104. Uncouth Intruders

“Pardon?”

The first time I heard it, it didn’t quite register.

Or rather, could anyone understand it upon first hearing?

Even Isaac, who’d lived there himself.

From its length to its height.

The overwhelming Malidian Wall.

Even if they said it had crumbled or been captured, I would have asked them to repeat it.

“It’s vanished, just as it sounds. It’s been… erased.”

Hearing such a thing, it was impossible to comprehend, and even more difficult to accept.

But Princess Adeline’s worried expression, coupled with her darkened countenance, stirred a sense of crisis I’d never witnessed before.

“I can’t believe it myself. With the wall gone, we’re suffering tremendous losses.”

The Princess rested her hand on her forehead, shaking her head.

Forcing herself to accept an undesirable truth as reality and devise a plan.

It seemed to be causing her a considerable amount of stress.

“But we must accept it.”

With a heavy sigh, Princess Adeline declared, as if urging herself to accept it quickly.

“The greatest barrier that protected us… it has been erased.”

* * *

“Baron, you’ve returned!”

Back at the estate.

I felt guilty for Karen, who had guarded the estate alone for so long, but I lacked the composure to greet her with a smile.

Karen, sensing this, simply offered a greeting and brewed a calming tea.

“You’ve worked hard.”

“Yes, thank you, Karen.”

Sipping the tea, Isaac was lost in thought. The hot liquid passing down his throat seemed to offer some measure of calm, but…

The moment he thought of the Malidian Wall, no amount of composure seemed sufficient.

‘How on earth is that even possible?’

A full month.

In my past life, without any support, the Malidian Wall had held out for a full month.

It was a reason to praise Uldir Caldius as great.

He was, in a different way than Arundel, someone who could be considered great.

But it vanished in a single day.

According to information from nearby villages, it was definitely there the day before.

But after a sudden assault by the Transcendent Race in the morning, they discovered the wall was gone the next day.

‘I just can’t believe it.’

My head swam.

I had thought that if we could just secure the Malidian Wall, the possibility of defeat in the war would be greatly reduced.

I never imagined they would use such a bizarre method.

[The Transcendent Race is so full of mysteries that it makes me even more uneasy.]

Claris’s words about the terror of the unknown had been right.

Beings of unfathomable origin possessed a history and tradition deeper than he’d imagined.

Perhaps he’d underestimated their depths.

‘What I saw may not be all there is.’

Though his past life had been filled with tragedy and shocking sights, they might not encompass the entirety of the Transcendents.

The thought sent a shiver down his spine, and his eyes squeezed shut.

*Thump.*

The two entered the manor without a word.

Sharen Helmant and the Grandmaster.

“Isaac! Are you going to the North?! I’m going with you!”

“Haa, brat. Didn’t I tell you I needed to speak to him? Wait your turn.”

Their bickering momentarily eased the tension in Isaac’s face, and he took a breath.

‘Yes, Silverna and the Margrave wouldn’t fall so easily.’

His real worry was for them, here and now.

With the barrier gone, the monstrous beasts of the North would surge southward, expanding their reach.

They now had to face not only the Transcendents but also the beasts.

The Grandmaster sat directly across from Isaac.

“Ugh! I was going to sit there!”

Sharen pouted, lips jutting out, before plopping herself onto Isaac’s lap.

“Heh heh.”

“We need to have a grown-up conversation; move along, now.”

“Isaac, you’re going North, right? Then please add my name to the list?”

“Do you disregard the words of your elders?”

“List? What list?”

Forgive him, but at this moment, Isaac was more interested in what Sharen had to say than the Grandmaster’s words.

Pleased by the attention, Sharen grinned.

“Princess Claris said she’s mobilizing troops for the North in three days! I’m going! Isaac’s going too, right?!”

Having been stationed in the North, he knew it well.

Beasts incessantly battered the barrier.

Now that the barrier was gone, there would be no holding them back.

“The North is already half-scorched, from what I hear. They say you can’t even reach the former location of the Malridian Barrier anymore.”

“To that extent…”

If the beasts were pouring out in that quantity, then the situation up north was utterly chaotic.

“It’s fortunate we thinned their numbers at the hive. It was a fire that could have spread much further if we hadn’t.”

The Grandmaster picked up the thread of conversation, and Sharen grumbled but stood, clenching her fist.

“Isaac is going, right?! I’m putting my word out there? The North is our home turf, after all!”

Why the North had become Sharen’s home turf, Isaac couldn’t fathom.

“I must go, without fail.”

From the beasts pouring forth from the North to what had happened to the Malridian Barrier.

Not to mention, to find out if Silverna was safe and sound.

Isaac nodded, much he had to confirm.

“Okay! Then I’ll go make a list?! We should make it together so we don’t get separated!”

Sharen said, then promptly dashed out.

He had barely returned to the manor, and already it seemed he’d have to leave again. Only a wry smile bloomed on his lips.

Finally alone, the Grand Master spoke directly.

“What do you think? According to what you told me, the Mallidean Barrier could withstand, without support, at least a month.”

“Correct. That much is certain.”

Isaac, being practically the only survivor and having lived alongside Sylverna, could say it with certainty.

A past life with Sylverna was so unlike the current harum-scarum one.

That in itself meant she had endured a desperate and tragic time.

“I am more perplexed, in truth. If that was possible, then it should have been done in the previous life, but why…”

“Hmm, I have a more fundamental question, actually.”

“Why the Transcendent Ones have not moved. Correct?”

“Indeed.”

The barrier was gone.

But according to reports, only demonic beasts were swarming southward.

If the Transcendent Ones had moved, it couldn’t have ended here. The damage would have been far greater, that much was obvious.

“It seems to me that the barrier’s disappearance and the Transcendent Ones’ inaction are somehow intertwined.”

“They also suffered a comparable loss?”

“Yes, something like that.”

“Hmph, such strange happenings must stem from sorcery, yes?”

“Likely.”

“Speaking of which, I personally think your regression is also a type of sorcery.”

“…I think so too.”

There were several unsettling aspects. Yet, to call it magic…he had no real connection to the Magic Tower.

He had never even heard of magic that warped spacetime like this.

To consider it sorcery was odd, but conversely, there was so much unknown about sorcery that he leaned that way.

Besides, in his previous life, Isaac had encountered sorcery more often than magic.

“Well, discussing it here won’t give us any answers, only frustration.”

The situation was sigh-inducing.

Whatever it was, it was clear he’d have to see it for himself to know.

“I must also prepare. I need to go have a word.”

“A word? With whom, may I ask?”

“Hmm? Before you, I had a protégé I’m raising. He’s quite useful, which is why I took him as a disciple-.”

“…”

Come to think of it.

Isaac had never heard of or met the Grand Master’s other disciple in this world.

“By any chance, is his name Damaen?”

“Hmm? How did you kn- Ah, you knew him before the regression? He may be a thief by trade, but he’s quite usefu-.”

“That b*stard is a traitor.”

“…”

“It’s because of that b*stard that the gates of the fortress we occupied were opened.”

“…”

The Grand Master blinked blankly, then scratched his head, asking, “Upon your name, is this truly the truth?”

“Yes, that much is true.”

“Hmph, I’m suddenly yearning for a smoke.”

The Grand Master smacked his lips, then closed his eyes with a sigh. “Truly… I thought regression would be a blessing, but it seems I’m destined to live with a great many worries.”

Isaac understood his words, nodding and sighing in turn. “He will betray us in the future, so we kill him. A bizarre line of reasoning, wouldn’t you agree?”

Killing Damaen for something that hadn’t even happened yet.

It was a bit odd, one might say.

“The situation at the time was quite desperate, which might have led to the betrayal. It was, after all, the final battle, with death all but certain.”

“Well, yes. That could be the case.”

“The decision rests with you, Grand Master.”

“Easier to be at peace in ignorance.”

The Grand Master pouted, pulling out a smoke from his robes and rising from his seat. “I shall take my leave. No need to see me off. It seems we have a guest.”

“Yes?”

The Grand Master departed.

Just as she said, Isaac felt someone standing at the entrance.

“Baron Logan!”

For he called out his name with a voice that boomed like thunder.

“I’m not envious of your hectic life.”

The Grand Master chuckled and stepped outside, passing the man at the entrance as he left.

Isaac naturally turned to face the man who had sought him out. “Ah, Baron Logan!”

The man was young.

A nobleman through and through, radiating an air of privilege.

Particularly striking was the impeccably groomed and stylish moustache.

It was immediately clear that he was a swordsman, and his subtle presence hinted at considerable skill.

“I am Rayan Rivise, of the Rivise family! I trust you have heard of my name?”

“Ah, the Mana Blade…”

A sword that Isaac could never wield.

The Rivise family, whose ‘Mana Blade’ was forged around the principles of mana and aura.

Isaac couldn’t hide his bewilderment at the man’s unexpected visit.

Rayan Rivise, in appearance, gesture, and speech, was extravagant and overwhelmingly chaotic. “I’ve come to ask a favor! And of course, I’m willing to pay handsomely!”

“…This is quite sudden.”

*‘That wasn’t exactly a compliment.’*

Anyway.

The Leviathan family was renowned for their swordsmanship as well.

Worth hearing him out, at least-.

“Tell me about Rianna Hellmundt’s preferences.”

“…Excuse me?”

He was so flustered he couldn’t even form words.

Isaac blinked at him, and the other man, as if having landed a successful strike, grinned with satisfaction as he explained.

“I’m participating in this Northern expedition. I hear, by order of Princess Adeline, Rianna Hellmundt will also be heading North!”

“Rianna…?”

“Which is why I want to know! Rianna Hellmundt’s taste in men, her hobbies, that sort of thing.”

“Are you currently-.”

“Yes! I wish to marry Rianna Hellmundt! You were her former husband, weren’t you! So-!”

“Get out.”

Isaac, in a rare display, raised his middle finger and issued his eviction notice.