Chapter 18: Assistance

Kaang!

At the instant sword and spear collided, Anna widened her eyes.

‘Again.’

It was the same feeling she’d experienced several times now each time their weapons met. The first couple of times, she’d dismissed it as mere coincidence.

But after it happened again and again, Anna had no choice but to accept it.

He’s reading everything.

Isaac was reading the trajectory of her spear’s swing at almost the same speed that she wielded it.

The spear technique she’d honed over several years just to follow her lady was being completely deciphered within a few exchanges.

Initially, she felt provoked and irritated, but at some point, that feeling turned into awe.

“Haaa!”

However, contrary to that feeling—

“……!”

Even though Isaac had predicted her trajectory and tried to parry her spear, he was forced onto his back by the faint quivering at the tip of Anna’s spear.

Seizing the opening, Anna spun around once, whirled the spear, and brought its cleanly aligned blade right to Isaac’s neck.

“I’ve lost.”

Raising his hand to surrender, Isaac conceded, and Anna slowly lowered her spear.

“……Can we even call this a loss?”

Despite being the victor, Anna asked shyly. In truth, she felt as though she had lost.

“My spear was completely read. At a certain point, your sword was faster than my own judgment.”

“…….”

“The only reason you lost was your lack of basic strength and stamina. Just that one thing.”

“…….”

“Give it a month of training. You’d probably beat someone like me with ease.”

The thought of a latecomer surpassing her weighed heavily on her. Anna was honestly not confident anymore. Even though she had been an ordinary maid who became a soldier by learning the spear—

She’d had some pride, however small.

“Don’t tell me you want me to console you, even though I’m the one who just lost?”

Isaac laughed awkwardly. He had already opened a book of his own. It was different from a standard textbook—this was a “dueling journal” in which he recorded and reviewed the spar, noting what he lacked.

Watching him do this, Anna asked, feeling somewhat embarrassed.

“Isaac, you’re really incredible.”

“What is?”

As he wrote down the reason for his defeat as poor reaction to the final exchange, Isaac even drew a simple sketch of Anna’s final stance and his response.

“You look so confident, even in defeat. As if you’re certain that, in the end, you’ll win.”

“There’s no way I’d have something like that.”

Seeing his rare, flat denial startled Anna slightly.

“The reason I’m not afraid of losing is because I’m grateful I can lose at all.”

His gaze remained fixed on the “dueling journal” as he continued.

“I know how painful it is not even to be given a chance. So I don’t mind losing.”

“…….”

“If I lose, I don’t have time to stay hung up on it. Because I want to keep swinging my sword.”

Watching Isaac smile gently, Anna felt her heart skip a beat for a moment.

“Is this how you seduced Lady Rihanna?”

“Out of nowhere?”

Isaac made an embarrassed face.

Looking into his eyes for an answer, Anna persisted, and Isaac scratched his cheek as he replied.

“When I courted her, I wasn’t like this. I was more... proactive.”

“Wow.”

With the conversation naturally shifting to romance, Anna took the chance to mention Silverna, who was still watching them from a corner of the training grounds.

“What do you think of My Lady Silverna?”

“Silverna? She’s a good friend. Thanks to her, I’ve found a clear direction for my swordsmanship.”

“That’s it? Really?”

“Why?”

“Haa, Isaac-nim. I’ve been with My Lady since we were young, so let me be frank.”

Anna squatted down in front of the crouching Isaac, and in a distant corner of the wide training ground, the two faced each other, speaking in hushed tones.

“To My Lady, people fall into exactly two categories: enemies or comrades.”

“That’s a harsh way to categorize.”

“In any case, that’s how it is. Just two.”

Anna raised her index and middle finger.

“But lately, My Lady’s been strange.”

Her ring finger slowly joined in, making three.

“It’s like a third category is trying to emerge—and that’s you, Isaac-nim.”

“…….”

“Isaac-nim, you’re a married man, so you get what I’m saying, right? I don’t have to expose more of my master’s vulnerability, do I?”

Anna glared sharply, and Isaac nodded awkwardly.

“I more or less understand.”

“‘More or less’?”

“I got it. I get what you mean. Helmut and Caldias. You’re saying to maintain a proper distance from each other, right?”

At Isaac’s roundabout wording, Anna beamed brightly.

“As expected of Isaac-nim. They say handsome men understand a woman’s heart intuitively.”

“…….”

“Come on, be honest. You’ve had this happen quite a few times, haven’t you? You used to row a ferryboat, right? You must’ve been famous as a handsome boatman.”

“You don’t need to know about that.”

Isaac once operated a tiny ferryboat. Thanks to his good looks, he indeed had many female customers.

“In any case, I trust you’ll keep a clear line, since you’re a married man.”

“Got it.”

Just then—

The sky began to darken.

As the two of them, still squatting, cautiously lifted their heads, Silverna, arms crossed, was looking down at them.

Had she heard anything?

That suspicion crossed both their minds at once, but—

“Anna, it’s your shift now.”

Judging from her calm tone, Silverna hadn’t overheard their conversation.

“Huh? My shift? I still have two hours left.”

“Bolten is feeling sick and needs to rest. He didn’t look so good. So you have to take his place, since you’re the next in rotation.”

“…….”

Anna clamped her mouth shut and looked up at Silverna. Bolten was just stuffing himself with two bowls of lunch not long ago, and now he’s ‘sick’?

‘She was talking to Bolten earlier.’

Anna heaved a sigh and stood up.

“Guess there’s no helping it. I’ll head over then.”

After a polite bow, Anna turned and left. Behind her, she could faintly hear Silverna speaking in a low voice.

“What now? With Anna gone, there’s no one to help you.”

“Hmm, so it seems.”

“If it’s really necessary, I-I can help you. I still have some time. A lot of time.”

“…Alright.”

After a brief moment of thought, Isaac accepted Silverna’s help.

“Great! Let’s get started right away!”

Gripping her spear, Silverna instantly sounded excited. Anna, trudging away, smacked her forehead with her hand and let her shoulders slump.

‘My foolish lady.’

And she dares to call it “just friendship.”

From dealing only with spears and monsters in the North, Anna had long since realized that her lady’s romantic skills were severely lacking.

She might not yet have recognized her own feelings, but it was probably only a matter of time.

‘Still, Isaac-nim will handle this well.’

He’s a married man, so he’ll keep an appropriate distance. If Silverna tries to cross a line, he’ll no doubt set her straight.

They’ll probably end up as a beautiful yet cold memory, like a snow crystal.

‘He already has someone.’

If he weren’t married, Anna would have done everything she could to help Silverna. Regretting that she could not, she headed toward the rampart for her forced shift.

[The reason I don’t fear defeat is because I’m grateful I can lose.]

[I don’t have time to stay hung up on it. Because I want to keep swinging my sword]

As she walked, Isaac’s words from earlier suddenly resurfaced in her mind.

‘No time to stay bound by defeat.’

It was something straight out of a textbook, but seeing someone who actually put it into practice made it resonate differently.

Her motivation surging anew, Anna tightened her grip on her spear and quickened her pace.

***

Helmut was unusually noisy.

And there was only one reason for this.

“Ahaaaaaaaa!”

In Rihanna’s room, Alois was brimming with tears, feeling like his heart was being torn apart.

A full ten days.

Ten days without seeing Rihanna.

It was the exact same length of time since Sharen departed for the Malidan barrier.

Of course, having disobeyed the family head’s order, Rihanna was bound to be severely punished. Arandel would never show mercy to anyone who defied him, even if it was his own daughter.

Terrified of that thought—

Alois had suppressed his desire to follow and, instead, remained here, pining for Rihanna.

“Big sister!”

He lay facedown on Rihanna’s bed, drenching her pillow with his tears.

****

On a well-maintained carriage road.

A line of Helmut carriages came to a halt in front of the Malidan barrier.

They had arrived a bit later than other nobles. The reason was simple.

“Gotta keep up appearances.”

If they arrived too early, it might seem like they were waiting on the other nobles. Also, they didn’t want to appear as if they’d rushed over the moment Caldias summoned them.

“Hah, all this trouble because of that Isaac fellow.”

Sharen grumbled as she popped a snack into her mouth. She didn’t actually seem that upset. Isaac was just one excuse among many.

The tomboy seemed to be enjoying this as if it were some sort of adventure.

The carriage stopped for inspection.

Kelsey, Sharen’s maid, quietly stepped out of the carriage.

Bow­ing her head slightly to the Helmut knights who had disembarked outside, a luggage carriage arrived.

Entering the carriage, Kelsey called softly.

“Rihanna-nim?”

At that, a white cloth began to wiggle, and Rihanna, who had been hiding beneath it, poked her head out.

“We’ve arrived. This is the Malidan barrier. There are a lot of carriages, so the inspection will take about two hours.”

“…Alright.”

Nodding, Rihanna drew out the outfit she’d prepared beneath the white cloth.

It was a maid’s uniform.

Only Sharen Helmut was scheduled to arrive, so if Rihanna’s presence became known, Caldias would surely make an issue of it.

Rihanna intended to hide her identity as much as possible.

Seeing this, Kelsey couldn’t hide her worry.

“I don’t know your reasons for coming all this way, My Lady, but there must be something compelling you to do this.”

“…….”

“If there’s anything I can do to help, I will do my utmost.”

Kelsey handed over a hairnet and a mask.

While Kelsey waited outside briefly, Rihanna changed into the maid’s uniform. She gathered all her hair and hid it with the hairnet, exposing her forehead and feeling a bit self-conscious.

She put on a headband to conceal her red hair as much as possible and wore a mask to hide her face.

“This should be enough.”

Smiling brightly, Kelsey gave her a thumbs-up. Rihanna nodded in satisfaction and slowly looked up at the Malidan barrier.

One distinctive woman stood atop the barrier, boldly overlooking Helmut’s carriages and knights.

Silverna Caldias.

Rihanna remembered her. A spear master of exceptional skill for her age, someone fully capable of bearing Caldias’ future.

They had dueled once before.

‘She’s grown stronger.’

Rihanna could tell at a glance. Silverna had become stronger than when they last fought.

It was a good duel. Instead of fixating on winning or losing, we both learned something…

That’s when she saw the black-haired man appear behind Silverna.

Rihanna’s eyes went wide.

Isaac, safe and sound at the front lines.

Relieved by this and yet—

As she watched Silverna and Isaac chat with smiles, even sharing the snacks Isaac had brought, Rihanna’s hand clenched into a fist before she realized it.

She lowered her head, puzzled, and murmured quietly.

“I definitely won that duel.”

Why, then—

Why did she feel as if she had lost?

– – – The End of The Chapter – – –

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