42 – 42. Accumulating Change

*Clang!*

Early morning.

Isaac is clashing swords with Rianna.

Or perhaps “clashing” isn’t quite the right word.

Rianna, intentionally, pulls back her power just before their blades connect, keeping Isaac’s posture from breaking under the impact.

After the sparring ends.

Rianna approaches Isaac, who’s wiping away sweat, asking plainly,

“When you swing your sword, you tend to adopt the Helmund-specific stance.”

“……”

“Helmut, he just likes to force things, you know? But Isaac isn’t like that.”

“Yeah, that’s right.”

“The sword you handle, it’s like glass art. Meticulous, delicate. There’s no need to try and capture the essence of Helmut’s greatsword.”

*Because-* Rianna almost added, but she clamped her mouth shut again.

She didn’t want to blurt out that they were leaving soon.

“There’s no need to be so fixated.”

She hoped Isaac wouldn’t feel the need to be recognized by Helmut.

Because now, it all meant nothing.

But Isaac rejected her advice.

“I have my own goals I’m pursuing with the sword.”

“Goals you’re pursuing?”

“Yeah, if you put it as imitation, I guess it might seem that way now.”

“……”

Rianna could tell he was seeking a different path, but she couldn’t grasp what that was.

No, more than that, there was something else she wanted to ask.

‘Just how did he accumulate this level of knowledge?’

Knowledge of the sword.

When they talked, even Rianna would sometimes be taken aback.

His depth was different.

If borrowing his knowledge was like drawing water with a bucket,

‘It’s not a well at all.’

It felt like drawing from the ocean itself. That’s how deep, and how clear the knowledge that flowed from Isaac was.

“Isaac, look at this.”

Silberna, who had been practicing with her spear nearby, squeezed between them.

“Is this the feeling I was talking about last time? Like raking leaves?”

Silberna took a stance and swung her spear through the air.

As the spear swooped down, the nearby wind responded sharply, leaving claw-like scars on the training ground.

Isaac watched this, rested his chin on his hand, and then adjusted her stance for a moment.

“It’s a little weak. Not enough body weight. You need to add power when you plant your forefoot. Are you keeping up with the stretches?”

“Yeah, I’m doing it.”

“You need flexibility so that your whole body engages. Especially since your build puts you at a disadvantage compared to others.”

Rianna, listening, lowers her head slightly.

She is the one at an advantage.

“Anything is fine, but if you’re tied down by the form, its use becomes limited. If you practice while thinking of multiple structures, you can put it to good use.”

Silberna, taking Isaac’s advice, continues to practice.

‘Impressive.’

Isaac gives off a subtle air, like he’s been an instructor for years.

Personally, Rianna also wanted to hear Isaac’s advice about her own sword, but.

She didn’t think she was worthy of it.

“Let’s try it once more.”

At Isaac’s request for another match, Rianna nods and grasps her greatsword.

Thinking about the upcoming Sword Festival.

In truth, all this training is meaningless once the Helmundt direct lines start to don their magical armor.

‘What is it.’

The bright sparkle in Isaac’s eyes. The calm light seemed unwavering, as if it wouldn’t be extinguished by any harsh storm.

* * *

A few days later.

The Helmundt knights and the Malidian Wall soldiers lined up separately.

Formations almost like they were competing to see who the superior army was.

At the front of each unit stood the women who symbolized them.

Rianna Helmundt and Silberna Caldias.

Their imposing stance was quite serious, unlike the usual atmosphere Isaac saw in them.

And in front of them, Uldiran, leading them all, held his spear while atop a massive warhorse.

The main gate of the Wall opens.

Applause and encouragement.

With hopes that they would put an end to the war with the monsters, those remaining at the wall saluted them goodbye.

After Uldiran’s main force had left, the inside of the wall felt so desolate it was almost eerie.

“It’s quiet, isn’t it.”

Jonathan, who remained at the wall with Isaac, muttered.

Just because they remained at the rampart didn’t mean they’d be idle, doing nothing.

“It starts now.”

The main force would advance, starting to clear out the demonic beasts.

However, they couldn’t kill every single beast, and their true objective was finding the mastermind behind the massive swarm.

So, there would be beasts they wouldn’t bother chasing, strays left behind.

Naturally, those beasts would come towards the rampart.

Before the main force returned, the rampart’s defense would be made even tighter, with most of the remaining soldiers living on the wall, barely finding time to rest.

“Did you bring your blankets? They say you need to bring at least three, lest someone steal them.”

“Why would they steal that? I could just run back to the barracks to grab them.”

“It’s true. I heard if you aren’t careful with your undergarments or socks, they’ll get taken.”

“Did the Helmunt Knights fill your head with strange rumors?”

“They said it’s a common thing at the frontlines.”

Isaac and Jonathan had already moved their supplies to the rampart.

As they would have to live and eat there, they had a lot to take care of.

“Ugh, it’s cold.”

Then, Sharen Helmunt edged closer.

Sharen was left off the main force roster, a decision made at Rianna’s suggestion.

The three headed towards the barracks inside the rampart, a place specifically made for soldiers.

Their bedding and luggage were already laid out.

The place they would spend the next few days huddled together was somewhat novel to Sharen.

It was stuffy and smelled, and she had to mingle with the soldiers, but Sharen was already accustomed to the frontlines in her own way.

“I’m here!”

Sharen spread her blanket next to the one Isaac had laid out, staking her claim.

Across from her, Jonathan was already sitting, tucking a hot water pouch into his own blanket.

“This makes it a lot warmer. I’ve prepared some for you both as well.”

“Thank you.”

“Jonathan’s got great sense!”

“Hehe.”

Jonathan smiled, pleased with the praise. It seemed he had taken advice from other soldiers staying in his barracks and had come fully prepared.

“But, it’s freezing inside the rampart.”

A puff of breath makes a white cloud. Even indoors, considering this is the North, it’s quite chilly.

“It’s because of the Maldian Wall’s peculiarities,” Isaac explains simply, watching Sharen rub her hands together.

“Did you know that the cold in the North is actually artificial?”

“Huh?”

“Really?”

Sharen and Jonathan stare at Isaac, their eyes full of curiosity.

“The North was always cold, sure, but never like this. Not like now, with snow falling year-round.”

But Volfdren Caldias, the first head of the Caldias family who built the wall, had a stroke of genius.

“He cast magic on the wall to make the climate even colder. So hibernating beasts couldn’t approach, snow would make defense easier, and monsters would be easier to spot.”

“But they’d be cold too,” Sharen asks, raising her hand.

Isaac answers, feeling like an old man telling a tale.

“That wasn’t a problem for Volfdren. He was more serious about keeping out the enemy than his own discomfort.”

It was a massive undertaking.

Working with the magic towers wasn’t difficult.

They’d never had an opportunity to handle magic of this scale, so they accepted it right away.

A gathering of cold and madness.

The Caldias belief, that they’d endure their own suffering if it meant stopping the enemy.

There’s a reason the people of the nearby villages consider the Maldian Wall sacred.

“So, the cold we’re feeling now is, like, a manifestation of the historical figures’ determination to protect the kingdom-”

“Haaam, Jonathan. Do you have any food?”

“I have a loaf of bread, but it’s frozen solid.”

“Hey, I’m explaining things here.”

“Helmunt has strong teeth. Give it here.”

“Here.”

Sharen takes Jonathan’s bread, which could double as a bludgeon, and bites off a large chunk.

“aaack! My teeeeth!”

She throws the bread away, her face crumpled, and it hits the wall with a sound like a stone being tossed.

* * *

“Isaac, it’s time for your shift.”

“Uhm.”

Jonathan’s call pulls him from sleep with a rustle. He was on duty until last night, meant to just close his eyes a bit, but looks like he slept right through to his next shift.

“Sharen, wake up.”

Isaac nudges Sharen, who’s tucked into his arms, still sleeping.

The inside of the wall was so cold, they’d started clinging to each other for sleep a while back.

“Uhm.”

Sharen buries her face in his chest, squirming around. She repeats this a few times to fully wake, then slowly peels away.

“Feels like I just dozed off, already?”

The three of them get ready for their watch.

It’s been three days since the main force went out.

Judging by the lightning flashes in between, they should be locatable.

Are they struggling?

Hard to say, but Isaac isn’t too worried.

In his past life, Silbern told him it was a monster with power rivaling Uldiran.

But now, it’s not just Uldiran.

Rianna and Silbern are with them too.

The hive itself won’t be too hard to resolve.

The three climb atop the wall.

They stand at their positions, staring blankly into the world beyond the barrier.

The sun’s hidden by clouds, and snow falls onto the pale landscape.

Krr-ROOM! Ku-ROOM!

A distant thunder rumbles.

It’s been happening a lot recently, a bit bothersome, truth be told.

“Oh! I just got what unnie was saying!”

Sharen bounces, grinning.

“I can feel the mana. It’s real. It’s artificial.”

“Really?”

Isaac’s always been a dead end in these matters, so he doesn’t feel anything different.

Sharen is happy, claiming she’s picked up what Rianna experienced herself.

“I felt it too! Haha!”

Even Jonathan chimes in, grinning bright as the sun.

“What, really? You ain’t lyin’, are ya?”

“Aiy, why would I lie about somethin’ like this?”

“Tch, figures. Thought it was ’cause I’m so great that I noticed, turns out it was nothin’ special.”

“How can you say such a thing?!”

Listening to Sharen and Jonathan bicker, Isaac lets out a halfhearted yawn.

“Hwaaahm-?”

Jonathan felt it too?

Somethin’ ain’t right, is it?

Even if he’s got mixed blood from the Transcendents, Jonathan is still closer to human.

Hellmunt’s always been an outlier, so that’s expected.

They never noticed it before, so why now, suddenly?

‘The two of them felt the mana of the lightning strike.’

‘They never noticed it before?’

‘Then does that mean there’s a change in the lightning?’

His thoughts clunk like stepping stones, leading towards the truth.

‘It’s gotten closer?’

Enough for Sharen, and even Jonathan, to notice?

“Ah, they’re comin’ again, bunchin’ up!”

“They’re absolutely panicked.”

Sharen and Jonathan point towards the horde of mana beasts barreling for the barrier.

Ever since the main force started workin’ outside, mana beasts get spooked or lured in like this more often.

Isaac’s eyes widen slow.

‘In my last life… Uldiran faced them all alone.’

He managed a sweat-soaked victory after a fierce struggle.

It’s different now.

Rianna, sure, but even Sylverna’s skills have gone up somethin’ fierce.

So then.

Would that b*stard still go head-to-head with such a clear gap in power?

Amidst fleeing monstrous forms.

A bloodied, 3-meter tall humanoid beast catches the eye.

A snow-being slips a palm under the monster’s foot.

Then, like flipping a table, it launches the beast skyward.

Electrified shocks burst from the monster’s body, reaching the barrier at a speed too swift for the eye, and there it clung.

The snow-being was rendered charcoal, its fate sealed in a blackening crisp.

“A monster stuck to the barrier!”

“It’s hanging on! Shake it off!”

*Kuurrrrlll-rrruuung!*

Thunder crashes once more.

This time.

Even Isaac could sense the thick mana, spreading from the barrier in all directions.

Simply standing on the barrier sent a prickling, searing sensation through his feet.

Soldiers near the thing were either electrocuted, collapsing on the ground, or were blackened, burnt crisps.

The creature, scaling the barrier, stands on the watchtower.

A towering three meters.

White, hard skin that brings to mind ice.

Hideous, jutting teeth and four arms.

The weapons lodged in its back and the scars covering its body, proof of its flight.

‘Complacent.’

Many shifts had taken place.

The reinforcement of humanity’s forces forced the great swarm’s lord to choose escape.

Electrical discharge that, normally, no one would have detected.

But that, Riana’s presence had picked up.

Concerned for Isaac’s safety, Silverna was eager to conclude the great swarm as quickly as possible, endorsing the expedition outside.

If we were to examine each matter individually.

There was truly nothing wrong.

Riana merely reported what she sensed.

Silverna and the other advisors proposed reasonable suggestions.

And Uldiran, weighing the two proposals, deemed the external advance the correct one, strategically.

But, as a result.

“KRaaaGH!”

The worst-case scenario was complete: the Great Swarm’s Lord, forced to flee rather than fight due to his main force growing too powerful, had reached the top of the wall.

*Krrrr*! *Krrrr*! *Krrrr*!

Centered on him, lightning bolts fell as if from a clear sky.

A living disaster hammered his chest with both hands, roaring.