Chapter 54: The Sword Festival (1)

Alois leaning on a staff was a shocking sight for Isaac.

It was certainly an unexpected scene.

So, while bursting into laughter was clearly a mistake, he had no intention of taking it back.

"No, brother-in-law."

Alois, knowing this as well, chose not to dwell on it, despite feeling irritated and offended.

"Sister is acting strange!"

There was something more important at hand.

"She said… she said I tried to harm you, Brother-in-law! It's so unfair!"

Alois shouted, his eyes brimming with tears.

"Haven't I always been on your side, brother-in-law? Even when the other siblings bullied you, I always helped! I was the one who assisted you with your fourth wedding anniversary, too!"

"..."

"So why would I ever try to harm you? She wouldn't even listen to a single word I said before doing this to my leg! If I weren't a Helmut, I might have been crippled for life!"

He should have been.

Isaac clicked his tongue in disappointment.

Alois's plea was quite convincing.

In his past life, he had never once doubted Alois.

But now that he knew everything, he could see just how ridiculous this act really was.

'If I had been this oblivious, I'd feel more hollow than angry.'

Alois must have been absolutely certain that Isaac would believe him, which is why he's acting this way now.

No matter what was said in the North, he must have thought he could convince Isaac.

That meant, in a way, he had been looking down on Isaac all along.

'Hmm.'

Isaac hesitated for a moment before nodding and placing a hand on Alois's shoulder.

"There's no way you would do such a thing. I don't know what this is all about, but I'll talk to her."

"Brother-in-law!"

Alois nodded with teary eyes, and Isaac patted his shoulder before walking past him.

If it were up to me…

He wanted to rip Alois apart right then and there.

But knowing that Liana had already shattered his leg was somewhat satisfying.

In a way, Alois was the most direct link to the Transcendents.

Taking revenge on him?

Sure, that would feel good.

But he didn't want to look like a man who had dedicated his entire life to something so trivial.

Instead, it was wiser to use Alois to see the bigger picture.

My life's purpose isn't something I should waste on that bastard.

Don't cheapen yourself, Isaac.

And personally—

Once Alois's leg fully healed, he wanted to take it away himself.

If he did it now, it would seem like he had only succeeded thanks to Liana's intervention.

As Alois walked away, relieved, Jonathan approached and saluted.

"From this moment, my duty to guard Isaac Helmut has officially ended!"

"Alright, you did well."

"Thank youuu!"

Jonathan beamed brightly.

Hiding his Transcendent bloodline was important, and the bullying from his seniors probably hadn't stopped completely.

But if it was Jonathan, he would manage just fine.

Isaac patted his shoulder as well.

Unlike with Alois, this was a genuine gesture of encouragement.

"I'm hereee!"

Just then, a 17-year-old kid burst through the mansion gates.

She passed Alois on the way, but the two didn't exchange words.

However, judging by the way Alois clenched his teeth, he seemed to bear some grudge against Sharen.

"Isaac!"

Bouncing up and down in front of him, Sharen quickly lowered her head.

A clear demand for head pats.

Feeling a strange sense of stubbornness, Isaac just stared at her instead.

At that, Sharen slyly stepped on his foot.

Ssshhk, ssshhk.

"Isaac! This is bad! Really bad!"

Then, flailing her hands like a fish out of water, she frantically explained.

"What?"

Isaac's eyes widened.

***

Clunk.

It was the first time.

The first time he had opened Liana's door without any prior warning.

"Ah."

Liana was sitting on the bed.

It was the first time he had seen her like this.

Her disheveled appearance, her rough, unkempt red hair, and her lifeless eyes—until she saw Isaac, at which point they slowly regained color, as if soaking it in.

And lastly, the shackle fastened around her ankle.

"Isaac, you're back."

As Liana slowly stood up, Isaac approached her and asked,

"What's going on? They said you tried to escape while under house arrest!"

"..."

On his way back, Isaac had heard about several incidents that had taken place in Helmut.

The biggest of them all was that Liana had attempted to break free from the confinement ordered by the family head.

She had tried to escape but had been captured by the family head once again.

The two had crossed swords once more, and Liana had been utterly defeated.

This was the result.

A warning that she should never again challenge the authority of the family head.

"This isn't like you, Liana. Why did you do it?"

Hearing Isaac's question, Liana parted her lips. If it were before, she would have kept her mouth shut.

"I think… I wanted to run away from making a choice."

"A choice?"

Isaac looked at her in surprise, but Liana merely shook her head as if forcing herself to deny it. Her hand reached out for a moment but quickly withdrew again—

As if she believed she had no right to reach for him.

However, her eyes became clearer.

Completely different from the way they had wavered like reeds just moments ago.

"Isaac."

As she stood before him, Liana clenched her fist tightly, as if finally making a decision, and declared,

"I will become the family head—."

"...!"

"And on the day the Sword Festival ends, you will safely leave this estate."

No matter what.

"I promise."

***

"..."

The uncomfortable feeling wouldn't go away.

Isaac walked out of the room, pressing his lips together in thought as he made his way downstairs.

"Issaaac! Isssaac!"

From the second floor, a familiar voice called out to him again.

Sharen was in her room, beckoning him with a mischievous expression.

"..."

"Hurry up! Come quickly!"

"Sigh."

When Isaac stepped into Sharen's room, he saw an assortment of sweets laid out.

Kelsey was even preparing tea, its fragrance rich with Helmut's signature rose scent.

"Tadaa! This is my secret collection! I told you we'd eat together!"

"Oh."

He had completely forgotten.

"The young lady worked hard to prepare this. Even when there were only a few sweets left, she held back and said she'd wait until Isaac returned."

"D-Don't say that!"

Seeing Sharen blush in embarrassment, Isaac let out a small chuckle.

His mind had been tangled with complicated thoughts just moments ago, but as he popped a sweet into his mouth, he felt a bit more at ease.

'Star cookies.'

Now that he thought about it, he hadn't greeted Millie yet.

'She's probably busy welcoming guests.'

He wanted to say hello and enjoy Millie's cooking.

As he took a bite of a star cookie, Isaac naturally scolded Sharen.

"Just how far did you go looking for these?"

"W-What! Why?!"

"Because of this one cookie… Sigh, never mind."

Who would believe that a single cookie had nearly turned her into a traitor to humanity?

Isaac sighed, ready to move on, but Kelsey seemed to have a lot more to say.

"That's right, young lady. Do you know how much trouble the servants went through? They searched all the nearby villages for it."

"Wha?! No, but… It's really tasty…"

Her voice grew small.

As both Kelsey and Isaac stared at her, she eventually bowed her head and apologized in a defeated tone.

"S-Sorry… I won't do it again."

She really had changed.

Isaac, impressed, popped another star cookie into his mouth.

***

Helmut Mansion

Every evening, a lavish banquet was held in the grand hall.

It was a way to entertain the guests who had received invitations.

Especially today, as the main event of the Sword Festival, which would begin tomorrow, was the main topic of conversation.

Normally, this event was a way for members of the Helmut family to showcase their strength in duels.

However, this time, there were quite a few outside participants.

One of them was Silverna.

Though she hadn't arrived yet, she had sent a letter confirming her participation.

'Millie isn't here.'

Meanwhile, Isaac—competing as Liana Helmut's husband—stood alone.

Despite being part of the Helmut family, no one approached him.

Not that he cared.

In fact, he was more interested in seeing his one true friend in the mansion—Millie.

But as a chef, she was likely stuck in the kitchen.

"Ah, there you are!"

A familiar female voice called out.

It was the same voice he had heard earlier in the marketplace.

This time, instead of her ragged adventurer's attire, Princess Clarice stood before him in an elegant gown befitting her royal status.

The fact that Princess Clarice had approached him first caused a stir among the nobles.

Whispers filled the room as glances darted toward them.

It was embarrassing, but he couldn't exactly tell a princess to go away.

"I was looking for you. I was worried that you only saw me in such an unkempt state and wouldn't recognize me as a princess."

Clarice smiled brightly.

Isaac thought it was a strange thing to worry about and quickly changed the subject.

"So, did you gather a lot of useful information today? You said you'd personally go out and find valuable intelligence."

At his question, Clarice's face stiffened slightly before she forced an awkward smile and nodded.

"A man named Poron from a nearby village got stung by a bee yesterday."

"..."

"His neighbor Jake had a tooth pulled. It must've been painful."

"..."

"Oh, and the skewer shop—people complained that the food was bad—"

"..."

Isaac stared at her blankly, unimpressed.

Clarice placed a hand on her chest and let out a dramatic sigh.

Then, with a determined look, she glared at Isaac and declared,

"The information I just gave you is far more important than you realize… and I will logically explain why—even a fool could understand. Follow me."

'Oh, great.'

Unwilling to admit that her so-called intelligence was utterly useless, Clarice was determined to prove herself right.

Just as Isaac was about to groan, a voice from behind interrupted.

"The matchups have been decided."

The Sword Festival matchups, which had been drawn earlier in front of the banquet hall.

Isaac searched for his name and frowned.

[Isaac Helmut vs. Silverna Caldias]