114. Silence

Two women standing face-to-face in the empty training grounds.

Rianna Helmont and the Grand Master.

‘This is a situation I never considered.’

He didn’t know what Rianna had been like in his past life, but the current Rianna would certainly struggle against the Grand Master.

But conversely, he was curious to see what the current Rianna could show against the Grand Master.

The siblings, Sharen and Roenngreen, shuffled up to my side.

“So, Isaac’s the prize now, is he? I’m still not worthy enough to join in… and I don’t even have a Silverna,” Sharen muttered, while Roenngreen watched with a glint of intrigue in her eyes.

“Damn it. If you’re gonna spar, you should at least call me too,” Roenngreen had witnessed the Grand Master’s prowess firsthand at Blackson.

The thought of her fighting Rianna sparked a mix of jealousy and anticipation.

Isaac, likewise, found himself anticipating the match.

“Don’t expend all your strength, there will be things to do tomorrow,”

“Understood.”

The Grand Master’s hand settled upon the great katana. The crimson blade seemed to brace itself, poised to deflect the foreseen blow.

*Ka-ang!*

The great katana, a lengthy flash of steel, was drawn in an instant, lashing out to strike Rianna’s greatsword like a whip.

Rianna stumbled back, thrown off balance.

A look of genuine surprise crossed her face at the unexpected force.

“Keep your wits about you. The Hellmunts have good eyes, they say? You’ll need to follow closely.”

What followed was a dance of swords between the two women.

Their swirling, sweeping strikes were enough to enthrall any observer.

A crowd began to gather.

As all eyes turned to the two women locked in their intense exchange,

“Hm.”

He was dressed so casually that I hadn’t even noticed him until he was standing next to me.

Eisenwolf, with his hands clasped behind his back, watched the sparring match and spoke to Isaac.

“Your contributions today have been significant.”

“I simply did what was necessary.”

“Leave the humility be. To say such implies that the rest of us have failed in our duties.”

Isaac offered a nod, not bothering to argue with the perfunctory praise.

“Are you aware of the current situation?”

“Yes, I heard they are considering a retreat.”

“Hm, we were more ignorant and stubborn than we thought.”

Eisenwolf glanced sideways, asking Isaac,

“You fought the Transcendents since the Hive Wars, yes?”

“…It happened unintentionally.”

“From the Sword Emperors to Blackson, even Arandel, who fell victim to the sorcery, were dealt with directly by you-.”

There was a hint of melancholy in Eisenwolf’s eyes. Today’s ambush had not only alerted the Azure Stream Society.

It seemed to have left a more profound impression on the old warrior than expected.

“Hm…”

Eisenwolf hummed, as if he wanted to say something, but didn’t know how.

Finally, he gave Isaac a light pat on the back.

“Peace may seem self-evident, but one must never forget that it rests upon the sacrifices of soldiers. It is what I always tell my grandson, you see-.”

A self-deprecating smile plays on his lips.

“In truth, I too, have been too readily accepting the peace you’ve maintained.”

“Lord Eisenwolf…”

A lump rose in his throat.

The fight against the Transcendents was solely to prevent the repetition of the despairing world he had witnessed.

A world no one remembers.

As the sole keeper of that memory, he believed it was simply an onus he had to bear.

He never expected gratitude.

Of course, Eisenwolf knows nothing of his past life.

Yet, even this brief acknowledgement fills Isaac with a sense of accomplishment and a subtle elation he had never before experienced.

“Therefore, I now wish to formally seek your counsel. Confrontation with the Transcendents will likely be inevitable in reclaiming the North.”

“Your counsel, you say-.”

“There’s been a proposal to withdraw the troops. It may sound cowardly at first blush, but I find it quite reasonable. We never know when some enemy might suddenly drop into our main camp, you see.”

“……”

“What are your thoughts?”

“I believe we must not retreat.”

He states his opinion matter-of-factly.

Eisenwolf neither rebukes him nor shows surprise, but simply listens intently.

“Of course, the situation is undeniably difficult. Even a handful of those creatures suddenly appearing within our ranks would be dangerous. Or, if they were to drop behind our lines during battle, the damage could be irreversible.”

But.

“Conversely, we have also grasped a clue. If they can warp space in such a way, I believe it could also explain the sudden disappearance of the Malridian Bulwark.”

“The Malridian Bulwark was also moved… somewhere?”

“Precisely.”

He absolutely cannot retreat here.

He must not go back.

His previous life.

The Malridian Bulwark held out for a full month without any support.

That’s how they fell.

‘I cannot allow it to happen that way this time.’

Isaac clenches his fist.

“The soldiers of the Malridian Bulwark are surely still fighting somewhere, even now.”

“……”

“Waiting for us.”

He knows the danger.

If the main force is swept up in this, the impact could be devastating.

“We must go to their rescue.”

He cannot allow those who sacrifice themselves so willingly to meet the same end again.

* * *

Malridian Township.

A tavern where the sun doesn’t reach, and only a chilling, cold air lingers.

Within the tavern nestled inside the fortress, a throng of soldiers had gathered.

Uldiran Caldias, a man perhaps too close to his soldiers for one of the border count’s standing, was among them.

In these dire straits, titles and ranks had become mere pretense.

He was here at the Malidain Bulwark as nothing more than a soldier, a warrior among his men.

“The rations?”

“If we cut back to the bare minimum, we can stretch them for maybe five days… though even then, it will hardly stave off hunger.”

The quartermaster replied, shamefaced.

“The weapons?”

“We can at least do what we can for maintenance. Salvaged the serviceable ones from our fallen brothers.”

Blacksmith Antonio’s words drew pained sighs from them all.

Even amidst the scarcity of weapons, to handle the relics of comrades who fought so fiercely was a grim task.

Under normal circumstances, they would have vehemently refused, but these were desperate times.

Vivian, the dispatched mage, picked up where Antonio left off, her report somber.

“The magic woven into the Malidain Bulwark will last no longer than two days. This place has little to no mana, so it’s difficult to sustain it on its own.”

For now, they could endure thanks to the chilling air emanating from the Bulwark’s climate-altering magic.

But in two days, the onslaught from the enemy would inevitably resume.

Could they withstand it then?

Could they repel it?

Such questions weighed heavily in the minds of everyone present.

“We must hold out to the very end.”

Silberna, Caldias’ consort, interjected, her voice ringing with conviction.

“Reinforcements are coming. The Kingdom has dispatched soldiers to find us. So…! We only need to endure!”

Her words met with looks of bewilderment until Uldiran added his support.

“She is right. The primal transcedent we captured today spoke of Baron Logan.”

“…!”

“Lord Isaac?”

“Is it true?”

A tremor ran through the soldiers’ eyes.

There was no one in Malidain who did not know Isaac.

He had left such a powerful impression during the Great Swarm era.

“The Kingdom has sent reinforcements to save us. Therefore, do not lose heart. Soldiers of the Malidain Bulwark! We shall not yield a single step backward!”

A roar erupted within the tavern.

They shared a single, lukewarm swig of beer, their spirits lifted.

Meanwhile, Uldiran stepped outside.

His destination: the underground prison where the prisoners were held.

Even lighting a torch felt wasteful, so darkness reigned, broken only by ragged breaths.

Bound tightly by chains, unable to move, the Black Hound was there.

He drooled, glaring at Uldiran, who had come to see him.

“Primal bloodline. You certainly possess uncommon grit. An ordinary human would have already perished from that wound.”

Uldiran spoke evenly, and the Black Hound snorted.

“Uldirann of Caldiass, do you truly believe you can escape our wrath?”

“I’m not quite sure why you’re so agitated. Shouting incessantly won’t exactly help me understand, you know?” Uldirann responded, feigning a nonchalant ease, almost mocking.

The clatter of chains echoed.

The black hound, incensed, momentarily strained against them, muscles bunching. “Krrh! I’ll tear you apart!”

“Just confirming something,” Uldirann stated, his expression unwavering, collected. “When I went on reconnaissance near here, I discovered traces of a village. Comparing its architecture and lifestyle to that of the kingdom, there were numerous discrepancies.”

“……”

“At first, I simply assumed we had been transported to some isolated space –” But that wasn’t it.

This wasn’t some independently created space, solely made to isolate the barrier. “Is this…your homeland?”

A land devoid of light, swarming with grotesque beasts, so barren that not even a single blade of grass could properly survive in its dust.

“Heh, enjoying our homeland?”

At a time when various theories were emerging about the suddenly appearing Transcendents, the first to arrive at the truth was none other than Uldirann Caldiass.

“I see.”

He already possessed the conviction. He had merely come to confirm it.

The black hound, aware of this, figured there was no point in concealing it, and let it spill.

“We Transcendents—” The black hound didn’t stop there, continuing to speak. His voice held a distasteful jeer. “We believed that without Arandel Helmont, it wouldn’t be too difficult to wipe out the humans.”

“Hmm? He certainly is exceptional, that fellow—”

“We didn’t even consider you, you fool.”

Uldirann’s mouth snapped shut.

Was it the reaction that amused him? A faint sneer laced the black hound’s voice.

“Arandel’s rival? The only man capable of standing against him? What a joke. You know it too, don’t you.”

Compared to Arandel Helmont, you are…

“Sorely lacking.”

“……”

“If Arandel were here, he would have advanced past the Malidian Barrier.”

“……”

“He would have annihilated us entirely. A man who single-handedly dealt with five of the primeval bloodlines…”

Even weakened by illness, no less.

A grating chuckle echoed, cunning. The hound tenaciously latched onto the wound.

“Guarding that small northern barrier suits you perfectly. You’re only capable of that much.”

“…….”

A moment of silence hung in the air.

Amidst that stillness, it wasn’t long before the quiet of the darkness was broken by a third party.

“Father! They’re trying to get back inside the ramparts! They’re dragging some grotesque structure with them!”

Uldiran, hearing Silbrena’s urgent call, nodded with a stoic air and turned his body.

“I’ll be there shortly.”

His footsteps echoed long and clear in the silence.

“In the end, you still can’t answer.”

The black hound’s mockery seemed to chase after Uldiran’s steps.