A few days later.
Several carriages were parked in front of the royal palace.
Among them, the most eye-catching was a majestic and noble white carriage.
A dream carriage for carriage enthusiasts—Pegasus.
It was a gift from the Mage Tower to the Albion royal family and could travel much faster than other carriages.
The carriage itself was imbued with multiple enchantments, and even the horses pulling it were rigorously trained.
"I never thought I'd get to ride a Pegasus."
Isaac looked at the Pegasus carriage with great interest.
During the last attack by the Transcendents using Alois, the first thing they targeted was also the Pegasus.
That alone was proof of its value.
"Isaac, did you know?"
"Hm?"
Sharen, who had pestered and begged to come along this time, spoke with a smug expression.
"When you ride a Pegasus, you have to take off your boots and go barefoot. That's how precious it is."
"Oh, really."
"Heh, you didn't know, did you? You almost got called ignorant."
Isaac simply let Sharen's ridiculous lie slide with indifference.
Did she really think he'd believe something like that?
At that moment, Princess Clarice appeared, elegantly dressed in a formal gown.
Beside her were Heirad and the Grand Master, though Heirad's expression was noticeably grim.
Today was the day the bride was to depart.
Clarice was setting out for her marriage with Prince Raphael of the Brentarion Kingdom.
A grand procession was arranged around the Pegasus carriage—royal guards, gifts, and handmaidens all accompanying the journey.
Originally, other members of the royal family were supposed to go as well.
However, due to the former king's poor health, the eldest daughter could not leave his side.
Thus, Clarice was the only royal family member making the journey.
'I thought it was hastily arranged, but it looks rather well-prepared.'
Isaac was participating in this procession as part of the escort knights.
"..."
Whoosh.
As she passed by, Clarice blatantly signaled with her eyes, instructing Isaac to board the Pegasus carriage.
'She may be dressed lavishly, but she's still the same person.'
Even though she wore the elegant and graceful attire of a bride, her behavior still reminded him of the princess who once roamed festivals on foot.
[She's still just a child.]
Perhaps that was why the words of Princess Adeline, whom he had met privately before the departure, stuck with him.
[I'm asking this of you, Baron Logan.]
'It's not like I can just do anything about it.'
[No, it's not like that. Just… please support her. And if it gets too much—you know what to do, right?]
'I don't.'
***
The inside of the Pegasus carriage was quite comfortable. A refreshing fragrance filled the air, likely due to magic.
"Oooh."
Even Sharen, who had seen many things as someone from Helmut, looked around in amazement.
"Isn't this going too slow?"
However, the carriage moved at an almost excessive slow pace.
It seemed pointless to ride the fastest carriage in the world at this speed.
"They're deliberately going slow. We'll likely arrive in Brentarion much later than planned."
Since this was a bridal procession, even minor details like this had to exude elegance.
If they rushed ahead too quickly, it might seem as though the bride was eager to meet her groom as soon as possible.
"This is going to be boring."
"Then how about we play a word chain game? I'll start! Helmut!"
Sharen had just started something when the Grandmaster, sitting across from Isaac, casually rested his leg on Isaac's thigh and murmured.
"Training here will be difficult."
"Please move your leg."
"This is comfortable. Why don't you massage your master's leg?"
"...."
Ever since she found out Isaac called her "Grand Master," she had been subtly trying to act like a mentor, which was a bit annoying.
"Tr! Isaac! Tra!"
"Since proper training will be tough, how about sparring whenever we have time?"
"I'm fine with that."
"Good. How's that aura from last time? Still no progress?"
"It's strange. It feels like something is about to happen, but I can't quite use it properly."
Ghostly Aura /demonic aura (Gui-ki).
The power imbued in the sword wielded by the Blackson's Sword Demon.
Since it was a power obtained by taking others' lives, the weight and responsibility of it were immense.
"What matters is that you have it. Don't be impatient."
The Grandmaster, in particular, showed deep interest in the Gui-ki that Isaac had acquired.
"Honestly, I'm not sure. Is this really the right thing? At that moment… I felt uneasy."
"Is 'Tr' a bit hard? Should we switch to something else? Carriage!"
"Don't overthink it. You possess a power that others cannot. There's no need to feel uneasy."
"…You just changed it to 'carriage' out of nowhere. Nitpick? House deed!"
Eventually, the Grandmaster couldn't hold back and turned to look at Sharen.
"Your persistence is very Helmut-like."
"Hurry up! I'm bored!"
"What was it? 'Se'? Commoner!"
"'Ra'? Ra—."
"Commoner."
"Ah, I got confused. 'Min—.'"
Watching the two bicker, Isaac couldn't help but chuckle.
This was something he would never have imagined in his past life.
The sight of the Grandmaster and Sharen Helmut playing a word game inside the Pegasus carriage was beyond surreal.
As Sharen pondered her next word, the princess, who had been staring intently out the window, finally lost her patience and interrupted.
"Excuse me? I clearly said only Isaac should come in, so why did a whole crowd follow him?"
"If a princess who is about to get married is alone in a carriage with a man, rumors of an affair will spread."
"Baldy!"
"Sigh, it's fine. Just step out for a bit. I need to talk to Isaac."
At the princess's request, the Grandmaster simply shrugged and opened the carriage door.
Since the carriage was moving slowly anyway, she jumped out without a care.
"Uh…"
Sharen looked disappointed that her word-game opponent had disappeared.
Clarice smiled gently at Sharen and made a request.
"Sharen, could you also step out for a moment?"
"I… I'd like to, but…"
Still seated, Sharen subtly lifted both her legs, revealing her bare, fair feet.
"I left my shoes in another carriage."
"...."
"…Why?"
Isaac asked without thinking, and Sharen, looking embarrassed, answered.
"Ah, I told you earlier! You're supposed to ride the Pegasus barefoot! B-but, I guess I was wrong… Everyone else is wearing shoes."
So she wasn't trying to mess with me.
She must have heard it somewhere and genuinely believed it.
"…Fine, just stay. But please be quiet."
In the end, Princess Clarice gave up.
She looked at Isaac and asked him honestly,
"What do you think about this marriage?"
"Does my opinion matter?"
Feeling that her explanation was lacking, Clarice added in a lighter tone,
"Not from the perspective of a princess and a baron. That part has already been calculated. It's a practical marriage for diplomatic alliances and political stability."
She smiled confidently and shrugged, exuding the same absolute self-assurance he had noticed before.
"What I want to know is—how does it look from the perspective of someone who was married before?"
Clarice let out a long, heavy sigh.
"My sister, Heirad, and the others… They all see this marriage in a negative light. They think I'm sacrificing myself for the kingdom."
"Well, it does seem that way."
After all, the marriage had happened so suddenly.
Anyone could see that she was intentionally leaving the kingdom to strengthen internal unity while also solidifying an alliance with another nation.
Furthermore, the Kingdom of Brentarion was a military powerhouse, meaning this alliance would serve as another barrier against the threat of the Transcendents.
A move with multiple benefits.
Princess Clarice's marriage brought considerable advantages to the kingdom. It was clear that she had thought through it deeply.
"For me, that's enough. I simply used my marriage—a powerful card—efficiently when it was needed."
"I won't argue with that."
"But people don't only think in terms of efficiency and logic. Feelings are involved."
And then—
"To my knowledge, the person who married purely out of emotion… is you, Isaac."
"…"
"I'm sorry if that sounds unpleasant, but I mean it."
Clarice steadied her breathing and clenched her fists tightly.
"I… I want to reassure them. I want to show them that I'm not sacrificing myself for the kingdom—I just want them to see that I'm living a happy married life."
"So what you're saying is—"
"I want to love the husband I barely even know. So, Isaac, please help me."
"…"
"Oooh."
Next to them, Sharen's eyes sparkled with excitement. She seemed to find this topic highly entertaining.
"I know this might sound a little arrogant."
Even as she said that, Clarice ran a hand through her hair and smirked smugly.
"But I've never had feelings for a man before. I suppose it's because I've never met someone who met my standards?"
"…And?"
Feeling slightly irritated, Isaac replied curtly, but Clarice continued her speech unfazed.
"But you, Isaac, managed to seduce Liana Helmut, didn't you?"
"…"
"You seduced her, didn't you?"
"You did, right?!"
Clarice and Sharen both urged him to answer.
Ignoring the headache creeping in, Isaac finally replied,
"It was mutual. I wasn't the only one pursuing."
"Wow, really? my sister?"
"Ahem! Anyway. That's why I need your help. I want to love my husband, so teach me about romance."
"Wow! I want to learn too!"
"…"
Isaac smacked his forehead with his palm.
At that moment, he would have preferred fighting a Transcendent instead.