18 – 18. Support

*Clang!*

The instant sword and spear collided, Anna’s eyes widened.

‘Again.’

The same feeling she had been experiencing with each exchange. The first one or two times she had brushed it off as coincidence.

But when it had been repeated several times, Anna was forced to accept it.

‘He’s reading everything.’

The trajectory of the spear, Isaac was reading it at almost the same speed that she was wielding it.

The spear techniques she had spent years mastering to serve her lady, was being read after just a few exchanges.

At first, it was frustrating and unpleasant, but then it became awe-inspiring.

“Hah!”

But, conversely.

“……!”

Isaac, already anticipating the trajectory, tried to parry the spear, but was forced to stumble backwards, thrown off by the subtle shimmering at the tip of Anna’s spear.

Not missing her chance, Anna spun in a circle, rotating her spear to bring the blade neatly to Isaac’s throat.

“I lost.”

He raised his hand in surrender, and Anna slowly lowered her spear.

“…Can you even call that a loss?”

Even though she was the one who won, she asked timidly.

In truth, Anna felt like she was the one who lost.

“My spear, it was read through and through. From some point, your sword, Isaac, moved faster than my judgment.”

“……”

“Simply a lack of basic strength and stamina. That’s the only reason I lost.”

“……”

“If you train for about a month. You’d probably defeat the likes of me easily.”

To be caught up by a latecomer, that placed a tremendous pressure.

Anna, honestly, felt unsure.

Even though she’d gone from being a simple maid to learning the spear and becoming a soldier.

She’d had a certain confidence, but still.

“You’re not expecting comfort from the one who just lost, are you?”

Isaac laughs awkwardly.

He was already opening his book.

A book different from the manual, a ‘Sparring Log,’ where he recorded the sparring matches he’d been in, the things he lacked.

Watching it, Anna asks, feeling a little embarrassed,

“You’re really something else, Isaac.”

“What is?”

Isaac was writing down the reason for the defeat, attributing it to an inadequate response in the final exchange.

He even sketched a simple diagram of Anna’s stance during the final blow and his own response.

“You seem so confident even after losing. Like you have this conviction you’ll win in the end.”

“There’s no way I’d have that.”

Anna is slightly taken aback by his unusually firm declaration.

“The reason I’m not afraid of defeat is because I’m grateful for the chance to even lose.”

His eyes still on the ‘Sparring Log,’ he continues,

“I know how painful it is to not even be given the chance. So it’s fine to lose.”

“……”

“I don’t have time to get caught up in losing. I want to keep swinging my sword.”

Watching Isaac smile gently, Anna felt a sudden flutter in her chest.

“Did you, by any chance, use that to charm Rianna?”

“What, out of nowhere?”

Isaac gives an embarrassed look.

Anna’s stare demanded an answer. Isaac scratched his cheek and spoke.

“When you were trying to get me, you weren’t like this. You were more… proactive.”

“Woah.”

Seeing the topic drift to romance,

Anna mentioned Sylverna, still watching from the corner.

“What do you think about the Lady?”

“Sylverna? She’s a good friend. She’s helped me a lot with finding the direction of my sword.”

“Is that it? Really?”

“Why?”

“Haa, Isaac-nim. As someone who’s been with the Lady since she was little, let me be frank.”

Anna squatted down, mirroring Isaac.

In the corner of the wide training ground, the two whispered, facing each other.

“For the Lady, people fall into two categories. Enemy, or comrade.”

“That’s a harsh way to categorize.”

“Anyway, that’s it. Just those two.”

Anna held up her middle and index fingers.

“But recently, the Lady’s been strange.”

Her ring finger hesitantly rose.

“It seems like a third something is about to appear. And that would be Isaac-nim.”

“……”

“Isaac-nim, you’re a married man, so I can stop here, right? I don’t need to lay out my mistress’s shame any further, do I?”

Anna glared sharply.

Isaac, feeling awkward, nodded.

“I more or less get it.”

“More or less?”

“Alright, I get it. I understand what you’re saying. Maintain the proper distance between Helmont and Caldias, right?”

Isaac’s roundabout way of speaking made Anna beam.

“As expected of Isaac-nim. It’s true, good looking men know women’s hearts, you get it right away, huh?”

“……”

“Be honest. This has happened to you quite a bit, hasn’t it? You used to work as a ferryman, right? Weren’t you famous for being a handsome boatman?”

“You don’t need to know.”

Isaac, who ran a boat barely bigger than a hand.

It was true, he had a lot of female customers thanks to his striking looks.

“Anyway, Mister Isaac, you’re a married man. I trust you’ll keep a clear line, yeah?”

“Got it.”

Then.

The sky darkens.

The two, squatting, peek up. Silverna, arms crossed, was looking down at them.

Did she hear?

That question flickered through both their minds.

“Anna, you’re on shift.”

Silverna spoke plainly, like she hadn’t heard the conversation.

“Huh? Shift? I still have two hours left though?”

“Volten had to take the day off, he’s not feeling well. Looks pretty bad, so you’re taking his shift.”

“……”

Anna looks up at Silverna, mouth tight.

That hulk who scarfed down two bowls of lunch is sick?

‘She was just talking to Volten, wasn’t she.’

Wonder what she’s saying, grabbing people on their way to work.

Anna sighs and stands.

“Guess I have no choice. I’ll go then.”

She bows her head slightly, then walks off.

From behind her, Silverna’s faint, low voice carries.

“What to do now, Anna’s gone who was helping.”

“Hmm, yeah.”

“If you really need it, I, I’ll help? I have a little time left. A lot of time.”

“……Alright.”

Isaac hesitated briefly, then accepted Silverna’s help.

“Alright! Let’s go!”

Silverna snatched up a spear, her voice suddenly light and excited.

Anna, shuffling along, smacked her forehead with a ‘thwack,’ then slumped her shoulders.

‘Silly girl.’

Acting like they’re just friends, when it’s like this.

Spending all her time in the North, just handling spears and fighting mana beasts, Anna knew that her young lady’s dating skills were severely lacking.

She hasn’t even acknowledged her own feelings yet, but maybe it’s just a matter of time?

‘Still, Isaac will handle it well, right?’

He’s married, so he’ll keep a proper distance.

And if Silverna tries to cross the line, he’ll know how to cut it off.

It will be a beautiful, but cold, memory like a snowflake, but what can she do?

‘He already belongs to someone else.’

If only he wasn’t married, it would be so much better.

Then Anna herself would have done everything in her power to help Silverna, she thought with regret.

She headed towards the wall, for her duty that she had been forced into.

[The reason I’m not afraid of defeat is because I can actually be defeated.]

[There’s no time to be stuck on a loss. I want to keep swinging my sword.]

On her way, Isaac’s words from just now suddenly popped into her head.

‘No time to be stuck on a loss.’

It was a textbook phrase, very standard, but seeing someone actually put it into practice, there was something about it that really hit her.

With a new surge of motivation, Anna tightened her grip on her spear and started to walk a little faster.

* * *

Helmunt was uncharacteristically boisterous.

All because of one person.

“Ugh-hic!”

Inside Rianna’s room.

With tears streaming down his face, Alois felt like his heart was being torn apart.

Ten whole days.

He hadn’t seen Rianna for ten days.

It was exactly the same time as when Sharen left for the Maridian Wall.

Naturally, Rianna, having disobeyed the Lord’s command, would be severely punished.

Arendel doesn’t show mercy to anyone who defies him, even if they are his own daughter.

Because it was frightful.

Alois, forcing down the urge to follow, remained here, longing for Rianna.

“Nuuunaa!”

Lying on Rianna’s bed, face buried in the pillow, Alois soaked it with tears.

* * *

A well-maintained carriage path.

Helmut’s long line of carriages halted before the Malridan ramparts.

They arrived a bit later than the other nobles, for a simple reason.

“Gotta keep up appearances.”

Arriving too early would give the impression they were waiting for the others.

And they didn’t want to appear as if they’d come running just because Caldius called.

“Ha, this Isaac brat, making me suffer like this.”

Sharen grumbled, stuffing a pastry in her mouth.

But Sharen didn’t seem all that displeased.

Isaac was just one excuse, and the wild girl seemed in the mood for an adventure.

The carriage stopped for inspection.

Kelsi, Sharen’s maid, slipped out of the carriage.

Lightly bowing to the Helmut knights already outside, she approached the baggage wagon that had arrived.

Kelsi entered and called out softly.

“Lady Rianna?”

Then, a white cloth stirred, and Rianna, who had been hidden inside, peeked out.

“We’ve arrived. It’s the Malridan ramparts. The inspection will probably take about two hours, with so many carriages.”

“…Alright.”

Rianna nodded, pulling out a pre-prepared outfit from beneath the white cloth.

A maid’s uniform, no less.

Only Sharen Helmut was expected to come, so if it were known that Rianna had come as well, Caldius might make an issue of it.

Rianna intended to conceal her identity if at all possible.

Seeing this, Kelsi couldn’t hide her worry.

“I don’t know why you’ve come all this way, but I’m sure you have your reasons for going to such lengths.”

“……”

“If there’s anything I can do to help, I’ll do my best.”

Kelsie hands over a hairnet and mask.

While waiting briefly outside, Rianna emerged wearing a maid’s uniform.

Her hair, all pulled up and secured with the hairnet, revealed her forehead, making her feel a bit self-conscious.

She topped it with a headband, hiding as much of her red hair as possible, and masked her face too.

“This should be enough,”

Kelsie beams, giving a thumbs-up.

Rianna, equally satisfied, nods and slowly lifts her gaze towards the Malidrian wall.

A striking woman, bold and defiant, looks down upon Helmuth’s carriage and knights from atop the wall.

‘Silberna Caldias.’

Rianna remembers her.

A spear user with exceptional skill for her age.

A woman more than capable of shouldering the future of Caldias.

She recalls having once sparred with her.

‘She’s gotten stronger.’

She could tell just by looking.

Silberna was stronger than when she last fought.

‘It was a good match. Not just about winning or losing, but learning from each other—’

Then.

A dark-haired man appeared behind Silberna.

Rianna’s eyes widened.

Relief washed over her seeing Isaac seemingly unharmed even at the front lines.

Yet, Silberna and Isaac were laughing, talking about something.

The moment she saw them casually sharing the snack Isaac brought.

‘…….’

Her fist clenched without her realizing.

Rianna, confused, lowered her head and muttered.

“I definitely won in our spar.”

Why.

Does it feel like I’m the one who lost?