Chapter 26: Let’s Work Together (5)

“Phew...”

After Reganon left the reception room, Ultima leaned back on the sofa and sighed.

“Lord Keter, my business here is done, so I will be leaving now,” he said.

“Are you a goldfish? Our deal isn’t finished yet,” Keter replied.

“Oh.”

Keter gestured with his chin toward the dining room connected to the reception room.

“Go in there and badmouth me over the communicator while you wait.”

“Could you at least tell me what you’re planning to sell? I need to do some calculations in advance.”

“Get lost.”

“Yes, my lord.”

Hearing Keter’s firm rejection, Ultima went to the dining room without hesitation. Only Hans, the butler, remained in the reception room.

With a serious expression, he said, “Lord Keter, I understand you joined the family through the patriarch’s invitation, but the way you acted towards Elder Reganon just now was far too disrespectful.”

“Did it make you uncomfortable?” Keter asked.

“Yes.”

“Then fix your attitude.”

“Pardon?”

“I said, fix the way you look at me.”

“That’s unreasonable...!”

“Are you really in a position to lecture me to begin with? You’re awfully rude to someone who just saved you.”

“Saved me?”

“Are you pretending not to know, or are you just that dumb?”

Of course, Hans was old, and therefore quite wise. He knew that Keter must have been involved in Ultima, who was previously pressuring him with a high-handed attitude, becoming meek all of a sudden.

Is Lord Keter the reason why Mr. Ultima is acting so compliant and admitting his mistakes?

As he thought it over, it made sense. Ultima had been very cautious in his interactions with Keter, which indicated they weren’t meeting for the first time.

“Did you convince Mr. Ultima, Lord Keter?”

“Convince? Ah, yes, I did— with this fist.”

Keter extended his scarred fist. Hans felt a chill run down his spine. Though it was clearly a human hand, in that moment, Keter’s fist looked like a bloodstained hammer. Thanks to this, Hans calmed down and regained his composure.

Come to think of it, it was strange. Mr. Ultima, who was always so violent, became as meek as a lamb in front of Lord Keter. Could it be...?

Hans wasn’t stupid, but he found it difficult to understand, much less accept, the idea that the Sefira family had managed to erase a debt of one hundred twenty thousand gold thanks to Keter. For Hans, who struggled because he couldn’t even get ten thousand gold, it was like being handed a lifeline. The only problem was that Keter was the one who had thrown it.

“So, did you really threaten... I mean, convince Ultima to admit his mistake?” asked Hans, who had somewhat made sense of the situation.

Keter frowned at Hans’ question.

I really want to punch him just once.

Hans was the type of person Keter disliked the most—the kind who made him repeat himself. If they had met in Liqueur, Hans would’ve been left at least half-paralyzed by now.

“Grandpa Hans, how much do you know about Elder Reganon?”

Keter suddenly changed the subject.

Why is he bringing up Elder Reganon now?

Hans was puzzled, but given that Keter had managed to clear the debt, he couldn’t just ignore the question.

“I was his personal butler in the past. Although I’m busy managing the finances now, I still visit him from time to time.”

“Does Reganon like fruit?”

“No, he dislikes sweet things.”

“What about magic? Any interest in that?”

“Not as far as I know.”

Hans answered each question dutifully but was puzzled. He wondered why Keter was so curious about Reganon, someone he had just met today. The questions were all so strange as well.

Ah, could it be that he’s concerned about Elder Reganon’s health?

Reganon did look like he barely ate anything, but that wasn’t the case—he did eat enough to survive. Hans started to wonder.

Despite his rough words and lack of manners... Could it be that Lord Keter actually cares deeply for the Sefira family?

If not, Keter wouldn’t ask about Reganon’s well-being.

Reganon used to be one of the most active elders in the Sefira family, but everything changed after his daughter, Olive, died.

The servants and helping hands of the Sefira family never blamed Reganon for his seclusion. Instead, they actually sympathized and understood. After all, it was none other than Besil, the current patriarch, who caused Olive’s death. Besil had failed to control Demon Bow Amaranth, which resulted in Olive’s death. It was only natural that Reganon, devastated, would abstain from eating and withdraw from family affairs.

So, did Keter genuinely have some positive feelings towards Reganon? Actually, it was quite the opposite: he found Reganon suspicious. And sure enough, after observing him, he noticed some strange details, and those suspicions were confirmed by Hans’ answers.

Why did I smell orange on an old man who doesn’t even eat fruit?

Keter’s keen senses extended beyond just his eyesight; his sense of smell was trained to be sharper than that of any beast. Because of this, he could tell that Reganon had come from a place filled with books, had recently sat on a leather sofa, and had fish for breakfast—all from scent alone. But then, unexpectedly, Keter’s nose picked up a faint hint of orange, a residual scent.

For most people, it would have been an insignificant detail, but not for Keter. It was his principle to be suspicious of even the smallest things. Feeling suspicion from the orange scent, which didn’t match Reganon’s image, Keter scanned Reganon even more closely.

Well, well, what do we have here?

Then, Keter found it: blue powder on Reganon’s heel. There were only a few grains, which was hardly noticeable even to someone with the famed eyesight of the Sefira family, but Keter spotted it. It was magic stone dust, a powder used by mages or alchemists.

This too could have been dismissed easily, as magic stone dust was commonly used in everyday life. But with Keter involved, the situation was different.

Reganon is up to something. I don’t know what it is, but it’s definitely not something innocent.

Just last night, Besil suspected Panir of being a traitor and had him confined to his home. Then, this could mean that the traitor had been caught, but to Keter, Reganon also seemed suspicious enough for further investigation.

However, it wasn’t urgent enough to be Keter’s top priority at the moment. His gaze shifted toward the dining room where Ultima was.

That can come after deciding whether to kill or spare Ultima.

Though there may be no eternal enemies or allies in this world, Keter’s principle was to eliminate any immediate threats before they could become troublesome.

* * *

Keter liked fighting. He enjoyed facing multiple opponents alone the most, and his second favorite was when large forces clashed against each other. When it came to war, Keter only considered one thing: whether or not there was a deadweight in his allies.

In Keter’s eyes, Hans was teetering on the edge of being a deadweight. He held a crucial position in the family yet lacked a sense of crisis. If he also refused to acknowledge his own faults, he would be the perfect deadweight—a liability rather than an asset, someone who actually benefits the enemy.

If Hans backed down quietly when told to back off, Keter might even give him some pocket money. But if he refused to leave...

“He has to die.”

“Pardon?”

Hans felt a chill run down his spine at Keter’s muttering.

Keter, still smiling, said, “Grandpa Hans, let’s go back to our earlier conversation. You owe me a debt, don’t you? Do you admit that?”

“I... I do.”

“You’ll also admit that you and Ultima conspired to ruin the Sefira family’s finances.”

“What are you talking about! Why would I do such a thing?” Hans exclaimed, shocked.

However, Keter looked at him with a puzzled expression.

“Grandpa Hans, Ultima scammed the Sefira family, and you failed to catch it. What proof do you have that you weren’t working with him?”

“I’m not that kind of person! Betrayal? That’s absurd!”

“But what if Ultima admits to the scam? What if he testifies that you two conspired to siphon off the Sefira family’s funds? What then?”

“Why are you saying these things? I have pledged my loyalty to this family for so long...”

Bang!

Keter kicked the marble table, sending the eight-seater flying through the air. It landed with a loud crash as it tumbled across the floor. In the midst of the chaos, Keter snatched a fountain pen that had been flung into the air and approached Hans.

“I don’t care about who you were before. What matters is now. What kind of person you are

now

is what’s important.”

As Keter gripped the pen in a reverse hold, Hans instinctively took a step back in fear.

Thud.

“

Hiccup

.”

Hans, who was scuttling back quickly, finally backed into the wall.

“Grandpa Hans, I despise useless people the most. Are you one of them?” Keter asked, his voice cold.

“E-even you, my lord... You cannot kill me without the patriarch’s permission!” Hans stammered, sensing the deadly intent in Keter’s words.

Hans was desperately trying anything to stop Keter, but he simply tilted his head to the side and smiled brightly.

“Do I look like someone who asks for permission to kill?”

As the pen drew closer, Hans forgot his rank and let out a pitiful cry, squeezing his eyes shut.

“

Eeek!

”

The tip of the pen touched Hans’s forehead. The coldness of the pen against his skin brought tears to his eyes.

Keter pressed the pen firmly and said, “I instantly recognized Ultima’s scam while you let it slide for years. Who should be listening to whom here? It’s a quiz. Go on, guess.”

“Y-you are correct, Lord Keter!”

“Shut up. Speak more quietly.”

“Y-you are...”

“Don’t repeat it. Do I look like an idiot?”

“...!”

Hans didn’t know what Keter wanted him to do, but he silently nodded in agreement, genuinely feeling the threat of death. Keter slowly withdrew the pen.

Drip.

Blood mixed with ink trickled down Hans’ forehead.

“Grandpa Hans, I’m not asking for much. Just do as I say. If you refuse...”

Whoosh! Crash!

The fountain pen Keter threw became deeply lodged into the wall that Hans had been leaning against.

“The dot on your forehead will turn into a hole.”

“...”

“If you understand, you should show some response.”

Hans nodded several times.

“Good. Very good, Grandpa Hans. Even I don’t like the idea of killing my own. But, if you ever feel like retiring, go ahead and do something foolish.”

Suddenly...

Bang!

Soldiers, alarmed by the commotion, burst through the door of the reception room.

“What’s all this noise about?”

“Huh? The table?!”

The scene the two soldiers witnessed in the reception room was undeniably suspicious. A massive table lay shattered into pieces, and Keter with his arm around Hans’ shoulder. Hans was awkwardly smiling with something dark red trickling down his forehead.

The senior soldier placed a hand on the hilt of his sword and asked Hans, “Mr. Hans... Is everything alright?”

Hans shook his head, denying any problem.

“It’s nothing. You can go.”

“But there’s blood on your forehead...”

“It’s just ink.”

“It looks more like blood than ink...”

“I said I’m fine. Please, just go.”

“...”

Since Hans kept insisting he was fine, the senior soldier then looked at Keter. He waved him off as if telling him to leave.

“Understood.”

With no authority to intervene in such a situation, the senior soldier closed the door and left.

Keter patted Hans on the shoulder and said, “You’re good at this, old man.”

“Haha, thank you.”

“Now, let’s keep this energy and go meet Ultima, too.”

“What? Why should I...”

“How can a common fellow read the mind of a great man?”

“...”

“It means shut up and just follow me.”

Hans quickly wiped the ink off his face with a handkerchief from his pocket and hurriedly followed Keter to the dining room where Ultima was.