbard was adorned with gold, making it both ornate and beautiful.
The hilt was firmly wrapped in leather straps for a comfortable grip, and a red knot ornament hung from its end.
"Draw it."
*Swoosh—*
As she drew the sword, Seolhwa's pupils trembled.
'Smooth.'
The sensation of drawing the sword was unbelievably smooth. And with that smoothness, a chilling sharpness could be felt.
She knew it without even needing to swing it.
'It's a masterpiece.'
An incredible one, at that.
"Is it… Hancheol?"
Seolhwa looked back at Seop Mugwang, as if disbelieving.
Seop Mugwang, perhaps expecting this reaction, chuckled and puffed out his chest.
"Yes. You recognize it."
"…!"
Hancheol was the most popular material among masters for making weapons due to its high strength and lightness.
However, it was not only difficult to obtain, but there were also few craftsmen who knew how to refine Hancheol, so few people actually possessed weapons made from it.
'I didn't have this in my previous life.'
She had seen them, though.
Four of the Hyeolgyo's Six Hyeolju had them.
But she had never personally owned one.
"Are you… really giving this to me…?"
"Yes. Do you like it?"
Seolhwa nodded blankly.
Seop Mugwang burst into a satisfied laugh.
His shoulders were visibly higher.
"See? This is the kind of gift you should give! This is a genuinely delighted reaction!"
He was so excited that he even smacked the General Manager's back repeatedly!
"If you lose three times, there's no coming back! Hahaha!"
The General Manager was indignant, but he had no choice but to admit defeat.
While she had shown wonder earlier, now her eyes were clearly sparkling, visible to anyone.
Seop Mugwang grinned slyly and ruffled Seolhwa's hair.
"It makes me happy to see you like it so much. By the way, this is a sword I used to use."
"…!"
At his words, Namgung Cheongun and the General Manager turned to him in surprise.
Only then did Seolhwa see the engraving 'Thunder' on the blade.
Namgung Cheongun called Seop Mugwang with a dark expression.
"Bipungdaeju-nim."
"Hm?"
"May I speak with you for a moment?"
"Hmm."
Seop Mugwang raised an eyebrow.
He was not unaware of why Namgung Cheongun was reacting this way.
"Alright, then."
The General Manager sighed and shook his head at Seop Mugwang, who shrugged nonchalantly.
Namgung Cheongun placed a hand on Seolhwa's shoulder, who still couldn't take her eyes off the sword, and asked,
"Seolhwa. Don't you want to try out the sword?"
Seolhwa looked up at him with sparkling eyes.
"Go to the training grounds. Father will follow soon."
"Then, I shall escort the Young Lady to the training grounds. I was planning to head back anyway."
"Thank you, General Manager Elder."
"I hope it will be a productive conversation. Shall we go, Young La… hmm?"
By then, Seolhwa had already moved quite a distance away.
"Young Lady, let's go together…!"
The General Manager hurriedly chased after the child, whose steps seemed unusually light.
