In front of the fortress gates.
Liana stood silently, her expression cold as she gazed at the soldiers blocking her path.
Her gaze, colder than the northern winds, made the soldiers shrink back, pulling closer together.
Even with the gap between them closed, it felt as if a raging blizzard had engulfed them.
Just as the soldiers were struggling to endure the indescribable intensity of her presence, a savior finally appeared.
"Hah."
It was the Guardian of Malidan, Uldren Caldias.
"A precious guest has graced a humble place."
"..."
Despite Uldren's playful tone, Liana didn't react. Though it might have seemed like Caldias was provoking her, the mere fact that Liana was here was, in itself, a great insult to Caldias.
"I, daughter of Helmut, greets the Margrave."
Liana bowed and greeted him respectfully. Though her voice and expression remained calm, strangely, those around her felt a sense of unease emanating from her.
"You must have heard of the gravity of the situation."
"Hm."
"Please allow me to go. I, Liana Helmut, swear upon the name of Helmut to resolve this matter."
"Denied."
Her request was cut down coldly.
"I'm sorry, Helmut, but you'll need to head to the underground prison right away. We need to investigate your reasons for being here—"
And if things escalate—
"Be mindful that this could go as far as a military tribunal."
The already heavy atmosphere grew even more oppressive.
"The name 'Helmut' might hold weight in your grand mansion, but not here."
With those words, Uldren's spear slowly pointed at Liana's neck. The distance was so close that if he extended his arm, the spear could pierce her throat.
Liana's unwavering crimson eyes met Uldren's.
"I will take responsibility for disrupting the frontlines. But first, I believe it is right to resolve the current crisis."
"This is not for a criminal to decide."
"Margrave, while it may not be something to boast about, I am a Helmut. I can reach the location and resolve the situation faster than anyone here."
"..."
"If we're late in responding, even the nearby villagers could be in danger. Please, allow me to go."
"Helmut, it seems you have trouble understanding words."
Uldren clicked his tongue in irritation. Despite Liana's earnest plea, the tip of his spear remained unwavering.
"I told you, this is not a matter for a criminal to meddle in. Helmut, what you should be concerned about is what excuse you'll come up with in the underground prison to save your life."
Liana took a moment to catch her breath. Her impassive expression began to crumble.
"Margrave."
A faint tremor.
It wasn't fear of the spear at her neck but fear of the future where she couldn't arrive in time.
"I beg you."
Not as a Helmut,
But as Liana.
She slowly knelt on one knee and bowed her head.
"Please, allow me to save my husband."
A heavy silence fell over the area.
Even the northern winds seemed to hush, replaced by an eerie stillness.
The sight of Helmut's eldest daughter kneeling before Caldias would be remembered for ages.
"Who stands before me now?"
But rather than bask in superiority, Uldren furrowed his brow and questioned her.
"Just Liana. As Isaac's wife, Liana."
Hearing her response, a wide grin stretched across Uldren's face.
The hearty smile of an old man, accompanied by a soft chuckle, made him seem as though he were enjoying a cigarette in leisure.
"It seems I've been mistaken all along. The one before me isn't Helmut's eldest daughter."
Uldren chuckled and shook his head, placing a hand on his forehead.
"My wife once told me, 'Northern men lack romance.' Honestly, I didn't see the need for such a thing—"
"..."
"—but perhaps there is something to learn from your kind of romance after all."
Instead of lowering his heavy spear toward the kneeling Liana, Uldren raised it high into the air.
"Open the gates! Let the lady go meet her husband!"
***
"Graaaahhh!"
As the crimson aura emanating from the greatsword dimmed and faded, Sharen turned urgently, her back to the enemy.
"This is really it! I can't hold on any longer!"
Behind her fleeing figure, a thick, black pool of shadow spread out.
The shadow minions expanded deeply and widely, playing a one-sided game of conquest with no resistance.
Wherever they passed, light could not reach.
It was a sight as if the world had been robbed of the sun, plunging into eternal darkness.
Silverna, holding the front line against the minions, was also showing signs of strain.
Clench.
She gritted her teeth and swung her spear, cloaked in radiant white aura.
Her aura, matching the trajectory of the spear, surged like a storm, exuding an overwhelming force.
But it was like cutting through water—momentarily restoring light to the area—only for the darkness to return immediately and reclaim its place.
'It's not enough.'
She felt it painfully, deep in her bones: her aura wasn't sufficient to stop them.
To put it bluntly, in this situation, even Sharen's crimson aura was proving more effective than her own.
'Why am I so powerless—?'
Even as she pushed her aura to its absolute limits, achieving unprecedented breakthroughs, the timing was cruel.
'Enlightenment always comes too late.'
Her insides felt like they were twisting into knots.
No one could blame Silverna for the situation, but she blamed herself regardless.
'If only I had trained harder, mastered my aura better—!'
"Silverna!"
A shout pierced through the tangled mess of her thoughts.
Startled, she turned her head to meet Isaac's gaze.
"Don't let your emotions take over!"
"...!"
It felt like she'd been struck on the back of the head with a club.
'I almost made the same mistake again.'
The same mistake she'd made during the yeti incident—letting her emotions cloud her judgment.
She'd already experienced what happened when she let that happen.
If Isaac hadn't intervened early, she might have been standing here alone, swinging her spear blindly until she was swallowed by the shadows.
"You… really—"
How do you understand me so well?
To others, it might look like she was simply swinging her spear, but to Isaac, it seemed as though he could see something deeper.
Calling it mere insight felt inadequate. Silverna's chest swelled with a strange, warm feeling.
Because Isaac, too, had witnessed how she always realized things a step too late.
"Retreat."
She pulled the reins of her horse, turning its direction.
If they'd held out this long, reinforcements from the Malidan Wall should already be on their way.
They could regroup with them and come up with a new strategy.
The shadow minions followed, swimming through the enormous pools of darkness as if gliding through water.
Everything they passed—starting from Andes Village—was corrupted and consumed.
The shadow of Nortemus continued to point toward Isaac.
"Do you think we can stop it?"
"If we can just break through the shadow minions guarding Nortemus, we'll have a chance. That's all we need."
They needed to bring in aura users to clear a path and take him down.
After all, everything stemmed from Nortemus.
"Yeah… that's true."
Huff, huff!
Silverna and Sharen's faces were pale and strained.
It was only natural, having pushed themselves to their absolute limits, but Isaac couldn't help but feel a pang of bitterness as he watched them.
'How is this any different from when my leg was injured?'
He was frustrated.
So, Isaac buried his emotions deep in his heart, determined to move forward.
"Huh?"
At that moment, a faint fragrance carried by the wind reached him.
Silverna found it strange and was visibly flustered.
Meanwhile, Isaac and Sharen straightened their backs and tightened their grip on the reins.
From atop their galloping horses, they cast their gaze far ahead.
There stood a lone woman, holding a massive sword.
Her long red hair billowed in the wind, and an overwhelmingly intense crimson aura began to explode from her entire body.
"Wow."
Sharen, from the same family, couldn't help but admire her.
"...!"
Silverna, their peer, felt the disparity between them.
And then.
"Hah…"
Isaac, curiously enough, recalled a day he could never forget amidst his tumultuous life.
That day had been just like this.
A sudden gust of wind carrying the scent of roses had swept over him—
[Marry me.]
—when she abruptly proposed to him.
***
'Marry me.'
Amusingly, Liana thought that today felt strikingly similar to that day.
Back then, just like now,
She sought Isaac,
With no context, no emotion, and no romance.
She had simply proposed, out of the blue.
"Big sis!"
"Take care of it, Liana Helmut."
She remained silent, not responding to the greetings of the two women who rode past her on horseback.
Finally, after watching Isaac pass by,
Liana raised her greatsword high.
The white bandages wrapped around the blade unraveled, scattering as they dissolved into the crimson aura.
The crimson energy, too intense for the sword to contain, spilled out in all directions.
It was a strike Liana thought she would never be able to unleash again in her lifetime—
A blow worthy of her life itself.
[Huh?]
"I said, let's get married."
Had she been trying to act like a wandering rogue?
The twig Isaac had been chewing on fell from his mouth as he stared blankly in confusion.
[That's way too sudden, isn't it?]
"Really?"
[Yes, normally there's supposed to be some buildup to these things.]
"Didn't we have a good atmosphere?"
[We didn't even say hello today.]
It felt a bit unfair.
Because every moment she saw him—
Anytime, anywhere—
She always thought the mood was perfect.
But perhaps she was the only one who felt that way.
"Do you not want to?"
When she asked, trying to hide her unease, he responded with a teasing tone.
[Oh, it's not that I don't want to.]
"I see."
[But… wouldn't it be difficult for you?]
"Difficult? Why?"
I thought it might be something related to the family, but it wasn't.
[I'm the one who rows your boat.]
[Without me, how would you cross this river?]
Only now did she realize—
He had just been embarrassed and was trying to change the subject.
"I see."
Her answer back then was the same as now.
She raised her greatsword high into the sky,
Toward the crimson river reflecting the sunset.
"I want you."
With the most desperate strike of her life,
She swung her sword.
Everything before her began to split apart.
***
The world of shadows split in half,
Just like the river that had been cleaved in half that day.
Amidst the downpour of river water, she hid her smile.
He couldn't believe how clumsily she expressed that he no longer needed to row the boat.
But that's what made her so lovable.
And that's what made me admire her.
"Perhaps… No, definitely."
The reason I can't let go of my sword is because I can't forget her proposal from that day.
"Unbelievable."
"W-Wait, was my sis always this strong?!"
With just one swing,
Darkness was banished, and light poured into the landscape.
The two onlookers stood there, mouths agape in shock.
Seeing their reactions, identical to my own when I first witnessed it,
"I told you,"
He added with a small smile.
"She can split rivers."