Isaac's shout signaled the start of the ambush.
The enemies, perhaps thinking he had let his guard down, immediately lunged at him.
But Isaac's demeanor, contrary to his voice, was sharply focused as he glared at his foes.
Swiish!
"...!"
One Transcendent crashed to the ground before he could even swing his sword.
Isaac's eyes briefly flickered toward the blade the fallen enemy had been holding, but he didn't hesitate.
He immediately turned to his next target, but the remaining Transcendents kept their distance, wary of approaching recklessly.
"...."
"Damn it."
They spat curses under their breath from afar. Clearly, they hadn't expected one of their own to fall so quickly.
Sword in hand, Isaac stared into the darkness.
The figures lurking in the shadows of the trees hesitated before finally fleeing.
"They're running away just like that?"
Under the moonlight, their bat-like wings spread wide as they retreated.
Isaac suddenly recalled the Primordial Transcendent who had called herself a "Blood Demom" the last time they met.
'Are they her subordinates?'
He remembered they had been searching for Jonathan.
This didn't seem like a simple ambush—there must have been another purpose, but he had no way to pursue them now.
Sheathing his sword, Isaac turned to check on Liana.
"...."
"Over already?"
The Grand Master was there, covering Liana's mouth while watching the scene unfold.
He flashed a satisfied smile and gave a thumbs-up.
"Your swordsmanship improves by the day. As your master, I couldn't be prouder."
"Thank you."
"...."
"I believe this child is also praising you."
At the Grand Master's words, Liana gave a small nod. She was genuinely impressed by how much Isaac had grown—far beyond the man he had once been.
Cutting down her Crimson Love's End hadn't been mere luck or a fluke.
"About those who just came," Isaac said, looking up at the night sky where the enemies had vanished.
"I think they were subordinates of that Blood Demon woman we saw last time."
The Grand Master's expression stiffened slightly at Isaac's words.
"The Primordial Transcendent?"
"Yes."
He remembered how Silverna had sworn to kill him next time, humiliated by her defeat.
The shame of being forcibly sent back to the human world because of the Blood Demon had left a deep mark on her.
"From what I saw, they seemed to be checking on Liana's condition. As if they had something in mind."
"Hmm, I've never met her myself, so I can't say for sure… but it didn't seem like a simple ambush."
"Mmmpf!"
"Oh? You have something to say too?"
When the Grand Master removed his hand, Liana immediately spoke.
"They were watching me the whole time. Like Isaac said, it felt like they were testing something."
"Well, well. It seems they still can't let go of their interest in your ex-wife."
At the Grand Master's words, Isaac could only make a complicated expression in response.
He turned his gaze to Liana instead.
"Isaac, you were so cool."
"...."
"The way you swung your sword was amazing."
The immediate reply.
Even Liana seemed to realize this wasn't the time for such words, her face turning red.
"At this rate, you'll spend the whole day blushing until your blood rushes to your head and you collapse."
The Grand Master chuckled and patted Liana's head.
Though she grew even more embarrassed, Isaac hesitated for a moment before asking.
"Liana, did you ever meet that woman called the Blood Demon separately? When you were held captive by them."
"The Blood Demon?"
Liana blinked, then answered quickly.
"Yeah. Actually, she was the only one who talked to me. Unlike the other Transcendents—Helik and the others never came to see me."
"...."
"She was the one who managed me. And she was the one who gave the order to attack Evergard."
"Not Helik?"
"Nope. The weird thing was, whenever I talked to her, I felt something strange. Like my chest felt… sticky?"
A clumsy description.
But since Liana was speaking from her own thoughts, there was probably no better way to phrase it.
Isaac fell silent, lost in thought—
"You're so handsome."
"Pfft!"
—but between Liana and the Grand Master's interruptions, he could only sigh in resignation.
***
"We should change the horses."
The next day, around lunchtime.
The coachman scratched his head awkwardly after stopping the carriage.
"We've pushed them too hard. There's a village nearby—we should swap them there."
"Can't be helped. We can have lunch there too."
They had been rushing to evade pursuers, overworking the horses in the process.
"The coachman said we need to change horses!"
Sharen, who had been listening in, cheerfully made her own joke.
"...."
"Sharen, that wasn't funny."
Isaac kept his mouth shut, while Liana, still under the effects of Sorcery, mercilessly criticized.
"Change horses—Pfft!"
Only one person laughed.
And of course, it was the Grand Master.
The Grand Master clutched her stomach, trying to hold back her laughter, but it still leaked out.
"Pfft—HAHA! How did you even come up with that? Child, you should've been a jester, not a swordsman!"
[TL Note: Sharen makes a pun on the Korean word "말 (mal)," which means both "horse" and "words." The joke doesn't translate well into English—it's a simple wordplay that's funnier in Korean.]
"Hehe."
Sharen puffed up proudly at the Grand Master's reaction.
"Ugh, I don't wanna get old."
"What was that just now?"
Isaac's muttering immediately made the Grand Master scowl, but regardless, the group arrived at the nearby village.
It was a quiet place—almost too quiet.
Normally, villages like these were populated mostly by women, the elderly, and a few middle-aged men.
But here, there were an unusual number of young men, ranging from youths to middle-aged, all with distinct appearances.
The coachman had gone to the stables, so the group headed into the village to find a place to eat.
"...."
Sharp stares immediately bore into them.
This wasn't just wariness toward outsiders.
Their gazes were filled with deep suspicion—and outright hostility.
"…Let me ask you something."
The Grand Master turned to Isaac, the sole target of their glares.
"Did you ever seduce a woman from this village and enjoy a night with her?"
"That's absurd. I've never even been here before."
"Then why are they acting like this? They're glaring at you like you stole their lovers."
"...I don't know either."
Yes, their hostility was directed solely at Isaac.
The others were met with wariness, but the sheer intensity of the hatred aimed at him was on another level.
They looked ready to spit on him if he took another step.
"Ahem."
Confused, Isaac stepped forward anyway.
Handsome men usually had an advantage when it came to first impressions, and Isaac was practically flawless in that regard.
"Good day. We're just passing through and stopped to grab a meal."
He smiled politely at a man chewing something in front of a tavern.
"Pah. Get lost."
For the first time in his life, Isaac was outright rejected.
"...."
"I said scram. Didn't you hear me? Don't go wandering around our village."
"Ahem. Allow me to introduce myself—Baron Isaac Logan. As a noble, I expect some courtesy—"
"Stop yapping and get the hell out."
A normal noble might've drawn their sword in fury right then.
But who was Isaac?
A man whose reason always triumphed over instinct.
His mind was already racing.
'This village is unusual. I shouldn't provoke them—I need to assess the situation first—'
But alas.
There was one woman in their group whose instincts moved far faster than her reason.
"CRIMSON FLAME WAVE!"
BOOM!
Isaac's expression froze as he watched the man get blasted through the tavern door by a surge of red energy from behind him.
Slowly turning his head, he saw Sharen shaking off the residual energy from her palm with a "Hah!" before grinning.
"First strike wins."
"...."
"I learned it, y'know? You gotta take these guys out early. Who the hell do they think they—"
"Who taught you that?"
He already knew the answer, but he asked anyway.
"Lohengrin!"
"Yeah, figures."
Small villages like this usually had tight-knit communities.
Which meant one thing—
"Petri?! What the hell kind of bastards—?!"
"Causing trouble in our village?!"
If you hit one, the rest would swarm like hornets.
More villagers poured out of the tavern—again, mostly men. Strangely, despite being country folk, they were all oddly well-groomed. Some even had slicked-back hair and coordinated outfits, as if they'd dressed up.
Just as Isaac noted how unusual that was—
"Who am I?! Well, if you're asking, it's only polite to answer!"
SHING!
Sharen raised her greatsword high, grinning brightly as she declared:
"I am Sharen Helmut, second daughter of House Helmut! Surely you've heard the name?!"
The name Helmut was enough to silence even a crying child.
Red hair. A greatsword.
The moment they saw the symbols of House Helmut, the villagers turned pale and began exchanging nervous glances.
"H-H-Helmut?!"
"W-Why would esteemed nobles come to a place like this?!"
The tense atmosphere instantly deflated.
While Sharen puffed up proudly, Liana pointed at Petri—the man who had just been thrown out of the tavern—with her chin.
"You."
Normally, Liana would've let it slide for the sake of Helmut's image.
"Get over here, kneel, and apologize to Isaac."
But right now, no one could stop her.
Not even herself.
As the icy tension lingered—
"Pfft—HAH!"
The Grand Master suddenly burst out laughing, covering her mouth as she muttered:
"Horse puns? Hahah, that's truly witty."
"...."
She was still laughing about that.
*
*
*
[TL Note]
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