The Son-In-Law Of A Prestigious Family Wants A Divorce

✦  Chapter 15 — Nest  ✦

「Translator – Creator」

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“Gasp… Gasp…”

Isaac panted heavily, staring at the Transcendent being impaled on the spear; the creature remained standing even in death, resembling a macabre monument.

‘Thank goodness.’

Although he couldn’t say it out loud due to his labored breathing, Isaac was genuinely relieved.

He believed that as long as he could reach Ulderan Caldwell, he would definitely be able to kill the Transcendent being. No matter how powerful the Transcendent being was, Ulderan was more than capable of subduing him.

‘It wasn’t that formidable compared to other Transcendent beings.’

When he thought about it rationally, Isaac considered the Transcendents he knew, and he didn’t think this one was particularly strong.

“Are you alright, Lord Isaac?!”

“We’ll get you down right away!”

The tightly shut gates of the Wall swung open, and soldiers came rushing out. Isaac pointed towards the direction he had been thrown and shouted,

“The wounded first! Quickly!”

Starting with Jonathan.

Then Silverna and her lieutenant Anna, the nobles, and their escorts.

There were so many casualties from a single Transcendent being.

Compared to them, Isaac was practically unscathed, aside from the injuries sustained from the fall.

At this moment, it was not Isaac who was important, but the others.

Following Isaac’s instructions, the soldiers rushed towards the foot of the mountain.

“Are you alright?”

Ulderan approached Isaac, who was catching his breath while sitting on the ground. He tried to rise hastily, but the Margrave gently pressed down on his shoulder, urging him to rest.

“Yes, I’m fine.”

“Hmm, and that demon beast?”

It seemed even Ulderan had never seen anything like it.

Isaac looked at the corpse with a bitter expression and replied.

“It’s a Transcendent being… similar to humans, but they share traits with demon beasts.”

At Isaac’s words, Ulderan folded his arms and studied the corpse with an intrigued frown.

“Hmm, you seem to know quite a bit about them.”

“I’ll explain everything later.”

Isaac rose slowly to his feet; the moment his eyes fell on a man being carried away on a stretcher, he felt the urge to rush over immediately.

As if sensing his concern, Ulderan chuckled lightly and nodded.

“Don’t worry about it, go ahead. It’s natural to worry about your comrades.”

“Thank you.”

Leaving Ulderan behind, Isaac hurried over to Jonathan’s side.

“Jonathan! Are you alright?!”

Jonathan, lying on the stretcher, gave a weak smile and a thumbs-up.

“I am a knight of House Helmund, after all.”

“Hah, hah… Yeah, I’m glad you’re fine.”

While the mention of House Helmund wasn’t exactly music to his ears, Isaac was relieved that Jonathan was alive, “Just what happened here?”

In Isaac’s experience, Transcendents never spared human lives.

Their hatred for humans was almost like a primal instinct, and it was a cold, unyielding emotion.

Jonathan, still lying down, scratched his cheek awkwardly.

“To be honest, I don’t know how I survived. After sending you flying, Lord Isaac, I felt its greatsword graze my neck.”

He lifted his head slightly to show his neck; there was indeed a bloody gash around his Adam’s apple.

“But then, it just… stared at me and left.”

“Left?”

“Yes, it called me something like a filthy creature and then just walked away.”

“Filthy creature?”

Isaac tilted his head, puzzled by Jonathan’s words; the Transcendent being had simply abandoned the opportunity to kill a human?

‘What in the…’

This defied all logic he knew about them.

“Lord Isaac! I’m perfectly fine! Don’t worry about me!”

“Well, you should still take it easy for a bit.”

“You need to get that checked by a healer immediately.”

With that, Jonathan was carried away.

There was no time to dwell on Jonathan’s fortunate survival. Questions kept piling up in his mind, plunging him into deep thought. Just then, he felt someone hug him tightly from behind.

“Isaac!”

“Silverna?”

Startled, Isaac turned his head.

Silverna was holding onto him as if her life depended on it, relief washing over her features.

“Thank goodness! You’re alright, Isaac! I thought something terrible had happened!”

“Well, you see…”

Embarrassed, Isaac discreetly glanced around.

He could practically feel Ulderan Caldias’s gaze piercing through him.

‘At this rate, he might just turn me into a pincushion like that Transcendent being…’

Unwilling to share his fate with the creature impaled on the spear, Isaac tried to gently pry Silverna off.

“Ugh…”

However, her grip was surprisingly strong, and he found himself unable to break free.

As he tried to figure out how to extricate himself from her embrace, a voice broke the silence.

“Ahem, Silverna.”

Ulderan Caldias was suddenly standing beside them, clearing his throat to get his daughter’s attention.

“Ah, I-I apologize!”

Finally realizing what she was doing, Silverna quickly let go, her face flushed crimson.

“……….…….”

Ulderan’s gaze shifted to Isaac.

He seemed about to say something, but then…

“Hmm.”

Isaac pretended to scratch the back of his neck, subtly revealing the ring on his left ring finger; that seemed to soften Ulderan’s expression slightly. 

“The treasures of Holstein?”

Returning to business, Ulderan’s voice was all business. Silverna straightened her posture and reported,

“It’s secured. Anna is guarding it, but she sustained some injuries, so she needs to rejoin us soon.”

“Very well, I’ll retrieve it myself.”

Silverna seemed surprised that Ulderan would personally handle it, but the Margrave wasn’t taking any chances. “Don’t let your guard down,” he stated grimly, his voice heavy with experience. He frowned, “We can’t afford to be careless.”

“That monstrous being that calls itself a Transcendent is concerning, but the sheer number of demon beasts is what worries me.”

Indeed.

Even Silverna had noticed the abnormally high concentration of demon beasts near the Wall.

“You mean…”

“Silverna, get ready to send a letter right away.”

After a twenty-three-year absence, it seemed.

“The grand demon beast nest is upon us.”

🎕

Helmund Estate.

“Aaaagh!”

A man’s anguished cry echoed through the estate; the shriek was so earsplitting that one might mistake it for a rooster’s crow, were it not for the early hour.

The source of the scream was the third son of House Helmund, Alois Helmund.

He had recently been subjected to daily morning sparring sessions; and his opponent was none other than the eldest daughter of the house, Rianna Helmund.

*Clank!*

Liania breathed a sigh, swinging her greatsword, ‘Ragnabel’.

“Hold still, Alois.”

Her tone left no room for doubt; this was far from over. Rianna’s eyes, which Alois often praised for their jewel-like beauty, now seemed to gleam with a chilling, blood-red light.

“S-sister! We’re sparring every single day! You’re going to be the death of me!”

While he cherished spending time with his sister, this was something else entirely.

Every day, he felt like he was being pummeled to a pulp.

But Rianna was relentless.

“Every day, we spar, yet you show no improvement.”

“But, that’s because…”

…you’re on a whole other level, Sister.

That was what Alois wanted to say, but he held his tongue; strictly speaking, he had improved. It was just that, compared to Rianna’s abilities, his progress was negligible.

“Hold the sword.”

Rianna, unyielding as ever.

Her expression, devoid of emotion, only made her sincerity more apparent.

‘I should have not brought up the topic of remarriage… that was a mistake.’

Alois was still paying the price for his earlier conversation with Rianna, where he had dismissed Isaac and brought up the topic of remarriage. Moreover, Rianna and Alois weren’t the only ones at the Helmund estate with troubled hearts because of Isaac.

The second daughter, Shauren Helmund, was in the same boat. At seventeen, she was the youngest of the Helmund siblings, only ahead of her youngest brother, fifteen-year-old Edel Helmund.

She was currently sprawled on her bed, kicking her blankets in frustration.

“Argh! Where are you?!”

If one had to describe her, she was…

A tomboy. A whirlwind of energy. A free spirit.

Had she not been born a Helmund, she would’ve been an ordinary, boisterous girl you might find in any countryside village. But being born a Helmund seemed to amplify her already energetic personality.

And among her many feisty moments, one thing stood out — food.

“Where is it?! Where is it?!”

In particular, there was one snack that she loved, but she hadn’t been able to eat it for a while now.

“Where does Isaac even buy those things?!”

Because.

Isaac, whom she had treated like her personal errand boy, had been dispatched to the front lines of Malideen. And because of that, she hadn’t had a single one of those delicious treats since Isaac’s departure.

She had scoured every bakery in the vicinity, but to no avail; they all seemed to bake their own pastries. Lost in her contemplation of snacks, she was startled by her handmaiden, Kelsei, who burst into the room.

“Milady! The Lord requests your presence!”

“What, Father?”

The Sword Festival was still over a month away. It was too early for their father to summon all of them; something else must be afoot.

And so, the direct descendants of House Helmund assembled at their father’s study.

The eldest son, Roengrin.

The eldest daughter, Rianna.

The second son, Armin.

The third son, Alois.

The second daughter, Shauren.

And the youngest, Edel.

The atmosphere was somewhat awkward; it had been a while since they had all gathered like this outside of mealtimes.

Arandel stroked his chin, a troubled expression on his face.

“A messenger has arrived from the Malideen Wall.”

Every eye in the room instantly darted towards Rianna.

The Malideen Wall, where Isaac had been sent. Had they received news of his death?

That was the most logical conclusion, and Rianna felt her heart clench.

She tightened her fists, trying to quell the anxious tremor within her as she waited with bated breath.

“The demon beasts horde near the Malideen Wall… it’s been confirmed. It’s a grand demon beast nest.”

The tension in the room shifted, morphing into a different beast altogether.

A grand demon beast nest… a phenomenon unseen for twenty-three years.

And that meant there was only one reason for the messenger to be here.

“They need reinforcements.”

The request from House Caldias, relayed by the imperial messenger, was blunt; pretty straightforward.

Sending promising youths to gain experience during a simple demon beast outbreak was one thing.

But now that it had been confirmed as a grand demon beast nest…

They needed manpower.

Individuals capable of actual combat.

“Hmm…”

Even Arandel, who held the upcoming Sword Festival in high regard, knew this was a matter of greater importance. Now that they were facing a grand demon beast nest, he couldn’t afford to make decisions based solely on the interests of House Helmund.

“Someone must be sent to Malideen Wall. Who will step forward?”

That’s why Aranheld asked.

But silence greeted his question; and then, two voices rang out simultaneously.

“I will go.”

“Father! Send me!”

The only women present in the room.

Rianna and Shauren had both answered the call.

END of CHAPTER

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