Chapter 125: Overlapping Hands

“There you are, cherished slave. Your master is looking for you.”

At Rankelon’s words, the air in the cattle shed froze, as everyone turned silent.

“…”

Isaac could only blink at him, not knowing how to respond at all.

He felt the soldiers’ gazes—which had been focused on Rankelon—subtly shift toward him.

“Quickly, get up.”

Isaac rose slowly from his seat.

Holding his clothes, Silverna whispered while tightening her grip slightly.

“Don’t. If you go, they’ll actually treat you like a slave.”

“They already are. Besides, it isn’t like I can just defy him. Not in this situation.”

Isaac knew better than to defy his order and arouse the Transcendent’s suspicions.

At those words, Silverna jutted out her lips and grumbled.

“Tsk. Guess I’d have to use the two blankets on my own.”

“Mm, get yourself warm.”

When he stepped outside with Rankelon, a cool night breeze brushed his cheek.

At that moment, Rankelon calmly told him something.

“Let’s hurry. She seems upset. I hope it doesn’t lead to severe punishment.”

“…Punishment?”

Isaac asked, without a hint of amusement.

“Yes, the Primordials don’t know the word mercy.”

Not knowing mercy.

Now Isaac understood why their responses had been a tad bit exaggerated.

In their eyes, Primordials were cruel, merciless beings.

Regardless, the idea of Rianna giving someone else a punishment…

It was a little funny for him to think about.

But, he knew he shouldn’t show such an expression, so he kept his mouth shut.

Is the place where Rianna and Sharen are staying really this far away?

That question crossed Isaac’s mind after they had walked quite a distance.

The village was strangely quiet, and after a while, he just couldn’t bear it anymore.

“If this isn’t impertinent…may I ask you something…?”

“Hmm?”

“Don’t the people of this village…hate humans?”

All the Transcendents he had seen throughout his lives were filled with hatred toward humans.

It was as if they only live to kill humans.

“…”

At his question, Rankelon’s steps slowed down.

He didn’t answer immediately, as he hesitated for a moment before speaking.

“What’s the point of hating humans?”

His tone was calm, but there was this inexplicable emotion within his voice.

“What meaning is there in that? Meaningless destruction, pointless massacres. That’s not what we want.”

“…”

At that, Isaac silently walked beside him while staring at his profile.

He continued speaking with a composed expression.

“Do you know why we’re called sinners?”

“…”

“Because we weren’t like them.”

By now.

Rankelon had stopped walking.

His finger, much rougher and more crooked than a human’s, pointed to the sky.

At the tip of his finger was a particularly bright star.

“That constellation is named after a human. They call it the ‘Silver Clock’.”

“Silver Clock…?”

“Long ago, a woman came to our territory. The Primordials worked with her for the sake of the world, and at the time, we followed that ‘hope’.”

“There was such a time?”

“Indeed. It was a different time; it was a world where even the weak and the fragile could survive…”

Rankelon’s voice was calm, but it carried an old regret.

It didn’t sound like he was reciting a legend or a tale, rather it sounded like he was telling what he had truly experienced.

“Too much time has passed since then. Now, even the line of right and wrong has blurred.”

Isaac still didn’t say anything.

He could see the difference in the faces of the Transcendents that he had seen and Rankelon’s.

“We don’t desire conflict nor hatred, so we just live here. Together. As a result, we became ‘sinners’.”

His calm voice carried a firm belief.

“Hating humans is a meaningless endeavor.”

It was a beautiful revelation.

Not all Transcendents harbored hatred toward humans.

It’s beautiful indeed…

So beautiful that it just feels wrong.

Isaac still didn’t say anything. Though he could tell that Rankelon was telling the truth when he said he didn’t hate humans…

He carried this strange and twisted calmness that made Isaac feel unsettled.

And so, he just continued walking without saying anything.

Then, he slowly raised his head.

Towards the ‘Silver Clock’, still shining in the night sky.

Distant, cold, beautiful.

And eerie.

It gave the same vibe as the Transcendent before him.

The house where Rianna and Sharen were staying was a structure he had never seen before.

What caught Isaac’s eye first were the low eaves and the sliding doors beneath them.

Inside, the dark wooden floor that absorbed the sound of his footsteps.

There was also a subtle fragrance wafting from a lit incense burner, sitting on a low table with a teapot, fully filled with tea.

Ahead was a paper door with a blurry shadow behind it; in which he instantly recognized as Rianna.

Slide.

The door gently opened.

Revealing the two women, dressed in long robes he had never seen before, waiting for him.

“You’re here!”

“…”

The pair welcomed him.

For some reason, their skin looked glossier than before.

It was proof that they were treated much better than he had expected here.

“You two look good. I’m glad.”

“Yes! There are so many interesting things here! Like—”

“How is it over there?”

Sharen, who was about to explain various things, immediately closed her mouth due to Rianna cutting her off.

She puffed her cheeks, but kept her lips firmly shut and stepped back.

“We’re staying in an abandoned barn. It can only block the wind and the rain, but honestly, that’s a good enough luxury for us.”

Rianna nodded slightly.

Showing unnecessary sympathy or interest could arouse suspicion, after all.

“I’d like to bring Lord Uldiran here, but I think he would refuse.”

“Pretty much, yes. The margrave would feel much more at ease among his family and soldiers than in comfortable quarters.”

He probably wouldn’t come even if you invited him.

After taking a slight breath, Rianna looked at Isaac.

“Regardless, I figured that one more person should rest comfortably. You.”

At that moment, Sharen patted the spot beside her.

“Isaac! Sit next to me! I’ve laid out a cushion for you! You know, there are so many interesting things here!”

Just as Isaac was about to move in that direction—

“Ahem.”

An awkward yet light cough echoed in the room.

“Sharen, Isaac and I have a lot to talk about. Could you give us some space?”

“…I have a lot to talk about too.”

“Sharen?”

“Ugh, seriously! I have a lot to talk about with him too! I heard when the market opens, there’s gonna be a lot of sweets and I—!”

Sharen ranted on, but in the end, she couldn’t withstand Rianna’s glare and jutted out her lips.

Not left with another choice, Isaac sat down next to Rianna.

“They told me that the market opens tomorrow.”

“The market?”

“Apparently, peddlers would come to sell things to the sinners. They’ll be doing barters. How about we go and look around?”

“Sure. What good timing. A market’s flow is a good way to find out various things in a new land.”

Rianna nodded silently to that.

The fact that she didn’t say anything else meant that they could move on from the topic.

“Right. I noticed earlier that the tea here has quite a nice aroma.”

“Tea?”

At that, Rianna stood up.

She immediately went to the kitchen and brought back two thick cups.

“This seems to be the tea you can drink here. Actually, I heard Rankelon brews it separately. He said it’s his main product for barters at the market.”

“Huh, I see.”

“Here you go.”

Pour.

Warm tea filled the cup.

Along with the rippling in the cup, a subtle fragrance spread.

It had a sharp, unpleasant quality at times, perhaps due to the many herbs it contained.

But it wasn’t a bad scent.

Sip.

Isaac’s body naturally warmed up.

The cozy herbal scent lingered in his nose, and he felt that his body just became healthier.

There was this nutty bitterness of herbs spread throughout his mouth but it pleasantly faded away after a moment.

The taste made his tension melt away, dropping his shoulders, making him feel drowsy.

“Oh, right.”

Rianna, who was drinking tea beside him, seemed to remember something and walked to the kitchen again.

When she came back, she brought a black, square lump on a flat plate.

Even after she placed the thing on the table, Isaac still didn’t seem to know what it was.

“Ah! Sis!”

Meanwhile, Sharen, who was sitting across from them, grumbled. That was when Isaac noticed that Rianna hadn’t given Sharen any tea.

“This is called yokan. It’s sweet and soft. Rankelon got it because he heard Sharen likes sweet things.”

“I was going to eat that!”

“He said it tastes good with tea.”

Rianna handed him a fork as she said that.

The roughly cut yokan doubled the cozy feeling he got from the tea.

“Phew…”

It felt like all the fatigue in his body had flown away.

Beside him, Rianna also took a modest bite of the yokan and drank the tea, enjoying its elegant taste.

When his cup was emptied, Rianna quietly poured more tea into it.

As he received the tea and drank it, he recalled a time he had once dreamed of.

Back then…

If we just ran away…

Perhaps, we’d get to live like this in a small house where outsiders’ gazes could never reach us.

Or, if she wasn’t a Helmont…

Perhaps, we would’ve been living a simple life together with just these small refreshments and tea.

When he shifted his gaze, he found out that Rianna was wearing the same expression as him.

A bitter smile bloomed on her lips.

The current atmosphere was good, but because of that, it made it obvious what kind of opportunity they had missed.

“Ah! Really! This is just too much!”

With a huff, Sharen brought her own fork and began eating the yokan.

After pushing the tea and yokan toward her, the two maintained silence for a while.

“You know.”

It was Isaac who broke the silence.

“I remembered.”

“…”

“One October. When Lord Arandel took the Helmont’s direct lines on patrol to the neighboring village.”

At that, Rianna’s head dropped slightly.

Clearly embarrassed.

“It was the day of the first snow. The wind was strong, and because of the falling snow, I caught a cold the next day.”

“Your attire was too light.”

“All of the Helmont members wore light attire, after all.”

During their first year of marriage, Isaac had tried to follow the Helmonts in every way, even the way they dressed.

As a result, his teeth couldn’t stop clattering for the whole journey.

“While the others were mocking me, you silently held my hand.”

As if he was taking a precious treasure he had forgotten.

A gentle smile formed on his lips.

“It was warm.”

“…”

“Really…warm…”

Before he knew it.

Rianna had placed her hand on the back of his.

It was a quiet touch, yet at the same time, warm; it made him want to avoid her eyes for no reason.

Back when they were at the Helmont Mansion, her position as the eldest daughter and Isaac’s incompetence had held them back.

Now that they were outside, the reality of their divorce approached like a wall.

Squeeze.

He didn’t shake off Rianna’s hand.

But, at the same time, he knew.

This was as far as they were allowed to go.