First Writings
Recently, rumors had been spreading like wildfire at the Mallidan Wall, one after another, to the point where no one's mouth went dry from talking. Thanks to that, the biting cold felt a little more bearable. Time flew by even during guard duty, and more soldiers than usual were chattering away animatedly.
The topics were twofold. One was, naturally, the beast horde.
"This beast horde is holding out longer than expected."
"We're seeing new types of beasts we've never encountered before. They're not overly threatening, but we should still call in the capital's beast scholars for an investigation—"
"Wall repairs are ongoing every day, but we might need to change the schedule. The beasts have been ambushing us right when we start working."
Beast hordes forming outside the Mallidan Wall wasn't a rare occurrence. But this one had dragged on longer than usual, prompting requests for reinforcements from the kingdom's nobles.
The second topic was, of course, the son-in-law from Helmont, who would soon arrive in response to that very request.
"Helmont? Are the Helmonts really coming?"
"Aren't they in the midst of their Sword Festival this time? And they're still sending someone?"
"I heard they're sending a live-in son-in-law. Figures, with a name like Helmont."
"Aigoo, resorting to such petty tricks. Just a bunch of brutes who only know brute force."
In a small tavern inside Mallidan's fortress—a place personally established by the border lord as a gesture of care for the frontline soldiers guarding the wall. In truth, this spot served as the foremost rest area and makeshift war room at the Mallidan frontline.
Amid the knights, the owner of snow-white hair like fresh eyes—Border Lord Uldiran Kaldias's only daughter, Silberna Kaldias, sipped juice in place of beer and clicked her tongue with a sly grin.
"Too bad. I was hoping the eldest daughter would come."
"Ooooh!"
"As expected of the lady!"
"Helmont's Blood Rose would kneel in one strike before the lady's spear!"
Cheers erupted from all corners of the tavern. Silberna raised a hand to quiet them, then picked up her spear from beside her. Anna, her adjutant seated across the table, hurriedly stood and followed suit.
"Off to duty!"
"Take care!"
"Lady, fighting today too!"
"Yeah."
She replied indifferently and stepped outside.
"Atchoo!"
The chilly wind made her mantle flap, apparently tickling Anna's nose as she trailed behind.
"Haa, it's so cold even in April."
"It's always like this here."
The massive wall loomed into view the moment they stepped out. As long as the Mallidan Wall stood, the unnatural chill would never fully fade.
As they headed to the wall for duty, Anna kept chattering on.
"But Lady, you don't really need to stand guard yourself, do you?"
The border lord and master of these lands, Uldiran Kaldias—his only daughter had no obligation to pull regular soldier shifts like the common troops.
"I'm a soldier guarding this wall too. Duty is duty. And Anna, you're just saying that because you hate following me on shifts."
"……."
Anna flushed red, her core pierced.
"That's why I told you to just stay as my maid. Why'd you have to learn the spear and tag along?"
"But! Serving you is my calling! It's been that way since we were kids!"
"Didn't expect you'd follow me all the way to the army."
Silberna and Anna arrived at the wall, a faint smile on her lips as they braved the blade-like wind. After handing over from the previous shift, they climbed atop.
Unlike the forward-facing posts, rear-wall duty was far more relaxed. No beasts would assault from behind, after all. Staffing here was minimal as a result.
"Rear-wall shifts are kinda boring."
"Others seem happy when their turn comes up here. They say it's comfy."
"No tension."
Silberna yawned, flipping through the visitor manifest from handover. Most entrants were nobles—meaning the reinforcements they'd requested had arrived, as expected.
"Tch."
Silberna clicked her tongue skeptically.
"Look at this, Anna. Drakemore, Highrendel, Blackhand, Silverbrook. All the famous houses sent total nobodies we've never even heard of."
"Ha, haha……."
"Turning the frontline into a training camp for their promising pups?"
"Well, nowhere's safer for real combat experience than Mallidan. Bonus spear training too."
"Tch. Why call for reinforcements we don't even need? Why help nobles who only scheme for their own gain?"
"Can't be helped. Law says mobilize nobles if a horde lasts three months."
"Ridiculous! We're the ones fighting out there! We're wall guardians! We just smash beasts until the horde fizzles out naturally! Even if it takes time—!"
"Yes, yes, I get it. Everyone knows, but no choice."
"The royals deliberately won't repeal the law. Using us to raise their young nobles!"
"Then we're contributing to the kingdom. Wow, how noble."
"……Anna, are you sulking because of what I said earlier?"
Anna silently checked the list. Everyone had arrived—but one key house was missing.
"No Helmont yet?"
"Rumors would be flying if they had."
They were from a distant region, but years of camaraderie meant word spread fast. These were soldiers who never yielded an inch defending the wall, yet their tongues were lighter than falling snow.
"Lianna's live-in son-in-law…… Never seen him."
"Ah, you skipped the wedding. Lost to Lianna back then."
Silberna bristled instantly.
"I didn't lose! I was just exhausted after facing the eldest son!"
"The eldest daughter was way stronger than the son, right?"
"No comparison needed."
Tsking, Silberna pondered.
"A commoner who melted that woman's heart, colder than the North. Honestly, kinda curious."
"Heard he was a ferryman rowing across the river. Handsome face, silver tongue—super popular."
"Ferryman?"
"Yes! Social circles went wild calling it a century's love transcending status. So romantic."
"Romantic."
From someone who'd met Lianna Helmont in person, the word felt utterly mismatched.
"Helmont carriage incoming!"
A soldier's shout drew Silberna's sly grin as she bolted off.
"L-Lady?! Don't do anything rash! They're guests under Helmont's name!"
"Once you're at Mallidan Wall, you follow Kaldias. Romantically."
Her smile brimmed with mischief. Her eyes now fixed on Helmont's opulent carriage.
The gates groaned open like a giant's wail. Isaac walked beside the carriage, cautioning Jonathan as they advanced.
"Jonathan, don't show fear. They'll walk all over you the moment you flinch needlessly."
"R-Right. I'm the great Helmont Rose's knight, after all."
Not a bad mindset. Unasked for or not, he bore the Helmont name now.
"Welcome to Mallidan."
A soldier greeted them with a mocking smirk upon entry. Everyone here was essentially Kaldias retainers, so they had little love for Helmont arrivals.
Silberna even outright mocked us.
The other soldiers would undoubtedly follow suit.
No wonder the family head hesitated to send us.
Imagine if Roengreen, the eldest son, had come. He'd have drawn his greatsword at the gates and rampaged. Silberna would suppress him, cementing a clear hierarchy.
"Noble dispatch, your lodging is that building over there. If it's unsatisfactory—"
The soldier gestured slyly at the shabby structure, probing. Likely some spoiled young nobles had complained before, only to comply in the end. This wasn't a place that tolerated tantrums.
"It's fine. Let's go, Jonathan."
"Yes!"
With Jonathan forcing broad shoulders and false bravado, they led the carriage to the lodging.
"Huh?"
The soldier, well-acquainted with Helmont arrogance, stared blankly at Isaac's departing back, caught off guard by the response.
"No fuss?"
"Quite gentlemanly, actually. Threw me off."
A atop the wall, Silberna—who'd gripped her spear expecting the Helmont son-in-law to riot over the insult—looked baffled.
"Provocation bounced right off."
"Commoner origins, but decent self-control, it seems."
She'd assumed he'd share the Helmont temperament.
"Didn't expect him to swallow 'ferryman' insults."
"So, what's the plan? You know causing a scene at noble lodging would be trouble."
"I know. I'm no thug. If they're civil, no need to be rough."
"Then—"
"But."
Slinging her spear on her back, Silberna grinned.
"We should show our esteemed Helmont guests what this place is really like."
"Lady?!"
She started toward the noble lodging—then halted abruptly, muttering as she turned back.
"On duty. Almost slipped."
"……."
"After shift!"
The noble lodging wasn't bad at all. Private room for one, for starters. Attendants like Jonathan bunked next door—in barracks-style communal halls, from a quick peek.
"Compared to that, this is luxury."
Austere, but fully equipped: bed, desk, chair. No different from Helmont guest quarters—zero discomfort.
After unpacking, he pulled out paper, ink, and quill.
Good it hasn't frozen.
He sat at the desk and wrote. Wielded the sword with words.
The Silent Sword, Isaac.
Many had called him that with reverence, but Isaac had never sought such a title.
Thus, the first book he penned in this life was none other than My Sword.
A manual for himself alone.
In his previous life, he'd authored dozens of tomes—not a single one, not a single line, for himself.
Fun.
Thoughts pondered hundreds, thousands of times in his mind now flowed forth.
Sentences once abandoned due to his ruined right leg now stretched out.
Fun.
Theories blocked by reality's walls now transcended time's barriers.
Ink-black words, elegant script, the quill's scratch.
So much fun!
His pounding heart accelerated the quill unwittingly.
[Child, you reach for the stars like a dreamer. Stretching toward the impossible to the very end.]
Great Master, you were right.
Back then, he'd denied it. Refused to accept the tragedy of grasping only a quill when he yearned for a sword.
I never gave up, not for a moment.
Using his knowledge for himself for the first time thrilled him; time vanished.
Sunset yielded to dusk, yet his room stayed bright. Isaac's eyes shone brighter than any star outside.