Chapter 109: Preferences

Even the tents of the Helmont’s direct line were painted red.

Some might criticize this as an unhealthy obsession with color, but…

Having a personal color was surprisingly important.

Especially on a battlefield, red tents stood out.

In urgent situations or moments of crisis.

People could tell where the Helmonts were.

They could turn their heads, find them, and hold onto the hope that they represented.

That was the purpose of them being painted in red.

Inside the large tent. Even after they got inside, the bickering between the two Helmont’s direct lines didn’t stop.

“So annoying! Sister, this guy’s gonna be sleeping in a different tent, right? We aren’t sharing a tent just because we’re family, right?!”

“Shut up! The battlefield isn’t your playground! I bet you brought all your snacks, treating this like one of your picnics again!”

“I know more about the North than you do! Sister, please. I really don’t want to share a tent with him. When he sleeps, he grinds his teeth—”

“Both of you, stop.”

Rianna, who had withdrawn the dignity she showed outside, let out a sigh.

Since only Helmonts would be allowed in this place, she didn’t need to be as forceful as she was outside.

“Have you been well, Sharen? It’s been almost half a year since we’ve seen each other. I see you’ve grown a little taller.”

“Hehehe, you’ve grown a little taller too, Sister!”

“Really?”

“What nonsense.”

Both women simultaneously turned their gazes at Lohengrin, who was between them. At that, he pouted, clenched his fist and shouted.

“Instead of catching up on useless things, why doesn’t he tell everyone to prepare to advance instead? Dammit—! This is so frustrating—!”

“Have you forgotten Lord Eisenwolf’s warning? Watch your behavior.”

“…!”

“Behave. Helmont is no longer in the absolute position it once was. It won’t be wrong to say that we’re crumbling.”

In truth, even the word ‘crumbling’ was inadequate to describe them.

There were rumors that openly claimed that Helmont had fallen.

Starting with Galenia Helmont, and then Alois Helmont; they both had betrayed humanity.

Even Arandel Helmont had died, and their territory had been thoroughly violated.

After all that, it was only natural that Helmont’s influence wasn’t as great as what it used to be.

Silence filled the tent.

Helmont, once an iron fortress, collapsing in just a few months was a devastating occurrence, but…

“We’ll just have to do our best.”

Rianna declared calmly.

“We’re gonna rebuild our family from the ground up. That’s our job. So be careful with your actions. Especially—“

“Especially?”

“Don’t challenge just anyone to duels. We’re in a war now. We need to conserve even the slightest bit of energy.”

“…”

Lohengrin showed his discontent.

“We’re going to advance northward soon. Later, you won’t even have the energy for duels.”

“Haa… That’s why I want to do it today. Because I know, after today, I won’t have another chance to duel him.”

“No means no. We can’t afford to have others seeing Helmont lose.”

“M-Me?! L-Lose?!”

Lohengrin shouted indignantly, but it was a well-known fact among the Helmont’s knights that he had been defeated by Isaac several times during the Blackthorn Subjugation.

Not only that, he also lost spectacularly back at the Sword Dance Festival.

“The discussion is over. If you really can’t contain your itch, go stand guard. Let the soldiers rest.”

“Damn it!”

At that, Lohengrin stormed out, seething.

From the way he acted, it seemed like he had been looking forward to duel with Isaac than to clear out the North.

“He’s such an idiot.”

Sharen, who had been quietly listening to the conversation, made a comment.

It was a statement that, though Rianna didn’t want to agree with, found herself agreeing with.

“Sharen, have you been well?”

“Yes, sister! I’ve learned a lot of different things outside!”

“I see…”

Of course, Rianna had heard all the news on Isaac and Sharen.

The shocking Volten Massacre, the infuriating assassination attempt on Princess Adeline, and the baffling broken engagement of Princess Clarisse. She knew all of those events already.

“Um, Sharen?”

“Yes?”

Rianna hesitated.

For the first time in her life, she looked anxiously at her younger sister. Then, carefully, she…

“Did you get along well with Isaac?”

“Yes! We got along great! It’s fun being with Isaac! It’s like, so many things happen, you know?”

“…”

“Also, the maid at Isaac’s house has a similar name to mine, so I once pretended to be—!”

“Ahem, Sharen?”

“Huh?”

The fussiness Sharen had shown towards Lohengrin earlier had already disappeared.

Thanks to this, Rianna could ask more comfortably.

“I-It seems Isaac has changed…”

“Changed? Really?”

Sharen tilted her head.

Being close to him, she didn’t seem to notice any changes in him.

“Yes… When I saw him, he seemed to have changed a lot…”

“Really? Hmm, I don’t know—“

At that moment, something came to Sharen’s mind.

On their march to the North, they’d set up tents and rest at night.

During those times, people would oftentimes ask others to duel, and Isaac in particular, dueled a lot with Marlin Reeves.

[That guy has changed.]

Sharen remembered what the Grandmaster had said when they were watching one of his duels.

“Right! She did say he seemed to have changed!”

“He has, right? When I saw him—”

“She said he became kind of perverted.”

“…Huh?”

At those words, Rianna’s eyes widened in surprise.

But, Sharen just continued with a bright smile.

“The Grandmaster told me that! He’s become perverted! His tenacity is something else!”

“P-Perverted… T-Tenacity…?”

“Yes! That’s what she said!”

Rianna’s red eyes began to shake violently.

Isaac finished setting up his tent.

Despite it being an afternoon with the sun shining brightly, the cold of the North permeated the air, causing his breath to turn into smoke.

But, it was actually warmer than before.

It made him wonder if it was because the Malidean Wall, which served to intensify the cold with magic, had disappeared.

Silverna…

Thinking of her, his heart was clouded with worry.

She was just about to bloom in a better way than before.

Unlike last time when she grew as a wildflower blooming amidst tragedy and sorrow…

He hoped she’d become a white daphne growing with passion and effort.

“What are you thinking about?”

“…”

Hearing the voice calling him from behind, he slowly turned around.

There stood Marlin Reeves with her distinctive blue-green hair; someone whom he had been dueling with almost daily recently.

As always, she hides her presence remarkably well.

Whether it was intentional or not, even the Grandmaster praised her stealthy movements.

She was the complete opposite of her brother, who always moved around conspicuously and flamboyantly.

“What brings you here?”

“Lohengrin Helmont. Do you have a duel scheduled with him?”

If there was one thing that she resembled her brother in, it was that she was only interested in saying what she wanted to say.

Although it was probably because she didn’t have great social skills.

“No. There probably won’t be any duel between us.”

“Then would you like to cross your swords with me?”

“So suddenly? I mean, I don’t mind, but now that we’ve arrived in the North—”

“My brother told me to do this.”

“…”

“He told me to keep Baron Logan occupied because he has to go see Rianna Helmont.”

There was a hint of guilt in her expressionless demeanor.

“The only way I can come up with to achieve that is to duel with you.”

“…You have it tough.”

Nod.

If this happened during the march, he might feel a strange dissatisfaction, but…

After seeing Rianna’s reaction earlier, Isaac didn’t think much of it.

He’s going to get thrashed.

It was obvious that Rianna would strictly separate public and private matters.

Someone who courted her on the battlefield should consider himself lucky if he didn’t get beaten up to pulp.

“…”

Isaac stared at Marlin and let out a sigh.

Seeing this, she blinked, looking up at him.

Her gaze looked pure, yet at the same time, it looked emotionless, and also, it seemed to harbor something deep.

“Are you okay?”

Unable to hold back the feeling gnawing at his heart, Isaac asked.

At his question, Marlin silently tilted her head and asked back.

“What do you mean?”

“If you don’t want to do something, just say you don’t want to. If you keep your mouth shut, no one will understand you.”

“…”

“I’m serious.”

That was a rather painful piece of advice, and he knew that.

At Isaac’s words, Marlin thought for a moment, then fiddled with the sword at her waist.

“Then—“

“Yes?”

“Please make our duel cleaner.”

“…”

That answer surprised Isaac.

Then, Marlin’s words poured out, as if she had been waiting for this moment.

“I know that every time we duel, you keep trying to see more of our Reeves’ sword.

“But, it feels like I’m being violated. It feels like you’re clinging to me to explore my whole being tenaciously.

“I often feel like I’m being stripped naked in front of people.

“Honestly… It made me think of you as a pervert.”

“A-Ahem!”

Isaac awkwardly cleared his throat, averting his gaze away.

“N-No, the Reeves’ Magic Sword just kept revealing more of itself the more I peeled it away, it wasn’t like I—”

Since he could apply a lot of things to the Demonic Energy he was currently handling, he had a tendency to get too excited and prolong their duels.

“A-Ahem, anyway, I apologize if I made you uncomfortable…”

“It’s fine.”

Marlin calmly accepted his apology while fiddling with the tip of her sword.

The fact that she wasn’t leaving probably because she was determined to follow her brother’s orders to the end.

In any case, Isaac thought that Rianna and Marlin were similar.

From the way they didn’t easily show their emotions, their beauty, to their loyalty to their families.

But after seeing Rianna again after a long time, he retracted that thought.

Now that I see them like this…

They’re different.

And the differences are clear.

He couldn’t explain it in words, but they were strictly different. Perhaps it was because Rianna Helmont was somewhat special to him.

“Are we going to duel?”

At Marlin’s question, Isaac stood awkwardly before nodding.

“Sure.”

After all, he had to do what needed to be done.

“N-No, no, wait! Don’t misunderstand!

“So, there’s a girl named Marlin who has a really similar vibe to you, Sister!

“His duels with her are perverted!”

“…”

At Sharen’s words, Rianna nodded impassively. She was well aware of Isaac’s habit of exploring others’ swords.

So, she quickly realized that it was this habit of his that had grown more perverted.

“Similar to Rianna?”

“When did you come back?”

Before they realized it, Lohengrin had returned to the tent. He sat on his bedding and smirked.

“What an undisciplined guy. He acted all noble, but he’s still just a normal guy.”

“What are you saying?! Isaac is different from you!”

“…”

Sharen screeched.

Meanwhile, Rianna just stared at him, wondering what he meant.

At that, Lohengrin clicked his tongue and shook his head.

“Think about it, why did he marry Rianna?”

“Hm? Because he likes Sister?”

“…”

“Yep. At the end of the day, it’s because she fits his ‘preferences’.”

He wasn’t wrong.

After all, it wouldn’t be an exaggeration to say that Isaac fell in love with Rianna at first sight.

“Just now, I saw him dueling with that Reeves woman. Ha! Like they said, men are honest with their sword and their thing, and it seems like he’s no exception.”

“…”

Rianna’s confusion only grew with his words.

As she looked at him, wondering what on earth he meant, Lohengrin shrugged with a sneer.

“Let’s say that he prefers expressionless women who keep their mouths shut. What a peculiar preference he has, no?”

“…!”

“Well, a bastard is a bastard, after all. After the daughter of Helmont, now he’s gunning for the Reeves. I bet that once this commotion is over, there’ll be news of his marriage—Ack!”

Whoosh!

Rianna’s Crimson Essence poured out, and in that instant, Lohengrin’s body bounced off the floor and rolled outside.

“Wow… I can’t even do that!”

Seeing this, Sharen unconsciously clapped her hands.

Crash!

“Ugh?! What are you doing, Lord Lohengrin?!”

“Damn it—!”

Then, a commotion started outside.

Apparently, Lohengrin and Leian started a scuffle with each other.