Chapter 314: My Father Is Everywhere (3)

January 1st: the biting cold of true winter swept in, yet Sefira was livelier than ever. It was the first birthday Keter would celebrate within the family, and the day of his coming-of-age ceremony.

But that alone wouldn’t have made the estate this noisy. King Consort Lerkin had seized half of the royal palace that Rukan once held, and in doing so, he released Elder Panir, who had been imprisoned in the underground dungeons.

A party grand enough to celebrate Keter’s coming-of-age and Panir’s safe return was inevitable.

“Our Adeus Kingdom’s music is the best!”

The fierce, fast songs of Adeus stoked the atmosphere.

“And of course, the cooking will be handled by our Belferio chefs.”

Belferio’s chefs, who could turn cheap ingredients into top-class dishes, filled the tables with an extravagant feast. In addition, the banquet hall was wonderfully warm. At last, the research on sticker magic had finally borne fruit. The stickers were designed with aesthetics in mind, so they didn’t look ugly even though they were all over the place. If anything, they became accents that delighted the eye.

While everyone else drank, sang, danced, and enjoyed themselves, Hissop sat with a heavy, troubled expression.

“You’re not even joining the party, Hissop. What’s got you so worried?”

Myle approached him, and Hissop took out a small vial from his inner pocket.

“That’s...”

A pink liquid sloshed inside. This was Lillian’s Blessing, or Holy Water. Traditionally, during the New Year’s party on January 1st, people would drink water mixed with this Holy Water. Doing so was said to grant Queen Lillian’s blessing.

First, libido and sensation increased tenfold. Second, one would not become pregnant even without contraception. Third, the mind became clear, and stamina increased. Fourth, minor injuries healed completely, and severe wounds improved. Lastly, even after the festival ended, the effects would linger for a time, slowly fading away. It was truly a blessing, as there were no side effects, only benefits.

It was precisely why the Lillian Kingdom was called the land of pleasure—because drugs and sex were treated with leniency, and indulgence without consequences was possible.

“Even if we won, everyone must be exhausted from back-to-back wars. If we use the Holy Water, it’ll surely comfort them.”

Hissop’s dilemma was simple: should they accept Lillian’s blessing, or not? And right now, his heart was leaning toward using it.

“Hissop,” Myle said, taking Hissop’s hand and carefully sliding the vial from his grasp. “Didn’t Keter say there’s no such thing as something for free? Lillian’s Holy Water has to have a price. And we’re trying to step out from under Lillian’s shadow, so should we really be relying on something that belongs to her?”

“But... isn’t it a waste to just throw it away?”

Sefira had always been frugal, so they rarely used the Holy Water in the first place. That was why Myle could reject it so firmly.

However, Hissop spent more time outside, and he had been exposed to Lillian’s Holy Water indirectly through social circles. Even Hissop, who possessed a will of iron, couldn’t easily brush off the temptation.

That was when Keter appeared without a sound.

“Oh, so this is the famous stuff.”

Keter plucked the vial right out of Myle’s hand. Before either of them could react, he popped the cap and inhaled the scent.

“Ah, this is what it feels like.”

Gulp!

“W-wait, Keter! That’s Holy Water for ten thousand people. If you drink the concentrate as-is...!”

Hissop tried to stop him, but it was too late. The Holy Water had already gone down Keter’s throat.

Having downed the concentrated dose meant for ten thousand people, Keter trembled violently. His face crumpled and smoothed over and over again, until he finally puckered his lips.

“Ugh. Bitter.”

“A-are you alright, Keter?”

“No. Just ruined my palate.” Still scowling, Keter shoved Hissop and Myle by the back. “Come on. Let’s go eat something good and dance, too. If not, I’m not giving you any elixirs.”

“Elixirs...!”

“How much are you planning to sell them for this time? Please, for once, make it cheap.”

“If you guys enjoy the party, I’ll sell it cheap.”

“Fine. Let’s go together.”

“You go ahead. I’ll watch and make sure you can enjoy yourselves without me.”

“Haha. Then I’ll have no choice but to show you my dance.”

Keter’s elixirs were all famously effective. With their minds completely captured by the elixir, Hissop and Myle went off to join the party. The moment they left, Keter dropped to one knee.

Pssshhhhh...

Pink mist rose from Keter as he muttered through a deep scowl, “I almost... popped up for a second.”

He bent over, but a certain part of him almost stayed upright, and with it came the image of Lillian.

If it weren’t for the divine power of the Terra Ring and the Creation Tome, his mind might have been filled with nothing but Lillian.

“A god is still a god, huh.”

Keter had only taken a mouthful, but the influence was still this strong. He couldn’t help but be impressed.

“Good thing I saved a little.”

To Hissop and Myle, it looked like he had drained the whole thing, but in truth, Keter had left a single drop behind. He did so because of a conversation he’d once had with Daat.

“Big Brother, Lillian’s Holy Water is probably her bodily fluid—saliva, blood, or something like that. If we get the concentrate and analyze it, we might get somewhere.”

“Analysis is my specialty.”

Getting Lillian’s Holy Water wasn’t hard since even Sefira received an allotment. And Keter already knew exactly who to ask to examine it.

“Slurpie, is it tasty?”

“Yes!”

Elise, who had transformed into a little girl, sucked on Keter’s finger with a happy smile. Keter patted her head gently.

“Slurpie, you’re a vampire, right?”

“Yes?”

“Then you know blood better than anyone.”

“I guess so?”

“Then tell me what this is, too.”

Keter offered her Lillian’s Holy Water. The moment she saw it, Elise's expression turned serious.

“This... where did you get it?”

“Where I got it doesn’t matter. I’m planning to fight the owner of this blood, and it’s Lillian, the ruler of this country.”

𝐟𝐫𝕖𝗲𝘄𝚎𝗯𝕟𝐨𝕧𝐞𝚕.𝕔𝕠𝐦

“...”

“Her Charm is beyond imagination. One word from her, and hundreds of thousands of soldiers will turn into my enemy, even people who were on my side.”

“Don’t fight her. No—fighting a god is reckless.”

“Reckless or not, it’s something I have to do.”

“You can’t kill a god. They don’t die—they just disappear, and someday they come back.”

“That’ll be a problem for people in the future. In this era, I’ve decided I’m fighting her.”

“...”

Elise even stopped drinking Keter’s blood. She looked unsettled. Even that look was so cute that Keter squeezed her cheeks with both hands.

“If you don’t want to, you don’t have to. But Slurpie—no, Elise, if you just don’t want to get dragged into trouble, then you should leave my side. Like you said, there’s nothing good that comes from fighting a god.”

“Master... Do you hate gods? Do you think they ruined this world?”

To Elise, that was a serious question. Her goal was to absorb the Blood King and become a Blood God. If Keter truly hated gods, she could never be his ally. But Keter shook his head without hesitation.

“Just because the first orange I ever tried tasted awful doesn’t mean I assume every orange will taste awful. Same thing here. Lillian’s a rotten god, sure, but that doesn’t mean all gods are.”

Elise felt relieved. Then she made up her mind.

“I’ll do it.”

“Thanks, Elise.”

Keter held out the Holy Water. But Elise puffed out her cheeks and refused to take it.

“You said you like to call me Slurpie more than Elise.”

“That was before I knew you could turn into a person. Calling a person Slurpie is... even I think that’s a bit much.”

“What about Dork and Six?”

“I think those are fine, no?”

Keter was dead serious, like he truly believed that. Seeing him, Elise burst out laughing.

“Then give me a new nickname too,” she asked.

“Hmm... then how about Squishy?”

Since Keter said it while gently caressing Elise’s cheeks, the nickname came from just how soft and squishy her cheeks were.

“I like it!”

And Elise really did.

* * *

Even without drugs or sex, the party was more than enjoyable. With nothing more than alcohol, dancing, and trivial chatter, people lost all sense of time. The party didn’t end when night fell. If anything, it burned even brighter.

Keter himself had spent the morning going around greeting people and hadn’t really had the chance to enjoy himself properly. Just as he was about to finally let loose...

“Keter, come here for a moment.”

Hissop’s voice was neither drunken nor lively. Behind him stood Reganon and Panir as well. Their faces were flushed from drinking, but their expressions were deadly serious. Anyone could tell they were calling Keter over for something important. Keter pressed a hand to his forehead.

“So you’re the type to lecture when you’re drunk. That’s why you should drink in moderation.”

Family or not, he didn’t go easy on drunks. As Keter casually drew out his fire poker, Panir stepped forward.

“Have you forgotten that there’s something more important than your birthday?”

“I guess I didn’t get a birthday present.”

“I’m talking about your coming-of-age ceremony. Do you not wish to become a true member of the Sefira family?”

“Come on, why bother with something so troublesome? If your heart is mature, you’re an adult. If you’re immature, you’re a child no matter how old you are.”

“You brat. Even on a day like this...!”

Panir was about to flare up in a drunken rage, but Reganon stepped in to stop him.

“Keter, our family’s coming-of-age ceremony isn’t just about declaring adulthood. It is a sacred rite where you meet Sefira’s sacred tree that protects our land, and the ancestors who rest beneath it.”

“Sacred tree? What are we, elves?”

“It is similar to the elves’ World Tree, yet different. In addition, our ancestors bestow blessings upon those of the bloodline who come of age. Do you not wish to receive that blessing?”

“A blessing? Then of course I’ll take it. Let’s go already. The party can wait; we can come back afterward.”

There was no downside to receiving a blessing, just like the blessing of Alakyr.

However, Keter had another motive in mind. Following Hissop and the two elders, Keter left the party grounds and rode through the night. Then, they arrived somewhere that felt strangely similar to Liqueur.

So that’s why I could never find it.

It was a place one couldn’t even approach without possessing a specific item. Wrapped in dense fog, the only thing visible was a colossal tree whose top seemed endless. A tree of this size should have been visible from anywhere in Sefira.

“From here on, you must follow directly behind us, without deviating even a single step. Otherwise, you will wander this place forever.”

Looking at Panir saying that with such a grave expression, Keter felt once again that this place really was similar to Liqueur.

Panir led them to the roots of the sacred tree. There, a staircase descended underground. It wasn’t an artificially carved space, but something like a natural cavern. The roots of the sacred tree themselves were forming the walls and steps.

As they descended, they arrived at an underground mausoleum with roughly a hundred coffins.

Lowering his voice, Reganon explained, “This is where the successive heads of the family rest. Even the founding patriarch of Sefira sleeps here. Keter, kneel before this place.”

Reganon pointed to a gravestone, and Keter knelt as instructed. Before the stone lay a ceremonial dagger, which Reganon picked up and placed in Keter’s hand.

“With that dagger, prick your index finger and let your blood soak into the ground.”

Keter, who had obediently followed instructions until now, shook his head.

“Do you really think a few drops of blood would satisfy our ancestors?”

Slash.

Keter sliced his palm wide open. Blood poured out, soaking the floor.

Voong!!

In that instant, the entire tomb trembled. Hissop, Panir, and Reganon froze in shock. They had overseen countless coming-of-age ceremonies, yet had never seen a reaction like this.

And that wasn’t all. From the coffins of the former heads of the family, spirits began to rise—one, two, three, five... ninety-nine. All but one of the past heads responded to Keter’s blood, manifesting themselves in the mortal world.

Panir blinked in disbelief.

“Even Lord Besil only met sixty-two ancestors...”

Reganon was completely stunned.

“This is unprecedented. Eighty-one was the highest number in Sefira’s history. And today, Keter has shattered that record.”

Hissop was at a total loss for words. When he had undergone his own ceremony, barely twenty ancestors had appeared. The ancestors who descended as spirits said nothing. They merely gazed quietly at Keter.

Then, one figure stepped forward from among them.

“Th-that person is...?!”

Panir hurriedly dropped to one knee. Reganon and Hissop bowed their heads as well.

“Keter. Lower your head. That is the founder of Sefira...!”

The founder of Sefira was a legendary archer who leaped onto the battlefield as a mere commoner hunter and amassed such extraordinary feats that even the enemy king acknowledged him, instantly rising to a Senate noble.

Divine Bow Karieh...

He had appeared at Keter’s coming-of-age ceremony.