Chapter 103: You Can Buy Pride with Money (1)

Gyro’s sword and Jordic’s spear clashed in midair, entangling in a fierce struggle as Gyro’s sword came crashing down, while Jordic's spear deflected and redirected. Luke, Anis, and Taragon held their breath, forgetting even to blink as they etched the battle into their minds.

Where else could they witness a fight between warriors of three-star caliber or higher? Simply watching was an invaluable lesson, a flood of insights waiting to be grasped. Even better, the two fighters wielded techniques of the highest level.

Gyro’s Swift Elephant Sword incorporated swiftness, power, and the intake. Meanwhile, the Moonlight Spear Style, derived from the Moon Rabbit Tribe, embodied four core principles—adaptability, unpredictability, swiftness, and unity—making it an unparalleled spearmanship.

Of course, having more principles didn’t necessarily mean an advantage in combat. Still, Jordic’s spearwork flowed seamlessly, like an unbroken stream, as if he had fully mastered all four principles.

Yet his techniques were ill-suited against Gyro’s sword. His adaptability and unpredictability crumbled before the sheer, relentless force of the greatsword, which advanced like an enraged elephant. In addition, their swiftness was similar.

Sweat dripped down Jordic’s forehead. His earlier resolve to win using only Block, Pull, Thrust, was long gone.

He aimed for Gyro’s chin and legs with Moonlight Spear, First Form: New Moon, but the incoming greatsword forced him to deflect with Third Form: Reverse Half-Moon Spear.

The Reverse Half-Moon Spear was designed to disarm or deflect an opponent’s weapon, but against Gyro, it was useless. In fact, it nearly made Jordic lose grip of his own spear.

Where the hell did Keter find this monster?!

There was no time to voice his frustration.

He stepped back, escaping the greatsword’s range, then pulled his spear back before thrusting forward.

For an instant, his spear vanished into a silver sphere. It was Fourth Form: Full Moon—a thrust hidden within the moonlight, forcing the enemy to either defend all angles or retreat.

But Gyro was different. He didn’t watch the moon. Instead, he watched Jordic’s eyes.

Rumble!!! Crash!!

Gyro countered with a diagonal slash. It seemed like a simple strike at first glance, but it carried an immense pull, drawing in weapons and aura alike. It was one of Swift Elephant

Sword’s three core qualities, intake.

Jordic barely resisted being dragged in, but he couldn’t stop his spear’s trajectory from being thrown off.

Screech!!!

His cross spear screeched against Gyro’s greatsword, trembling as if it might snap at any moment.

Jordic rotated his shoulder, pushing back the greatsword, then charged forward with Second Form: Half-Moon.

It was a bold advance, but Gyro, calm and experienced, lowered his stance and drove his greatsword into the ground.

Crack!! Boom!!

The sword buried deep, unleashing a surge of aura that overturned the very ground before it.

Jordic didn’t retreat. Instead, he used the flying debris as a foothold, launching himself into the air.

Vooong!

Both warriors erupted with explosive aura. Their hair whipped wildly, the clouds above scattering from the sheer force.

Jordic unleashed Moonlight Spear, Secret Form: Lunar Eclipse, while Gyro released Swift Elephant Sword, Secret Form: Celestial Route.

A brilliant moonlight engulfed the battlefield, while Gyro’s greatsword overflowed with infinite aura. Just as their ultimate techniques were about to collide...

“That’s enough.”

Twang.

Two Aura Arrows Keter shot nonchalantly struck Gyro’s greatsword and Jordic’s spear.

Boom!

Gyro was pushed back several meters, still gripping his sword. Jordic spun midair, barely regaining balance before landing.

“...!”

Neither could believe it.

Their finishing moves carried an intent to kill the opponent. Yet with a single arrow, Keter had not only nullified them but also sent them flying.

“...

Hah

. The boss is truly a monster.”

Obelisk, the Demon Sword, which had never awakened to any attack before, howled in rage, demanding to tear apart the one who had disturbed it.

Jordic looked down at his own spear and saw the spearhead missing, snapped clean off by Keter’s arrow.

It wasn’t an artifact or magic weapon, but it was still an amantir spear, an incredibly durable weapon. Of course, it was probably heavily worn out from clashing with Gyro’s greatsword, but all it took was a single arrow from Keter to shatter it into pieces.

Jordic had never fought Keter seriously before. He didn’t feel fear; he felt excitement.

Fine, Keter. I’ll acknowledge you as my rival.

He also admitted defeat to the unknown greatsword warrior, though he thought he would have won if he had landed Lunar Eclipse.

Damn you, Keter. Do you really think I’m going back to prison?

Jordic turned around.

His stamina and aura were still in good condition. He planned to escape Sefira on his own.

Thwack!

A rock struck the back of his head. Jordic, who was about to run, collapsed face-first to the ground. Blood trickled from his skull.

“If you hadn’t turned your back, you could’ve dodged that.”

Keter casually walked over, reapplying the aura-restraining bracelet and re-sealing Jordic’s strength.

“

Hup

.”

Effortlessly hoisting Jordic over one shoulder, Keter turned to the trio.

“I arranged this difficult match just for you. I trust you’ve learned something?”

All three nodded in unison.

It was only a three-minute duel, but those three minutes were worth more than three years of training.

Taragon, who had never experienced real combat, couldn’t close his gaping mouth. He had known Gyro was holding back against them. But witnessing Gyro’s true strength firsthand... It was beyond anything he had imagined. If Gyro were to fight him the same way he fought Jordic, he was certain he would be dead within five seconds.

Luke, Anis, and Taragon shared 99% of the same thoughts after witnessing the duel between Gyro and Jordic, but the remaining 1% differed completely.

They stood frozen in place, their minds racing to organize the insights they had just gained from the battle.

Brushing off the dust on his clothes, Gyro approached them and jokingly said, “Boss. Give me some elixir. I used it all up.”

“What do you mean you already used it all? Do you drink it instead of water? Just spit on your scratches or something.”

“I took unnecessary hits because I was holding back... Besides... I must be over sixty by now.”

“You want me to retire you for real?”

Despite his words, Keter handed him some diluted elixir. Even with all his wealth, using undiluted elixir so carelessly would have made his hands tremble.

“By the way, Gyro, once those guys recover, give them another round.”

“Understood. Oh, and...” Gyro said to Keter, who was already walking away. “When this is over, tell me.”

“Got it.”

Gyro and Keter weren’t bound by a master-servant relationship; it was a business deal. Keter had promised to tell him how to kill a god in exchange for coming to Sefira.

Now that he had received a clear answer, Gyro's energy returned.

After securing Jordic back in prison, Keter was about to leave when a servant blocked his way.

For a brief moment, he wondered if his father had found out that he had temporarily taken Jordic out. But that didn't seem to be the case—if it were, knights would have been sent instead of a mere servant.

The servant couldn’t even look Keter in the face.

With his head down the entire time and his voice trembling, the servant said, “M-my lord. Dame Katherine has come to visit you, so Mr. Jacques wishes to ask you what to do with the visit, my lord.”

“Oh, has it already been that long?”

Of course, he hadn’t forgotten about Katherine. She was the first slave he had acquired in Sefira. He had ordered her to remain silent for a month to see if she was someone that could be trusted.

She wanted to learn the transparent arrows.

Originally, he had planned to abandon her after teaching her how to use them, as having her alive in Sefira was already beneficial.

“I should go see her.”

The trio would need time to recover anyway.

Keter headed to the mansion where Katherine awaited to decide whether he would use Katherine carelessly or properly.

* * *

Living as a mute was far more difficult than one might think. Without proper communication, relationships crumbled, and the inability to express one's desires led to immense frustration. For an ordinary person, even a single day of silence would be maddening.

Yet Katherine endured such a life for an entire month. She did not utter a single word—not even in the most inconvenient situations or moments that required explanation. To her, the only woman and the Rose of Sefira, this silent ordeal was probably all the more unbearable. And yet, she withstood it. Her spirit did not break, and in the end, she returned to her former self—lively and full of energy.

“Mr. Jacques, do you think Lord Keter has forgotten about me?”

“Haha, while it's true that Lord Keter has been busy lately, he is not the kind of person to simply forget things. Please be patient, Dame Katherine. He will surely send for you.”

“Thank you, Mr. Jacques. The green tea you brewed is calming my heart.”

“You flatter me.”

As Katherine and Jacques engaged in quiet conversation, the door suddenly swung open with a loud bang.

Both Katherine and Jacques stood up at once. There was only one person in this household who would enter so rudely.

“My lord!”

“Master!”

“...?”

Jacques shot a puzzled look at Katherine, who had just referred to Keter as “Master.” But before he could question it, he noticed Keter's disheveled state and turned to a servant.

“Prepare the bath. You should wash first, my Lord.”

“Forget it. I’m not done with my business yet. I just stopped by to speak with my slave.”

“...Pardon? A slave?”

“We made a bet. If I won, she would become my slave. As you can see, I won.”

“Ah... um... er...?”

Jacques found himself momentarily wondering if such a master-servant relationship was even possible. But no answer readily came to him.

“All of you, including Gramps, get out.”

“As you wish.”

Jacques led the servants out of the room, leaving only Keter and Katherine. Keter got straight to the point.

“You kept your mouth shut for a whole month?”

“Yes. Not a single word.”

“You spoke once at Elder Panir’s estate.”

Even at Keter’s unreasonable nitpicking, Katherine was confident, her eyes shining.

“You ordered me to speak back then, didn’t you, my lord?”

“So you do everything I say? If I told you to die, would you?”

“I would probably ask a few times first. 'Are you serious? Really?' But if you insisted... then yes, I would.”

Keter stared at Katherine, his golden eyes pressing into her. Katherine, unfazed, met his gaze without hesitation.

She’s serious. Or she's good enough at controlling her emotions to fool me.

Humans could not fully control their bodies. No matter how much someone tried to conceal a lie, their body movements would always give them away.

But Katherine looked completely at ease. That meant she had conviction—not a forced obligation like a knight's vow, but a belief entirely her own.

“Fine. I acknowledge it. You endured a month of silence well. You can speak freely now.”

As Keter turned as if to leave, Katherine reached out and grabbed his sleeve without hesitation. His clothes were filthy, yet she held on tightly.

“You promised to teach me how to fire transparent arrows. Please teach me.”

Her eyes were filled with passion. Keter could sense her determination that she would learn this skill no matter what.

“Hmm... do you really want to learn?”

“Yes. If I can use transparent arrows, the power of archery would increase tenfold. If combined with Zodiac Archery, it would be even more powerful."

“Are you planning to learn my technique just to teach it to other knights?”

“Only if you allow it, Master.”

“Are you an idiot? Why would you share it? If you’re the only one who knows it, your value rises. If everyone can do it, you’ll be just another knight among many."

“That might be true, just as you say. But I don’t care if my value drops. In fact, I don’t even believe it would. If Sefira thrives, I thrive. If its prestige rises, so does mine. I want to learn transparent arrows not for myself, but for Sefira.”

“Oh? That’s your reasoning? Then what if I decide to teach it to someone else instead of you?”

“That would be a blessing. If you personally instruct the knights, the results will be far better than if someone inexperienced like me were to teach them.”

“

Tsk

. You have no greed?”

“I do. For Sefira.”

“No, I mean for yourself. Are you really going to live and die as a knight of Sefira? Is that truly your life’s purpose?”

Katherine hesitated for a moment before answering.

“My parents abandoned me. Do you know what happens to abandoned girls? Ten out of ten end up sold into prostitution. If the orphanage run by Sefira hadn’t taken me in, I would have died running from the red-light district—or, if I had escaped, I would have become something else entirely, not a knight.”

“You want to repay Sefira’s kindness?”

“Yes. They saved my life.”

“I guess you still don’t think you haven’t repaid that debt. Whatever, sure. But what then? What will you do once your debt is repaid?”

“After that...”

Katherine had never truly considered it. Deep down, she had always believed such a moment would never come.

Knights lived short lives, with low survival rates. Most never thought about what came after retirement. Katherine was no different—she had always imagined she would simply die fighting for Sefira one day.

But now that Keter had asked, she found herself struggling for an answer. Then, a faint thought surfaced in her mind.

“If I ever stop being a knight... I would like to run a ranch with a vast field, raising sheep and chickens... Maybe even a small orchard.”

It was like a dream—an impossible dream. That was what Catherine thought.

But Keter smiled and said, “See? You do have desires. You’re not fighting because you want to fight. You’re fighting for peace. Living a carefree life without worrying about money—that’s your dream, isn’t it?”

“Yes... That’s true. But is it even possible? Could I really have a future like that?”

“It’s difficult, but not impossible.”

“And what does that have to do with learning transparent arrows?”

“It has everything to do with it. If you master transparent arrows, you’ll become valuable. And I don’t discard valuable people—I take good care of them. But a future that bright won’t come easily.”

Keter raised two fingers and held them up in front of Katherine.

“You have two choices. One is safe but leads you further from your dream. The other risks your life but brings you closer to it. Choose, Katherine—choose your future.”