LIGHTNOVELWORLD Chapter 38
✦ Chapter 38 ✦
「Translator – Creator」
᠃ ⚘᠂ ⚘ ⚘ ᠂ ⚘ ᠃
In the realm of interrogation, what expectations do we hold?
The common perception etched in people’s minds involves investigation, pressure, and questioning — tools to uncover the truth.
Silverna had walked into the room with a similar expectation.
Instead, she was greeted by an unusual sight —
She found warm candlelight casting gentle shadows, a sturdy wooden table exhaling cool, fresh breaths of air.
Simple refreshments and a bottle of spirits scattered across its surface.
And finally, cards strewn about in casual disarray.
“…………”
As she pressed her lips together, taking in this scene that defied her conventional understanding of interrogation,
Ulderan, the architect of this peculiar situation, cleared his throat performatively and moved to conclude matters.
“Well then, I think that’s enough fun for now.”
The others followed his lead, tidying up the cards. Isaac’s movements, however, stood out. His expertise with the cards — deftly collecting and shuffling them with the finesse of a seasoned gambler — was unmistakable.
“Ah, just a habit.”
He offered a roguish smile as he explained the shuffling, then returned the deck to Ulderan.
During his days as a boatman, card games had been one of Isaac’s primary sources of income.
Local farmers, passing travelers, fellow boatmen—
He’d gather them all, dealing cards at every opportunity.
“Did you actually conduct any investigation?”
When she fixed him with a skeptical gaze, Ulderan cleared his throat and rose from his seat, “Read the investigation report if you wish. Everything’s been properly documented.”
The report Ulderan handed over was written in elegant penmanship. When Silverna realized it was Isaac’s handwriting, she set it down with an expression of disbelief.
“Since when do we let witnesses write their own investigation reports?”
“My lady…”
Anna, standing behind her, called out softly.
Even for his daughter, pressing the Margrave too hard in front of outsiders was inappropriate.
“…………”
As she pressed her lips together and resumed reading the report, Ulderan stood and pronounced his judgment on the pair.
“Both are cleared of suspicion. However, they’ll both serve under your command in this major beast outbreak, dedicating themselves to the kingdom.”
“What? Isaac I understand, but Rianna Helmund as well?”
“Would it not be wasteful to squander such combat potential?”
“…………”
When she failed to respond, Ulderan strode out of the room.
Reading the report, it seemed they had covered all the necessary ground before departing, “So Isaac… was raised by one of the Transcendent when he was young?”
Silverna’s eyes widened with surprise.
“Yes.”
“…………”
His curt response suggested he had no intention of elaborating further.
“And that’s why you know about the Transcendent and their magic?”
“That is correct.”
“…Your excuses seem rather half-hearted, don’t you think?”
“The Margrave accepted them, though.”
“But the Transcendent always kill humans, they say.”
“They were half-blood.”
Though Silverna’s expression remained skeptical, Isaac’s defender had emerged—
“I’ve known about this for a long time.”
Rianna raised her hand and continued, “When Isaac was young, he received teachings from an extraordinary master. That’s why he knows various things.”
“………..”
Looking at the couple seated before her, their unwavering gazes fixed upon her, Silverna felt an unsettling sensation creep over her.
“Didn’t you say you learned about alcohol from them too?”
“Yeah, when I was really young.”
“Was it beer?”
“Wine.”
“Right, wine.”
The couple nodded in unison and turned their gaze back to Silverna.
‘Why does it feel like they’re both lying?’
The feeling of deception hung thick in the air.
Yet with both of them speaking in such perfect harmony, it was difficult to challenge their story.
“It’s like watching a married couple’s confidence scheme.”
Anna’s comment hit exactly where Silverna’s suspicions lay, scratching that metaphorical itch perfectly. But with the Margrave ruling already in place, there was little she could do. Her only option was to accept it and follow orders.
🎕
After leaving the interrogation room.
Through the castle’s corridors, where cold air lingered like whispers of winter.
Isaac walked along the path illuminated by wall-mounted lanterns, their flames dancing against stone.
‘That caught me off guard.’
In truth, Isaac found himself bewildered.
‘I never imagined Rianna would match my story so perfectly.’
He had been startled by how naturally she had woven herself into his fabrication, adding flesh to the bones of his lies.
Surely Rianna must have her own doubts about Isaac.
His peculiar sword stance, for instance.
His vast knowledge of diverse swordsmanship techniques.
Yet she had matched his words without hesitation, allowing them to slip past scrutiny.
“You were lying earlier, weren’t you?”
Silverna’s voice pierced the air behind Isaac, who had been walking with clear purpose. She had been following him since they left, and somehow Anna had vanished.
Isaac halted abruptly, turning to face Silverna.
“Are we still in the interrogation room?”
“I’m not interrogating you. And I’m not accusing you either.”
“Then why ask?”
“You could be honest with me, couldn’t you?”
Isaac’s expression hardened at her words, which hung in the air like a desperate plea.
“Honest about what?”
“We’re comrades. Comrades who fight together, risking our lives.”
“Being comrades doesn’t mean we share everything.”
After all, even married couples kept secrets from one another, didn’t they? Isaac’s curt reply made Silverna press her lips together in frustration.
“The Margrave chose to trust me. You should do the same.”
“He prioritizes the demon beast outbreak right now. He wants to use you as a military asset, even if your story doesn’t quite add up.”
“…………”
Silverna’s words struck true like an arrow finding its mark.
Isaac drew a measured breath before countering.
“Be that as it may, it was still his decision.”
“So this is how you want to play it?”
Silverna stepped forward, closing the distance between them.
Her prominent chest nearly brushed against Isaac’s, the proximity electric with tension.
“Silverna, enough.”
“What?”
Isaac finally snapped, unable to contain himself.
“I get that the bonds between comrades in the North are special. But like I said, we don’t have to share everything.”
“…………”
“Just as you have your secrets, I have mine. All I ask is that you trust they harm no one.”
With those words, Isaac resumed his path down the corridor.
One step.
Two steps.
Three steps.
At precisely the third step—
“I—”
Silverna’s voice pierced the air like an arrow, striking Isaac’s back with unwavering precision.
“I’ve fallen for you.”
“………..”
Though they stood within the castle walls, a strange wind seemed to howl through the corridor, an illusion born of the moment’s gravity.
Isaac’s steps froze, his body becoming as still as the stone beneath his feet.
Like a rusty hinge, he turned his head to find Silverna standing with crossed arms, nodding with forced confidence.
“So… what do you think? No more secrets from me.”
Her flushed face betrayed her bold declaration as she pointed an accusatory finger at him.
And a hollow laugh escaped Isaac’s lips; it was a laugh born of sheer disbelief.
Isaac turned back to face Silverna fully.
Slowly, he reached out and fastened the loose buttons of her shirt.
“At least dress properly. You’re a grown woman, for heaven’s sake…”
“Now it’s your turn to share your secret. That’s the exchange, right?”
The water was already spilled.
Though Silverna pressed forward boldly, Isaac shook his head with casual dismissal.
“That wasn’t a secret.”
“Huh?”
“I already knew.”
“W-what…?”
This time, the roles reversed.
Her body stiffened as if frozen in place. Slowly, her face turned beet red, like an overripe tomato ready to burst. Her lips flapped open and closed like a fish gasping for air, her arms flailing in a desperate attempt to regain composure.
“Y-you knew? How? Since when?”
“For quite a while.”
Even Anna, her aide, had come to Isaac separately to request he maintain his distance, given the delicate relations between Helmund and Caldias.
“Ah, what?! W-wait a moment?!”
Silverna spun around in panic.
When she touched her cheeks with both hands, they burned hot enough to rival a blacksmith’s forge.
“But Silverna—”
“Wait! D-don’t talk to me right now!”
“………..”
Isaac waited patiently, watching as Silverna hunched over.
After her shoulders stopped trembling and she finished muttering to herself, apparently sorting through her thoughts—
“Phew!”
Silverna turned back to face Isaac.
“Oh, geez.”
But the moment their eyes met, her resolve faltered. She covered her mouth with one hand, visibly retreating in embarrassment.
“Let me be clear about something. I’m a married man.”
“Heh.”
“…Did you just laugh?”
“No, no. I didn’t laugh.”
Strange.
Though her hand covered her mouth, it seemed like she had definitely smiled.
‘Surely she doesn’t have a thing for married men.’
Did she smile because she found it… appealing?
Shaking the strange notion away, Isaac pressed on—
“Anyway, since I’m married, you don’t need to expect any sort of answer from me.”
“………….”
Silverna crossed her arms and glared at Isaac. Though her face remained scarlet, she seemed to have given up trying to hide it.
“What is it?”
“This seems a bit unfair. I was honest about my feelings.”
“I was honest too. I told you I can’t accept them.”
“That’s just something you have to say because of your circumstances.”
Silverna was, after all, a natural genius.
‘Teach her one thing, and she grasps ten,’ Isaac thought, bemused.
“From a married man’s perspective, of course, you can’t accept my feelings. I’m not unreasonable, you know.”
Anna’s advice about seizing this ‘once-in-a-lifetime opportunity’ seemed to spark an idea in the genius woman’s mind.
“Forget everything else. Just tell me, on a personal level—what do you really think of me?”
“Does it matter?”
“Cut me some slack, will you? This is the first time a man’s ever made my heart race. At least give me a decent ending.”
“………….”
The conclusion of first love.
Knowing painfully well how important such moments were, Isaac hesitated before offering his honest thoughts.
“Yes, you’re a charming woman. So much that I feel proud to have earned your affections.”
A glint of hope flashed in her eyes.
“If you didn’t have Rianna…”
“………..”
“Would you have chosen me?”
The sincerity in her question was written all over her face, her hand resting over her heart. Under the weight of her gaze, Isaac found himself nodding almost instinctively.
“Y-yes. I probably would have. But what does that matter? I’m married anyway.”
“Hrk”
Did she just laugh?
A flustered Isaac meant to ask, but Silverna simply nodded broadly, her face breaking into a radiant smile.
“Thank you, Isaac.”
“…Hey, Silverna.”
Isaac asked cautiously, unease creeping into his voice.
“Do you… know something?”
“Hmm?”
“No, it’s just… it feels like you’re hiding something.”
To Isaac’s careful probing, as if testing thin ice, Silverna responded with a playful smile.
“Even comrades have their secrets, Isaac.”
🎕
Outside the castle walls, Silverna’s footsteps carried a newfound lightness.
Though Isaac remained in the castle, mentioning other business to attend to, she was eager to share today’s joyous news with Anna.
Then—
A woman with crimson hair stood motionless at the entrance.
Her gaze fixed upon Silverna, unwavering.
‘They say Helmunds have keen hearing.’
Shauren’s words, it seemed, held truth.
The very air around her radiated an understanding of everything that had transpired.
Without breaking her stride, Silverna passed by Rianna, declaring with unflinching resolve—
“I won’t apologize, nor will I feel guilty.”
“………….”
“You’re the one who let him go.”
Watching Silverna’s retreating figure disappear into the castle grounds, Rianna remained silent, her lips pressed into a tight line.
No, perhaps it wasn’t that she remained silent—she found herself unable to speak.
What right did she have now, after all?
The weight of her choices.
Whatever the reasons, she had maintained her silence within the mansion.
And so here too—
Silence was all she could offer.
For that, surely, was what Isaac would want.
{T/N :- POETIC!!!}
END of CHAPTER
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