"Haha!"
Despite Isaac's firm response, Reian Leviath simply laughed, trying to brush it off.
"Did I make my request too hastily? I should have mentioned what I can offer before stating my conditions!"
"I told you to get lost. Don't test my patience any further."
The line had already been crossed.
Isaac clenched his teeth, suppressing the urge to punch him in the face right then and there.
"Oh, come on, at least hear me out. If you help me, I will provide you with a significant amount of gold. To be precise—"
Reian Leviath leaned in and whispered the amount.
It was enough to host Helmut's Sword Festival once more.
Even Isaac couldn't help but flinch in shock.
'I've heard that the Leviath family is wealthy, but…'
A classic noble tycoon.
No wonder the amount he was offering was staggering.
At this point, Isaac couldn't help but feel curious.
"You want Liana that badly?"
"Of course. The moment I marry her, I'll be able to exert influence over Helmut.
Its prestige may have fallen, but Helmut is still Helmut."
"...."
"Of course, that's not the only reason."
Reian smiled faintly and added, as if to reassure him.
"She's beautiful, isn't she? I've met her a few times at banquets, and every time, I understood why she's called the Blood Rose.
If a woman is that stunning, isn't it only natural for a man to claim her? Just like you did."
"If I had my sword on me, I would've drawn it."
Even as Isaac warned him with a calm voice, Reian merely smirked and replied,
"Go ahead. I wouldn't have been hurt anyway!"
'I really want to kill him.'
It had been a long time since Isaac felt such an intense urge to kill someone.
The last time was when he killed Alois.
It was astonishing how someone could become this unlikeable in such a short amount of time.
Sensing that enough time had been wasted, Reian got back to the point.
"So, what do you think? Honestly, this is a deal with nothing but benefits for Baron Logan."
"...."
"Just telling me about your ex-wife's preferences will earn you a fortune. Isn't that the easiest way to make money?"
"...."
"You should move into a bigger mansion, hire more servants. After all, barons of commoner origins usually struggle with finances—"
"That."
With a low voice, Isaac made it clear to Reian.
"The fact that you treat this so lightly is exactly why you'll never win her heart."
"...."
For the first time, Reian's smile stiffened.
As a swordsman, Isaac had always worked to identify his opponents' weaknesses.
Perhaps that habit was paying off now.
Reian's eyes wavered momentarily before he let out a hollow laugh.
"Ha, haha… I guess I'm learning something new."
In what seemed like a final attempt to maintain his noble composure, Reian slowly bowed before turning to leave.
"Reian Leviath."
Isaac called out to him as he walked away.
"Hm?"
When Reian turned around, Isaac raised his middle finger once more.
"I'm still not over it."
"Ha…!"
Without another word, Reian stepped out of the garden.
Reian of the Leviath family.
As far as Isaac knew, he had died in battle against the Transcendents.
It was around the time when Arandel died from illness, and the Transcendents began appearing all over the kingdom.
Reian had played a significant role in stabilizing the internal situation.
'I didn't expect him to be this kind of man.'
Indeed, you only truly understand people once you meet them.
Isaac sighed as he stepped back inside.
It hadn't even been a full day since he returned from the Kingdom of Brentarion, yet his head was already aching.
As he made his way to his bedroom, he passed by Karen, who was cleaning.
"Karen, I'm really tired, so I'll get some sleep."
"Yes, understood!"
Isaac lay down on the bed in his bedroom, closing his eyes as he mulled over what Reian had just said.
'Well, that makes sense.'
Liana was the head of the Helmut family.
A woman couldn't remain alone forever.
She would have to remarry.
Thinking about it left him with an inexplicable feeling, making it difficult to sleep soundly.
***
"Mmm."
When he woke up, the sky outside had already turned dark.
One of the good things about this body was that most of his fatigue disappeared after sleeping.
He didn't even need to reach for a cane when getting up.
'Being young is nice.'
Muttering like an old man, Isaac made his way to the dining room. Karen had likely already left for the day, so he planned to drink some water alone.
"..."
"Ah, you're awake!"
Inside the dining room, two people were sitting and chatting.
One of them was Karen.
"Karen, you haven't left yet?"
"Haha, I wanted to wait until you woke up, my lord."
Karen stood up and introduced the woman sitting across from her.
"This is Lady Marlin of the Leviath family. She has come to see you, my lord."
"The Leviath family? To see me?"
Isaac was slightly taken aback, wondering if she had really waited until he woke up.
Regardless, he turned to Karen and spoke.
"Alright, you should go home now. Your fiancé must be worried."
"Yep! I'll be off then!"
With a playful salute, Karen exited the room.
Once she was gone, Lady Marlin slowly stood up.
"Allow me to introduce myself again. I am Marlin of the Leviath family."
"I am Baron Isaac Logan. You didn't have to wait—you could have woken me up."
"I heard that my brother has already been rude to you. At the very least, I wished to uphold proper etiquette."
"…You're quite different."
Though she had the same blue-green hair and eyes as Reian, her demeanor was the complete opposite.
"I came here to apologize. I heard that my brother deeply offended you, so I wanted to personally offer my apologies."
She then took out a pouch of money from her belongings.
"It's not much, but please accept it as compensation."
"..."
Isaac sighed as he looked at the pouch.
"If money could have solved the problem, I wouldn't have been angry in the first place."
Accepting it would have made him feel cheap.
Besides, thanks to Princess Clarice's help, he wasn't struggling financially.
"..."
Silently, Marlin put the pouch back into her belongings.
Yet, she remained standing there without saying a word.
"Uh… Why are you still here?"
When Isaac subtly asked why she wasn't leaving, Marlin gave a brief, emotionless response.
"I need to receive your forgiveness."
"..."
"What must I do to earn it?"
Her short, expressionless words.
At first, they annoyed him a little.
But as he observed her, he couldn't shake the feeling that she reminded him of someone.
"Hah."
Before he realized it, Isaac let out a small chuckle.
"..."
Marlin's eyes widened slightly before she spoke again in her usual indifferent tone.
"What's so funny?"
"You just remind me of someone I know. It's nothing important."
Isaac's words made Marlin wait silently. Whether she accepted his reasoning or not, she conveyed through her silence that she still wanted to offer some kind of compensation.
"Are you going to keep standing there like this?"
"The eldest son of the Leviath family acted rudely. As his younger sister, I have a duty to make amends for his mistake."
"..."
"..."
Silence fell between them once more.
'She really does remind me of someone.'
Not only did she possess striking looks, but her quiet and expressionless demeanor also resembled that person. If it weren't for the difference In hair color, Isaac would have thought they were nearly identical.
Then, an idea came to him—something he actually wanted from her.
"In that case, would you show me the Leviath family's Magic Swordsmanship?"
Isaac had read about the Leviath family's Magic Swordsmanship in books, but he had never seen it in person. The texts were complex and difficult to understand, so without witnessing it firsthand, grasping its essence was nearly impossible.
'This is a great opportunity.'
His eyes gleamed with interest as he spoke. Marlin, who had been blankly watching him, slowly stood up and asked,
"You really just want to see swordsmanship?"
"Hmm? Yes, that would be enough."
"..."
Marlin remained silent for a moment, clearly not expecting such a request.
"I didn't bring my sword today, so I can't show you right now."
"Oh."
A deep sigh escaped Isaac's lips. Seeing his genuine disappointment, Marlin continued,
"I heard you'll be going on the northern dispatch mission. If an opportunity arises on the way, I will show you then."
"Would a sparring match be possible as well?"
"...It is possible."
"That's great. Really great. I look forward to it."
Isaac happily extended his hand for a handshake. Marlin, staring at his outstretched hand, grasped it expressionlessly and muttered,
"You're a strange person."
***
The Next Morning
Early in the morning, a visitor arrived at Isaac's estate.
For most people, such an early visit would be met with grumbling and sleepy complaints. However, Isaac had already finished his morning training, washed up, and was in the middle of writing a book.
His book on swordsmanship showed no sign of reaching completion.
The more he wielded his sword, the more things he wanted to include.
"You're still writing that?"
The visitor was none other than Princess Clarice.
Her bodyguard, Heirad, accompanied her. He stood quietly in the garden, wearing a gentle smile. Unlike their last visit to Brentarion, he exuded a more relaxed atmosphere this time.
"...You're here."
Lately, Isaac had found it uncomfortable to be around Princess Clarice.
He had been avoiding conversation with her as much as possible, even choosing to ride in a different carriage during their return journey.
"I have something to discuss with you."
But today, seeing the serious expression on her face, Isaac felt slightly relieved and asked,
"What is it?"
"It's about the northern dispatch. You know we're leaving in two days, right?"
"Yes, I'm aware."
That was why he hadn't even unpacked his travel bag, knowing he would have to repack soon.
"There's a bit of a problem. If you ask whether it's big, I'd say no. But if you ask whether it's small, it doesn't feel that way either."
"What do you mean?"
Clarice sighed and explained,
"There are some young nobles in the kingdom. Well, they're all older than me, but that's not the point—"
"..."
"These guys have formed a group called Blue Wave Society. And they're causing some trouble."
"I've heard of Blue Wave Society. But causing trouble?"
"They're underestimating the enemy. To put it simply, they're taking the situation too lightly."
"...How is that even possible?"
The northern Malidan Wall had fallen.
Monstrous beasts were invading the south, and the Transcendents could appear at any moment.
The kingdom was facing an unprecedented crisis.
"But, you see, it kind of makes sense. Because no one except us has actually fought against the Transcendents."
"That's—"
Isaac was about to argue but suddenly stopped.
Unconsciously, he nodded.
"You're right."
Come to think of it—
Using the knowledge from his regression, Isaac had either blocked incidents before they happened or preemptively eradicated the Transcendents.
The Blackson subjugation, except for the very end, was practically handled single-handedly by Arandel, leaving no casualties.
The Evergard terror incident, which involved Alois, was nothing more than a diversion and caused minimal damage.
Even the "Patrons" approaching the nobles had been completely thwarted by Princess Adeline, thanks to the intel Isaac had obtained from Volten.
Since everything had been resolved before escalating or had been contained with minimal harm—
"So, they're treating the Transcendents as a joke. That's the situation."
"Exactly."
Another unintended side effect of his regression knowledge.
Since no major incidents had occurred, the nobles had grown arrogant.
"But… the Malidan Wall has disappeared. How can they possibly take this lightly?"
"That's the problem. The Blue Wave Society doesn't understand the dangers of sorcery, so they don't believe the wall has vanished."
"..."
"They think it's just conspiracy propaganda. Something like that. Sigh… To be honest—"
Clarice sighed and rubbed her temples.
"If I didn't know about sorcery or the Transcendents, and someone suddenly told me the Malidan Wall was gone… I wouldn't believe it either. Honestly, who would?"
A massive wall disappearing overnight?
Only an idiot or a conspiracy theorist would believe such a thing.
Even Isaac found it hard to completely refute that logic.
"So, Isaac, knock some sense into them. They're still nobles of the kingdom, after all. They shouldn't just die."
"I understand what you mean."
"Thanks. Then—"
"Just one thing. Is Leviath House's Reian part of the Blue Wave Society?"
"He's their leader. It's unbearable."
"...That's quite the opportunity."
"Huh?"
"Nothing. I'll take the mission."
Acting as if nothing had happened, Isaac spoke casually.
Clarice, beaming, clapped her hands together.
"Great! Now, let's move on to something serious. Would it be okay to hold the wedding at the church in Evergard? Of course, if you prefer, we can do it in your hometown."
"..."
It was an utterly random topic.
But Isaac was already used to it.
Because it was precisely this sudden change in Clarice's behavior that had made him avoid her recently.
"It doesn't have to be grand. A simple ceremony is fine. You'd like that, wouldn't you?"
"...Your Highness."
"Call me Clarice, darling."
"Haa, Your Highness."
"Yes, my love?"
"Your Highnessssssss!"
"Kya-haha!"
Laughing playfully, Clarice sprang to her feet.
"I'm sorry! I seem to have talent in many areas, and I guess love is one of them too!"
She winked and then struck an adorable pose—one she had learned while trying to seduce Prince Raphael.
"Hey, Heirad!"
In desperation, Isaac turned to Heirad, who was standing in the garden.
But Heirad merely wiped his nose with his finger and gazed at the scene with a pleased expression.