ISTV 39

ISTV

Posted by Ali, Released on August 5, 2025

Hamune muttered something again.

“That’s enough for now.”

It was too quiet to hear clearly.

When I asked again what he had just said, Hamune just smiled brightly and said it was nothing.

‘He really thinks a smile can fix everything!’

The problem was… it actually did work.

His sunshine-like smile and dazzling looks melted away any desire to interrogate him, like snow under the sun.

It wasn’t just that I was shallow.

It was simply a matter of taste, and Hamune was a character so charming and handsome that most noble ladies in the <ThatWomanThatMan> universe would fall for him at first sight. I couldn’t help it.

Then Hamune suddenly spoke, as if he’d just remembered something.

“My brothers caused another incident, apparently.”

“Again?”

For reference, the eldest and second sons of the Quayback family were twins.

Their names were Condis and Andis, so they were called the “Dis brothers.”

“Don’t tell me… they killed someone?”

“No. Thankfully, no one died this time.”

“Well, that’s something. What happened this time?”

“What was it again? Something about the Azure Dragon Hall? Apparently, some group accused them of being liars.”

The key word here was “group.”

If the Quaybacks acknowledged a group as a “force,” it meant they had at least 100 members.

In other words, the two of them beat up 100 people.

“What’s the damage?”

“They say the hall will need to shut down for at least three years.”

A headache began to form.

Hamune and his father didn’t say it outright, but the so-called “liar incident” always somehow involved me.

These people couldn’t tolerate anyone tarnishing my reputation — even more than I could.

‘I’m sure they claimed I was insanely powerful in front of people who doubted me.’

Of course, no one believed them, and things ended in a duel.

It had happened twelve times already. It wasn’t even surprising anymore.

I was grateful they fought duels in my name to protect my honor, but… it wasn’t always a good thing.

‘Hmph, I’ve never seen anyone as strong and beautiful as Seila.’

‘You think she’s just a pretty face? Not at all. She’s got the kindest heart in the world. The strongest and most beautiful swordswoman ever — that’s Seila!’

This was the general tone, which led to me being known as the prettiest among my peers.

Normally, when a noble lady became famous for her looks, antis naturally followed — and I had more than most.

The Dis brothers were going around evangelizing my beauty, but I had never once participated in any social gatherings.

Just like a swordsman must prove themselves in a duel to be respected, a noble lady must debut in society to be acknowledged for her looks.

Since I hadn’t even gone through a debutante ball, the social world treated me like an overhyped, unproven swordswoman.

Some even called me the “faceless beauty.”

Ironically, it was the first title I’d ever earned.

In society, it was practically accepted as fact that I was a “forced beauty” — someone who wasn’t all that but had fame pushed onto her.

‘Come to think of it… the Dis brothers started being so devoted to me… probably around then.’

I recalled an old memory.

A year ago, when Seila had just started training with the Quayback family, the Dis brothers had no interest in her.

They only cared about swordsmen stronger than themselves.

They were often called sword-crazy fools.

…That was their public image.

But they weren’t truly thoughtless maniacs.

They had a fairly accurate grasp of their position and abilities.

To be honest, the Dis brothers had no real talent for anything besides swordsmanship.

They believed they weren’t worthy of inheriting the Quayback legacy.

“We’re not smart.”

“We’re not wise.”

They knew they were lacking and poured themselves into swordsmanship to compensate.

For them, Hamune was a beacon of hope.

“Thank goodness we have Hamune.”

“We’re lucky Hamune exists.”

Hamune had both talent in swordsmanship and intelligence.

The problem was his personality.

“But Hamune is lazy.”

“If only he were a bit more diligent.”

But then, at some point, Hamune began to change.

He started training in swordsmanship harder than anyone.

And the reason for that change… was his peer, Seila.

“Seila changed Hamune.”

“He’s become diligent.”

So they started paying attention to Seila.

They even helped train her and naturally grew closer.

“Seila is different somehow.”

“What makes her different?”

They felt an inexplicable desire to look after her.

Maybe it was because she was a good friend to their younger brother, or maybe there was something more.

Then one day, the older twin, Condis, got involved in a serious assault incident.

It happened while trying to help a woman in distress.

‘What the hell are you doing?’

A man was forcibly dragging a half-conscious woman somewhere.

Her face and arms were covered in bruises.

With her lips, she silently mouthed, “Please save me,” and Condis jumped in to help her.

‘Aren’t you ashamed, being so strong and using that strength like this?’

In the process, he ended up seriously injuring the man.

He hadn’t meant to, but with just a bit of force, both of the man’s arms had broken.

‘But the woman kept the truth hidden.’

The incident had started when the woman’s parents sold her to pay off a debt.

The man’s family was powerful, and the woman’s family was poor and powerless.

The woman and her parents couldn’t risk the retaliation that would come if the truth got out.

They just hoped it would pass like a brief rain shower.

‘I’m too scared. Please, let’s just pretend this never happened.’

Knowing he couldn’t take full responsibility for the woman’s future, Condis stayed silent.

As a result, he became known as a scumbag who beat up innocent civilians.

In the Quayback family, physically assaulting someone without cause was a serious crime.

A trial was held within the family to determine Condis’s punishment.

Temanon, the head, asked sternly:

“Why did you do such a thing?”

“I’m sorry. I will accept my punishment.”

His younger brother Andis shouted, “There’s no way he did it for no reason! Say something!” but Condis remained silent.

Severe punishment was inevitable.

That’s when Seila stepped forward.

“I believe in the justice of the Quayback heir, Condis.”

Condis was written as a “righteous fool.” He got into a lot of trouble, but he would never raise a hand against the weak.

“I suspected there was more to this. I submit a recording of my conversation with the man involved as evidence. Please listen to it and judge for yourselves.”

Two days before the trial, Seila had met with the man who had been injured.

He was furious.

“You don’t know how terrifying it was!”

He ranted about how evil Condis was, and Seila slowly opened her mouth.

“So, are you proud of yourself?”

“…What?”

“The woman with you had bruises all over her face and arms.”

“What does that… h-hold on, what business is this of yours?!”

He assumed Seila was a high-ranking noble from the Quayback family investigating on their behalf.

He had just spent ages badmouthing Condis — and now she asks what this has to do with her?

“Pretending to be a victim, pretending to be the weak one… It’s disgusting.”

Seila knew this event well. It was a scripted episode in which Condis would earn a major black mark, disqualifying him as the next head of the family.

All of it was designed to make Hamune the more suitable heir.

But…

‘Getting one more ally is more important than making Hamune the heir.’

Seila spoke.

“On the Eastern Continent, buying and selling humans with money is strictly forbidden. Likewise, taking someone by force over a debt is illegal. You’re aware of that, aren’t you?”

“W-why are you suddenly bringing that up…?!”

Seila continued with regal authority.

– If you lie, I’ll chop off your hands!

“If you lie, you won’t keep your hands. I’m not as merciful as the Quayback heirs.”

The man was terrified.

She was much smaller than him, but she exuded an unshakable dignity.

“You lent the woman’s parents 10 million dia, with 25% monthly interest.”

Shockingly, it wasn’t 25% annually, but monthly.

That meant 2.5 million dia in interest every month.

The legal maximum interest rate was 25% per year.

In short, the man had been exploiting the woman and her family.

“The interest snowballed until they couldn’t pay anymore. Anyone would go bankrupt at that rate.”