Damn Helmont
"Miss, the scouting party has returned!"
"……!"
The moment she heard the report from Kelsey, Sharen's maid, Lianna rushed over. It was already growing dark, late in the evening. The scouting party had said they would only patrol the outpost briefly and return, but they were so late that everyone was worried. Especially since another group that had left earlier hadn't come back yet, the atmosphere was growing increasingly tense.
Watching the scouting party enter through the barrier, Lianna let out a sigh of relief.
Thank goodness.
Isaac looked unharmed. Her younger sister Sharen didn't look pleased, but she was smiling awkwardly, so she seemed uninjured too.
"One less than when they left."
Lianna nodded at Kelsey's words. Their journey, which had started with six, had ended with five.
If they heard what this group had gone through today, they would have to praise them for bringing back five alive—it had been that grueling. But even so...
It was bittersweet.
"Oh my?"
Kelsey let out an exclamation and pointed at Isaac's hand. Surprisingly, Sharen and Isaac were holding hands.
"Looks like you two have grown closer."
"Indeed."
Lianna found herself smiling faintly without realizing it. She knew her sister treated Isaac casually, but she couldn't interfere.
"Not all bad comes from it."
Lianna nodded at Kelsey's words. If the two had grown closer...
Then Lianna's expression hardened.
What meaning does it have now?
Isaac had already decided to leave the Helmonts.
Her face darkened abruptly. Still, if Sharen could give Isaac at least one good memory...
She thought that would be nice. But seeing Sharen now linking arms and leaning into him...
……
Lianna felt a strange sensation.
"Isaac nim! Are you alright? Anywhere hurt? If you're feeling weak, I can carry you on my back!"
"I'm fine. So stop it."
"If you need anything, you must call me! Kugh! I should have gone with you somehow—!"
"You wouldn't have helped even if you were there. So go away."
Isaac pushed Jonathan out, who was trying to barge right into the room.
"I'm sorry, Isaac nim! Rest well!"
With Jonathan gone, Isaac could finally be alone in his room.
"Hoo."
He collapsed into the chair with a long exhale. He never imagined this morning, when he left the room, that the day would drag on so long.
I heard sometimes they even camp overnight.
Sleeping outside on a day like this must be tough. Would he wake up refreshed?
Who cares if I complain.
Wasn't he even able to complain now because he had survived?
He had lived through a battle where his life was on the line. For the sake of the dead, he should be grateful to be alive.
Maybe a quick wash.
The noble quarters had a dedicated washing area, so Isaac could clean up quite comfortably. The water was warm, and the soap was high-quality. Because it was the front lines, Uldiran Kaldias had used his own funds to improve the soldiers' conditions, insisting they deserved better treatment. It was befitting of the Kaldias bloodline, who had produced spears usable by countless soldiers. These small but significant efforts combined to defend the Mallidan Wall.
After finishing his shower and returning to his room, there was an unexpected guest.
"Silberna?"
Silberna sat in the chair, reading Isaac's Sword. Even though she must have read it several times already, she was focused on every line.
"Ah, you're back."
Silberna, looking freshly washed and fluffy, stood up with a smile. Her thin clothes made her breasts bounce noticeably, but he was getting used to it, as he had mentioned.
"Mm, where's Anna?"
"Anna? Washing up. Probably heading to bed soon."
"Right."
Isaac nodded with mixed feelings. A man and woman together in light attire late at night wasn't ideal. Hadn't Anna and Uldiran asked him to be careful?
He entered with the door intentionally left open.
"What brings you here?"
But the mood wasn't like that. Silberna held the manual seriously and spoke.
"I came to say thank you. Today, if you hadn't been there, the whole scouting party might not be here."
"……."
"No, definitely. Without your knowledge and cool-headedness."
"You're overestimating me. You took down the yeti."
It didn't seem convincing to Silberna; a shadow crossed her face. As the mood sank, she hurriedly offered the manual.
"So, Isaac. Not just as the scouting party's leader, but as Uldiran Kaldias's only daughter, I want to express my gratitude."
"Gratitude? How?"
"A sword. I want to have the blacksmith make the sword you want."
Isaac's eyes widened in an instant. It was the first time he'd shown such a blatant reaction, and it looked cute, so the corner of Silberna's mouth lifted slightly.
"Father gave you the Pulsun, but you're not fully satisfied with it, right? I don't know when the horde's assault will end, but I'll talk to the blacksmith so you can take it before then."
"Really? You'll do that? It's a weapon not known to the kingdom—can it be done?"
"Hm? If you explain the form and structure well, they should be able to make it."
"I see. Haah, guess I'll be busy again."
Though he said that, Isaac was excited like a kid who met Santa. Watching him, Silberna smiled softly. Even this simple conversation felt good. Seeing him happy made her happier. It was the first time she felt this urge to do something for someone.
Miss, no, right?
For a moment, she thought she heard Anna's voice. Silberna had insisted it wasn't romantic feelings, but Anna's words had made her seriously consider it.
"……Sorry."
Watching him smile brightly as he prepared to draw designs, an apology slipped out.
"Hm? For what?"
"Nothing. Good night. I'll talk to the blacksmith. He's pretty skilled."
"Not coming with?"
Isaac was puzzled, knowing her usual personality would have her insisting to go together and oversee everything.
"Yeah, I'll handle it separately."
Silberna smiled bitterly and headed out.
"Good night."
Thud.
The door closed. Isaac stared blankly at where Silberna had been.
Then, the door rattled open again, and another woman entered.
"What? Why'd Silberna come again? Isaac, you're really not setting up a separate household, are you?"
"……."
Sharen Helmont, her twin tails neatly retied after getting disheveled. Cute pajamas and a blanket over her shoulders. Her room wasn't here, so she must have been cold coming over.
"Why are you here."
Isaac set aside the design he was drawing and asked coldly. Sharen pouted her lips.
"Just... had something I wanted to say to you."
"Something to say?"
"Yeah, so......"
Embarrassed, she twisted her body, clasped her hands, and shoved them between her legs.
"Today... thank you so much."
That Sharen would express her feelings so honestly—to Isaac, of all people—signaled her mental growth and a wind of change.
But.
"Yeah."
Isaac's voice remained cold.
"You're not expecting some nice response from me, right? I protected you to survive myself."
"……I know."
Sharen's head drooped.
"B-but when I was in your arms today, it was really warm. So... that was... thank you so much."
"I did it so we could live."
"I-I've never been held like that by anyone. My other brothers and sisters are always cold."
"Haa, Sharen?"
Isaac frowned and slammed down his pen. Sharen flinched, shoulders trembling, and glanced at him.
"You know how I was treated in the Helmonts. What, you want me to badmouth them with you? You're a Helmont too."
"I know......"
"You at least didn't beat me like the other siblings under the guise of sparring. But you treated me half like a slave, didn't you?"
"Y-yes."
Sharen shrank, head lowering further. Tears welled in her eyes.
"I know you're only seventeen and immature. But even so...... even if you come here saying thanks for saving you and that you've changed. It's not that easy to accept."
"Sniff."
Seeing Sharen on the verge of tears made it hard for Isaac to say more.
Was I too harsh?
She was just seventeen; maybe he'd said too much. But recalling the past made veins bulge on his forehead.
So perhaps that's why he wanted to ask something more fundamental.
"Hey, Sharen. Why do you want forgiveness? After Lianna and I divorce next month, we won't see each other again."
He acknowledged her change from this incident, but her nature wouldn't vanish completely. Couldn't he just gloss over it shamelessly? He wasn't even in a position to confront her.
"……."
Sharen clamped her mouth shut. Realizing something in that instant, Isaac's eyes widened and his mouth gaped.
"N-no way? You know? I'm your brother-in-law! No!"
"N-next month it won't be!"
"Hey! What kind of childish nonsense is that?! Just because I hugged you when it was cold?"
"It was! So warm! Super warm!"
"Of course it—!"
Isaac smacked his forehead and sighed. Seventeen years old. The age to fantasize about love. Holding hands, giving a drink, smiling warmly—perfect for mistaking it for love.
"I-I'll make you happy! Better than sis!"
"You little brat with no life experience, teasing an adult! Get out now!"
"Whiiine!"
Isaac pushed the sniffling Sharen out the door. She was so strong that when she resisted at the doorway, he thought she was a rock.
Ah, shit.
Damn Helmont.
He decided to try a different approach.
"Sharen, you're mistaken. You're just confusing a momentary flutter for love."
"……Doesn't feel like it."
"It is. That's what it is."
"Is it...?"
"Yes. Logically, having those feelings for your brother-in-law—"
Ah.
Damn Helmont.
Come to think of it, there was a lunatic in the Helmonts who obsessively loved his own sister.
Sharen blinked her big eyes up at him. Looking down at her, Isaac declared with a sigh.
"I just hate you Helmonts."
"Tch."
Sharen grumbled as she returned to her quarters. She'd been kicked out unceremoniously, but it wasn't without gains.
He at least listened!
That was hope enough for Sharen. The first warmth and comfort she'd ever felt. She never expected it from Isaac, but she decided to define that flutter as love.
"Hee hee."
Feeling like the heroine from a romance novel, Sharen entered her room.
Kelsey stood there with a pale face.
"Huh? Kelsey, still up?"
"M-miss......"
Kelsey's gaze awkwardly shifted to the bed. A woman sat on Sharen's bed, legs crossed, chin propped, staring coldly at Sharen—
"S-s-sis?"
The moment she saw Lianna, Sharen had no time to wonder how she was here. Her teeth chattered harder than in the freezing cold.