Chapter 265: Victory is a Side Reward (2)

A sense of unprecedented tension hung over Sefira. This was because Daat, who had escaped from the palace, had informed the vassals of the upcoming Family War. All soldiers of Sefira who were away on missions or assignments were ordered to return immediately, and the estate’s security became far more stringent.

Not stopping there, Daat even asked Panir to convene a strategy meeting to gather intelligence for the Family War. But for some reason, Panir glared at Daat instead.

“I believed you entirely regarding what happened in the palace and what you told us about the Family War, and took appropriate action. I also agree that a meeting is necessary, just as you suggested. But before that, I have something I want to ask you.”

“That sounds like a troublesome question, but... Well, go ahead.”

“By what means did you learn about the Family War, and how did you escape from the palace? No matter how extraordinary Keter may be, it should’ve been impossible. Can’t you share at least a little bit of the secret?”

“Grandpa, must you really split open the golden goose to see how it works? Isn’t it enough to enjoy the free golden eggs?”

“I’m worried that they weren’t laid at all, but stolen. If it turns out to be the latter, Sefira will take all the blame.”

“Hm... Lord Panir, as far as I know, Sefira chose to trust Keter despite the risks. So why are you suddenly asking me to share secrets?”

“It’s a Family War that will determine the fate of both families. The scale is far beyond the usual foolishness Keter stirs up. Being clever, perceptive, or lucky isn’t enough to explain what he’s doing anymore.”

Panir’s attitude made it clear he would not back down unless he received an answer. His demeanor was quite serious.

“Just trust us,” Daat replied lightly.

“...”

“And if someday you really feel you can’t tolerate it anymore, just tell me. That day, without any hard feelings, I’ll take what’s mine and leave.”

“W-what...?!”

Hearing Daat say something Keter might say left Panir shocked. He had expected Daat to be a little more flexible and give him an answer, but Daat was just as ruthless. Daat was genuinely considering leaving the Sefira family altogether if they dragged him down.

If anything, they should be grateful I’m even helping. Why should I stay with a family that becomes a burden?

The option of revealing the secret of regression wasn’t something Daat even considered.

Even Big Brother, who said he would vouch for me for anything, didn’t immediately reveal the secret of regression. That’s how dangerous it is. It’s not something you can share just because someone is family.

Daat wasn’t planning to tell anyone about regression, but that didn’t mean he intended to ignore what Keter had already begun.

I have to cover the gaps in the information about the future that Big Brother couldn’t account for. That’s the role I must take on, the one only I can fulfill.

Daat shook his head as though regretful.

“...I’d love to be that cold, but Sefira is like home to me, and Lord Panir, you’re someone I trust. You’ll keep the secret, right?”

“Of course. Do I seem like someone with a lousy mouth?”

“You’re curious about how Big Brother learned of the Family War, correct?”

“For now, yes.”

The truth was that Keter knew because he regressed, but that was not an option. As such, Daat had to lie.

“Prince Rakan told him.”

“Ra...!”

“Shh. Just listen. Here’s the whole story. Right after he became the Bow of the South, Prince Rakan’s aide secretly contacted him. That’s when he learned about the Family War. They told him that Sefira would be destroyed because of it, and if he wanted to prevent that, he should become their subordinate.”

“What!?”

“It wasn’t a proposal; it was a threat. You know Big Brother’s personality, right? You’d expect him to refuse on the spot, but at the time, he pretended to consider it.”

“I suppose I would have done the same. If he refused immediately, they might not have let him leave in order to protect the secret.”

Watching Panir create plausible logic for himself, Daat smiled inwardly.

“Big Brother stalled for time by saying he would give his answer once the summons for the head of the family was issued and he arrived at the palace. Meanwhile, he secretly began preparing for the Family War. Naturally, he couldn’t tell Sefira. If Sefira began preparing for the Family War, Rakan would notice. And if that happened, he would be in danger, and Sefira would be in even greater trouble.”

“To think Keter had such circumstances...”

“As for how we escaped the palace: it’s because he and I are competent. I think you can accept that?”

“...Well, to some extent.”

“I’ve told you everything. I trust you now understand why we hid the fact that we knew about the Family War.”

Panir wasn’t fully satisfied, but he nodded, having accepted enough of the explanation.

“Forgive me for doubting you, but I had to ask, given the gravity of the matter.”

“I understand. Tens of thousands of lives may depend on this.”

“Is there any secret other than th...”

“Even if there were, I couldn’t tell you. And you already understand why.” Daat interrupted.

“Hm...!”

“Now that your curiosity is settled, shall we start the meeting? There’s no need to be so tense. We’ve already prepared an unbeatable strategy.”

“Hmph, that confidence is just like Keter.”

“You need at least this much confidence to stand beside him.”

And so the meeting began under Panir’s direction. Everyone argued fiercely, passion burning with anger, but something felt incomplete. The vassals believed it was the absence of their patriarch and Sefira’s direct descendants.

Hissop, the eldest son, was imprisoned in the palace. Myle, the second-eldest, had attended the meeting but sat in silence, lost in thought. Anis and Taragon were both away at the front lines, so in truth, it was as if only the vassals were gathered. Though the meeting continued under the lead of Panir, everyone looked utterly drained, until...

“Lord Keter has returned!”

At that news, the vassals’ faces brightened, and the previously silent Myle finally opened his mouth.

“At last!”

𝑓𝑟ℯ𝘦𝓌𝘦𝘣𝑛𝑜𝓋𝑒𝓁.𝑐ℴ𝓂

* * *

As soon as Keter returned, he joined the meeting, waving off those who tried to speak to him.

“Let’s skip the greetings. Big Brother Myle, how does everyone in the family feel?” Keter asked.

“It was calmer than expected. Everyone seemed to think the inevitable had finally come.”

“Any direct or indirect attacks?”

“Nothing I particularly noticed. But maybe that was just me.”

Myle looked around at the vassals. They all shook their heads, saying they hadn’t sensed anything either.

“That’s a good start. Anyway, everyone’s ready, right?” Keter asked.

“If you mean war preparations, we’ve been ready for some time. We can begin whenever needed,” said the commander of the Holy Knights with confidence.

However, Keter shook his head. “Our opponents aren’t monsters we clearly regard as enemies, nor foreign armies invading our land. They’re people of Lillian—people we once considered allies. Are you prepared to shoot arrows into their hearts and foreheads without hesitation?”

“...!”

“You seem to be misunderstanding something. A Family War isn’t a friendly duel to compare skills. There’s no shaking hands with a smile afterward. The losing side disappears, and you must realize that this time, they fully intend to wipe out Sefira. Anyone with half a brain should’ve noticed that by now.”

“I know how much they dislike Sefira, but isn’t that too extreme? I don’t think they have a reason to act that maliciously. Lord Keter, I mean nothing disrespectful,” cautiously asked one of the vassals.

Keter clicked his tongue.

“Right now, the master families besides Sefira all insist that all master families should practice swordsmanship, and that a non-swordsmanship master family is absurd. The only thing stopping them from acting on that resentment was Queen Lillian’s open favoritism toward Sefira in the past. But now that they no longer have to watch out for it anymore, they’re desperate to erase Sefira. Do you understand what I’m saying? If you go into this thinking only about defense, the name Sefira will vanish.”

His clear, forceful declaration sent murmurs through the hall. Until now, they had only thought of defending in this Family War, nothing more.

Then Reganon, who was listening quietly, spoke up. “Keter, are you saying Sefira must also strike back aggressively?”

“Yes, obviously, we must retaliate. But on top of that, we must fight and reclaim Sefira’s dignity. Only then can Sefira survive.”

“Hm... Keter. Forgive me if I’m mistaken, but your words almost sound like you’re saying Sefira should secede from the Lillian Kingdom.”

“If that’s what it takes for Sefira to live, then yes, we should.”

“...!”

“You all look like I’ve crossed a line, but you still don’t understand reality. If Queen Lillian were to say, ‘I’m sick of seeing Sefira. All of you, go to the guillotine and die,’ would you obey in the name of loyalty?”

“Well... that is...”

“If it were Her Majesty’s command...”

The vassals hesitated. Many seemed to think they should obey, even if it meant death. It was then Keter realized something.

Ah, right. This bitch Lillian ruled the kingdom with her Charm.

Anyone who knew of Lillian’s existence fell in love with her, and who in the world would want unhappiness for the one they were in love with? Plus, she dispersed her scent throughout the kingdom during the annual festival to strengthen her influence. Sefira rarely participated in those festivals due to their frugality, yet even here, more than half were prepared to die if she ordered it.

If Sefira is like this, the other families are hopeless.

Keter had never confronted Lillian directly, but he could still sense the vastness of her power.

I remember from my past life that the fanatical devotion toward Lillian breaks past loyalty and family. If I try to kill her carelessly, I might have to face tens of millions of subjects.

Unlike Keter’s past life, Sefira had escaped one crisis and grown stronger. The Family War was another huge mountain to overcome, but compared to Lillian, it was a hill overshadowed by a towering peak.

My power is growing stronger a lot faster compared to my previous life. I’ve even obtained clues to a complete Ein, but...

Right after regressing, he thought that he would be able to kill Lillian if he obtained perfect Ein and became an eight-star Irregular. But now, he was sure—even eight-star wouldn’t be enough.

Eight-star is only the minimum level needed to kill a god.

To even stand a chance, he would need to reach the unknown realm of nine-star, or become an eight-star with one of the Five Divine Artifacts.

And that’s assuming it’s one-on-one.

If he was going to face Lillian as the queen, even that might not be enough. No—he was certain he would need more preparations.

Which is exactly why I’m doing this shit—to avoid fighting Lillian as the queen.

He needed to weaken the forces willing to fight for Lillian and build up Sefira’s strength to oppose her someday.

And I need to find a way to break her Charm. Otherwise, even if Sefira rises, it’ll be her puppet.

It would’ve been irritating to handle all of this alone, but he wasn’t alone—he had Daat, a trusted subordinate, colleague, friend, and family.

Well, my brothers at Sefira are contributing in their own ways... but they’re nothing compared to Dork.

Keter shook off his spiraling thoughts and shifted the topic.

“If it were Her Majesty’s command, maybe you’d obey. But what if it were orders from Prince Rukan or Prince Rakan instead?”

The moment he removed Lillian from the equation, the vassals regained their senses.

“No matter how high their status, we wouldn’t obey an order to kill ourselves simply because they were offended.”

“If the princes were trying to destroy Sefira, we’d have no choice but to resist.”

As the unanimous sentiment filled the room, Keter and Daat exchanged a subtle glance.

As expected, Dork. The effect of Charm only applies to her alone. It doesn’t extend to her children.

Good. That means we don’t need to worry about Charm for now.

With that major uncertainty cleared, Keter felt relieved. This meant that Sefira could at least fight, and if they could fight, he was confident they wouldn’t lose.

“Keter, there’s one thing I’m worried about. It’s about Hissop,” Myle said with a concerned look on his face.

The other vassals also seemed worried.

“It’s a relief that you guys got out safely, but Hissop is still imprisoned in the palace. If we start pushing back harder than expected in the Family War... I’m afraid they’ll use him as leverage.”

The others nodded grimly.

Hearing that, Daat’s mind drifted back to a day in Liqueur. One day, someone had kidnapped the puppy Keter adored, and what he said was shocking.

“Do whatever you want. Tear him apart, boil him alive—your choice. But listen carefully: whatever you do to my dog, I’ll do to you exactly.”

The kidnappers, thinking they could provoke him, butchered the puppy and sent the remains to Keter. However, Keter also kept his word; he butchered them the same way and displayed their remains.

Didn’t matter whether they were an animal or a person.

Once, a boy who always hung out with Keter was kidnapped. The kidnappers demanded ten thousand gold from him, and of course, he just scoffed at them.

“If he wanted to hang out with me, he should’ve been prepared to get screwed. Why would I spend my own money to save some idiot who got himself kidnapped and became a burden to me?”

Keter ignored the hostage’s safety entirely and turned the organization that had crossed him into insects. After that, no one was foolish enough to kidnap anyone around Keter ever again; they knew it was pointless.

If it were the Big Brother I knew... He wouldn’t care since Hissop isn’t even his full brother, but...

But the Keter Daat remembered was the one from a year ago—the one who had not yet lived through a past life. The Keter standing before him now was different. The current Keter had experienced the future, and Daat could feel that Keter now held a genuine affection for Sefira.

Big Brother has really changed.

Because Keter had been inhuman, he had no weaknesses, but now, that very affection might become one.

But he’s not the type to be dragged down by it.

He would grieve or rage, but he would never stop. That was the kind of person Keter was.

“Hissop will be fine,” Keter said with complete certainty.

The vassals frowned. To them, it sounded like Keter was saying that it wasn’t his problem.

“Gramps Panir, why don’t we have a family dinner tonight? Oh, but prepare five chairs, not four.”

There were currently only four Sefira descendants in the estate: Reganon, Panir, Myle, and Keter. But five chairs?

“No...!”

Panir shot to his feet, eyes widening. Keter grinned.

“Yes. He’ll be back tonight.”

Keter had foreseen Hissop’s imprisonment and made preparations accordingly.

At that same moment, the royal palace was in commotion. The Family War had begun, so some unrest was expected, but this was different. It was because Rukan, the crown prince, was waiting at the front gate. People who saw him were shocked.

“Who is he waiting for? Not even the Four Lords receive personal greetings...”

“Could it be the emperor of the Samael Empire?”

Rukan had never gone out to greet anyone, no matter who visited the kingdom. As such, everyone was curiously watching, wondering who could possibly make Rukan come out and greet them. While everyone held their breath, a rainbow-colored portal opened before the palace.

Zwoong!

And from it stepped a figure none of them had expected.