The Son-In-Law Of A Prestigious Household Wants A Divorce-Chapter 58: The Sword Dance Festival (5)

Isaac let out a soft chuckle at Rianna’s resolute answer.

In truth, there were times when he disliked her, even resented her, but...

Seeing her looking so determined like this didn’t make him feel too bad.

Also...

It gave him some kind of satisfaction to see that someone he once passionately loved was a decent person.

“W-Why are you laughing?”

Rianna asked, glancing at Isaac.

But he just shook his head, and returned to the topic they were discussing earlier.

“Also, Rianna, I’ll be participating in the Sword Dance Festival.”

It was a little past noon.

The Sword Dance Festival would start in about 5-6 hours.

It wouldn’t take place in the mansion, but on the hill behind it.

There was a plain area set up outdoors, like a dueling ground.

Actually, it wasn’t originally a plain, but a dense forest.

Back when he was young, Arandel had shattered all the trees in the area while he was swinging his sword, turning the forest into a plain.

After he became the family head, he decided that the Sword Dance Festival would be held there, and it had been that way since then.

“It’ll be dangerous.”

“I know.”

“Lohengrin is determined this time. He’ll do his best to make you half-crip—A-Ahem, to hurt you.”

She was about to repeat what Lohengrin had said, but she managed to swallow her words back.

“You should focus on your opponent—Mother. It won’t do you any good to overexert yourself.”

“No. Honestly, I could say from the start, I returned to this place for this exact purpose.”

“Isaac...”

“You know, Jonathan and I rarely agree on something?”

A comfortable smile hung on Isaac’s lips.

The atmosphere he carried was similar to back when they used to talk on his ferry.

“Helmont’s strength. That’s one of the rare occasions when we agree on something.”

“...”

“The reason why Helmont is so strong is not just because of their innate physique, but because they’ve discarded everything except the sword.”

That was a hard statement to deny.

Especially after seeing how Arandel Helmont’s attitude towards everything except the sword.

“I want to show them.”

Among the things discarded...

“That there are things they shouldn’t have let go so easily.”

He, who had been more obsessed with Helmont than anyone.

His gaze slowly lowered to the single lilac blooming vibrantly in front of them.

“Look how it’s still growing green among the roses, even though its season has passed.”

Just like...

“Me. It’s just like me, don’t you think?”

A bright smile formed on his face.

The Sword Dance Festival.

An event that glorified Helmont, a garden where only roses were allowed, but...

Ironically, what stood out here was the purple lilac that had bloomed in its lonesome.

Hearing his words, Rianna decided to take a step back.

“...Are you confident...?”

“The Grandmaster always says, ‘What’s the point of drawing your sword if you know you’ll win before you do?’.“

“...”

Though he spoke grandly, it sounded like he didn’t have anything to back up his words.

“Isaac, I’m asking just in case.”

“Hm?”

“Have you ever broken through Sharen’s Crimson Essence?”

“...”

Isaac scratched his eye with his finger and mumbled awkwardly.

“Ah... I think I just caught hay fever...”

*   *   *Behind the Helmont mansion.

Countless people gathered on the vast plain.

Surrounding them were the knights of Helmont, standing like tall walls.

They controlled the crowd to keep everything orderly.

Meanwhile, the nobles were seated in separate seats.

For reference, today was the semi-finals.

Isaac, Helmont’s son-in-law, against Lohengrin, the eldest son of Helmont.

Armin, the second son of Helmont, against Heyrad.

Heyrad was the princess’ bodyguard. It was said that she had personally raised him from a young age.

But still, this was Helmont.

Everyone predicted that the eldest and the second son would meet in the finals.

“W-W-What should I do? I-I-I’m so nervous, Sir Isaac!”

Amidst the crowd, Isaac sat silently in his seat.

Beside him, Jonathan was making a fuss.

Each participant had one Helmont knight assigned as a guard, and the one assigned to Isaac was none other than Jonathan.

Normally, someone as green as him wouldn’t qualify for the position, but after considering their close relationship, they made a special exception for him.

“You’re not even the one going out there! Why are you making so much fuss?!”

Sharen snapped at him, clearly irritated.

She had been staying by Galenia’s side all day, but the moment the Sword Dance Festival started, she came to Isaac’s side to give him advice.

“Isaac, look at this.”

“Hm?”

Pushing Jonathan aside, Sharen stood in front of Isaac and waved a white towel.

“If you really feel like you’re going to die out there, call my name. I’ll throw this towel right away.”

“...Would that even end the fight?”

“Why wouldn’t it be? Raising a white flag is a sign of surrender in a war, no? Ah! Am I supposed to wave it around instead?”

“Haa... Just don’t worry about me.”

For reference, the matches of the Sword Dance Festival only ended when the opponent was unconscious or completely unable to fight.

It was an extremely crude method, which was also why there weren’t many participants.

Helmont members were so sturdy that they’d recover quickly even if injured, and they could use things like Roselixir if needed, but...

Others didn’t have Helmont’s monstrous self-healing ability or sturdy bodies.

A single wrong move here could end a knight’s career.

“But why are you wearing that? Aren’t you supposed to wear armor, not a coat?”

Sharen said, smacking her forehead as she stared at the new-looking black coat Isaac was wearing.

“Lohengrin will be furious when he sees this, won’t he? Won’t he feel disrespected?”

“It’s a strategic choice.”

Isaac let out a sigh as he answered.

“It’s pointless to wear armor anyway since a single hit will end me. Besides, it’ll only hinder me when I try to dodge.”

“No, that’s—“

Sharen was about to say something but tilted her head and muttered.

“Wait, that might work.”

“...”

“But what’s with this design? Did you just pick it up from some marketplace? This is why you’re hopeless, Isaac. It looks—“

“Rianna gave it to me.”

“...Sister did?”

“Yeah, she said it’s made from a Demonic Beast she hunted long ago. She said that she had been wanting to give it to me for a while, but she hadn’t been able to.”

“...”

“I heard the Demonic Beast could even withstand her Crimson Essence, so it should be able to withstand Lohengrin’s to some extent.”

“Sister has better sense than I thought.”

Isaac would have laughed at Sharen’s quick change of tone normally, but he couldn’t now.

Because of the matter with Milly and Galenia...

Either of them...

Wasn’t something Sharen would be happy to hear.

So Isaac just closed his eyes tightly.

Before long.

Lohengrin stepped out onto the plain that could be called a stage.

At that moment, the crowd erupted in cheers and praise for the likely candidate to lead Helmont in the future.

The Sword Dance Festival wasn’t conducted like other martial arts tournaments.

When they were ready, the participants just needed to come forward.

It was an extremely crude method, but it was also very Helmont-like.

“A-Ah, Isaac! Good luck! Remember! If you call my name, I’ll wave this right away.”

“Sir Isaac, you even defeated Brikala! You’ll do well!”

Receiving encouragement from the two, Isaac stepped forward.

Towards the rugged plain that could hardly be called a stage.

At its end sat Arandel and Galenia.

And the other Helmont children.

Among them was Rianna, who was watching him with her hands clasped together as if praying.

“How ridiculous.”

Lohengrin let out a slight smile at Isaac as he stepped forward.

“There’s no point in showing these to these many people, no? After all...”

“...”

“We’re just doing our daily routine.”

When he used to beat Isaac under the pretext of dueling, it felt just like this.

Though Lohengrin might have felt bored having to do such a trivial act again; an act that was the equivalent of twisting a child’s arm.

This time, there was a meaning in it, so the atmosphere he carried was different.

“After today, it’ll be impossible for you to live normally.”

Lohengrin’s massive greatsword rose high into the sky.

A greatsword that Isaac couldn’t even lift with both hands.

The crowd marveled and cheered at the sight of him casually lifting it with just one hand.

“I have the perfect justification too.”

“...”

“Even if for a fool, if they bear the Helmont name, they should at least pretend to carry a greatsword.”

At Isaac’s waist were two tachi.

One was White Snow, made of Argentite.

The other was a somewhat usable tachi among the practice swords Antonio had made.

“No matter how cruelly I crush you, my action will still be justified as upholding Helmont’s honor.”

He didn’t grasp a greatsword in the name of Helmont.

That alone made it seem like he was disrespecting Helmont. In fact, jeers about whether he was qualified or not had been pouring out, but...

Arandel didn’t make a move; just sitting there with his chin resting on his hand, seemingly uninterested.

“Getting cocky just because you slew one Demonic Beast—!”

Lohengrin’s greatsword cut through the sky.

Simultaneously, an immense amount of Crimson Essence covered the evening sky, overflowing with an almost obsessive fighting spirit that splattered in all directions.

There was no starting signal.

Lohengrin’s greatsword came down.

Despite the sword being far away, his Crimson Essence in the shape of a sword came down to split Isaac’s skull.

“...!”

Isaac quickly lowered his body and leaped to the side.

The only way to pierce through the Crimson Essence was the Great Iai.

Believing that the single strike that had even pierced Brikala’s lightning, Isaac moved his legs busily.

“A Helmont—!”

Lohengrin’s bloodshot eyes followed Isaac.

The greatsword that had been thrusted down changed its trajectory, now chasing Isaac horizontally.

“Is supposed to face their opponent head-on!”

I can’t dodge this!

Isaac immediately placed his hand on the tachi at his waist.

He drew the tachi—not White Snow—counterattacking with an Iai, but...

Clang!

“...!”

Even though it had only hit the Crimson Essence, not the real greatsword, the tachi shattered to pieces.

“Gasp! W-What should we do! Without that—!”

Jonathan’s fuss could be heard, but Isaac had no leisure to pay any attention to him.

He had momentarily stopped Lohengrin’s onslaught by sacrificing one tachi, but that was all.

Despite losing a sword faster than expected, Isaac didn’t lose his composure, just biting his lip silently.

After all, that tachi was just a consumable.

White Snow was his real weapon.

And to use it, he had to wait for the best possible moment—

“Tch, damn you.”

Seeing Isaac still not properly drawing his sword, Lohengrin sneered.

“To think you’d entrust your life to a single flimsy sword no one’s ever heard of.”

“...”

“I see that Cardias has lost their minds, using Argentite to make such a sword.”

Isaac still didn’t answer.

Every moment Lohengrin showed such leisure was time for Isaac to catch his breath.

However, Lohengrin’s eyes filled with a crazed contempt.

“A sword that slew a Demonic Beast? Are you aiming for that one strike that shattered your arm?”

“...”

“Disgusting.”

Though Lohengrin despised Isaac, he didn’t disrespect him as his opponent.

That was his attitude towards the festival as well as his respect for his father.

How Isaac had defeated Brikala in the North, what Isaac’s sword was made of, and what he was aiming for...

“Everything’s in the palm of my hand.”

Lohengrin knew it all.

The greatsword on his shoulder.

The anger in his eyes.

“You incompetent fool. You’re neither a knight nor a swordsman. Can’t even imagine yourself properly clashing swords with me? Just aiming for one lucky strike instead?”

“...”

“Thinking that you’ve become something just because you killed one dying Demonic Beast? How utterly ignorant.”

This time, Lohengrin emitted Crimson Essence from his entire body. The fiercely burning flames of contempt seemed about to engulf Isaac at any moment.

“You think you could defeat Helmont with just one strike—?!

“Today!! Even if you kneel! Even if you crawl on the ground! Even if you bark like a dog! Nothing you do will quell my anger—!”

Whoosh!

Suddenly.

Something intervened between the two.

Thud!

What stuck firmly into the ground was a sword.

A tachi that Isaac had never seen before.

His eyes widened as he traced the direction the sword had come from.

Among the crowd, Silverna was waving her hand with a bright smile.

“This is why I’m late!”

“Silverna...!”

“Do your best! Pikyat!”

“...?”

He didn’t know what that last part was about, but that didn’t stop him from pulling out the sword she had thrown.

The sword was hot.

It pulsed as if it was alive, and abundant mana overflowed, unable to be contained in the sword.

And...

As if recognizing Isaac, it scattered electricity as if howling.

The remnants of Brikala that Rianna had left behind.

This was his second tachi, made using those materials.

Grip.

Though his palm felt like it was burning, a smile formed on Isaac’s lips.

[A sword shouldn’t be too light either, you fool!]

Antonio probably only realized Isaac’s intention to make the sword as light as possible after making this particular one.

[What kind of sword is this supposed to be used for?]

[It’s not a Helmont greatsword, nor is it an ordinary two-handed sword. It seems like you’re handling the sword with one hand, but you’re not carrying a shield either.]

Silverna, who had seen the manual Isaac was writing, tilted her head and asked, not understanding.

[It feels a bit crude, trying to incorporate Helmont into it.]

[Forget Helmont. Just swing your own sword. Isaac, you have more than enough talent for that!]

Through Sharen, Rianna had advised not to obsess over Helmont’s sword.

“Haa.”

Now, at this moment, he felt he could answer their words.

He drew White Snow silently.

Since Great Iai could only be used while the sword was still in its scabbard...

He had never drawn it until now. But...

Now, he felt that everything would be okay.

He grasped both swords in both hands.

Two light yet sturdy swords, supporting him as a swordsman.

As the Ink Sword.

Everything he had written, all while believing they would someday become reality, finally started to become reality.

A wind that changed the flow blew in.

In this warmth, he suddenly wished that Milly was there to see him.

He wanted to share this warmth with her, just as she did with him.

“Is that all?”

Meanwhile, Lohengrin grinded his teeth, chewing on his anger.

“Two swords? What difference does that make?!”

“...”

“The name of Helmont—! How far are you going to look down on it!”

Updat𝓮d from freewēbnoveℓ.com.

However, Lohengrin’s roar didn’t reach Isaac.

He was too busy recalling the swordsmanship in his mind.

What he had admired from Rianna Helmont.

Things that the Grandmaster had taught him.

All combined with the inspiration he got from Arandel Helmont’s will...

Dusk fell.

When the setting sun touched his black hair.

Painting it red.

Helmont.

Isaac Helmont. He had now become worthy of that name.

-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------Isaac