Chapter 151: The Broken Muzzle

First, there was one thing to be certain of: the Kingdom never used gags on criminals.

No matter how heinous their crimes, even for those deserving the most severe punishment, a gag was not part of the official restraining procedure.
This was especially true if the criminal was a noble.

Simply put, the gag Rianna was wearing was not an officially sanctioned or used item in the Kingdom.

CRACK!

“…”

“…”

“…”

The gag, crushed by immense pressure from above and below, fell to the floor.
It clattered, the sound echoing through the carriage. Strangely, it even felt as if the carriage floor had briefly dented.

“Ah.”

Even Rianna herself was stunned to see the gag broken.
She wore a troubled expression, as if she had not expected this to happen.

“What should I do, Isaac?”

she asked.
Isaac was bewildered.
That had been the only gag they had prepared.

Not only was it not an official item, but he had never imagined the gag would break.
Who could have possibly predicted that someone would bite through iron with their teeth?

Click! Clack!

Beside him, Sharen began clicking her own teeth together.
It seemed she was trying to prove that the Helmonts had strong teeth, too.

“Hah, aren’t they worse than the Primeval Transcendents?”

the Grandmaster remarked, amazed.

“Stop flirting with him.”

Rianna’s cursed tongue began to move.

“What are you doing, wrapping his arm with a bandage you had tied around your chest? You should maintain at least a minimum of feminine dignity.”

Rianna’s tongue moved as if it were a separate living creature. She grimaced in distress, but her mouth did not stop.
It was as if someone else was speaking on behalf of Rianna’s heart.

“Sharen has a handkerchief. Use that to stop the bleeding, Isaac. A bandage that was wrapped around a chest is unhygienic, no matter what.”

“Oh? When a master gives you a bandage, you should be grateful. What’s so dirty about it?”

“It must have gotten dirty from sweat and friction. Isaac, you shouldn’t use that.”

“You speak with such certainty for someone unlikely to have ever experienced sweat gathering there, don’t you?”

“…”

A momentary silence.
Sharen’s jaw dropped as she stared at the Grandmaster.
Isaac, too, pretended not to have heard, lowering his head and glancing cautiously at Rianna.

It was a reckless comment that anyone might have thought once or twice, but would never have dared to say aloud.

Seeing that even the Vassalization had been silenced, it was clear just how hard Rianna had been hit and how her thoughts had frozen.

“Ah—.”

Amidst a faint tremor, Rianna slowly retorted.

“Isaac said he likes this more.”

“Hey?!”

Startled, Isaac urgently tried to cover Rianna’s mouth, but the Grandmaster grabbed him by the scruff of his neck and pulled him close.

“Gah!”

It happened in an instant.
Isaac stumbled into the Grandmaster’s embrace.

The Grandmaster asked with a sly grin.

“It is the nature of men to love their sweethearts just as they are.”

“Says the one who missed her chance at marriage and now just complains when she drinks—”

A hand clamped over Isaac’s mouth.
The Grandmaster’s strength was considerable.

“Preference and a sweetheart are two different things.”

“Isaac said I was just right. He told me I was lovely.”

“…Is that true?”

The Grandmaster slowly let him go.
Freed from her grasp, Isaac sighed and moved next to Rianna.

“On our first night, Isaac, my ches—mphh.”

Isaac clamped a hand over her mouth.
Then he shot a glare at the Grandmaster.

“You know she can’t control what she says because of the Vassalization. Please don’t push her.”

“…I understand. Now take your hand away. I am terribly curious about what she was going to say. I don’t think I’ll be able to sleep tonight if I don’t hear it.”

“Sharen is here, too.”

Isaac deflected, using Sharen as an excuse.

“BackthenIsaac—”

Her voice leaked out despite his hand covering her mouth. Even holding it down firmly, it was not easy to completely silence someone with just a hand.

“Rianna, please.”

Despite Isaac’s plea, Rianna gestured with her eyes as if to say she wanted to stop, too.
Once a thought surfaced, it led to another and another, like a chain.
At this rate, it seemed Rianna would spill every detail of their first night, so Isaac took drastic measures.

“Ria, I’m sorry.”

“Hmph?!”

He stuck his fingers right into her mouth and held down her tongue.

Rianna’s eyes widened, her face flushing bright red with a mixture of shock and embarrassment.
But with her mouth finally silenced, Isaac breathed a sigh of relief.

“I was curious!”

“Hah, why stop in the middle of the story? It was just getting interesting.”

Sharen and the Grandmaster smacked their lips in disappointment.
But from Isaac’s perspective, it was something he never wanted revealed.

“…”

“…”

Isaac and Rianna’s eyes met. He could feel the texture and warmth of her tongue against his fingers.
He had gone so far as to physically gag her to hide the memory of their first night.

Ironically, one of the very things they had done on their first night was now being repeated here in the carriage.

[Isaaac—!]

[Ria! They’ll hear you! Your mouth—!]

[Hmph?!]

“Ahem.”

“…”

The two of them, awkward and embarrassed, avoided each other’s gaze.

Late at night.
No matter that they had pursuers and had to travel in a hurry, the horses could not run without rest.
Normally, they would have changed horses, but since they were caught in an awkward location, they had to camp out for the night.

A campfire was lit.
The coachman, who had driven the carriage hard, was already asleep.
He would need his strength for tomorrow, after all.

The group sat around the campfire.
Knowing there were pursuers, they needed someone to stand watch.

And Isaac was the first to volunteer.

“I’ll take the first watch. You should all get some rest.”

“Yahoo!”

Sharen immediately accepted his offer.
The girl, not wanting to wake up in the middle of the night, threw her hands up in delight.

“I need to sleep early to grow big and strong!”

“…Right. Grow well.”

Isaac nodded, recalling the image of Sharen he had seen through the ring’s magic.
She had grown up quite well, so he thought that if she took good care of herself now, she could probably become the person she wanted to be.

“Hmm? Won’t you be tired tomorrow, then?”

“I can sleep in the carriage on the way. Besides, I have something to do tonight, so you don’t need to worry.”

Seeing Isaac take out a blank book, the Grandmaster chuckled, patted his head, and entered her tent.

“Don’t overdo it. Wake me if you get tired.”

Rianna was supposed to sleep alone in the carriage because of her Vassalization.
But there she was, still bound, sitting motionlessly and staring intently at Isaac.

“Should I take you? Want to go sleep?”

“No, I want to stay by your side, Isaac. I want to be alone with you.”

“…Alright.”

At first, her words had made him feel a little awkward and uncomfortable. But now, he seemed to have grown a little used to it.

Isaac opened his book.
With the campfire and the moon as his light and companions, Isaac’s pen began to move.
Rianna, watching him intently from the side, asked.

“Is that a manual?”

“Yes, the Princess was apparently disappointed in the Royal Guard’s current capabilities. So she asked if I could help.”

There was another book beside Isaac: the manual for the Imperial Guard Sword, the swordsmanship style used by the Royal Guard.
It specialized in subduing and defending against opponents.
Isaac switched between looking at it and writing, moving his pen to note corrections or areas that should be emphasized.

It’s nice that I can actually swing a sword now.

In the past, he could only swing a pen, but now it was different.
If something felt ambiguous, he would get up, swing his sword, and internalize the sensation.

Isaac smiled, feeling his manuscript becoming richer.

“You’re so cool.”

Of course, a constant stream of commentary came from his side.

“So handsome.”

“…”

“Your profile is so amazing, Isaac.”

“…”

“My heart pounds when you look so stoic.”

“…”

“Are you perhaps disappointed that I’m being so vulgar?”

“…No, not at all. You don’t seem vulgar.”

If a truly vulgar person had been Vassalized, their words would have been unbearable to listen to.

“There are many people who would have said far more embarrassing things under Vassalization. Myself included.”

The fact that she was saying only this much, even while being forced to speak her inner thoughts, was, in a way, proof of Rianna’s innocence.

“You too, Isaac?”

Rianna’s eyes suddenly sparkled.
She leaned in slightly and asked again.

“What would you have said?”

“…”

“Tell me. I’m saying everything like this. You’re so cool, Isaac.”

“No, I don’t really need to—”

“I’m curious. You look so cool in the firelight. I’m curious what you would’ve said.”

“…Can you not do that thing where you keep interjecting?”

“I-It’s not like I’m doing it because I want to.”

I suppose so.*
*Isaac put down his pen for a moment and stared intently at Rianna.

“If I were under Vassalization right now—”

If he were to pour out the words in his heart.

“wouldn’t I be grateful that we could finally talk to each other so openly?”

“…Isaac.”

“Because what we needed was to talk.”

He gave her a small smile and was about to pick up his pen again—.

“You’re so cool.”

“…”

“I want to remarry you, Isaac.”

“…Hey.”

“Can’t I?”

“No.”

“Please.”

Rianna scooted closer.
Isaac did not push her away, simply watching her.
Her red hair and eyes reflected in the firelight.

As befitting the woman known as the Blood Rose, she was devastatingly beautiful, but…

“…Wait here, Ria.”

Isaac grabbed the two tachi he had laid beside him and stood up.
Rianna nodded and scanned their surroundings.

“I think there are about three of them, Isaac.”

“Yeah, I thought they might show up.”

The enemies were hidden behind the trees, aiming for them.

Primeval Transcendents?

The atmosphere, the pressure—it felt just like them.
Suddenly, he realized he had never fought a Primeval Transcendent alone before.

Can I win now, fighting a Primeval Transcendent by myself?

It was a question to which he already knew the answer.
Of course he could.
Didn’t the sweat he had shed and the calluses on his palms prove it?

“The mood was so good, too. What a shame.”

He strode to the edge of the campfire and stared into the darkness.

“Why did they have to come at a time like this?”

I’ll start by taking the head off the first one to show himself with an Iai strike.

“If only my arms were free, I’d have really killed them all. Ruining the mood. So annoying. Hurry up and di—”

“Master! Get up and shut her mouth!”

He could not take it anymore.