Chapter 42: Accumulated Changes

Kwaang!

Early in the morning.

Isaac was clashing swords with Liana.

Well, could it even be called a clash?

Liana deliberately eased her strength just before their swords met, ensuring Isaac's blade wouldn't break.

After the sparring session.

Liana approached Isaac, who was wiping off his sweat, and asked bluntly.

"You tend to adopt the Helmut's unique stance when swinging your sword."

"..."

"The Helmuts enjoy overpowering their opponents with sheer force, but that's not your style."

"Yeah, you're right."

"The sword you wield is like glasswork—delicate and precise. You don't need to force yourself into the Helmut's greatsword style."

Liana was about to add more but stopped herself.

She didn't want to say it out loud, but she was leaving soon.

"Don't get too fixated on it."

She hoped Isaac wouldn't feel the need to seek validation from the Helmuts.

Such things no longer held any meaning.

But Isaac rejected her advice.

"I have my own goals when it comes to the sword."

"Goals?"

"Yeah, it might seem like I'm just imitating now, but..."

"..."

Liana could tell he was pursuing something, but she couldn't quite grasp what it was.

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

'How on earth did he accumulate this much knowledge?'

His knowledge of the sword.

There were times during their conversations when even Liana was taken aback.

It ran deep.

If his knowledge were compared to drawing water with a bucket...

'It's not just a well.'

It felt like drawing from an ocean. His knowledge was that deep and pure.

"Isaac, look at this."

Silverna, who had been practicing with her spear nearby, stepped between them.

"Is this the feeling you mentioned last time? Like raking leaves with a claw?"

Silverna adjusted her stance and swung her spear through the air.

The spear tore through the wind, leaving claw-like scars on the training ground.

Isaac, watching her, propped his chin on his hand and corrected her posture.

"A bit weak. You didn't put enough weight into it. You need to put more force into the front foot when you strike. Have you been stretching regularly?"

"Yeah, I have."

"Flexibility is crucial for transferring power throughout your body. Especially since your physique puts you at a disadvantage compared to others."

Liana, listening in, subtly lowered her head.

She was on the advantageous side.

"Anything is fine, but if you get too fixated on your stance, your movements will become limited. Try practicing with a variety of stances to make the most of it."

After hearing Isaac's advice, Silverna resumed her practice.

'He's amazing.'

Isaac exuded the aura of someone who had been an instructor for years.

Personally, Liana also wanted to hear Isaac's advice on her swordsmanship.

But she felt she didn't deserve it.

"Let's go again."

When Isaac requested another spar, Liana nodded and gripped her greatsword.

Thinking of the upcoming Sword Festival, she knew that once the Helmut direct descendants started using Crimson Flame, all this training would become meaningless.

'What is it?'

Isaac's eyes shone brightly. Their calm light seemed unshakable, even in the face of any storm.

* * *

A few days later.

The Knights of Helmut and Malidan Wall soldiers stood in separate lines, as if competing to prove which army was superior.

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

Liana Helmut and Silverna Caldias.

Their dignified presence was far more serious than the usual atmosphere Isaac was used to seeing from them.

Before them, Uldren, mounted on a massive warhorse and holding a spear, commanded the entire force.

The main gate of the wall opened.

Applause and encouragement followed.

Those remaining in the wall sent them off with salutes, hoping they would end the war with the beasts.

After Uldren's main force departed, the interior of the wall felt eerily quiet.

"It's so quiet."

Jonathan, who had stayed behind with Isaac, muttered.

Staying in the wall didn't mean they would just sit around doing nothing.

"This is just the beginning."

As the main force advances, they will start clearing out the beasts.

However, they couldn't eliminate all of them, and their true goal was to hunt down the beast responsible for the massive horde.

Some creatures would be left behind, neither pursued nor slain.

Before the main force returned, the wall's defenses would have to be even more vigilant.

Most of the remaining soldiers would have little to no time to rest, spending nearly all their time stationed on the wall.

"Did you bring your blankets? I heard you need at least three. Someone might take them if you don't."

"Why would they take them? You can just go back to the barracks and get them."

"It's true. I heard even underwear and socks get taken if you're not careful."

"Did the Helmut knights feed you weird rumors?"

"They said it's common on the front lines."

Isaac and Jonathan had already moved their supplies to the wall. Since they would be living and sleeping on the wall, there were many things to prepare for.

"Ugh, it's cold."

Sharen Helmut quietly joined them. She had also been left out of the main force's roster, a decision influenced by Liana's opinion.

The three of them headed to the military camp set up inside the wall for the soldiers.

The pre-laid bedding and supplies.

The place where they would have to huddle together for several days felt somewhat unfamiliar to Sharen.

It smelled musty, and they would have to live in close quarters with the soldiers, but Sharen had already grown somewhat accustomed to life on the front lines.

"I'll take this spot!"

Sharen laid her blanket next to Isaac's and claimed her space.

On the other side, Jonathan had already settled in and was placing a hot water bottle inside his blanket.

"Doing this makes it much warmer. I prepared one for both of you too."

"Thanks."

"Jonathan, you're so thoughtful!"

"Hehe."

Jonathan smiled, clearly pleased with the praise. It seemed he had gotten plenty of advice from the other soldiers he shared quarters with and had come fully prepared.

"But it's really cold inside the wall."

Breathing out, they could see their breath. Even though it was indoors, the chill was noticeable.

"That's because of the nature of the Malidan Wall."

Isaac explained briefly as he watched Sharen rub her hands together.

"Did you know the cold in the north is actually artificial?"

"Huh?"

"Really?"

Sharen and Jonathan looked at Isaac with curiosity.

"The north was always cold, but not to this extent. It wasn't like it is now, with snow falling year-round."

However, the first lord of Caldias, Wolfdren Caldias, came up with a solution.

"He cast a spell on the wall to make the climate even colder. That way, beasts that hibernate in winter wouldn't come near. The snow also makes it easier to spot enemies and improves defense."

"But wouldn't that make it cold for their own soldiers too?"

Sharen raised her hand to ask a question.

Feeling like a grandfather telling an old tale, Isaac answered.

"For Wolfdren, that wasn't a problem. He was more focused on stopping the enemy than his own discomfort."

It was a massive project.

Working with the Mage Tower wasn't difficult.

They rarely had the chance to handle such large-scale magic, so they quickly agreed.

A combination of cold and madness.

The Caldias' belief that they could endure their own suffering if it meant stopping the enemy.

There's a reason the nearby villagers regard the Malidan Wall as sacred.

"So the cold we're feeling now is a kind of determination from historical figures to protect the kingdom—"

"Yawn, Jonathan, do you have any food?"

"I have a piece of bread, but it's frozen solid."

"Hey, I'm explaining something here."

"Helmuts have strong teeth. Give it here."

"Here you go."

Sharen took a big bite out of Jonathan's bread, which was hard enough to be used as a weapon.

"Argh! My teeeeth!"

She teared up, then threw the bread in frustration. It hit the wall with a sound more like a rock than food.

* * *

"Sir Isaac, it's time for our shift."

"Ugh."

Isaac woke up groggily to Jonathan's call. He had been on duty until last night and had only meant to rest his eyes for a bit, but it seemed he had slept through until his next shift.

"Sharen, wake up."

Isaac shook Sharen, who was sleeping in his arms.

The inside of the wall was so cold that at some point, the two had started sleeping while holding each other tightly.

"Mmm."

Sharen buried her face in his chest and shook her head back and forth. After repeating this a few times to wake herself up, she slowly got up.

"I feel like I just closed my eyes, and now it's already time?"

The three of them prepared for their shift.

It had been three days since the main force had left.

From the occasional flashes of lightning, they could guess their location.

Were they struggling?

Isaac didn't know for sure, but he wasn't too worried.

In his past life, Silverna had told him that the beast they were facing had power comparable to Uldren's.

But now, not only was Uldren there—

Liana and Silverna were with him too.

They would handle the horde without much trouble.

The three of them climbed up the wall.

Standing at their designated posts, they silently observed the vast expanse beyond the wall.

The sun was hidden behind thick clouds, and snow was steadily falling over the white landscape.

Rumble! Boom!

A distant thunderclap echoed.

The sound had been occurring more frequently lately, which was starting to feel unsettling.

"Oh! Now I get what my sister meant!"

Sharen suddenly jumped up, grinning.

"I can sense the mana. It's real. It's artificial."

"Really?"

Isaac, who had no talent for this kind of thing, didn't notice any difference.

But Sharen was excited, realizing she had picked up on something Liana had experienced.

"I can feel it too! Haha!"

Even Jonathan joined in, smiling brightly.

"What? Seriously? You guys aren't messing with me?"

"Why would I lie about something like this?"

"Ugh, I thought I was special for noticing it, but I guess it wasn't that impressive after all."

"You wound me with those words!"

Listening to Sharen and Jonathan bickering, Isaac yawned lazily.

"Huaaam-?"

Jonathan felt it too?

Something felt off.

Even though he was a half-blood of the Transcendents, Jonathan was still closer to being human.

It was understandable for Helmut, who was an abnormal existence from the start, but…

Why was Jonathan able to sense it now when he normally couldn't?

'Both of them sensed the mana from the lightning strike.'

'They couldn't feel it before?'

'Then does that mean something about the lightning has changed?'

His thoughts carefully crossed the metaphorical bridge toward the truth.

'Did it get closer?'

Close enough for not just Sharen but even Jonathan to notice?

"Ah, here they come again!"

"They're in complete panic."

Sharen and Jonathan pointed at the swarm of beasts charging toward the wall.

Ever since the main force began their external operations, such scenes of panicked or lured beasts had become frequent.

Isaac's eyes slowly widened.

'In my past life… Uldren faced it alone.'

After a fierce battle, he barely managed to achieve a hard-fought victory.

But this time was different.

Not only was Liana here, but Silverna's skills had also improved significantly.

So then…

Would the creature still choose to fight head-on against an opponent with such an overwhelming advantage?

Among the fleeing beasts, one caught his eye—a blood-covered, three-meter-tall humanoid beast.

A single yeti shoved its hand under the monster's foot.

Then, as if flipping a dining table, it hurled the monster into the air.

The lightning coursing through the beast's body erupted like a catalyst, and in an instant, it moved at a speed almost impossible to follow with the naked eye, latching onto the wall.

The yeti, meanwhile, turned into a charred husk, its fate sealed.

"A beast has latched onto the wall!"

"It's clinging on! Knock it off!"

Rumble!

Lightning struck once more.

But this time…

The mana was so dense that even Isaac could feel it spreading across the wall.

Just standing atop the rampart made his soles tingle, as if they were burning.

The soldiers near the creature collapsed, electrocuted, or had already been burned black.

The beast that had climbed the wall now stood atop the watchtower.

A towering figure, three meters tall.

Its skin was hard and white, resembling ice.

Hideous, protruding fangs. Four arms.

The weapons embedded in its back and the wounds covering its body were proof that it had fled here.

'I was careless.'

There had been too many changes.

The main force of humanity had grown stronger, forcing the overlord of the beast horde to choose escape over combat.

The lightning, which no one would have noticed originally, was detected thanks to Lianna's presence.

Concerned for Isaac's safety, Silverna had pushed to finish the battle quickly, supporting the decision to move the forces outside.

If analyzed step by step—

Nothing had technically been done wrong.

Liana had simply reported what she sensed.

Silverna and the other strategists had given reasonable suggestions.

And Uldren, weighing both options, had determined that moving out was the best strategic choice.

However, the result—

"Kraaaaaaaah!"

—was the worst-case scenario, where the beast horde's overlord had fled and reached the top of the wall.

Rumble! Rumble! Rumble!

From around the creature, lightning rained down from a clear sky.

The living calamity pounded its chest with its four hands and let out a deafening roar.