Chapter 159: The Guardian

The next day.
Marlin of the House of Levice was silently swinging her sword.
She wasn’t usually one to be so serious about morning training, but for some reason, here at the Magic Tower, she felt compelled to do so.

…

No, to be honest, she couldn’t say there wasn’t a different, ulterior motive.
In any case, Marilyn Levice feigned ignorance and continued to swing her sword.

“Up early and working hard, I see.”

But the voice that greeted her did not belong to the man Marlin had been waiting for all morning.

“…Brother.”

A faint note of disappointment laced her voice.
Though an ordinary person might have missed it, Rayan Levice noticed it with considerable accuracy.

“Thought it was Baron Logan, did you?”

Rayan chuckled.
For a moment, Marlin’s eyes twitched as she tried to come up with an excuse.
But she knew that her brother, despite appearances, understood her surprisingly well.

“…Yes.”

Worried someone might overhear, Marlin replied in a low, careful voice.

This was the first time Rayan had seen such a reaction from his sister, and he continued, intrigued.

“Have you come to see Baron Logan as a man?”

“I don’t know. But my eyes keep following him.”

“Hah, but you must have seen the impressive women he has by his side, no?”

At Rayan’s question of whether she was still okay with it, Marlin pressed her lips together.
Her contemplation lasted longer than expected, but Rayan waited for her.
He felt it was necessary.

After a rather long time, Marlin answered.

“I don’t think I have the luxury of worrying about others right now.”

“…For all that waiting, that’s a rather shabby answer.”

Rayan clicked his tongue in disappointment.
He had been hoping his sister would declare something bold, like, ‘I will crush all the other women and claim him for myself.’

“But I know.”

Marlin was like a lake.
Still water doesn’t surge or shake; it simply exists, impassive.

“That I cannot enter that man’s heart.”

“…”

“There is already someone occupying it. I don’t know if it’s one person or two. But it’s clear there is no place for me.”

“…And what’s the point of you saying that yourself?”

Rayan clicked his tongue.
He knew it too.

He knew that Marlin’s first love was doomed to fail.
But he didn’t want to let her give up here.
Sometimes, it was necessary to take on a challenge even when you knew you would fail.

This was especially true for his sister, who was never honest with her feelings and always wore a blank expression.

“It’s important to take on a challenge. Look at your brother. Don’t I always challenge the impossible?”

“…That’s just being a nuisance.”

“A-hem!”

The direct blow from his sister, who had always watched him from the side, made Rayan stumble.

She’s been saying what she wants to say lately.

Rayan didn’t know it, but this was due to Isaac’s advice.
Marlin had dueled with Isaac several times in the Northern Region to show him the Leviase Family’s swordsmanship.

At that time, Isaac had seen a reflection of Rianna in her and told her that if she wasn’t a little more honest, no one would ever know her true feelings.

Since then, Marlin had been slowly learning to be honest with her emotions.

“…”

And even now.
Her gaze turned frankly toward the lodgings.

Why isn’t he coming out?*
*He was someone who never skipped his dawn training.

Watching the disappointed Marlin, Rayan approached with a sigh.

“It seems it’s time for your brother to help. I will create an opportunity for you and Baron Logan to be alone.”

“…”

“Isn’t it a coincidence that we’ve each ended up with one half of a broken pair? Haha! The timing is perfect, isn’t it? Is it because we’re siblings?!”

Staring blankly at the roaring Rayan, Marlin sighed.
Just as Rayan knew Marlin well, there were things Marlin knew quite well about Rayan.

“You’ve already given up on Lady Rianna.”

The remark hit home, and Rayan’s body froze for a moment. As he forced an awkward smile and asked what she meant, Marlin answered without hesitation.

“In the North, I saw your expression when Sir Isaac and Lady Rianna left for Narakai together.”

“…”

“You thought you could never win, didn’t you? That’s why you gave up so cleanly.”

In fact, from that day on, Rayan’s interest in Helmont had completely vanished.

“And yet, the reason you were trying to flirt with Lady Rianna yesterday was…”

There was only one reason.

“Because of me, right? Because I like Baron Logan.”

“Tsk. You may be quiet, but you know everything, don’t you?”

Rayan scratched his cheek.
He looked embarrassed but didn’t deny it.

Because she wasn’t wrong.

“Anyway, I’ll help you, so try to make things work with Baron Logan—.”

“That’s alright.”

Marlin cut him off sharply.

“I’ll just let it be.”

She spoke impassively and began to swing her sword again.
Hoping that perhaps he had overslept a little and would rush to join the dawn training.

The guest lodgings provided a separate breakfast.
There was a dining hall on the first floor, a structure not born of consideration for the guests’ convenience, but rather from a desire to keep them from wandering outside.

As everyone was eating, Isaac entered with slow steps.

The Grandmaster, who had just been eating and asking where Isaac was, greeted him promptly upon seeing him.

“Did you oversleep?”

“Yawn, I was up all night.”

“Oh?”

As the Grandmaster’s ears perked up with interest, Nameless, who was listening beside her, asked.

“You must be tired. Which lady kept you up all night? Was it a Helmont? Are the Helmonts good at night work, too?”

From across the table, Sharen, who had been listening, spoke with a smile.

“Of course! A Helmont is great at night work!”

For a moment, everyone stared at her, and the air froze.
Under their gazes, Sharen asked brightly.

“But what’s night work? Did Isaac work at night?”

“Yes, he did.”

“Watch your mouth in front of the child, you fool.”

“My apologies for that.”

At the Grandmaster’s warning, Nameless, for the first time, conceded and nodded.
Rianna, sitting next to Sharen, also narrowed her eyes and mouthed something, which seemed to be a rebuke directed at Nameless.
Though it was inaudible due to the Silence Magic.

Isaac sat down and smoothly changed the course of the conversation.

“I was touching up the Imperial Guard Sword. This is good timing. Grandmaster, would you be willing to have a duel with me? I’d like to get a feel for it.”

“What’s so difficult about that?”

“But I need some preparation. It’s a swordsmanship style meant to be used with armor, so I need to ask the Magic Tower for a suit of—.”

As the conversation about the Imperial Guard Sword was in full swing…

“Yawn.”

Legant entered.
His matted hair and fatigue-ridden eyes were a strange contrast to Isaac.

They both complain of fatigue, so why does one look so much filthier?*
*It wasn’t just a simple difference in appearance; their usual conduct played a large part.
Even when Isaac stayed up all night, he maintained a minimum level of cleanliness.

He had wondered what the Magic Tower Master was doing at the lodgings. Legant spoke to Isaac and his party with great confidence.

“I need you all to come today. There’s something very important happening.”

Sharen stared at his bright smile and replied.

“You stink.”

“…”

There were various places within the Magic Tower.
Most were related to Magic, and this abandoned mine was no exception.

He had heard it was once an iron mine, but it had been abandoned when the iron ran out.

And today, here, Legant was preparing a magic circle with several other mages.

It was an incredible undertaking: a fusion of Sorcery and Magic.
The very first experiment was about to take place today.

Thanks to this, not only Isaac’s party but also the Levice siblings were in attendance.

…Hm?

Isaac tilted his head, feeling Marlin’s gaze on him from time to time, but she was as expressionless as ever.

She reminds me of the old Rianna.

Seeing her like this often reminded him of Rianna from back then.
Though she was very different now.

“…”

On that thought, he glanced at Rianna standing beside him. She turned her head as if feeling his gaze.

Her lips moved.

The Silence Magic prevented any sound, but he could tell what she was saying by the shape of her mouth.

—Isaac is the coolest one here.

“…Thank you.”

He was now able to accept such compliments as just that—compliments.

Just then, Legant raised his staff, manipulating mana.

He said he was reinterpreting and using a part of the sorcery cast on Nameless.

Nameless was afflicted with a lesser version of Vassalization.
Because the Grandmaster, once called Number 10, had fled, Nameless had been rendered unable to wield a sword against certain individuals.

It’ll be impossible to open a dimension to Narakai or undo Vassalization just yet.

The ability to cross over to Narakai, in particular, was extremely important.
It meant that humans, who had only ever been invaded, could in turn cross into Narakai.

Just then.
Mana swirled around Legant’s staff.
The price he would pay for the Sorcery was none other than mana.
Since he was only planning on using a light spell, he thought there would be no major problems, but…

K-K-K-K-K-K-K-CRACKLE!

A scream-like spark and a short gasp from Legant.

He had clearly intended to use a simple spell, but upon absorbing the mana, it began to twist into a bizarre form.

And a moment later.

CRUUUUNCH!

The space in front of Legant began to warp.
The scene that everyone in the Northern Region had seen and experienced unfolded before their eyes.

Could it be that they had already succeeded in reaching Narakai?

“What… in the world is this?”

The caster himself, Legant, was the most bewildered.
But the place visible beyond the torn space was unmistakably Narakai.
The place where the Primeval Transcendents lived.

Whatever happened, this was a good thing.

The moment he was about to say so…

SHWIIIICK!

A Giant poked its head through the space.
Boasting an overwhelming size, it looked down at the party and roared.

“Even after the Silver Clock’s deception, you humans covet Sorcery again! Sorcery is ours—!!”

The Sorcery hadn’t succeeded.
Legant hadn’t warped space.
It had merely been an act that summoned this thing.

THUD!

The Giant, which began to emerge, was like a guardian.
A guardian meant to find the humans who reached for the knowledge of Sorcery and deliver them their severe punishment.