Chapter 307: You Don't Notice My Kindness? (1)

The Family War between Sefira and Bydent ended with the declaration of surrender by Jordic, the head of the Bydent family.

One week: for some, it was no more than a fleeting moment, but for the soldiers who fought on the battlefield with their lives on the line, it was the longest time of their lives.

The Sefira family went through an unprecedentedly hectic and chaotic period. Not only did they have to deal with the merger with Bydent, but unaffiliated external forces were also flocking in from all directions.

“Do not cut corners just because we don’t have much time or because things are difficult. Times like these demand even greater focus and caution.”

Hissop appeared on-site every single day without fail, supervising and urging everyone on. He worked to the point where he didn’t even notice his nose bleeding, that the vassals were actually begging him to take just one day off.

“This is a moment upon which the fate of the Sefira family rests. I cannot rest, for the ancestors who built this family, and for future generations as well.”

Hissop’s passion and conviction ended up persuading the vassals instead. Naturally, they too threw themselves into the work with renewed passion.

Though the pace was slow, both the merger and the absorption of outside forces were progressing without issue. If things continued this way, Sefira would unquestionably surpass the Browning family and rise as the strongest house in the kingdom.

And of course, the princes were not about to sit back and watch.

“Lord Hissop! Urgent news! The royal palace has dispatched an army. They intend to suppress Sefira on charges of treason!”

At Navakin’s report, Hissop bit his lip until blood drew.

“I clearly sent word that I would present myself at the palace in one month... and they won’t even wait that long?”

The moment Sefira won the Family War against Bydent, Crown Prince Rukan had sent a threatening letter:

—The Sefira family, who have mocked the sacred laws of the Lillian Kingdom and committed the grave crime of treason by collaborating with foreign powers, is hereby ordered to immediately disband all military forces. Patriarch Besil is to present himself at the royal palace at once to face judgment under the law.

Because it was expected, Sefira did not panic. They replied that they would come in one month, and the palace had acknowledged it. Yet now, the palace had gone back on its word and mobilized troops.

“Tell me the strength of the royal army,” Hissop asked.

“Thirty thousand regular troops, centered around the Royal Order of the Dragon and the Grand Corps. In addition, the Royal Mage Corps and the descendants of multiple Masters of Swordsmanship have joined with their private forces. This is based on current intelligence; the numbers are still increasing.”

“How close are they?”

“They will arrive within a day or two. To think we failed to detect such a massive force in advance... I beg you to punish me, my lord.”

Hissop stopped Navakin as he tried to slam his forehead into the ground.

“This was a deliberate surprise deployment by the palace. The fact that we noticed at all is a miracle. Raise your head.”

After dismissing Navakin, Hissop immediately convened a council. The senior vassals who heard the news could only fall silent, unable to speak.

“Even against the royal army... don’t we have a chance at a good fight?” cautiously said the commander of the Sacred Order of Sefira.

His voice brimmed with conviction, and it wasn’t unfounded. The strength Sefira had displayed in the war against Bydent had exceeded all expectations. They had crushed Bydent with such overwhelming force that even they themselves were shocked at their own power.

That wasn’t just due to Sefira’s inherent strength, as there were many underlying factors quietly supporting them. The new weapons developed under Keter’s direction—especially the crossbows—had advanced tremendously. It increased the range and rate of fire dramatically, and they were easy to use. When enemies got too close, switching from bows to crossbows guaranteed victory.

Additionally, the knights of the Lillian Kingdom were utterly ignorant of bows and crossbows and, therefore, were completely unprepared to counter them. And that wasn’t all. Because mercenaries were guarding Sefira territory, Sefira’s knights could fight without worrying about their rear. The commander’s call to fight was not an empty boast.

Determination appeared on the faces of several vassals. Still drunk on victory, they were ready to fight at any moment. The heat of war could melt even ice. Just as the council chamber was about to boil over...

“No.” Hissop cut off the calls for war without hesitation.

“Why, Lord Hissop? Did you not see for yourself how strong Sefira is in this recent Family War?” demanded the commander, clearly too fired up even to recognize hierarchy.

In response, Hissop rolled up his sleeve, revealing a long, jagged scar.

𝐟𝐫𝕖𝗲𝘄𝚎𝗯𝕟𝐨𝕧𝐞𝚕.𝕔𝕠𝐦

“You seem to have forgotten that we nearly all died at the hands of Cray, one Prime. The royal army has at least five such Primes. If even one of them steps forward, Sefira cannot withstand it.”

Elixirs were miracle potions capable of erasing even scars, but Hissop had deliberately left his scar intact so he would never forget how absolute and vital the existence of a Transcendental truly was.

“But don’t we have Sir Luke, an ability user? With Sir Luke, even a Prime...”

“Sir Luke has left.”

“What?!”

The other vassals were clearly unaware of this and seemed shocked.

“Sir Luke departed for the Samael Empire in search of his homeland. That is all you need to know.”

“How can a knight abandon his lord and go to another country? That defies knightly virtue—”

“I gave him permission in the name of the deputy patriarch. And why is it that you all think only of relying on others instead of your own strength? Before, you relied on Keter. Now it’s Sir Luke. Without him, is Sefira nothing but a rabble?”

“...”

The commander fell silent, unable to answer. No matter how they thought about it, Sefira had no force capable of facing a Prime.

Some vassals were trembling. They had been present when Cray attacked. The Authority Cray displayed transcended common sense—it felt like death itself had brushed past them. Had Luke not appeared, everyone there would have died.

At that moment, Panir, who had been listening quietly with his arms crossed, spoke up. “If Primes are the problem, there’s no need to worry.”

“...?!”

“We use Sefira’s Three Divine Artifacts.”

“...!”

Sefira possessed three bows known as the Three Divine Artifacts: Tempest, the Bow of Wind that was forged jointly by a human great wizard and an elven elementalist; Agareth, an ultra-heavy bow forged by the dwarf king from the heaviest metal in the world; and Doppelganger, a bow capable of morphing into any form.

Tempest hadn’t been used due to the magic prohibition, and Agareth was so heavy that no one could wield it. That left Doppelganger, which was currently owned by Besil. Thus, only Tempest and Agareth remained in Sefira.

“Lord Hissop. Please take this.”

Yet from Panir’s sleeve emerged a black belt. Hissop knew exactly what it was.

“That belongs to my father. Why do you have it, Elder Panir?” Hissop asked.

“Lord Besil entrusted it to me just before entering seclusion. He told me to give it to you once you were ready as the patriarch.”

“...!”

“He also said you need not use it yourself.”

“...”

Hissop gripped Doppelganger tightly. More than its unprecedented power, he felt Besil’s lingering warmth, and his eyes reddened. But this could not remain with him.

“I will transfer Doppelganger to Anis.”

Doppelganger was effectively the symbol of the patriarch, yet he was giving it to his second son. The vassals looked stunned, but Hissop was firm.

“I am confident in my archery, but I cannot match Anis. Tempest, the Bow of Wind, will be entrusted to Dame Katherine, whose magical knowledge is unparalleled.”

“W-wait, Lord Hissop. Dame Katherine isn’t even deputy commander.”

“This is no time to care about rank or bloodline. As for Agareth—the moment someone can lift it and draw its string, that person is its master. Summon every knight at once and have them attempt to wield Agareth.”

To grant a divine artifact to anyone who could lift it... The vassals were understandably uneasy.

“My lord, even given the circumstances, handing the house’s divine artifacts to just anyone...”

“How dare you call Sefira’s knights ‘just anyone’? They eat under the same roof, train together, and fight with their lives on the line in the Family War. Never call them ‘just anyone’ again. This is not a request—it is an order.”

Despite barely having rested for days, Hissop’s force of will overwhelmed the vassals.

“Still, Lord Hissop... selecting bearers for the Three Divine Artifacts means you intend to go to war after all?”

“We are preparing, not seeking war. And the princes are thinking the same.”

“Then is the encirclement of Sefira mere bluffing?”

“It is not a bluff. They are willing to fight, but they will not strike first.”

They weren’t going to strike first, but that was even more bothersome and troubling than physical attacks.

“They intend to starve us out,” said Elder Reganon, reading the prince’s intent clearly.

Like Reganon said, Rukan had no intention of rashly attacking Sefira. Though it was now an open secret that Keter had vanished, those who had faced him did not believe he was truly gone.

He’s probably hiding somewhere, waiting for an opening.

The army surrounding Sefira included four Grandmasters, but not a single Prime. They had to assemble a force so quickly that even Rukan, the crown prince, lacked the leeway to mobilize a Prime.

This was mainly due to the fact that the alliance between Rukan and Rakan was unstable. They agreed Sefira had to be dealt with, but neither wanted to pull their own Prime away, fearing betrayal in their absence. The rift Keter had driven between Rukan and Rakan had created the current situation. But the absence of a Prime didn’t mean Sefira was safe, as they didn’t know whether the royal army truly lacked one.

Fearing Keter might be lying in ambush, the princes opted for a prolonged siege instead. Sefira could not sustain itself through self-sufficiency alone. Though they had farmland, it was nowhere near enough to feed five thousand people.

On top of that, it was winter. Even with stockpiles of firewood and food, they wouldn’t last through the next summer without outside supplies.

“Even so, Sefira has a river and plenty of wild fruit. If we tried to endure, we could last a year.”

A proper siege required at least three times the enemy’s numbers. With Bydent absorbed, Sefira numbered just under ten thousand, including dependents. To completely immobilize Sefira, the palace would need at least thirty thousand troops. Maintaining such a siege for a year was absurd, even for a wealthy kingdom.

No matter how rich the palace was, this was absurd. There was no way they would do this just to starve Sefira.

“But Crown Prince Rukan... you’re the kind of man who’d do exactly that.”

Rukan wouldn’t maintain the army with palace funds. He’d raise taxes on the people instead. And if Sefira launched a preemptive strike out of desperation, the palace would use it as justification to pressure other families into contributing troops.

A Sefira that attacked the royal army would be branded a heretical traitor, effectively declaring war on the entire kingdom. If Sefira only defended, other families would just watch. But if Sefira attacked, it became a declaration of war against the nation itself.

“Perhaps it would’ve been better if they had attacked us outright.”

Hissop rubbed his eyes with both hands. It was a flawless strategy—one where he could see the intent clearly, yet still had to fall into the trap.

Attack, and Sefira became perfect traitors. Defend, and they would eventually wither away.

“We need at least one year—no, two—before we can survive on our own.”

It was far too late to start cultivating fields now, and the encircling army wouldn’t sit idle; they would constantly provoke. No matter how Hissop strained his mind, no solution came. The other vassals were the same, heads bowed in anguish.

Then Hissop felt something off. Someone who should have been here wasn’t.

“...Advisor Daat.”

Daat was Keter’s companion, and the one who had always provided answers.

For a moment, Hissop felt certain that Daat would know what to do. But Navakin cautiously raised his hand.

“Mr. Daat left yesterday morning. He said he had a brief errand to attend to and would return within three days.”

“Damn it, of all times...”

Yesterday, the royal army hadn’t arrived yet. Even if they were, the encirclement would have been loose enough for Daat to escape. Now, it was complete, and leaving or entering was no longer possible.

No. I told the vassals not to rely on Keter. I can’t start relying on Daat either.

Hissop steadied his wavering mind. And as his thoughts cleared, a single answer surfaced.