Pleading: Slash!
Swoosh! The moment Isaac cleanly severed one of Alois's arms, he couldn't deny that his lips had curled upward without his realizing it. If someone had told him to take revenge on just one person from the Helmont family, he would have chosen Alois without a shred of hesitation—the man who'd inflicted his deepest scar.
"Gaaahhh!"
Alois's scream echoed long through the mansion. Isaac's senses weren't particularly sharp, but already the commotion from outside was filtering in.
"You! How dare you—!"
"Your lines sound just like Roengreen's. Must run in the family."
Isaac smoothed his expression back to neutrality in an instant. Stray bolts of lightning crackled wildly, stinging his waist and side. Since he was dressed lightly for bed, he'd taken some damage from the electricity as well.
"You think you'll get away unscathed after this—?!"
"Honestly? I had other plans for you."
Isaac charged forward. Alois, clutching his severed arm, faltered in surprise.
Crack!
Isaac flew in and slammed a kick into his chest, sending him tumbling out of the room. Blood trailed in a long streak from the stump, connecting to the severed limb on the floor.
"Gaaahhh!"
Alois screamed again as he hit the ground hard on his rear, the impact jarring fresh agony through his arm.
"Eek!"
"Lord Alois!"
"What? What's going on?"
People preparing for bed emerged one by one—not just the servants who hadn't clocked out yet, but direct Helmont family members as well, assessing the scene.
"Tch, that cripple."
"Alois, your arm—"
Helmonts through and through. Even with their brother's arm lopped off, eldest son Roengreen and second son Armin just clicked their tongues or shook their heads. No sorrow, no rage.
On the contrary—
Thud!
Lianna leaped down from the second floor, landing squarely between Isaac and Alois in a flash. Even in her pajamas, the overwhelming pressure radiating from her body crushed the air itself.
"Big sis! That bastard did this to my arm! And now he's trying to leave, that mad dog—!"
Alois wailed, voice cracking. He seemed desperate to pull his sister to his side, but Lianna's face grew icy, her crimson eyes glinting with chill.
"What I'm more curious about is why you came to Isaac's room in the first place, Alois."
"Big sis? My—my arm got cut off! By that filthy commoner! Cut off, I said!"
As servants hurriedly gathered his arm and pressed towels to staunch the bleeding, he bellowed louder, blood spraying from his veins. Thanks to Helmont physiology, though, his complexion didn't change a bit.
"We'll have to sort out who was at fault first."
"It's my brother's hand! How can you—!"
"You've still got charges of attempted murder on Isaac hanging over you. The Black Hand delayed it, but don't forget."
"Ah."
Alois bit his lip hard. He tried to scrape together some excuse, but—
Creeeak.
Isaac's wardrobe door swung open, and a boy stepped out, calm yet sorrowful.
"Brother, I saw everything."
"...Edel? Sharen?"
"Alois burst in and tried to snap Isaac's neck! He even used Red Aura!"
Sharen pointed accusingly, and Alois's face twisted in fury.
"You filthy wenches—! Don't forget who your brothers are! We're blood, and yet you—!"
Alois raged on, but Lianna didn't hesitate. Red Aura flared in her right hand, and she whipped it like a lash.
Smack!
Alois's body flew up, slammed into the wall, and he crumpled unconscious.
"...Isn't that a bit much?"
"Big sis is pissed."
"B-big sis."
"Whoa."
Amid the family members' stunned reactions, Lianna stood expressionless—a warning that her responses from here on would differ from before.
Then, heavy footsteps thudded from the stairs. In Helmont mansion, only one person carried that level of intimidation.
"What is this commotion?"
Arandel Helmont descended, already visibly displeased, and the incident drew to a close for now.
Helmont's training grounds.
"Fight me again, IsaAAAAaac!"
Roengreen bellowed, veins bulging. "Come at me!"
His fury-filled roar faltered the moment the princess beside Isaac shot him an irritated glare.
"I'll handle it."
Lianna, seated next to Isaac, grabbed her greatsword and moved to face Roengreen.
"Yoo-hoo."
As soon as Lianna left, Silberna scooted over, plopping down beside him with a grin and urging him to finish the story.
"So yesterday, Alois—the Helmont third son—just charged at you?"
"Yeah, came by at night."
"..."
Clarice, arms crossed opposite them, narrowed her eyes. She seemed lost in thought, ignoring the rose tea on the table as she listened intently.
"He's been gunning for me for a while. Even on our fourth wedding anniversary."
"Fourth anniversary?"
"The day the chandelier fell. If it'd hit, I'd have been seriously hurt."
Having lived through it once, Isaac felt a fresh wave of vertigo.
"And he rigged the cake and rose bouquet too."
"So where's Alois now? Not like the Helmonts would just ground him and call it a day."
Isaac shook his head at Silberna's skeptical question.
"Shipped out at dawn. To the underground prison in the capital."
"Helmonts sending him to the underground prison? Didn't see that coming."
"They're swamped as it is. No way they wanted Alois complicating things further."
It wasn't for nothing that Arandel had sliced his own wife without mercy. He'd cast Alois out just as ruthlessly, showing zero interest.
Alois, in turn, showed no lingering attachment to Arandel or the family.
"Big sis! BIIIIG SIIIIS! It's a misunderstanding! I'll explain everything! Huh?! BIIIIG SIIIIS!"
His throat-tearing pleas to Lianna had filled Isaac with disgust. Any faint affection he'd once held evaporated in that instant.
"Helmonts really are cold as steel. Brother loses an arm, gets shipped off, and they don't bat an eye."
"Alois never cared for the family or the house. Except for Lianna."
Crash!
"You JEEEERKS!"
Roengreen knelt sobbing on the ground after a clean defeat by Lianna. She ignored him and approached, frowning at Silberna in her seat.
"That's my spot."
"Childish. Finder's keepers."
"...That's more childish. When are you leaving?"
"Was just getting to that—"
"Any idea why?"
Clarice cut in, interrupting Silberna with a genuine puzzled look after deep thought.
"It's weird. What's his motive for targeting Isaac?"
Isaac hesitated at her piercing question. What could he say? Glancing at Lianna, he sighed and laid bare the truth he'd buried.
"Alois admired Lianna."
"..."
"..."
"..."
"So he hated me, her husband."
All three women stared at him. Isaac sighed again—he hadn't wanted to say it.
"They're siblings!"
"Not anymore?!"
Clarice and Silberna exclaimed in unison, and Isaac nodded as if he'd been waiting.
"Isaac, you sure?"
"Positive. It's why he kept his motive secret to the end."
Isaac sipped his rose tea, bitterness lingering. The once-warm drink had gone lukewarm, but its aroma remained rich.
"Any proof?"
Nothing concrete right now. Isaac had heard rumors after leaving, confirmed it upon reunion later. Time for intuition.
"I'm her husband. I could tell how he looked at her."
He figured it'd sound weak, but the women seemed convinced, nodding as if it sealed the deal.
"...Urk."
Lianna clapped a hand over her mouth and fled like she'd been struck.
"Bluuuugh!"
"Never seen Lianna like that."
They watched blankly as she rushed inside, unable to hold it in. It was so novel, their eyes followed her.
With Lianna gone, Clarice posed another question.
"Isaac, did the Helmonts bully you or something?"
"..."
"Be honest. Does it tie to the divorce?"
Isaac smiled wryly and nodded.
"Yeah. Sick to death of them."
Straight talk drew wide-eyed shock from Silberna and a calm sigh from Clarice.
"That's what it was?! Why didn't you tell me!"
"Why would I tell you?"
"Those trash bastards."
Silberna fumed, glaring at the Helmonts sparring in the grounds. Sharen was holding her own against her brothers—still lacking, but her moves showed promise.
"...Sorry."
Clarice apologized abruptly.
"Pardon?"
"I had no idea. And I stubbornly insisted you couldn't divorce."
"..."
"Ahem. I'm a princess, right? So I'm supposed to be super capable, knowledgeable, and good at handling all sorts of things?"
The two listeners thought: Not really. She was unmatched at gathering intel, but green at synthesizing and concluding—now public knowledge.
"But I missed this. For the kingdom's sake, I overlooked you. You're our subject too."
"I get it. You didn't want Helmont drama before facing the transcendents."
No knight starts a battle with a crack in their sword. And with transcendents turning nobles, heavyweights like Helmont needed to hold the line.
"For the greater good."
Clarice's eyes misted at Isaac's wry smile. She sniffled, nodded, and gently took his hand.
"That's partly why I came—to convince you. The divorce, Alois's crimes... it won't help the war effort, no matter how I look at it."
Helmont: vanguard, kingdom's sword. Their third son's attempt on the eldest daughter's husband? Disaster.
"Just until the Black Hand is crushed. Please turn a blind eye till then. His punishment, the divorce. I beg you."
Hence the secret dawn transfer. No one the wiser.
"I know it's painful. Unfair. Sorry I have to ask this of you."
Clarice clasped his hand prayerfully.
"I, Clarice Evangelle Regardia, will remember your sacrifice for the greater good... and on the day it all ends, pay the fitting price."
"Princess."
"Not just with money. Name your wish, and the royals will make it so. That our best is this limited... I'm sorry."
"..."
Isaac smiled wryly at her plea.
"No need to bow, Princess."
He hated Alois, but transcendents came first. Why spare his neck otherwise?
"I'll accept."
"Ah."
Clarice exhaled in relief, bowing her head.
"Thank you. For your magnanimity. Just... thank you."
"One request first?"
Isaac slipped his hand free with a smile—Silberna's glare was turning murderous.
"Yes, anything."
"Keep tight watch on Alois."
"No need to worry—"
Clarice cut herself off, mouth closing. Sensing the chill without words, she nodded.
"I'll make it special."
'As expected.'
Sharp instincts. In his past life, discarded by the family, Alois became a transcendent's thrall. High chance here too—especially with their fixation on Helmonts.
"Isaac, you've got good instincts. Want to work with me sometime?"
Clarice brightened, probing slyly, but Silberna jumped in from her silence.
"Isaac's promised to guard the wall with me in the North—no!"
"...Have I?"
The two escalated over claiming him, but Isaac's path post-Helmont was set.
'She's probably at the rocky mountain by now.'
The Great Master. Time to seize the chance he'd bitterly missed before.