Chapter 34: Speak of the Goblin (2)

An awkward tension filled the hallway. While the soldiers watching found it amusing, both Luke and Jacques did not.

Luke was in shock after realizing that the man he thought was just a thug was actually his partner. Jacques, on the other hand, was stunned that Keter's partner turned out to be his own son.

When Jacques first heard that Keter was getting a partner, he thought it was none of his concern.

Whoever it is, I extend my condolences in advance.

But now...

Out of all the knights available, why did it have to be Luke?

“Excuse me...”

“There must be some mistake.”

Both Luke and Jacques spoke simultaneously, then hesitated, each giving the other a chance to speak first. As they awkwardly exchanged glances, Keter broke the silence.

“Gramps, you speak first.”

“Ah, yes. Let me introduce you first. This is my son, Luke.”

“Your son? He doesn’t look like you at all. You didn’t kidnap him, did you?”

“Haha, no, not at all. Believe it or not, I found him drifting in the river as a baby. There was a note in the cloth asking for someone to take care of him. I took it as fate and raised him as my own.”

Luke remained calm even after hearing about his past. He had already heard the story from Jacques a long time ago. Keter, on the other hand, examined Luke's face carefully.

He doesn't even look like he's from the Lilian Kingdom.

The people of the southern continent, where the Lilian Kingdom was located, were generally tall with distinct, sharp features. In contrast, Luke was short and looked more like a boy despite being an adult, and he had a round, cute face. The biggest difference, however, was his skin. Though tanned by the sun, his skin was still smooth. It was hard to pinpoint his origin, but one thing was clear—he wasn’t born in the Lilian Kingdom.

Keter suddenly realized how disinterested he had been in family matters in his past life.

So in my past life, Jacques managed to keep the fact that he had a son hidden until the end. Impressive.

It was hard to believe that it was a coincidence that Jacque’s son was assigned as Keter’s partner.

Did they think I'd behave better because he's Jacques' son? But this guy... he's defective.

Just as an experienced fruit farmer could judge the quality of fruit by its appearance, Keter could tell immediately by looking at Luke: there was no scent of blood on him. This meant that Luke had never killed anyone. For a farmer, that might not matter, but for a knight, not having killed was like a fisherman not knowing how to clean fish.

He’s lived a crazy life.

Luke was interesting. According to Keter’s long experience, someone like Luke couldn’t live a normal, quiet life even if he tried to. He was destined to be wrapped up in lots of incidents and events, and he would cause them without even knowing. Of course, there were other people like him; to be frank, there were countless people like this in Liqueur.

But what’s interesting is that this kid has had a peaceful life, which is not possible in this environment.

Luke was a knight of a master family and had a pretty face. There could only be one reason why someone with these qualities could live without any issues.

It can only be due to some kind of transcendent power at play. It’s either high-level magic, a comparable spell, or a blessing specific to his bloodline. As expected, my father gave me a very interesting person. Life within the family might be more fun than I thought.

Keter’s lips curled into a smile as he looked at Luke. Seeing that smile, Luke felt dizzy.

I’ve already messed this up from the start... Ugh.

Jacques, noticing Luke hadn’t introduced himself yet, nudged him, signaling him to do so. Luke swallowed a sigh, pressed his fist to his chest, and greeted Keter.

“Let me introduce myself again. I’m Luke Blendere, Knight of the First Division of the Sacred Order of Sefira. The patriarch said that partners should treat each other like friends regardless of status or age, so I’ll speak casually.”

It was a neat introduction, but Jacques, worried that Keter might take offense, quickly added an explanation.

“Ha ha, my lord, the partner system is an old tradition of Sefira. It’s meant to foster a genuine relationship where both parties can offer advice without the restrictions of rank. Even Hissop, the eldest son, maintains a close, informal relationship with his knight partner.”

Keter, who wasn’t one for formality himself, didn’t care much. He was simply amused by the situation.

“Of course, of course. We should speak casually. After all, we’re not in a typical relationship, are we?”

“...Please forgive my earlier mistake. I came in such a hurry today that I didn’t even know what you looked like.”

“It happens. Don’t worry about it. It’s all good.”

“Huh? Oh... alright...”

Perhaps it was because of Keter’s bad first impression, but his relaxed response made him seem more likable. Luke started to think that maybe the rumors were just rumors.

Maybe he's actually a good person?

This was the beginning of a great misunderstanding.

* * *

“I will bring some tea,” Jacques said, following the butler’s etiquette as he seated Keter and Luke at the table.

There was nothing to object to, but Keter, of course, found something.

“Tea? You should be bringing alcohol.”

“Wait, I didn’t mishear that, did I? Alcohol? The sun hasn’t even set yet, and you want to drink?” Luke asked in surprise, sitting across from Keter.

Meanwhile, Jacques looked like he expected this.

“I'll bring it,” Jacques responded.

“Right, Father, alcohol’s not allowed... huh?” Luke said.

He took out a bottle of wine and glasses from the shelf and set it down on the table.

Keter frowned at the sight of the wine bottle.

“This wine is way too weak. This is basically grape juice.”

“My lord, I won’t tell you not to drink, but please don’t drink enough to get drunk.”

“Anyone listening would get the wrong idea. You’re the one who gets drunk, not me. Why are you acting like this? Want to bet on who can drink more?”

“Even if you don’t get drunk, the smell of alcohol will still linger, and then it's my head on the chopping block. Is that what you want?”

Jacques was a truly veteran butler. He pleaded and begged Keter using his life. Even Keter couldn’t argue with that. Clicking his tongue, he grabbed the wine bottle.

“Honestly, you probably saved the world in your past life, Gramps.”

Glug, glug, glug

.

Keter filled two glasses with wine, one for himself and one for Luke.

Luke watched as the glass in front of him filled and muttered under his breath. “I have to drink too?”

For a noble of a prestigious lineage, drinking alcohol in broad daylight was dishonorable. Yet here was Keter, offering wine to a knight.

What kind of madness is this?

Keter raised his glass first and said, “Let's toast. We should celebrate our meeting.”

“...I’m a knight. I won’t drink.”

Luke firmly refused, wanting to assert that the relationship between partners wasn’t a hierarchy. Jacques, observing this, grew uneasy. Knowing Keter's personality, he was sure Keter would force him to drink.

But to his surprise, Keter downed his own glass and then, instead of forcing Luke to drink, he emptied Luke's glass as well.

“Then I’ll drink for you. Nice to meet you, Luke.”

“Phew.”

As Jacques let out a sigh of relief, Luke stared at him strangely.

“Ahem, Keter, I heard from the patriarch that you received your first mission. I didn’t hear the details about the mission, so could you show me the document?”

“Oh, that. Gramps, can you bring it?”

“Yes, my lord.

Luke didn’t feel good seeing Keter treat his father, Jacques, like a subordinate, but he quickly regained his composure. It was natural for a butler to take orders from their lord; Jacques was doing what he was supposed to, and Keter was just enjoying his rights.

“Take this,” Jacques said to Luke.

“Thank you.”

Luke snuck a glance at Keter, who was drinking by himself, and opened the mission document Jacques handed him.

Search for Missing Personnel on Leave.

Assigned Knight:

Katherine

Luke

Mission Difficulty: F

Lost communication with Reynold, Knight of the Second Division of the Sacred Order of Sefira. Most recently confirmed location was Hacose, a village near the border. Search for them and bring them back quickly.

Luke, who nervously checked the mission, felt relieved.

I thought it was going to be really hard to go on a mission with Keter, who lived in the lawless city of Absinthe until three days ago... Thank god it’s an easy F-rank mission.

This mission was basically a vacation.

Luke, no longer nervous, said, “It’s an easy mission. I think the patriarch was being considerate of us. Or maybe it’s so that we can go get some fresh air.”

After putting down the mission, Luke shared his thoughts. Since everything would be new and unfamiliar to Keter, as the senior, he wanted to guide Keter step by step.

Crunch.

Keter, snacking on the peanuts on the table, said, “How is it an easy mission when a person has gone missing?”

“You might not know because you’re not from here, but it’s quite common. It says he’s missing, but he’s probably just running late from helping the residents.”

“Why would he help the residents? Why? Knights aren’t errand boys.”

“Because they are Sefira’s knights. You don’t know the history behind Sefira, right? The first ancestor of Sefira was just a commoner hunter. He gathered hunters to join him in ending the long war through archery. At that time, thousands of commoner hunters from across the kingdom joined, and he achieved great merit in the war. He gained recognition from the queen and became a noble.

“At that moment, he made a vow—he swore that, even as a noble, he would never look down on or ignore commoners as he was only able to rise to nobility due to their support. He promised to always help those in need, and this principle has continued to this day.”

Luke felt his heart swell with emotion even as he spoke. It was a remarkable history.

Other noble families adorned their pasts with mythical tales, claiming they defeated monsters that flew through the sky and shot beams from their mouths, or that they pulled swords from rocks and were chosen by fate. But Sefira was different. It has a vivid and realistic history, rare for the nobility, with a past full of meaning—caring for and loving the common people.

Crack.

At that moment, a sound came from somewhere, calming down Luke’s overwhelming emotions.

Keter continued to shell peanuts, saying, “Do they get paid for it?”

“Knights should not be greedy while offering goodwill,” Luke replied.

“Like serving without pay is a point of pride.”

“...That’s the chivalry code. And there are nobles and knights because there are commoners.”

“Commoners won’t think that way. They’ll see us as foolish nobles and look down on us.”

“What do you know to say such nonsense?”

As Luke was about to retort, Jacques placed a hand on his shoulder to calm him.

“You seem to be getting easily agitated today.”

As Jacques mentioned, Luke realized that it was strangely difficult to control his emotions while talking with Keter.

“... Sorry, Keter. I think I got angry because I’ve never had this kind of conversation before.”

“Nothing to apologize for. I find it more irritating when someone doesn’t say what they want to say.”

Of course, they would still have to pay the price for saying what they want to.

It’s a trivial mission.

The mission request was probably not false. It was indeed an easy mission of finding the missing knight and bringing them back to the estate.

And that’s what the ambusher targeted.

This wasn’t a coincidence. It was clear that someone set a trap, and the Sefira family walked right into it. What needed to be examined here was whether there was an accomplice in the family.

The fact that the victim is Katherine—could that also be a coincidence?

“Why did Katherine take on an F-rank mission?”

Katherine was not only a two-star knight but also a member of the Order of the Star, which commanded skilled archers. There was no reason for her to take on such a low-rank mission.

Luke, who knew the reason, explained, “Dame Katherine is from that village. Lord Reganon was being considerate.”

As soon as Reganon’s name was mentioned, Keter began questioning.

“Isn’t Elder Reganon in seclusion? Was he assigning the family’s missions?”

“You should call him Lord Reganon, Keter. People are listening. Anyway, Lord Reganon wasn’t just idly sitting by. You see the mission difficulty here? Lord Reganon assesses this. He also personally assigns the right talents for each mission.”

“So, all the family’s missions are handled by Reganon.”

“The final approval is given by the patriarch. But it’s probably just a formality. Lord Reganon is flawless and perfect in this area. He used to manage the royal library, so it’s only natural that he has exceptional judgment.”

“Heh, heh, heh.”

As Keter started laughing, Luke and Jacques exchanged puzzled looks. Keter was genuinely pleased. He had been suspicious of Reganon since their first meeting, and now...

See? He’s fitting into the picture without even trying. Katherine’s death was not a coincidence but intentional by...

Knock, knock.

This was a crucial moment. Who is it?

Jacques opened the door slightly to check the unwanted visitor. After a brief exchange of words, the door was opened.

Creak.

An armed knight entered. Wearing silver armor and even a helmet, the knight approached Keter immediately. Luke saw the knight and stood up to show his respect.

“I am Luke, Knight of the Sacred Order of Sefira. I hope you have been well, Sir Gant.”

The knight, referred to as Gant, glanced at Luke and replied, “It seems you’ve become Lord Keter’s partner. You’re going to be working hard.”

“Not at all. I will do my best.”

As Luke quickly stepped aside, Gant moved closer to Keter. Then, without any further action, introduced himself.

“I am Gant of the Order of the Galaxy.”

“You’re being quite short with me.”

“You need to go with me now.”

“Now you’re ignoring my words.”

Keter stood up and faced Gant, whose face was partially obscured beneath his helmet.

The Order of the Galaxy was the most powerful knight order in Sefira. It consisted of knights of at least three-star or higher, and only those with extensive combat experience and achievements could join.

Gant seemed to have expected this from Keter and smirked, as if he was about to beat Keter.

“Lord Reganon is asking for you.”

He’s saying what I was going to say earlier. Reganon, the one who set the trap to kill Katherine, is now looking for me.

“You should have started with that. Let’s go.”

Speak of the goblin.

[1]

1. This is a wordplay on “Speak of the Devil” ☜