Chapter 209: Bad News, and Worse News (3)

Not long after Keter left for Liqueur, visitors arrived at the Sefira estate. It was Ultima, head of the merchant guild, and Veiga, the notorious party-fanatic from a renowned swordsmanship family.

Behind them stretched a long line of goods and workers. Veiga had been asked by Keter to help host a party in Sefira, while Ultima, acting as the payer, had mobilized the full power of his guild to provide all manpower and supplies.

Hissop, having already been briefed by Miles on the general situation, welcomed the two warmly.

“I never thought we’d meet again like this, deputy patriarch.”

Veiga bowed deeply, showing extreme courtesy.

With somewhat of an uncomfortable smile, Hissop replied, “I hear you’ve come for Sefira’s sake. I thank you.”

“There’s no need to thank me. I came not for Sefira, but for Keter.”

Hearing Veiga, who could potentially sow discord in the Sefira family, Elder Panir flared with anger.

“I ought to chop your tongue...”

“Since Keter held this party for Sefira, isn’t it the same thing in the end?”

Hissop’s gentle response soothed the moment, and Veiga answered with a sly smile.

“Thank you for clarifying. Time is short, so will you entrust me with full authority over the party preparations?”

“So long as you make no unreasonable demands, gladly.”

“I’d rather not get on Keter’s bad side, so I’ll do my best.”

With that, Veiga left the reception room of his own accord, without Hissop’s permission. Panir looked ready to kill him on the spot, but held back when he saw Hissop’s calm expression.

“Elder Panir, I feel quite pleased.”

“Pleased? What do you mean?”

“The Veiga I once knew wouldn’t even pretend at courtesy. Yet now, at least, he makes the effort.”

“...!”

Panir was stunned by Hissop’s tolerance. Veiga had been clear that he was bowing not for Sefira, but for Keter. Any other person would have felt insulted, even enraged at the disrespect. Yet Hissop was unbothered; his composure was genuine, not forced.

What patience... no, what magnanimity.

Hissop’s tolerance, unshaken by Veiga’s false courtesy and biting words, was a rare gift and natural disposition that neither Besil, the current patriarch, nor anyone in Sefira’s long history had ever possessed.

After Veiga came Ultima. Unlike Veiga, Ultima treated Hissop with sincere courtesy. Though his reasons also ultimately traced back to Keter, Ultima did not mention it, and Hissop made no effort to bring it up.

“To celebrate Sefira’s victory, I’ve brought a small present. Please accept it.”

Unlike Veiga, who had come empty-handed, Ultima had brought a carriage full of fine paintings and works of art to decorate Sefira’s rather simple mansion. Though frugality was a family creed, Hissop did not refuse.

“These are treasures even money cannot easily buy. I won’t forget your sincerity, Mr. Ultima.”

“I am grateful.”

After their meetings with Hissop, Ultima and Veiga met again at Keter’s mansion, as if by design.

“So of course, you’ve come to see Keter,” Veiga said, sipping tea, gesturing to the seat across from him.

Ultima, however, did not sit. Looking around, he said, “I take it Lord Keter is away?”

“Oh, how did you know? You must be close to him.”

“...It’s just a merchant’s intuition.”

At that moment, Butler Jacques arrived with tea for Ultima.

“Mr. Ultima, Lord Keter is out. I’ll inform him you came when he returns.”

“Hmm... Mr. Jacques, a word, if you will.”

Avoiding Veiga’s stare, Ultima drew Jacques into another room to whisper, “When will Lord Keter be back?”

“Hah, you know he never tells us. And even if he did, I would never reveal it to anyone but the patriarch.”

“But you know I share a special bond with him, unlike Lord Veiga.”

“I have no right to make judgments on the lord’s behalf. And truly, I don’t know where he’s gone or when he’ll return.”

“At least tell him I came first, and that it’s urgent.”

“Hmm...”

Jacques hesitated, about to nod, when Veiga’s voice cut through the wall.

“My business concerns Sefira’s very fate, Mr. Ultima. Is yours as important?”

Veiga was just next door, but the walls were thick and Ultima had whispered. However, he spoke as if he had overheard everything. Ultima clicked his tongue.

Jacques returned to announce, “I understand both of you have important matters. When the lord returns, I will inform him at once.”

As Jacques offered a fair solution calmly, both men realized they had to concede.

“Thank you.” Ultima was about to leave, when he glared at Veiga and added, “Lord Veiga, won’t you come? We must still choose a venue for the party.”

“We already decided it would be outdoors, didn’t we? Fortunately, Sefira’s grounds are spacious and scenic.”

“So you mean to wait here for Lord Keter?”

“I’m not waiting; I’m just taking a look around. I’m curious what kind of man he is.”

“...Very well. I’ll send word when the venue is confirmed.”

“Sounds great.”

Ultima left, while Veiga wandered the mansion, guided and watched by Jacques.

“From outside, I suspected as much, but this place looks like a renovated warehouse.”

“Yes, that’s true,” Jacques confirmed flatly.

“For Keter, the new star of Sefira, to be treated like this... It hurts my heart. Deputy Patriarch Hissop must hate him. He is a bastard son, after all.”

Jacques stayed silent. He had no reason to become angry or correct Veiga’s personal opinion.

“Keter is special, yet this house is not.”

Like he said, there was nothing to see in Keter’s home.

At last, Veiga reached Keter’s bedroom and reached for the door, only for Jacques to block him.

“Lord Veiga, his room is deeply private. Please understand that I cannot allow you entry.”

“Huh? Oh, you must not know, but we’re friends. Friends see each other’s rooms, don’t they? Now move.”

“I’ve never once heard the lord mention you.”

“Judging by your face, there must be something interesting inside. Hehe.”

“My apologies, but no.”

Jacques refused to move out of the way. Keter was storing a bunch of elixirs and potions, but the real issue was Elise. It wouldn’t matter if Elise was in bat form, as she was nothing but a cute white bat. In addition to that, she was extremely introverted. She was affectionate to no one but Keter. She only tolerated Jacques and did not even show herself to other people. However, Elise had now turned human—a cute, lovely girl with white hair.

Jacques was worried about what would happen if Veiga saw her. He had heard of Veiga as a troublemaker who loved parties. Of course, Jacques didn’t judge someone based on their appearance or rumors, but after meeting Veiga and speaking with him, he was certain that disaster would follow if Veiga and Elise met.

Veiga did not know any of this, and even if he had, he wasn’t generous enough to yield anyway. Anyone who could survive with such a rotten personality had to have one of two things: untouchable authority or overwhelming strength. Veiga had both.

He was known as a scoundrel who just held parties all the time. No one had ever seen him seriously train in swordsmanship, yet he was strong enough to easily overpower a five-star Master.

Veiga pointed at Jacques and said, “No? That’s the word I hate most. I didn’t think I would hear it from a mere butler...”

Though smiling, Veiga’s killing intent filled the hall.

“Lord Veiga, please put away your killing intent!”

A holy knight stationed nearby raised his bow at him. But Veiga, a Master warrior, needed no weapon; his aura alone could form one.

“Go ahead, shoot. I’ve always wondered about Sefira’s archery.”

“...!”

“What’s wrong? Because I’m unarmed? Fine then...”

Veiga grabbed Jacques by the throat and lifted him into the air.

“If you don’t shoot, this old butler suffocates. Now you’ve got enough reason.”

The knight trembled.

Could he really fire on the heir of one of the Masters of Swordsmanship, even with Jacques as hostage?

He gritted his teeth in determination and drew his bowstring to full tension. He didn’t care if Veiga looked down on him, but he could not stand him looking down on Sefira.

Creak!!

If he was going to shoot, he was going to give it his all. Veiga smiled, delighted, when suddenly, from inside Keter’s bedroom, came a tremendous roar.

Shatter! Crack!

The shockwave blasted outward, tearing the door off its hinges. It unfortunately flew straight into Veiga, who was flung back by the impact.

* * *

Keter, having brought Dork, Popo, and the Six back to Sefira, was hit with an overwhelming shock.

Feels like I just took a direct punch from an ogre.

Thankfully, neither Dork nor Popo seemed harmed, and Keter felt a wave of relief.

“Ugh, the old man’s going to nag me again.”

Though he and his companions were unharmed, his room was a complete wreck due to the aftermath of the overloaded teleportation circle’s explosion.

“This is supposed to be a noble family? It’s way filthier and shabbier than I expected.”

Dork, who had imagined a grand palace, was clearly disappointed.

Keter handed Popo over to him and replied, “Wait and see. Sefira may be frugal for a noble house, but it’s not so bad you can’t stand it.”

“Big Brother, I feel weird. I’m overflowing with strength, light as if I’ll float into the air if I don’t hold myself down.”

“Yeah, exactly. I went through the same thing. You’ll get used to it soon enough. Anyway... looks like we’ve got company.”

From beyond the door, Keter felt familiar presences.

“Go ahead and look around. Oh, and Slurpie is here too, so make sure you say hi.”

“Can’t wait for Slurpie.”

Sending Dork off, Keter stepped into the corridor. Veiga, who was pinned under the blasted door, staggered to his feet.

“Ah.”

“Huh?”

The problem was that Veiga’s hand was still gripping Jacques by the neck.

“Keter. So the story about you being away was a lie from this butler, huh?”

“What the hell are you doing?”

“Huh? Oh, your butler ignored me, so I was just giving him a light lesson...”

Crack!

It happened in an instant. Veiga flew into the air, not by his own will, but by Keter’s hand gripping his neck, just as he had done to Jacques.

“Kh...?!”

Veiga was shocked for two reasons: first was that he couldn’t even react before he was grabbed by the throat, and the other was because Keter was utterly impassive and without the slightest hesitation as he strangled a direct heir of a noble family.

“Who gave you permission to lay hands on my butler’s neck?”

“K-Keter... you’re overreacting. He’s just some old butler...!”

Sweat beaded on Veiga’s brow as he clawed at Keter’s arm.

This... this doesn’t feel like grabbing a human’s arm.

It was like being pinned by a giant, not a man. Veiga desperately shifted his grip to Keter’s fingers, but the result was the same. He couldn’t even pry open one pinky finger, no matter how hard he strained.

This... this is human strength?!

Veiga had almost never felt like a weakling in his life, maybe only against five opponents in his lifetime. Among them, it had never been against a peer. He acknowledged he was weak when facing the patriarch of Mejai or leaders of martial families, but he had never despaired. He acknowledged their monstrous training and decades of discipline.

However, Keter was younger than him and he didn’t even seem like the diligent type, but Veiga could still feel a difference in power he could not overcome.

I have to suffer all this humiliation because of a butler? And to someone younger than me?!

Veiga had already forgotten he was the weak in this situation. As rage boiled up to replace his shame...

“Don’t tense up, Veiga. If I get startled, I might squeeze harder.”

“...!”

“I hate when people mess with what’s mine. Still, you didn’t know, so I’ll call it a mistake, and everyone makes mistakes. Apologize, and I’ll let it go.”

Veiga wondered what would happen if he didn’t apologize.

He wouldn’t dare kill me... Would he?

But when he met Keter’s eyes, the answer was clear.

I-insane. This bastard really would kill me.

Killing a direct noble heir like him would spark war between the Mejai and Sefira families instantly, but Keter didn’t care. Veiga could feel it instinctively.

“S... sorry. I didn’t know. It was a mistake.”

“Why are you apologizing to me? You owe that to Jacques.”

Veiga burned with shame from bowing his head to a mere butler as a high noble, but he had no desire to die for pride.

“...Forgive me, Mr. Jacques.”

Jacques, bewildered, accepted the apology, knowing it was the only way to end this.

“I, too, failed to explain things properly to Lord Veiga. Forgive me.”

Thud!

Keter released him. Veiga landed on his feet and rubbed at the red marks around his throat.

“This is the first time in my life someone has grabbed me by the neck... Guess I’m collecting a lot of firsts here in Sefira.”

“So, why are you here? I’m tired. Make it quick.”

“Heh. You strangle me one second, then act casual the next.”

“That was that. This is this. Or would you rather I finish what I started?”

“...You’re insane. No, I don’t want that. Anyway, you’re the one who called me here.”

“I asked you to help with the party, not to come see me.”

“Cold bastard. You’ve clearly never thought about what happens when Sefira hosts a party, especially when I’m the one organizing it.”

“I don’t bother with that kind of thing.”

“Lunatic. Still, no matter how mad you are, you need to hear this. Something happened, and I came to see how you would react.”

“Fine. You’ve got my attention. Just don’t disappoint me.”

Veiga’s lips curled into a grin as he raised two fingers.

“Bad news... and worse news: which do you want first?”