The Great Horde
"Hah! Hah!"
Gasping for breath, Isaac stared at the transcendent impaled on his spear. Even standing tall like that, it gave off the vibe of a grave marker in its own right.
Thank goodness.
He was too winded to say it aloud, but Isaac felt genuine relief. As long as he could reach Uldiran Kaldias, he was certain the man could take down the transcendent. No matter how formidable they were, someone of Uldiran's caliber could surely handle it.
It wasn't one of the really strong transcendents.
Judging coolly, among the transcendents Isaac knew, this one wasn't particularly powerful.
"Are you alright?!"
"We'll get you down right now!"
The firmly shut gates of the Mallidan Wall swung open, and soldiers rushed out. Isaac pointed frantically in the direction he'd come from and shouted.
"The wounded first! Hurry!"
Starting with Jonathan. Then Silberna and her aide Anna, the nobles and their escorts. So many had fallen to a single transcendent. His own injuries were mostly just scrapes, aside from the crash landing.
Right now, others mattered more than him.
The soldiers raced toward the foothills as per Isaac's directions.
"You okay?"
Uldiran approached Isaac, who was slumped over catching his breath and sorting himself out. Isaac tried to scramble to his feet, but Uldiran's hand pressed firmly on his shoulder, urging him to rest.
"Yes, I'm fine."
"Hrm. That beast?"
Even Uldiran seemed to be seeing one for the first time. Isaac glanced bitterly at the corpse and replied.
"It's called a transcendent... They look human-like but are monsters all the same."
Uldiran crossed his arms, studying the body thoughtfully at Isaac's words.
"Hrm. Seems you know quite a bit about this one."
"I'll explain later."
Isaac rose slowly. The moment he spotted a man lying on a stretcher carried by soldiers, he wanted to rush over immediately. Uldiran chuckled at the pure concern in his eyes and nodded.
"Don't worry about it—go check on him. Caring for your comrades is only natural."
"Thank you."
Leaving Uldiran behind, Isaac hurried to Jonathan.
"Jonathan! You okay?!"
Jonathan, being carried off on the stretcher, flashed a thumbs-up and gave a faint smile.
"I'm a knight of Helmont, aren't I?"
"Ha, haha... Yeah, good thing."
Isaac wasn't thrilled about the "Helmont knight" part from his perspective. But Jonathan was alive—that was what mattered.
"What the hell happened?"
As far as Isaac knew, transcendents never let humans live. They showed no mercy; their hatred for humanity felt almost instinctual, like an insatiable hunger.
Jonathan scratched his cheek awkwardly while lying down.
"Honestly, I don't know. After sending you off, its greatsword was right at my throat."
He tilted his head to show his neck. Sure enough, there was a wound at the Adam's apple where blood had beaded up.
"But it just stared at me and left."
"Left?"
"Yeah. It called me a filthy one and just went."
"Filthy one?"
Isaac tilted his head in confusion at Jonathan's words. A transcendent passing up a chance to kill a human?
What the...?
It didn't make sense within Isaac's understanding.
"Isaac! Jonathan here's fine! No need to worry!"
"Ugh, still, stay put."
"You need a proper check from the medic first."
Jonathan was dragged away like that. Isaac couldn't relax seeing his uninjured friend—questions piled up, pulling him into thought.
Then someone latched onto his back from behind.
"Isaac!"
"Silberna?"
Startled, Isaac turned. Silberna clung tightly, relief washing over her.
"Thank goodness! Really, Isaac—I thought something happened to you!"
"Well, yeah..."
Embarrassed, he glanced back. He could feel Uldiran Kaldias staring daggers at them.
If I'm not careful, I'll end up skewered like that transcendent.
He didn't want to share its fate, so he tried to gently push Silberna off.
"Nngh."
Outmatched in strength, Isaac couldn't pry her loose. As he pondered how to disentangle her...
"Ahem. Silberna."
Uldiran sidled up at last, clearing his throat to call his daughter.
"Ah, s-sorry!"
Only now realizing what she'd done, Silberna pulled away blushing.
"......"
Uldiran's gaze shifted to Isaac. He seemed to have words, but...
"Ahem."
Isaac scratched his nape, casually displaying the ring on his left ring finger. That softened Uldiran's glare a bit.
"What about Holstein's possessions?"
Back to business. At Uldiran's question, Silberna snapped to attention and reported.
"Recovered. Anna's guarding them now. But she's injured too, so she needs to rejoin soon."
"Good. I'll handle it myself."
Silberna panicked at the idea of Uldiran moving personally, but...
"No room for complacency."
The raw edge in his gravelly voice. Frowning, he shared his take on the situation.
"That freak called a transcendent is concerning, but the monster numbers are what's unnatural."
True enough. Even Silberna thought the beasts around the wall were far too many.
"You mean—"
"Silberna, prepare a dispatch immediately."
It had been 23 years since one appeared.
"A great horde."
Helmont Mansion.
"Gaaah!"
A man's agonized scream echoed. Early morning as it was, it could be mistaken for a rooster's crow gone wrong.
The screamer was the third son, Alois Helmont. Lately, he'd been sparring every morning.
With his eldest sister, Lianna Helmont, no less.
Whoosh!
Lianna sheathed her greatsword, Rag Nabell, and sighed.
"Get into stance, Alois."
Her words signaled it wasn't over. Lately, the eyes Alois once praised as jewel-like had taken on a blood-red tint.
"S-Sis! Sparring every day—I'm gonna die for real!"
Time with Lianna was great, but not like this. Every day brought bone-crushing pain.
But Lianna didn't yield.
"I spar with you daily, yet you haven't improved a bit."
"No, that's—"
That's how it looks to you, Sis.
Alois swallowed his retort. Strictly speaking, he had grown. But from Lianna's level, it felt stagnant.
"Grab your sword."
No backing down from Lianna. Her emotionless expression only made her sincerity hit harder.
Bringing up remarriage... was a mistake.
Alois was paying dearly, day after day, for his words in front of the lilacs—talk of remarriage and dismissing Isaac.
And one more person.
Isaac wasn't the only one stirring unrest in Helmont Mansion—Lianna and Alois weren't alone.
There was second daughter Sharen Helmont too. At 17, the youngest after 15-year-old Edel, she was now thrashing on her bed, kicking the covers.
"Aaaargh! Where iiiis it?!"
To describe her: tomboy, wild child. Anywhere else, she'd be a typical rowdy village girl.
But born a Helmont, she was a bit more extreme.
Her most feral moments? When snacks were involved.
"Where the heck?!"
Especially her favorite treat—she hadn't touched it lately.
"Where did Isaac even buy that stuff?!"
Because the errand boy she'd bossed around, Isaac, had been dispatched to the Mallidan Wall frontlines.
She couldn't get the snacks he'd brought. Local bakeries sold pastries too, but none matched after checking them all.
As Sharen stewed...
Her exclusive maid, Kelsey, burst in calling urgently.
"Miss! The patriarch has summoned you!"
"Father?!"
With the Sword Eclipse still over a month and a half away, it wasn't time for a full family call. Something else was up.
Thus, Helmont's direct descendants gathered in the patriarch's office.
Eldest son Roengreen. Eldest daughter Lianna. Second son Armin. Third son Alois. Second daughter Sharen. Youngest Edel.
Not used to assembling outside breakfast, an awkward air hung as Arandel, chin propped, looked thoroughly vexed.
"A messenger came from the Mallidan Wall."
Instantly, all eyes flicked to Lianna like startled hares.
Isaac had gone in their stead. Was it news of his death? Highest probability, they thought.
Lianna clenched her fists, fighting her pounding heart.
"The monster horde at the Mallidan Wall has been confirmed as a great horde."
Tension shifted to another kind.
A great horde after 23 years. The messenger's purpose was clear.
"They need more support."
The request from Kaldias, relayed through the kingdom to the nobles, was blunt. For a regular horde, promising youngsters for experience sufficed.
But a great horde demanded real firepower.
"Hoo."
With the family event Sword Eclipse looming, Arandel regretted it too. But now confirmed as a great horde, he couldn't prioritize Helmont alone.
"Someone has to deploy to the Mallidan Wall. Any volunteers?"
So Arandel asked.
"I'll go."
"Father! Send me!"
The room's only women—Lianna and Sharen—answered in unison.