Chapter 238: I Am Going to Kill You (5)

The night deepened. The wind was cold, but the table of the Old Nobles’ Circle was particularly freezing. The elder nobles glared at Keter. The wrinkles on their faces were proof that they had survived countless battles and schemes.

“You seem overly excited from all that drinking. Why don’t you go inside and rest?”

Gerald, the council’s second-in-command, showed a measure of adult leniency. However, Keter lifted his cup.

“Do you know what I can’t get used to in this kingdom? It’s that old people are supposed to be shown respect and deference. I just don’t accept it, but it’s the culture, so I try. Consider this my courtesy.”

Slowly, Keter extended the cup toward Gerald.

“Drink. Don’t have any regrets later.”

Clang!

Then, one of the elder nobles who had been watching sprang to his feet and pointed at Keter.

“You’ve gotten unbearably arrogant because Sir Gerald is indulging you. Just because you’re from a master family and now the Sword of the South, you think you can do anything you want. Do you really not know who we are?! One word from us and Sefira’s standing—including yours—could be shaken to the core!”

“Hm...”

Keter set down his cup and strode up to the shouting noble.

“So you’re saying that if you flap that greasy mouth of yours, Sefira will be in danger?”

“You insolent brat! Fine. I’ll show you. One word from me and the Royal Inspection Corps will descend on Sefira and...”

“The royal family is awfully far away, isn’t it? My fist, however, is right here.”

Thud!!

Keter drove his fist into the noble, who had been shouting with veins popping out in his neck. The elder nobles went pale. They had never imagined Keter would actually strike them at full force. The Old Nobles’ Circle carried weight and history; they were reputed to be the backbone of the kingdom. Yet Keter, either ignorant of that or simply not caring, was throwing punches outright, and the old men were understandably shocked.

“Have you lost your mind? Do you know whom you’ve struck?!” another elder shouted as he stood up, but...

“Do

you

know who you’re yelling at?” Keter asked.

The noble who stood up to argue met Keter’s fist just the same, without exception. In the blink of an eye, two men were left half-crippled and trembling, and the remaining nobles became so wary that they didn’t even dare to shift their gaze.

“Do you know how common the nickname ‘Madman’ is?” said Gerald, who had been watching. “Those born to great families with exceptional talents mostly never learn humility. They are idolized like gods and easily forgiven for their faults, so they start to believe they can do anything. How many of those brutes have we had before you? But in the end, they all vanish. Do you know why? Either they learn their place and become humble, or they die.”

Gerald was asking Keter whether he would choose to learn humility or die here, and he wasn’t bluffing. If the Royal Inspection Corps, who would leave no speck of dust unturned, were called in, Sefira would be investigated down to their last stitch of clothing.

That wasn’t all. The Old Nobles’ Circle could privately mobilize the knight order, which included a Grandmaster; if they really pushed, they could even bring in a Prime. Their influence ran deep through the kingdom as well; even the patriarch of a master family could treat the circle as mere old men in the back room.

But Keter scratched his ear and then grabbed Gerald by the collar. Gerald, still composed, did not lose his cool.

“If you kneel now and beg for forgiveness, we’ll settle this with compensation. But if you assault me, Sefira will not gain any advantage—it will suffer great hardship instead.”

“People are going to think I’m the villain here, when you’re the one who tried to feed me a vermin.”

Keter had indeed swallowed the vermin hidden in the wine. But before it could reach his stomach, it dissolved into protein due to the strong acidic bodily fluid he had obtained by consuming the inner core of the Queen Rock Ant.

“Vermin? What is that? That’s nonsense.”

“That old man Arthur confessed everything.”

“I don’t know what you’re talking about. This must be some huge mistake or a set-up...”

Crack!

Keter punched Gerald in the face. Others passed out from a single blow, but Gerald did not, not because he was strong, but because Keter had deliberately held back.

“From the moment someone tried to feed me vermin, the Old Nobles’ Circle became Sefira’s enemy. You’ve walked into the very heart of the foe.”

“Ridiculous! Even if Arthur really confessed to trying to feed you vermin, why drag our circle into this?”

“No—he already confessed. He said he did it on the circle leader’s orders.”

Thud!

Keter’s second punch landed. Gerald looked like all the life had been knocked out of him.

“W-wait, we truly, or at least I, know nothing of this! I swear!”

“That may be. But what difference would that make?”

“...?! ”

“If you walk away alive today, next time we’ll meet as enemies. Old and sly as you are, you’ll hide and make trouble for Sefira behind the scenes. So I’m just going to beat you now.”

“...!”

“You’ll have a chance to explain.”

“That’s an outrageous accusation...!”

“Rejected.”

Thump!

Keter thumped Gerald’s forehead. It shouldn’t have been stronger than his punch, yet the single snap sent Gerald into unconsciousness, his eyes rolling up.

“Sefira’s madman has finally snapped!” one elder shouted, and fumbled for a communication device.

Other nobles pulled out theirs to send a distress signal, but...

Crack!

Keter’s White Cloud hand shattered every device. Keter retrieved the arrow, held it like a whip, then smiled ominously.

“Been enjoying yourselves so far, right? Growing up riding on power and patrons, trampling the young, kicking away ladders for rising talents...”

“Are you sane, Keter? Nobles from across the kingdom are watching. If you kill us, you and Sefira will be traitors!” shouted a noble from the Old Nobles’ Circle.

“Don’t worry. I won’t kill you. I may be mad, but I’m not a fool. I’ll beat you and throw you in prison. You’ll be in there long enough for those who’ve long hated the circle to have their chance to act.”

“...!”

“That way, the circle won’t dare mess with Sefira lightly since their strength will be significantly reduced.”

“Y-you planned this? Since when?!”

Keter held up his hand and showed five fingers.

“Five days ago?!”

“No, five minutes ago.”

As their conversation continued, the curious nobles crowded in.

The Old Nobles’ Circle breathed a sigh of relief. No matter how mad Keter might be, they believed that he wouldn’t beat a couple of old men in front of witnesses.

“All right, the audience has arrived. Now take your beating.”

“Huh?”

The nobles who had come in thoughtlessly now found themselves watching an extraordinary spectacle: the elder nobles of the once-powerful Old Nobles’ Circle being soundly beat up by Keter.

* * *

Everyone was focused on the elder nobles of the Old Nobles' Circle being beaten to a pulp. No one could resist watching such a spectacle. But Volus, the deputy patriarch of Bydent, couldn’t just stand by and watch.

“

Tsk

, so they all failed?”

If things had gone as planned, the alarm bell would have sounded. Yet Sefira remained silent.

Assassins, spies, even the Old Nobles’ Circles—all of them failed...

Keter and Sefira had weathered through all the hardships, even the ones Volus hadn’t prepared. Volus didn’t expect much from the people he hired, but he had never imagined that all of them would fail miserably.

Sefira... Even if you’re weak, I guess you’re still a master family.

Vous was honest enough to admit it: Sefira was a far more troublesome opponent than he’d thought.

I’ll have to pressure them more thoroughly and more strongly.

As he cast one last cold glance toward Keter and turned to leave the ballroom...

“Leaving so soon, Lord Volus of Bydent?”

It was Hissop, who had been watching him, stepping forward with a polite smile. Volus returned it faintly.

“Something urgent came up at the estate, so I must return.”

“Did you not enjoy the party?”

“On the contrary, I enjoyed it well enough.”

“There’s something I’d like to ask you.”

Volus felt a tension in his neck. He wanted to leave immediately, but Hissop’s persistence was frustrating. Still, showing irritation here would be unwise.

“Go ahead.”

“Could you not treat Sefira nicely?”

“...”

“If Bydent were to apologize, Sefira would forgive. Lord Volus, it’s the only path forward for both our families. Let us forget the past and reconcile to prosper together.”

Hissop extended his hand for a handshake. Though it was Bydent who had struck first, it was Sefira offering peace. That was no small fear—it took immense courage and generosity for Hissop to extend such grace. But that very mercy crushed Volus’ pride. Something deep inside him shattered, and his expression darkened in an instant.

“Don’t flatter yourself. Just because you hosted a decent party and dodged a single crisis, you think you’ve won against us?”

“...”

Hissop simply stared at Volus, who was now showing his true self.

“Apology? Forgiveness? Reconciliation? Such weak talk, so typical of Sefira. Let me make

you

an offer instead. Join Bydent as a subordinate, and then true peace will follow.”

“...You’re not going to stop, are you, Volus?”

Hissop’s face fell, filled with sorrow. Volus grabbed him by the collar.

“Hissop, you’re staring at me with that face again.”

“As a classmate and fellow alumnus, I truly wanted to remain on good terms with you. I don’t know how we ended up like this.”

“Don’t pretend to be my friend.”

Releasing Hissop’s collar, Volus took a deep breath and composed himself, as if nothing had happened.

“Well then, I’ll take my leave.”

With that, Volus left the ballroom, and Hissop did not stop him. Instead of heading to the carriage, he reached into his coat and drew out a teleportation scroll. He didn’t trust Sefira, and he wanted to leave this place as fast as possible. He was just about to tear the scroll when...

“Going somewhere in such a hurry?”

From the shadows, Keter emerged.

* * *

The moment Keter appeared, Volus hastily tore the teleportation scroll in two. He realized instinctively that Keter’s presence meant there was no way he would be allowed to leave!

“I hate the quick ones.”

Whoosh!

Keter vanished in front of Volus. The next instant, only a fist filled his vision. As the thought of dying filled his head...

Crack!!!

Keter’s fist was stopped just inches from Volus’ face.

Zwoong....!

It was a shield, but not just any ordinary one. It was Second Shield, a six-circle defensive spell. Volus, who nearly wet himself, laughed when he saw Keter’s blow halted.

“Hah, hahaha! You fool! Did you think I came to Sefira empty-handed? Keter, you’re stupid like the peasant you are!”

It may seem like Volus just cast a six-circle spell without warning, but of course not—he didn’t know how to use magic. Instead, he was wearing a magic tool. It was a level-five artifact: the Ring of Survival.

The person wearing the Ring of Survival was protected in any extreme environment: they were warm in cold, cool in heat, and able to breathe underwater. It also had built-in defenses. The moment an attack was detected, a defensive spell would automatically trigger. It was a family heirloom of Bydent worth three million gold. Experiencing its effects for the first time, Volus’ chest swelled with pride.

So this is the power of a level-five magic item! Heh heh. Not even the great Keter can do anything about it.

Riiip!

Volus finished ripping the teleport scroll, and a blue light wrapped around him. Of course, tearing the scroll didn’t teleport him instantly. There was a short charge time, and with the Second Shield holding Keter back, that should have been enough.

“That looks nice,” said Keter, noticing where the magic spell had come from.

Volus sneered.

“A treasure a poor family like Sefira couldn’t even dream of. Heheheh.”

Volus boasted, waving the ring in Keter’s face. Then...

“Then leave it behind.”

Whoosh!

Keter’s hand pierced the shield. Volus recoiled in terror, but it was too late.

Crack!

With raw force, Keter ripped the ringed finger from Volus’ hand.

“Agh!!!!!”

As Volus screamed, the teleportation spell completed. The blue light engulfed him, and all that was left in the darkness was his finger. Keter plucked the ring off.

“This is going to be a good present for Dork.”

There was no trace of regret in Keter for not killing Volus. He could have, but he chose not to. Letting him live was Keter’s decision.

“Bydent... What would be the best way to swallow you up?”

Two families fighting each other wasn’t fruitful, as the conquered territory didn’t go to the victor but to the crown. As such, Keter had to let Volus go at this time. Like Keter, Volus would want to take everything Sefira had—they both wouldn’t be satisfied with just winning. And now, Volus was going to begin his scheme to swallow Sefira whole.

“And I’ll just speed that process up. I’m bored of waiting.”

With that, Keter stomped on Volus’ severed finger and returned to the party.

* * *

After teaching Volos a lesson and even securing a level-five magic artifact, Keter returned to the ballroom looking rather pleased with himself. Two figures approached him: Krona, the Lord of the West, and Princess Iris.

“Looks like you’ve had enough fun at this party, hm?” Krona said to Keter.

“Thanks to you, I’ve enjoyed it quite a bit, Big Sis.”

“Hehe, then how about choosing now? Between me and Iris, who will you speak with first?”

“Well, obviously...”

Keter trailed off. Seeing both women together again, the nobles gathered in curiosity, watching his lips intently. Both Krona and Iris waited for his answer.

“...I want to talk together.”

“...?”

Krona blinked, not understanding for a moment what he meant.

In her place, Iris asked, “Do you really think we’d want that?”

Iris sounded irritated, but Keter only shrugged.

“Anyone who doesn’t like it can leave.”

“...?!”

“H–has he lost his mind?!”

“He’s completely insane!”

The nobles watching cursed Keter on the women’s behalf, but he didn’t care. He lifted the Fist Emperor’s liquor and downed it. His face was already flushed red, and anyone could tell he was drunk. Naturally, they assumed his behavior was the result of intoxication, just like when he had beaten and imprisoned the elder nobles of the Old Nobles’ Circle. However, Krona and Iris both knew better: Keter was perfectly sober.

“...”

“...”

Keter chose neither Krona nor Iris. He had turned the privilege of choice back on them. It was a reckless decision, one that could make him the enemy of both sides, but Keter made it without a moment’s hesitation.

The two women’s reactions couldn’t have been more different. Krona licked her lower lip, while Iris' gaze hardened with resolve.