Chapter 6: First Draft

Rumors were spreading like wildfire along the Malidan Barrier ramparts these days, leaving the soldiers’ mouths chattering non-stop.

Thanks to that, they’d managed to forget the cold for a little while.

Time flew by even during guard duty.

Soldiers who were normally quiet found themselves chatting more than usual.

There were two hot topics.

One was obviously the beast den.

“Those beast dens are holding out longer than I expected.”

“I’ve seen some beasts I’ve never encountered before. They’re not hugely threatening, but still, it might be worth calling in a beast scholar from the capital to investigate—.”

“Repairs on the ramparts continue every day, but we may need to change the schedule. There have been cases where the beasts launch surprise attacks during the repair hours.”

It wasn’t the first or second time that a beast den had formed outside the walls of Malidan Barrier.

However, this one had lasted unusually long, so they had requested support from the kingdom’s internal nobility.

The second topic, of course, was about the soon-to-arrive son-in-law from Helmut, who had answered the call for reinforcements.

“Helmut? Is Helmut really coming?”

“Aren’t they sending the Sword Emperor this time? And he’s coming here?”

“I heard they’re sending the son-in-law. They’re still calling it Helmut, so I guess it’s got to be them.”

“Ha, how unlike them to resort to trickery. Those orcs who know nothing but raw strength.”

Inside the walls of Malidan Barrier, in a small tavern.

This wasn’t just any tavern—it was personally established by the Lord of the castle himself, a gesture of goodwill from the Margrave to support the frontline soldiers defending the ramparts.

In fact, this place served as both a rest area and an improvised strategy room at the very front lines of Malidan Barrier.

Among the knights seated there, one figure sipped juice instead of beer. Her hair was as white as freshly fallen snow.

The only daughter of the Margrave, Silverna Caldias, smirked and clicked her tongue.

“Too bad, I was hoping the eldest daughter would come.”

“Ooooh!”

“As expected of the young lady!”

“Even Helmut’s Blood Rose would’ve dropped to their knees in one blow before the young lady’s spear!”

Cheering erupted from every corner of the tavern.

Silverna raised a hand to calm them down, then grabbed the spear placed beside her.

Her adjutant, Anna, who had been sitting across from her, hurriedly rose to follow.

“Time to stand guard!”

“Have a safe watch!”

“Young lady, best of luck today!”

“Sure thing.”

With a lethargic reply, she stepped outside.

“Achoo!”

A gust of chilly wind made Anna, who followed behind Silverna, wrinkle her nose.

“Ugh, it’s April, and it’s still freezing.”

“It’s always like this here.”

Just stepping outside brought the colossal ramparts into view.

As long as the Malidan Barrier ramparts stood, the abnormal cold would never disappear.

On their way to the wall for duty, Anna kept up her endless chatter.

“But young lady, you don’t really have to be on duty, do you?”

The Margrave and lord of this land, Uldiran Caldias, was Silverna’s father.

As his only daughter, she didn’t need to serve guard duty like a common soldier.

“I’m a soldier who defends these walls as well. Of course I have to stand guard. And Anna, you’re only saying that because you don’t like having to serve when I do.”

“…….”

Anna, pinpointed so accurately, blushed in embarrassment.

“You should have just stayed on as a lady-in-waiting. Why insist on learning spearwork and following me around?”

“Because! It’s my duty to serve and support you, young lady! It’s been that way since we were children!”

“I never imagined you’d follow me into the military.”

With a faint smile, Silverna and Anna endured the biting wind as they reached the ramparts.

After receiving the handover from the previous guards, they climbed atop the wall.

Unlike the front-line duties, the rear rampart guard was more relaxed.

After all, there were no beasts attacking from behind.

That meant fewer personnel were stationed here.

“Rear rampart duty is kinda boring.”

“Most people are thrilled when it’s their turn for rear rampart duty. They say it’s comfortable here.”

“No tension at all.”

Yawning, Silverna flipped through the transit lists passed on during the handover.

Most of the arrivals on the list were nobles.

They had asked the nobility for support, and they had responded by sending people to Malidan Barrier, but…

“Tsk.”

Silverna clicked her tongue in disapproval.

“Look at this, Anna. Drakemoor, Hyrendel, Blackson, Silverbrook—these famous houses all sent nobodies whose names I’ve never even heard before.”

“Haha…”

“The front lines are just a training camp for their wannabes, huh?”

“Well, there’s no safer place to gain real combat experience than Malidan Barrier. Plus, they might even pick up some spear technique pointers.”

“Tsk, why did we even call for support we don’t need? Why should we help nobles who only look out for their own interests?”

“We can’t help it, right? The law says if a beast den persists for three months, we have to mobilize the nobility?”

“It’s ridiculous, isn’t it?! Are we the ones going out to fight them outside? No, we’re guardians of the walls! All we need to do is keep busting those beasts’ heads until the den naturally disperses! So what if it takes some extra time—!”

“Yes, yes, I know. Everyone knows, but there’s nothing we can do.”

“The royal family is deliberately not repealing that law. They’re using us to train these young nobles!”

“Then you’re contributing to the kingdom, aren’t you? Isn’t that great?”

“…Anna, are you sulking because of what I said earlier?”

Anna silently checked the list. Everyone who was supposed to come had arrived, except for the most important house that was still missing.

“Helmut still isn’t here?”

“If they had arrived, the rumors would’ve spread already.”

This was such a remote region, and the people here had lived and fought side-by-side for years. News traveled fast.

They were soldiers who would never take even one step back from the ramparts—

But their tongues were lighter than the falling snow.

“Rihanna’s husband… I’ve never met him before.”

“Oh right, you didn’t go to the wedding. You lost to Lady Rihanna back then, remember?”

Momentarily flaring up, Silverman retorted.

“I did not lose! I was just tired out after facing the eldest son first!”

“The eldest daughter was far stronger than the eldest son, right?”

“To a point where you can’t even compare them.”

Silverna clicked her tongue and then wondered aloud.

“A commoner who melted that woman’s heart, which was colder than the North… Honestly, I’m a bit curious.”

“I heard he was a ferryman who rowed a boat across a river. They say he was popular for being handsome and a smooth talker.”

“A ferryman?”

“Yes! Society was in an uproar over this marriage that crossed social status—a once-in-a-century romantic affair. Isn’t it romantic?”

“Romantic, huh.”

For someone like Silverna, who had actually seen Rihanna Helmut in person, she couldn’t imagine a woman less suited to the word “romantic.”

“The Helmut carriage is entering!”

At the soldier’s shout, Silverna grinned broadly and dashed off.

“M- My Lady?! You can’t do anything rash! They are guests who’ve arrived under the name of Helmut!”

“If they’ve come to the Malidan Barrier Wall, they have to follow the Caldias way, romantically.”

Her smile brimmed with mischief. Before anyone knew it, her gaze had fixed on the lavish Helmut carriage.

****

The front gate opened with a roar like a giant’s lament.

Walking beside the carriage, Isaac gave a word of caution to Jonathan.

“Jonathan, don’t act scared. The moment you cower needlessly, they’ll look down on you even more.”

“R-Right. I am the illustrious Rose of Helmut!”

That’s not a bad way to think of it.

Even if he hadn’t wished for it, now he was here bearing the Helmut name.

“Welcome to Malidan Barrier.”

Upon entering, a soldier greeted them with a sarcastic grin.

In truth, all those stationed here were practically private soldiers under the Caldias family.

It was only natural they wouldn’t look kindly upon arrivals from Helmut.

‘And Silverna openly mocked them as well.’

Thanks to that, the other soldiers here were bound to look down on them.

‘Now I see why the head of the house didn’t want to send anyone here.’

Imagine if the eldest son, Lohengrin, had come here.

The moment the gate opened, he would have drawn his greatsword and charged straight in.

Silverna would have subdued him, perfectly establishing a hierarchy from the start.

“The lodgings for the dispatched nobles are in that building over there. If you find it uncomfortable—”

The soldier subtly hinted while pointing at a shabby building.

No doubt some arrogant young nobles found the accommodations unacceptable and caused a fuss, but in the end, they all must have entered meekly.

This isn’t a place that would tolerate unruly young nobles.

“It’s fine. Let’s go, Jonathan.”

“Yes!”

With Jonathan forcing his shoulders back, trying to exude confidence, they led their carriage toward the lodging.

“Huh?”

The soldier, who knew all too well the notorious arrogance of Helmut, never expected such an answer and stared blankly at Isaac as he departed.

****

“They didn’t cause a ruckus?”

“On the contrary, they were quite gentlemanly. I’m… a bit flustered.”

On top of the ramparts.

Silverna, who had been certain that the Helmut son-in-law would cause an uproar over the insult, was now left looking puzzled, spear in hand.

“The provocation didn’t work, huh.”

“I heard he’s from a commoner background, but it seems he knows how to show restraint.”

Given that he bore the Helmut name, she had naturally assumed he would have a similar temperament to theirs.

“I never would’ve guessed he’d endure being called pipsqueak.”

“So what will you do now? You know it would be troublesome if you cause a disturbance in the nobles’ quarters.”

“I know, I’m not some petty thug. If they came all gentlemanly on their end, I don’t plan on being rough with them.”

“Then—”

“But.”

With her spear slung over her back, Silverna grinned widely and continued.

“I should still let our esteemed guests from Helmut know what kind of place this is.”

“My Lady?!”

Just as she was about to leave the ramparts to head to the nobles’ quarters, Silverna stopped in her tracks and returned to her post, muttering to herself.

“I’m still on duty. Almost made a mistake.”

“…..”

“After my shift ends, I’ll go!”

****

The nobles’ quarters weren’t bad at all.

At least he got a room to himself.

Aides like Jonathan stayed in the adjacent building.

Before coming to his own room, Isaac had taken a look—over there, it was more like a large barracks hall where everyone bunked together.

“Compared to that, this isn’t so bad.”

It was modest, but it had the essentials.

A bed, a desk, a chair.

It wasn’t much different from a guest room in Helmut, so there was nothing to complain about.

After roughly unpacking, Isaac took out the paper, ink, and pen he had brought with him.

‘Thank goodness it’s not frozen.’

Sitting at the desk, he began to write.

Wielding a sword through words.

The “Silent Blade Isaac”—many had uttered that title with respect, though Isaac himself had never desired such a moniker.

That’s why…

The first book he would write in this new life would be none other than:

“My Sword.”

A manual just for himself.

In his previous life, he had written close to dozens of books, but among them, not a single volume, not a single line, had been for himself.

‘This is fun.’

He had mulled over these thoughts hundreds, thousands of times in his mind.

Sentences he had given up on ever bringing to the world, due to his crippled right leg, now poured forth unimpeded.

‘This is so much fun.’

The theories once blocked by the walls of reality now crossed the barriers of time and flowed freely.

Black ink, elegant penmanship, and the scratch of the pen’s nib…

‘I’m having so much fun!’

His heart pounding with excitement, Isaac found his pen moving faster and faster without him even realizing it.

[You’re like a child who yearns for the stars. Even knowing it’s impossible, you keep reaching for them until the end.]

‘Master, you were right.’

Back then, he had denied it.

He didn’t want to acknowledge the tragedy of being able to hold only a pen instead of a sword.

‘I never gave up, not even for a single moment.’

So thrilled at finally using his knowledge for himself, he lost track of time.

The sun had long since set.

Though the night had grown dark, not a shadow fell upon his room.

For Isaac’s eyes shone more brilliantly than any star outside.

– – – The End of The Chapter – – –

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