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Translator: uly
Chapter: 9
Chapter Title: Right Before the Encouraging Speech
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Just before the encouraging speech.
Silberna Caldias watched from afar as the soldiers gathered in the training grounds, waiting for the family head.
Anna, her maid and adjutant standing right behind her, wore a grim expression.
"The monsters aren't letting up."
"...I've seen and heard the reports too."
"It's unnatural. If this keeps up, we might even be looking at a Great Horde, young lady."
"Haa."
Frustration seeped into her voice.
If it was true, this would mark the first monster Great Horde in a whopping twenty-three years—enough to trigger a second noble conscription.
"For now, keep the soldiers' mouths shut. If those ragtag nobles who just arrived catch wind of a Great Horde and panic, even the doable stuff falls apart."
"Yes, young lady."
As their conversation wrapped up, both women's gazes naturally drifted toward the training grounds.
To shake off the heavy, somber mood, Silberna forced a grin and asked,
"How do you think the pep talk's gonna go?"
Isaac stood out sharply among the nobles.
Even surrounded by nobles who'd eaten the finest foods, worn the plushest clothes, and slept in the coziest beds, his striking looks still shone through.
Made him easy to spot.
"Wasn't time too tight? He could've at least whipped up some boilerplate encouragement."
"That's exactly the problem. Anna, listen up—this is your master's brilliant scheme."
"...I've enlisted now, so the Mallidan Wall is my master."
Ignoring Anna, Silberna launched into an elaborate explanation.
"If some run-of-the-mill noble hack gave it, they'd zone out and move on. But this is a Helmunt speech. The soldiers'll perk up, eyes wide, hanging on every word to see what spills out."
In front of an audience already poisoned by bad impressions, even playing it safe could backfire.
"What about the nobles? The dispatched ones seem pissed that a commoner-born guy's their elected rep."
A few were already standing off-kilter, refusing to fall in line.
"It's a power play. Shows they're not getting the red-carpet treatment here."
A golden chance for Isaac Helmunt to lay bare just how hostile the Mallidan Wall was to them—and a sly way to knock those high-nosed nobles down a peg.
Silberna shot Anna a look that screamed praise me.
"Ah, the family head's coming."
"Honored to escort such a fine young lady? Thanks."
The two headed to the platform alongside Uldiran Caldias.
They took their places silently behind the family head and stood stock-still, awaiting the encouraging speech.
"Oh, there he is."
"Young lady, shh."
Isaac climbed the podium with a far brighter expression than expected, stirring an odd feeling in Silberna.
What is it?
He had to sense the hostile vibes all around.
Yet there he stood, bold as brass. Did he have some ace up his sleeve?
Isaac's opening words from the podium left Silberna utterly flustered.
"O warriors, be great."
"Heed your sacred duty."
"O warriors, simply be great."
"Eh?"
A tiny gasp escaped Anna beside her.
Uldiran and Silberna, seated nearby, clamped their mouths shut and fixed their eyes on his back.
"On my way here, I wondered about the real meaning packed into those words: 'be great.' Truth is, 'great' is pretty abstract, isn't it? As you all know."
Right up to that point.
Silberna's blood boiled.
"How dare he—."
Her teeth ground together with a crunch, hostility toward Isaac surging to its peak.
Daring to mouth words akin to founding family head Wolfdrun's creed—and question them? A Helmunt outsider, no less?
In front of the family head himself?
The primal urge to beat him senseless welled up.
Even Uldiran Caldias, the family head, radiated murderous intent.
But.
As the speech wore on, attitudes began to shift.
"Better than those born to greatness simply being great. It's making the ordinary great—that's what's truly worthy of reverence!"
The remark, practically aimed at Helmunt, derailed her raging fury a bit.
"This! This right here in your hands!"
She was baffled when he gripped the spear.
"If someone vows to master the martial way, I'll shout it from the rooftops!"
"Behold the North! Atop that towering wall! Caldias' spear, soaring as the continent's mightiest!"
When he hailed Caldias' spear as great, emotion welled up unbidden.
Caldias spear arts were so universal anyone could learn them—and that's precisely why they got dismissed.
Every time someone said the family head was strong not for his spear mastery, but because he was an elite warrior innate, it burned her up.
"You who grasp Caldias' spear! By Wolfdrun's dying words, be simply great warriors!"
A shiver raced through her body.
Nobles blind to their worth.
A man from Helmunt—their polar opposites.
"Great guardians of Mallidan's front lines."
He saw them. Acknowledged them.
Called them great.
His voice brimmed with genuine passion.
It pierced the heart of Caldias, long mocked for struggling in the North's chill.
"To share this momentous occasion, let us honor the great fallen heroes resting here, their duties fulfilled—."
Even commemorating the nameless soldiers lost to the North's merciless cold.
"A moment of silence."
As eyes closed and heads bowed.
Those who'd guarded the Mallidan Wall simply shut their eyes, lowered their heads, and barely stifled the hot surge rising in their chests.
◇◇◇◆◇◇◇
"Sniff."
"...Young lady, are you crying?"
After the event, as the nobles lined up before training began.
Silberna frantically wiped her eyes at Anna's question and yelled,
"N-No, I'm not! Something got in my eye!"
"..."
"Damn it, sorry."
Silberna was drowning in guilt right now.
The one man in the kingdom who respected Caldias more than anyone.
And she'd shoved him up there just to prank him once.
"Anna, sniff. What do I do?"
"What do you mean? Just treat him well from now on."
"How can I? I feel awful."
"Sigh, it's okay. From what he said yesterday, he seems straightforward and refreshingly honest—good guy."
At Anna's words, Silberna's eyes flicked to Isaac, who was jogging the training grounds for the fitness test.
"Damn, what now? He's starting to grow on me."
As Silberna grumbled, a startled Anna cried out,
"Young lady?! That man's married! Helmunt son-in-law! Don't forget it!"
"No! Who said I like him as a man?! I just mean as a person, he seems decent."
Just for recognizing Caldias' spear, her favor shot through the roof.
But who could blame her?
He'd boldly affirmed one of the most precious things in her life—loud and proud.
While bearing the name of their rival house, Helmunt, no less!
"Yeah, right? Honestly, he's likable. I take pride in Caldias' spear too, after all."
"Exactly? Ha, why's he looking so damn cute?"
"Young lady, watch your words. Rumors could twist it—you chasing the Helmunt son-in-law."
"...That's the worst."
Silberna's face twisted in horror.
Having spent years by her side, Anna breathed a quiet sigh of relief at the reaction.
She's really not crushing romantically.
Then again, her young lady had shown zero interest in men—snowflake's worth.
Men surrounded her, yet they were comrades, brothers-in-arms.
Soldiers, not lovers.
"Still, can't I look after him a little? He's Helmunt stock—some special treatment's fair."
"Young lady..."
"Ah, I just wanna do something."
Leaving her fidgeting mistress behind, Anna stared blankly at the jogging Isaac and offered,
"How about a fur hat? It's brutal cold here—from Helmunt, his winter gear's probably lightweight."
"Perfect! Oh, yeah. We had leftover yeti hide from last time, right?"
"Yes, I'll have the artisan make something."
"Make it a hat."
"Hat and gloves."
"Two items?"
"Gotta give him mine too."
"..."
"..."
As mentioned before.
Anna was also a soldier of the Mallidan Wall, trained in Caldias' spear.
◇◇◇◆◇◇◇
'34th.'
His rank from the jog they'd just run to gauge basic fitness.
34th out of 37 dispatched nobles—basically dead last. Sure, some nobles weren't martial types.
'Around this time, I'd pretty much given up on training.'
There was a phase when he'd busted his ass nonstop to build strength and stamina.
Desperate as a son-in-law to at least swing Helmunt's greatsword.
'Impossible.'
Wren chasing a stork—tore his crotch wide open.
Once the impossibility sank in, Isaac gradually abandoned the grind. Then on their fourth wedding anniversary, he lost a leg and plunged into total despair.
But now was different.
'Feels damn good to run like this.'
Moving his body felt refreshing.
After hobbling as a cripple, being able to sprint made the world feel reborn—exhilarating high.
Knowing it was possible? Massive motivation boost.
"All talk, fancy words."
"Acted all high and mighty—turns out commoner trash."
"Big talk don't mean shit. At that level, he'd flop around useless in bed."
"Pfft, quit it. Embarrassing."
Nobles' sneers rang out, but Isaac brushed them off.
His head was crammed with tweaks to the manual he'd slaved over late into the night—for his past self.
'Moves smoother than expected. Good grip in the soles. Gotta revise the draft tonight. Looking back, I wrote passively on purpose—avoided overloading the lower body.'
Short breather.
Panting, lost in thought.
"Ahem."
A soldier doubling as instructor sidled up and cleared his throat awkwardly.
"Hm?"
Isaac glanced over; the man peeked at the other nobles, then slyly slipped a towel from his pocket.
"North's no joke—wipe sweat proper. Leave it be, you'll catch cold easy."
"Ah."
Awkwardly accepting it, Isaac watched the soldier beam at him before heading off.
"Hmm."
The towel was toasty, steam curling up.
Meanwhile, other nobles dabbed at sweat with chilled towels from their squires or aides—sharp stares incoming.
"Whoa, 34th is rough."
Now an officer-looking higher-up approached, cocking his head and squatting in front of Isaac.
"Shoes're the issue. Tough running on snow, eh? Chains work, but snag North boots instead."
"..."
"Whaddya say? Hook you up with a top artisan? Drop my name— he'll cut you a deal."
"Yeah, sure."
"Speak free. Training or not, you're nobility."
"...Right. Thanks. I'll grab some."
Money wasn't short; boots were doable.
Training kicked off again, but their fussing didn't quit.
"Thermal undies're must. Got an unused set—want it?"
"Snow shovel broom. Kinda spear-like, right? Oh yeah, know this? Caldias spear basics are—."
"Stretch heavy. Cold stiffens you fast. Injury-proofing."
"You good?! Slippery! Medic! Meee-dic! Ah, not bad? Whew. No shame—we wipe out plenty."
Faced with instructors way too attentive, Isaac could only chuckle dryly.
Naive bunch?
Grateful for the goodwill, but this blatant babying screamed zero street smarts.
And.
Another zero-smarts contender showed.
"A-hem. Speech was... striking. Isaac."
Silberna, with an awkward cough.
Isaac smiled and greeted the sidelong-glancing woman; she hustled right over.
"You've got an eye. Folks dismiss basics as basic—truth is, basics are key. That's why they underrate Caldias. But you? Nailed it. Caldias spear arts? Deep research, endless tweaks, layers on layers—."
"Young lady, ease up. You're freaking him out."
"Ahem, s-sorry."
Silberna awkwardly backed off.
Anna stepped in for her mistress, offering a gentle smile and polite bow.
"The family head invites you to dinner tonight."
"The Margrave?"
"Yes. Will that work?"
Pure formality—no declining.
Isaac nodded.
Silberna and Anna departed beaming.
Or not.
They wheeled back.
"Tsk, head's a tad small. Size-wise—."
Silberna grabbed Isaac's head with both hands, twisting it this way and that to measure.
"Nice delicate touch. I'll order a size down."
And Anna, sizing up his hands.