Chapter 65: Plea

Swish!

The moment Alois had one of his arms neatly sliced off, Isaac couldn’t deny that a grin unconsciously crept onto his face.

If someone told Isaac he could take revenge on just one person in House Helmut, he would choose Alois without a moment’s hesitation. After all, Alois was the one who’d inflicted the deepest wound on him.

“Kyaaaaah!”

Alois’s scream echoed throughout the mansion. Although Isaac’s senses weren’t particularly sharp, he could already hear a commotion outside.

“You! How dare youuuuu!”

“That line sounds just like Lohengrin. Must be because you’re brothers.”

With a clean movement, Isaac resheathes his sword. Sparks of electricity flare wildly, making his waist and side sting slightly.

He was dressed lightly since it was right before bedtime, so he ended up taking some damage from the electric discharge.

“You think you’ll get away with this—?!”

“Well, I had a different plan for you.”

Isaac lunges forward. Caught off guard, Alois—who was clutching his severed arm—reacts too late.

Bam!

Isaac leaps up and kicks Alois square in the chest, sending him flying out of the room and sprawling to the floor. A trail of blood stretched from the severed limb, smeared along the ground.

“Kyaaaaaaaaa!”

Once again, Alois lets out a shriek. Falling hard on his backside must have jolted the pain in his arm.

“Eek!”

“Ah, Alois-nim!”

“What the—what’s going on?”

People who were about to go to bed start coming out one by one. In addition to the servants who haven’t yet finished their work, several of the direct members of House Helmut appear, assessing the situation.

“Tsk, pathetic bastard.”

“Alois-nim, your arm—”

No matter what anyone said, this was Helmut. Even though their younger brother’s arm had been cut off, Lohengrin, the eldest, and Armin, the second son, merely clicked their tongues or shook their heads. There was neither grief nor rage on their faces.

On the other hand—

Thud!

From the second floor, Rihanna jumps down, landing between Isaac and Alois in a flash. Even though she’s wearing pajamas, the unmistakable pressure radiating from her causes the very air to quiver.

“Noona! That bastard did this to my arm! He’s gone crazy because he’s leaving soon—!”

Alois shouts desperately, tears in his eyes. He’s trying his best to bring his older sister over to his side. But Rihanna’s expression only grows colder, and her crimson eyes glimmer with a frigid chill.

“Before that, I’m more curious why you even went to Isaac’s room in the first place, Alois.”

“Noona? M-my arm is gone! A damn commoner cut off my—my arm!”

Even as the servants scramble to retrieve Alois’ severed arm and staunch the bleeding with towels, he screams until the veins in his neck bulge—only causing more blood to pour out. Thanks to his Helmut physique, he doesn’t even turn pale.

“We’ll figure out who’s in the wrong.”

“I’m still your younger brother! How can you—!”

“You still haven’t been cleared of attempted murder against Isaac. The investigation was delayed because of the Sword Festival, but don’t forget it’s still pending.”

“Ah.”

Alois bites his lip hard. He looks like he wants to spew some excuse, but—

Thud.

Isaac’s closet door opens, and from inside steps a calm-faced boy who appears mournful.

“Brother, I saw everything.”

“…Edel? Sharen?”

“Alois stormed in and tried to snap Isaac’s neck! He even used red lightning!”

When Sharen points an accusatory finger at him and shouts, Alois’s expression grows twisted.

“You filthy little worms—! Don’t you dare forget whose blood runs through your veins! You turn on your own brother—!”

Though Alois is the one screaming, Rihanna doesn’t hesitate.

In an instant, a streak of red lightning crackles around her right hand. She cracks it like a whip—

Bam!

Alois’s body is lifted into the air and slammed against the wall, where he collapses unconscious.

“…Isn’t that a bit harsh?”

“She’s really mad.”

“U-Unnie”

“Whoa.”

Amid the shocked reactions of House Helmut, Rihanna stands there with no expression whatsoever. It’s a clear warning that her responses will no longer be the same as before.

Right then, heavy footsteps resound from the top of the stairs. In the Helmut mansion, there’s only one person who can radiate this kind of intimidation.

“What is all this commotion?”

Already looking thoroughly displeased, Arandel Helmut comes down the stairs, effectively ending the incident for the time being.

***

Helmut’s training grounds.

“Fight me again, Isaac!”

Lohengrin roars until veins pop in his neck.

“Come at me, damn it!”

He shouts in blind fury, but when the princess by Isaac’s side gives him an annoyed glare, he hesitates for a second.

“I’ll go.”

Setting down the greatsword at her side, Rihanna, who had been sitting next to Isaac, walks over to face Lohengrin.

“Yay.”

No sooner does Rihanna leave her seat than Silverna slides in, scooting up close to Isaac with a bright smile. She sits down beside him and nudges for him to continue his story.

“So, Alois suddenly attacked you last night? That third son of Helmut?”

“Yeah, he showed up in the middle of the night.”

Across from them, arms folded, Clarice narrows her eyes as though deep in thought. She doesn’t even reach for the rose tea on the table, focusing completely on Isaac’s words.

“He’s been out to hurt me for a while. He tried it on our fourth wedding anniversary, too.”

“Your fourth wedding anniversary?”

“That was the day the chandelier fell. If I’d been hit, it could’ve ended really badly for me.”

Because it was something he had genuinely experienced before, Isaac felt an even stronger sense of dread.

“Not just that, he also rigged the cake and the bouquet of roses with all sorts of tricks.”

“So where’s Alois now? This is Helmut we’re talking about—don’t tell me they’re just confining him to his room as ‘punishment’ or something like that?”

At Silverna’s question, which she asked as though she couldn’t quite believe it herself, Isaac shook his head.

“They transferred him at dawn. To the underground prison in the royal capital.”

“Helmut sent him to an underground prison? I didn’t think they’d actually do that.”

“I figure they’re already swamped with work. They probably don’t want the hassle of getting tangled up in Alois’ mess on top of everything else.”

It wasn’t without reason that Arandel had once cut down his own wife. He cast off Alois without hesitation, as though he had zero interest in him. Conversely, Alois also seemed to have no lingering attachment to Arandel or House Helmut—

Yet when he was being dragged away, he’d screamed:

[Noona! Noonaaaaa! It’s… it’s a misunderstanding! I’ll explain everything somehow! Please?! Noonaaaaaaaaa!]

The way he called for Rihanna until his throat was raw was downright revolting. Any remnants of pity that might have once existed completely vanished in that moment.

“But, wow, Helmut really is ruthless. Their brother lost an arm, got hauled off to prison, and they don’t even bat an eye.”

“Alois never really cared much for the family or the house anyway.”

Except, of course, for Rihanna.

***

Bang!

“Huh!”

Having lost decisively to Rihanna, Lohengrin dropped to his knees on the floor, bawling. Ignoring him, Rihanna walks over and notices Silverna occupying her spot. She scowls.

“That’s my seat.”

“Childish. Whoever sits first gets the seat, right?”

“…That’s even more childish. When are you leaving?”

“That’s actually what I wanted to talk—”

“What’s the reason, I wonder?”

Cutting off Silverna, the princess—Clarice—chimes in. After much deliberation, she looks utterly baffled as she poses the question.

“It’s strange, isn’t it? Why would he go out of his way to target Isaac?”

That question from Clarice pierces right to the core of the matter. Isaac hesitates briefly, wondering how to answer. After glancing at Rihanna to check her reaction, he exhales a sigh and reveals the truth he would have preferred to keep buried.

“Alois was infatuated with Rihanna.”

“…”

“…”

“…”

“Which is why he hated me, her husband.”

All three stare at Isaac in unison. He sighs again, as if to say he never wanted to spill this.

“But they’re siblings!”

“But Aren’t they brother and sister?!”

Clarice and Silverna exclaim in perfect sync. Isaac nods as though he’s been waiting for that question.

“Isaac, you sure about that?”

“Positive. Alois kept his motive secret right to the end for exactly that reason.”

With a bitter look, Isaac takes a sip of his rose tea. Once hot, the tea has cooled to a lukewarm temperature, but it still carries a rich fragrance.

“Do you have any evidence?”

To be honest, there’s nothing concrete he can present at this very moment. Isaac only confirmed it for sure much later, after he’d already left and then reunited with them upon hearing the rumors.

In a situation like this, leaning on intuition and emotion was the best he could do.

“I was her husband. I could immediately sense the kind of gaze she was getting.”

Isaac thought his reasoning might sound weak. But instead, the women accepted it without much doubt, taking it as further proof.

“…Ugh.”

Rihanna suddenly clamps a hand over her mouth and bolts away, as though she can’t stand to be in the room anymore. It seems the revelation that her own younger brother had feelings for her came as a shock.

“Woow!”

“I’ve never seen Rihanna look like that before.”

They watch her hurry back into the mansion, speechless. It’s such a novel sight that they can’t help but stare.

Once Rihanna is gone, Clarice pipes up again with one more question.

“Isaac, were you... bullied by Helmut in any way?”

“…”

“Please be honest. And is that related to your divorce?”

Wearing a wry smile, Isaac nods.

“Yes. House Helmut… I’ve had just about enough of them.”

When Isaac confessed honestly, Silverna widened her eyes in shock, while Clarice let out a calm sigh.

“So that’s what happened?! Why didn’t you tell me?”

“Why would I tell you?”

“Those worthless scumbags.”

Seething with anger, Silverna glared at the Helmut members who were still sparring in the training grounds. Sharen was in the midst of a practice match with her older brothers—her skills weren’t quite there yet, but she moved with noticeable promise.

“…I’m sorry.”

All of a sudden, Clarice apologized.

“Huh?”

“I didn’t know anything about that. And I tried to force you not to divorce.”

“…”

“Ahem. Well, I am a princess, you know? I’m supposedly very capable, widely knowledgeable, and I tend to keep an eye on everything that’s going on…”

The two people listening each thought the same thing: They’d never quite gotten that impression from her.

She was indeed brilliant at gathering information—no one could deny that. But with her limited experience, she often struggled to piece it all together neatly and draw final conclusions. By now, that was pretty much common knowledge.

“But of course there are things I miss. In my efforts to safeguard the kingdom, I ended up neglecting you. And you’re one of our subjects.”

“I understand. You simply wanted to avoid any messy issues with Helmut before fighting the Transcendents.”

No knight would want to march into a battle with a damaged sword. And beyond that, this was a case in which a member of the nobility—House Helmut, no less—had sided with the Transcendents.

At a time when powerful great noble houses like Helmut needed to keep things firmly under control, internal discord would only cause trouble.

“It was for the greater good.”

As Isaac mustered a bitter smile, Clarice’s eyes grew a little misty. She sniffled, nodded, and cautiously took Isaac’s hand in hers.

“To be honest, I came here hoping to convince you. Not just about the divorce, but also about keeping Alois’ crime under wraps… The more I think about it, the more it seems like this could only harm the war effort.”

After all, House Helmut is the kingdom’s sword, leading the charge. No matter how you spin it, word that the family’s third son tried to assassinate the eldest daughter’s husband would cast everything in a terrible light.

“At least until we’ve subdued Blackthorn—please, could you turn a blind eye just a bit longer? To Alois’ punishment, and to the divorce. Please… I beg of you.”

That was why Alois had been whisked away at dawn in secret, so that no one else would find out.

“I know it hurts. It must feel unfair, too. I’m sorry that I have no choice but to ask this of you.”

With Clarice’s hands clasped around his as if praying, she pleaded earnestly.

“I, Clarice Evangel Regardia, will never forget the sacrifice you make for the greater good. And when this is all over, I promise to repay you accordingly.”

“Princess…”

“I’m not saying I’ll just hand over some money and call it even. Whatever it is you desire, as long as the royal family can grant it, we will. I’m sorry we can’t offer more than that.”

“…”

At her request, Isaac gave a faint, bitter smile.

“No need to bow your head, Princess.”

He hated Alois, yes, but the Transcendents were a far greater threat. After all, wasn’t Alois still alive only because the Transcendent threat took priority?

“I’ll do it.”

“Ah.”

Clarice exhaled a sigh of relief and lowered her head.

“Thank you… Thank you for your understanding and generosity.”

“Could I ask just one favor in return?”

Isaac carefully slipped his hand out of hers and smiled. Silverna was starting to look scary again, so he was eager to wrap things up.

“Yes, anything.”

“Please keep a close watch on Alois.”

“That won’t be an issue—”

Halfway through her response, Clarice froze, then closed her mouth. Perhaps she sensed the seriousness of Isaac’s tone, because she nodded in quiet agreement.

“I’ll see to it personally.”

‘As expected,’ Isaac thought.

In his past life, once Alois was cast out of the family, he became a vassal to the Transcendents. It was highly likely they would approach him again this time—especially since they kept a close eye on Helmut.

“You have good instincts, Isaac. Would you be interested in working with me in the future?”

As Clarice, whose mood had lightened, casually tested the waters, Silverna—who had kept quiet in the tense atmosphere—jumped in.

“No way! Isaac already promised to guard the northern wall with me!”

“…He did?”

Just like that, Silverna and Clarice began to argue over who would ‘take’ Isaac. However, the truth was that Isaac’s next destination—now that he had decided to leave Helmut—was already set.

‘By now, she’s probably in the Rocky Mountains.’

The Grandmaster.

This time, Isaac fully intended to seize the opportunity he had once bitterly lost.

– – The End of The Chapter – –

 

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