Recently, the Malidan Wall has been buzzing with rumors that just keep piling up, one after another.
Thanks to that, the cold feels a bit more bearable.
Even while on guard duty, time flies by quickly.
And there are more soldiers chattering than usual.
There are two main topics of conversation.
The first, of course, is the demon beast colony.
“The demon beast colony is holding out longer than expected.”
“We’re seeing some new types of demon beasts too. They’re not too threatening, but we should probably call in a demon beast scholar from the capital to investigate.”
“The wall repairs are ongoing every day, but we might need to adjust the schedule. The demon beasts have been timing their ambushes to coincide with the repair work.”
It’s not the first time a demon beast colony has appeared outside the Malidan Wall.
But this time, it’s been dragging on for a while, so the kingdom has requested support from the internal nobles.
The second topic, naturally, is about Helmunth’s son-in-law, who’s expected to arrive soon in response to the request for aid.
“Helmunth? Is Helmunth really coming?”
“Aren’t they hosting the Sword Festival this time? And they’re coming here too?”
“I heard they’re sending a son-in-law. Probably just some guy with the Helmunth name slapped on him.”
“Tsk, those orcs, always pulling tricks. All brawn, no brains.”
Inside the Malidan Castle, there’s a small tavern.
It’s a tavern personally established by the lord of the castle, a thoughtful gesture from the frontier lord for the soldiers guarding the wall.
In essence, this place serves as both the frontline break room and the strategy meeting room for Malidan.
Among the knights, sipping juice instead of beer, is a woman with snow-white hair.
Silbern Caldias, the only daughter of the frontier lord, smirks and clicks her tongue.
“What a shame. I was hoping the eldest daughter would come.”
“Ooooh!”
“As expected of the lady!”
“Even the Helmunth Blood Rose would kneel before her spear in one strike!”
Cheers echo throughout the tavern.
Silbern raises her hand to calm them down, then grabs her spear resting beside her.
Her adjutant, Anna, who was sitting across the table, quickly stands up to follow her.
“Off to guard duty!”
“Take care!”
“You’ve got this, my lady!”
“Yeah, yeah.”
She responds nonchalantly as they head outside.
“Achoo!”
The chilly wind makes her cloak flutter, tickling Anna’s nose as she follows behind.
“Brr, it’s freezing even though it’s April.”
“It’s always like this here.”
The massive wall comes into view as soon as they step outside.
As long as the Malidan Wall stands, the abnormal cold will never disappear.
As they head to the wall for guard duty, Anna keeps chattering away.
“But my lady, do you really need to take guard duty?”
Uldiran Caldias, the frontier lord and ruler of this land.
As his only daughter, Silbern doesn’t really need to take guard duty like a regular soldier.
“I’m a soldier guarding the wall too. Of course, I have to take my shifts. And Anna, you’re just saying that because you don’t want to do guard duty with me.”
“……”
Anna blushes, caught red-handed.
“I told you to just stay as my maid. Why did you have to learn the spear and follow me here?”
“But! Supporting you is my life’s mission! I’ve been doing it since we were kids!”
“I didn’t think you’d follow me all the way to the military base.”
With a faint smile, Silbern and Anna arrive at the wall, braving the cold wind.
After receiving the handover from the previous guards, they climb up the wall.
Unlike the frontline guard duty, the rear wall duty is more relaxed.
There’s no chance of demon beasts attacking from here, so the number of personnel is kept to a minimum.
“Rear wall duty is a bit boring, huh.”
“Most people like it when it’s their turn for rear wall duty. They say it’s comfortable here.”
“There’s no tension, though.”
Silbern yawns as she flips through the list of passersby she received during the handover.
Most of the passersby were nobles.
The nobles had responded to the request for aid and come to the Malidan Wall, but…
“Tsk.”
Silbern clicks her tongue skeptically.
“Look at this, Anna. Drakeholm, Hairendell, Blackhand, Silverbrook. All the famous families sent nobodies I’ve never even heard of.”
“Ha, haha…”
“Is the frontline just a training ground for their rising stars now?”
“Well, there’s no safer place to gain real combat experience than Malidan. Plus, they can learn some spear techniques while they’re at it.”
“Tsk, why are we even calling for unnecessary support? Those nobles are just here to line their own pockets.”
“What can we do? If a demon beast colony lasts for three months, it’s the law to mobilize the nobles.”
“That’s ridiculous! We’re the ones who go out and fight! We’re the guardians of the wall! All we have to do is smash the demon beasts’ heads until the colony naturally dissipates! So what if it takes a little time?!”
“Yeah, yeah, I get it. Everyone knows, but there’s nothing we can do.”
“The royal family is deliberately not repealing the law. They’re using us to train their young nobles!”
“Then we’re contributing to the kingdom. Wow, how nice.”
“……Anna, are you sulking about what I said earlier?”
Anna silently checks the list. Everyone who was supposed to come has arrived, except for one important family.
“Helmunth hasn’t arrived yet, huh?”
“If they had, the rumors would’ve spread by now.”
Being outsiders and having fought side by side for years, rumors spread quickly among the soldiers.
Though they’re steadfast warriors who never retreat while defending the wall, their mouths are lighter than the falling snow.
“Riana’s son-in-law… I’ve never seen him before.”
“Ah, you didn’t attend the wedding. You lost to Riana back then.”
Silbern instantly flares up.
“I didn’t lose! I was just exhausted from fighting the eldest son beforehand!”
“The eldest daughter was way stronger than the eldest son, right?”
“No comparison needed.”
Clicking her tongue, Silbern suddenly grows curious.
“A commoner who melted the heart of a woman colder than the northern winds… I’m kind of intrigued.”
“I heard he was a ferryman who rowed boats across the river. Handsome and smooth-talking, he was quite popular.”
“A ferryman?”
“Yeah! That’s why it was such a scandal in high society—a marriage that transcended social status. So romantic.”
“Romantic, huh.”
From the perspective of someone who’s seen Riana Helmunth in person, the idea of romance…
Is there a woman who could be so mismatched with words?
“The carriage of Helmunth is entering!”
At the soldier’s shout, Silbern Caldias runs out with a smirk.
“Ah, miss?! You shouldn’t do anything reckless! Strictly speaking, they are guests under the name of Helmunth!”
“If you’ve come to the Malidan Wall, you must follow Caldias, romantically.”
A mischievous smile.
Before she knew it, her eyes were fixed on Helmunth’s luxurious carriage.
* * *
The gate opens, spewing out a noise akin to a giant’s cry.
Isaac walks alongside the carriage, warning Jonathan.
“Jonathan, don’t be scared. If you cower meaninglessly, you’ll only be ignored more.”
“Y-yes. I am the great rose of Helmunth, after all.”
It’s not a bad way to think.
Even if it wasn’t desired, they are still under the name of Helmunth.
“Welcome to Malidan.”
A soldier greets them with a twisted smile as they enter.
Practically, those here are no different from the soldiers of the Caldias family.
So, it’s inevitable that they view those from Helmunth unfavorably.
‘Even Silbern made outright dismissive remarks.’
Because of that, it’s clear that the other soldiers here would look down on them.
‘That’s why the family head didn’t want to send us.’
Imagine if the eldest son, Loengreen, had come here.
The moment the gate opened, he would have drawn his greatsword and started rampaging.
Silbern would have subdued him, establishing a perfect hierarchy.
“The noble guests’ quarters are in that building over there. If you feel uncomfortable-.”
The soldier points to a shabby building, subtly testing them.
There must have been immature nobles who found the quarters unpleasant or refused them.
But in the end, they probably all obediently went to their quarters.
This isn’t a place that tolerates unruly young nobles.
“It’s fine. Let’s go, Jonathan.”
“Yes!”
With Jonathan trying to puff up his shoulders and muster confidence, they head to the quarters with the carriage.
“Huh?”
The soldier, well aware of Helmunth’s characteristic arrogance, is dumbfounded by Isaac’s response and stares blankly as he leaves.
* * *
“They didn’t cause a scene?”
“On the contrary, they were quite gentlemanly. I was a bit taken aback.”
On the wall.
Silbern, who had been waiting with a spear, convinced that Helmunth’s son-in-law would throw a tantrum over the insult, makes a bewildered expression.
“The provocation didn’t work.”
“Despite being of common birth, it seems he has some self-control.”
Since he became part of Helmunth, it was assumed he would have a similar temperament.
“I really didn’t expect him to endure being called a peasant.”
“So, what will you do now? You know it’s troublesome if the dispatched nobles cause a scene in their quarters, right?”
“I know, I’m not some thug. If they acted gentlemanly, I have no intention of being rough.”
“Then-.”
“But.”
Silbern, with a spear on her back, smirks and adds.
“We should let our great Helmunth know what kind of place this is.”
“Miss?!”
Just as she steps off the wall to head to the noble quarters.
She abruptly stops and returns, muttering.
“I was on duty. Almost made a mistake.”
“…….”
“I’ll go after my shift!”
* * *
The noble quarters weren’t too bad.
At least, since it’s for single use.
Aides like Jonathan stay in a separate building next door.
Before coming to the quarters, I saw that they all stay together in a large barracks-like room.
“Compared to that, this is something.”
Though modest, it has everything.
Bed, desk, chair.
Not much different from the guest rooms in Helmunth, so there’s nothing uncomfortable.
After roughly unpacking, I took out the paper, ink, and pen I brought.
‘Good thing it’s not frozen.’
Sitting at the desk, I start writing.
Wielding a sword with words.
Mukgeom Isaac.
Many called him that with respect, but Isaac never desired such a title.
Thus.
The first book he writes in this life is none other than.
‘My Sword.’
A manual for himself.
In his past life, he wrote nearly dozens of books, but not a single one.
Not a single sentence was for himself.
‘It’s fun.’
Though he pondered hundreds, thousands of times in his head.
The sentences he gave up on due to his broken right leg start to stretch out.
‘It’s fun.’
His theories, blocked by the wall of reality, begin to unfold beyond the wall of time.
The black letters, the elegant handwriting, the sound of the pen tip.
‘It’s so fun!’
With a pounding heart, the pen unknowingly speeds up.
[You’re like a child reaching for the stars. Knowing it’s impossible, you still stretch out your hand.]
‘Grandmaster, you were right.’
At the time, I denied it.
I wanted to hold a sword, but I didn’t want to admit the tragedy of only being able to hold a pen.
‘I never gave up, not even for a moment.’
Excited to use the knowledge in his head for himself for the first time, he didn’t notice time passing.
The sun had already set.
Though the day had darkened, his room was not shadowed at all.
For Isaac’s eyes shone brighter than any star outside.
