"..."
His breathing was rough.
Maybe it was because they were underground.
Or maybe it was the tension—he wasn't sure.
Isaac felt like his sword would slip from his hands at any moment due to the sweat pouring down.
The giant's request had been clear.
He wanted meaning to be given to the life and time he had endured for so long.
He wanted to believe that he had made it this far just to bring enlightenment to Isaac.
Moved by that desperate plea—if only to fulfill that wish—Isaac had finally raised his sword.
"Wait a moment."
Marlin interjected as she watched the two.
It wasn't that she didn't understand the meaning of the exchange.
She fully empathized, but—
"I think now's the time we need to stay calm."
Marlin explained steadily.
"I understand how you feel. But don't you think we need to consider our current situation? Even if we could cut him down after all this effort…"
If they truly succeeded in cutting the giant down—
"We'll be crushed to death."
"..."
"..."
Isaac and the giant fell silent. Her words were painfully realistic.
If they struck down the giant to fulfill his wish, what would happen after?
If the already barely-breathing giant suffered a greater wound, those underneath might be crushed where they stood.
Clearly, it was time to prioritize reality over dreams—Marlin advised as such.
But the two didn't see it the same way.
"Marlin…"
He didn't know how to explain it, but the giant gave a soft laugh and reassured her.
"Don't worry, little one."
"Sorry?"
"By the time Isaac reaches the enlightenment needed to cut me down, you all will have already escaped safely."
Marlin blinked blankly. She couldn't understand what he meant.
Not knowing where to even begin asking, Isaac gave a faint smile and lifted his sword once more.
If anything, this was the perfect dire situation to challenge the impossible.
With a sardonic smile, Isaac resumed swinging his sword.
Clang!
One of the most troubling things about being trapped in the dark was not knowing how much time had passed.
Thick air, the never-ending stream of sweat, and his broken sword.
"…I don't think this can be used anymore."
Wiping the sweat from his brow, he tossed the now-split sword to the ground.
It was a training sword he had borrowed temporarily, but now it was no better than a shattered stick.
"Are you ready?"
The giant asked, but Isaac found it hard to answer.
He didn't know how many hours had passed, but his body was fatigued to the bone.
After spending days pounding on the giant's thick skin, the blisters on his hands had burst and reformed over and over.
His palms stung and felt damp.
At first, he thought it was just sweat or burst blisters, but when he looked, his palms were stained with blood.
"Haa…"
He caught his breath.
His chest pounded, and he felt like collapsing on the spot.
"Please rest a bit."
Now, Marlin no longer questioned anything.
She simply followed the words of Isaac and the giant.
She believed the two of them saw something she could not.
Gently pulling on his shoulder, Marlin helped Isaac collapse into her arms.
His strength was so depleted that even a small tug caused him to fall.
Supporting Isaac in her arms, Marlin carefully laid him down.
Kneeling beside him, she propped his head on her lap and offered the remaining water and a sandwich.
"Please eat."
"You don't understand, do you?"
"…Sorry?"
Startled, Marlin responded quickly, but Isaac just gave a small knowing smile.
"I can't blame you. Anyone would think we should be saving every ounce of energy right now."
Weren't they stranded, after all?
Realistically, swinging a sword in such a situation was something only a madman would do.
Marlin, who had been hesitating to speak, cautiously opened her mouth as Isaac gave her the opening.
"Honestly… I still don't understand."
"Heh."
The giant let out a soft chuckle.
As if to say, that wasn't her fault.
"But if Sir Isaac says so, I'll try to accept it."
"..."
Isaac slowly lifted his head and looked at her.
Even in the darkness, her blue eyes shone vividly.
"You'll just accept it because I said so?"
"Yes."
Her answer, almost blindly trusting, made Isaac frown a little.
His gaze on her wavered.
Looking at her, Isaac paused to catch his breath and said:
"Do you remember what I told you back then?"
"You told me to speak assertively. That if I kept hiding my intentions, I'd end up with nothing."
Isaac nodded.
He had told her that because she reminded him of Liana.
Liana had always kept her mouth shut and never shared her thoughts.
"If you have something to say, say it.
You don't have to always read my mood and let things slide."
After all, her life was on the line too.
It was true that they needed to conserve as much food and water as possible until the Magic Tower could rescue them.
"I did go along with the flow."
Marlin nodded calmly.
Since she didn't understand anything, all she could say was that she went with the flow.
"But even that was something I chose."
However, unlike before, the one who chose this flow was Marlin.
In the past, she might have let things pass vaguely, but now she had agreed to this path by her own choice.
"Everything now is my decision. Giving water and food to Baron Logan. Simply watching your training. Even risking my life for someone like you who challenges the impossible."
"...."
At Marlin's words, Isaac fell silent for a moment. He seemed to want to say something, but it was the kind of thing that felt awkward to say himself.
But Marlin calmly voiced what Isaac held inside.
"Yes, I have feelings for Baron Logan."
"...."
It felt like his breath caught for a moment. Marlin's bold yet calm confession made the air around them feel a little hotter.
"That is why I support you. And the Baron I know—"
Pausing, Marlin pushed through her embarrassment and got straight to the point.
"—has already realized my feelings, hasn't he?"
"...."
"Ho."
Both of them stared sharply at Isaac.
Even the giant seemed intrigued, as if the pain had been momentarily forgotten in this trivial conversation.
"Isn't that right?"
Though her tone was flat as usual, strangely, it felt like pressure.
You knew I had feelings for you, didn't you?
"Hoo… yeah. You're right."
Someone as handsome as Isaac naturally becomes quick to pick up on things.
Especially when it comes to women who have feelings for him.
That's why Isaac intentionally pretended not to know or kept his distance.
"But Marlin—"
"I already know. That there's no place for me in your heart."
She knew that confessing was a hard thing to do.
Isaac understood that all too well.
But rejecting a confession was also harder than people realized.
In that sense, Marlin seemed determined to take full responsibility for her confession.
Knowing her feelings were meaningless, she hoped Isaac would feel as little burden as possible.
"So you don't have to worry. I'll let my feelings go unspoken and move on."
That's why she shared her heart so quickly and openly.
The confession. The rejection.
Marlin did it all herself, and Isaac gave a small, dry laugh as he watched.
'In many ways… she's amazing.'
She was, in a way, following his advice to the letter—he couldn't help but be impressed.
'If only Liana had said things this clearly.'
Well, now she talked too much, to the point of being a nuisance.
Even in a situation like this, the thought of her brought a bitter smile to his lips.
"Sorry."
She was probably crying a lot.
Not just Liana.
The Grandmaster, and Sharen too.
They would all be grieving, so Isaac slowly drew the sword at his waist, preparing to leave.
"Cut through… and move forward."
It felt like life after regression had always been like this.
He had accomplished things that seemed impossible.
This time was no different.
"Have you reached enlightenment?"
To the giant's question, Isaac answered with a small smile.
"My master always said—it's not enlightenment, it's arrival."
Sudden enlightenment doesn't just come.
You always work and prepare.
It builds up, layer by layer, and only then do you arrive.
The rumblings outside had quieted.
Had the rescue started from the Magic Tower?
Hoping so, Isaac placed his hand on his sword.
"I've heard…"
A rushed voice came from behind him.
Marlin still had something left to say, though her expression remained emotionless, her voice carried faint anxiety.
"That I… resemble Liana Helmut."
"You do."
It seemed like everything had already been said.
"If, by any chance."
But Marlin continued, unsure even herself why she was asking again.
"If truly, by chance—"
But to Isaac, it felt entirely natural.
Emotions, especially love, weren't things that could be easily cut off, as Marlin had tried.
"If I had met you the way she did… would I have had a chance?"
A question full of lingering regret.
In her anxious and embarrassed eyes—
"The reason I loved her—"
Isaac answered calmly but firmly.
"—was because she was Liana."
You can't replace someone just because you resemble them.
It wasn't her personality that made him fall for her.
He loved her, and so even her flaws seemed lovely to him.
At Isaac's reply, Marlin quietly closed her eyes.
A single tear formed and slid down her cheek from where she knelt.
"That's a good answer."
Marlin silently accepted her heartbreak.