Isaac was lost in thought.
"Was I expecting too much?"
He knew it himself.
It was rude to compare the current Silverna with the Silverna of a few years later.
But even so, Isaac could say with certainty:
"It feels like she can't even reach her own potential."
At the very least, he thought she would show a glimpse of her former self.
He believed he could see her potential and expectations reflected in her abilities.
"If I didn't know this was Silverna, I might've thought she was someone else entirely."
Just looking at her spear alone, it was impossible to believe the two were the same person.
That was the extent of the gap.
It was time to rethink things.
"Why?"
Why was there such a massive difference?
The question didn't linger for long.
Silverna was suddenly standing in front of him.
"What did you just say?"
The emotions in her eyes were clear: hostility and a peculiar sense of betrayal.
It seemed she was twice as furious because Isaac, who had acknowledged Caldias' spear,
Uttered such words after seeing hers.
"...."
"Oh, um, it's not like that…."
Jonathan, standing to the side, tried to make excuses, but it didn't seem to help.
"Sir Isaac, uh, he sometimes says nonsensical things because of… a mental affliction…."
"...."
Jonathan continued to ramble, trying to come up with an excuse.
But Silverna didn't even pretend to listen. She just glared at Isaac.
Isaac pondered.
What should he say?
In the past, he would usually bow his head and apologize in situations like this.
When he argued with fellow disciples of the same grandmaster or his peers, Isaac was always the one to lower his head in the end.
Because he wasn't a swordsman, after all.
They called him the "Silent Sword," praising him, but there was inevitably a gap when it came to actual combat.
"Well? Cat got your tongue?"
Silverna's glare was sharp.
Even the surrounding instructors looked uneasy, as a tense silence filled the air like a harsh wind.
Isaac made up his mind and replied.
"Your spear is worse than I expected."
"...!"
"S-Sir Isaac!"
Isaac declared boldly, looking Silverna directly in the eyes.
He gestured for the shocked Jonathan to be quiet, then asked the wide-eyed Silverna,
"It was bad from the very beginning. Starting with where you hold the spear shaft. Gripping it there means you can't apply all your strength."
"What?"
Silverna responded, baffled by his sudden remark.
But Isaac was already acting without hesitation.
He grabbed her hand, which was holding the spear.
"W-What are you doing!?"
Silverna flinched in surprise, her shoulders shrinking, but Isaac spoke without hesitation.
"Look at this. See the wear on the shaft? This shows you always grip it here when you start sparring."
"So what? I've been trained in this grip since I was young. This stance was taught to me by my father!"
Silverna rebutted, telling him not to nitpick over trivial things.
"You're older now. Your body has grown. Naturally, the way you grip the spear should adjust, and your stride should widen too."
"Huh…?"
"It's good that you're following the family head's teachings. You've worked hard to master them, which is why, even though your growing body made it awkward, you've stubbornly stuck with the same stance. But you need to change that."
Isaac corrected Silverna's grip on the spear and adjusted her stance, crouching to widen her stride to an appropriate range.
Before she knew it, Silverna was following his instructions like a puppet.
Isaac started focusing as if he were engrossed in writing a manuscript.
"You, come here too."
"…Me?"
Isaac called over Meladik Drakemore, who had sparred with Silverna earlier.
Reluctantly, pushed forward by the gazes around him, Meladik stepped forward.
"Do it again."
"Huh?"
"What?"
As both of them looked at him, confused, Isaac sighed in frustration and repeated himself.
"Try it again, like earlier."
"Uh, alright."
Pressed by Isaac's forceful tone, Meladic hesitated but assumed a stance. Meanwhile, Silverna frowned and protested.
"From what I remember, you were criticizing me earlier. Why has this suddenly turned into a sparring review?"
"Just do what I said. If, after this review, you still can't accept what I said, I'll formally retract my statement and apologize."
"..."
"Start. Do it again."
And so, an unintended sparring review session among the three began.
***
Lunch Break
As the dispatched nobles finished their training and headed to the cafeteria for lunch,
A loud reprimand echoed from one corner of the training ground.
"Meladik! How many times do I have to tell you? There are times when you need to loosen your grip on the sword!"
"Y-Yes, sir!"
Isaac, holding a stick the size of a staff from who-knows-where, was instructing Meladik.
Standing opposite him, Silverna was genuinely shocked.
'How is this even possible?'
To put it bluntly:
Isaac looked weak.
To put it more harshly:
He was a pushover.
If Silverna fought him right now, she could overwhelm him in a single move.
And yet, listening to Isaac speak, he seemed like an incredibly knowledgeable expert in combat and martial arts.
'Calling him a fraud…'
'…wouldn't be right. He's too competent for that.'
"Drakemore swordsmanship is all about lightness and footwork. But you're gripping your sword too tightly, which makes your movements stiff. That's why you couldn't avoid Silverna's third strike earlier and ended up bracing for impact instead of dodging it, leading to your loss."
"Y-Yes, sir!"
Completely enthralled, Meladik quickly adjusted his movements and swung his sword.
'He's not just well-versed in Caldias' spear techniques. He's highly knowledgeable about Drakemore swordsmanship too. How?'
This wasn't just surface-level knowledge.
It was as if—
He had spent an incredibly long time studying and agonizing over it.
Isaac's words carried the weight of profound insights into the martial arts he discussed.
"This is fascinating."
The spear in Silverna's hand suddenly felt awkward.
They had only trained together for a few hours, and yet it felt like a new horizon had opened up.
She felt both uneasy and thrilled at the same time, leaving her bewildered.
"You're getting it now. Practice like that. If you loosen up and broaden your perspective, your understanding of Drakemore swordsmanship will deepen as well."
"Th-thank you."
Panting, Meladik bowed quickly and rushed off to the cafeteria.
Isaac, watching him with a satisfied smile, turned and caught sight of Silverna, his expression turning surprised.
"Ah, sorry. When I focus, I tend to forget my surroundings." Isaac apologized awkwardly.
The sight of him, who had started by correcting Silverna's spear techniques only to end up teaching Meladik as well, almost made her laugh.
"Ahem, so?"
He returned to his earlier question.
"Did my words truly come across as a simple insult?"
"Ha."
Sylverna let out a hollow laugh, unable to believe it.
Even though her pride urged her to resist, she was startled to find herself genuinely acknowledging him with a sense of resignation.
"Fine, I admit it. I understand now why you said what you did about my spear."
"…You understand?"
"Isaac, you were right. I've learned so much in such a short time just by listening to you. Honestly… I can feel the depth of your understanding of spear techniques."
Silverna gave a bitter smile.
"Isn't it absurd? I've spent my whole life mastering Caldias spear techniques, yet here I am, feeling like I'm falling behind Helmut's son-in-law?"
"...."
"But accepting that is another matter entirely."
Her tone grew solemn as she began to open up.
"If I follow your advice, I'll undoubtedly grow stronger. But then, would it still truly be Caldias spear techniques?"
"...."
"Isaac, you said it yourself. Our spear techniques are great. I want to carry on that legacy."
She was proud of its greatness.
And she didn't want to lose its identity.
"This is the spear I've spent my life with. Your teachings feel like they're showing me something new, but if I accept them, my spear might change too much."
"...."
"I have a duty to uphold this spear, built by my ancestors."
Listening to her confession, Isaac finally felt as though the pieces of the puzzle in his mind clicked into place.
"So that's it."
The difference between the Silverna he remembered and the one before him now.
It was rooted in their fundamental attitude toward strength.
'The Silverna I met had already lost everything.'
The Malidan Wall had fallen, the Caldias family had been destroyed, and she was left all alone.
Family, comrades, her homeland.
She had lost it all, leaving her with nothing but her spear.
But now, it was different.
She had yet to lose anything dear to her, and because of that, her hunger for strength was incomplete.
"You're foolish, Silverna Caldias."
What came out of Isaac's mouth was a rebuke directed at her.
"…What?"
"Someone else might be allowed to feel that way. If it were someone else at the Malidan Wall who had said that to me, I might have accepted it."
But.
"You must not be like that."
"What do you know?! The Caldias spear is my pride, my very heart! How can you demand I change it so easily—!"
Bang!
The wooden stick in Isaac's hand struck the ground violently.
"Your name—"
Like a stern teacher, his tone carried the weight of authority. His dark eyes burned with an intensity that almost seemed like anger.
"What's your name?"
"What on earth—!"
"I said, what's your name?!"
Isaac's sharp demand made Silverna hesitate for a moment before she answered.
"Silverna… Caldias."
"Exactly, Caldias! You say you want to protect your ancestors' spear? That you can't abandon your great pride? Do you even realize what you're saying?!"
Isaac's staff pointed directly at her.
"You're saying you'll let it stagnate! That the path of the Caldias spear ends here, and you're the one drawing the line!"
In his previous life, Isaac, as the 'Silent Sword', had taught countless individuals.
Among them, the ones he despised the most were those who set limits on themselves.
Even Isaac, whose injured legs prevented him from wielding a sword properly, had refused to give up and continued to push forward. Yet there were those who stopped, claiming their limits were already set.
"Look at your spear! It's a magnificent legacy, built layer upon layer by your ancestors! And you want to just keep it as it is? Protect it because it's precious to you?"
Grinding his teeth, Isaac cried out almost pleadingly.
'Silberna, please, don't become one of them.'
In his past life, Silverna had only gained clarity after suffering a cruel tragedy. The bitter cold of the north had shattered her frozen mind, bringing understanding too late.
But this time.
'I'll make sure she realizes before tragedy strikes.'
"For a warrior, there's no such thing as stopping—except in death."
Silverna found herself transfixed by Isaac's gaze.
His words pierced her, melting the rigid walls of her heart and mind.
"Ah…"
For a brief moment, Silverna saw a path ahead.
That path was named "Caldias."
It was also the road she had been walking all along.
Rough and rugged, yet undeniably a path.
A path someone had paved before her.
"Let me ask again. Who are you?"
This time, Silverna looked forward.
There, the northern snow stretched endlessly.
A place with no road.
A place she had thought she must never tread.
"I am… Silverna… Caldias."
One day.
For the descendants who would follow in her footsteps.
She would carve her own path.
"Moving forward isn't about abandoning; it's about continuing."
Seeing her realization, Isaac smiled gently.
"Where you're standing now is someone else's final destination."
Which means.
From there, you can begin anew.
Before she knew it, a bright smile spread across Silverna's face.
It wasn't simply about living in gratitude for the greatness of her ancestors.
It was about walking the same path as them, as one of their own.
"Ha, hahaha!"
As a warrior, it was an immense honor.
And at the same time, a heart-stirring anticipation began to swell within her.
Slowly.
Deeply bowing her head, Silverna clasped her hands together reverently and spoke with heartfelt sincerity.
"My Gratitude."
To the benefactor who had granted her enlightenment.
"My infinite gratitude."
When she looked back at Isaac, the smile on his face reassured her.
His joy at seeing her find the answer only served to uplift her further, and she stepped forward with renewed determination.
"Would it be possible to receive more teachings? Not just lessons, but ways to further develop the Caldias spear?"
"If I can help, of course. But shouldn't we eat lunch first?"
Isaac shrugged and gestured toward the dining hall, and Silverna nodded enthusiastically.
"Let's talk more while we eat, then. Oh, by the way, do you have any suggestions for training directions I could take on my own?"
"Blindly following my words isn't always the best approach."
"Advice! I just want advice!"
Advice, huh?
Isaac hesitated for a moment.
There was, in fact, a piece of advice he wanted to give.
It was something Silverna had struggled greatly with in his previous life.
"…Are you sure I can say anything?"
"Huh? Of course!"
"Promise me you won't get mad."
"Eh? I even let it slide when you insulted my spear. What more could possibly make me angry?"
Silverna's sparkling eyes urged him to speak quickly.
Scratching his cheek awkwardly, Isaac finally said, "You should stop wearing a chest binder."
"…What?"
Silverna froze in place, the completely unexpected advice leaving her momentarily stunned.
Without thinking, her hand moved toward her chest but stopped halfway.
"Is… is it noticeable?"
Silverna, who had been hiding her slightly fuller chest compared to other women around her, felt her focus slip as her trembling eyes searched for an explanation.
"I-It's hard to swing the spear properly without it. It… moves too much."
"I'm telling you to get used to that."
"…Why?"
You've got to be kidding me.
Isaac pinched the bridge of his nose and muttered under his breath.
"You might not be able to wear a binder someday."
"Why wouldn't I be able to—"
Silverna's face flushed bright red before she could finish her sentence.
That statement, did it mean…?
"H-How could you know something like that?!"
She shouted in panic, but Isaac sighed deeply and mumbled, his expression conflicted.
"I know. Somehow… I just know."