Chapter 21: Like Father, Like Son (2)

Darkness had settled over the Sefira estate. However, one place remained unusually bright—the office of Besil, the patriarch.

“

Sigh...

”

Various documents and requests for approval were piled on his desk. The most troublesome among them were the numerous requests for archers from multiple regions. These ranged from minor requests for archers to protect crops from wild animals to military requests for a company to be dispatched to strengthen defense around the border.

“They want to wear our family down to the bone.”

Half, if not most, of the support requests were unnecessary. They were clearly part of a petty scheme to disperse the family’s forces and drain its wealth. However, Besil couldn’t simply ignore these requests. Rejecting even a village chief’s request outright would negatively impact public opinion about them, while declining a high-ranking noble’s request without a solid reason could lead to political backlash.

Besil meticulously sifted through the requests, identifying the ones truly in need of support and the fraudulent ones. He wrote careful rejections for those that were obviously false, trying his best to make them seem plausible.

But there were requests even Besil couldn’t easily turn down—those that were undoubtedly false but too significant to ignore. No matter how prestigious the Sefira family was, there were places they couldn’t disregard, such as other noble families of equal standing and the Four Lords.

After painstakingly sorting through the support requests, Besil barely had a moment to catch his breath before he began reading an important report.

“The attention that had finally died down is starting to flare up again...”

The report from a knight responsible for the family’s security showed a significant increase in both external interest and activities of internal spies. Unsurprisingly, the primary cause was attributed to Keter.

I expected this, but Keter is far more active than I anticipated.

The report was concluded with a request for additional reinforcements to strengthen security.

Besil massaged his head. They were already so short on manpower that even apprentice knights had been deployed in the field. There was no way they could possibly provide more personnel now.

Besil, who always had to present a composed image to the family, was contemplating these circumstances himself.

Thud thud thud thud!

𝓯𝙧𝙚𝒆𝙬𝙚𝒃𝙣𝙤𝒗𝓮𝓵.𝙘𝙤𝙢

The sound of heavy footsteps interrupted his thoughts, and Besil let out a deep sigh.

“Here it comes.”

The footsteps headed straight for Besil’s office, and soon the door flung open roughly.

“Besil!”

The person who burst in was Panir, an elder of Sefira.

Besil had already prepared himself for Panir’s arrival, but seeing Panir made his head hurt even more.

“What brings you here in the middle of the night?” Besil asked.

“What brings me here? Are you really asking me that!”

Panir’s voice, which was filled with rage, rang through the curtained windows and into the darkness.

The soldiers on night patrol outside were startled by the loud voice, but they sighed after recognizing who it was.

“I don’t know why Elder Panir always shouts at the patriarch as soon as he returns.”

“Keep your voice down. Elder Panir has sharp ears.”

“

Eek

, right. Let’s get going.”

After the soldiers hurried away, Panir began questioning Besil intensely.

“Do you even know what kind of trouble that bastard Keter has caused overnight?!”

As soon as Panir mentioned Keter, Besil sighed again, as if he had expected this. Panir immediately began arguing.

“Are you sighing? Are you treating me like a senile old man now? Besil, is this how Ricotta taught you?”

Ricotta was Besil’s father, Panir’s brother, and the previous patriarch. Besil rubbed his temples before gesturing towards the sofa.

“Please take a seat, and I’ll bring you a cup of tea. And lower your voice. Everyone outside can hear you.”

“This is not something to calm down about. Keter is a disaster for the Sefira family. We should be kicking him out immediately, and you want to have tea?”

“Yes. I’ll bring you a hot cup of tea. Maybe if you burn your tongue, you’ll quiet down a bit.”

“You insolent...!”

Everyone saw Besil as a calm and composed person, but the truth was, he was just holding back out of respect for his position as the head of the family; he actually had quite a temper.

Seeing that Panir showed no signs of calming down, Besil decided to take a firm stance.

“As the patriarch, I’m giving you an order. Sit down, Elder Panir.”

“...”

Though hot-tempered, Panir was also a fiercely conservative noble. Thus, when Besil, the patriarch, asserted his authority, he reluctantly complied, at least outwardly. He grumbled but sat down on the sofa, and Besil poured him a steaming cup of tea.

“I’ve been keeping a close watch on Keter. I said I would ignore him, not neglect him.”

Besil then poured himself a cup of tea and sat down across from Panir.

“You knew Keter ambushed Anis, yet you did nothing?” Panir asked.

“I didn’t hear it described as an ambush. Actually, I heard that it was a fair fight, and I’ve heard they plan to face each other officially.”

Panir’s eyes narrowed.

“And what about forcing a butler to drink?”

“According to head chef Altin’s testimony, Keter did offer the drink but did not force anyone. Jacques admitted he drank too much of his own accord and even willingly returned his monthly pay.”

The veins in Panir’s neck bulged, and his lips trembled as if he was about to explode, like a ticking time bomb.

“What about what happened at Volkanus’ forge? Am I mistaken? That bastard took Amaranth, the Demon Bow! I heard it was sealed away, so how did this happen? Explain yourself!”

“...”

Besil hesitated, his fingers fidgeting with the handle of his teacup. Panir grew even more agitated.

“He’s a spy! I don’t know how he knew about Amaranth, our family’s curse, but he stole it! We must retrieve Amaranth immediately and interrogate him!”

Crack!

The handle of the teacup in Besil’s hand broke off.

At that moment, Besil and Panir’s gazes met in the air. The two men glared at each other, not even flinching, until Besil finally broke the silence.

“You seem to know everything even though you weren’t here.”

“That’s because I love and care for this family more than you do.”

“Even love has its limits. What exactly have you been doing outside?”

Panir let out a hearty laugh.

“Are you suspecting me, Lord Besil? What have I been doing, you ask? Don’t you know my feet haven’t had a chance to heal as I run around trying to win over the hearts of the nobility?”

“Why did you secretly meet with Marquis Turbin, who has already turned against our family?”

“...!”

Panir, who seemed ready to burst out of the office at any moment, suddenly became quiet. His expression darkened.

“Have you been spying on me?”

“Elder Panir, why have you been documenting what happens within the family?”

Besil’s tone turned cold as well.

There’s a traitor in the family.

After discovering this, Besil had discreetly placed the elders under surveillance. He wanted to believe he was overreacting, but that was when he found Panir’s suspicious behaviors. It was true that Panir had been working to persuade nobles on behalf of the family, but it was also discovered that he had been meeting with nobles unrelated to the Sefira family secretly and unofficially.

There was no smoke without fire. If one were truly innocent, there would be no reason to meet in secret. Besil considered Panir the most likely candidate to be the family’s traitor. Of course, it was for certain, and Besil didn’t want to believe it either.

Though Panir was known for being quick to anger and nitpicky over even the smallest matters, his love and care for the Sefira family were genuine. However, anything in excess could become a poison.

Besil leaned forward, fixing his gaze on Panir.

“Not just the Turbin family, but you also visited the Zepirus family. Aren’t they also a family contributing to the downfall of the Sefira family?”

Panir, who was usually quick to anger and speak his mind, now remained silent. Besil began to question him even more.

“I’m also aware that you had Prosciutto send Katherine to Keter.”

Panir slowly rose from his seat. In a low tone, he said, “It sounds like you’re suspicious of me.”

Besil remained seated, looking up at Panir. Seeing this, Panir finally spoke up about what he couldn’t say before.

“Do you think I betrayed the Sefira family?”

“Sit down. We’re not finished.”

“I have nothing more to say.”

As Panir turned to leave, Besil stood up. The coat he was wearing suddenly transformed into a bow and arrow. It was the Sefira family’s treasure, the Doppelganger, capable of transforming into any object.

Without even turning around, Panir, sensing that the bow was aimed at him, shouted, “Do you know who you’re pointing that bow at? Besil, I am the one who taught you archery!”

“Exactly.”

Besil drew the bowstring. Unlike his voice, which was steady, the corner of his eye was trembling.

“Explain yourself. Why did you do those things?”

“... You weren’t like this before. What changed you? Didn’t you say you trusted me? Could it be...”

Panir clenched his fists tightly.

“Is it because of Keter? Are you baring your claws at me just to protect that bastard?”

“What does Keter have to do with this?”

“Then trust me. Everything I’m doing is for the Sefira family. Trying to expel Keter from the family is part of that. He is the cause of our discord. If that bastard hadn’t come to our family...! None of this would be happening.”

“You refuse to explain yourself until the end,” Besil said.

“I have no reason to be treated like a criminal by my own family. And it’s not me who needs to explain—it’s you.”

Besil lowered his bow. The bow and arrow reverted to the form of his coat.

Snap.

Besil snapped his fingers, and two knights entered the room. They were Rual and Taron, the Sefira family’s guards. They positioned themselves on either side of Panir.

Besil sighed softly and said, “Until you provide a reasonable explanation, you are forbidden from leaving your residence, Elder Panir.”

Besil signaled Rual and Taron to escort Panir out.

“I’ll go on my own.”

When Rual reached for his arm, Panir harshly slapped his hand away, and said, “Let’s go. I have nothing to hide, so I will walk on my own.”

Without so much as a glance back at Besil, Panir walked straight out of the office. After the three passed through the dark corridor, a shadow squirmed behind a decorative suit of armor in the middle of the silent hallway. A figure emerged.

He whistled softly and said, “Father has quite a temper, doesn’t he? Like father, like son.”

Keter, who had accidentally overheard the conversation, faintly smiled.

* * *

People slept during the night not just because they were tired. Even with candles or lamps to light the darkness, relying on such limited illumination made work efficiency plummet. As such, it was better to sleep until the sun rose.

However, there was a place in this world where the usual rules were flipped—a place that revealed its true nature only when night had fallen.

It was Liqueur, another lawless city.

The daytime in Liqueur was merely a facade; the real Liqueur came alive at night. The nights in Liqueur were filled with dazzling lights of all colors, captivating everyone’s attention. But this brilliance didn’t mean it was as bright as day. It actually created confusion, causing first-time visitors to suffer from dizziness and nausea.

Keter grew up amidst the chaos of Liqueur, roaming its streets and ruling over them. Naturally, he was not the type to feel sleepy or uncomfortable just because night had fallen.

“The level of security is pathetic. Even if they’re short on manpower, this is terrible.”

The Sefira estate was dark. The few lights that could be seen here and there belonged to the patrolling soldiers. Keter, without so much as a small candle, walked around with his hands clasped behind his head.

He didn’t sneak out of his room for any particular reason. Keter often stayed awake at night since he usually slept very little. As sitting idle didn’t suit him, he wandered around, checking for any incidents or disturbances.

“The soldiers lack alertness. Not alert at all.”

Keter, who usually moved silently while concealing his presence, deliberately revealed himself slightly. In this state, he began to stroll around the estate. He ignored the guards, whether they were there or not. In fact, he even blatantly passed through them.

Whenever he spotted a servant working at night, he would sneak up and poke the back of their neck with his finger.

“Who... Who’s there? Someone poked my neck!”

“Ahhh!”

No one could stop Keter as he poked people’s necks while concealed. The once silent estate became noisy. Soldiers, responding to reports of ghost sightings, searched the area thoroughly and tightened their security, but it was all in vain. Keter even boldly poked the necks of soldiers.

Even considering I know the layout of this estate, the security is still way too relaxed.

It wasn’t until knights arrived that anyone could even sense Keter’s presence, and even then, they would quickly lose track of him if he concealed himself. He took advantage of the confusion, slipped through security, and entered the main mansion where the patriarch resided. The security inside was even slacker than outside, but there was a good reason for that.

The strongest person in this family doesn’t really need guards, does he?

Keter fully committed to his stealth technique as he wanted to test whether Besil would notice him. He stopped breathing, stilled his heartbeat, and even put his aura and mana into a dormant state, completely erasing himself from the world. This was a supreme stealth technique that only the highest-level assassins could execute. He couldn’t maintain it as long as they could, but a short burst was enough.

Keter evaded the watchful eyes of the guards and stopped in front of the office door. His instincts strongly warned him that he would be detected if he got any closer. Besides, there was no need to go all the way to the door. Panir, who was visiting the office, was loud enough to be heard through the door and down the corridor.

“Panir, that noisy old man, is indeed suspicious.”

Keter stroked his chin. He had already planned to visit Panir sometime tomorrow to feel him out, but his father had beaten him to it.

At least now I know that Father is aware of the traitor’s existence.

It seemed like Besil had identified the traitor, but the family still couldn’t avoid its downfall in his previous life. This implied that Besil either failed to resolve the issue regarding the traitor, or...

Or even if he found the traitor, it wasn’t enough to prevent the family’s ruin.

Keter had many questions, but it didn’t seem necessary to confront Panir immediately.

Father will handle Elder Panir. Even if he can’t, I can still step in.

“If it ends up coming down to me, you’re really out of luck,” Keter muttered to himself as he watched Panir pass by, completely unaware of his presence.

There was no emotion in Keter’s eyes as he watched Panir.

“Well, that’s that. I suppose I should finish what I was doing.”

Keter was determined to alert the relaxed night of the Sefira estate.