Thud.
The moment the door opened and I stepped inside, a mix of antiseptic and the stench of rotting bandages hit my nose. The lingering, sticky scent of blood overpowered everything else, a clear sign of how frantic this place must be every single day.
Malidan Medical Center.
There are medical tents set up outside too, but this is the place for soldiers who are too critical to be treated out there. I heard there’s even a mage dispatched from the Magic Tower stationed here.
Groans echoed from all around. Among the medical beds, one man sat bolt upright, his eyes wide open.
It was Jonathan.
“How’s your body holding up?”
As Isaac approached, Jonathan jumped to his feet and shouted, “I’m fine!”
“Really?”
“Yes! I can return to duty right away!”
Yet, Jonathan didn’t say he wanted to leave or that he hated being here. Knowing his personality, it must’ve been uncomfortable for him to hog a bed like this, but he knew he wasn’t in a position to recklessly step outside.
It was only by the mercy of the Count that he could stay in the medical center instead of a prison cell.
“Let’s step out into the hallway for a moment.”
“Is that okay?”
“We can’t talk in front of everyone, can we?”
The mage in charge of the medical center glanced our way but didn’t say anything.
The hallway, lit by lanterns, cast long shadows. Through the windows, the outside was growing darker.
Jonathan followed behind. His skin, which had been tainted before, his sharp teeth, and his blackened eyes had already returned to normal.
“I didn’t know either.”
Even though Isaac hadn’t said anything, Jonathan blurted out an excuse, looking awkward.
“I didn’t even know the Transcendental Tribe existed. I didn’t know I was one of them. I just thought I had different emotions than others.”
Jonathan’s expression darkened as he confessed honestly.
“I wish… I wish it had just been twisted emotions. At least then, I would’ve still been human.”
Under the lantern light, his confession poured out. The flickering shadows seemed to speak for his troubled heart.
“Ever since Northemus laid his hands on me, something’s been off. There’s something squirming in my chest. It feels like it’s going to devour me any moment now.”
Jonathan reached out as if to beg for help but stopped and pulled his hand back. He thought he might end up harming Isaac.
“Why did you choose Helmunth?”
“Huh?”
Jonathan looked at Isaac with a dumbfounded expression, caught off guard by the sudden question.
“Helmunth is… different from the other knights.”
What was it that made him admire Arandel Helmunth so much? Why did he cling so desperately to Helmunth?
“You know it too, Sir Isaac. The knights of Helmunth and the direct lineage are completely different.”
The knights of Helmunth were, in essence, the remnants of humanity left under Helmunth. They were, in a way, just name tags for Helmunth.
“The direct lineage… they’re monsters who live solely for the sword.”
“You know too much.”
Except for the young Sharen or the youngest brother, Edel Helmunth, they lived their entire lives devoted to the sword.
The Helmunth estate and the outside world’s common sense were different. To them, only the sword and strength defined justice.
“That’s why everyone praises Helmunth as great.”
Isaac smiled bitterly. The Helmunth he saw up close was like a den of madmen.
But from afar?
To the kingdom, Helmunth was the greatest sword protecting them. The knights who would charge out first in times of crisis. A symbol so powerful that their mere existence deterred war.
Could there be any noble as reliable as Helmunth in the eyes of the royal family and the people?
The immense power of Helmunth. Ironically, it was what kept the kingdom the most peaceful.
No one would dare face Arandel Helmunth and his sword.
“That’s what I admired.”
A bright smile formed on Jonathan’s lips. He must’ve been thinking of Arandel Helmunth without realizing it.
“The family head gave up everything. Solely for the sword. Don’t you know how incredible that is?”
“……”
“I wanted to be like that. I wanted to abandon my ugly desires and live an ascetic life devoted only to the sword.”
Arandel Helmunth was the one who changed Jonathan’s life. There was no denying it. It was because of his admiration that Jonathan overcame his ugly nature and became a knight.
“Do you know what happened when I told the nun who raised me that I had become a knight of Helmunth?”
A gentle smile formed on Jonathan’s lips as he recalled the memory.
“She cried so much. She had been worried that I had some twisted nature, but when she saw I had become a proper knight, she cried… so, so much.”
“……”
“Sir Isaac, I know I’m asking for something difficult.”
Jonathan slowly knelt and bowed his head.
“Please. Let me remain a knight of Helmunth.”
“Jonathan.”
“I’ll hide the fact that I’m a half-blood of the Transcendental Tribe until the day I die. Even though Lady Sharen saw, if you could just speak to her-!”
“My mentor was also a half-blood of the Transcendental Tribe.”
Jonathan’s frantic voice cut off. He slowly raised his head.
Isaac met his gaze and added, “To be precise, he was a Transcendental Tribe member with human blood. He was closer to the Transcendental Tribe.”
His long black hair. Wolf ears that perked up. Eyes like the moonlight. A greatsword that looked like it could hold the crescent moon.
“That’s why I don’t have any strong aversion to half-bloods. I’m not here to tell you to quit your guard duty. I came to tell you this today.”
“Sir Isaac!”
Tears welled up as Jonathan grabbed Isaac’s feet.
“Impressive.”
Feeling a bit overwhelmed, he subtly shifted his leg back and continued speaking.
“I’ll talk to Sharen properly. So don’t worry and join the mission starting tomorrow.”
“Ahem!”
Jonathan suddenly stood up, wiped the tears from his eyes, and saluted.
“Jonathan, knight of Helmunth! I will dedicate my life to following you, Isaac!”
“Alright, that’s enough.”
“Yesss! I’ll see you tomorrow!”
Leaving behind the overly excited Jonathan, Isaac walked down the hallway with a complicated expression.
‘What a fool.’
He had no intention of telling Jonathan about the divorce.
He just hoped Jonathan wouldn’t overthink things and simply stay at Helmunth.
Stepping outside, Isaac noticed it had already turned completely dark, with a round moon hanging in the sky.
‘I have to admit, the family sword is something else.’
After all, aside from the sword, Arandel meant nothing to him.
Once upon a time.
[Hmm?]
He had once asked the Grand Master.
[If Arandel hadn’t died, how do you think the war would’ve turned out?]
Arandel, who died of illness.
Isaac had read his autobiography and will, which he had stumbled upon by chance.
[Haha, what a foolish question.]
The Grand Master laughed heartily while drinking.
[What do you think, Isaac? How would it have turned out?]
The Grand Master seemed to be testing Isaac, laughing as if teasing him.
‘Even so, it would’ve been hard for one man to turn the tide of the battlefield.’
Leaning on his cane, Isaac answered, and the Grand Master clapped, laughing loudly.
Just as Isaac was starting to feel a bit annoyed by the prolonged laughter.
[I didn’t want to say it because I thought you wouldn’t like to hear it, but—]
The Grand Master declared bluntly.
[The war wouldn’t have happened.]
[……What?]
[The Transcendental Tribe would’ve just watched slyly from the sidelines.]
Waiting for Arandel to die.
Whispering among themselves.
The great sword.
No one could deny its power.
“Ha.”
Walking through the night, Isaac muttered as if clutching at a bitter wound.
“How ridiculous.”
Arandel Helmunth, the man who abandoned everything for the sword.
“From the perspective of the abandoned.”
Among the things he abandoned, Isaac was included.
“……”
“……”
Early dawn.
Riana Helmunth stood before Isaac as he arrived at the training ground.
The two stood facing each other in silence.
They hadn’t planned to meet.
Isaac had simply come to train as usual, only to find Riana crouched there.
“What brings you here?”
Finally, Isaac spoke, and Riana pulled out the greatsword she had brought.
“You promised to teach me Aura.”
“I didn’t think we’d start so soon.”
“I need to learn while I’m here.”
“……True.”
Once back at Helmunth, sword training would be out of the question.
The moment they saw the katana at his waist, they’d likely cut it in half and scold him.
Who in Helmunth would wield such a flimsy sword?
“Draw your sword.”
Isaac obediently drew his katana.
Even in that simple motion, there was an elegance that showed Isaac had truly entered the ranks of a swordsman.
It was almost comical—Riana, who looked much smaller and more delicate, wielded a greatsword as tall as a person, while Isaac handled a slender katana.
“Aura is about controlling the personal mana within your body. Have you ever had your mana measured, Isaac?”
“No, never.”
“Alright. Even if you don’t know the total amount, you’ll get a sense of it as you learn.”
A calm, fiery energy began to flow from the greatsword.
“When you learn Aura, you’ll need to find the right direction for it—”
“Isaac!”
A woman’s voice called out from afar.
It was Silbern, running over with her white hair fluttering, waving her hand.
She had a spear slung over her shoulder, apparently planning to train together.
“I was hoping to join you today. Am I interrupting?”
Silbern smiled as she inserted herself between the two.
“Mind if I join?”
She was like a bull.
Once she decided, she charged forward without hesitation, just like a bull.
Riana pursed her lips, waiting for Isaac’s response.
“Do as you please.”
And so, the bizarre situation of Helmunth teaching Caldias Aura unfolded.
“Isaac.”
About 30 minutes had passed.
Riana slowly lowered her greatsword and spoke expressionlessly.
“It seems you have no talent for Aura.”
“……”
[Pfft.]
For some reason.
[Look at this guy.]
Isaac could almost hear the Grand Master’s mocking laughter echoing in his ears.
