The streets of Evergard were still bustling with workers, moving supplies and hammering away.
The sharp clanging of repairs and the shouts of laborers could be heard amid the otherwise normal daily life.
They were in the middle of restoring the damage caused by the Transcendents' assault, and today marked the official start of the efforts.
And walking through such streets—was Isaac.
He was currently on a date with Silverna.
'…It's been a while since I've done something like this.'
Looking at Silverna, who had her arm linked with his, Isaac tried to suppress the mixed emotions stirring inside him.
Maybe it was because it had been so long, or maybe it was because his companion was Silverna.
He couldn't tell exactly what the problem was, but Isaac was definitely feeling awkward.
"What should we eat?"
Silverna urged him to start with lunch.
Isaac glanced around in response to her words. But when he looked closely, there didn't seem to be many places operating as restaurants.
Because of yesterday's events, very few shops were open and functioning normally.
In that sense, Silverna's question was somewhat pointless, but—
'Ah, now I get it.'
Isaac finally realized the reason behind his awkwardness.
It wasn't him—it was Silverna.
'Now that I think about it, this is probably her first time too.'
They had eaten together in the past, but this was their first outing officially defined as a "date."
Just as Uldren had said, his precious daughter had been raised like a cherished deer.
The people she had seen in the North weren't "men" to her—they were simply comrades who stood guard and wielded spears alongside her.
Someone might ask, "But surely she had at least a few romantic feelings for someone?" But—
After hearing all kinds of dirty jokes and being surrounded by sweaty, gruff men, Silverna had her fantasies about men shattered more times than she could count.
In that sense, Isaac was the first person to ever make her heart flutter—a real "man" in her eyes.
"Let's see if there's a place we can eat—"
The way she was nervously scanning the area for no reason, or how her arm was stiff from linking with his and her steps were a bit awkward—
It all made her seem adorably clumsy compared to her usual self on the battlefield, and Isaac couldn't help but smile faintly.
"Over there—they're selling sandwiches for the workers. Let's grab a couple of those."
"Just sandwiches?"
She pouted a little, perhaps wanting to eat something more special for their first date.
But with no better alternatives in sight, Silverna ended up nodding and followed along.
***
"They're kinda big."
Silverna took a bite of the sandwich.
Having spent time in the North, she naturally had a big appetite.
So it wasn't that the sandwich overwhelmed her—but the thing was packed so tightly with ingredients that it was hard to fit in her mouth.
"Mm!"
Silverna took a large bite and chewed, while Isaac carefully brought his own sandwich to his mouth.
The taste was… average.
But the portion was generous for a reason.
'They made this for the workers.'
So that the people working hard could feel full even from just one sandwich.
Thanks to that, even one was enough to leave a solid sense of fullness.
A healthy cycle, Isaac thought—simple food, filling energy, back to work.
"By the way, is it rude to walk around eating like this?"
Silverna asked, holding her sandwich mid-bite. Though they called this a date, the two of them were aimlessly wandering with no destination in mind.
"Mm, I guess it is. But back when I worked as a boat man, I often ate on the go."
Whenever customers came, he had to rush even if he was in the middle of a meal.
Sometimes, he'd even eat on the boat while rowing passengers across.
And yeah, back then, it was sandwiches too.
"Well… I don't really care, honestly."
Silverna shrugged. Guarding Malidan in the North meant being thrown into emergency situations all the time.
Shoving food in her mouth while grabbing her spear and charging into battle was pretty much normal.
So the two walked together like that.
They weren't doing anything special—but if someone asked if they were bored, the answer would be no.
"Haha! No, seriously, then Anna came to me out of nowhere, totally ranting."
"She seems like she's super sharp and in control, but she's got some clumsy sides too, huh?"
"Right? And then what did she say? 'He's not even my type anyway.' Said the guy had to be blind. Geez… Falling in love just because he helped her up when she tripped on the battlefield—"
The casual, natural conversation—
The friendly time they spent together—it all felt like true rest for Isaac.
By evening, he figured, they'd probably be drinking together like this too.
Isaac thought things were wrapping up simply enough—
"Wait a sec."
As they walked, Silverna suddenly stopped in her tracks. She frowned slightly, then looked at Isaac and asked,
"Is this really a date?"
"If we're together, then yeah—it's a date."
Isaac answered without hesitation, like he'd been waiting for the question.
But Silverna was quick to poke holes in his logic.
"Then are you saying walking around with Sharen is a date too?"
"…That's different."
Sharen is still a kid, after all.
"What is this situation? I mean, I thought I was going on a date with you, but what happened? This isn't a date—it's just two friends chatting."
"Silverna, a date doesn't have to be something huge. Just spending time together, talking—"
"Did you do the same thing with Liana?"
"…"
Isaac shut his mouth tightly.
Back then, he'd been awkward, and he remembered trying really hard to make the date go well.
He even walked the entire date course the day before to prepare. But maybe because of Helmut's body—or maybe from nervousness—he walked so fast the whole plan got used up way too quickly.
"Do you know how I feel right now?"
"How?"
"Like a naïve girl being swept along by an experienced married man, thinking every little thing is magical."
"…"
"Like… it's just a regular park, but because he's here, it becomes a precious memory. Yeah, it's not about where you are—it's about who you're with!—like some cringey internal monologue from a romance novel."
"…Where'd you even pick that up from?"
"Anna recommended some books she had. That's what they were like."
Apparently, Anna the romance novel enthusiast had opened her eyes to a whole new world.
"And you know what thought I had while reading those?"
"…"
"Idiot. That kind of thinking is why they never get beyond that."
…She's not wrong.
If you're satisfied with just a park stroll, there's no reason for the guy to put in any more effort.
But Isaac still felt a bit wronged this time.
"You're the one who suddenly dragged me out saying we should go on a date."
"Ugh, fine. Hard to argue with the truth."
Even Silverna couldn't come up with a retort to that. She hesitated for a moment before letting out a sigh and saying,
"Then next time, can you actually plan it out properly?"
"…"
"Like… something that'll really make my heart flutter."
"I'll try."
Hearing Isaac's answer, Silverna smiled softly and leaned against him just a bit.
"But don't overdo it."
"Why?"
"Because even now, my heart's pounding too much already."
"…"
At that, Isaac paused, then cautiously pointed toward a bench nearby.
They sat down naturally.
As they did, Isaac gently unlinked their arms and spoke carefully.
"Hey, Silverna."
"…"
Silverna immediately went quiet, as if she'd been waiting, giving Isaac the space to speak.
Though there was a bit of hesitation, she didn't push him.
It felt like she had planned it all out in advance, thinking if that moment ever comes, this is how I want to do it—a quiet, thoughtful kind of care.
"I'm not really thinking about seeing anyone right now."
"…"
"No, to be precise, I haven't even thought about remarriage yet."
He understood.
He was aware of the feelings directed toward him.
And that was why Isaac had decided to try as well.
It was still only the beginning, but he wanted to respond to those feelings—sincerely.
"At first, I thought it was because the scars left in me ran too deep. That I had loved too much, and that made me shut my heart off from wanting anyone else."
His love with Liana had been deep and passionate—and precisely because of that, the pain had been all the greater.
"But now I can say for sure—it's not that."
But that was all in the past.
The current Isaac had long since moved on from those wounds.
So then, what was the issue?
The answer was simple.
"I was… obsessively focused on the fight against the Transcendents. Of course, it wasn't meaningless, but…"
Now that everything was over—
Through this conversation with Silverna, Isaac had started to understand why he'd been feeling such emptiness.
What he had fixated on for so long had vanished, and all that was left was a blank space before him.
But turning away from it… that would take time.
"I know asking for time might sound irresponsible, but I need it."
Silverna listened quietly to his words.
It wasn't an apology, nor was it a vague excuse. Instead, she could feel a part of Isaac's heart that she hadn't known before. And that made her feel at ease.
But even so, she instinctively sensed that there was still something Isaac hadn't said yet.
"And one more thing—"
After hesitating for a moment, Isaac finally spoke honestly.
"I don't intend to enter another family as a live-in son-in-law again."
"…"
"So… I'm sorry, Silverna."
In the Caldias family, Silverna was now the only heir.
In other words, if she were to marry Isaac, the Caldias name would come to an end.
***
That evening, as the sun set…
Their date neared its end.
Just yesterday, he never would have imagined this day would come. The emotional whiplash was too much, and it was still hard to believe—but all in all, it hadn't been a bad day.
No, calling it "not bad" didn't do it justice.
It had been a good day.
It had been a long time since Isaac felt so at ease.
In truth, they hadn't done anything particularly grand for a date.
Even after their serious talk, they had just walked around, sharing thoughts and conversation.
Silverna had asked Isaac not to shut himself off completely.
And Isaac had said he understood.
Then, as they were on the way back to the mansion—
"Oh, right."
As if she'd forgotten something, Silverna turned to Isaac and suddenly kissed him.
"…Huh?"
It was so unexpected—so sudden—that Isaac didn't even have time to react.
He just stood there with a blank expression, and Silverna giggled softly as she explained,
"Before we came out, you promised you'd give me a kiss if we went on a date, remember?"
"Oh, well… I guess I did—"
Isaac was about to respond, but the words caught in his throat.
Because standing just a little ahead of their mansion, biting her lip and doing her best to act unfazed—
—was his ex-wife.
"…Wanna do it again?"
Silverna offered with a gentle smile, but Isaac simply shook his head.