Hwagang.
The reason it was given the name "Steel Flower" was because of its unique terrain.
I looked out of the carriage at the black rocks standing in the middle of the sea.
Rocks rising as if sculpted by human hands.
The black rocks looked like steel, and their tips resembled flowers. People who saw them gave the place the name Hwagang.
I had seen it before.
Though back then, it was only the shattered remains of Hwagang after a Rakshasa attack.
At that moment, Arin spoke excitedly.
"If you look at it up close, it really looks like a flower. Let's go see it together."
"Yeah. I'd like to see it once."
I wanted to leisurely take in the breathtaking scenery nature had created.
When we arrived, Hwagang turned out to be a small city.
A calm city, unlike what one would expect from a coastal town.
The carriage stopped in front of the main residence of the Hwagang Yu clan, located on a hill.
"Hoo."
Even so, having come all this way, it was impossible not to feel nervous.
Outside the carriage stood Arin's father, Yu Hyeonseong.
"I-I-I'll get down first."
If anything, Arin seemed even more nervous than I was.
Sweating nervously, Arin stepped down from the carriage and immediately bowed deeply.
"I'm back, Father."
"Yes, you worked hard. Rest a bit and then begin your training."
"Yes, but—"
Before Arin could continue, I stepped down.
I was the one who had barged in uninvited, so I should be the one to say the difficult things.
"Hello! Sir!"
I greeted him as brightly as I could.
What I got in return was a sharp, piercing gaze.
It was truly unfortunate that I couldn't say, "I'm here to protect your daughter!"
"I told you no. Did you not receive my letter?"
"That's…"
Yu Hyeonseong asked Arin, but I answered in her place.
"Hahaha, this is a letter from my master. Please read it."
I approached as smoothly as possible and handed him the letter.
After checking Yakseon's letter, Yu Hyeonseong frowned and spoke.
"So you became Yakseon's direct disciple?"
"That's how it turned out. I'll only trouble you until Yakseon arrives. Would that be acceptable?"
There was no way he could refuse.
It was a request from none other than Yakseon.
Judging by the situation, they seemed acquainted, and Yakseon was also Arin's master, so ignoring the letter was out of the question.
"If it's Yakseon's request, then it can't be helped. I permit it."
"Thank you."
I had worried about being turned away at the door, but the first hurdle was cleared more easily than expected.
I love you, Yakseon.
I'll forget about getting hit during lessons.
I gave a thumbs-up to Arin, who was fidgeting nervously behind me.
Yu Hyeonseong let out a small sigh and said,
"Doyun will guide you."
"Yes, Head of the Family."
The man in his early thirties standing beside Yu Hyeonseong spoke with a stern expression.
"Follow me."
It sounded like he was looking down on me, but he clearly looked older than me, so I let it slide.
Before following Doyun, who was leading the way, I greeted Arin.
"See you later."
"Okay."
Seeing her smile brightly lifted my mood on its own.
That aside, the man named Doyun was treating me like an unwelcome guest.
He even seemed a bit hostile.
Still, since I was the more mature one, I tried greeting him amicably.
"Hello. I'm Lee Seoha from Cheongsin."
"I'm Jeong Doyun. I'm the patrol captain."
Even knowing I was from Cheongsin, he kept that attitude.
Perhaps he was someone from the Hwagang clan with no interest in politics.
Either way, I was happier than anyone to meet the patrol captain.
After all, the patrol captain was the person I most wanted to meet upon coming to Hwagang.
If there was something I lacked in preparing for this incident, it was information.
One might ask how someone who regressed could lack information, but there was nothing I could do.
The historical records about Yu Arin's rampage incident amounted to only a few lines.
They simply stated, dryly, that fifteen-year-old Yu Arin went berserk during the August vacation, killing not only the citizens of Hwagang but also the clan's warriors and even her close family.
Why the rampage happened, who caused it, and the exact date—I had to find all of that out myself.
To do that, cooperation from the patrol was absolutely necessary.
First, I needed to get close to them.
"What exactly does the patrol do?"
"Patrol."
Did he think I asked because I didn't know that?
I had felt it from the start—this man disliked me.
I didn't know why. Or rather, I had a pretty good idea.
The fact that I was friends with Arin.
And that a male student followed her here during vacation.
That probably didn't sit well with him.
"Still, does that mean Arin is actually quite cherished at home?"
Thinking about Yu Hyeonseong's behavior, that didn't seem quite right either.
Around the time those thoughts crossed my mind, we arrived at the guest quarters.
No—more accurately, it looked like the warriors' dormitory.
"Hwagang doesn't really have a place you could call guest quarters. The head of the family is frugal like that. And I can't put you in the inner quarters, so make do with this."
It was similar to the dorms at Seongmu Academy.
A two-story building with no regard for aesthetics.
"Is this where the patrol members stay?"
"That's right."
"Then that's great."
"Great?"
"Yes. I wanted to learn about patrol work."
Jeong Doyun snorted.
"Room three. The door's open, so unpack."
That was the end of the guidance.
I hadn't expected any special treatment anyway.
Strictly speaking, being able to live together with the patrol members meant things were going well.
Now I just had to get close to them.
I unpacked my things.
Calling it luggage was an exaggeration—just spare clothes, the acupuncture manual Yakseon gave me, and the sword issued by the academy.
"There's still today's training to do."
I had missed training because of the carriage ride.
I couldn't afford to waste another half day after already taking a full day off.
Fortunately, there was a training ground behind the dormitory.
Since no one was there, I took a spot and started with the Shinro Mind Method.
Cheonro and Gangro were things to be trained until death.
A kind of warm-up.
I had spent about one sikgyeong on this warm-up when—
"There he is. Over there."
I heard a man's voice from afar.
It was the patrol members returning after finishing their duties.
Judging by the way they said "there he is," they had come knowing I was here.
There were women among them too, so it seemed they all used the same dorm regardless of gender.
"Hey, hey. What's your name?"
One woman approached me with interest.
Since I was clearly younger among patrol members all in their twenties, it was only natural to draw attention.
I sprang to my feet and bowed.
"Hello! I'm Lee Seoha from Cheongsin, and I'll be staying here starting today."
I made sure to mention my clan name.
How would they react?
Normally, young warriors from the capital would make a big fuss trying to curry favor.
That would make things easier, but things rarely worked out that simply.
After my greeting, a large man stepped forward and spoke.
"Nice to meet you. I'm Oh Junbeom, leader of Squad One. Sorry, young master, but our policy here is 'no work, no food.' Can you clean, cook, anything like that?"
Work, right off the bat.
Oh Junbeom didn't seem interested in currying favor at all.
But that was actually perfect.
I had been thinking of asking to join the patrol anyway, so this was convenient.
I replied immediately.
"I want to work as part of the patrol."
"What?"
"It's been my dream to experience patrol work. I'd be grateful if you'd accept me."
"…Did you just say you want to do patrol work? Does this look like a joke to you?"
"No. I know it's hard work."
Patrol duty was not easy.
You could say it was just pairing up and walking around the city every day, but in reality, they lived on a battlefield their entire lives.
You never knew when an intruder or criminal would appear.
If someone did infiltrate, they were the first to risk their lives and fight.
They were the ones who would always throw their lives on the line when incidents occurred.
And preventing that in advance, detecting danger—that was the patrol's role.
"You know it's hard work?"
Junbeom smirked and said,
"Fine. Since you said it yourself, let's test you."
"Leader, he's just a kid. What test? Just have him chop firewood."
"Just a kid? He passed Seongmu Academy. And if he's from Cheongsin, wasn't he top of the entrance exam? He beat our young lady."
The woman nodded.
"Oh, right. That's true. And they say Seongmu Academy students are at the level of low-ranking warriors."
"That's what I'm saying. Lee Jihyeon, you test him."
"Me? How?"
"However you want."
"Really, however I want?"
Lee Jihyeon smiled as if amused.
What exactly was she planning?
Lee Jihyeon walked up in front of me and said,
"Alright. Let's play tag."
"Tag?"
"Yeah. What do you think is the most important quality for a patrol member?"
"Fast feet and situational awareness."
"Oh… correct."
Lee Jihyeon said, surprised.
Nothing to be surprised about.
In my previous life, I was part of the capital patrol at the early stage of being a low-ranking warrior.
Of course I knew.
The patrol's basic duty was maintaining public order.
Fast feet were needed to catch petty criminals, and situational awareness was needed to decide whether to call for backup or handle things alone.
"That's why tag is perfect. Catch me and subdue me—then you pass."
"Just catching you is enough?"
"You have to subdue me. I said arrest."
At that, Oh Junbeom chuckled.
Before I knew it, a crowd had gathered.
"Hey, Lee Jihyeon. How's a kid supposed to subdue you? Just let him touch you and pass him."
"Leader, if we do things like that, Hwagang's security will fall apart. Absolutely not."
"Oh come on. Is security really going to collapse just because we temporarily let one kid in?"
"If I'm doing it, I do it properly. If you've entrusted it to me, stay out of it."
"Hahaha. Alright, alright."
They seemed eager to make fun of me.
Common sense dictated that a fifteen-year-old subduing a patrol member who had passed the warrior exam was impossible.
She was probably planning to barely evade me and toy with me.
That was understandable.
For cocky kids with no real skill, showing them reality was the best medicine.
But they underestimated me.
Lee Jihyeon said confidently,
"Still, I'll only run within this training ground. Time limit is one gak. That hourglass right there measures exactly one gak."
I looked at the hourglass.
Oh Junbeom was ready to flip it as soon as we started.
"Then count out loud to five and chase me. Let's start!"
At Lee Jihyeon's shout, the hourglass turned, and I slowly began counting.
As slowly as possible, so no one could complain later.
"One… two… three…"
"Still got pride, huh? Counting slow."
"Hey, let's bet on when he gives up."
"He'll try till the end. He's from Seongmu Academy."
"I bet he gives up quick. Kids like that have never tasted frustration before, so they quit right away."
"Yeah, that's how young masters usually are."
I can hear all of you.
The countdown ended.
"Five."
"Finally done counting?"
As expected, Lee Jihyeon didn't put much distance between us, clearly planning to mock me.
I let out a small breath and said,
"Don't say you were careless later."
"Do they teach bluffing like that at Seongmu Academy—?!"
I immediately charged straight at Lee Jihyeon.
The method was simple.
I focused my inner energy into my legs and closed the distance with Gongsi Daebo.
It was a footwork technique created by my grandfather, the strongest of this era.
A technique patrol members from the border regions had never seen.
Lee Jihyeon looked flustered, clearly caught off guard.
If a full-fledged patrol member got subdued by a fifteen-year-old, she'd be teased for life, but I had no intention of holding back.
"With the most basic restraint technique!"
I lifted one of Lee Jihyeon's legs as she retreated.
"This—!"
She staggered, and I didn't miss the opening, grabbing her arm, twisting it, and throwing her down.
She fell forward, and I finished by pressing my knee to her face.
A textbook arrest technique.
If my old instructor had seen this, wouldn't he have praised me?
"Hyaaah! It hurts! That hurts!"
It seemed I had put too much strength into it while reminiscing.
I released the joint lock and asked Oh Junbeom,
"Is this enough, Squad Leader?"
"..."
The expressions on Oh Junbeom and the patrol members were a sight to behold.