The Son-In-Law Of A Prestigious Household Wants A Divorce-Chapter 8: The Tactless North

Just before Isaac’s rally speech.

Silverna Cardias watched the soldiers gathered at the training ground from a distance, waiting for the family head.

Anna, her maid-cum-adjutant standing right behind her, was wearing a gloomy expression.

“The Demonic Beasts’ numbers aren’t decreasing.”

“...I’ve heard about it. Seen it with my own eyes too.”

“Still, this number is completely unusual. There’s a high chance that this hive will turn into a Great Colony, young lady.”

“Haaa.”

Silverna’s complicated feelings were evident in her voice.

If Anna’s words were true, then this would be the first Demonic Beast’s Great Colony they’d face in 23 years. They might have to ask for support from the nobles a second time.

“For now, keep the soldiers’ mouths shut. There’s nothing good will come out of those ragtag nobles hearing about the possibility of a Great Colony.”

“Yes, young lady.”

As their conversation ended, both of their gazes naturally turned to the training ground.

Trying to lighten the gloomy and serious atmosphere, Silverna grinned and asked.

“How do you think the rally speech is going to go?”

Isaac, standing among the nobles, caught her eye.

Even among nobles who ate well, dressed well, and slept in good places, his appearance stood out from the rest.

That was why he was so easy to find.

“The time you’ve given him to prepare is too short, but it should’ve been enough for him to write a formal rally speech.”

“But that’s not what I’m trying to do here, Anna. Listen to your mistress’ plan for a sec~”

“...I’m now part of the military. The Malidean Wall is my mistress.”

Ignoring Anna’s words, Silverna started elaborating.

“So, if the one’s giving the speech is just some ordinary nobodies from the nobles, the soldiers might’ve passed it off indifferently. But, he’s a Helmont! The soldiers will definitely open their eyes and ears to his speech!”

Even something mundane could become poison in front of a prejudiced audience.

“What about the dispatched nobles? Well, the fact that a commoner-born was selected as their representative is already enough to displease them!”

Just as she said, there were already a few nobles standing askew, refusing to align in rows and columns.

“This is a battle of spirits, Anna! I’m showing those nobles—including Isaac—that they have to earn it if they want to be respected!”

In other words, she took this as an opportunity to show how hostile Malidean Wall was to Isaac Helmont, as well as a clever move to bring down the haughty nobles a notch.

Silverna looked at Anna with an expectant gaze—hoping for praise.

“Ah, the family head is coming.”

“Your mistress is brilliant, isn’t she? You’re honored to have served such a young lady, aren’t you? Thank you.”

The two headed towards the podium, following Uldiran Cardias.

Standing behind the family head, the two waited silently for the rally speech to begin.

“Oh, he’s here.”

“Young lady, shush.”

Seeing Isaac climb onto the platform with a much better expression than she expected, Silverna felt a strange sensation.

What’s this?

There was no way he couldn’t have noticed the hostile atmosphere surrounding him from all directions.

Yet, he still stood there boldly. It was clear that he had something up his sleeve.

And true enough, his first words on the podium left Silverna bewildered.

“Warrior, be great.

“Follow your duty.

“Warrior, simply be great.”

“Huh?”

Standing beside her, Anna let out a small exclamation.

In contrast, Uldiran and Silverna both sent him an intense gaze, clenching their mouths shut.

“As I came here, I wondered about the truth contained in the phrase ‘be great’. After all, as you all know, the word ‘great’ is somewhat abstract, isn’t it?”

The moment she heard those words trickled from his mouth...

Blood rushed to Silverna’s head.

“How dare—“

Along with the sound of teeth grinding, her hostility towards Isaac rose to the extreme.

A Helmont bastard dared to utter the Founding Head Wolfdrün’s belief and questioned it?

In front of the current family head, no less?

Of course, any Cardias instinctively felt that they just had to beat him to death.

Even Uldiran Cardias was sending a terrifyingly fierce murderous intent towards him.

However...

As the rally speech progressed, their feelings gradually changed.

“But, they are great because they happened to be born in a great position. It’s only natural. But what about those who embraced the common people, turning them into great men? They are the ones who are truly worthy of reverence!”

At these words, which could be seen as mocking the Helmonts, the Cardias’ fiercely burning anger seemed to have lost its target.

“This is it! The very thing you all are holding in your hands!”

Seeing him grabbing a spear, everyone just stared at him, perplexed.

“If someone says they want to learn martial arts! I will shout!

“Look to the north! To the top of that high wall! Look at the spears of Cardias, rising most greatly on the continent!”

Hearing him shouting praises towards the spear of Cardias, a surge of emotion welled up from within them.

Cardias’ spearmanship was comprehensive, anyone could learn it, and that was why everyone looked down upon it.

Only Silverna knew how much it made her blood boil whenever she heard people saying that the family head wasn’t strong because of his spearmanship, but because he was an outstanding warrior.

“You who hold the spear of Cardias! Follow Wolfdrün’s last words, simply be great warriors!”

Right now, what flowed through her entire body with a jolt was a thrill.

A Helmont, someone who was supposed to stand at the most opposite end even among the nobles who didn’t recognize and ignored them...

“Great guardians, protector of the Malidean Front.”

Was recognizing and acknowledging them.

Saying they were great.

With sincere passion in his voice.

It pierced the heart of Cardias, who had been ridiculed despite their struggle in the northern cold.

“And for the great patriotic martyrs who have already fulfilled their duty, and have been granted eternal peace.”

He even commemorated the nameless soldiers who had crumbled in the northern cold.

“A moment of silence.”

The moment he closed his eyes and bowed his head.

Those who had guarded the Malidean Wall all their lives, closed their eyes, bowed their heads.

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They barely managed to hold back the hot breath surging in their chests.

*   *   *“Sniff.”

“...Young lady, are you crying?”

After the event ended, while lining up before the training for the nobles started.

At Anna’s question, Silverna hurriedly wiped her eyes with her hand and shouted.

“No, I’m not crying! Something got caught in my eyes!”

“...”

“Ah, jeez! That was embarrassing...”

Currently, Silverna was riddled with guilt.

That man recognized and respected Cardias more than anyone else in the kingdom.

Yet, she had forcibly put him on the podium just to mess with him.

“Sniff... Anna... What should I do...?”

“What do you mean what should you do? Just try to get along with him.”

“How can I do that after everything that I’ve done to him?!”

“Haaa, it’s gonna be okay. From what I saw yesterday—when you two were talking—he seemed to be a nice guy. He’s the kind of guy you’d like.”

At Anna’s words, Silverna’s gaze turned to Isaac, who had started running around the training ground for physical assessment.

“Ugg... What should I do? I’m starting to like him more and more.”

Hearing Silverna’s mutter, Anna exclaimed in shock?

“Young lady?! He is a married man! Helmont’s son-in-law! You must not forget that!”

“Of course! I didn’t mean I like him as a man! I was just saying that he’s a likeable person!”

Him recognizing Cardias’ spear had dramatically increased her favorability towards him.

It wasn’t anything strange.

After all, it was one of the most precious things in her life, and he had boldly and openly acknowledged it.

While bearing the name of Helmont—an opposing family—on his shoulders, no less.

“Well, I can agree to that. I do see him in a favorable light. After all, I, too, am proud of Cardias’ spear.”

“Right? Ahh~ He looks so cute now, can you see it?”

“Be more careful with your words, young lady. People might claim that you’re trying to seduce him if they heard what you said just now.”

“...That would be the worst, wouldn’t it?”

A horrified expression appeared on Silverna’s face.

As someone who had spent years together with her, after seeing this face of hers, Anna’s heart was washed with relief.

She’s not seeing him in a romantic light. Good.

Well, from the beginning, her young lady had never shown even a snowflake’s worth of interest in men.

Despite being surrounded by so many of them, to her, they were all just comrades and brother-in-arms.

In her eyes, there were no men and women, just soldiers.

“Anyway, wouldn’t it be okay to help him out a little? I mean, he’s from Helmont, no? He deserves a little bit of special treatment, no?”

“Young lady...”

“Ah, what can I do for him, I wonder~?”

Ignoring her restless young lady, Anna stared at Isaac blankly for a moment. Then, she came up with a suggestion.

“How about a fur hat? It’s cold here, and if he came all the way from Helmont, his cold weather gear might be a bit thinner than what we have.”

“Good idea! Right, don’t we have some yeti fur left from last time?”

“Yes. I’ll tell the craftsman separately to have it made.”

“Tell him to make it into a hat.”

“I’ll have him make a hat and a pair of gloves.”

“Why gloves too?”

“The hat is your gift, the gloves are mine.”

“...”

“...”

As stated before.

Anna was also a soldier of the Malidean Wall who had learned Cardias’ spear.

*   *   *The 34th place, huh?

That was the rank Isaac received in the recent jog—the thing they did to test the nobles’ basic physical fitness.

Being 34th out of 37 dispatched nobles meant that he was essentially sitting at the last place. After all, among these nobles, there were some who didn’t even pursue martial arts at all.

Right, this is around the time when I almost gave up on training.

There was a time when he had strived hard to build his strength and stamina.

Desperately struggling to somehow be able to wield Helmont’s greatsword and become a worthy son-in-law.

But that was impossible.

In the end, his effort was wasted, just like a sparrow trying to imitate a heron doing a split.

Realizing that, Isaac gradually gave up putting in efforts, and on his 4th wedding anniversary, he lost a leg, driving him into a complete despair.

But now, it was different.

It feels good to run like this.

He felt refreshed moving his body around.

After living as a cripple, being able to run made him feel as if the world had changed—an exhilarating feeling.

Knowing that what he was aiming to achieve wasn’t impossible provided him with greater motivation than he had ever expected.

“He’s just all talk.”

“Well, he got the grandeur, but in the end, he’s just a commoner.”

“What’s the use of such grand words if his stamina is barely even at the level where he’d be good in bed? Ha!”

“Pfft, stop it. I’ll get secondhand embarrassment from that.”

He heard the surrounding nobles’ mockery, but he just ignored them.

Because he was busy racking his mind, revising the manual he had written just for himself last night.

My body’s more flexible and my feet are more stable than I thought. I need to revise the manual when I get back. Thinking back, it seems like I unconsciously wrote it in a way that wouldn’t put much strain on my lower body...

During a brief break.

While he was catching his breath, lost in thought...

“Ahem.”

A soldier that was acting as the nobles’ instructor approached him while clearing his throat.

“Hm?”

Wondering what it was about, Isaac looked at him. The soldier took a glance at the other nobles before discreetly handing over a towel from his bosom.

“You need to wipe off your sweat properly. This is the North, it’s easy to catch a cold if you don’t do that.”

“Ah.”

Isaac awkwardly accepted the towel. The soldier smiled brightly at him before turning back.

“Huh...”

The towel in his hand was steaming hot.

It was contrasting with the other nobles’ who had to deal with their sweat using the cold towels brought by their servants and adjutants. While those nobles directed their sharp gazes at him...

“Well, 34th place is a bit low.”

This time, an officer who seemed to have a higher rank approached than the instructor crouched in front of Isaac, tilting his head.

“Your shoe’s the problem here. It’s hard to run with those on snowy paths. You can wrap chains around them to make it easier, but it’ll be better if you just buy new boots that are more suited for the terrains.”

“...”

“Let’s do this, I’ll introduce you to a good craftsman. Just mention my name, he’ll give you a discount.”

“Alright.”

“Speak comfortably. You’re still a noble, after all.”

“...Okay. Thanks. I’ll go buy some.”

Since he had plenty of money, he should be able to afford boots.

After that, the training started again, but the soldiers’ didn’t stop making a fuss.

“Warm underwear is important to live here. I have some I bought but haven’t used yet. Do you want one?”

“This is a broom we usually use to remove snow. D-Don’t you think it looks like a spear? Oh, by the way, do you know? The basics of Cardias’ spearmanship-“

“Stretching is important. Your body will stiffen quickly because of the cold, so it’s more prone to injuries.”

“Are you alright?! The ground’s slippery! Medic! Mediiic! Oh, it’s not that bad, you say? That’s a relief. No need to be embarrassed. We fall often too.”

Seeing the instructors being so attentive to the point of being burdensome, Isaac honestly couldn’t help but laugh wryly.

I don’t know how to react...

It feels nice that they’re treating me well, but being so blatant about it is a little...tactless, isn’t it?

And then.

Another tactless person appeared.

“A-Ahem. Your speech back then was very impressive. Isaac.”

Silverna appeared with an awkward cough.

As Isaac greeted her with a smile while glancing around, she quickly approached him.

“You have a good eye. Other people tend to look down on the basics, but they don’t know that the basics are the most important. That’s also why those guys underestimate Cardias. But you, you are different. You recognized what they failed to recognize. You see, Cardias’ spearmanship is actually intricately intertwined after tremendous research and deliberation-“

“Young lady, that’s enough. You’re startling him.”

“Ahem, s-sorry.”

Silverna awkwardly stepped back.

On behalf of her mistress, Anna revealed the reason for their visit with a gentle smile and polite manner.

“The family head has invited you to dinner tonight.”

“The margrave?”

“Yes. Would that be alright?”

Such things were asked only as a formality. In reality, he had no option to decline.

So, he nodded.

Pleased with his answer, Silverna and Anna left.

Or not.

They were about to leave, but they turned around and came back.

“Tsk, your head is a bit small. The size-“

Silverna grabbed Isaac’s head with both hands, turning it around, checking its size.

“Your hands are unexpectedly smooth. I’ll order one size smaller.”

Meanwhile, Anna was measuring his hand size.