Chapter 183: I Always Stick To My Contract (2)

The nobles surrounded by the fully armed Immortal Knights turned pale. But once they realized the knights were only there for Galahind’s summary trial, they sighed in relief. Anyone with eyes and ears knew what Galahind and his allied nobles had tried to pull during the tournament.

“Galahind, the criminal, step forward.”

Jeffrey’s tone from the podium was dry and expressionless.

But Galahind desperately shouted, “I cannot accept his trial! I demand a formal hearing and to speak with my legal counsel!”

“Denied.”

Galahind glared at the Sefira brothers before turning back to Jeffrey.

“You clearly know nothing about the law. Trials between nobles of equal rank must be held only with mutual agreement. I assume it was Sefira who brought this accusation, but even if they’re a master family, I’m a high noble too. That makes this entire trial invalid!”

Some of the surrounding nobles nodded after hearing Galahind’s confident declaration. They also assumed the Sefira family had initiated this trial; after all, who else would have a grudge against Galahind?

The nobles, involuntarily acting as a jury, began to murmur in agreement.

However, Jeffrey’s reply remained cold and detached.

“This trial was not convened at the request of Sefira. It is by direct order of His Grace, the Lord of the South. As royalty, His Grace may summon any noble, even a high noble like yourself, to a summary trial at any time.”

“W-what?! His Grace... Why would he...?!”

“I’ll explain now.”

Thud!

Jeffrey placed a thick ledger on the podium and opened it to the first page.

“Bribed tournament officials to alter the rules, and instigated them to overlook violations of regulation. Used banned performance-enhancing drugs during the tournament, specifically the Rage Potion and Rage Elixir. Evidence suggests you hired assassins to kill Keter.”

All of it was real, and had happened during the tournament, but Galahind just scoffed.

“Do you have proof? All of that is just speculation!”

He was confident, as there was no way they could have proof. But Jeffrey seemed equally confident.

“This is the proof,” Jeffery said, holding up the ledger and showing its contents. “It contains exact records of the amounts you paid, and to whom.”

“...?!”

“It’s pointless to deny it. Every official who accepted your bribes has already confessed.”

“T-that’s...! It’s all fabricated!”

Galahind erupted in panic, as everything written in the ledger was true. He couldn’t believe how it had fallen into Jeffrey’s hands.

The only person who had access to the ledger was... Ultima, that bastard.

Ultima was the one who distributed the bribes under Galahind’s orders. But he never imagined Ultima had kept such meticulous records.

T... That damn traitor!

There was no escape now. The other nobles looked at Galahind with pity or scorn. He trembled, knowing he had become the fool who couldn’t even keep track of a single ledger. However, that wasn’t what truly crushed him.

His Grace has abandoned me.

Even if the crimes were real and the evidence was irrefutable, it wouldn’t be a problem if Eslow ignored it. However, he chose to pursue it; he chose Sefira and was now punishing Galahind.

There was no way Eslow did not know of Galahind’s schemes. He would have known even without all this evidence, but the reason he hadn’t acted was that he was supporting Sefira’s downfall. But now that he changed his mind, he was making Galahind pay.

So he’s decided Sefira is worth more than us now.

Galahind didn’t want to admit it, but he wasn’t stupid. He could see what was happening. Sefira was at its peak—Keter was a hero, and the family’s prestige was sky-high. Soon, word would spread beyond the south, and other regions would learn of Sefira’s feats.

Galahind had been fully aware of that, but he never imagined Sefira would actually accuse him. He always thought they were a cowardly, witless house. But it was too late for regrets now.

Biting his lower lip, Galahind nodded.

At least they won’t kill me.

Admitting his crimes stung his pride, but resisting Eslow would only make it worse.

“I... admit my guilt.”

Galahind finally bowed his head and confessed.

In the same flat, uninterested tone, Jeffrey replied, “By His Grace’s decree, your rank will be reduced by two levels upon your confession. You are no longer a high noble. You are now a regular noble.”

“

Kuk!

”

In the blink of an eye, Galahind had been demoted to a regular noble.

“Those who conspired with Galahind—Delmore, Iwin, and Bristan—you are all sentenced identically.”

“Uhh...”

“

Sob...

”

Old men seasoned by decades of political conflict fell into despair, tears streaming down their faces. It was inevitable, as the difference between high and low nobles was huge.

“Your estates and assets will be adjusted accordingly. Anything beyond your current station will be seized and returned to the treasury. Thirty percent of that total will be paid in reparations to Sefira.”

That final part made the nobles stir. Even if it was only thirty percent, it was still from the combined fortune of four high nobles, especially Galahind, who was one of the wealthiest men in the south.

“...”

Galahind bit his lip so hard that blood dripped from it. He had tried to destroy Sefira, and instead, he had made them rich.

“Since you confessed, you will not be detained.”

“...”

Galahind barely nodded, his soul seeming to have left his body.

“This concludes the trial. You may all disperse.”

Jeffrey departed with the Immortal Knights. The nobles breathed a collective sigh of relief and began exiting the palace, offering polite words to the Sefira siblings.

“Congratulations on becoming the knight representing the south, Lord Keter.”

“If you’re ever in the west, come visit the Cavendish estate. We’ve the largest tower in the realm. Haha!”

“I saw your feats in the tournament. I look forward to seeing more, Sir Keter.”

No one treated Galahind as a noble anymore, as he was now a regular noble. It was only natural since everyone here was at least a low noble.

Hm...

Meanwhile, Myle accepted the nobles’ greetings with a forced smile, slightly worried. He feared Keter might act rudely out of boredom or mischief. But Keter behaved normally, standing beside his brothers and receiving the greetings. He didn’t shake hands or offer thanks, but he made eye contact and gave respectful nods.

To the nobles, that was more than enough. They had seen Keter’s arrogance and confidence during the tournament, so they knew this was already a show of humility.

When all the greetings were finally done, Myle wiped his brow.

“Who knew just receiving greetings could be this exhausting?”

“I’ve never met so many nobles in my life...”

Even Taragon, who had stood at the back, was drenched in sweat. The nobles gathered here were powerful. Being surrounded by them for so long was mentally draining, but that made the brothers all the more elated.

Keter smiled in satisfaction.

Just three months ago, no one cared about Sefira. Now, they’re greeting us first.

He was happy, but he knew they still had a long way to go.

Still, we’ve only made a name in the south. Elsewhere, we’re just rumors.

Their influence hadn’t skyrocketed; this was only the beginning. With the attention, goodwill, and sudden influx of wealth, they had to act, not sit idle.

I’d love to do everything myself, but... that would be overkill.

Keter did want to elevate his family’s status, but that wasn’t his main goal. His true goal was to defeat Lillian, the queen of this kingdom. Even if he turned Sefira into a force rivaling the nation itself, that was just numbers. To defeat a queen wielding divine power, he needed people with power beyond reason.

No matter what, I can’t give up the fight against Queen Lillian.

He would surpass the Four Lords he failed to overcome in his past life and kill Lillian; this determination didn’t change, even if he gained affection, family, or peace in this one. It was all for that final revenge.

No matter how many comforts this life gave him, no matter how much had changed thanks to his reincarnation...

What must happen, will happen.

It might look like the tragedies of his past life had been averted, but one fate remained unchanged.

But the future that Sefira will fall has not yet been changed.

Of course, Sefira was trusted by Eslow and viewed favorably by many nobles. In this state, could Lillian strike them down?

Of course she can.

There was no clear evidence, but Keter instinctively knew that Lillian’s resolve would not waver, no matter what Sefira did. Only the timing would change.

I need to use this grace period wisely.

When Lillian finally moved to crush Sefira, he had to be ready to fight back.

We’re still far from ready.

His only solid ally right now was Ultima. Ultima was competent, and his merchant company was growing, but they weren’t enough.

Not just our forces, but I need to get stronger too.

To anyone else, that would have sounded ridiculous. Most believed Keter was already approaching the level of a six-star Grandmaster. In this tournament, no one had been able to stand against him: not Sword Dragon Rajis, not Henya the daughter of Eslow, not Pashian the battle-hardened mercenary, and not even Norman, the slime monster. They all fell before Keter.

For ordinary people, Keter was extremely talented and strong, but it was different for Keter, who had fought many powerful beings before his regression.

They say hidden masters are as numerous as grains of sand.

It was an exaggeration, but not wrong. True power was everywhere. Keter personally knew of three seven-star Prime-level people hiding within the Lillian Kingdom.

And personal strength doesn’t always determine the outcome.

The Browning House, the Masters of Swordsmanship of the north, had something called the sword array. It was designed to let weak fighters overwhelm stronger ones. With this, ten three-star knights could take down a five-star Master.

More than that, Browning’s secret technique, the Cross Sword Array, could allow five five-star Masters to take on a six-star Grandmaster.

I was shocked when I faced it.

He had experienced it firsthand before he regressed, and he still remembered how it had thrown him off. Normally, ten five-star Masters couldn’t even leave a scratch on a six-star Grandmaster. But the Cross Sword Array linked their minds, allowing perfect cooperation.

With a wry smile, Keter recalled the memory.

I backed off then... but next time, I’ll crush it head-on.

To do that, he needed more strength and better techniques. He didn’t have a concrete plan yet, but thanks to his past life, he had some idea of what to do and where to do it.

I would be getting ahead of myself to plan beyond that.

He shook off the thoughts of the future. Right now, his mind was consumed with one desire: punishing Galahind.

Eslow might have spared you, but I won’t.

After the trial, Galahind had fled the palace in disgrace. He had been humiliated, so he must have wanted to leave the site as fast as possible.

But Keter didn’t think that.

People like you never fall quietly like that. You don’t go down without a fight.

Even if he had to be stripped of his title as a high noble and fortune, Galahind accepted it because he clearly had a way to get out of it. And Keter knew exactly what that was.

A secret stash of money, no doubt, and a massive one at that.

“

Slurp.

Makes my mouth water.”

“Hm? What was that, Keter?”

Taragon blinked, having overheard him.

“Today’s pig-slaughtering day.”

“Pig...? You mean you want to eat pork today?”

“Yeah, today’s lunch is pork. Let’s have a whole roast pig.”

𝓯𝙧𝓮𝓮𝒘𝓮𝙗𝙣𝒐𝒗𝒆𝓵.𝓬𝓸𝒎

“Awesome!”

Taragon smiled innocently, thinking they were talking about lunch.

“Be right back.”

Before he could even ask where to, Keter had vanished. Anis watched him go, shaking his head.

“As expected. No way Keter would just stand by.”

Myle nodded beside him.

“Hm, I think he gave Galahind time on purpose.”

“You already deduced that far? Now that you say it... I think so too.”

Myle and Anis both understood perfectly. By “pig,” Keter was referring to Galahind. And now, Keter had gone to deal with him personally.

Of course, neither one of them had any intention of stopping him. If Keter hadn’t gone, one of them would have done it anyway. But if he was going...

I won’t get a chance to do anything.

It was none other than Keter, so Galahind’s fate was sure to be more brutal than any tragedy.

He’s my enemy... but I almost pity him.

Anis felt a strange sense of relief that the fearsome Keter was on their side.