[V7C15] The Unlimited Potential of Biceps

“So at the exit of the inn, the girl said, ‘I’ll be waiting for you forever, Michel.’ Unfortunately, circumstances required me to leave the town, so I replied, ‘I’m sorry. Please forget about me,’ and went on my way.”

Seated next to Isaac, Michel vividly recounted the emotional story of his lost love with the occasional gesture.

During this, Isaac had continued his meal, only offering a few nods. Michel turned to Isaac with an upward gaze.

“What about you, Ike-kun? Tell me about the girl you like.”

“…”

“Come on, I’m dying to know!”

It wouldn’t hurt to tell him since he had shared his story first——that was the unspoken implication.

Unfortunately, Isaac could no longer delay his answer by putting food in his mouth. The dishes he had ordered were practically empty at this point.

After taking a sip from the remaining drink in his glass, Isaac began with a soft mutter.

“…She is an amazing person who deserves more respect than I can offer.”

“Haha, and she can resist being courted by a handsome guy like you, huh… Must be a beautiful older woman, an experienced veteran at the art of love.”

In reality, she was a younger girl and a complete novice at love. Well, she had turned 19 this year, so technically she could be considered an adult woman.

Still, Michel’s misunderstanding was convenient to Isaac, so he chose not to correct it.

(She really is… incredible.)

In his mind’s eye, Isaac pictured the scene he had witnessed in the skies of Kerbeck.

That beautifully woven grand magic, both serene and majestic. As well as the great witch who had performed the miracle. This sight had gripped Isaac’s heart and refused to let go. However…

“…She lost someone important because of me. I have harmed her. And yet, she still allows me to remain by her side.”

Monica had lost her father because Isaac collaborated with Duke Crockford’s scheme. To her, Isaac was indirectly guilty of his murder.

Even so, Monica had saved Isaac from his execution. She had reached out a hand to him.

…And in the process, she took on many burdens.

“Thus, I have decided to pledge a lifetime of loyalty to her.”

Monica had opened up Isaac’s future, so he would dedicate everything to her. Anything to make her happy.

Isaac stared at his glass after revealing his true feelings. Meanwhile, Clifford, who had been silently eating next to him, used his sleeve to wipe off the steam from his glasses and said…

“Your loyalty, Walker, feels suffocatingly clingy.”

Quite a blunt opening remark.

This left Isaac speechless. Michel grimaced, saying, “Wow, this guy’s way too harsh!” but Clifford remained indifferent.

“You just want to feel secure by pledging loyalty and serving someone. Isn’t that dependence, plain and simple?”

“…”

“Just like how all drug addicts insist they’re not dependent.”

Now, he was being compared to a drug addict.

Had anyone ever thrown such merciless insults at him before? Even the scathing remarks from Elliott and Bridget had been more carefully worded.

However, the fact that Isaac couldn’t strongly deny Clifford’s words was also true.

(…Clingy, huh?)

This was simply Isaac Walker’s nature.

Having lost his family in childhood, he was extremely conscious of the need to protect those he formed a significant attachment to, no matter what. He needed to dedicate his existence to another, just like he had done with Prince Felix in the past. Only then would he find solace.

…Because he wanted to believe there was a reason for his survival.

Caught off guard by the remark about his bad habits from an unexpected source, Isaac fell silent.

Clifford casually swiped a snack from Anthony’s plate while continuing in a nonchalant tone.

“Moreover, you accidentally hurt the one you love. Sounds like karmic justice.”

“…”

“Walker, your love is like a punishment given by the gods.”

Clifford’s words rang true. The love raging in his chest seemed like a punishment for his sins.

Not only had Isaac harmed Monica, she already had another man in her heart. Still, Isaac could not let go of his feelings.

(…Even so.)

Forgetting the bustle of the restaurant, Isaac reflected on his heart. This love didn’t begin with his guilt or pity for Monica.

Certainly, his heart brimmed with admiration, respect, gratitude, and guilt towards the girl known as the Silent Witch… but once those emotions were removed from the equation, the root cause became quite simple.

Isaac fell in love with a timid and weak girl who, despite everything, mustered all the courage she had to help him.

——”You don’t need a reason to help a friend, Ike!”

That was the moment when Isaac fell in love. Not with the great witch, but with an ordinary girl.

(…Regardless of these feelings, the Silent Witch is also my splendid master.)

Perhaps he had grown a bit narrow-minded.

Clifford’s words had pierced his chest like a needle… no, a dagger… or rather, a heavy spear. Either way, it played a role in helping Isaac sort out his feelings.

Most importantly, he had managed to recall the reason he fell for Monica.

Before Isaac got the chance to express his gratitude, Clifford spoke first.

“Surely, God is punishing you for the sin of being ill-natured.”

“…”

Isaac put on a perfect smile, but his aquamarine eyes were gleaming beneath the glasses.

“…Did I kill your parents or something?”

“What are you talking about, Walker? My parents are a tough old man in his 70s surrounded by mistresses and a old woman who acts young and visits nightclubs every night. No way they’re dying anytime soon.”

“…”

This was a glimpse into the darkness of the Anderson Company.

Isaac seemed taken aback, but Clifford continued muttering in complete seriousness.

“In my experience, those with awful personalities tend to live a long time. That means you have a long life ahead of you, Walker.”

“…I see. Looks like we’ll be in each other’s company for a while then.”

“Why do I have to be in your company?”

Apparently, the sarcastic remark sailed straight over his head. Following the unheartwarming exchange, Michel turned to Clifford with a wry smile.

“…Cliff-kun, don’t you think you’re being a bit harsh? Can you try reading the room a bit more?”

“Why should I? I was eating by myself at first. Then, you all come one after another and start drinking right next to me. Why do I have to be the one to read the room?”

That explanation made a lot of sense. Isaac had been pondering the circumstances that led to Clifford eating together with Anthony and his brothers.

Right as Isaac was beginning to develop a tiny bit of sympathy, Clifford began shaking his head as if to say “good grief”.

“Either way, Walker, your reasoning makes no sense. If you’re wooing a girl who loves another guy, you clearly aren’t 100% loyal.”

The air in the room froze. The clamor of the nearby drunkards sounded incredibly distant.

Isaac found himself staring down Clifford with a grim expression.

“…How much do you know?”

”‘Cyril-sama’.”

This left Isaac Walker dumbfounded for the second time today.

Unable to conceal his curiosity, Michel turned to Isaac.

“Eh, what? Ike-kun, could it be that your crush already has feelings for someone else? Oh man… that’s tough.”

Had he ever experienced such an unbearable situation before? This felt extremely painful, in a completely different way than the time he stood before the Supreme Council.

As Isaac froze into a statue, someone slapped his shoulder with vigor. It was the flushed-faced Anthony.

“Walker! Never give up! If the girl you love has feelings for another guy, there’s only one thing to do… Never hate or resent your rival, just improve yourself enough to make her turn your way!”

Anthony spat out the words with a breath that reeked of alcohol, then went on to poke at Isaac’s arm.

“The strength of a man lies in his biceps! Your biceps have infinite potential! Believe in them! Now come on!”

Anthony moved over to an empty table, propping his right elbow right on the center of it. Apparently, he was challenging Isaac to an arm wrestle.

The nearby drunkards grew lively once they noticed Anthony’s intention.

“What’s this? Are you young guys fighting over something?”

In the response to the drunkard, Anthony explained with a burning sense of duty.

“No! This is encouragement for a friend who’s about to get dumped by the girl he loves!”

Suddenly, the surrounding gazes shifted from Anthony to the man who was apparently getting dumped, Isaac.

Once the drunkards realized he was a good-looking young man, they immediately got to heckling.

“Hah, quite the handsome guy! Who cares, get dumped!”

“Dump him! Dump him! A man gets more attractive the more times he’s rejected!”

“As if, idiot! In that case, I’d be a prince with the number of times I’ve been dumped!”

“Gyahaha! True!”

Isaac quietly tightened the grip on his beer mug, then downed its entire contents in one go.

After slamming the empty mug back onto the table, Isaac moved to the opposite side of Anthony with a completely emotionless smile.

“…Go easy on me.”

“Very well! Come at me with everything you’ve got!”

Isaac and Anthony locked eyes, grabbing each other’s right hands while propping their elbows on the table.

Anthony’s well-built arms were thick, almost double the size of Isaac’s.

Before starting, Michel whispered to Anthony.

“Anthony-niisan, take it easy, okay? Make sure you don’t break Ike-kun’s arm.”

To any onlookers, Isaac clearly had no chance of victory.

At a nearby table, the drunkards were betting on how many seconds Isaac could endure.

They placed copper coins on the table and freely exchanged comments like, “He’ll lose right from the start,” “He’ll hold out for three seconds,” “No, I have expectations for that guy. Five seconds!” and so on.

In the midst of this, Clifford, having finished his meal, placed his own copper coin on the table. He took out a pocket watch from his pocket and, in a matter-of-fact manner, declared…

“Walker will last over a minute.”

＊　＊　＊

“Here I go!!”

A shout from Anthony signaled the start of the match.

Anthony flexed the muscles of his arm, visible since he had rolled up his sleeves, and put immense strain on Isaac’s hand.

However, Isaac had pushed forward just a fraction of a second earlier, allowing him to endure the initial struggle.

As Isaac resisted in a way to avoid straining his wrist, the nearby men cheered, “He lasted for five seconds!”

“Nrgh… Not bad, Walker!”

Anthony grinned through his clenched teeth, and in return, Isaac responded with a similarly fierce grin.

Their quiet struggle continued. Isaac endured all of Anthony’s attempts to annihilate his wrist while waiting for an opening to exploit. However, Anthony’s strength was more than enough to cover for any possible openings.

“One minute.” Clifford declared. Almost simultaneously, Isaac’s hand was slammed onto the table. He had lost.

Though Anthony was the winner, almost all of the spectators had expected Isaac to lose within ten seconds. Many cheered for him in amazement.

The wide-eyed Michel exclaimed, “No way,” as Teodor casually remarked, “Pretty impressive against our big brother.”

Amidst the cheers, Isaac shook his throbbing right hand. Meanwhile, Anthony approached and let out a joyous laugh.

“Hahaha! Walker! It is quite something to endure for a minute against me!”

Indeed, Anthony was much stronger than he had anticipated.

Isaac was confident in his ability to skillfully deflect and counter their difference in arm strength. However, Anthony’s mastery over his strength usage proved equally outstanding.

(…This is no ordinary man. Perhaps a soldier?)

As Isaac continued rubbing his right hand, one of the drunken gamblers exclaimed, “That was rigged!” in an angry tone.

Since Clifford, an acquaintance of Anthony, had won the entire pot, a few suspected that Anthony was deliberately holding back.

Isaac shifted his gaze toward the complainer. The man had tanned skin and a bulky body, typical of a sailor.

Putting on a beautiful smile, Isaac propped his elbow on the table once again.

“Feel free to try your own hand.”

“You’re paying for my drinks once I win.”

The man moved to the opposite side of the table, propping up his elbow and grabbing Isaac’s hand.

With gleaming eyes, Anthony declared himself as the referee.

“Ready… start!”

Almost right as the match began, Isaac slammed the man’s arm onto the table. The surroundings erupted in cheers again at the sight of the one-sided game.

Isaac breathed a sigh of relief, thinking the man would be satisfied now. Unfortunately, he turned to find a line of men waiting to challenge him.

“I’m up next!”

“Hold up, it’s my turn!”

“Hey, stick to the order!”

While he had dispelled the allegations of cheating, Isaac inadvertently ignited a fire in the hearts of the sailors.

Meanwhile, the man who lost to Isaac placed a mug of beer on the table.

“My treat since I lost.”

“…”

Isaac gulped down the contents of the mug and propped his elbow on the table once again.

His arm-wrestling contests with the drunkards continued throughout the night.

Everyone who lost threw some copper coins at the waiter, who promptly placed another mug next to Isaac.

After emptying the mug, Isaac went on to engage the next opponent, propagating the cycle of winning and drinking.

Incidentally, the embroidery craftsman Porok was also among the drunken participants. However, Isaac mercilessly slammed down Porok’s arm just like the others.

And everytime Isaac won, the crowd of drunkards erupted into another round of cheers.

Even the men who had been jeering at him were now laughing heartily, patting Isaac’s shoulder in a friendly manner.

“Dude, you’re quite something!”

“Yeah, not bad, handsome!”

“Well, I guess come to me if you get dumped. I’ll buy you a drink, buddy.”

Isaac chugged down his beer and raised the empty mug, making a declaration.

“Thank you all. In that case, I promise that if my love is fulfilled, I’ll treat everyone here to as many drinks as you can handle.”

The drunks (including Anthony) burst into laughter. Some ruffled Isaac’s hair, a few put their arms around his shoulders, and others started singing. Everyone was having a great time.

Teodor, who was drinking at his own pace while observing Isaac from a distance, muttered a slight doubt.

“Walker-kun, are you really okay drinking that much?”

Actually, he was not okay.

＊　＊　＊

“Hey, Sparkles! Why are you just lying there like a corpse? Oi, Sparkles! Sparkles! Get me some grub, and hurry it up!”

The next day, Isaac was found lying on the couch, completely devoid of life. Nero wondered about the reason for this as he sat on top of Isaac’s unmoving body in his black cat form.

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