KWAANG!
As the greatswords collided, a burst of crimson aura scattered behind the two like a wave splitting in two, only to quickly regroup.
Liana looked past her greatsword at the eldest son, Lohengrin, who stood opposite her.
"Hah! It won't be like the old days, damn little sister!"
"Don't call me your little sister. It's gross."
What should he call her then?
Lohengrin faltered for a brief moment, and Liana didn't miss the opening—her strike sent him tumbling backward to the ground.
"Cheap shot!"
"Wasn't really aiming to be."
Honestly, she had only said it because she genuinely didn't like being called little sister by him.
Then came the second son, Armin.
He had never stood out much, and excluding Edel—who wasn't a combatant—he was the weakest among the current Helmut bloodline.
"Sister, it'd be nice if you visited once in a while."
KWAANG! KWAANG!
"Would that be okay?"
"If not, maybe we could come visit you?"
"That's not a good idea. That person wouldn't like it."
"…You're probably right."
KWAANG!
After three clashes, Armin's body lifted into the air and crashed backward.
The other knights, of course, couldn't hope to defeat Liana alone either.
So they began to surround her, just as they would against a Beast or a Transcendent.
"..."
Liana scattered her crimson aura from her entire body, as if forbidding them from approaching. The other knights responded in kind with their own crimson aura.
'They're definitely more troublesome when they gang up.'
Despite feeling like she herself had become a Transcendent, Liana kept searching for a way to deal with them.
She knew they were doing this to free her from her duty, but…
Liana wanted to confirm it for herself too.
That Helmut remained strong—even without her.
'...'
She thought she could hear her father's voice.
Even as he faced his own death, he told her to prove that peace would endure—
In a way, maybe he had felt the same way she did now.
Perhaps the reason he fought to the end, even while afflicted with subjugation spell, was because he wanted to see for himself.
To confirm that the kingdom could survive without him.
'Father was… stubborn to a fault.'
Just then, as Liana's mind began to drift, a man with an unusual aura stepped forward from among the knights.
It was Jonathan, unleashing dark red aura.
A half-blood, now Helmut's proud young ace.
He had learned swordsmanship while traveling with Isaac Logan, came to accept his identity as a Blood Demon while living with his older sister, and preserved his humanity thanks to time spent with a nun.
All of these influences—though vastly different—had blended together harmoniously. That was the Jonathan standing before her now.
KWAANG!
His sword was heavier than expected.
Not quite as heavy as Lohengrin's, so Liana tried to parry it easily.
But then—
"C-Can I visit sometimes?"
"..."
"I just want to see Sir Isaac…"
From the gap where their swords met, Jonathan cautiously asked. To him, Isaac was like a mentor—Liana didn't feel she had the right to refuse.
"…Do as you like."
VWOOOM!
Just as Jonathan was blown back—
"Crimson Flame Slash!"
The voice came from above.
Sharen had jumped down from atop Nureumdol.
Her greatsword shot upward, blazing like a torch.
In fact, it was the upward blast of the Crimson Flame Slash that gave her the momentum to deliver the heaviest slash yet.
KUOOOONG!
The ground shattered and caved in.
Though it was almost a lucky strike, it was quick and heavy enough to startle even Liana.
"Sis—! I'm thinking of leaving after this too."
"…Where to?"
"Gonna look around a bit. I think I'm actually the type who likes wandering outside."
The sight of the two clashing swords while casually chatting was odd, but—if anything—that's just how Helmut was.
Liana was certain—this war had become a major stepping stone for Sharen's personal growth.
"Staying cooped up at home was driving me crazy. And watching the stupid men in our family all the time? It was so frustrating, I thought I'd die!"
"…I never thought I'd see the day you'd say something like that."
The little girl who used to do nothing but search for sweets around the mansion had now grown into a proper young lady.
Perhaps pleased with Liana's reaction, Sharen grinned brightly and even revealed a cheeky bit of her inner thoughts.
"I really hope you get kicked out of Helmut soon."
"…Huh?"
"Then we won't be sisters anymore, and Isaac can accept me—"
But Sharen couldn't finish her sentence.
"Gyaaah!?"
Liana's greatsword slammed into her, sending her rolling across the ground.
Then came Edel Helmut, walking toward her.
Since Arandel's death, he had devoted himself to the duties of head of house, and had become somewhat unfamiliar with wielding a greatsword.
Even so—he was still a Helmut.
Though he held the greatsword in his hand, it was clear that he looked rather unpolished.
"Is this all you've got, sister?"
Edel's honest reaction made it obvious he hadn't expected things to go this way. Liana gave a soft smile.
Maybe he saw that smile as a sign of kindness, because Edel lowered his head and clenched his fist.
"Even now… I wonder if I'm still not allowed to let you go."
"Let me ask you something, Edel."
"..."
"How did you convince Lohengrin?"
Convincing Sharen or Armin would've been easy from Edel's position.
But Lohengrin was different.
He had lived his life driven by the goal of becoming head of the house.
Even if Edel had been accepted as acting head because of Liana's authority, she didn't expect Lohengrin to ever agree to give up the title permanently.
"Big Brother… never really cared about becoming the head."
An unexpected answer.
But as Liana thought about it, she found it oddly convincing.
"He just wanted to follow in Father's footsteps. Since Father had been head, he wanted to be one too."
"..."
"But we had to think deeper—what did Father truly want?"
"What Father wanted…"
"We can't ask him anymore, of course, but that's why I gave my own meaning to Father's actions."
For Helmut.
For the kingdom.
They could never truly know what Arandel's intentions were.
But Edel had chosen to frame it that way.
"I proved my capabilities while acting as head. I told Big Brother that to build the great Helmut our father dreamed of, I was more suitable than he was."
"…Though I did get punched once," Edel added with a small smile.
But still, he had managed to convince Lohengrin.
"You have a different strength from the rest of Helmut."
Liana looked calmly at her younger brother and spoke.
"Don't cling too much to the Helmuts of the past. Focus on the one you'll lead. I'm sure you'll guide it the right way."
"But Sister, I lost."
He had come at her with all his strength. True, the knights hadn't been trying to kill her, but still…
Liana shook her head.
"Just like you persuaded Lohengrin, you've persuaded me."
"..."
"The position of head isn't something I hand over. You earned it—by digging into my weakness and claiming it."
Tap.
Before she realized it, Liana gently placed a hand on her youngest sibling's shoulder, now broader than hers, and gave him a soft smile.
"You can do it, Edel. You're more like our mother than anyone."
"…Actually."
Edel gave a bitter smile as tears welled faintly in his eyes.
"Everyone always misses Father… but I miss Mother so much more."
Even if she was a villain.
Even if she had betrayed humanity.
She was still their mother.
In a quiet voice, Edel finally let go of his last lingering emotion—just before he became head of the house.
***
"..."
A cold northern wind blew.
With a face that looked frozen, Silverna quietly gazed at the reconstruction of the Malidan Wall.
They had successfully advanced all the way to the site where the original Malidan had once stood.
With Uldren Caldias serving as supreme commander, and many mages dispatched from the Magic Tower—including even the Tower Master, Legant—everyone was focused on rebuilding the new Malidan.
"I'm telling you, the old methods are fine, but we can't just copy them exactly!"
"But we don't really have that much flexibility—"
As usual, the robed ones were noisily arguing again.
Legant insisted that there was no point in blindly replicating the old ways for the new Malidan.
'Whatever they're doing, I just wish they'd hurry up.'
Mages were certainly incredible. They were terrible at fighting, but in all other areas, they were practically unmatched in usefulness.
Thanks to the presence of so many mages, a project initially estimated to take at least five years was already speeding up as they secured the foundation.
"Ah! There you are!"
"..."
By now familiar with the sibling duo, Silverna turned her head.
There stood Reian and Marlin of House Leviath, who were still staying in the north.
Due to the noise from the construction and the constant threat of roaming beasts, soldiers were essential to protect the work site—and those two remained stationed among them.
"We got a reply from Count Logan. I was thinking of writing back—want to join in?"
"..."
Silverna clenched her teeth at the irritating offer.
"I said stop asking already!"
They had asked the same thing last time they sent a letter—why were they asking again?
"Huh? What's with that reaction? Isn't Isaac Logan already living in your heart? I'm just trying to help you out—"
"Ugh, I said drop it!"
As Silverna snapped, Marlin beside her held out a letter she'd received.
"He asked about you too."
"Really?!"
Silverna beamed.
Then, realizing it, she hurriedly reined in her expression.
"I-I mean… whatever. I'm not curious."
"…You're very obviously curious."
"If you must tell me, I won't stop you."
She was already staring at the letter like she was going to burn a hole through it. Marlin, teasing her with her gaze, slowly waved the letter side to side before responding.
"He asked if you were doing well."
"…That's it?"
"And…"
Marlin calmly added:
"If you're still blooming as beautifully as ever."
"..."
Silverna's face turned red, as if she'd become a tomato. Pressing her burning cheeks with both hands, she mumbled:
"Hmph. Well… he is good with words."
Watching her made it all the more confusing.
"Then why the heck won't you write back?"
"..."
Marlin, staring pointedly, added another remark.
"Thanks to that, I'm reading these letters for no reason. Could you please consider my feelings?"
"…Sorry."
Since Marlin had already been rejected by Isaac, Silverna replied awkwardly.
"L-look, it's not weird that you got rejected. I heard he's been rejecting every eligible woman in the kingdom lately."
"That doesn't make me feel any better."
"Still, try to take it as comfort. You don't have any lingering feelings anymore, do you?"
"It's not that I don't have any…"
Marlin hesitated, then spoke honestly.
"The words and experiences he gave me… they made me who I am today."
"Mm-hmm. Marlin's gotten a lot chattier and better at expressing herself."
Reian grumbled that it had made things harder for him, but Marlin ignored him and continued.
"Thanks to that, I moved forward. And if things go well between him and me again… maybe I can go back."
"..."
"That's why I want to leave it behind as a bittersweet memory. Something that stays in my heart and pushes me forward."
Hearing that, Silverna gave a bittersweet nod and muttered:
"Well, I didn't get rejected."
"…Do you want to fight?"