Chapter 39
Chapter 39
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Translator: uly
Chapter: 39
Chapter Title: What is an Interrogation?
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What is an interrogation?
Isn't it an act of investigation—pressing and probing to uncover the facts—that's firmly etched in people's minds?
Silberna had walked in expecting exactly that.
But instead, there were warm candlelights illuminating the interior, a sturdy wooden table wafting the scent of cool breezes.
On it sat simple snacks and bottles of liquor piled up.
And finally, cards strewn about in a haphazard mess.
"……."
Silberna clamped her mouth shut, staring at the scene that utterly defied her common sense of an interrogation.
Uldiran, the main culprit behind this situation, cleared his throat awkwardly and stood up.
"Well, I think that's enough fun for now."
The other two began tidying up the cards as well, but Isaac's hands moved with remarkable skill.
He gathered them up with the finesse of a professional gambler, shuffling them cleanly and smoothly.
"Ah, it's just a habit."
He flashed a sly grin, calling it a habit, and handed them back to Uldiran.
Back in his ferryman days, card games had been one of Isaac's main sources of income for building his savings.
Farmers nearby, passing travelers, other ferrymen.
He'd gather them all whenever he could and play a few rounds.
"You've done what needed to be done, right?"
Silberna shot him a suspicious glance, and Uldiran coughed dryly before rising from his seat.
"Here, read the investigation report if you want. It's all organized."
The report Uldiran handed over was written in neat, elegant handwriting.
The moment she realized it was Isaac's script, Silberna set it down with a look of utter disbelief.
"Do you make witnesses write their own reports?"
"Ah, Young Lady."
Anna, standing behind her, quietly called out to Silberna.
Even if she was his daughter, it was too much to grill the Margrave like that in front of outsiders.
"……."
Silberna pressed her lips together and picked up the report again to read it. Uldiran stood and decided their fates.
"Both of you are cleared of suspicion. However, for this Great Horde, I'll place you both under your command to serve the kingdom."
"Pardon? Isaac aside, Rianna Helmunt as well?"
"She seems like a valuable asset you'd be a fool to pass up."
"……."
Unable to respond, Silberna watched as Uldiran simply walked out.
From the looks of the report, he'd handled everything that needed doing.
"Isaac... you were raised by a Transcendent when you were young?"
Silberna stared at him in shock.
"Yeah."
"……."
His curt reply suggested he had no intention of elaborating.
"So that's how you know about Transcendents and sorcery?"
"Right."
"......That excuse feels pretty half-hearted, doesn't it?"
"But the Margrave accepted it."
"Transcendents kill humans on sight, don't they?"
"She was a half-blood."
Silberna looked unconvinced, but Isaac's ally stepped in.
"I've heard about it for a while now."
Rianna raised her hand and added,
"Isaac said he was taught by an amazing master when he was little. That's why he knows all sorts of things."
"……."
Watching the couple gaze up at her innocently from their seats, Silberna felt an uneasy twinge.
"He said he learned to drink from that person too, right?"
"Yeah, when I was really young."
"Was it beer?"
"Wine."
"Right, wine."
They nodded and turned back to Silberna.
'Why do they seem like they're lying?'
It felt exactly like a lie.
But since they were saying it together, it was hard to call them out.
"Feels like I'm watching a husband-and-wife con artist duo."
Anna's words scratched exactly at Silberna's itch.
But with the Margrave's verdict already handed down,
there was nothing left for her to do but accept it.
Exiting the interrogation room.
The castle corridor, laced with a chill draft.
Isaac walked along the path lit by the lanterns on the walls.
'That surprised me.'
Honestly, Isaac was flustered.
'I never imagined Rianna would back up my lie so seamlessly.'
He'd been stunned to see her naturally flesh out his fabrication.
Rianna surely had her own doubts about Isaac.
His demeanor, for instance.
Or his knowledge of all sorts of swords.
But she'd ignored them and matched his story, letting them slip through.
"That was a lie back there, wasn't it?"
Silberna's voice came from behind Isaac, who was heading toward a clear destination.
She'd been following him since earlier, and Anna had vanished at some point.
Isaac halted abruptly and turned to face her.
"Is this an interrogation room?"
"It's not an interrogation. Not grilling you, either."
"Then why ask?"
"You can be honest with me."
Her words felt like a plea, hardening Isaac's expression.
"Honest about what?"
"We're comrades. Comrades who fight side by side, risking our lives."
"Comrades don't share everything."
Even husbands and wives kept secrets from each other sometimes.
Silberna pressed her lips tight at Isaac's cool response.
"The Margrave trusted me. You can do the same."
"He needs all the manpower he can get for the Great Horde right now. Even if your story smells fishy, he wants to use you as assets for the moment."
"……."
Silberna hit the nail on the head.
Isaac took a breath before countering.
"Either way, it's his call."
"Playing it like that, huh?"
Silberna stepped forward boldly.
Her prominent chest nearly brushed against Isaac's.
"Silberna, ease up."
"What?"
Unable to hold back, Isaac issued a warning.
"I know northern camaraderie runs deep. But like I said, we don't share everything."
"……."
"You have your secrets, and I have mine. Just trust that mine don't harm anyone."
With that, Isaac resumed walking down the corridor.
One step.
Two steps.
Three steps.
Right at the third.
"I-."
Silberna's voice pierced straight into Isaac's back.
"I have feelings for you."
"……."
Inside the castle, yet it felt like a fierce wind was howling—an illusion.
Isaac's steps froze solid.
He turned his head with a creak, and there was Silberna, arms crossed, nodding firmly.
"W-What do you think? No more secrets now."
Her face flushed crimson, she pointed at him.
Looking at her, Isaac let out a hollow chuckle.
A laugh born of sheer absurdity.
He walked back to her.
Slowly reaching out, he buttoned up her loose shirt.
"Wear your clothes properly. What kind of grown woman...?"
"Now tell me your secret. Fair trade, right?"
The water was already spilled.
Silberna pushed hard, but Isaac shook his head casually.
"That's not a secret."
"Huh?"
"I knew."
"W-Wha...?"
This time, it was reversed.
Silberna's body went rigid, her face turning beet red like a ripe persimmon.
She flapped her arms like a carp, mouth gaping wordlessly.
"Y-You knew? How? W-When?"
"For a while now."
Even her adjutant Anna had come to him separately with a request.
To keep some distance, for the sake of Helmunt and Caldias.
"Ah, wha?! W-Wait a sec?!"
Silberna floundered, showing him her back.
Touching her cheeks with both hands, they burned hot enough to forge in a smithy.
"But Silberna-."
"Wait! D-Don't talk to me right now!"
"……."
Isaac waited patiently, staring at the huddled Silberna.
Her shoulders shook, she muttered to herself, sorting out her feelings in her own way.
"Hoo!"
She turned back to face Isaac.
"Ugh, damn."
But meeting his eyes brought the embarrassment surging back; she covered her mouth and stepped away.
"Let me say this clearly first. I'm a married man."
"Heh."
"......Did you just laugh?"
"No, no. I didn't laugh."
What was that?
She was covering her mouth, but it sure looked like a smirk.
'No way she has a thing for married men.'
Did she laugh like she was pleased?
Anyway, Isaac pressed on.
"Since I'm married, no need for an answer, right?"
"……."
Silberna glared at him, arms crossed. Her face was still beet red, but she'd given up hiding it.
"What's with you."
"Feels a bit unfair. I was honest about my feelings."
"I told you mine too. I can't accept them."
"That's just what you have to say in your position."
Silberna was a natural genius.
Tell her one thing, and she'd grasp ten.
"From a married man's perspective, of course you can't accept. I'm not that stubborn."
Anna's advice—heaven-sent opportunity—had sparked a brilliant idea in the genius's mind.
"Set everything else aside. Just tell me, personally, what you think."
"Does that even matter?"
"Show some consideration? It was the first time my heart raced for a guy. At least give it a nice ending."
"……."
The end of a first love.
Isaac knew bone-deep how crucial that was. He hesitated, then confessed honestly.
"Yeah, you're an attractive woman. So much so that it's an honor you'd have feelings for me."
"If Rianna weren't in the picture."
"……."
"Would you choose me?"
The weight of sincere emotion in her expression, hand on heart, swept him away.
Isaac nodded unwittingly.
"Y-Yeah. I would have. But what does it matter now? I'm already married."
"Heh."
Did she just laugh again?
Isaac tried to ask, flustered, but Silberna nodded vigorously with a bright smile.
"Thank you, Isaac."
"......Hey, Silberna."
Sensing unease, Isaac asked cautiously.
"Do you know something?"
"Hm?"
"No, just... feels like you're hiding something."
To Isaac, treading like a bridge of planks, Silberna grinned playfully.
"Even comrades have secrets, Isaac."
Silberna's steps were light as she stepped outside.
Isaac had somewhere else to be and stayed in the castle, but she was eager to rush to Anna and share today's rare good news.
Then.
At the entrance stood a woman with red hair, rooted in place.
Her gaze fixed on Silberna.
'They say Helmunt ears are sharp.'
Sharen's words weren't a lie, it seemed.
Her aura alone radiated that she knew everything.
Silberna didn't stop walking and passed Rianna by, declaring,
"I won't apologize or feel guilty."
"……."
"You're the one who let him slip away."
Watching Silberna leave, Rianna pressed her lips tight and said nothing.
No, she couldn't.
What could she do now?
Responsibility for her choice.
No matter the reason, she'd stayed silent back at the mansion.
So here, too.
She could only stay silent.
Because that's what Isaac wanted.