NOVEL NEXT Chapter 19
✦ Chapter 19 ✦
「Translator – Creator」
᠃ ⚘᠂ ⚘ ⚘ ᠂ ⚘ ᠃
The Helmund carriages, having passed through the gates, were guided towards their designated quarters by soldiers. The Helmund knights busied themselves, unloading their belongings and settling into their temporary lodgings.
Amidst the flurry of activity,
a small girl with twin braids marched ahead, leaving everyone else behind. Her steps were bold, as if she owned the place, and her destination stood before her — her brother-in-law.
“Isaac!”
“Shauren… you actually came.”
He’d been surprised when he’d heard she was coming.
He hadn’t expected this little spitfire to willingly volunteer for the frontlines.
But one look at Shauren’s expression, and Isaac realized he’d been completely wrong.
‘She came for fun.’
The thought made Isaac sigh inwardly. She wasn’t oblivious—just so detached from the gravity of the situation that she seemed to view the Malideen Wall, one of the last bastions against the demon beast hordes, as little more than an exciting field trip.
Shauren, however, was oblivious to his disapproval, chattering at full speed with the enthusiasm of someone on holiday.
“Where are you staying, Isaac? Is there room next door? Without you around, I’ve had to ask the maids for help, but I feel kind of bad bossing them around too much, you know?”
“…….”
“It’s just more convenient when you’re nearby. That way, I can have you run errands for me!”
Isaac’s expression turned incredulous at her audacity. She preferred ordering him around rather than trained maids? He exhaled deeply, already bracing himself for a draining stint at the wall.
Before he could respond, a sharp voice cut through.
“Hey, brat.”
Silverna, who had been silently observing from Isaac’s side, crossed her arms and narrowed her eyes at Shauren.
“This is a battlefield. If you’re going to act like a child, leave. Now.”
Isaac bit his lip, barely suppressing a laugh.
Shauren, on the other hand, gawked at Silverna, her eyes wide in disbelief.
“How dare you!! Do you even know who I am? I’m Shauren! Second daughter of Helmund!”
“And I’m Silverna, eldest daughter of Caldias.”
“Caldias—”
Shauren froze mid-retort, her expression shifting as recognition dawned. She turned her wide-eyed gaze toward Isaac for confirmation. When he gave her a small nod, her defiance crumbled.
Clearing her throat awkwardly, she took a step back.
“Ah, um, Kelsei! Kelsei, what did you say? Oh, right! You were calling for me just now!”
“No one called you, Shauren.”
Isaac corrected her gently.
Blushing furiously, Shauren puffed out her cheeks in protest.
“They did call! The descendants of Helmund have sharp ears, you know! Isn’t that right? Kelsei called me, didn’t she?”
Shauren turned around expectantly, but there was no one there, just a gust of cold wind. Unfortunately for her, Kelsei, her loyal maid, was too busy unloading luggage to cover for her mistress’s embarrassing blunder.
“…………”
Her attempted escape foiled, she stood frozen, her lips pressed into a tight pout.
Silverna, without missing a beat, added,
“A clear chain of command is crucial on the battlefield. If you think you can do better, pick up your sword. If you win, I’ll gladly hand over command.”
“Oh?”
Shauren spun around, her pigtails bouncing as she skipped back towards them.
“You’re saying if I win, I get the authority? You’re sure about that?”
“Absolutely.”
Silverna released her crossed arms, her grip tightening on the spear resting on her shoulder. As she took a step forward…
“Ha!”
Shauren let out a mocking laugh and took a step back.
“Alright! Let’s do this!”
“…………..”
“You think you can look down on House Helmund?”
Another step back.
“You see someone young and cute and assume they have no skills, huh?!”
She’s very good at walking backward, Isaac mused silently.
“Haven’t you heard of me from Isaac0?! I’m the prodigy of House Helmund, following in the footsteps of my sister, the Blood Rose! ”
“………….”
“The Princess of Roses, no less!”
“What was that?”
By now, she had retreated so far that her voice was barely audible. Silverna, no longer interested, had long since relaxed her stance, leaning casually on her spear
“Not today, though! I’m exhausted from the journey, and it’s a bit too cold for fighting. Plus, I, uh, need to maintain my sword. Such a shame!”
“………….”
“………….”
Shauren had somehow backed all the way to the carriage they’d arrived in.
As Isaac and Silverna stared at her, dumbfounded, she squeaked, her cheeks burning with embarrassment.
“Quit staring at me like that!”
Huffing, she stomped off to the luggage area, muttering about fetching her greatsword.
“Ack! Who hit my head?!”
Moments later, she stumbled back out, rubbing the back of her head and scowling like a child.
“Ugh!”
She stormed off in search of Kelsei, her complaints trailing behind her.
“What just happened? Is she really Rianna’s sister?” Silverna asked, her tone caught between disbelief and amusement as she turned to Isaac.
“………………”
Isaac, however, wasn’t paying attention to Shauren anymore; his eyes were fixed on the mysterious maid who had appeared in the carriage and presumably smacked Shauren.
The woman’s hair was pinned up neatly, and her face was concealed entirely by a mask. There was something unmistakably poised about her movements, yet she slipped away unnoticed, vanishing as if she were never there.
“Isaac?”
“Huh? Oh, sorry, what were you saying?”
“I said, that girl is strange. A complete opposite of Rianna.”
“She’s definitely got… a unique personality.”
Even as he answered Silverna, Isaac’s eyes flicked back toward the carriage. But the masked maid was gone, leaving behind only a faint sense of familiarity.
‘Could it be…’
A seed of suspicion rooted itself in Isaac’s mind, though he said nothing as he resumed his conversation with Silverna.
🎕
“…………..”
Evening found Isaac in his room, diligently reviewing his ‘dueling log.’
His skills were steadily improving, thanks to his relentless training regimen, but he continued to push himself ruthlessly.
‘Blaming my losses on a lack of stamina is no excuse.’
He tightened his grip on the quill, recalling darker days. Back when he had lost his leg, every effort felt futile—a futile attempt to pour water into a vessel riddled with holes. But now, with both legs beneath him, he was determined to fill the vessel of his own potential, drop by painstaking drop.
“Hmm…”
A yawn interrupted his thoughts.
Turning slowly, he saw Shauren sprawled on his bed, a book in hand.
“……When are you leaving?”
“Huh?”
Shauren didn’t look up from her book, tossing a cookie into her mouth as she spoke.
“Kelsei’s still setting up my room, remember? And you’re all alone anyway, so what does it matter?”
“You want me to throw you out?”
Shauren stared at him blankly for a moment, then burst out laughing.
“My, my, Isaac, look how much you’ve grown! Spending some time out in the real world has turned you into a real grump, hasn’t it?”
She narrowed her eyes playfully, shaking her fist at him.
Her swirling pigtails made it clear that she was genuinely amused, but Isaac didn’t back down. He got to his feet, matching her gaze.
“Listen, you know as well as I do that we’re getting divorced in a month. Know what that means? I don’t have to humor you or bend over backward to accommodate your whims anymore.”
“Oh, bend over backward? How noble of you to phrase it like that. Wouldn’t ‘being crushed by my presence’ be more accurate? What is this? Some Northern joke? Because it’s not funny.”
The tension between them crackled, their locked gazes unyielding. It seemed neither would back down.
But to Isaac’s mild surprise, Shauren was the first to relent.
“Cheh! Be grateful to Father!”
She grabbed her book and bag of cookies, turning to leave.
“Huh? What does that mean? Did he say something about me?”
“Yeah, he did! He said to leave you alone, because of appearances and whatnot!”
“…………..”
“He said to treat you with respect, since you’re still technically my brother-in-law. Ugh, this is why I hate leaving the estate.”
Grumbling under her breath, she reached the door and grabbed the handle; then she hesitated, glancing back.
“Hey, Isaac… Can I ask you something?”
“Ask me something? You? Really?”
Isaac tilted his head, puzzled by the sudden shift in her tone.
Shauren’s usual mischievous expression had given way to something almost serious.
When he stayed silent, waiting, she finally spoke, her voice low and tentative.
“Those star-shaped cookies… where do you get them?”
“…………”
The tension that had gripped the room vanished into thin air, replaced by a bewildered silence.
“No! Those star-shaped cookies you used to get me! I searched everywhere – no one sells them!”
“Haa…”
“I’m serious! Do you have any idea how much I suffered looking for those cookies?! My hands were shaking! Are you sure you’re not putting drugs in those cookies? I think I’m addicted!”
“Don’t be ridiculous.”
Isaac sighed, shaking his head.
The star-shaped cookies were a simple treat he’d always brought to Shauren whenever she demanded something sweet.
“Just tell me where you got them! This grand demon beast nest better be over soon, so I can go get some!”
She bounced on the balls of her feet, her impatience palpable.
Isaac, however, simply stared at her, bewildered.
“You really went searching for them?”
“Yes! The next village! And the one after that! Even the nearby cities! But there were no star cookies! None!”
“Of course not.”
Because…
“Mili bakes them.”
Shauren froze, squinting suspiciously.
“Mili? Is that the name of a shop? Where is it? Tell me exactly!”
“Mili. The cook. In the Helmund manor kitchen.”
“……Huh?”
“She felt bad watching me run errands for your snacks, so she started baking them for you. She makes them often, since you like them so much.”
“Th-th-that means…”
She didn’t need to turn neighboring villages upside down, nor did she have to make a pointless trip to the Malideen Wall to ask Isaac about them…
“Those cookies… were available at the manor this whole time?!”
“That is correct.”
Isaac delivered the truth with a deadpan tone, entirely unbothered.
And Shauren’s knees buckled as she collapsed to the floor, slapping the ground in sheer frustration.
“Aaaaagh! Why?! Why did I come all the way here?! Aaaaagh!”
‘She’s actually crying…’
Isaac watched her, shaking his head. She really was just a kid.
Despite being seventeen, Shauren’s childishness often shone through, and now was no exception.
Suddenly,
the door burst open, revealing a rather irritated Silverna.
“…………..”
She’d come to invite them for some casual conversation, but judging from her expression, Shauren’s dramatic outburst, which had apparently been audible even from the hallway, had ruined her mood.
“You again? Keep it down, would you? You’re not the only one staying here. There are other nobles.”
Silverna, for the record, was staying in different quarters.
“Show some consideration for your fellow guests. We’re packed in like sardines, thanks to these cramped rooms.”
Her own room was easily three times larger than this one.
“A-ahem! I-I just got a little carried away!”
“…………..”
She crossed her arms, shooting Shauren a disapproving glare.
And Shauren, noticing Silverna’s casual attire, which accentuated her curves, blinked in surprise, then shrieked,
“Fine! I’m leaving!”
She stormed past Silverna, then stuck her tongue out at Isaac.
“Bringing another woman into your bedroom already?! Just you wait – I’ll tell my sister everything when I get back!”
“Hey!”
Isaac, caught off guard, tried to call her back, but she had already disappeared down the hallway.
And then,
“Already?”
Silverna, sensing something amiss in Shauren’s departing words, raised an eyebrow.
“It’s… It’s nothing. Just ignore her.”
Isaac waved her off, sinking back into his chair with a sigh.
“So what brings you here?”
He suspected there was a specific reason for her visit at this hour.
Silverna, however, seemed distracted, her gaze lingering on the empty hallway.
After a moment, she quietly closed the door and turned to him.
“They’ve assigned me to lead a reconnaissance team starting tomorrow,” she began. “The horde is starting to stir. We need to get ahead of them.”
“……………”
“So… Isaac…”
Her voice wavered slightly, betraying her apprehension.
It was clear she’d been carefully considering her next words.
“I was hoping… you might join my unit.”
END of CHAPTER
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