Chapter 157: An Orc Instead of an Ogre (1)

When Keter said he was married, Taragon burst out laughing.

“Come on, that’s a joke, right? You don’t seem married at all.”

The others chimed in, denying Keter’s claim.

“Maybe he means it like how our archery instructors say to treat your bow like a lover. Perhaps Lord Keter is saying he married his bow?”

“Keter, I was the first one you sought out after joining our family. If I remember correctly, you weren’t wearing a ring back then. And even now, you’re not. If you were married, there would at least be a mark on your left ring finger, but you don’t have one.”

“If you had a spouse, I would expect you to have brought them to Sefira. You’re not the type to abandon family.”

Keter, who had been lying down, sat up and hesitated.

“Hm...”

“Oh, what is it?! Was that a lie or not? I mean, yeah, you don’t have to be an adult to get married, but it’s still strange, Keter!” Taragon shouted.

“If you really are married and have a spouse, it’s a serious matter. You should bring them to Sefira as soon as possible. Even if it’s a lot of pressure, we still need to know,” Anis added.

Though Katherine and Myle didn’t press him verbally, their gaze bore into him, clearly demanding answers.

“It’s not that I didn’t want to say anything. I was just thinking.”

“Thinking about what?”

“When I first got married.”

“...Huh?”

“What?”

“...Excuse me?”

That could only mean one thing.

“Wait... You mean you’ve remarried?”

“You’ve been married twice at eighteen?!”

Taragon and Anis were shocked, but Keter shook his head.

“No.”

“Whew, right? I mean, how could you have remarried at eight...”

Keter calmly raised four fingers.

“Not twice. Four times.”

Thud!

By sheer coincidence, the carriage jolted over a bump in the road. Taragon, startled, stood up in shock, only to smack his head on the carriage ceiling. But no one was laughing.

“F-four?!”

“It’s one thing to be married, but remarried four times?! You have four wives?!”

“I...Isn’t this joke going a bit far, Keter?”

“I think my first marriage was when I was around eight.”

As Keter began talking about his past marriages, Taragon quickly sat back down.

“I got married at eight, then again at ten, twelve, and my last one was at thirteen. So that makes four in total.”

“...Keter, if this isn’t a joke, then... where are your wives? Did you leave them back in the Lawless City?”

“My first wife died. Got caught stealing food.”

“...?!”

“...”

The atmosphere in the carriage shifted dramatically with every sentence. All eyes turned toward Anis, who had foolishly asked about the whereabouts of Keter’s wives.

Normally unshakable, Anis blinked rapidly, unsure of what to do.

“S-sorry, Keter. I didn’t know...”

“Eh, no need to apologize. That kind of thing is common in Liqueur. She knew what she was getting into. Of course, I killed the guy who killed her.”

“Uh... I see...”

Keter acted like it was nothing, but the atmosphere had already turned heavy. Keter hated moods like this.

“Don’t worry. The other wives are probably alive... maybe.”

“Probably? You don’t know if they’re alive?”

“In Liqueur, it’s stranger to know if someone’s alive.”

“Um, Keter... I know this is a weird question, but... what do your wives do? Are they around your age?”

It was a sensitive question, but Keter, as usual, answered like it was nothing.

“The first one was from the same orphanage as me. The second was a witch who served the Sixth Star. The third was a high elf, and the fourth was from the Nine-tailed Fox Tribe, but at the time... I think she had four tails or something like that.”

“...?”

“...”

The group had nodded along at the mention of the first wife, but once he got to the second, the magnitude of his story changed drastically.

A witch who serves the Sixth Star? A high elf? Not even a half-elf, but the legendary high elf? And a Nine-tailed Fox? Even someone unfamiliar with beastfolk would know that sounds extraordinary.

Stunned, the group couldn’t think of anything to say. But even without asking, Keter began to talk about his wives, reminiscing about their memories.

“My second wife was really good at fortune-telling. Looking back, she even predicted that I would end up joining Sefira... My third wife loved hugging. She always wanted to snuggle and was kind of clingy. Maybe she was a bit annoying... My fourth wife was really fluffy, especially in the winter...”

“...”

Everyone was in a daze. They were nothing but confused. Only Myle managed to stay somewhat grounded and was able to ask a sane question.

“So your women—I mean, your wives... Do you not know what they’re doing now?”

To Keter, that question seemed odd.

“Why would I tell someone else what they’re doing? Some of them volunteered the info, sure. But I don’t go around asking.”

“A spouse isn’t just someone, Keter,” said Anis.

Even Katherine, who usually sided with and praised Keter, agreed with Anis this time.

“Not knowing where your spouses are or what they’re doing... Doesn’t that mean you don’t love them, Lord Keter?”

When Katherine brought up love, Keter finally realized why everyone was reacting the way they were. The marriage he knew in Liqueur and the marriage in the outside world held two completely different meanings. In Liqueur, marriage and love had nothing to do with each other.

“In Liqueur, marriage isn’t between people in love. If a man and a woman have aligned interests and spend a lot of time together, that’s considered marriage,” Keter explained.

Hearing that, everyone let out a sigh of relief.

“Oh wow. That scared me for a second. We wouldn’t really call that a marriage here.”

“That’s more like a friendship than a couple.”

“Then you didn’t even sleep together, right? Hahaha.”

Trying to lighten the mood, Myle returned to teasing Keter about his virginity. But Keter made a hand gesture, forming a circle with one hand and inserting his thumb into it.

“I did. A lot.”

“...”

“More than ten times a da...”

“Okay, stop. We get it. You’re not a virgin.”

“Sometimes even with three at...”

“Stop that gesture, too.”

Trying to tease Keter had only made things more awkward. Everyone started looking away.

So... where are all of Keter’s wives now, exactly?’

Taragon was still deeply curious about his wives, but with the mood as it was, he didn’t dare ask.

* * *

Upon arriving at the Tremond Hotel, the Sefira party did absolutely nothing but rest. It wasn’t just Anis and Taragon, who had actually competed in the battle royale, who were tired; Myle and Katherine, who had prepared for the tournament alongside them, were exhausted too, as were the Galaxy Knights, who had been constantly on edge to protect them from all threats.

The hotel provided top-tier service. They even assigned private guards from their own security staff and took over handling any visitors from outside.

“The lords of Sefira have expressed their wish to focus solely on the tournament during this period. However, they also conveyed that they would gladly welcome any visitors after the tournament concludes.”

The nobles who received this message nodded in understanding and left. Sefira’s sincerity toward the tournament was evident, especially because, unlike most nobles, they hadn’t even brought personal butlers or servants with them.

Keter, too, rested with his brothers for the first time in a while. There was a lot to talk about.

“Does that archery technique you showed in the tournament have a name?”

“Limitless Archery.”

“Did you learn it from someone?”

“I made it myself.”

Of course, the brothers didn’t believe him. But they didn’t show it, nor did they argue, as that wasn’t the important part.

“Can we learn it too?”

“Nope.”

Keter’s flat-out refusal left Taragon a little hurt, but it was understandable. Secret techniques weren’t something passed around lightly.

However, Keter had a different reason for refusing.

“Hey, Limitless Archery might look impressive, but it’s nothing special. I just poured all of my mind, energy, and body into the arrows. What’s really amazing is...” Keter paused, pointing to himself with his thumb. “...is me for being able to use it.”

“...Right.”

“Besides, Limitless Archery only shows its full power if you have both aura and mana. Technically speaking, Zodiac Archery is more refined, so don’t get distracted.”

“What about Magic Archery?”

“Ask Katherine. I already explained it all to her.”

Keter hated repeating himself, so he passed the task to Katherine.

The day passed quickly, as they spent the day catching up on things they never had time to talk about.

The next day, Anis and Taragon resumed preparing for the tournament, while Myle and Katherine assisted them.

Meanwhile, Keter headed for Eslow’s palace.

“You’ve come again, Lord Keter.”

“You’re everywhere, huh.”

Jeffery greeted Keter.

“What brings you here today?”

“Didn’t you hear? Ryze’s surgery isn’t finished yet. I’m here to check on him.”

“You’re just checking, right? If you knock out a butler and vanish again like last time, we’ll be in trouble.”

“I don’t use the same trick twice.”

“Understood. I’ll take you to Lord Ryze.”

“No, no need. I remember the way.”

“We can’t allow that.”

“

Tsk.

”

This time, it wasn’t a numbered butler escorting Keter. Instead, two Immortal Knights—not one but two—were guiding him through the palace. It was a silent warning to Keter not to do anything like last time.

Keter arrived at Ryze’s recovery room with the knights. Someone who was waiting inside came out and greeted him.

“Oh, the divine doctor has returned!”

Curette, Ryze’s personal doctor, welcomed Keter warmly. Behind him sat a young boy at a table. He was thin, but his skin glowed with life, and his ocean-colored eyes sparkled.

“No major issues?” Keter asked Curette.

“His muscles have atrophied a bit from being bedridden for so long, but he’s recovering quickly by the day. Other than that, he’s in great health.”

“You heard about the follow-up procedure?”

“Yes. I understand it’s supposed to be another extraordinary surgery.”

“I do want to do it while I’m here... but I guess that’s not an option?”

“Likely not. He’s still suffering from postoperative side effects and hasn’t fully regained his strength. Unless you have some other miracle method, Lord Keter...”

Curette looked at Keter with subtle expectation, wondering if he might unveil some new form of medical marvel, like the body modifications he had previously shown. But Keter shook his head.

“No point putting someone with no stamina back on the table. Let me take a look at him first.”

“Of course. He’s still sluggish in his senses.”

Curette led Keter to Ryze, who was practicing lifting a fork. The boy turned his head.

“Who...?”

Keter didn’t answer. Instead, he examined Ryze as a physician.

“Speech is slow, but expression is clear. Motor response is delayed but normal.”

Rustle.

Keter touched Ryze’s hair.

“Hair is glossy, skin isn’t dry, emotional responses are vivid. I would say his hormones are in good shape.”

“Hormones? What’s that?”

Even Curette, a renowned physician, had never heard of it before, though he sensed it was medical in nature.

Keter didn’t dislike the polite Curette, so he explained briefly.

“Think of hormones as special systems in the body that regulate everything. They can change the body physically and control emotions.”

“Eh? Are hormones magic? You’re saying it changes the body and controls emotions?”

“Don’t overthink it. My mentor said hormones are something you could research for a lifetime and still not understand.”

Though Keter learned medicine for its usefulness, he hated the theoretical side of it.

Ryze, startled by Keter’s sudden appearance and examination, responded calmly, “You’re Doctor Keter, the one who treated me. Thank you.”

Even though speaking must have been difficult, Ryze spoke clearly and with strength.

“No need to thank me. I got paid.”

“Still, thank you. When I woke up after the surgery, I’ve never felt so light in my life.”

“Of course you did. I got rid of three hundred years’ worth of compressed mana. Anyway, stop talking now. You’ll delay your recovery.”

“Thank you for your concern.”

“I’m not concerned.”

Keter was only asking because he was paid as Ryze’s doctor, so he didn’t understand why Ryze kept thanking him.

“Observe him for about a week, and if you think he is fit for surgery, come find me. You know where I’ll be, right?”

“Yes. I heard you’re at the Tremond Hotel. I’ll send someone once I’m ready.”

Keter set the date for the next surgery. However, he didn’t leave the palace immediately. Checking on Ryze was just one reason; his real goal was to meet Eslow. He had promised the Samael Empire’s spy that he would lure him to the orchard, after all.

Not every day you get a chance to become friends with an imperial intelligence agent.

The two Immortal Knights were watching him, but it didn’t matter.

“Lord Keter, that’s not the way to the exit. This way, please.”

As Keter moved toward Eslow’s office, one of the knights blocked his path.

“I’m not heading for the exit. I’m going to see His Grace.”

“Do you have an appointment?”

“His Grace and I aren’t so formal. We’ve shared late-night walks under the moon, you know.”

“You cannot meet him without an appointment.”

“That’s your opinion.”

Keter looked like he was about to force his way through. Normally, the knights would try to stop him, but oddly, the knights didn’t move.

Keter sensed something was off.

“Wait, you’re not stopping me?”

“Even if you go to the office, you will not be able to meet His Grace.”

“Judging by how you said that, I’m assuming he’s not in the office?”

“Correct.”

“Hm...”

Keter pretended to think, then focused his energy to scan the palace for Eslow’s presence. Eslow never bothered hiding his presence—he practically radiated it. That was how Keter found him on the rooftop that night.

But...

Huh?

Nothing. Even when he expanded his senses across the entire palace, he couldn’t feel Eslow. Sure, even Keter wouldn’t be able to find him if he was purposely hiding, but he wasn’t the type to hide, which could only mean...

“Where did His Grace go?”

One of the knights shook his head.

“I don’t know, and no one else does either. You may as well give up,” said the knight firmly.

But Keter didn’t think so. At that moment, he coincidentally spotted Henya walking by. It was pure luck.

“Henya!”

Startled, she turned toward the voice. She had somewhat of a mixed expression on her face when she saw Keter. He waved cheerfully, as if glad to see her, but she sighed.

Not only had she been given advice in the battle royale and then pummeled, but she was also forced to take seven points by the end of the match. She still wasn’t sure whether to be grateful or resentful.

With mixed feelings, she approached.

“What are you doing here? You only left the palace a day ago.”

“Had business with your dad.”

“My father’s away right now.”

“I figured. Where did he go?”

“...He left the country.”

Henya hesitated, but didn’t say where he went. Keter didn’t care either; what mattered was when he would return.

“Do you know when he’s coming back?”

𝕗𝕣𝐞𝐞𝘄𝐞𝚋𝚗𝗼𝘃𝗲𝗹.𝚌𝕠𝚖

“My father doesn’t really tell me those things, but...”

As her voice trailed off, Keter felt sweat form in his palm.

When people take this long to answer... It’s never a short trip.

Finally, Henya said, “In my experience, he won’t be back for at least two weeks.”

Hearing that, Keter gave a faint smile and said, “Well, I’m screwed.”