Chapter 73: The Most Expensive Cheese

After the successful subjugation of Blackthorn.

Upon returning to Helmut, Arandel was already resting, as rumors of his illness had begun to spread.

Meanwhile, his eldest son, Lohengrin, had gone to the capital city of the Kingdom of Albion—Evergarde—to attend a ceremony in recognition of their achievements against Blackthorn. He was going on behalf of Arandel.

Thus, at present, Helmut was revolving around his eldest daughter, Rihanna.

It wasn’t as if the grave, solemn mood that had prevailed under Arandel’s leadership had suddenly lifted.

But every servant agreed that the heavy silence within the estate felt a bit lighter now.

And so—

Rihanna now stood before a small, nameless grave.

“…….”

If one were to look at it from a grand perspective, she was a woman who attempted to assassinate the traitor of the Transcendents but failed.

Of course, since Milli had no knowledge of the Transcendents or anything of the sort, she could not expand her understanding that far.

To Rihanna, she was merely the assassin who had tried to kill her mother.

Yet, before the grave, Rihanna closed her eyes in silent mourning.

In the past, Rihanna wouldn’t have known what to do in front of this woman’s grave.

But after her mother’s death and her separation from her husband, she had experienced a measure of growth.

“Thank you for helping me open my eyes.”

Placing a single white chrysanthemum before the grave, Rihanna whispered.

“And thank you for supporting Isaac.”

Her gaze was clear.

No longer did the clouded mist of blind devotion called “love” swirl within her crimson eyes.

“I’ll take you somewhere you can rest in peace.”

Turning around, Rihanna saw that Helmut’s knights had already lined up behind her, having completed the preparations for reinterment.

“She was my husband’s benefactor.”

Walking past them, Rihanna spoke.

“Treat her with respect.”

Thus began the preparations to move the grave.

At the princess’ request, rather than leaving it here, they would relocate it to a cemetery in Evergarde, the capital.

And Rihanna herself would oversee its escort.

Not only to protect Milli, but also because she had matters of her own to attend to in Evergarde.

“…….”

Her divorce from Isaac.

She had received a letter stating that the princess would personally attend as a witness.

At this time, divorce was exceedingly rare, and the process itself was quite complicated. Witnesses were thus very important.

With a princess of the realm serving in that role herself, it meant that once the marriage was invalidated, there would be no going back.

“I was prepared for this.”

She ran her hand once over the ring on her left ring finger.

No change showed on her face.

Calm and still.

A rose-scented breeze, emblematic of Helmut, drifted past as if to comfort Rihanna.

Yet that very fragrance of Helmut felt all the more cumbersome to her.

Soon, she would depart for Evergarde.

To bring closure with the man she first loved in her life—

And the man she would love for the last time.

****

A few days prior, Isaac arrived in Evergarde and was, quite literally, healing himself in recent days.

Early in the morning.

Soft sunlight filtered through the windows, and the cozy bed and blankets enveloped him comfortably.

The plushness was dangerously tempting, as though the bed itself were seducing him to stay.

But when it was time, Isaac promptly opened his eyes and got up.

He tidied the bed, washed up, and changed clothes—done.

Then he headed straight to the next room.

“Silverna!”

“Eek?!”

Silverna, who had just been sleeping moments before, jolted awake and pulled the blanket over her head.

“C’mon, let’s get changed!”

“That’s why you should get up earlier! Didn’t you say you’d wake up early today?”

With her arms crossed, standing by the door, Isaac spoke. Silverna peeked her head out, embarrassed.

“L-Let me rest a bit! I was on duty every single day up in the North, and this is the first real break I’ve had!”

“You think we’ve got time to slack off? Don’t you remember what you said the other day when we were drinking?”

On the night they arrived in Evergarde, celebrating with drinks, a very tipsy Silverna had shouted with her face flushed bright red:

[I’m gonna get stronger! I’ll smash everything to bits!]

It seemed her lack of usefulness in the battle against the Sword Demon had weighed heavily on her mind.

She had indeed trained hard afterward, but once she experienced the warmth of the capital and modern facilities of the royal palace (so different from the rundown conditions up north), her discipline began to waver.

“Alright, alright, so just get out for a minute! I need to change!”

“Fine, I’m going. Squeak.”

“Hey! I told you not to make that sound—!”

Suddenly jumping out of bed, Silverna charged at him with a pillow in hand. Moments ago, she’d been so embarrassed about wearing pajamas, yet now she was blatantly rushing at him, blankets thrown aside.

Isaac merely chuckled under his breath and quickly stepped outside.

Ever since they arrived in the capital, Silverna had let out that “Squeak!” sound a few times as a form of cutesy display.

Unfortunately, it had already become nothing more than a cringey memory.

Seriously?

Standing just beyond the door, Isaac wore a subtle grin.

She said she’d learned it from Anna, but what amazed him was that Silverna had tried to copy it so literally.

It was a side of her he’d never witnessed in his previous life.

Back then, when the walls of Caldias and Malidan fell, she’d shown a noticeable emotional wear-and-tear.

But the Silverna now was definitely different, and Isaac found that appealing.

“Pfft.”

He’d only let out a small laugh.

But perhaps she heard it?

Silverna flung the door open, her face flushed red.

“You’re thinking about it again, aren’t you?! I told you not to laugh!”

Neither Isaac, who muttered an “Okay,” nor Silverna, who fumed at him, realized how much it still lingered in their minds—turns out her little show of cuteness was unexpectedly effective.

Squeak

Just the fact he was still repeating that in his head made it clear enough.

****

About thirty minutes later, Silverna finally emerged from her room.

“What took you so long?”

Isaac, who’d been reading a book, frowned as he asked. Silverna pouted.

“I’m a woman, okay?”

“…The woman of the North, sure.”

“We’re not in the North now, are we?”

Despite their bickering, the two set off for the Royal Knight Academy—a facility run by the royal family to train knights.

It was huge, nothing like the wide, empty training fields up north. Dozens of specialized equipment stood ready, along with protective gear for sparring and various magical devices that made mock battles much more realistic.

They could even analyze combat data. When Isaac first saw the place, he lit up like a kid at a playground.

Because it was still early, no one else was there.

That was typical.

Ever since Isaac and Silverna showed up, they’d always been the first to unlock the doors and start their training. Isaac might complain about being late, but compared to others, it was still quite early.

They worked through physical training, swordsmanship and spear drills, wooden sword sparring, and mock battles—

By the time other knights filled the place, the pair had already been sweating through an intense session.

Sometime after lunch, they finished showering and met outside.

“……”

“……”

There was always a faintly awkward aura when they ran into each other post-shower at the training center.

Seeing each other with damp hair and freshly scrubbed skin brought on a strange feeling.

What is this emotion?

Silverna, who’d never dated and had always categorized men as either comrades or fellow soldiers—those who protect or those who need protection—had no idea what those fuzzy feelings were.

But Isaac, renowned for his good looks, a popular man among the boat crowds, top pick in any festival hunting game, a master at charming noble heirs, the man who’d toppled the queen of all beauties, and a married man, knew very well.

‘A woman’s freshly washed look… usually you only see that in the bedroom.’

Maybe other knights wouldn’t give it a second thought, but for two people who had confessed their feelings, it wasn’t something they could casually ignore.

Feeling a bit self-conscious, they left the training center.

Their next destination, surprisingly, was the underground prison.

With a pass they’d gotten from the princess, the two made it through without hassle. Entering the holding area of the murky, foul air, they found Sharen dozing off in a chair.

“Sharen.”

“Huh-awh?!”

Startled by Isaac’s call, Sharen quickly wiped away a bit of drool from the corner of her mouth.

“…That’s exactly how someone else I know woke up this morning.”

Isaac teased, recalling what had happened earlier, drawing a glare from Silverna, who nudged him in the arm.

Catching sight of Isaac, Sharen began to wail.

“Iiiissacc! Switch with meeee! I don’t wanna be here anymore!”

“…Ask Lohengrin to switch with you.”

Because Alois—currently imprisoned—needed a spokesperson and guard from Helmut’s direct line, Sharen and Lohengrin were taking turns on a day-to-day rotation.

“Lohengrin, that idiot, ran off!”

Ran off?

But Isaac had seen him at the training center earlier…

“Ughhh! I wanna wander around town with Isaac, too! And the snacks here are so good!”

“Alright, alright.” With a few gentle pats on her head in an attempt to console her, Sharen’s whiny tone finally calmed a little.

Anyway, it was obvious Lohengrin ran off because he didn’t want to be here.

“But why are you here, Isaac? That person is not here anymore.”

By “that person,” she meant the Grandmaster.

The Grandmaster had, in effect, received a summary trial and was already staying at the princess’s side. While she had yet to be given back her sword—since she was technically still under certain restrictions—she was being treated quite well.

“I’m going to see her this evening. Today, I’m here to visit Alois.”

“What, you didn’t come to see me?”

Apparently, Sharen had been hoping he was here for her. She crossed her arms and puffed out her cheeks in a sulky way. Isaac poked her cheek to let the air out, then headed inside with Silverna.

Well—almost. Right before going in, Isaac stopped in his tracks and looked at Silverna.

“Wait here.”

“…Why?”

“I’m probably going to say some things you won’t like.”

“Huh?”

Silverna tilted her head, but then she shook it firmly.

“No way. I want to go in there, spit in that jerk’s face, and then leave.”

“……”

Bold as ever, declaring she’d give him some good old-fashioned Northern-style ridicule. After a moment’s hesitation, Isaac decided it would be best to warn her.

“Just remember—whatever I say in there isn’t my true intention.”

“Ooh, now I’m even more curious.”

Silverna shrugged as Isaac shook his head, exasperated, and made his way inside.

The underground prison was beyond dismal—“bad” didn’t even begin to describe it. Not that it was run-down; on the contrary, it was meticulously maintained to ensure the environment was utterly miserable, with dank air and an acrid, sulfurous odor.

It was deliberately designed so inmates couldn’t endure even a moment’s comfort.

At the end of that squalid place—

There sat Alois, his red hair gleaming even in the darkness, chained by the neck and one arm, waiting for Isaac.

“Filthy scum.”

It had been a while since they’d last seen Alois. He made no attempt to hide his hostility anymore. Instead of calling Isaac “brother-in-law,” he went straight to insulting him.

Isaac couldn’t help a hollow chuckle.

“How’s the arm?”

He taunted Alois, who’d lost his arm, and veins bulged across Alois’s forehead. The clanking of chains left no doubt how furious he was.

“As if a lowborn like you ever deserved to marry Noona. If only you’d never shown up, she wouldn’t be suffering now! Noona is—!”

“I’m not interested.”

Isaac cut him off with an icy sigh, then continued.

“Rihanna is arriving here tomorrow.”

He stated the reason for his visit.

“The princess is presiding over our divorce.”

Isaac lifted the ring on his left ring finger for emphasis.

“It’s finally all going back to the way it should be, you worthless—”

“I’m retracting my decision to divorce.”

“…!”

Alois’s eyes went wide, his previously sneering lips snapping shut. He waited anxiously for Isaac’s next words.

“I’m going to take Rihanna back. Then we’ll have a child. Naturally, that’ll make me the head of Helmut.”

“You basstaaaard!”

Bang! Bang! Bang!

The chains rattled violently. It was perhaps the angriest Alois had ever been, and he howled in fury.

Isaac only responded with a cutting smirk.

“That’s the message I came to deliver.”

“You rotten bastard! If you so much as lay a finger on my Noona—I’ll smash that smug face of yours into pieces—!”

Silverna reached her hand through the bars.

A brilliant white aura burst from her palm, slamming straight into Alois and pinning him against the wall.

Thud!

“Ghhk?! Caldias!”

“Shut up. You’re disgusting.”

Her voice was as cold as ice.

Under the scarlet glow of his hair, Alois’s face blazed red with anger as he glowered at Silverna.

“Well then, I’ll be off.”

With that, Isaac turned to go.

“Brother-in-law.”

“Iiiisaaccc—!”

Thud.

Once Isaac and Silverna were back outside—

“So that’s why you didn’t want me to listen.”

Silverna nodded as though she understood. Isaac knew very well that what he’d said in there hadn’t been pleasant.

But it was necessary.

“I had to provoke Alois.”

“Well, if you say so, then I’ll trust your judgment. But—”

Silverna gave him a sidelong glance. Before she could ask, Isaac answered first.

“I’ve already got the paperwork and the princess’ role as witness lined up. There’s nothing to ‘call off.’”

“Huh, I never asked, though?”

Laughing awkwardly, Silverna walked on ahead. Isaac let out a small chuckle and cast one last look at the prison where Alois remained.

‘Please, Alois.

The you I know won’t be able to hold back.

You’ll do whatever it takes to stop me.

Just like how, in my past life, you shattered my leg.

You’ll be the bait they simply can’t resist.’

Those people who have an unusual interest in Helmut won’t just leave a caged Alois alone.

To Isaac, Alois was like a piece of cheese:

Smelly, but perfect for luring out the rats.

Alois.

The most expensive cheese in the world.

‘You’ll definitely take their hand.’

Without even realizing it’s the betrayal he fully expects.

– – The End of The Chapter – –

 

[TL: Join Patreon to support the translation and to read up to 5 chapters ahead of the release: https://www.patreon.com/readingpia

 

Join Our Discord for regular updates and have fun with other community members: https://discord.com/invite/SqWtJpPtm9 ]