Chereads / The Son-in-Law of a Prestigious Family Wants a Divorce / Chapter 7 - Chapter 6: First writing

Chapter 7 - Chapter 6: First writing

Recently, the topic of conversation surrounding the Malidan Wall has been endless, with rumors spreading like wildfire.

Thanks to this, the cold feels a little less biting, time flies by while on watch duty, and even the soldiers, usually quiet, have become surprisingly chatty.

There were two main topics of discussion.

The first, naturally, was the beast horde.

"The beast horde is lasting longer than expected."

"Some unfamiliar beasts have appeared as well. They're not particularly threatening, but it would be wise to summon a beast scholar from the capital to investigate."

"Repairs on the wall are ongoing every day, but we may need to adjust the timing. The beasts seem to attack during repair hours."

This wasn't the first time a beast horde had appeared near the Malidan Wall.

However, the unusually prolonged nature of this one had led to requests for support from the kingdom's nobles.

The second topic was, of course, about the noble who had responded to the support request and was soon to arrive—a son-in-law from Helmut.

"Helmut? Is Helmut really coming here?"

"Aren't they hosting the Sword Festival right now? And yet they're sending someone?"

"I heard they're sending a son-in-law, of all people. Typical Helmut, pulling their usual stunts."

"Oh boy, those muscle-bound orcs are playing games again."

Inside the fortress of Malidan, in a small tavern.

It was no ordinary tavern—it had been established by the lord of the fortress himself as a gesture of goodwill toward the soldiers guarding the front lines.

In reality, this tavern served as both a break room and an impromptu war room for the soldiers of Malidan.

Among the knights gathered there, sipping juice instead of beer, was a woman with hair as white as snow.

Silverna Caldias, the only daughter of the Margrave, clicked her tongue with a sly grin.

"What a shame. I was hoping the eldest daughter would come instead."

"Whoa!"

"That's our lady for you!"

"Even Helmut's Blood Rose would fall to her knees before your spear!"

Cheers erupted across the tavern. Silverna raised her hand to calm them before picking up her spear by her side.

Her lieutenant, Anna, who was sitting across the table, hurriedly rose to follow her.

"I'm heading to my post!"

"Take care!"

"Good luck out there, Lady Silverna!"

"Yeah, yeah."

With a nonchalant reply, Sylverna stepped outside.

"Achoo!"

The chilly wind made Anna sneeze as her cloak fluttered.

"Ugh, it's April, and it's still freezing."

"It's always like this here."

Even stepping outside, the massive wall loomed, dominating the view.

As long as the Malidan Wall stood, this unnatural cold would never go away.

As they made their way to the wall for their shift, Anna kept chattering.

"By the way, my lady, do you really need to take on watch duty yourself?"

Silverna's father, Uldren Caldias, was not only the Margrave but also the lord of this land.

As his only daughter, she had no obligation to serve like the common soldiers.

"I'm a soldier guarding the wall too. It's only right that I take on shifts. And Anna, don't pretend you're not just trying to weasel your way out of duty."

"…."

Anna blushed in embarrassment, her excuse seen through immediately.

"See? I told you to stay as my maid. Why'd you insist on learning how to use a spear and tagging along?"

"Because! Serving you is my duty, my lady! I've always been by your side since childhood!"

"I didn't think you'd follow me to the military."

Silverna smiled faintly as they braced against the biting wind, finally arriving at the wall.

After a handover from the previous shift, Silverna and Anna climbed the wall.

Unlike the front-facing wall, the rear wall duty was more relaxed.

There was no chance of beasts attacking from this direction, so only a minimal number of soldiers were stationed there.

"Rear wall duty is always a bit dull."

"Most people are happy when it's their turn here. They say it's easier."

"There's no sense of urgency."

Yawning, Silverna flipped through the transit list handed to her during the handover.

Most of the names on the list were nobles.

It meant the kingdom's nobles had responded to the call for support and were arriving at the Malidan Wall.

"Tch."

Silverna clicked her tongue skeptically.

"Look at this, Anna. Drakemoor, Hyredell, Blackson, Silverbrook. All the renowned houses sent nothing but nobodies I've never even heard of."

"Haha… right."

"The frontlines are basically their training grounds for grooming their promising talents, huh?"

"Well, there's no safer place to gain real combat experience than Malidan. Plus, they can learn some spear techniques on the side."

"Tsk, what's the point of requesting support if we don't even need it? Why should we help these nobles who are just looking for ways to further their own interests?"

"It can't be helped. If a beast horde lasts for three months, the law requires us to mobilize the nobility."

"It's ridiculous! Are we the ones marching out to fight? We're defenders of the wall! We just need to bash the beasts' heads in until the horde naturally dissipates! But because it takes a little longer—"

"Yes, yes, I understand. Everyone knows, but there's nothing we can do about it."

"The royal family deliberately avoids repealing that law. They're just using us to raise their young nobles!"

"Then you're contributing to the kingdom, aren't you? Wow, that's great."

"…Anna, are you still mad about what I said earlier?"

Anna, now silent, focused on reviewing the list of names. Everyone who was supposed to arrive had done so, except for one crucial house.

"Helmut hasn't arrived yet?"

"If they had, the rumors would already be flying."

Considering the remoteness of this location and the tight-knit bonds formed over years of camaraderie, news spread like wildfire. While they were unyielding soldiers who never retreated while guarding the wall, their mouths were even quicker than the falling snow.

"A commoner married into the Helmut family… I've never met him before."

"Oh, you didn't attend the wedding. That was when Lady Liana defeated you in a duel, wasn't it?"

Silverna bristled at the comment.

"She didn't beat me! I was just exhausted after facing the eldest son first!"

"But wasn't the eldest daughter far stronger than the eldest son?"

"There's no comparison."

Clicking her tongue in irritation, Silverna pondered curiously.

"A commoner who melted the heart of a woman colder than the northern winters. I have to admit, I'm a bit intrigued."

"Apparently, he was a ferryman who rowed boats across the river. They say he was handsome, charming, and quite popular."

"A ferryman?"

"Yes! That's why society was in such an uproar over their marriage. A union that transcended status—so romantic!"

"Romantic, huh?"

Having met Liana Helmut in person, Silverna found it hard to associate the word "romantic" with someone like her.

"The Helmut carriage is arriving!"

At the soldier's shout, Silverna grinned mischievously and bolted forward.

"Lady Silverna?! Please don't do anything rash! They're technically guests under the Helmut name!"

"If they've come to the Malidan Wall, they'll have to follow the Caldias rules, romantically, of course."

Her playful smirk widened as her gaze locked onto the luxurious Helmut carriage.

***

The massive front gate creaked open, emitting a noise akin to a giant's groan.

Alongside the carriage, Isaac walked ahead, advising Jonathan.

"Jonathan, don't show any fear. The moment you flinch unnecessarily, they'll look down on you even more."

"R-right. I am the mighty Rose of Helmut, after all."

That wasn't a bad way to think. Whether he wanted it or not, he carried the Helmut name now.

"Welcome to Malidan." greeted a soldier with a mocking smile as they entered.

The people here were essentially the private army of the Caldias family, so it was natural for them to harbor ill feelings toward anyone from Helmut.

"Especially since Silverna openly voiced her disdain for us." thought Jonathan.

Thanks to her remarks, the other soldiers were likely to look down on them as well.

"No wonder the family head didn't want to send anyone here."

If the eldest son, Lohengrin, had been sent instead, the moment the gates opened, he would've drawn his greatsword and caused a scene.

Silverna would then have subdued him, establishing a clear power hierarchy.

"The quarters for the noble delegates are in that building over there. If you have any complaints—"

The soldier subtly tested their reaction while pointing to a shabby structure.

Some of the young nobles might have been offended or even refused to stay there initially.

But in the end, they all would've reluctantly entered.

This was not a place where spoiled young nobles were tolerated.

"It's fine. Let's go, Jonathan."

"Yes, sir!"

With Jonathan forcing himself to puff out his chest and muster some confidence, they guided the carriage toward the designated lodging.

"Wait, what?"

The soldier, who knew all too well the infamous arrogance of House Helmut, was left dumbfounded as he watched Isaac leave without protest. He hadn't expected such a calm response.

"They didn't cause a commotion?"

"They were surprisingly gentlemanly. I… I was caught off guard."

Atop the ramparts, Silverna, who had been waiting with a spear in hand, fully prepared to intervene when the so-called Helmut son-in-law inevitably threw a fit, now looked genuinely baffled.

"Guess the provocation didn't work, huh?"

"Seems like it. Despite being a commoner, he must have some self-restraint."

Silverna had assumed that being part of House Helmut would naturally make him share their infamous temper and arrogance.

"I really didn't think he'd just take being called a small fry and let it slide."

"So, what now? You know causing trouble at the noble's lodging could get complicated, right?"

"I know, I know. I'm no thug. If they're going to be civil, there's no point in picking a fight."

"Then…"

"However."

With her spear slung across her back, Silverna grinned mischievously.

"Our great guest from Helmut ought to learn exactly what kind of place this is."

"Wait, my lady?!"

Just as she stepped off the ramparts, intending to head to the guest lodging, she suddenly halted, paused for a moment, then turned back to her post.

"Oh right, I'm on duty. Almost messed that up."

"…."

"I'll go after my shift's over!"

***

The guest lodging was surprisingly decent.

For one, it offered privacy.

While aides like Jonathan were housed in a separate building that resembled a barracks with large communal rooms, Isaac found himself with a space all to himself.

"Well, compared to that, this is fine."

Though modest, the room had everything he needed: a bed, desk, and chair. It wasn't much different from the guest rooms back at Helmut. There was no reason to complain.

After roughly unpacking his belongings, Isaac pulled out paper, ink, and a pen.

"Glad it didn't freeze."

Sitting at the desk, he began to write.

With words, he wielded his sword.

Isaac, the "Silent Sword."

Many had called him that with reverence, though Isaac himself had never sought such a title.

Which is why, in this life, the first book he chose to write was none other than "My Sword"—a manual for himself.

In his previous life, he had authored nearly dozens of books, yet not a single one had been written for his own sake.

"This is fun."

For countless hours, even days, he had wrestled with these sentences in his mind. Words and theories he had abandoned bringing to life due to his ruined right leg now began to flow freely onto the page.

"Really fun."

The theories that had once been stifled by the constraints of reality now transcended the barrier of time, spreading out before him.

Black ink traced elegant strokes, the pen's tip singing against the paper.

"This is incredible!"

His heart raced, and without realizing it, his hand moved faster and faster.

["You're like a child reaching for the stars—knowing it's impossible, yet still stretching out your hand."]

"Master, you were right."

Back then, he had denied it.

He had wanted to wield a sword but had only been able to grasp a pen—a tragedy he had refused to accept.

"But I never gave up. Not even once."

The thrill of finally using his knowledge for himself was so exhilarating that Isaac lost all sense of time.

By the time he realized, night had already fallen, yet his room was far from dim.

For in that moment, Isaac's eyes shone brighter than any star in the night sky.