Chapter 308: You Don't Notice My Kindness? (2)

The Sefira conference room was in turmoil. It was all because of a single measure Hissop had proposed.

“How can we send Lord Hissop away and then plan for the future? No one can replace you, my lord!”

“Who said we’re abandoning him? The crown prince wouldn’t dare harm Lord Hissop. Time is on our side. An opportunity will come, so this is the only option for now!”

The vassals had split almost evenly, pointing fingers at one another and raising their voices. Their heated argument stemmed entirely from Hissop’s proposal.

“In exchange for lifting the royal army’s siege, I will allow myself to be taken as a hostage. We can buy at least three months. It isn’t long, but it will be enough to prepare for next year.”

Hissop tried to frame it as deceiving the princes rather than sacrificing himself, but the vassals weren’t about to accept it at face value.

The debate hardened into a sharp divide: Hissop must go versus absolutely not. Just as the argument seemed like oil thrown on a fire, refusing to die down, Panir poured cold water on it.

“Instead of Lord Hissop, I will go.”

“...?!”

Both sides turned to stare at Panir. He puffed out his chest as if boasting.

“I am a former judge of the Royal High Court and a current member of their Advisory Council. Compared to an inexperienced patriarch like Hissop, I am far more valuable as a hostage. To disregard me is to disregard the entire legal establishment of the kingdom.”

“Elder Panir. That is something I cannot allow-”

“Silence!”

Thud!

Panir not only cut Hissop off, but slammed the table as he rose to his feet, fury twisting his face.

“I am asserting my rights as a judge. You who have only just begun to be called patriarch—this is not something you may interfere in!”

“...”

At Panir’s murderous tone, not only Hissop but even the vassals were struck speechless.

“Prosciutto!”

Outside the chamber doors, his butler, who had been waiting, hurried in as Panir called.

“Yes, my lord.”

“Send a letter to Crown Prince Rukan at once. Tell him I will go personally, so withdraw the army. And make it very clear: if he refuses, I will use every means available to me as a former judge.”

As the former judge, Panir knew every shameful secret of the kingdom. If those secrets spread beyond its borders, the Lillian Kingdom would not escape condemnation.

Rumors were already circulating that Rukan was a successor who had not followed proper legal procedures. If the kingdom’s reputation collapsed on top of that, the consequences were obvious.

Panir had never used this leverage before because Lillian was his homeland. As a noble, it was only natural that he did not wish to disgrace his country.

But if the Sefira name faced annihilation—if his family was in danger—even the rigid, principled Panir would lose all concern for noble honor or pride.

“Prepare a grand, splendid carriage. Hissop may tolerate being looked down on, but I absolutely will not.”

Without even asking Hissop’s intent, Panir left the council chamber.

And the next day, Crown Prince Rukan accepted Panir’s proposal.

—In consideration of Panir’s renown as a former judge of the Royal High Court, I will grant a one-month reprieve. By then, Keter and Besil are to present themselves at the royal court to answer the charge of treason.

The royal army surrounding Sefira withdrew. But slyly, they did not withdraw completely; they remained stationed in nearby villages, cities, and open fields, maintaining pressure.

“Damn it...” quietly cursed Hissop.

He was sitting in the patriarch’s office, fury boiling over. Panir had sacrificed himself for his sake and bought them a month of time, and yet...

Why am I doing nothing but waiting for Keter and Father to return?

He didn’t want to fight. He wanted to avoid war. He wanted to end this peacefully. But there was no way forward. Not only Crown Prince Rukan, but even Second Prince Rakan refused to grant an audience. They wouldn’t even entertain attempts at conversation, so how could peace negotiations happen under those circumstances? They were like beasts that wanted nothing but unconditional surrender and Sefira’s destruction.

Hissop thought Rukan and Rakan’s greed and ambition were grotesque. Even when Sefira offered concessions, they refused to let go, insisting on fighting to the bitter end.

Hissop wasn’t afraid of battle. He wasn’t assuming defeat. He was simply filled with bitter lament.

Why must people of the same blood fight to the death?

If it were Keter or his father, surely they would find a way. Even if they fought, they would end it with minimal bloodshed.

“...

Sigh,

either way, we must prepare for war.”

Hating war did not excuse failing to prepare for it; otherwise, one would only be devoured. As he had the day before, Hissop spent the night drafting strategies, awake until dawn.

A week flew by in the blink of an eye, and an air of war settled over Sefira. No one needed to say it. Everyone felt it in their bones.

“Lord Hissop!”

Navakin rushed in. The fact that he had come at all meant the news was bad, but Hissop forced himself to remain calm.

“What is it?”

“The royal army is forming the siege again!”

Hissop closed his eyes. Even as he tried to hide it, his clenched fist trembled. Rukan had broken his promise. He had sworn to wait a month, yet after only a week, he had reformed the encirclement.

Still, it wasn’t entirely unexpected, as Rukan had never kept his word before.

“It was expected.”

Hissop pretended calm, fearing the vassals would panic, but even he could not hide his shock at what Navakin said next.

“And that’s not all. The royal army is planting the Seeds of Hell in Sefira’s lands!”

* * *

Hissop doubted his own ears. The Seeds of Hell were a collective term for all plants that grew in the Demon Capital.

Once they took root in the mortal world, the area became what was known as Tainted Land. No crops could grow there, and merely remaining in such a place was enough for humans to be poisoned by the Demon Capital.

Even worse, purification was impossible. No matter how much the land was plowed, how much water was poured over it, or how much holy power was unleashed, one could only slow the spread of the Demon Capital; it could never be eradicated.

In short, the Seeds of Hell were a curse of the Demon Capital that everyone feared—something that must never be allowed to spread into the mortal world. And yet, they were being planted on Sefira’s land.

“Insane... Sefira is still part of the Lillian Kingdom’s territory. How can they commit such reckless madness?!”

Hissop understood the intent. He could even comprehend the logic, as it was the most certain way to starve Sefira to death without attacking it directly. But destroying Sefira that way would turn the southern lands into a realm of death.

“Why... why would they go this far against us...?!”

Whether from rage or injustice, Hissop bit down on his lower lip too hard, and blood trickled from his mouth.

The vassals who heard the news reacted no differently. Breaking their promise was one thing, but planting the Seeds of Hell on top of that? Cruel didn’t even begin to cover it.

“To go so far as to invite condemnation from outside powers... Crown Prince Rukan has truly lost his mind.”

“There is no answer left but war, my lord. We must stop the spread of the Seeds of Hell immediately. Otherwise, even if we win the war, the entire south will become a land where no one can live!”

Even those who had opposed war turned around and began calling for it. Even Hissop felt the impulse to drive the mad royal army away at once.

“Ha...”

The hotter one’s head grew, the colder one’s heart had to be. Remembering his father’s words, Hissop forced himself to think calmly, again and again, but...

“Prepare for war.”

In the end, it seemed there was no answer left but war.

* * *

“Your Highness, we’ve received a report that Sefira has begun establishing camps and forming battle formations.”

At his aide’s words, Crown Prince Rukan replied calmly, “Keter’s whereabouts?”

“We summoned Sir Tesla, who was last seen with him, but he said Keter left without a word.”

“So there have been no confirmed sightings of Keter at all?”

“There were reports here and there of people claiming to have seen him, but... most were false tips aimed at the bounty.”

“You said most. Does that mean some were real?”

“...My apologies. They were all false.”

Thud! Crack!

Rukan struck the aide’s knee with his cane. It looked like a casual swing, yet the kneecap shattered.

“Do not flatter me. Only report the truth.”

“I will... keep that in mind.”

“My army can defeat Sefira, yes?”

“We have fifty Dragon Knights, seventy from the Grand Corps, twenty thousand elite infantry of the kingdom, ten thousand conscripts, one hundred twenty-seven knights who volunteered from various noble families, and twenty-nine mages from the Royal Mage Corps. In contrast, Sefira’s forces amount to less than half of ours. If they resist fiercely, we may suffer some losses, but victory is assured.”

“And if Keter appears?”

“...”

The aide hesitated, eyes darting. He couldn’t decide whether to speak honestly or give Rukan the answer he wanted to hear.

“Keter’s true strength exceeds imagination. He subdued five Grandmasters and possesses outstanding large-scale killing power. If he lies in wait and ambushes the royal army...”

“Then?”

“Th-there is a slight possibility of defeat.”

“The Royal Order of the Dragon is said to be invincible, and the Grand Corps was forged solely through real combat? Are you belittling them right now? Tell me, whose side are you on?”

Unfortunately, this was not the answer Rukan wanted. The aide hurried to explain, but there was no need.

Thud.

Rukan swung his cane again, smashing his aide’s skull.

“Filthy traitor,” Rukan muttered at the corpse, his eyes gleaming with killing intent.

As trembling servants cleared the body away, a new aide entered. He was a young judge, renowned for his talent and intellect.

“Your Highness, please take this...”

“What is it?” Rukan asked, staring at the parchment the young aide offered.

“It is a letter from Panir, currently imprisoned in the royal jail. He asked that it be delivered to you personally.”

Thud.

The young aide’s skull burst as well. Flames immediately consumed Panir’s letter.

“You dare bring the belongings of a convicted traitor before my eyes? You’ve truly lost your mind.”

Another body was dragged away. This time, an elderly aide entered. He served as a vital link between the Old Nobles’ Circle and the royal palace.

Rukan’s eyes were brimming with killing intent, and the audience chamber reeked of blood, yet the old man spoke without the slightest hesitation.

“Your Highness, requests are pouring in, demanding that you halt the inhumane pressure being placed on Sefira.”

“They dare make requests of me, the king of this country? Which vermin are they?”

“The Order of the Sun, the Mercenary Guild, the Blood Cross Order, and the Lord of the South.”

There were more, but the old aide named only half, considering Rukan’s temper.

“So many insignificant creatures think they can look down on me. And the Lord of the South? I clearly sent Eslow a letter ordering him to personally deal with Sefira, and now he dares demand that the pressure be lifted?”

Rumble...

The entire audience chamber shook under the killing intent pouring out from Rukan. The weak-willed maids collapsed the moment they were exposed to it.

“Put Lord Eslow on the list of traitors immediately! Order the Lords of the North, East, and West to subjugate him!”

At Rukan’s declaration that even Eslow would be purged, the old aide hurried to intervene.

“Your Highness. Even if Lord Eslow has truly committed treason, now is not the time. You must first eliminate Sefira, the thorn in your side.”

“Silence. Who do you think you are, daring to advise me?”

Though his tone grew savage and his expression twisted, Rukan did not kill the old aide, perhaps because he knew that doing so would turn the entire Old Nobles’ Circle against him. The Old Nobles’ Circle was one of the factions Rukan valued most; losing it would be like losing a finger.

However, the old aide spoke not for his own safety, nor for Rukan’s sake, but for the country itself.

“Your Highness. Even now, the kingdom is steeped in chaos. If the subjugation of the Four Lords begins, enemy nations will not remain idle. The lords are the final defense against foreign invasion. I beg you, be cautious...”

Thud.

At last, the sound of the old aide’s skull shattering echoed through the chamber. It was also the sound of Rukan’s reason finally snapping.