Chapter 63: Receiving Recognition

“Helmut will lead the vanguard.”

Just that alone was enough to put many people at ease and heighten their expectations—something clearly evident from the atmosphere in the conference room.

It was, quite literally, a heart-pounding moment.

Arandel Helmut gave a silent nod at Princess Clarice’s proposal.

“I accept.”

“Phew.”

“Oh.”

“A-Arandel-nim is going to lead the charge?”

Exclamations rose from all around.

The nobles felt a deep sense of intrigue and anticipation at the thought of Helmut itself taking part in this battle.

Moreover, their sense of crisis regarding Blackthorn dropped significantly—far more than words could express.

In an instant, the conference room took on a lighter mood. Even Clarice, who had steered the meeting thus far, seemed slightly taken aback.

“……I wish I could join in as well.”

“Father?”

Uldiran, sitting across from them, clicked his tongue. It seemed he regretted that he couldn’t stand on the same battlefield as Arandel, since he had to return to the North.

“Ahem. Yes, well… In any case, we’re relying on you. Especially with Isaac. After all, he was the key figure in the Sword Festival.”

Crack!

“It’s a matter of symbolism. Even just having him by your side holds significant value.”

A sound of teeth grinding came from somewhere. Lohengrin, shamed by the princess’ words, hung his head low. Though bloodshot anger filled his eyes, he couldn’t refute.

“If you lost, keep quiet.”

Rihanna warned him in a low voice. Now that Galenia was gone, it seemed Rihanna was firmly taking control of her siblings.

“Hmph.”

But this time, Arandel merely kept his mouth shut. He silently glanced between Isaac and Rihanna, then—

“Those two will be divorcing soon.”

He dropped that bombshell.

“…….”

“…….”

Rihanna and Isaac both opened their eyes wide. They’d temporarily shelved all talk of divorce due to the aftermath of the Sword Festival, so never in their wildest dreams did they expect it to be announced here.

“Pardon?”

Not only the other nobles but even Princess Clarice forgot her composure and gaped openly at Arandel.

“Wh-what did you just say?!”

Everyone else was too stunned to speak. Only Silverna, unnoticed by the crowd, smiled broadly and gave Rihanna a sneaky thumbs-up.

“…….”

Seeing that, Rihanna bit her lip, wanting to say something, but forced the words down and refocused on the conversation.

“They will be divorcing soon.”

Arandel added calmly, causing Clarice to press her hand to her forehead and sway on her feet. She looked about ready to faint, and it was only thanks to Heyrad, her royal guard, that she managed to stay upright.

And then—

“What nonsense are you spouting?!”

Clarice fired back vehemently.

“A divorce?! A-all right, a divorce?! Do you think that makes any sense right now?!”

“This is a matter for Helmut.”

“Helmut is practically the backbone of our kingdom! And you’re talking about a divorce now?! You’re divorcing the son-in-law who beat Lohengrin?! You’ve gotta be—!”

Clarice nearly let a curse slip, but Arandel remained steadfast.

“It’s already been decided.”

“If it’s decided—! Ugh…!”

In the end, the young Clarice nearly collapsed backward.

“Ugh, I really can’t stand Helmut… I just want to go home.”

With that final remark, the meeting came to an abrupt close.

****

Everyone began to file out of the conference hall. As they did, Clarice sat there, beckoning Rihanna and Isaac closer.

“Both of you, come here.”

Silverna, who had been following Uldiran out, took the hint and quietly positioned herself near Isaac. Clarice, however, didn’t seem to mind and continued speaking.

“Listen carefully. The Transcendents have appeared—openly drawing our nobles to their side and attacking the festival you were hosting. It’s chaos, isn’t it?”

“…….”

“…….”

“Answer me.”

“Yes.”

“That’s correct.”

Clarice nodded and went on.

“Blackthorn’s betrayal can plant distrust toward the kingdom itself, since it shows we failed to keep them in check. In times like these, powerful nobles need to stand their ground and take the lead.”

After all, you’re the highest among nobles, the kingdom’s ultimate shield, and our final deterrent in war.

“And if Helmut starts wavering at a time like this, it won’t be written off as just two people’s personal matter.”

“…….”

“…….”

“Why should the kingdom have to deal with internal strife when it’s on the brink of war? You have to remember the weight carried by the name Helmut.”

Isaac knew.

That was precisely why he had deliberately kept quiet for the past three days.

But if one asked him whether he wished to remain in Helmut—

He absolutely did not.

‘I want to leave this place right now.’

The problem, however, was the Transcendents.

Unlike his previous life, the Transcendents revealed themselves too early this time when they were discovered by Isaac in the North.

As a result, Helmut’s divorce situation would inevitably have a much larger impact than before.

To prevent humanity from being annihilated by the Transcendents as they were in his past life, quick suppression was vital.

In fact, compared to his previous life, the situation this time around was far better.

They were striking first—uncovering and hunting down the Transcendents before they could launch a full-scale offensive.

But conversely, in the midst of all these twists and turns, Isaac’s divorce was causing a much bigger ripple effect in the political landscape than one might expect.

“Okay, you two, face each other.”

“…….”

“…….”

“Hurry up.”

At Princess Clarice’s irritated prodding, Isaac and Rihanna reluctantly turned to face each other.

The moment a light blush surfaced on Rihanna’s cheeks, Silverna, who was standing behind them, scowled.

“Hold hands.”

“Princess…”

“Ah, hurry up!”

The Clarice Isaac knew before would never act so recklessly. But it seemed that spending a few days in Helmut had driven her stress to the breaking point.

Isaac and Rihanna carefully took each other’s hands.

Both felt the cold metal of their wedding rings—still on the ring fingers of their left hands—touching their skin.

“Now apologize to each other.”

“…I’m sorry.”

“No, it’s me who’s sorry. Really.”

Rihanna offered a vague smile along with her apology, and anyone could sense the sincerity in it.

“Right, right. A husband and wife’s quarrel is like cutting water with a knife—it’s meaningless. Unless Helmut can literally cut through water, right?”

“…They did cut through a river once.”

Isaac added, prompting Rihanna to bow her head in embarrassment. Clarice, annoyed at his random comment, jerked her chin at them.

“Kiss each other.”

“Princess…”

“Hurry. Kiss. Shall I give a royal decree?”

‘What the hell is this ridiculous situation?’ Isaac wondered as he tried to let go of Rihanna’s hand. But surprisingly, her grip was strong.

“…….”

He glanced at Rihanna. Her cheeks were flushed as if embarrassed… yet her lips were gently puckered.

“Hey.”

“I-I mean, it’s a royal decree.”

Rihanna replied, looking mortified.

“It’s been… a really long time, anyway…”

She whispered softly, but unfortunately, it never led to an actual kiss.

Because Silverna’s hand suddenly thrust in between them.

“Waaait! I have a solution!”

Silverna declared, glaring at Rihanna.

“It’s fine if Isaac gets divorced! Our Caldias can take him in! Problem solved!”

“…….”

“…….”

With her hand on her chest, an excited Silverna practically showered them in spittle as she spoke.

“Even if Helmut falls, Caldias will rise in its place! The Malidan Barrier that guards the North can support the entire kingdom, instead of Helmut—!”

“…….”

Clarice just stood there, mouth agape, staring at Silverna like she couldn’t believe what she was hearing. Then, as though searching for something, she glanced around and patted the air with her hands.

Failing to find whatever she was looking for, she finally slipped off one of her own shoes and gripped it in her hand.

“You—you there!”

Then she hurled it straight at Isaac, shouting,

“You’re the problem here! You! Married man gallivanting around—!”

****

The three of them stepped out into the garden.

They felt completely dazed, as though they’d just been caught in a whirlwind.

Even in the midst of all the commotion, the garden was filled with the scent of roses, and Silverna was the first to speak up.

“Having to hold hands and kiss when you are getting divorced…that’s just wrong.”

Beside her, Rihanna flinched.

“Right, Isaac?”

“…Well, it is kind of weird. But I can understand where the Princess is coming fro—”

“What?”

At Silverna’s gangster-like glare, Isaac let out a sigh. By this point, he couldn’t help but notice what was really going on.

“You already knew I was getting a divorce.”

“…….”

At last, the pieces fell into place for Isaac regarding Silverna’s behavior back at the Malidan Barrier. Though the level of affection and touching had felt excessive for just friends, she’d turned his being a married man into a sort of ‘shield’ to justify it.

“Who told you?”

“S-Sha… Sharen.”

Somehow, Isaac wasn’t surprised by Silverna’s answer. Still, he was worried about Sharen, who had holed herself up in her room.

‘I’ll have to go talk to her.’

No matter how terrible Galenia was, from Sharen’s perspective, her father had effectively killed her mother. There was no way she wasn’t traumatized at such a young age.

“Sharen is still in her room?”

“Yeah, she’s with Edel right now.”

Edel, the youngest of the Helmut family, was even younger than Sharen. Though he had just turned fifteen, reality was already proving too heavy for him to bear.

Since the conversation had turned to them, Isaac decided to head over right away. But as soon as he turned, two figures emerged from the manor with an overwhelming presence:

Arandel Helmut and Uldiran Caldias.

They were complete opposites, those two—so much so that Isaac briefly thought the vibe reminded him of the pair of young women at his sides.

“…….”

Stepping in front of the three, Arandel halted them. Uldiran, losing the initiative, grimaced as though his spot had been taken.

For three days, Arandel hadn’t had a chance to speak with Isaac. He’d been busy dealing with the aftermath of the Sword Festival. Now that everything had calmed down—

Arandel spoke to Isaac.

“Join me in subjugating Blackthorn.”

“…I am no longer part of Helmut.”

“Ugh!”

Isaac wasn’t sure why Uldiran seemed so pained, but he kept his tone calm. Arandel, showing no change in expression, responded,

“I’m not asking you because you’re Helmut.”

“…….”

“It’s because I’ve taken an interest in you as a swordsman.”

For a moment, everyone except Isaac widened their eyes in disbelief. The fact that the man—Arandel himself—was interested in someone not of Helmut was enough to be called a major event.

One could also say this signaled a change in Arandel, the man who had cut down his own wife.

“…I trust you know that Helmut isn’t the only thing in turmoil right now.”

He wasn’t denying the divorce. At Isaac’s remark, Arandel responded boldly,

“The world will soon see that Helmut won’t be shaken by something like your two’s relationship when we deal with Blackthorn.”

In other words—

They would display their overwhelming power, proving Helmut was as solid as ever, so there was no need to worry.

Next to him, Uldiran frowned and crossed his arms.

“It’s not just a matter of doubting Helmut. You know very well what Isaac represents right now.”

He was Helmut’s first in line for succession.

He had defeated Lohengrin.

Moreover, he had effectively neutralized Helmut’s swordsmanship.

Even though only three days had passed, rumors were already flying, spreading faster by the moment.

“At this point, sure, you can hold things together. But when a Head of House is finally decided—delayed as it was by the Sword Festival—Helmut’s name won’t carry the same weight it does now.”

Perhaps it was because of their friendly rivalry that Uldiran sounded genuinely concerned. However, Arandel simply gazed at Isaac and replied,

“Is Helmut the only one who bears the weight of the kingdom?”

No one could deny Helmut shouldered the greatest load—especially under Arandel. That hadn’t changed.

“But if I should leave, someone else will take my place.”

It didn’t have to be just one person.

Nor did it have to be Helmut.

Arandel’s gaze, carrying that implication, settled on Isaac.

“Haha! Goodness, man, what are you even saying at your age?”

Sensing something ominous in Arandel’s tone, Uldiran laughed awkwardly, patting him on the shoulder. Had it been anyone else, that hand might have been cut off immediately. But because Uldiran was someone Arandel acknowledged, he let it slide without a word.

“I was planning to join the campaign against Blackthorn anyway.”

Whatever the situation, dealing with the Transcendents took priority.

Even if his divorce went through, Isaac had already intended to head wherever Blackthorn was. But then—

“Your sword won’t even need to be drawn.”

Shaking his head, Arandel replied,

“Observe, learn, and prove yourself.”

“…….”

“Show me if your blade truly has the power to crush the name of Helmut.”

Those last words were more like a growl, akin to a warning.

Yet the tension in his voice and the smile on his lips hinted at something closer to excitement than anger.

– – – The End of The Chapter – –

 

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