Chapter 63: Recognition

Vanguard, Helmut.

Just this alone was enough to reassure and raise expectations among many, as could be clearly felt from the atmosphere in the meeting room.

It was truly a heart-pounding situation.

Arandel Helmut silently nodded at the princess's proposal.

"I will accept it."

"Phew."

"Oh."

"Ah, Lord Arandel as the vanguard?"

Exclamations erupted from all around.

The nobles were deeply intrigued and excited by the fact that Helmut itself was stepping onto the battlefield this time.

Moreover, the sense of crisis towards Blackson had significantly diminished, to say the least.

The meeting room quickly lightened in atmosphere, to the extent that even Clarice, who had led the discussion, seemed somewhat bewildered.

"…I wish I could join as well."

"Father?"

Uldren, sitting across, clicked his tongue. Being in a position where he had to return to the north, he seemed to regret not being able to stand on the same battlefield as Arandel.

"Ahem, yes. In any case, I ask for your cooperation. Especially with Sir Isaac. After all, wasn't he the main figure in this Sword Festival?"

Crunch!

"It's a matter of symbolism. Just being together will be of great value."

The sound of teeth grinding was heard from the side. Lohengrin, feeling humiliated by the princess's words, bowed his head deeply.

His eyes were bloodshot with deep anger, but he couldn't actually refute.

"If you lost, stay quiet."

Liana warned in a low voice.

With Galenia gone, Liana seemed to have firmly taken on the role of disciplining her siblings.

"Hmm."

But this time, Arandel kept his mouth shut. He simply looked silently at Isaac and Liana.

"They are scheduled for a divorce."

He dropped a bombshell.

"..."

"..."

Liana and Isaac's eyes widened simultaneously. Although the issue of divorce had been somewhat postponed due to the aftermath of the Sword Festival.

No one had imagined It would be brought up like this here.

"Huh?"

Not only the other nobles but even Princess Clarice looked at Arandel with her mouth agape, losing her composure.

"Wha, wha, what did you just say?"

While everyone was too stunned to speak.

Only Silverna, unnoticed by anyone, smirked and gave Liana a thumbs up.

"..."

Seeing this, Liana bit her lip, wanting to say something back.

But she forcibly swallowed her words and refocused on the conversation.

"They will be divorcing soon."

As Arandel added nonchalantly, Clarice clutched her forehead and staggered.

On the verge of fainting, she was caught by her guard knight, Heirad, and managed to stand again.

And then.

"Are you spouting nonsense right now?!"

Clarice fiercely criticized.

"Divorce?! Ah, no! Divorce?! Do you think that makes any sense right now?!"

"It's Helmut's issue."

"Helmut is the backbone of our kingdom's power! And you want a divorce in this situation?! You're divorcing the man who beat Loengrin?! This is ridicu-!"

Clarice almost let out a curse, but Arandel remained resolute.

"It's already been decided."

"Do you even understand what people will think of Helmut because of this?! They'll say you're throwing him out just because he defeated one of your direct bloodline! That Helmut's honor has been completely shattered! That Helmut is no longer as great as before! That the next successor lost to a commoner! Do you understand the kind of talk this will invite?!"

"..."

"Do you know why there wasn't much talk even after Sir Isaac won the Sword Festival? Because it's Helmut! Even though he's a son-in-law, he still carries the name Helmut! Do you want to hear that the kingdom's sword has fallen?!"

"However, it's a decided matter."

"Decided-! Ah, agh…!"

Finally, the young Clarice fainted and fell backward.

"I really hate Helmut… I want to go home."

With her last words, the meeting was temporarily concluded.

***

"Both of you, come here."

As everyone was leaving the meeting room.

Clarice, sitting alone, beckoned Liana and Isaac over.

Silverna, following Uldren out, subtly stood by Isaac's side, keeping an eye on the situation.

Clarice spoke without much concern.

"Now, listen. The Transcendents have appeared. They're openly trying to recruit our nobles, and they attacked the festival I was at, causing chaos."

"..."

"..."

"Answer me."

"Yes."

"That's correct."

Clarice nodded and continued speaking.

"Blackson's betrayal could spread distrust towards the kingdom. It's as if we failed to manage things properly. In times like these, the powerful nobles need to stand firm and hold the center."

But.

The noblest of nobles.

The kingdom's last bastion and deterrent against war.

"For Helmut to waver at a time like this is unacceptable. This isn't just a matter of a personal rift between two people."

"..."

"..."

"Why should the kingdom have to deal with internal issues while fighting enemies? You need to think about the name Helmut."

Isaac knew this too.

That's why he had deliberately held his tongue for the past three days.

But if asked whether he wanted to stay in Helmut.

Absolutely not.

'I want to leave right now.'

The problem, however, is the Transcendents.

Unlike in his past life, the Transcendents had been exposed too early, starting from the north, and had revealed themselves to Isaac far sooner than expected.

Thus, the impact of Helmut's divorce would inevitably be greater than anticipated.

To prevent humanity from being annihilated by the Transcendents as in his past life, swift suppression was essential.

The situation itself was far better compared to his previous life.

Because they had detected and begun to subdue the Transcendents before they could launch their offensive.

But on the flip side, the tangled circumstances meant that Isaac's divorce was having a much larger impact on the political situation than expected.

"Now, both of you, look at each other."

"..."

"..."

"Quickly."

At the princess's impatient urging, Isaac and Liana reluctantly turned to face each other.

A faint blush rose to Liana's cheeks, and Silverna, standing behind them, grimaced.

"Hold hands."

"Princess…"

"Ah, hurry up!"

The Clarice he knew wouldn't usually act like this.

It seemed the stress of staying in Helmut for a few days had pushed her to her limit.

Isaac and Liana cautiously held hands.

The rings on their left ring fingers pressed against each other's skin.

"Apologize to each other."

"…I'm sorry."

"No, I'm sorry. Truly."

Liana apologized with a faint smile, her sincerity evident to anyone listening.

"That's right, marital fights are like cutting water with a sword. It's not like Helmut can actually cut water, right?"

"...They do cut rivers, though."

Isaac added, and Liana bowed her head in embarrassment.

Clarice clicked her tongue in irritation, telling him not to say unnecessary things.

"Now, kiss."

"Princess."

"Quickly. Kiss. I'm the princess, aren't I? Should I issue a royal decree?"

Isaac felt like this was some absurd situation and tried to let go of Liana's hand, but surprisingly, her grip was strong.

"..."

Glancing at Liana, he noticed her cheeks flushed with embarrassment, but her lips were slightly pursed.

"Hey."

"Ah, no. It's a royal decree."

Liana replied shyly.

"I-It's been a really long time since I last did it…"

She whispered softly, but unfortunately, it didn't lead to a kiss.

Because Silverna's hand suddenly intervened between them.

"Wait a minute! I have a solution!"

Silverna declared, glaring at Liana.

"It's fine if Isaac divorces! Our Caldias will take him in!"

"..."

"..."

Placing her hand on her chest, Silverna shouted excitedly, even spitting a little as she spoke.

"Even if Helmut falls, Caldias will stand tall in its place! The Malidan Wall protecting the north will support the kingdom in place of Helmut-!"

"..."

Clarice stared at Silverna with a dumbfounded expression, her mouth hanging open.

Then, as if searching for something, she fumbled around.

Unable to find what she was looking for, she took off her shoe and held it in her hand.

"You! You're the problem!"

She threw the shoe at Isaac and shouted.

"It's you! Youuuu! How dare you, a married man, go this far-!"

***

The three of them stepped out into the garden.

Still dazed by the whirlwind of emotions, they found themselves surrounded by the fragrant scent of roses. Silverna was the first to break the silence.

"Making you hold hands and kiss while you're in the middle of a divorce is a bit much, don't you think?"

Liana, standing beside her, flinched slightly.

"Right, Isaac?"

"…Well, you're not wrong. But I can understand the princess's perspective—"

"What?"

Isaac sighed under Silverna's glare, which was as fierce as a thug's. By now, Isaac couldn't help but notice something.

"You knew about the divorce, didn't you?"

"..."

Now, all the puzzle pieces from Malidan Wall clicked into place in Isaac's mind. Her overly affectionate gestures and physical contact, which seemed excessive for just friends, now made sense. She had used the fact that he was a married man as a shield.

"Who told you?"

"Sh-Sharen."

Though Isaac had expected this answer, he couldn't help but worry about Sharen, who was still holed up in her room.

'I should go talk to her.'

No matter how terrible Galenia was, Sharen had lost her mother at her father's hands. At her young age, the shock must have been overwhelming.

"Is Sharen still in her room?"

"Yeah, she's with Edel right now."

Edel Helmut, the youngest of the Helmut family, was only 15 years old. It was a harsh reality for even a boy his age to process.

As Isaac turned to head inside to find Sharen, an overwhelming presence emerged from the mansion.

Arandel Helmut and Uldren Caldias.

The two men stood in stark contrast to each other. For a moment, Isaac felt that the atmosphere between them was eerily similar to that of their daughters standing on either side of him.

"..."

Arandel stepped in front of the three. Uldren, suddenly pushed aside, made a face as if annoyed.

For three days, Arandel hadn't had the chance to speak with Isaac. He had been busy dealing with the aftermath of the Sword Festival. Now that things had settled somewhat, Arandel made his proposal.

"Join me in subduing Blackson."

"…I'm no longer part of Helmut."

"Ugh!"

Isaac didn't understand why Uldren was so upset, but regardless, he answered calmly. Arandel, however, remained expressionless.

"I'm not asking because you're part of Helmut."

"..."

"I'm asking because I've become interested in you as a swordsman."

For a moment, everyone except Isaac widened their eyes in shock. The fact that Arandel, not as a member of Helmut but as himself, had taken an interest was a monumental event.

This was also a sign of change in Arandel, who had kill his own wife.

"…I trust you're well aware that it's not just Helmut that's being shaken."

Isaac didn't refuse the divorce. In response, Arandel replied boldly.

"After this Blackson incident, the world will see that Helmut won't be shaken by something as trivial as the relationship between the two of you."

In other words, he would demonstrate Helmut's overwhelming power and prove that the family remained unshaken.

Uldren, standing beside him, frowned and crossed his arms.

"It's not just about whether Helmut is trustworthy or not. You know full well what Isaac represents now."

The first in line to inherit Helmut.

He had defeated Lohengrin.

Not only that, but he had also reached the point of countering Helmut's swordsmanship.

Though only three days had passed, rumors were undoubtedly spreading far and wide.

"For now, things might be fine with you still here. But once a new family head is decided—delayed because of the Sword Festival incident—Helmut's name won't hold the same weight."

Perhaps because of their rivalry, Uldren spoke with concern. But Arandel, instead, looked steadily at Isaac and replied.

"Is Helmut the only one carrying the kingdom?"

No one could deny that Helmut bore the greatest burden, especially Arandel himself.

"If I step down, someone will take my place."

That someone didn't have to be a single person.

Nor did it have to be Helmut.

His gaze, filled with that meaning, locked onto Isaac.

"Haha! This guy! You're still in your prime, what are you talking about!"

Uldren, sensing something ominous in Arandel's words, laughed and patted his shoulder. If anyone else had done that, they would have lost their head, but perhaps because Uldren was someone Arandel acknowledged, he said nothing.

"I was planning to participate in the Blackson subjugation anyway."

Regardless of the divorce, dealing with the Transcendents was the priority.

Isaac had intended to go to Blackson regardless of the divorce, but—

"You will not have to draw your sword."

Arandel shook his head in response.

"Watch, learn, and prove yourself."

"..."

"Prove whether your sword is capable of crushing the name Helmut."

The last words were almost a growl, a warning.

Yet, the excitement in his raised voice and the smirk on his lips made it seem more like he was looking forward to it.