Chapter 66: The Subjugation of Blackson

The Subjugation of Blackson.

The royal family officially announced the betrayal of Blackson and the existence of the mysterious beings known as the Transcendents. At the same time, they reassured the citizens that all necessary preparations had been made and there was no need for concern. Lastly, they declared that the subjugation of Blackson would take place very soon, with the great sword, Helmut, leading the vanguard.

Under the leadership of Princess Clarice, the preparations that had been carefully arranged began to unfold like a cascade of falling dominos, putting immense pressure on Blackson.

By the time the news reached them—

Blackson was already surrounded by noble armies, with Helmut at the forefront.

The people living in Blackson's territory looked as if they were suffering from a terrible famine, their bodies reduced to mere skin and bones. The sky was dark, as if covered in storm clouds, and there was no light in their eyes. And yet, strangely enough, their lives were not impoverished.

Children played freely, granaries were well-stocked, and they could even afford to eat meat once or twice a week. The villages near Blackson were more prosperous than expected, but that in itself was the problem.

Despite their seemingly abundant lives, their faces remained gaunt and lifeless.

There was a reason why strict orders had been given not to accept food from them or even draw water from their wells. If people were living in abundance but still appeared destitute, then something unnatural was at play.

As they ventured deeper into Blackson's territory, they were eventually met by those who had come to intercept them.

It was none other than Blackson's private army that had built defensive lines around the territory.

Their numbers were so small compared to the kingdom's forces that one might call them insignificant. However, among them were beings who were clearly not human.

The Transcendents were openly standing among Blackson's ranks, along with the large and mid-sized beasts under their command.

Although Blackson had done its best to prepare for battle, the difference in power was overwhelming. It seemed that even the Transcendents had half given up on Blackson already.

"..."

Isaac silently observed the battlefield from a step behind.

More precisely, he was watching a single man, rampaging like a monster in the middle of the battlefield.

Arandel Helmut.

His physical prowess surpassed that of the Transcendents.

Ferocious beasts were reduced to nothing more than livestock before him.

His massive greatsword became a banner that led the battlefield.

Whenever his blade fell,

The tides of battle shifted in an instant.

Even the nobles and knights who had once complained about the strength of the Transcendents could do nothing but hold their tongues in his presence.

Arandel had already slain three Transcendents in the first battle alone. His mocking remark, "Now this is what I call a good fight." had left a deep impression on Isaac's mind.

"Getting itchy?"

Silverna, standing beside Isaac, chuckled as if she understood the feeling.

Silverna had joined the subjugation of Blackson under the pretext of avenging Polo, instead of heading north.

"Yeah, I'm itching." Isaac admitted.

"Same here. Can't deny that he's an incredible swordsman."

Watching Arandel dominate the battlefield, they could only marvel. The desire to rush in and swing their swords surged within them. It was clear why the knights of the kingdom admired Arandel's sword.

[The war wouldn't have happened.]

'The Grandmaster was right.'

Isaac had initially doubted it.

No matter how powerful one person was, the idea that they alone could prevent a war seemed like an exaggeration.

But now—Arandel's aura filled nearly a quarter of the battlefield.

The title of The Great Sword was not given to him without reason.

A swift and decisive assault.

Blackson's defensive lines and estate looked as if they were about to collapse, no more than a fragile skeleton barely holding itself together.

"It's over."

"..."

And yet, despite his overwhelming presence, Arandel only fought for exactly one hour each day before withdrawing.

In just that one hour, he had led an astonishing advance.

But once he left, the battlefield would return to a standstill.

Now, two days had passed since the subjugation began.

Ironically, the kingdom's forces still had plenty of energy to spare.

"Isaac!!"

"Oh no, here he comes again."

Lohengrin, who had been fighting alongside Arandel moments ago, stomped toward them.

His bloodshot eyes burned with excitement, as if he had only just started warming up.

"A duel!!"

Once again, he shouted the same thing.

Before, Liana would stop him, but she wasn't participating in this subjugation of Blackson.

Since her husband Isaac had come, as his wife, she had stayed behind at the estate.

"Haah…"

Isaac finally stepped forward.

It seemed necessary to calm down this boar-like brute who couldn't control his strength.

By the way—

Since the duel at the Sword Festival, the results of Isaac and Lohengrin's matches were 3 wins, 0 losses in Isaac's favor.

Since that day, Lohengrin had not managed to defeat Isaac even once.

"You can use your Aura if you want."

Isaac spoke casually as he adjusted the hilt of his sword at his waist. In response, Lohengrin swung his greatsword fiercely and shouted.

"Shut up! Do you think my swordsmanship is inferior to yours?!"

"No, I just think I could learn a bit if you used aura—"

"Shut up! You're the one who taught me that the swords of Helmut are not solely based on aura, damn you!"

"Ugh, my ears hurt."

"Helmut's voice is strong too."

Silverna crossed her arms and sighed.

After their sparring, Lohengrin had stopped using his Aura. It seemed he had realized that his father's sword wasn't just about unleashing Aura.

But honestly, there was still a long way to go.

"Oh, they're at it again?"

"Sir Lohengrin! You must land a hit today!"

"Fighting!"

"Will I get a turn next time?"

Knights and soldiers gathered from all directions.

At some point, the duels between Isaac and Lohengrin had become a spectacle of sorts.

"Let's begin."

Isaac, with his hand resting on his still-sheathed sword, spoke calmly. Lohengrin, however, did not take it as mockery or provocation.

A sword that remains in its scabbard—

That was the most dangerous moment.

He had learned that much from his three defeats.

***

Seeing with one's own eyes, hearing with one's own ears, and experiencing firsthand—each provided different levels of quality and applicability of knowledge.

Having gained this realization, Princess Clarice had also joined the Blackson subjugation.

However, she was merely an observer.

She refrained from making any comments regarding battlefield strategy, acknowledging that she was not yet experienced enough to do so.

That said, she was somewhat puzzled by Arandel's behavior of only fighting for exactly one hour each day.

'Is there some reason for it?'

It was a little frustrating, but during that one hour, Arandel led an overwhelming charge.

The result? An effortless victory with minimal casualties, conserving their strength.

It was no wonder he was hailed as the Great Sword.

Simply having Arandel present on the battlefield felt like a guaranteed victory.

"Oh."

Hearing a commotion outside the tent, Clarice stepped out with her escort.

"They're at it again."

A crowd had gathered.

On the dry, barren dirt ground, Isaac and Lohengrin were engaged in yet another duel.

Clang!

Lohengrin blocked Isaac's sword with his greatsword at a diagonal angle.

However, just as another blade pressed down on top of it, hammering repeatedly like a blacksmith's anvil, the eldest son's expression twisted strangely.

"Graaahhhh!"

With a fierce battle cry, Lohengrin swung his greatsword in a wide arc, scattering the pressure of Isaac's strikes.

At that moment, Isaac let go of both swords and rushed in.

"He fights differently every time I watch."

"Indeed."

Hearing her escort, Heirad, mutter those words, Clarice nodded in agreement.

Who in their right mind would abandon their weapons against a warrior from Helmut and charge in?

But Isaac did just that.

Smack! Smack! Smack!

A series of sharp impacts rang out, and Lohengrin's eyes widened in shock.

Temple, philtrum, solar plexus—

Vital points that every human possessed.

Helmut warriors might be monsters, but they were still human in the end.

Gagging, Lohengrin coughed up spit, his widened eyes glaring at Isaac.

He wanted to say something, but his tongue was stiff from the pain.

Isaac smirked and nodded.

"As expected of the mighty Helmut. Normally, this would cause breathing difficulties or outright cardiac arrest."

"You bas—! Kugh! Guh-ack!"

"Your body sure is sturdy! I'm so envious! Of! That!"

Smack! Smack! Smack!

As Lohengrin fell backward, Clarice sniffed and muttered softly.

"He must have held a grudge against Helmut for quite some time."

"But Princess, is this really okay?"

"Hmm?"

Heirad asked with a serious expression as he watched the duel.

"Isn't it dangerous for the heir of Helmut to be seen collapsing like that in front of others?"

"Well, it's not like I can control that."

The princess seemed to have let go of the matter, but that didn't mean she hadn't prepared a backup plan.

Rather—

"This whole situation made me realize something. There's too much power concentrated in Helmut."

"..."

"I know they're capable. I know Helmut is amazing. But a kingdom relying solely on one family isn't a good structure."

Even in this instance—

If Arandel had sided with Galenia and stood with the Transcendent race, the consequences would have been catastrophic.

"It's time for a generational shift. I think this is the perfect moment."

Clarice smiled.

"Heirad, have you ever heard that the number three symbolizes balance?"

Without waiting for an answer, she continued.

"Liana of Helmut, Silverna of Caldias, and—"

Isaac.

The central pillars of the new generation, the ones Clarice believed would support the kingdom after Arandel.

"I believe they will be the ones leading the next era."

In that sense, this duel had great significance.

Not only did it gradually chip away at the deification of Helmut's power,

But it also laid the foundation for Isaac's future.

"You'll have to endure a little more, Lohengrin Helmut."

Clarice secretly hoped he'd keep getting beaten up every day.

***

"Are we really just going to let this continue?"

"No matter what, Young Master Lohengrin is the pillar of Helmut."

"Is it right to let someone who fought so bravely on the battlefield be beaten like this?"

Helmut's knights protested to Arandel.

They couldn't stand seeing Lohengrin in such a state.

However, Arandel said nothing.

From a distance, he silently watched the duel, deep in thought.

'He's learned something new again.'

The stance, breathing, and momentary judgment Isaac displayed when he let go of his swords and moved in—

It was very similar to how Arandel had crushed a rabbit-eared Transcendent on the battlefield earlier.

However, realizing he couldn't replicate Arandel's power and technique exactly,

Isaac had adapted—releasing his swords and striking the vital points with his bare hands.

It was an adjustment suited to his own abilities.

It was similar to how his dual-wielded swords, when swung together, mimicked the overwhelming presence of Helmut's greatsword.

Just as he used two thin blades to mirror the weight of Helmut's strikes, he had found his own way to steal Arandel's techniques.

'In such a short time, he observed my movements, learned them, absorbed them, and recreated them in his own way.'

How was this even possible?

His expression remained neutral, but Arandel was genuinely impressed.

At first, he had wondered how such talent had been hidden for so long.

But talent wasn't something hidden—it was something that needed to bloom.

In the past four years, Helmut had failed to nurture Isaac's talent.

And now, Arandel had realized that the depth of Isaac's understanding of the sword was finally being nourished.

'This isn't mere imitation. This is learning. Even as he admires others, his core remains unshaken. He exists as himself.'

Lohengrin was improving too.

He had acknowledged his weaknesses after his past defeats.

He wasn't incapable.

Not at all.

'But it's not enough.'

One of them was progressing at an overwhelming speed,

Leaving the other's pace looking sluggish in comparison.

Even though they were both taking steps forward,

The distance covered in each step was vastly different.

It couldn't be helped.

Unfortunately, Arandel was not a kind teacher.

'I wonder what he'll show me tomorrow.'

As he quietly chuckled to himself, Arandel found himself looking forward to Isaac's next moment of growth.