Chapter 318: My Father Is Everywhere (7)

Keter knew exactly what the warships floating in the sky were.

Airships. They were already completed at this point?

In his previous life, airships—Baen’s new weapon—should not have appeared until at least ten years later.

So they finished it and kept it hidden all this time.

But in the present, the Baen Kingdom revealed them now. The appearance of an unknown new weapon sent a ripple of unrest through Sefira. As people marveled at it, they were already preparing to release arrows at any moment.

Just then, an enormous amplified voice boomed out from one of the airships.

—Get lost, you barbarians! We can feel your stench and ignorance all the way up here!

Barbarians was, of course, a jab at the barely clothed warriors of the Adeus Kingdom. Kundeline was briefly startled at the sight of the airships, but soon stared at them, clenching and unclenching his fists.

“So you’ve brought toys worth breaking! Come on down—I’ll smash you to pieces!”

—Ha! Come down? Why would we?

Clank! Whiiiiir!

The airships’ gun ports turned toward the ground. These were not powder-based cannons; flaming mana condensed within them. Each ship carried fifty gun ports. All five ships prepared to fire at once, and the glare alone made it impossible to keep one’s eyes open. It was an overwhelming display of force.

Even Kundeline frowned at the power radiating from the mana cannons. He could block it, but his subordinates would never survive it.

—Even barbarians can count, can’t they? I’ll count to five. If you haven’t disappeared by then, I’ll reduce you all to ashes!

As if to prove it was no bluff, the unfamiliar Baen commander pushed the mana cannons’ output even higher. Yet neither Kundeline nor his men showed the slightest intention of retreating. To people who believed dying in battle was a virtue, fleeing without even calling it a tactical withdrawal was the ultimate disgrace. Those who ran from battle were given punishment of the highest order by being beaten to death and their corpses being thrown into the sea.

The situation was on a knife’s edge. This could become the spark that ignited a war between the Baen and Adeus Kingdom on Sefira’s soil. But then, Keter rose into the air and stepped in to mediate.

“Cut it out. This isn’t your house.”

Hundreds of Milky Way arrows locked onto the airships. The airships hovered more than five hundred meters above the ground, but to Keter’s arrows, that distance was nothing.

At the same time, he looked down at Kundeline.

“Looks like they’re about to land, so move aside a bit,” Keter said.

“You expect me to yield to those oil-fetish freaks?”

True to the Adeus Kingdom’s reputation for unparalleled pride, Kundeline had no intention of giving way. But Keter wasn’t one to back down either.

“Save that stubbornness for your own house. This is Sefira. Don’t tell us what to do when you’re the intruder.”

“...”

Kundeline glared at Keter, and Keter did not avert his eyes. After a brief staring contest, Kundeline folded his arms.

“So fearless, as expected of my son. Very well. I will grant your wish.”

As if indulging him, Kundeline stepped back.

Keter rolled his eyes, then shouted toward the airships above. “You also raise your guns skyward immediately. If you point them at the ground again, I’ll take it as a declaration of war.”

—We never intended to target Sefira to begin with. Please forgive the discourtesy.

The commander immediately raised the gun ports toward the sky.

—Grant us permission to land, Lord Keter.

“Are you an idiot? That’s not something you ask me—ask the patriarch.”

—...Lord Hissop, we request permission to land.

Hissop nodded slightly to Keter in thanks, then gestured for the surrounding soldiers to pull back.

“Will this much space suffice?”

—Yes, it will.

Voooooom!

The airships descended slowly from the sky with a thunderous roar.

Pssshhh! Kwoooom!

Even the act of landing alone made everyone’s chests tremble; the sheer power the airships exuded was overwhelming.

Thud!

Now fully on the ground, the ships looked far larger than they had from the air. It looked like it could easily house several thousands of people.

Clank.

With the sound of interlocking gears, the underside of a ship opened.

“

Gasp?!

”

“Wh-what is that?”

The underside opening like a door was startling enough, but what emerged was not a person but a massive suit of armor at least three meters tall. It strode out heavily, and Keter licked his lips as he looked at it.

Damn, even Titans? They’re cruder than what I saw in my past life, but they’re good enough to be put into combat right away.

Known as mountable gear, Titans allowed a three-star knight to wield destructive power exceeding that of a five-star Master, along with defense so formidable that even a Grandmaster would struggle to cut them down. Ten Titans emerged from each ship for a total of fifty.

After them came troops armed with crossbows. These crossbows didn’t resemble conventional ones; their design was closer to Sefira’s rapid-fire models. In addition, there were mechanical wings on their backs that clearly enabled them to fly. Two hundred crossbowmen disembarked from each ship, for a total of one thousand.

And that wasn’t all. Not everyone aboard had even disembarked. Including crew and guards left behind, well over five thousand people were still on the ships.

“Patriarch Hissop.”

At that moment, a middle-aged man approached Hissop. Unlike the other soldiers, he wore only elegant clothing and bowed his head slightly. His eyes were gentle and unassuming.

“I am Marquis Scala of the Baen Kingdom.”

It was a succinct introduction. Hissop returned the greeting with a slight nod.

“I hear your reputation for creations that defy common sense is unmatched, even in the Baen Kingdom, which is known as the Land of Innovation. A ship that flies through the sky... Truly impressive.”

“Hahaha, unlike the barbarians, you understand the value of these airships. Each costs thirty million gold to build, requiring a thousand craftsmen working for three full years. They are, quite literally, rulers of the skies. And...”

Hissop raised a hand, cutting him off. “Previously, Gallua Scala claimed that Keter was a descendant of the Scala family. May I assume that is why you’ve appeared here today?”

“That is a fair assumption. More than anything, I had to hurry over because those barbarians over there made the first move.”

Though they were far apart, Kundeline must have heard him, because he shouted, “So you were spying from the sky like a creep? Damnably irritating bastards!”

“Watch your mouth. Your foul breath reaches even here.”

“What did you say?!”

As Kundeline flared with killing intent, Baen’s Titans began to glow. They growled at each other as if they were about to fight over every single word, making it impossible for the conversation to continue.

“Everyone, shut up for a second. I’m trying to think,” Keter said with irritation to two powerful beings. “So let me get this straight: you’re all saying you’re my dad?”

At that, Scala and Kundeline pointed at each other.

“There’s no need to listen to that barbarian’s nonsense! I am your biological father, Keter!” Scala shouted.

“Don’t lump Keter in with some frail, creepy Baen noble. Keter is a man among men—therefore, he must be my son!” Kundeline refuted.

“Okay, got it. Just checking, does anyone else want to jump in and say that they are my dad?”

Four people had already claimed to be his father: Besil, Kundeline, Kron, and Scala. It was a relief that at least Besil wasn’t here due to closed-door training; even just two people made it chaotic enough.

Naturally, everyone fell silent. Keter waited exactly ten seconds, about to speak again, when...

“Lord Keter! Urgent news!” Navakin came running from afar.

At the sight of him, Hissop clutched the back of his neck. He had a very bad feeling.

Navakin, who had been searching for Keter, froze in shock. There were massive airships and thousands of barbarians, so remaining calm in such a scene would be inhuman.

“What is it? What happened?” Keter asked.

“It... it might not be something to say here.”

“No, just say it. No need to whisper. Those people over there will hear it anyway.”

“Oh...”

Despite Keter’s insistence, Navakin hesitated until he saw Keter’s fist starting to rise.

“Th-the chancellor of the Samael Empire is waiting in the reception hall. He says he came to see y-you, my lord.”

And thus, three men claiming to be Keter’s father gathered in Sefira.

* * *

In Sefira’s banquet hall, four people sat facing one another. On the table were freshly-made soup, bread, and whiskey. Steam rose gently from everything, and the aroma stirred the appetite.

“Mmm, when my head’s pounding, nothing beats bread dipped in soup,” Keter said, plunging a piece of bread deep into the thick mushroom soup and taking a huge bite. “And if you follow that with a sip of whiskey aged with unicorn horn... Ah!”

He downed the whiskey straight, without ice, then set the glass down with a rough clink.

“Dads, you’re not drinking?”

Keter poured whiskey into the three empty glasses, filling them to the brim.

Natas, the chancellor of the Samael Empire, offered a faint smile and gently pushed his glass away.

“I consider alcohol a mild poison, so I do not drink.”

The marquis of Scala from the Baen Kingdom lifted his glass, sniffed it once, then set it back down.

“Far too strong to be taken with a meal.”

Kundeline of the Adeus Kingdom shot glares at Natas and Scala on either side and said, “With the Samael Empire’s snake and Baen’s coward in front of me, the drink loses all its flavor. I’ve no desire to touch it.”

Keter had succeeded in seating the three of them at one table, but as expected, there was no goodwill or pleasant conversation to be found.

“Hm, then just keep having your little staring contest until I’m done eating.”

Keter truly continued his meal, regardless of whether these powers of other nations tried to pressure one another with their gazes.

Once he had completely finished off the soup and bread, Keter rubbed his stomach and said, “Now that I’m full, my head’s working a bit better. So, you all think I’m your son, is that it?”

The three had been silent toward one another, but at Keter’s question, they all spoke at once.

“This is not speculation. You are my son.”

𝐟𝗿𝐞𝚎𝚠𝐞𝚋𝕟𝐨𝚟𝐞𝕝.𝕔𝕠𝚖

“Show me your chest. There should be a scar that symbolizes our family.”

“All it takes is a single drop of blood. There’s no need to waste time like this.”

“Right. You gentlemen aren’t vagrants—you’re powerful figures in your respective countries. You wouldn’t come barging in like this without confidence. I get that.” Smiling calmly, Keter soothed the three and continued. “As Duke Kundeline says, a blood test would give results quickly. But before that, I want to ask something. Who told you about my existence? On three, answer together.”

Keter held up three fingers, then immediately folded one down. The second followed even faster, and the last folded almost simultaneously.

“Akrah.”

“...?!”

Caught off guard by a question that gave no time to think, the three answered in unison and were equally startled.

Keter pressed his forehead like he knew this.

“Interesting. Besil, my Sefira father, also said he learned of my existence through Akrah.”

Just as the three were about to speak, Keter raised three fingers again.

“How did my mother, Akrah, make contact with you?”

This time, Keter folded all three fingers at once. It was fast and abrupt, but the three gathered there were leaders of nations. Their calculations were already done, and they decided it was fine to answer.

“I received a letter.”

“A letter.”

“Likewise.”

Just as Keter had expected, all three had received letters, like Besil. Keter nodded, then extended his hand toward Natas.

“You brought it, right? As proof. I need to check the handwriting.”

“Do you not trust me?”

“It’s because I want to trust you.”

“...A good attitude.”

Natas calmly drew a letter from inside his clothes and handed it over. Scala and Kundeline did the same.

Keter immediately unfolded the letters and read them. The contents were nearly identical.

—There is a son between you and me. His name is Keter. He is currently in Liqueur. That child will be of use to you.

But Keter hadn’t been interested in the contents. As he read them, the corner of his mouth quivered.

“Heh... heheheh. I thought so...”

There was something off about Keter’s laughter. It wasn’t amusement; it sounded like anger.

“Is there something wrong with the contents?” Scala asked sharply, unsettled by the sound.

“No. There’s nothing wrong with the contents. It’s definitely my mother Akrah’s handwriting. All three of them.”

“Then why are you laughing?”

“Because I can’t help it.”

Keter roughly tossed the three letters onto the table and ran a hand back through his hair.

“They all say the same thing—that Keter is in Liqueur. And judging by how dry the ink is and the condition of the paper, these letters were received at least a year ago.”

Creak.

Leaning forward, Keter glared at the three with eyes filled with killing intent.

“So, you knew I was trapped in Liqueur, and you ignored it?”