Chapter 11: Teaching

Isaac fell into deep thought.

‘Did I ask for too much?’

He knew it himself.

It was rude to compare the current Silverna with the Silverna of a few years later.

But still.

Even so, Isaac could say it with certainty.

‘It’s like she can’t even reach the tip of her own toes.’

He had at least expected to see a fragment of that time.

He thought he’d be able to gauge her potential for growth and expectations from that alone.

‘If it weren’t Silverna, I would have thought it was someone completely different.’

Just judging by the spear, one could never think the two were the same person.

That’s how big the gap was.

Which meant it was time to reconsider.

‘Why?’

Why was there such a large difference?

The question didn’t linger long.

Because Silverna had, at some point, come to stand right in front of him.

“What did you say?”

In her eyes were clear hostility and a strange sense of betrayal.

Isaac, who had acknowledged Caldias’ spear, was now talking nonsense after seeing her own spear. It seemed to double her anger.

“…….”

“Ah, uh— it’s not like that……”

From the side, Jonathan tried desperately to make excuses, but it didn’t seem easy.

“Isaac-nim has, well, a bit of a mental condition, so he sometimes spouts nonsense—”

“…….”

Jonathan kept babbling some sort of excuse.

But Silverna didn’t even pretend to listen, and continued glaring at Isaac.

Isaac deliberated.

How should he phrase this?

In the old days, at times like this, he would bow his head and apologize.

Among fellow disciples of the same Grandmaster and peers, Isaac was always the one to lower his head during arguments.

Because in the end, he was not a swordsman.

They praised him as a ‘Silent Sword,’ but obviously there would be a disconnect when it came to real combat.

“Are you mute?”

Silverna glared.

Even the nearby instructors were now on edge. The tense silence was like a fierce wind cutting through the air.

Isaac made up his mind and answered.

“Your spear is worse than I thought.”

“……!”

“I-Isaac-Niiim!”

Confronting Silverna head-on, Isaac declared it outright.

He gestured at Jonathan, telling him to shut his mouth, and then questioned the wide-eyed Silverna.

“It was off from the very start. From the position where you grip the shaft. If you hold it there, you can’t put all your strength into it.”

“What?”

Silverna was baffled by his sudden words.

But Isaac was already acting without reservation.

He boldly grabbed the hand Silverna used to hold her spear.

“W-What are you doing!?”

Silverna was startled, her shoulders flinching, but Isaac spoke without hesitation.

“Look at this. Do you see how the spear shaft is worn down here? It shows that this is your default grip position whenever you start training.”

“So what! I’ve been trained in this stance since I was little. This was the position my Father placed my hands in from the very beginning.”

Silverna retorted, telling him not to pick at something so trivial.

“You’ve grown older, haven’t you? Your body has grown too. Naturally, you should widen the grip on your spear and increase your stride.”

“Huh…?”

“Following the Family Head’s teachings is good. You worked so hard to internalize them that even after you grew, you forced yourself to maintain the old stance, which no longer fits. But you need to change.”

Isaac adjusted the position where she held the spear, and even crouched down to set her stride to an appropriate width.

Before she knew it, Silverna found herself following his words like a puppet.

Now, Isaac focused the way he would when writing.

“Hey, you there, come here too.”

“…Me?”

Isaac called over Melodic Drakemoor, who had just sparred with Silverna.

Urged forward by the eyes of those around him, Melodic Drakemoor stepped forward.

“Do it again.”

“Huh?”

“What?”

Both of them looked at him, puzzled, and in frustration, Isaac let out a sigh and repeated himself.

“Try it like before.”

“A-Alright.”

Overwhelmed by his momentum, Melodic Drakemoor hesitated but took his stance, while Silverna frowned and raised a complaint.

“I remember we were discussing how you insulted me, right? Why are we suddenly re-enacting the spar?”

“Do as I say first. If, after reviewing the spar, you still can’t accept what I said, then I will respectfully retract my statement and apologize.”

“…….”

“Begin. Try it again.”

Thus, the unintended reenactment of the three-person spar began.

****

It was lunchtime.

The dispatched nobles, having finished their training, were on their way to the cafeteria for a meal.

Suddenly, a thunderous shout erupted from the corner of the training field.

“Melodic! How many times must I tell you! There are times when you need to loosen the grip on your sword hand!”

“Y-Yes, sir!”

Isaac was holding a tree branch about the size of a staff, using it to instruct Melodic.

Facing them, Silverna was genuinely astonished.

‘How can he do that?’

To put it bluntly:

Isaac looks weak at a glance.

If we’re being harsh, he’s a pushover.

If Silverna were to fight him right now, she could overwhelm him in a single exchange.

Yet, listening to what Isaac was saying, he sounded remarkably versed in combat and martial arts.

‘It’s hard to call him a swindler…’

He’s too competent for that.

“Drakemoor swordsmanship is all about lightness and footwork. But if you put too much strength into the hand holding the sword, your overall movement becomes stiff, you know? That’s why you couldn’t dodge and ended up enduring against Silverna’s third strike just now, which led to your defeat.”

“Y-Yes!”

Completely captivated, Melodic moved swiftly, swinging his sword again.

‘He doesn’t just know Caldias’ spear techniques well; he’s also extremely proficient in Drakemoor swordsmanship. How on earth?’

It’s not just a superficial understanding.

It’s as if—

He had studied and pondered these techniques for a very long time.

The words Isaac spoke carried the weight of deep contemplation on the martial arts in question.

‘It’s incredible.’

The spear in her hand felt unusually awkward today.

They had only trained together for a few hours.

Yet she felt as though a new horizon was opening up before her.

Silverna was at a loss, caught between anxiety and excitement.

“Now that’s better. Keep practicing like that. If you relax your grip and broaden your perspective, you’ll deepen your understanding of Drakemoor swordsmanship.”

“Th-Thank you!”

Melodic, panting heavily, bowed in thanks and then dashed off to the cafeteria.

Isaac, watching him with a satisfied smile, turned and noticed Silverna. He looked slightly surprised.

“Oh, sorry. When I concentrate, I tend to forget my surroundings.”

Isaac apologized awkwardly.

He’d started out advising Silverna on her spear technique, and before anyone knew it, he’d ended up teaching Melodic as well—he looked almost foolish, and it made Silverna want to laugh.

“Ahem, so how was it?”

He demanded an answer to the question he’d asked before they started.

“Were my words truly just simple insults?”

“Ha.”

She let out a hollow laugh.

Even if she wanted to cling to her pride, she found herself surprisingly willing to admit the truth, startling herself.

“Fine, I admit it. I understand now why you said those things about my spear.”

“…You understand?”

“Isaac, you were right. I learned a lot in just a short time. Listening to you, honestly… I realized the depth of your understanding of spear techniques is on another level.”

Silverna gave a bitter smile.

“It’s absurd, isn’t it? I, who have studied Caldias’ spear my entire life, grasp its concepts less firmly than Isaac, Helmut’s son-in-law?”

“…….”

“But accepting it is another matter entirely.”

She began to speak her mind, conflicted but honest.

“If I do as you say, I’m sure I’ll grow. But would that still be Caldias’ spear?”

“…….”

“Isaac, you said it yourself, didn’t you? Our spear is great. I want to carry on that legacy.”

Because it’s great, she takes pride in it.

Because of that pride, she doesn’t want to lose her identity.

“It’s a spear that’s been with me all my life. Though I feel like I’m seeing something new thanks to your guidance, if I accept it, I feel like my spear will change too much.”

“…….”

“I have a duty to protect the spear that my ancestors have built up.”

Hearing Silverna’s confession, Isaac felt as if the puzzle in his mind had finally fallen into place.

‘So that’s it.’

The difference between the Silverna he remembered and the Silverna before him now.

This represented a fundamentally different approach to pursuing strength.

‘The Silverna Caldias I knew had already lost everything.’

The Malidan Barrier had fallen, the Caldias house was destroyed, and she was left all alone.

Family, comrades, homeland.

She’d lost it all, and only the spear remained.

But now it was different.

She had never lost anything precious, and so her hunger for power was somewhat lacking.

“You’re being foolish, Silverna Caldias.”

A rebuke directed at her emerged from Isaac’s lips.

“…What?”

“Others might say such things. If someone else at the Malidan Barrier spoke to me like that, I’d accept it.”

However—

“You cannot.”

“What do you know?! The Caldias Spear is my pride and my heart! You’re telling me to just change it on a whim—!”

Kwaang!

The wooden stick in Isaac’s hand slammed roughly against the ground.

“Your name—.”

He spoke like a stern teacher, and his dark eyes simmered with something akin to anger.

“What’s your name?”

“What are you even—!”

“I asked you your name!”

At Isaac’s sharp command, Silverna Caldias hesitated briefly before answering.

“Silverna… Caldias.”

“Right. Caldias! You say you can’t abandon your ancestors’ spear, that you cannot forsake that great pride? Do you understand what those words mean?!”

Isaac pointed his staff at her.

“It means you’re choosing stagnation! It means you’re the one putting a full stop on how far the Caldias Spear can go!”

In his past life,

Isaac, as the Silent Sword, had taught countless individuals.

Of those, the ones he despised most were those who decided their own limits.

Isaac, unable to wield a sword due to a leg injury, still never gave up and struggled to move forward.

Yet these were people who declared their own boundaries and simply stopped walking.

“Look at your spear! A magnificent legacy stacked layer upon layer by your ancestors! And you say you’ll just keep it as it is? That because it’s precious, you’ll guard it unchanged?”

Gritting his teeth, Isaac pleaded fervently.

He begged that at least Silverna Caldias wouldn’t become that kind of person.

In her previous life, it was only after experiencing a cruel tragedy that the frozen mind of the Northern lands finally cracked, granting her enlightenment.

But this time—

‘I will make her understand.’

Before tragedy struck.

“Settling down and refusing to move forward—except at the moment of death—is not something a warrior should do.”

As if spellbound, Silverna Caldias locked eyes with Isaac.

His piercing words melted her frozen heart and mind.

‘Ah…’

In that instant, she saw a path within herself.

The name of that path was “Caldias.”

And it was the path she had been walking all along.

Rugged and unrefined, yet

it was clearly a path—

One that someone had laid down in advance.

“I’ll ask again: who are you?”

Now, Silverna Caldias looked forward.

There, the northern snows lay thick.

Because there was no road, she had believed she must not go there.

“I am Silverna… Caldias.”

In the future, for the descendants who would cross this land,

It would be the path she herself would pioneer.

“Moving forward isn’t abandonment, it’s carrying on.”

Realizing her understanding, Isaac softened his expression into a gentle smile.

“Because where you stand now is the end of someone else’s journey.”

In other words,

It meant she could start there.

Before she knew it,

a bright smile graced Silverna Caldias’ lips.

Instead of simply living in gratitude to her ancestors’ greatness,

she herself now walked the same road as them, counted among their ranks.

“Hehe, hahahaha!”

As a warrior, this was an incredible honor,

and her heart brimmed with poignant anticipation.

Slowly,

Silverna Caldias bowed her head deeply.

Bringing her hands together respectfully, she expressed her genuine feelings.

“My thanks.”

To the benefactor who had enlightened her.

“My infinite thanks.”

When she looked back at Isaac, the smile on his face reassured her.

Seeing his joy at her having found the right answer further uplifted her spirits, and she approached him enthusiastically.

“Could I receive more instruction? Not just simple lessons, but a way to further develop the Caldias Spear.”

“If I can help, of course. But shouldn’t we eat lunch first?”

Shrugging, he gestured toward the cafeteria. Silverna Caldias nodded eagerly.

“Then let’s talk more while we eat. Oh, by the way, is there any particular training you’d recommend for me going forward?”

“Blindly following my words isn’t good either.”

“I mean advice! I want your advice!”

Advice, huh.

Isaac hesitated slightly.

He did have something he wanted to say.

It was something Silverna Caldias had struggled with greatly in the previous life.

“…Really, anything at all is fine?”

“Huh? Of course!”

“Promise you won’t get angry.”

“Hm? I even let your insults about my spear slide. What’s left to get angry about?”

As Silverna Caldias urged him on, her eyes shining with curiosity,

Isaac scratched his cheek, embarrassed.

“You should stop wearing that chest binder.”

“…What?”

Caught off guard by the completely unexpected suggestion, Silverna Caldias froze.

She reflexively raised a hand toward her chest, then halted mid-motion.

“Does… does it show?”

Silverna Caldias, who had been concealing a figure somewhat more ample than that of the women around her,

felt her eyes lose focus and her voice tremble as she tried to explain herself.

“I-If I don’t wear it, it’s hard to handle the spear. They… bounce too much…”

“That’s exactly what you need to get used to.”

“…Why?”

This was driving her crazy.

Isaac pressed a hand to his forehead and muttered quietly.

“There might come a time when you can’t wear it.”

“Why wouldn’t I be able to wear—?”

As Silverna Caldias began to speak, her face flushed bright red.

Those words meant that someday, in some situation…

“H-How on earth do you know about that?!”

She shouted in panic, but Isaac simply let out a troubled sigh and murmured softly,

“I know. One way or another… I just know.”

– – – The End of The Chapter – – –

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