Teachings
Isaac fell into deep thought. Have I been expecting too much? He knew it himself. Comparing the current Silberna to the Silberna of several years later was rude. But even so, Isaac could declare with certainty.
She can't even hold a candle to her. He had at least hoped to glimpse a fragment of that future self. He thought he could gauge her potential and expectations. If she weren't Silberna, I'd think it was a completely different person. Just looking at the spear alone, no one could imagine they were the same individual. The gap was that vast.
So, it was time to rethink things. Why? Why was the difference so profound? The question didn't linger long. Silberna was already standing before him.
"What did you say?"
The emotions in her eyes were clear: blatant hostility and a strange sense of betrayal. Isaac, who had praised the Kaldias spear, was now badmouthing her own after seeing it—doubling her anger.
"……."
"Ah, um—wait, that's not what he meant…."
Jonathan tried to make excuses beside her, but it didn't seem easy.
"Lord Isaac has, well, a condition in his heart that makes him spout nonsense sometimes—."
"……."
Jonathan scrambled for any justification, but Silberna ignored him completely, glaring at Isaac. Isaac pondered. How should he respond? In the old days, in situations like this, he would bow his head and apologize. In arguments with fellow disciples or comrades of the Great Master, it was always Isaac who yielded. Because, ultimately, he wasn't a true swordsman. They praised him as the Silent Sword, but there was inevitably a disconnect from real combat.
"Don't you have a tongue?"
Silberna's glare made even the surrounding instructors tense. A chilling silence filled the air, broken only by the hurried wind.
Having steeled himself, Isaac replied.
"Your spear is far worse than I imagined."
"……!"
"Ah, Lord Isaac!"
Isaac declared it openly, facing Silberna directly. He gestured for Jonathan to be quiet, then asked the wide-eyed Silberna.
"It was awful from the start. The way you grip the shaft, for one. Grabbing it there means your power doesn't fully transmit."
"What?"
Silberna blinked in confusion at the sudden critique. But Isaac was already acting without hesitation. He grabbed her hand on the spear.
"Wh-what are you doing!?"
Silberna flinched in surprise, shoulders hunching, but Isaac didn't waver.
"Look at this. See how the shaft is worn here? That's where you grip by default in spars."
"So what? I've held this stance since I was a kid. My father taught me this grip himself."
Silberna shot back, telling him not to nitpick.
"You've grown up. Your body has developed. Naturally, your grip width should widen, and your stance too."
"Uh……?"
"It's good to follow the family head's teachings. You've worked hard to ingrain them, so even as your body grew and it felt awkward, you forced yourself to keep it. But you need to change."
Isaac corrected her grip position, crouching to widen her stance appropriately. Before she knew it, Silberna was following like a doll.
Isaac focused as intently as when writing.
"You there, come here."
"……Me?"
Isaac called Meladick Drake Moore, who had just sparred with her. Pushed by the surrounding stares, Meladick stepped forward.
"Do it again."
"Huh?"
"What?"
Frustrated by their puzzled looks, Isaac sighed and repeated.
"Like before. Spar again."
"Ah, um."
Meladick hesitated, overpowered by the momentum, but Silberna frowned and pressed.
"I remember you pointing out my insult. Why are we suddenly replaying the spar?"
"Do as I said. If you still don't accept my words after the replay, I'll withdraw them politely and apologize."
"……."
"Start. Do it again."
And so, an unintended replay of the three-way spar began.
Lunchtime. As the dispatched nobles finished training and headed to the dining hall, a loud shout erupted from the corner of the training grounds.
"Meladick! How many times do I have to tell you? There are times to relax your grip on the sword!"
"Y-yes, sir!"
Isaac, wielding a tree branch the size of a staff from who-knows-where, was instructing Meladick. Across from him, Silberna watched in genuine astonishment.
How is this possible?
Be honest. Isaac looked weak at first glance. Bluntly put, feeble. Silberna could overwhelm him in one exchange right now. Yet listening to him, he seemed astonishingly versed in combat and martial arts.
Too competent to call a fraud….
"Drake Moore swordsmanship lives on lightness and footwork. But your grip is too tense, stiffening your whole movement. That's why you couldn't dodge Silberna's third strike and had to block, losing the match."
"Yes, sir!"
Utterly dominated, Meladick swung his sword nimbly.
It's not just Kaldias spear arts he knows. He's deeply versed in Drake Moore swordsmanship too. How? It wasn't superficial knowledge. It was as if he'd studied and agonized over it for years. Isaac's words carried profound insights into the art.
Amazing.
The spear in her hand felt awkwardly unfamiliar today. After just hours of training together, new horizons opened. Anxiety and excitement mingled, leaving Silberna bewildered.
"That's better. Practice like that. Relaxing your power and broadening your view will deepen your understanding of Drake Moore swordsmanship."
"Th-thank you, sir."
Meladick bowed, panting, and fled to the dining hall. Isaac watched with a satisfied smile until Silberna entered his view, startling him.
"Ah, sorry. I lose track of my surroundings when I focus."
Isaac apologized sheepishly. Teaching Meladick after her spear made him seem a bit foolish, almost drawing a laugh from her.
"Ahem, so? What did you think?"
She demanded an answer to her pre-training question.
"Was my statement really just an insult?"
"Ha."
A disbelieving laugh escaped her. Even wanting to defend her pride, she was surprised by her own hollow acceptance.
"Fine, I admit it. I get why you said that about my spear."
"……You get it?"
"Isaac, you're right. In that short time, I learned so much. Listening to you, I honestly felt… the depth of your spear knowledge is on another level."
Silberna gave a wry smile.
"Ridiculous, right? Me, who's trained in the Kaldias spear my whole life, outdone in concepts by the Helmont son-in-law?"
"……."
"But accepting that is another matter."
Though conflicted, she began confessing honestly.
"Following your advice would make me grow, sure. But would it still be Kaldias spear arts?"
"……."
"You said it yourself, Isaac. Our spear arts are great. I want to preserve that."
Greatness bred pride. She didn't want to lose her identity.
"This spear is my lifelong companion. Your teachings open new vistas, but accepting them would change it too much."
"……."
"I have a duty to protect the spear our ancestors built."
Hearing her confession, Isaac felt the puzzle in his mind click.
I see.
The difference between the Silberna he remembered and the current one. Their fundamental approach to strength diverged.
The Silberna I met had already lost everything.
The Mallidan Wall fallen, Kaldias destroyed, only her left. Family, comrades, home—gone, leaving just the spear. But now was different. She hadn't lost anything precious yet, so her hunger for power was somewhat lacking.
"Foolish, Silberna Kaldias."
Isaac's rebuke hit her.
"……What?"
"Anyone else, maybe. If someone else at the Mallidan Wall said that to me, I'd accept it."
But.
"Not you."
"What do you know! The Kaldias spear is my pride, my heart! Don't tell me to change it lightly—!"
Bam!
Isaac slammed his wooden stick against the ground.
"Your name—."
Like a stern master disciplining.
His dark eyes blazed with what looked like anger.
"What is your name?"
"What the—!"
"What is your name!"
At Isaac's shout, Silberna hesitated, then answered.
"Silberna… Kaldias."
"Right, Kaldias! Preserve the ancestors' spear? Cling to that great pride? Do you even know what that means?!"
His staff pointed at her.
"It means stagnation! You're drawing a line yourself, saying the Kaldias spear ends here!"
In his past life, as the Silent Sword, Isaac had taught many. He despised most those who set their own limits. Even he, leg injured and unable to swing a sword properly, pressed on. Yet they halted, deeming it their limit.
"Look at your spear! A great legacy layered by ancestors! And you'll just hold it? Because it's precious, you'll protect it?"
Grinding his teeth, Isaac pleaded.
Silberna, don't become one of them. In his past life, she gained enlightenment only after tragedy froze her mind in the northern cold. This time.
I'll make her see.
Before tragedy struck.
"Stagnation for a warrior is death, short of actual dying."
Enthralled, Silberna met his eyes. His shouts melted her frozen heart and mind.
Ah.
Suddenly, a path appeared within her. Named 'Kaldias.' The path she'd walked. Rough and rugged, but a path. Paved by someone before.
"I'll ask again. Who are you?"
Now, Silberna faced forward. Northern snow blanketed ahead. A place with no path, forbidden.
"I am… Silberna… Kaldias."
For future descendants who would pass here. The path she would pioneer.
"Advancing isn't abandonment—it's carrying on."
Seeing her realization, Isaac smiled softly.
"Where you stand now is someone's endpoint."
So.
You can start from there.
Before long, a bright smile graced Silberna's lips. Not just gratitude for ancestors' greatness. But joy as one of them, walking their path.
"Heh, haha haha!"
As a warrior, immense honor. And thrilling anticipation swelled.
Slowly. Deeply bowing her head. Hands clasped politely, she voiced her sincerity.
"My thanks."
To the benefactor who granted enlightenment.
"Infinite… thanks."
Looking up, Isaac's smile reassured her. His joy at her right answer uplifted her further, spurring her forward eagerly.
"Could I receive more teachings? Not just basics, but ways to evolve the Kaldias spear."
"If I can help, anytime. But shouldn't we eat lunch first?"
Shrugging toward the dining hall, Silberna nodded excitedly.
"Let's talk more over food. Oh, any specific training directions for me alone?"
"Blindly following me isn't ideal."
"Advice! I want your advice!"
Advice. Isaac hesitated slightly. He did have one. A point that had troubled her greatly in his past life.
"……Anything goes?"
"Huh? Of course!"
"Promise not to get mad."
"Hm? I even overlooked you insulting my spear. What else could anger me?"
Her eyes sparkling, urging him on. Isaac scratched his cheek awkwardly.
"You should ditch the chest binder."
"……Huh?"
The abrupt advice froze her. Unconsciously, her hand drifted toward her chest, then stopped.
"D-does it show?"
She'd hidden her ample figure compared to other women. Eyes unfocused and trembling, she explained.
"I-it's hard to swing the spear without it. Too… jiggly."
"Get used to it."
"……Why?"
This is insane. Isaac rubbed his forehead, muttering softly.
"You might not be able to wear one someday."
"Why wouldn't I be able to wear—."
Silberna's face flushed crimson mid-sentence. That implication here…?
"H-how do you know about that!"
She yelled desperately, but Isaac sighed wistfully.
"I know. Anyway… I know."