Chapter 107: From the Capital

As they moved away from the capital, Evergard, Knight Commander Eisenwolf began to pick up the pace.

Since the roads leading to the North were well-paved, the march progressed quickly.

Before they realized it, they had finished the first day of the march, and so, they set up camp for the night.

They had been walking such a great distance that Isaac felt grateful that he had Ravenfall with him—he didn’t need to travel on foot because of it.

In the encampment, tents were pitched close together, and there were soldiers settling down to sleep outdoors, wrapped only in blankets near the campfires.

Considering the situation, the supplied soup, filled with meat and vegetables, didn’t taste bad.

“Wow, what’s this? Is it okay for them to give us this much?”

“Hm, it’s a decently sized portion, but… Sniff, sniff… It smells strange…”

In response to Sharen’s and the Grandmaster’s words, Isaac gave them a brief explanation.

“They’re using ingredients that are either rotting or about to rot. Basically, they’re using the army to dispose of such troublesome ingredients.”

“Urp… Now I don’t want to eat it…”

“But you have to. We’re gonna move without rest tomorrow. Helmonts have a strong stomach too, no?”

“…Yeah, we do…”

Sharen gulped down her food without complaining after that. After teaching her the sword a few times, it seemed like the Grandmaster had figured out how to handle her.

Though Sharen was still there with them, Isaac threw a question towards the Grandmaster.

“So, what are you gonna do about Damian?”

Damian.

He was the Grandmaster’s oldest disciple; a unique one among them due to him being a former thief.

During his days as the Ink Sword, Isaac too, had taught him various sword techniques.

He had once thought Damian was trustworthy, but it was him who had opened the gates for the Transcendent Race during their final attack.

It was only right for him to be curious about how the Grandmaster felt about the guy.

“I sent him ahead. He’s probably arrived in the North before us.”

“Just to clarify, I’m not questioning your judgment.”

“I know, I also know that it’s your right to know. But… I still haven’t made a decision yet, Child.”

“…”

“The death of my schoolmates still remain a knot in my heart—“

She simply hated the situation where she had to suspect her disciple.

Knowing this, Isaac just nodded with a bitter smile.

“Sorry. I shouldn’t have brought it up.”

“No, you aren’t at fault. You’re destined to live with such worries and regrets. If anything, I’m the one who should be sorry for my inability to share even a fragment of your burden.”

“…What are you two talking about?”

Sharen, having finished her soup, looked back and forth between them. The Grandmaster just smiled at her and changed the topic, as if it was not a big deal.

“Hmm. Are those the people you were talking about?”

As she continued eating her soup, she pointed to one side.

In that direction was a group of young nobles making a commotion.

They were none other than the Blue Stream Society that Clarisse had mentioned before.

“Yes. The Blue Stream Society. A group led by young nobles, I’m told.”

“These types always radiate youth and inspiration when they gather, don’t they?”

“…”

Something popped up in his head when she heard those words, but he decided to keep his mouth shut. He didn’t want the soup in her hand to be thrown at him, after all.

As they were staring at the group, a pair of a man and a woman from the Blue Stream Society approached them.

The Reeves Family.

Leian and Martin.

“Resting well, are we?”

His shamelessness is almost admirable…

Marlin, who was timidly following behind Leian, just gave a brief nod of greeting.

“What brings you here?”

“Oh, you really do have ears on top of your head!”

“…”

People knew of the Grandmaster, the Half-Transcendent who had sided with humans as an associate of Princess Clarisse’s.

Naturally, the ears and tail protruding from her head and back caught people’s attention.

“One without learning might lack manners. But you don’t seem to be such a person?”

The Grandmaster threw him a cold look to the point that even Sharen was startled.

But Leian just raised the corners of his mouth and nodded.

“We nobles have been taught to be prepared, anticipate, and be ready.”

Other nobles from the Blue Stream Society began to gather behind him.

“Commander Eisenwolf told us not to take the Transcendent Race too lightly.”

“…”

“So we’ve come to receive instruction from you. Even if you are mixed-blood, could you teach us how formidable they are?”

The Grandmaster glanced at Isaac.

Conversely, Isaac was blinking as he looked at the Blue Stream Society.

Are they, like, dumb?

In life, there were various ways as to how one asked to be beaten, but somehow, they managed to pick out the worst possible way to be beaten in this situation.

“If I were to put it kindly, you’re an energetic person.”

The Grandmaster slowly stood up.

She picked up her odachi that had been leaning beside her.

“If I were to put it less kindly, you’re someone who doesn’t know your place.”

The Blue Stream Society members who had been smiling playfully instantly stiffened.

They were young, full of vitality and pride, and of course, they weren’t the type to tolerate being disrespected.

Especially when they were banded together like this.

“Hahaha, let’s see your skills then! Martin, you go—”

“Stop talking nonsense.”

The Grandmaster passed by them and headed toward a wide open space.

Sensing the atmosphere around them wasn’t normal, the other people around scurried away.

“This is the first day of the march. A spectacle would let the troops rest more comfortably.”

As she said that, the Grandmaster drew her odachi and rested it on her shoulder.

She was proficient in the art of Iai, a technique to attack as one drew one’s sword.

The fact that she had drawn her sword beforehand meant that she was giving them a handicap from the very beginning.

“All of you, come at once.”

“Are you insulting us—?!”

“How dare you, you inhuman—!”

“As expected, a beast doesn’t understand the honor of the nobles.”

Watching the Blue Stream Society follow the Grandmaster, Sharen licked her lips and looked for more food.

“Isaac, how long do you think she’ll take?”

Sharen didn’t even think of the possibility of the Grandmaster being defeated. To her question, Isaac pondered for a moment.

“I think she’ll take a little longer than we expected.”

“Really? The Grandmaster will?”

“I mean, she’d have to subdue them without injuring them. It’ll be a different story if she’s trying to kill them.”

“Ah!”

Sharen nodded.

Against the backdrop of nobles charging at the Grandmaster, there was only one Blue Stream Society member who remained in place.

Marlin Reeves.

“…Aren’t you going?”

To Isaac’s question, Marlin replied expressionlessly.

“I was taught not to draw my sword for a meaningless endeavor.”

“…”

“Besides, if I draw my sword here, the compensation I prepared for you, Baron Logan, would grow lighter.”

She’s a person of principle. To the point it’s excessive.

The woman was so rigid and indifferent to the point that Isaac questioned if Leian was truly her sibling.

In some ways, she was even more rigid than Rianna.

“She’s kinda similar to how Sister used to be…”

At Sharen’s murmur, Isaac nodded. They didn’t look alike at all, but her behavior and speech were almost identical to the old Rianna.

‘Aaaaargh!’

‘Urrrgh!’

At that moment, screams echoed from a certain direction.

He looked past Marlin to see the Blue Stream Society nobles either rolling on the ground or sent flying.

“Don’t you have noble blood? Show the spirit to match it!!”

“Guhhhk!”

Among them, Leian Reeves did the best. At least, he wasn’t sent flying, just on his knees.

But in the end, he couldn’t endure the Grandmaster’s onslaught.

The moment Leian dropped his sword, the Grandmaster swung her odachi again.

“I won’t take your head.”

And she cleanly cut off his beard.

“Ah…?!”

“Take this as a lesson.”

After that, she placed a cigarette in her mouth.

Leian, seeing his beard scattered on the ground, opened his mouth wide and trembled.

“W-What is this—?! W-What have you done?!”

“You should be grateful, I got rid of that unsightly beard of yours. It doesn’t suit your age in the first place.”

“I grew it with great effort! I even applied hair tonic on it!”

“What a waste of effort.”

The Grandmaster nodded as she blew out smoke with a ‘Phew’ while Leian was seething, as if he could pounce on her at any moment. But…

“Enough!”

At that moment, the commander’s voice echoed through the air.

Knight Commander Eisenwolf, with his impressive deep wrinkles, intervened in their fight.

“We’ll depart early tomorrow morning. Those on watch duty, prepare for your shifts. The rest, prepare for sleep.”

“L-Lord Eisenwolf! This woman has—!”

“Are you going to be this excited after merely losing a beard in the battlefield?!”

“Keuk!”

“She said it herself. If it was the battlefield, your head would’ve been the thing you lost! Suffering such an unsightly defeat when many of you face one, the least you can do is own up to it!”

Leian pressed his lips tightly.

Meanwhile, the Grandmaster shrugged and walked past him and the sprawled nobles.

“The old man acts all stiff, but he’s quite sly.”

“Are you talking about Lord Eisenwolf?”

“He deliberately waited for me to deliver the humiliation. It seems Princess Clarisse isn’t the only one who wishes to keep a check on the Blue Stream Society’s arrogance.”

In the end, the Blue Stream Society, who had soared without knowing how high the sky was, hit the ceiling with their heads.

But, Isaac was still skeptical if those young nobles would just let this matter go so easily.

After all, they were young and full of vigor.

Several days later.

The footsteps of the infantry at the forefront began to slow down.

As the chill of the North began to freeze the bridge of their noses, and when the Grandmaster’s normal breath came in smoke despite her not smoking her cigarette…

They arrived at the northern frontline, where temporary palisades were built to hold back the incoming Demonic Beasts.

Though the real work was about to begin, the soldiers’ faces brightened at the thought that the grueling march was finally over.

“…”

Isaac found himself feeling slightly tense without realizing it. After all, his ex-wife whom he hadn’t seen for about half a year, was there.

I’m not sure how to greet her.

As Isaac was pondering as such awkwardly.

A red-haired figure came running toward them, as if to welcome them.

Isaac narrowed his eyes, wondering if it might be Rianna, but…

From the person’s hair length, sturdy build, to the rough and rugged horn-shaped greatsword, it was clear that whoever it was, it wasn’t Rianna.

“Ah…”

“Ew.”

Isaac and Sharen exclaimed simultaneously.

Spraying Crimson Essence around, the person who came to welcome Isaac before anyone else was none other than…

“ISAAAAAAAC!”

The man whose record of losses remained unbroken.

Lohengrin, the eldest son of Helmont, was running towards Isaac.