The writing continued late into the night.
Before I knew it, it was time for dinner.
“Phew.”
I felt a slight headache from how focused I had been, but the sense of accomplishment was even greater.
I opened the window and let the cold air in.
Even though it was April, a chilly, icy wind brushed against my cheeks.
“Ouch.”
While hurriedly catching the papers that almost flew away in the wind,
I noticed the rose-patterned medicine bottle placed next to the desk.
It was the Roserick potion given to me by my eldest son, Loengreen, before he left.
There’s a rumor that Helmunth’s elixir can enhance physical abilities,
but usually, such things strain the body. Unless you have blessed genes, drinking it recklessly can cause trouble.
‘It’s diluted, though.’
As I pondered whether to drink it,
knock knock knock.
A knocking sound came from outside.
After bundling up the papers I was writing on and opening the door,
there stood Silbern Caldias, her strikingly white hair resembling snowflakes.
“Nice to meet you again, I’m Silbern.”
“I’m Isaac Helmunth.”
‘She has short hair now.’
In her past life, her hair reached down to her waist, but now it only goes down to her shoulders.
“Your welcome was quite impressive. I could feel the spirit of Caldias.”
“I was too eager to see Helmunth’s light sword. Please forgive my rudeness.”
“That’s unfortunate. As a son-in-law, I can’t wield a greatsword or show you a light sword.”
“I’ve been even more impolite, then.”
Their gazes crossed.
Fake smiles formed on both their lips.
To summarize the conversation bluntly:
‘You were annoying at the wall.’
‘You put up with it?’
‘I had to.’
‘You’re such a pushover.’
Just as Silbern, with her elegant smile, was about to say something,
Isaac cut her off.
“Enough with the act, Silbern Caldias.”
As Isaac took the lead, Silbern’s smile slowly faded, turning into a blank expression.
Then, her lips curved into a competitive smirk, and she fired back.
“Seems like we can communicate better than I thought. I thought my cheeks would cramp from forcing a smile.”
“You already made the first move at the wall, so drop the act.”
“Anna advised me. She said using polite speech would annoy the other person more.”
‘Anna?’
Isaac’s gaze shifted past Silbern’s shoulder.
There stood a slightly shorter woman at the door.
Anna bowed her head in greeting.
‘So that’s Anna.’
Silbern’s closest friend, whom she missed so much.
A former maid who learned to wield a spear and joined the army with Silbern.
In her past life, Anna had unfortunately died when the Malidan Wall was breached.
“I heard you charmed Riana… She’s quite pretty. But that’s not all, right?”
Silbern smiled meaningfully.
“You’re so good with words. With that silver tongue that charmed the Blood Rose, could you handle the ‘encouragement speech’ tomorrow?”
“Encouragement speech?”
“Most of the dispatched nobles have arrived. Starting tomorrow, there’ll be simple training and field assignments. We need to rally everyone together.”
“Is it okay for me to do it?”
“You’re a Helmunth. Even if you’re a pushover, who would dare oppose a Helmunth?”
“Well, alright.”
Isaac readily agreed.
He had a good idea in mind.
Perhaps annoyed by his calm demeanor, Silbern added,
“Your father will be attending too. So, you better prepare well.”
“Alright, got it. Is that all?”
“Uh… yeah, pretty much.”
“Then, can you let me rest? I’m still recovering.”
Truthfully, he wasn’t recovering—he just wanted to finish his writing.
There was plenty of time to teach Silbern later.
With about two months left before the Sword Festival, delaying a bit was fine.
Silbern hesitated, then stepped back at Isaac’s dismissal.
“Hey,” she suddenly whispered, shrugging her shoulders.
“Does Riana Helmunth act all cutesy in front of you?”
“……”
Seeing his puzzled expression, Silbern, embarrassed, quickly added,
“No! It’s just that the Riana Helmunth I know would never do something like romance!”
“She doesn’t act cutesy.”
“Then what does she call you? ‘Honey’? ‘Darling’? ‘Sweetheart’?”
“Isaac.”
“……”
Their eyes met.
Silbern nodded in understanding and left.
“See, Anna? There’s no way that woman would be charmed by a man!”
“Romance has returned to reality.”
Hearing their conversation from the hallway, Isaac smiled faintly and picked up his pen again.
* * *
The next morning.
The training ground was filled with people.
All the soldiers of the Malidan Wall, except those on guard duty, stood in perfect formation.
Their dense formation resembled a thick shield.
Their grandeur was indescribable, and it was a pride to know they protected the kingdom.
“Sir Isaac is giving the encouragement speech? I’d be too nervous to even step forward.”
Jonathan, perhaps because of the cold, was fidgeting and looking around excitedly.
Isaac sighed and patted his back.
“Stay still. Stop fidgeting.”
“Yes! Sorry!”
They were standing in the line of dispatched nobles.
Unlike the orderly Malidan Wall soldiers, they looked like a disorganized bunch.
Most of them had no combat experience, but their potential was acknowledged.
“Wow, it’s Uldiran Caldias.”
At Jonathan’s words, Isaac’s gaze shifted.
There walked a man larger than Arandel, the head of the Helmunth family.
His white hair was tied back, and his neatly trimmed beard was striking.
The giant of the north, Uldiran Caldias.
Following him was his only daughter, Silbern.
As Uldiran sat in the chair behind the podium, the event began.
Such events usually followed a similar flow.
Salute to the flag,
singing of the national anthem, drills, and so on.
“Next, we have the encouragement speech by the noble representative, Sir Isaac Helmunth of the Helmunth family.”
It was time for the encouragement speech.
The gazes directed at Isaac were, naturally, not kind.
Amid the silent, icy stares of the orderly Malidan soldiers,
Isaac, as a member of Caldias, stood tall.
It’s bound to look ridiculous.
And it wasn’t just the soldiers of Malidan who felt this way.
The dispatched nobles outright burst out with complaints.
“Ha, what is this?”
“Are you kidding? Is Helmunth supposed to keep us alive?”
“His hair is black?”
“Caldias is all dead too.”
“They’re just trying to intimidate us.”
Sure, Helmunth is a great family, but these nobles also come from families with their own prestige.
Yet, they expressed dissatisfaction with Caldias and Isaac, who unilaterally elected a common-born son-in-law as their representative.
Pushed onto the stage by their discontented gazes and voices, Isaac stood.
‘This is heavy.’
The countless soldiers and nobles before his eyes.
But more than their gazes, the weight of Uldiran Caldias’ stare pressing down on his shoulders from behind felt even heavier.
‘On par with the head of the Arandel family.’
While the world might say Arandel holds a slight edge, and it might be true, the two were evenly matched, with victory often decided by their condition on the day.
The purple gem placed on the stage.
Isaac leaned close to the gem, enchanted to amplify his voice, and calmly spoke his first words.
“Warriors, be great.”
Even skipping the formal greetings.
A simple phrase, but enough to capture the attention of the crowd.
“Follow your duty.”
Because that phrase—
“Warriors, simply be great.”
—was the famous saying of Caldias’ founding patriarch, Wolfdren Caldias, who personally oversaw the construction of the Malidan Wall.
By uttering these words, the Helmunth representative was essentially quoting Caldias’ family motto.
“As I came here, I wondered about the true meaning behind the phrase ‘be great.’ Frankly, isn’t the word ‘great’ somewhat abstract?”
A killing intent pressed down on his entire body.
The pressure poured in from all sides.
Especially the pressure from Uldiran behind him, which felt like a spear tip poised to pierce his heart if he let his guard down for even a moment.
Was Helmunth daring to disregard their beliefs?
Enduring their piercing glares, Isaac continued.
“What makes one great? I pondered this. Is it guarding the kingdom from demons behind the walls?”
“Swinging a massive sword to slay enemies in one strike? Upholding honor and beliefs to eradicate injustice? Or persuading enemies to surrender through rhetoric?”
“Ah, of course, that’s greatness. It is great.”
The dispatched nobles glared at Isaac, clearly annoyed.
Their eyes screamed, “Read the room and shut up.”
The atmosphere in the training ground was tense, almost as if the northern cold had been replaced by a stifling heat.
“However, I thought this.”
“True greatness… is making even ordinary people fit into that mold.”
His clenched fist.
Isaac’s voice carried sincerity.
“Those born noble, blessed by the goddess from birth, elevate themselves.”
“Rather than those born into greatness, it’s those who make the ordinary great—that’s what deserves reverence.”
The air took on a strange quality.
Those born into greatness.
Helmunth fit this description perfectly.
Their innate strength and physical abilities could only be explained as blessings from the goddess.
“And today, I witnessed such greatness. I hope you all see it too.”
He grabbed a spear decorated below the stage, raised it high, and shouted.
“This! What you all hold in your hands!”
The soldiers looked at the spears they held.
Their angry expressions faded, replaced by confusion.
Isaac smiled faintly and shouted.
“If someone says they want to learn martial arts, I will shout!”
“Look to the north! To the high walls! To the spears of Caldias, rising as the greatest on the continent!”
The world’s evaluation of Caldias’ spears is simple.
They are basic, universal, and easy to learn.
Designed so that even in the sparsely populated north, any soldier could master them.
Thus, they are underestimated.
Because anyone can learn them.
Even the daughter of the border lord, a mere maid, learned the spear and joined the army.
‘Though I’ve never properly wielded a sword and was called a “silent sword.”’
But as a silent sword who has compiled countless books, I declare this.
In terms of martial precision.
Nothing compares to Caldias.
“Warriors holding Caldias’ spears! Follow Wolfdren’s words, simply be great warriors!”
“I know this! Not even a massive sword can cut down hundreds, thousands of spears!”
“And I know this! Great warriors like you! Even if your heads are cut off, your hearts pierced, you will not retreat!”
Because it’s true.
I know it all too well.
The woman who carried their deaths on her shoulders, abandoned her name, and lived only as Caldias, told me.
“Great guardians defending the frontlines of Malidan.”
His voice lowered calmly.
“I thank you for your noble devotion.”
A soft smile formed on Isaac’s lips.
“And to share this meaningful moment, I offer a moment of silence for the great martyrs who have fulfilled their duty and now rest in this land.”
Slowly.
Closing his eyes.
“A moment of silence.”
As Isaac bowed his head.
In an instant, the guardians of Malidan bowed theirs.
‘I’m grateful.’
Years from now.
Against all odds, they held out for a month without support, defying the royal advisors who were sure the kingdom would fall in five days.
To those before me.
‘I’m truly grateful for this chance to thank you.’
You fought well.
You endured well.
Your struggle was truly great.
Though it’s late.
Once more, my thanks.
A moment of silence.
