Silberna's Jealousy
Life at the Mallidan Wall, now revealed as a massive beast colony, was a whirlwind of activity in the wake of the battle with the transcendents. It wasn't just about standing guard atop the walls anymore—detachments were sent out daily for reconnaissance, and everyone prayed for the safety of those venturing into the dangers beyond, watching their backs as they departed.
An unintended catastrophe.
"Haa."
"I want to go home."
The nobles dispatched here, reassured that even a beast horde would be no big deal, now wore dark expressions. This was a disaster straight out of history books, striking after twenty-three years. The fear of being right in the middle of it gnawed at them. And the memory from last night—being utterly powerless against the transcendents, defeated without resistance—had seared itself into their minds like a trauma.
[Don't tell them about it.]
Isaac had shared what he knew about the transcendents with Uldiran and Silberna, but Uldiran chose not to make it public. They still hadn't confirmed any link between the beast colony and the transcendents, and with morale already so low, announcing it would only plunge them into deeper chaos. As for the Blackhand family, word had already reached the royals, so their betrayal was likely being thoroughly investigated by the crown.
"Hup!"
Amid all this frenzy, Isaac alone found his days satisfying and fulfilling. In recognition of his contributions, he'd been excused from wall duty. In these special circumstances, when every extra hand was needed, the fact that he could practice swordsmanship alone was largely due to Silberna's strong influence.
"There he goes again."
Silberna, emerging after lunch, watched Isaac from afar. He was sparring with Jonathan. They'd been at it daily for days now, repeating drills and bouts. But there was something peculiar—
"Master Isaac is winning."
Anna, who'd finished eating with her, handed Silberna a cup of ginger tea as she spoke.
"Slurp."
As Anna said, Isaac's sword felled Jonathan all too easily. The fallen Jonathan rose with a tearful face, vowing to challenge again. The man had remarkable stamina, that much was certain.
In any case, even if it was against the lowest-ranked knight of Helmont, beating him was no small feat. Yet both wore troubled expressions.
"There's a record of spars among the dispatched nobles. Master Isaac's is 41 matches, 2 wins, 39 losses so far."
"……."
"For reference, Jonathan's is 23 matches, 17 wins, 6 losses."
Theirs wasn't official, so it wasn't logged. But aside from the early days, Isaac had been overwhelming Jonathan most of the time.
"Of course, Master Isaac mostly sparred with the more skilled nobles…"
Some of whom had lost to Jonathan. It was an odd record, no doubt.
Silberna wanted to voice her thoughts but held back, sensing it wasn't something to say aloud.
"If I may speak for you, miss."
Anna scratched her cheek awkwardly and replied.
"Master Isaac seems… like he was made to counter Helmonts specifically."
"……."
"He handles other nobles with greatswords easily enough, but against Helmonts, he moves and acts several steps ahead."
"……."
"That's why he can beat Jonathan, even if his own training is still lacking."
"Haa."
"Anyone else, maybe, but a Helmont son-in-law doing that…"
It was as if he'd spent years building knowledge just to topple Helmonts.
"Enough. Don't worry about it. He'll handle himself."
A Helmont son-in-law turning into a hunter specialized in preying on Helmonts—it was unsettling, but it was Isaac's life, after all.
"Gah!"
Right on cue, Isaac downed Jonathan once more.
"……You're done now."
Isaac had grown accustomed to Jonathan. Judging there was nothing left to learn from him, he clicked his tongue in disappointment.
Silberna, seeing this, headed toward Isaac.
"I'll be off."
"Going again? You've been sticking to him too much lately!"
"We're friends. And it's not like I'm playing around—I'm helping him with his manual. Plus, I get some advice out of it myself."
Anna sighed worriedly as Silberna departed.
Does that look like the face of someone visiting a mere friend?
She was already beaming with a smile warm enough to melt the northern winds. She'd probably been watching him just to time her approach.
Miss, please.
He's a married man!
Anna wanted to shout it.
"Isaac, I'm here."
Silberna greeted Isaac, who was wiping sweat with a towel.
"Silberna, you came today too."
Isaac welcomed her warmly, and she shot back with a sly grin.
"Haa, I'm super busy, you know. Only coming because you begged me."
"Yeah, I know. You say that every day."
"Be more grateful. Who else here could help you like this?"
Silberna had been Isaac's sparring partner and research aid for his swordsmanship. She was deeply involved in the manual he was writing, Isaac's Sword.
"Got it. Remember where we left off yesterday? Strike a pose and parry for me."
"You're still on that?"
Now they swung sword and spear at each other with easy familiarity. After a few minutes,
Isaac told her to hold on, grabbed his pen, squatted down, and resumed writing.
Impressive.
He'd told her he was advancing Kaldias spear arts, but watching him build his swordsmanship from the ground up gave Silberna a sense of an insurmountable wall. Is this what talent gap means?
"How's Blackhand?"
Isaac asked, still scribbling.
The Blackhand family had aided the transcendents. There was even one among the dispatched nobles.
"No unusual moves. The one here seems young—probably didn't know about the transcendents."
"……."
Isaac said nothing more, just kept writing. He'd sparred with the Blackhand noble a few times himself but found nothing suspicious.
Silberna stared blankly down at him, her lips twitching. She had a question—a sensitive one, so she hesitated.
"Lianna—"
The words slipped out, more instinct than thought.
"Hm?"
She hurriedly covered her mouth, but Isaac had heard and turned to look.
Too late. Silberna pondered briefly, then forced an awkward smile.
"Lianna's pretty skilled, right?"
Thinking it innocuous, Isaac nodded and returned to writing.
"Yeah, strongest in Helmont aside from the patriarch."
Her siblings couldn't touch her.
"I beat the eldest son easily, but I lost to her. Of course! I was exhausted by then!"
She added hastily, and Isaac chuckled.
Judging coldly,
Silberna wasn't a match for Lianna yet. She hadn't fully blossomed.
But she's working on it.
After Isaac's advice last time, she'd been seeking her own path to surpass Kaldias.
"Lianna's, well… an amazing swordswoman."
Isaac tried to gloss over it vaguely, not keen on dwelling on her, but the oblivious Silberna pressed on about her rival.
"Actually, some say her reputation's overhyped. Called Helmont's Blood Rose, but she hasn't shown much compared to her brother Roengreen."
"……."
"But I've clashed with her myself. I know—there's an immeasurable gap between her and Roengreen."
"Yeah, pretty much."
Isaac paused, staring blankly at the ground as memories surfaced. He muttered with a hollow laugh.
"You know what?"
"……Hm?"
Silberna looked at him quizzically—what's that out of nowhere?—and Isaac grinned at her expression.
But she still didn't get it.
"What, a metaphor? Symbolic for Red Aura?"
"Haha, think what you want."
He chuckled, recalling the absurd scene. Sensing it wasn't a joke, Silberna tilted her head.
"Why split a river?"
Pure curiosity. Why bother with a river when you could just train?
Her question pierced the heart of it. Isaac shrugged it off as old history, replying indifferently.
"It was a proposal."
"What? What does that mean?"
Silberna kept probing, but Isaac brushed it aside as no big deal.
"Anyway, got time? Can you help a bit more?"
He closed the book and asked.
"Already?"
She had time, but.
"Tch, hold on. Let me check with Anna."
"Thanks."
"It's tough, you know. I'm busy."
Silberna deliberately turned toward Anna, waiting in the distance.
"Heehee."
Isaac needing her, holding onto her like that—it made Silberna feel good.
* * *
The next day, same time. Silberna finished lunch and went to find Isaac, just like always.
Where's Anna?
Oddly, Anna was nowhere, so she'd wasted time looking and arrived late. But she'd made it to Isaac.
"Silberna's here?"
"Ah, miss."
Isaac smiled brighter than yesterday, while Anna stood awkwardly before him, gripping her spear.
"What… is this situation?"
Silberna asked, dumbfounded. Isaac gave a thumbs-up.
"You're super busy, right? So I asked Anna to help today."
"……."
"No need to make time for me. Felt bad taking so much of yours lately."
"Ah, okay."
Silberna stood frozen, nodding blankly. Unlike her usual self, her face was expressionless as she glanced at Anna.
But Anna stood firm, unflinching.
It's for you, miss!
Knowing Silberna's growing feelings for Isaac, this was Anna's special measure. A married man. Husband to Helmont's eldest daughter, no less. Silberna falling for him?
I see nothing but disaster!
It wouldn't end with mere heartache—society's finger-pointing at Silberna would be merciless.
"Ah, right. So… you don't need me today."
Her voice was as dry and chilly as the northern winds. She nodded and turned away.
"Yeah, perfect."
"I was actually busy. Pushing myself a bit."
"This to do, that to do."
"Ah, good thing then."
"Haha, lucky. Was getting annoying."
"Sure, sure, Isaac. I'm off."
"Ah, what a relief."
Anna's heart ached watching Silberna trudge away, but she endured.
"Anna, shall we start?"
"Yes, sir."
Anna took the stance and weapon Isaac wanted, serving as his sparring partner. Through it, Isaac gained insights and understanding.
"……."
A prickling sensation down her spine made her glance back. At the edge of the training ground, behind a tree, Silberna glared intently.