After the battle with the Transcendents, The Malidan Wall, now revealed to be near a great colony, was bustling every day.
It wasn't just a matter of standing guard on the wall.
Every day, reconnaissance squads were dispatched for scouting missions.
Everyone prayed for the safety of the squads heading out daily to confirm the dangers outside.
An unintended disaster.
"Sigh."
"I want to go home."
Hearing that beast colony was nothing to worry about, the dispatched nobles tried to relax, but their expressions remained grim.
A catastrophe that had not occurred for 23 years.
The realization that they were at its center filled them with dread.
Moreover, the previous night's events—where they were utterly defeated by the Transcendent without any resistance—had left an indelible trauma.
[Do not tell them.]
Isaac had shared everything he knew about the Transcendents with Uldren and Silverna,
But Uldren chose not to make it public.
It was unclear whether the great colony was connected to the Transcendents,
And spreading such information would only plunge the already fragile morale into deeper chaos.
The betrayal of the Blackson family had already been reported to the royal family.
Their treachery would likely be investigated step by step by the royal family.
"Whew!"
Amidst all this busyness,
Isaac alone was spending his days both contentedly and productively.
Recognized for his performance in the recent events,
Isaac was excused from wall duty.
In a time when every additional person was critical,
It was thanks to Silverna's strong influence that Isaac could dedicate himself to sword training.
"There he goes again."
Having just finished lunch, Silverna observed Isaac from afar.
Isaac was sparring with Jonathan.
For several days now, Isaac had been repeating sparring and training.
What was peculiar, though, was—
"Isaac wins every time."
Anna, who had finished her meal and handed Silverna a cup of ginger tea, remarked.
Slurp.
Just as Anna said, Isaac's sword effortlessly overpowered Jonathan.
Jonathan, sprawled on the ground, got up with a determined look, declaring he would challenge Isaac again.
His stamina was certainly impressive.
In any case,
Defeating a knight of Helmut, even one of the lower ranks, was no small feat.
Yet, Silverna and Anna had mixed feelings.
"There's a record of duels among the dispatched nobles. Isaac has had 41 matches, with 2 wins and 39 losses."
"..."
"For reference, Jonathan has 23 matches, with 17 wins and 6 losses."
Isaac's sparring with Jonathan was unofficial, so it wasn't recorded,
But excluding the initial matches, Isaac had consistently dominated Jonathan.
"Of course, Isaac has mostly dueled nobles with outstanding skills…."
Some of those nobles had even lost to Jonathan.
Something about these records felt strange.
Silverna kept her thoughts to herself, sensing they were best left unsaid.
"If I may speak on your behalf."
Anna awkwardly scratched her cheek before continuing.
"Isaac seems almost like… someone trained specifically to counter Helmut knights."
"..."
"He easily handles other nobles who wield greatswords,
But against Helmut knights, it's as if he anticipates their moves several steps ahead."
"..."
"And that's why Sir Isaac can beat Jonathan even with less training."
"Sigh."
"If it were anyone else, it'd be understandable, but for the son-in-law of Helmut to be like this…"
It was as if all his accumulated knowledge and skills had been specifically tailored for defeating Helmut.
"Enough. Stop worrying about it. He'll figure it out himself."
The idea of Helmut's son-in-law evolving into a hunter specializing in taking down Helmut was unsettling, but that was Isaac's life to live.
"Argh!"
At that moment, Isaac once again defeated Jonathan.
"…Let's call it a day."
Jonathan groaned.
Isaac, now too familiar with Jonathan's style, seemed to have concluded there was nothing more to learn from him. Clicking his tongue, he dismissed Jonathan without hesitation.
Watching this unfold, Silverna decided to approach Isaac.
"I'll be back." she said.
"Are you going again? You've been spending too much time with him lately!" Anna protested.
"We're friends, aren't we? Besides, it's not like I'm slacking off. I'm helping Isaac compile his manual, and I'm getting some advice for myself in the process."
As she walked away, Anna sighed with concern.
'Is that the face of someone just visiting a friend?'
Even the cold wind couldn't freeze the radiant smile Silverna wore. She'd been waiting for the right time while pretending to watch from afar.
'My lady, please.'
He's married!
Anna wanted to scream.
"Isaac, I'm here." Silverna greeted.
Isaac, wiping sweat from his brow, welcomed her warmly.
"Silverna, you came again."
Seeing his cheerful response, Silverna replied with a sly smile.
"Sigh, I'm ridiculously busy, you know. I only come because you asked, don't forget that."
"Yeah, yeah, I know. Do you have to say it every day?"
"You should be more grateful. Who else around here could help you like I do?"
Silverna was actively assisting Isaac in his swordsmanship training and research.
The manual he was working on, "Isaac's Sword" was heavily influenced by Silverna's contributions.
"Alright, alright. Remember what we were working on yesterday? Get into position and block my strikes."
"You're still working on that?"
The two of them began to exchange blows with their weapons, now accustomed to each other's rhythm.
A few minutes later, Isaac told her to wait as he crouched down jot notes with his pen.
'He's amazing.'
While he'd told Silverna he was refining the spear techniques of Caldias.
Yet, seeing Isaac steadily advancing in swordsmanship from the very beginning. Silverna couldn't help but feel a slight sense of inferiority.
Was this what it meant to see the difference in talent?
"What about Blackson?"
Isaac asked, still scribbling.
The Blackson family was the noble house that had aided the Transcendents. One of their members was even among the dispatched nobles here.
"There's been no movement. The one here seems young. Maybe he didn't know anything about the Transcendents?"
"…"
Without responding, Isaac continued writing. He'd sparred with the Blackson noble several times but hadn't noticed anything unusual.
Silverna stood silently for a moment, watching him write, before her lips twitched.
She had something she wanted to ask but hesitated, knowing it was a sensitive subject.
"About Liana—"
Almost instinctively, words slipped out of Silverbna's mouth before she realized it.
"Hm?"
She quickly tried to cover her mouth with her hand, but it was too late. Isaac had already turned to look at her.
It was already too late.
Silverna hesitated briefly before forcing an awkward smile and asking.
"Liana's pretty skilled, right?"
Thinking it was just a casual question, Isaac nodded while resuming his writing.
"Of course. Other than the family head, she's the strongest in Helmut."
She possessed unparalleled skill among her siblings.
"I beat the eldest son easily too, but I lost to Liana. Though, to be fair, I was already exhausted!"
Isaac chuckled at her hasty addition.
'To be honest…'
In her current state, Silverna was no match for Liana. She had yet to fully realize her potential.
'But she's working hard.'
After hearing Isaac's advice last time, Silverna had been striving to find her own version of Caldias.
"Liana… well, she's an extraordinary swordsman." Isaac said, trying to dismiss the topic vaguely, not wanting to delve too deeply into her.
But Silverna, oblivious to his intentions, started talking about her rival.
"Honestly, there's been talk that Liana's skills are somewhat exaggerated. They call her the Blood Rose, but compared to Lohengrin, the eldest son, she hasn't really proven herself."
"…"
"But I've faced her myself, so I know. There's an insurmountable gap between Liana and Lohengrin."
"Well, that's true." Isaac admitted.
He paused his pen and stared blankly at the ground.
"Did you know?"
Reflecting on the past, Isaac let out a faint laugh and muttered, "Liana can split a river."
"…Huh?"
Silverna looked at him, confused by the absurd statement, but Isaac just smirked at her reaction.
Still unable to grasp his meaning, Silverna asked,
"What, is that a metaphor? Like splitting a river of enemies or something?"
"Haha, think of it however you want."
Even now, remembering the ridiculous scene made Isaac chuckle to himself.
Realizing he wasn't joking, Silverna tilted her head in confusion and asked,
"Why would someone split a river?"
It was an honest question.
If you're training, just train—why would you need to split a river?
Silverna waited for an answer. Isaac, treating it as a distant memory, casually replied, "It was for a proposal."
"What? What does that even mean?"
Silverna pressed for an explanation, but Isaac brushed it off, saying it wasn't important.
"Never mind that. Do you have time? Can you help me a bit more?"
Isaac closed his book and looked at her.
"Ugh, again?"
Although she technically had plenty of time, she hesitated.
"Hmm, hold on. Let me check with Anna first."
"Thanks."
"It's going to be a pain, you know. I'm super busy."
Pretending to grumble, Silverna turned and headed toward Anna, who was waiting in the distance.
"Hehe."
The fact that Isaac needed her and kept asking for her help filled Silverna with quiet delight.
***
The next day, at the same time.
Silverna finished her lunch and went to find Isaac, just as she had the day before.
Where's Anna?
Anna was strangely nowhere to be seen, and searching for her had delayed Silverna a bit. Nevertheless, she eventually made her way to Isaac.
"Silverna, you're here?"
"Oh, Lady Silverna."
Isaac greeted her with an even brighter smile than yesterday, while Anna stood awkwardly in front of him, holding a spear.
"…What's going on here?"
Silverna asked with a blank expression, to which Isaac responded with a thumbs-up.
"You said you were super busy. So today, I asked Anna to help me out instead."
"…"
"That way, you don't have to spend time helping me today. I've been feeling bad for taking up so much of your time lately."
"Ah… right."
Silverna nodded absentmindedly as she stood frozen in place, her gaze shifting to Anna. Unlike usual, her face was completely expressionless.
However, Anna stood firm and refused to back down.
'This is for Lady Silverna's sake!'
Anna was well aware of Silverna's growing affection for Isaac and had taken special measures.
A married man.
Not only that, but the husband of Helmut's eldest daughter.
Silverna, falling in love with Isaac?
'That's a disaster waiting to happen!'
It wouldn't just end in heartbreak; the social backlash Silverna might face in high society could be unbearable.
"Ah, I see… so you don't need me today."
With a voice as cold and dry as the northern winds, Silverna nodded and turned away.
"That's good, then."
"Actually, I've been busy. I've been overdoing things a bit."
"I had this to do, and that to handle."
"Oh, I was busy, so this works out well."
"Haha, what a relief. It was such a hassle."
"Alright, Isaac. I'll be going now."
"Yes, that's good to hear. I'm relieved."
As Silverna trudged away, her retreating figure weighed heavily on Anna's heart, but she endured it.
"Anna, shall we start, then?"
"Yes, understood."
Holding the weapons and following the stances Isaac requested, Anna sparred with him. Through this, Isaac gradually gained new insights and understanding.
"…"
Suddenly, he felt a sharp chill run down his spine. Glancing back, he noticed—
At the edge of the training ground, hidden behind a tree, Silverna was glaring at him with piercing eyes.