Chapter 20 -----------------------------------------------------------------
Translator: uly
Chapter: 20
Chapter Title: The Spirited Sister-in-Law
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The carriages that had passed through the wall moved along under the soldiers' guidance.
Helmunt's knights bustled about, hauling luggage or being shown to their lodgings.
Amidst all that.
A small girl with pigtails strode forward purposefully, leaving everyone else behind.
At the end of her confident steps—as if she owned the place—was her own brother-in-law.
"Isaac!"
"Sharen... you really came."
Isaac had been a bit surprised when he first heard she was coming.
He hadn't thought the tomboy would volunteer for the battlefield.
But seeing Sharen now, he realized he'd been thinking the complete opposite.
'She's here for the fun of it.'
She was even more scatterbrained than he'd imagined.
Even in the crisis of the Great Horde, she saw coming to the Mallidan Wall as nothing more than a picnic or an adventure.
Sharen unleashed a machine-gun barrage of words.
"Where are you staying, Isaac? Is there a spot next to you? Without you around, I have to order the maids to do stuff, and it feels awkward bossing them around."
"..."
"It'd be better if you were nearby while I'm staying here. That way I can send you on errands!"
Her treating him more casually than the hired maids left him with an incredulous look on his face.
As he let out a sigh, thinking his time at the Mallidan Wall was going to be exhausting.
"Hey, kid."
Silberna, who had been watching from Isaac's side the whole time, crossed her arms and glared.
"This is a battlefield. If you're gonna act like a child, get lost right now."
Isaac bit his lip.
He barely held back a laugh.
Sharen, on the other hand, widened her eyes and flailed her arms dramatically as she shouted.
"What?! Do you even know who I am? I'm Sharen! The second daughter of Helmunt!"
"Silberna, the eldest daughter of Caldias."
"Caldias—"
Sharen froze the moment she heard the family name, mid-retort.
Her mouth agape, she rolled her eyes toward Isaac for confirmation. He nodded, and she let out an awkward cough before taking a step back.
"Kelsi, what is it? Hey! Why are you calling me all of a sudden?!"
"No one called you, Sharen."
Isaac corrected her, and her face flushed as she pouted.
"Y-you called! Helmunt ears are sharp! R-right? You called Kelsi?"
She glanced back, but only empty wind blew through—no one was there.
Unfortunately, her personal maid Kelsi was too busy hauling luggage to cover for her mistress's embarrassment.
"..."
Sharen tucked her lips inside her mouth and fell silent for a moment.
Silberna quickly added.
"Command structure is everything on the battlefield. If you're going to keep strutting around like that, pick up a sword right now. If you win, I'll hand over command."
"Oh ho?"
Sharen hopped in place and spun around to face them again.
Her pigtails were so lively they even smacked Isaac.
"If I win, you'll give me command? You sure about that?"
"Of course."
Silberna uncrossed her arms.
She gripped the spear slung over her shoulder and stepped forward.
"Ha!"
Sharen flashed a mocking smile and retreated a step.
"Fine! Let's do this!"
"..."
"You look down on Helmunt?"
Sharen backed up another step.
"Just because I look young and cute doesn't mean I don't have skills?!"
She sure walks backward well.
Isaac thought.
"Didn't Isaac tell you?! The Helmunt prodigy who's following in Blood Rose sister's footsteps!"
"..."
"The Princess of the Roses or whatever!"
"What?"
She was too far away now for her voice to carry clearly.
Silberna had long since pulled her spear back in and recrossed her arms.
"Don't dooo! I'm tired from the journey today, and it's getting chilly! Plus... I gotta maintain my sword! What a shame!"
"..."
"..."
Sharen's back had reached the carriage she'd arrived in.
As the two stared at her in bewilderment, Sharen yelled in embarrassment.
"S-stop staring!"
She huffed and stomped toward the luggage compartment to grab her greatsword.
"Ow! Who hit me on the head?!"
Someone inside the carriage had smacked the back of her head, and she came bolting out with a tearful face.
"Jeez!"
In the end, she clutched the back of her head with both hands and went off in search of Kelsi.
"What was that? Is she really Rianna's little sister?"
Silberna asked Isaac, still looking baffled.
"..."
Isaac's eyes were on the maid he suspected of secretly whacking Sharen.
Her hair was tied up, and a mask completely covered her face.
"Isaac?"
"Huh? Oh, sorry. What'd you say?"
"Weird girl. Total opposite of Rianna."
"She's got a strong personality, that's for sure."
Isaac snapped back to attention at Silberna's call and answered, though his gaze lingered on the carriage.
But the mysterious maid was already gone.
'No way.'
A faint suspicion in mind, Isaac continued his conversation with Silberna.
◇◇◇◆◇◇◇ "..."
Evening.
Isaac was in his room, reviewing his 'Sparring Log.'
Thanks to his relentless daily training, he was improving steadily, but he kept whipping himself harder.
'I can't just accept defeat in the current situation because of lacking stamina.'
When he'd lost a leg and become crippled, effort was like pouring water into a leaky jar.
But not anymore.
Even if it was tough, he pondered every day to fill the jar called Isaac to the brim.
"Yawn."
A yawn came from behind.
Isaac slowly turned and saw Sharen lying on his bed, reading a book.
"...When are you leaving?"
"Hm?"
Not taking her eyes off the book, Sharen popped a cookie in her mouth and replied.
"I told you, Kelsi's still setting up my room. You're alone anyway, so it doesn't matter, right?"
"You trying to annoy me?"
Sharen blankly stared at him at his words, then chuckled dryly, set her book down, and jumped to her feet.
"Isaac's grown up, huh? Been out so long your common sense is gone?"
She clenched her fists and glared.
Her tousled hair signaled she was pretty serious.
But Isaac stood from his chair without backing down.
"Sorry, but as you know, I'm divorcing in a month. Know what that means? No reason for me to bend over backward for you."
"Ha! Bend over backward? More like you're crushed under my power. Is that some northern joke? Not funny."
Their gazes clashed.
Tension hung in the air, neither willing to yield.
Surprisingly, Sharen backed down first.
"Tch! Be grateful to Father!"
She grabbed her book and snacks to leave.
"What? Did the family head say something about me?"
"Yeah! Don't mess with Isaac because of outsiders' eyes!"
"..."
"Treat him properly as a brother-in-law. Tch, that's why I hate leaving the estate."
Grumbling as she reached for the door handle, Sharen paused.
"Hey, Isaac. Can I ask you something?"
"Ask me? You? Something?"
Her expression was surprisingly serious.
Seeing this new side, Isaac waited silently, and she cautiously spoke.
"Star cookies. Where do you buy them?"
"..."
The tension deflated instantly.
"No! The star cookies you bring me! I searched everywhere and couldn't find who sells them."
"Sigh."
"I'm serious! You know how much I suffered wanting them? My hands shake! You didn't put drugs in them, right? Feels like I'm addicted!"
"You're crazy."
Isaac sighed.
Star cookies were what he brought Sharen whenever she wanted snacks.
"Tell me quick! I'll end the Great Horde fast and go buy some!"
Watching her bounce impatiently, Isaac asked with a deadpan look.
"You went searching for them?"
"Neighboring village! Next village over! Nearby cities! Scoured them all—no luck!"
"Figures."
Because.
"Milli bakes them."
Sharen's eyes narrowed slyly at his words.
"Milli? Store name? Where? Details."
"Cook Milli. In the Helmunt kitchen."
"...Huh?"
"Every time I went to get snacks for you, she pitied me and baked them herself. Made them often since you liked them."
"S-so that means."
No need to scour villages like a rat hunt, or trek all the way to the Mallidan Wall looking for Isaac.
"I could've just eaten them at the estate?!"
"Yeah, exactly."
Isaac delivered the cruel truth casually.
Sharen collapsed to the floor, pounding it in injustice.
"Aigoo! M-me! Why did I come all this wayyy! Aigoooo!"
'Is it worth crying over?'
Seeing her actually bawling, Isaac thought she was still just a kid.
She was 17, but pretty immature for her age.
Mid-tantrum.
The door burst open.
Silberna stood there.
"..."
Silberna had come to chat.
But Sharen's racket echoing down the hall had her looking pissed again.
"You again? Cut it out. This isn't just for you. Other nobles are here too."
(For the record, Silberna was staying elsewhere.)
"Show some consideration for the other nobles sharing space. Rooms are cramped and crappy enough."
Her own bedroom was three times the size of this one.
"A-hem! I-I just got a bit excited!"
"..."
Silberna crossed her arms and glared.
Sharen blinked at her casual attire, which accentuated her chest, then yelled.
"I'm going!"
As she stormed past Silberna, she whipped her head around and shouted at Isaac.
"Bringing other women to your bedroom already?! I'll tell sister everything when I get back!"
"Hey!"
Startled, Isaac called after her in a panic, but she bolted like she was fleeing.
And then.
"Already?"
Silberna tilted her head, catching the odd phrasing.
"Sigh, no. It's nothing."
Isaac brushed it off and sat back down.
"What brings you here?"
When he asked why she'd come at this hour, Silberna stared down the hall where Sharen had fled, quietly closed the door, and said.
"Starting tomorrow, I'm leading the scouting party. The Great Horde beasts are starting to move."
"..."
"So, Isaac."
Her voice carried the weight of much deliberation as she made her request.
"Could you join my command?"
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