Chapter 315: My Father Is Everywhere (4)

Karieh, the founder of Sefira, caught Keter completely off guard from the very beginning.

—Akrah—has she finally reached even Sefira?

Hissop, Reganon, and Panir didn’t know who Akrah was, so they couldn’t understand what Karieh meant.

“My mother’s name is Akrah,” Keter explained.

“...What?!”

It wasn’t information worth keeping secret, so Keter simply told the three of them the truth.

“But our ancestor passed away hundreds of years ago. How could he possibly know your birth mother...?”

Hissop couldn’t make sense of what was happening. Keter felt the same.

“What is your relationship with my mother?”

—She aided me greatly. Zodiac Archery was her work as well. Even the founding of Sefira would not have been possible without her.

“That doesn’t sound like a relationship that ended at simple assistance. She helped because she wanted something in return, didn’t she?”

—That is true. But Keter, you did not come here to hear that story.

Karieh extended his hand. The sword Keter was holding slipped into his grasp without resistance.

—Even if you are of Akrah’s blood, I do not care. Swear an oath, and I will grant you my protection.

“I can guess the gist of it, but how exactly am I supposed to swear this oath?”

—Swear that you will shed sweat, blood, and tears for Sefira. That is all.

“That’s an awfully vague expression. Could you explain it more clearly?”

Panir, displeased with Keter questioning the ancestor, hurriedly cut in. “What is vague about shedding sweat, blood, and tears? If you insist on interpreting it, it simply means sharing joy and sorrow. Every direct descendant makes the same oath, not just you.”

“Grandpa, an oath is just another word for a contract. It’s also a method gods often use to deceive humans.”

“You insolent brat! Are you implying our ancestor is trying to deceive you? You really know no bounds!”

No matter how much of a hero Keter was to the family, right now he was talking to the founder of Sefira. Panir flared up in anger, but Keter continued calmly.

“If I swear to shed sweat, blood, and tears for Sefira, what exactly am I obligated to uphold? Please tell me that.”

At Keter’s bold question, Karieh gave a faint smile.

—In hundreds of years, I have seen hundreds of blood members, but none have asked a question like yours. Even if there were hidden meanings, they believed it would never harm them. And they were not wrong.

“I’m not that pure or naive. Even this space, where the souls of deceased heads of the family are confined, is strange to begin with. It looks an awful lot like swearing that oath would trap me here for the rest of my life.”

—The oath of adulthood and the oath of a patriarch are different. However... you are not entirely wrong. Once you swear the coming-of-age oath, you will be bound to never ignore Sefira’s crises.

“That’s exactly it. I can understand sweat and tears, but blood? That clearly means fighting for Sefira.”

—Does a direct descendant fighting for Sefira feel like a restriction to you?

“Yes, an enormous one.”

At those words, Hissop and the two elders who had come with him were deeply disappointed. They couldn’t understand how fighting for one’s homeland and family could be called a restriction. They wondered if that meant everything Keter had done for Sefira so far was done unwillingly.

However, Keter wasn’t finished.

“Isn’t that oath premised on always fighting for Sefira? In other words, I still have to fight for Sefira even if they are in the wrong. Am I right?”

“...!”

“Right now, Sefira is filled with people who are kind to a fault. They rarely do wrong, and even when they do, they know how to apologize sincerely. But I don’t believe that will remain true forever.”

The Sefira family, having lived almost in isolation from the world, hadn’t practiced incest, but they had only married people of similar dispositions—men and women who valued justice, frugality, and restraint married one another.

Nature also shaped a person’s character, but the environment also played a major role. Even mischievous children grow quiet when they come to Sefira.

But times had changed. Myle was set to marry a quiet noblewoman who was similar to his personality, but Anis and Taragon preferred cheerful, lively women. Sefira, too, would change; it would grow noisy, full of voices.

“Without incidents, there can be no growth. Sefira is currently at the center of events, and events inevitably lead to accidents. It may look peaceful on the surface, but beneath that, tensions are high. There are people in Sefira who smile, yet are ready to draw blood the moment things turn sour.”

Independence from the Lillian Kingdom was impossible for Sefira to achieve alone; they would need others’ help. People with entirely different personalities and values were gathering in Sefira. For now, war kept them restrained, but once peace arrived, conflict would turn inward instead of outward.

Keter knew this better than anyone. In the criminal undercity of Liqueur, such reversals were commonplace. Yesterday’s ally became today’s enemy, and the enemy, an ally. It happened daily. Of course, he knew this was abnormal, but the outside world was no different—it was only slower.

“It’s natural for people to be more lenient toward friends and family than strangers. But I don’t want to take someone’s side even when I think something is truly unforgivable.”

Hissop, Reganon, and Panir, who all felt upset at Keter earlier, responded differently now. Hissop nodded in agreement, while Reganon and Panir sighed and shook their heads.

“In short, you’re saying you don’t want to share Sefira’s fate, Keter,” Reganon summarized.

“Joy doubles when shared, but sorrow and anger spread like a disease when shared. If Sefira strays down the wrong path, isn’t striking it out of love the truest form of care?”

“I didn’t realize you cherished Sefira that much.”

“I should. It’s mine.”

“What?”

For a moment, Panir felt a chill, as Keter’s words didn’t sound entirely like a joke.

—Keter, do you truly believe your standards of good and evil are fair to everyone?

“What a strange thing to say. Of course they aren’t fair. And isn’t that common sense? How is that different from a fish telling a bird to give up its wings because it’s unfair that only birds get to fly?”

—By your logic, you are no different from the gods who rule this world. Anything that deviates from your standards would be deemed evil.

“A small number of absolutes ruling the world—I don’t think that structure itself is bad. A world ruled by a crowd of fools? Just imagining it sounds like chaos. Too many cooks spoil the pot, they say. Now imagine those captains are idiots. What do you think happens?”

—...Your ideology is just as dangerous as Akrah’s.

“Nothing in this world is perfect. Believing you live in a perfect world would make anyone suffocate to death. Even clean water rots when it stagnates, Founder.”

—...

Karieh fell silent, and the meaning was clear. He had given up on persuading Keter.

—You do whatever you want.

“I’m just living since I was born.”

—I understand your desire not to be bound, but if you will not swear the oath, I cannot grant you my protection.

“You can’t give protection, but you can give something else, can’t you?”

That was why Keter had come here. He and Daat had searched all of Sefira and failed to find it, which meant it had to be here.

“Misteltein—it’s here, isn’t it?”

* * *

The reason Lillian had tried to destroy Sefira was Misteltein, the god-slaying arrow.

Seeing Karieh frown, Keter became certain.

He has Misteltein.

If he reached the level of an eight-star Irregular, he could defeat even one of the Four Lords, but he couldn’t kill Lillian. He hadn’t even fought her, yet Keter was certain. Before coming here, he had drunk a single drop of her blood, and that was all he needed to know that the realm of those called gods was unquestionably nine-star or higher.

Even now, he could sense the path toward reaching eight-star, but he couldn’t guarantee becoming a nine-star.

Wielding a good weapon is a skill in itself.

From that perspective, Keter decided to make use of weapons imbued with god-slaying power. The most famous examples were the Five Divine Relics. However, obtaining them would be as difficult as reaching nine-star itself.

Misteltein was different. Unlike the Five Divine Relics, which were split into multiple parts, Misteltein was said to contain god-slaying power within the arrow itself. Of course, Keter didn’t fully believe that claim.

God-slaying isn’t some common effect. Even if it really has that power, there’ll be conditions or restrictions.

Still, even with conditions and restrictions, the fact that it didn’t need to be painstakingly assembled like the Five Divine Relics was an enormous advantage.

If he gives it to me, that is.

As Keter was pondering whether he should take it by force or beg for it if Karieh didn’t give it to him...

—Do you seek Misteltein knowing what it is used for?

“Isn’t it an arrow that can kill a god?”

—...To kill a god. That is not entirely wrong.

“I need it, Ancestor. If you give it to me outright, that would be ideal. Even just telling me where it is would be appreciated.”

—I possess it. Akrah gave it to me.

“But the records say Queen Lillian gave it to Sefira.”

At that, Reganon, who knew Sefira’s history inside and out, answered instead, “The third head of Sefira presented Misteltein to Queen Lillian as a gift. Later, Queen Lillian returned it to the seventh head.”

“I see. Then, Ancestor, if transferring ownership isn’t possible, could you at least lend it to me? Sefira truly needs it.”

—If you swear an oath, I can lend it to you.

“The oath from earlier?”

—No. Swear that Misteltein will be used solely to protect Sefira, and that once it is no longer needed, it will be returned to Sefira.

“Hmm.” Keter hesitated briefly, then placed a hand over his chest. “I swear that Misteltein will be used only to protect Sefira. And once it has served its purpose, I will return it to its rightful place. I swear this upon my soul.”

—Hold out both hands.

Karieh clasped Keter’s outstretched hands. At once, an arrow materialized in his palms. It looked as though it had been crudely fashioned by snapping off a tree branch. There were no special engravings, and it even had leaves attached. At a glance, it could easily be mistaken for an ordinary twig. Yet Keter couldn’t properly hold Misteltein.

Sizzle!!

Smoke rose from where the arrow touched his palm. It wasn’t simple steam from heat.

It feels like my soul is burning.

Keter could endure it, but no matter how hard he tried, it felt impossible to hold it for more than a minute. In the end, he placed Misteltein on the ground. If he hadn’t, it felt as though not just his palm, but his very soul would be erased.

“So it really does have god-slaying power.”

—Keter, if you intend to use Misteltein, there is something you must know.

Though explanations usually bored him and he preferred summaries, Keter knew he couldn’t afford to miss a single word about Misteltein.

“I’m listening, Ancestor.”

—First, Misteltein does not kill gods; it kills the body, even if that body belongs to a god. The claim that it can kill gods is only half true.

“For example, how is it different from the Five Divine Relics that also possess god-slaying power?”

—The Five Divine Relics can truly kill a god. Misteltein only destroys the physical body; it cannot reach the god’s soul. It can banish them from this world temporarily, but unless sealed, they will eventually revive.

“The future can be handled by descendants, then.”

—Additionally, using Misteltein requires divine power.

“Isn’t Ein divine power?”

Keter casually demonstrated Ein, the perfect energy formed by the union of aura and mana. Seeing it, Karieh shook his head.

—Ein is only the first stage. To draw out Misteltein’s true power, you need a greater force: Ein Sof.

Ein Sof was the power required to reach the realm of an eight-star Irregular. In the end, it confirmed the obvious: at minimum, one had to reach eight-star to even attempt killing a god. Keter had expected that, so he moved on calmly.

“When I tried holding Misteltein earlier, the resistance was intense. Will Ein Sof cancel that out?”

—On the contrary. If you truly obtain Ein Sof and draw closer to becoming a god, even looking upon Misteltein will become unbearable.

“Huh?”

Hearing that, Keter immediately tried to move Misteltein with telekinesis. Naturally, it didn’t budge. Next, he attempted to control it using his will, applying the principles of Limitless Archery, Seventh Form: Drone. There was still no response. Something felt off.

So in the end, I have to grab it by hand, place it on the bow, and fire it. Even now, with only Ein, I can’t hold it for more than a minute. If I have Ein Sof... I won’t even be able to touch it for an instant.

Having reached a level worthy of the title Divine Bow, Keter could nock an arrow and fire in under a second. He could reduce it to a fleeting moment, below even 0.1 seconds. But no matter how fast he was, he still had to physically hold the arrow.

No fucking way.

Seeing his expression, Karieh spoke with a bitter look.

—Yes, that is correct. The one who fires Misteltein dies as well.

“What if I shoot and miss?”

—Then only you die.

“No exceptions?”

—None. That is the condition of Misteltein’s god-slaying power.

Keter didn’t sense any deception, and there was no reason for Karieh to lie. Also, it made sense.

I got it too easily.

It took him less than a minute to obtain a legendary weapon said to slay gods. There was no guardian protecting it like the Terra Ring. The method of use was simple, too—nock it, fire it, and hit the target. Then, a god would fall just like that. If the conditions had been easy on top of that, he wouldn’t have believed it for a second.

But this isn’t the outcome I wanted.

He did want to kill Lillian, but that was so he could live freely. Death meant no freedom. He hadn’t even seen the whole world yet, and there were still countless things left to enjoy.

I don’t want to die.

If he were cornered with no retreat and faced imminent death, he’d use it, but never otherwise.

—You look disappointed.

“Yes. I guess I let myself hope a little. As expected, there’s no such thing as a free lunch.”

—If you do not intend to use it, I will take it back.

“I didn’t say I wouldn’t use it.”

Fearing Karieh might retrieve it, Keter hurriedly picked up Misteltein. Just holding it made his soul ache, but it was still bearable.

—My allotted time is ending.

Karieh’s spirit began crumbling from the feet upward. Hissop and the two elders bowed deeply.

“It was an honor to meet you, Ancestor.”

Karieh nodded. His upper body had already vanished and only his face remained.

Keter, wearing a solemn expression, watched him fade away. Then, as if struck by a sudden thought, he grinned mischievously.

“Ancestor, do other gods happen to know about Misteltein’s usage conditions?”