5 – 5. The Northern Lady

Early morning.

Isaac stood in the garden, a bag slung over his shoulder.

The rose field, the pride of Helmundt, was yet to bloom, not even a bud in sight.

Come June, when the sword-raising begins, the roses would burst forth, their captivating scent permeating every corner.

Helmundt’s roses were a special breed, blooming until just before winter’s arrival.

‘It was beautiful.’

Here, in Helmundt, a place of nothing but ugly and bitter memories.

Indeed, the only way to describe this place was beautiful, referring to its rose field.

In a corner of that flower field.

A single violet lilac, inconsiderately, blooming prematurely, as if trying to get ahead.

“……”

That thing, so irritating it makes you frown, was a flower Isaac himself had planted.

He couldn’t fathom why Helmundt’s meticulous gardeners hadn’t pulled it out yet.

‘I should pluck it.’

He took a step towards it, ready to rip it out, when.

A figure, slightly bigger than Isaac,

A knight, with a youthful face that could pass for a boy’s, stands before him and salutes.

“Duty! I’m Jonathan, assigned to escort Sir Isaac Helmunth to the very front lines of Malidhean! Pleasure to meet you!”

“Ugh.”

Isaac grimaced, involuntarily, at the voice that boomed and echoed in his ears.

Jonathan, though sporting a childlike, bright smile, is clad in weighty Helmunth armor and carries a greatsword.

His hair is cropped short, a soldier’s gold.

Isaac reached out a hand, shaking the innocent-looking man’s.

“I’m Isaac. Likewise.”

“Yes sir! I will, without fail! Ensure Sir Isaac’s safety until the Sword God Festival!”

He was one of the minimal conditions Arundel Helmunth had set for sending Isaac to the Malidhean front.

A guard, or rather, an overseer, to make sure Isaac wouldn’t die or, worse, run away.

‘More of a simpleton than I expected.’

Probably, the patriarch ordered a knight assigned, and this low-rung bum got stuck with it after being pushed down the ranks.

There was hardly any need for an outstanding knight to watch Isaac anyway, not when he couldn’t even swing a sword properly.

“Then, right away–“

“Ah! Isaac.”

Just as they were about to leave, they were interrupted yet again.

This time, he checked to see what it was and there, his elder brother, Lohengrin, approached with a gentle smile.

His flowing crimson hair flew as he approached, red energy radiating off his entire body.

Looks like he’d just finished training.

Lohengrin, the eldest son.

To put it simply, he was a personality disorder.

A maniac with extreme emotional swings, who repeatedly beat Isaac to vent his frustrations.

And yet, here he was, smiling for the first time at his brother-in-law.

“I heard you were leaving. Oh, how could this be? Getting a divorce, after all our shared years and memories.”

‘Crazy b*stard.’

How can he spew such utter bullshit?

Those “memories” were only about him being in a foul mood, beating him up or manhandling him for forced ‘sparring’.

Lohengrin whispered, smiling slyly.

“Rianna, that b*tch, she’s the one who demanded the divorce, isn’t she? Trying to seize the family head position! Our father said she could have a child, but now she’s aiming for a divorce – it’s all about that, right?”

“……”

Eldest son, eldest daughter.

Even though the eldest son was a year older, it was a conversation that revealed why Arandel had agonized between the two.

“Because she can’t become the family head if she has a child! So she intentionally divorced. If she divorces, she won’t get pregnant and will still have a chance to become the head!”

“Ah, yes.”

Roengreen, grinning like he’d discovered something grand.

“Isaac, don’t you want revenge? Don’t you want to take sweet revenge on Rianna, who abandoned you for the sake of the family head position?!”

“……”

“Now, become strong.”

Then, furtively taking something from his clothes, he hands it to Isaac.

“This is.”

“You know, right? What this is. Rose Elixir! The Helmont potion allowed only to the family’s bloodline!”

Roengreen, smirking slyly, whispers.

“It’s only because I’m the eldest son that I can take care of you like this. Drink this, survive, and then come back stronger. I believe in you, brother.”

He winks, then returns to his training.

‘Brother my ass.’

In this life, just a few days ago he was forcing a sword into my hand, griping about my sword skills not improving and then beating me while we sparred.

It’s pathetic, the way he’s plotting to backstab Rianna so he can be the family head.

“Um, Master Isaac?”

“Pretend you didn’t see it.”

Jonathan, glancing nervously.

With a sigh, Isaac opens the lid of the Rose Elixir Jonathan handed him.

A faint scent, typical of the elixir.

“Tch.”

Rose Elixir, my foot.

Look at this watered-down crap he’s given me, even more diluted than the rest.

‘He probably wants to frame Rianna by saying he gave a family potion to the son-in-law.’

A sigh escapes me.

Probably, the moment Isaac leaves, he’ll use the discrepancy between the Rose Elixir ledger and the actual amount to pressure Rianna.

‘So pathetic.’

Honestly, it doesn’t look like Rianna would get caught up in this sort of messy business.

I turn my head slightly.

Inside the manor, Rianna doesn’t appear.

She was drunk yesterday, so she must be sleeping soundly.

[Take care.]

For a farewell to someone leaving, it was an overly pathetic word.

“Let’s go, Jonathan.”

Because, I don’t want to be in this manor anymore.

Isaac and Jonathan headed to the front lines.

* * *

[Isaac, the Grand Master said, if your legs were whole, you would have surely become a great swordsman.]

In a vivid memory.

A woman with long white hair smiled at me and said.

‘That’s just empty comfort.’

When I let out a bitter laugh, the woman replied with a serious expression.

[The Grand Master giving you comfort? And I think the same. If, if your legs were alright. If you hadn’t become that damn Helmund’s son-in-law…]

‘Don’t get so worked up, that’s your flaw.’

[Those stupid Helmunds, with brains of muscle. Not recognizing your talent either.]

‘You don’t listen, do you?’

[Silent Sword Isaac! The man who wields a sword with words and knowledge. We all know how much your textbooks have helped. Thanks to you, my spear has advanced several stages.]

‘Yeah, I get it. How many times are you going to say it?’

[I mean it, Isaac.]

[Truly.]

[Thank you.]

[It’s such a shame we met you so late.]

‘Are you drunk?’

[Maybe it’s because the final battle with the Transcendents is right around the corner. There’s no way we’ll survive, right?]

‘…’

[If I had met you earlier, surely, my family wouldn’t have been annihilated so futilely.]

‘You’re overestimating me.’

[Really? You think so? I don’t.]

A wry smile twists his lips.

[It’s late, Isaac. Go get some sleep.]

‘Yeah, you don’t overdo it either, Caldias.’

[…Hey, listen.]

‘Hm?’

[Silvernaya.]

‘….’

[My original name, the one I abandoned for the family.]

[Silverne Caldias.]

[That’s my real name, Isaac.]

* * *

“Sir Isaac!”

“Ugh?”

Jonathan’s call rouses me, my eyes sliding open.

Several days have already passed.

So much time spent on the carriage; aches twist and gnaw all over.

Still, youth is good.

I work out my right foot, still unbelievable that it moves, and listen to Jonathan’s shout.

“We’re almost there! They said it was the front lines, but the road was so clear we arrived quickly, yes?”

“Haaam, yeah. Seems so.”

A white puff of breath trails my yawn.

Even under the blanket, the frigid air sneaks into the carriage, seeping into my bones.

This place is the north of the kingdom.

The great Malidian Wall, built to hold back the surging demon beasts.

And those who guard it –

“We need to be careful now, as we’re entering enemy territory.”

“Enemy territory? We’re both nobles of the kingdom.”

Living rough with Jonathan for the past few days, I’ve realized.

He’s pure, to put it kindly.

They say he’s a fool, if you want to be harsh.

Seems they even ostracize him.

Training, they call it, controlling his bedtime, food, outings, even his bathroom breaks.

He even pissed himself once because of it…

“Sir Isaac! Isn’t this the territory of Caldias! Helmunt’s rival! The greatsword of Helmunt, the spear of Caldias!”

He speaks with such grandiosity, like some hero’s tale, but it’s just noblemen puffing out their chests.

Anyway, Helmunt and Caldias, they truly don’t get along.

That’s what Rianna worried about, too.

If we say we’re from Helmunt, they’ll give us a hard time.

“What if they hit us? I was often rolled in a blanket at night, but here, won’t they really beat us?”

“It’s alright, thankfully, we both have plenty of experience being hit.”

“Sir Isaac, you’ve been hit too!?”

“Haven’t you seen me helping the Helmunt direct line with their training?”

I was beaten all day long there.

A knight of Helmunt ought to know that.

“Ah, I can’t participate in training. I’ve only been a Helmunt knight for a year now.”

“Then what do you do?”

“Lately, they said that a knight should know how to communicate with a horse, so I’ve been training to imitate horse sounds!”

“This idiot–, ahem, Jonathan? I’m serious, you’d be better off just quitting being a knight. At least, not in Helmunt, how about somewhere else?”

“My heart is made of roses!”

“Then you’d have been dead long ago.”

I sigh, looking up at the Malidian walls, growing closer.

I’ve never seen them in person in my past life, but they’re as I heard them described.

‘I can understand why the people of the North see the Malidian Walls as sacred.’

They are truly a colossus protecting humanity.

The marks of time, like badges, are all over, showing how long the walls have defended our land.

Which is why, when the Malidian Walls fell in my past life.

The kingdom was defenseless, the front line started to crumble.

If Helmunt’s greatsword hadn’t stood against it, the capital would have been quickly taken.

Approaching the ramparts,

“I knew there was a stench of honey, the kind that would please some sniveling little brat!”

A woman’s booming voice, echoing in the sky.

And at the same time, mocking cackles from atop the wall.

“To smell of such frail flowers in this northern place! It makes my bear meat want to crawl right back up!”

“Ah, ah, Master Isaac?”

“Halt the carriage, Jonathan.”

“Yessir!”

Jonathan screeched the carriage to a stop.

The woman, glaring down at Isaac as he emerged, scrunched her face.

“Ha! I am the spear and shield of the Malidien Ramparts!”

She declared, self-assured, though no one had asked.

“Silberna Caldias! State your name!”

A dry chuckle escaped me.

So, you still haven’t abandoned the name Silberna, not yet.

‘Yes, Silberna.’

As the wind wills.

I’ve come to see you.

“Hey, you! Who are you, you pipsqueak!”

“……”