Chapter 273: Victory is a Side Reward (10)

A man who possessed immense wealth, a young and strong body, power rivaling that of a high noble, and a sense of responsibility inversely proportional to all of that was none other than Ultima.

“Fuck, the work never ends. There’s not even a sign that it’s going to end!”

Because of the sudden Family Wars that erupted in the Lillian Kingdom, he couldn’t rest for even a single second. War was said to be both a crisis and an opportunity for merchants, but for Ultima, it was more than that. His sponsor was Keter, after all, and Keter belonged to the Sefira family!

“

Aaaaaaagh!

Keter, you bastard!”

Even as he cursed, Ultima’s eyes and hands never stopped processing document after document. With every sheet he handled, another barrage of curses came out of his mouth.

“I thought I could finally rest after the Sword of the South Tournament, but then you pressured me because you were hosting a party! Not even half a year has passed after the party, and a Family War breaks out?! And you tell me that a week beforehand?! What kind of nonsense is that?!”

The target of the Family Wars was obviously Sefira. It was practically the same as turning the kingdom into their enemy, only done with courtesy.

“It’s fine, I’ll win. But there’s something little you need to do. Remember, if I die, you die too.”

Ultima’s fist trembled as he recalled Keter’s words.

“This isn’t ‘a little’ at all!”

Normally, Ultima didn’t even spend more than a minute on important matters, yet the mountain of documents stacked before him refused to shrink. That alone showed how significant the Family War was.

More importantly, even if Sefira won the Family War, that wouldn’t be the end. The crown prince had declared that another war would immediately start right after the civil war. The Lillian Kingdom, no, the entire world would be engulfed in flames. Preparations were necessary for that time.

“My dream is to become a wealthy merchant, but why does it feel like I’m going to die just working?”

It wasn’t that he didn’t have any trustworthy subordinates or any that lacked competency. He already assigned as much work as possible to all those he trusted. Even after that, he was still being crushed under the mountain of insane workloads.

“Buy up all the firewood, even at a premium. In winter, whiskey sells especially well. It doesn’t freeze easily, and people believe it keeps the body warm. The Kingdom of Adeus’ whiskey is cheap and strong, so if we water that down and sell it...”

Thud! Thud! Thud!

Hearing someone knocking on the door, Ultima assumed it was a subordinate and threw the ink bottle on his desk in anger.

“You bastard, didn’t I tell you not to look for me even if the sky split open?!”

“It did split open, Ultima.”

The door opened, and someone stepped inside. He wasn’t one of Ultima’s subordinates, nor was he a stranger to Ultima.

“

H-huh...?!”

The moment he saw who entered, Ultima shot up from his seat and drew the sword leaning beside him, pointing it forward.

“B-Balt?”

It was the Sword Demon Balt. Balt, who was supposed to be in Liqueur, appeared before Ultima.

“So I see you’ve also become ill-mannered after you’ve been hanging around Keter.”

Ultima gripped his sword tightly, but deep inside, he felt confident. Ever since becoming a merchant, he had consumed every elixir he could purchase, paid premiums for accelerated private lessons from a six-star Grandmaster, and relied entirely on the power of money.

Thanks to that, Ultima had risen to the level of a five-star Master, and his swordsmanship had improved. On top of that, the clothes he wore and the sword he held were all magic items of level three or higher.

However, the thought of being able to deal with anyone with such advantages melted away like snow under spring sunlight the moment he saw Balt.

Shit, he’s insanely strong. Bastard.

“

You never know unless you try,”

had always been Ultima’s belief, but he didn’t need to fight right now to understand. If he fought Balt, his head would be gone within seven exchanges. And Balt wasn’t even holding a sword. He was standing there with empty hands.

Additionally, Ultima didn’t take security lightly. One had to pass through three doors to reach his room. Each door was guarded by countless traps and Masters. Yet, Balt was standing before him.

“If you had told me in advance, I would’ve come out to greet you, Mr. Balt.”

Ultima released his grip on his sword and bowed politely, but Balt wasn’t satisfied.

“Your head is still too high.”

Ultima instantly dropped to one knee, but even faster than that, a slash brushed past the top of his head. Strands of hair fell down. Had he been even a little slower, it wouldn’t have been his hair that was cut, but his face. Beads of sweat formed on Ultima’s forehead.

He didn’t draw a sword, didn’t even extend his hand, yet there was a slash...

This wasn’t merely swiftness. Speed itself didn’t seem to exist. The moment he felt himself being cut, he was already cut.

“In the past, you bowed down on both knees, and now it’s just one... Well, I guess I’ll allow that much.”

Ultima held back from replying. He belatedly realized that Balt wasn’t someone who could be described simply as strong.

“I would like to reminisce since it has been a while, but I came on official business, so I’ll get straight to the point. This is a message from the Godfather.”

At the mention of the Godfather, Ultima immediately lowered his other knee and bowed his head. Even after spending so much time with Keter and experiencing continuous absurd incidents, his body still remembered the terror and helplessness that the word Godfather brought with it.

“You have done well until now. I will grant you true freedom.”

Ultima lifted his head at Balt’s mention of true freedom. He had been able to leave Liqueur only because of his contract with the Godfather. The condition being that he would do anything the Godfather ordered. Until now, there had only been one command, to grow the merchant guild. It had begun as a command, but it eventually became Ultima’s own dream.

“Before that, there is one last thing you must do.”

He hadn’t been told what it was, but Ultima already sensed it. Like instinctively knowing rain was coming when a cool breeze and dark clouds suddenly appeared on a summer day, he felt danger. It was the exact same feeling he had experienced when he first made the contract with the Godfather in order to leave Liqueur.

“I am making a pact with a devil, and one day, I will have to pay the price.”

Back then, he had been willing to sell even his soul if it meant gaining freedom. But now that the time to pay had come...

Ugh, fuck.

At last, the Godfather’s message, the one Ultima didn’t want to hear, came from Balt.

“Kill Hissop of Sefira. The deadline is one year. If you don’t kill Hissop, everything you possess will be confiscated. That is the Godfather’s message.”

***

In Glisa, the capital of the Lillian Kingdom, the cafe closest to the royal palace was always filled with people. Among them, a man sat on the terrace, which was operated only by reservation.

The young man took a sip of a honey green tea and leisurely observed the scenery around him. Before long, he finished the tea, and naturally, he picked up the note that was stuck beneath the bottom of his teacup and unfolded it.

I have discovered the whereabouts of Deo and Derant, the fugitives of the Blade Bird Tribe. Their last destination was Hacose in the Lillian Kingdom. Investigate further and report back.

It took him less than a second to read and memorize the note. Like someone casually eating a snack, the young man swallowed the slip of paper and checked his watch. He didn’t check it to know the time. It was a habit Kai displayed when deep in thought.

Kai, the operative of the Imperial Special Task Force assigned exclusively to the Lillian Kingdom, understood the moment he saw the name Hacose.

That’s Sefira’s territory.

The coincidence was remarkable. Sefira was where Keter resided.

It was quite the coincidence. Sefira was where Keter was. Kai also knew about the Blade Bird Tribe brothers, Deo and Derant. The two had been searching for the Seven Cursed Species in order to gain exemption from military service. However, if finding the Seven Cursed Species was that easy, the emperor wouldn’t have placed a bounty of several million gold on it.

Deo and Derant had seemed to be on the verge of failure, but then they suddenly vanished one day. Because they disappeared without filing a report, the empire suspected desertion. However, after a relentless investigation, it was revealed that they hadn’t deserted. They were missing.

Hacose Village, located within the Lillian Kingdom, was the last destination uncovered by the Imperial Special Task Force. And now, orders for a detailed investigation had been issued to Kai. Upon seeing the case, he almost immediately became certain that Keter was involved in the Blade Blade Bird Tribe brothers’ disappearance.

Because you, Keter, are the kind to create incidents and crises others avoid.

Even Kai, who held Keter in high regard, couldn’t overlook this matter.

Those two Blade Bird Tribe brothers may not have been official operatives, but they were investigators of the empire. If you killed them and covered it up, Keter, not even I will be able to protect you.

Kai raised his hand to call a server over.

“A honey green tea with two sugar cubes added.”

“Yes, sir.”

After placing his order, Kai rested his chin on his hand, struck by a sudden doubt.

Keter, you are the most cunning of all the people I know. Are you telling me you didn’t foresee the consequences of killing the Blade Bird Tribe brothers? That doesn’t make sense.

The server returned with the honey green tea.

Kai took it, downed it in one gulp, and said, “One more. More concentrated green tea this time.”

Keter had killed the Blade Bird Tribe brothers fully aware of everything. There could only be one reason for that.

The brothers were searching for the Seven Cursed Species. Men like that wouldn’t have traveled to Hacose Village for no reason. Meaning, the Seven Cursed Species was in Hacose Village, and to keep that secret from being exposed, Keter killed and hid the Blade Bird Tribe brothers.

The Blade Bird Tribe were beastfolk specialized in flight. Their mobility was extraordinary. If they decided to flee, even a six-star Grandmaster couldn’t catch them. However, that didn’t apply when the opponent was an archer. Especially an archer like Keter, who used a form of archery that didn’t exist in this world.

No one in Sefira could have stopped the Blade Bird Tribe brothers’ escape. But Keter would have. Keter, it’s eventually you again, huh.

Kai rubbed the space between his eyebrows as a strong headache surged. He retraced his assumptions just in case, but as he had expected from the beginning, the Blade Bird Tribe brothers’ disappearance was clearly Keter’s doing. Moreover, the purpose was to hide the Seven Cursed Species.

A Seven Cursed Species was hidden in Sefira. However, they wouldn’t be there anymore.

That sly bastard wouldn’t have left a Seven Cursed Species in Sefira. He must have moved them elsewhere.

Going now would be too late. There would be no Seven Cursed Species, and no trace of the Blade Bird Tribe brothers. However, he also couldn’t report to his superiors that he had suspicions but no evidence. The Special Task Force wasn’t that incompetent. He needed to make evidence, even if it didn't exist.

Normally, interrogation or forced confession would do... but the problem is that the target is Keter.

Kai had to deliver results, but the target happened to be Keter, and investigating anyone else in Sefira would be meaningless.

He killed the Blade Bird Tribe brothers who work for the empire and concealed it. No one aside from Keter would know the truth.

The answer was obvious. Yet Kai hesitated, and he found himself ridiculous for doing so.

Why am I worrying about Keter’s safety?

No matter how much fondness he felt for him, even if they had a contract between them, the empire had to take precedence in all things. That was an unchanging truth.

“Keter, you won’t be able to escape your karma.”

Anyone who killed an imperial investigator couldn’t go unpunished. Thus, whether Keter was in the midst of preparing for a Family War wasn’t Kai’s concern.

Kai got up and headed straight for Sefira. Even then, his heart pounded. No matter the reason, what had been done was unforgivable. Sheltering the Seven Cursed Species, killing and concealing imperial investigators. Yet, for some reason, Kai found himself looking forward to it.

Keter, you’re not someone to trip over something like this. You must have foreseen this.

Keter couldn’t deceive the empire’s eyes and ears forever. Eventually, the Blade Bird Tribe brothers’ murder would be exposed. How would Keter handle it? Did he even have a plan?

With a racing heart, Kai made his way toward Sefira.

***

A woman leaning under the shade of a tree on a hill overlooking Sefita murmured, “This is definitely the place.”

Even under the shade, her beauty and pale skin stood out.

The hill she stood on was hundreds of meters away from the main estate, but she was scanning the building with focus.

“Here lies the glory of the past. Here lies the blessing of the future.”

Her lips, which were as red as blood, curved up with delight, and her fangs, slightly exposed, gleamed like blades. She extended her fingers toward the sunlight, and smoke rose as though her skin were being scorched by fire. She showed no concern for the pain of her burning skin. When she drew her hand back into the shadows, the damaged skin instantly healed.

A vampire. She was a survivor of an ancient race believed to be extinct. And now, for some reason, she had come to Sefira.

When Keter had acquired the Blood Sword Dracula in Liqueur, the Godfather had warned him. If he took the sword, he would inevitably attract the attention of the vampires. That warning wasn’t wrong. As the price for handing over the Blood Sword, Keter was supposed to escape the attention of the vampires. That had been his original destiny. And that destiny might have held had Elise not existed.

Elise was the First Vampire. The moment she left Liqueur and revealed her existence to the world, the vampires instinctively sensed it. They sensed Elise’s existence, the aura of the Blood King within her. The vampires scoured the entire continent in search of her, but due to her faint presence, they couldn’t pinpoint her location.

However, when Elise briefly used her power to devour an intruder during a party, the vampires obtained a decisive clue. Elise was in the Lillian Kingdom. From then on, the vampires searched every corner of the kingdom like madmen, and in the end, they found her.

𝘧𝓇ℯℯ𝑤ℯ𝘣𝓃ℴ𝓋𝑒𝑙.𝑐𝘰𝑚

To this vampire woman standing in the shade, the renowned reputation of the Masters of Archery family meant nothing, but the sun did.

“But that’s only for a short while.”

Once the sun vanished and darkness spread, she intended to find Elise. Being secretive was never part of her plan. If anyone stood in her way, she would simply kill them all. After all, she belonged to a race fully capable of doing so alone.

After the Sword of the South Tournament, Sefira had no time to settle the aftermath before preparing for the party, and the moment the party ended, they were forced to face a Family War.

Strictly speaking, none of this was Keter’s problem. It was Sefira’s. And now, the price for the freedom Keter had enjoyed was slowly beginning to close in.