Chapter 36: This is All For Sefira (2)

Keter's suspicion was spot on. The Order of the Galaxy in the archive supported Reganon—his character, his beliefs, and...

Even his plan.

Gant, the captain of the fourth division of the Order of the Galaxy and Reganon’s closest confidant, said with concern, “Do you think the patriarch will be shaken by Keter’s disappearance? I’m sure he’ll be furious if Katherine disappeared, with her being a clear candidate for the Seven Stars of the North. But Keter has only been part of the family for two days. Since there hasn’t been much interaction, I doubt he’ll feel much sorrow.”

Reganon nodded.

“Besil is a man who clearly separates personal and professional matters. Even so, he forgave Keter for his misdeeds and gave him a mission. It was an act of leniency beyond what he’s shown his own sons. If Keter goes missing, Besil will likely mobilize the Order of the Galaxy to find him.”

“But they won’t find him. Keter has gone somewhere no one can reach.”

“I do regret not being able to send off Katherine first, but Keter is still just a clueless child. He should not be caught up in our crisis.”

“Indeed. He’s been acting recklessly, without knowing how dangerous the noble society really is. He doesn’t belong here.”

“In a way, Keter has helped us. The Bydent family requested that we deal with him now, and we can use that to demand more in return.”

Bydent, a family known for spearmanship, was trying to dethrone the Sefira family from its position as a master family so that they could take it.

In this situation, Reganon formed a secret pact with the Bydent family, promising to make the Sefira family relinquish the title voluntarily. He also agreed to recommend Bydent as the next candidate for the master family. In return, the Bydent family promised to leave the Sefira family members alone; that was how strong and politically powerful the Bydent family was.

“Bydent probably thinks we’ve done them a favor. However, I’m... not sure if the beastfolk under your command can actually handle the Marksman of the Demon Arrow,” Gant remarked, raising an unexpected subject.

Beastfolk were creatures rarer than elves or dwarves. It was shocking that such beings were hiding under the protection of Sefira. The Kingdom of Lillian was extremely xenophobic. Even elves and dwarves, who resembled humans the most, were viewed unfavorably, so beastfolk were outright treated as monsters.

The specific beastfolk currently under Reganon’s protection was part of the Flying Wolf Tribe, one of the Seven Cursed Species—the seven beastfolk kinds that had attempted to assassinate the emperor in the past.

The Samael Empire rewarded those who captured and sold them one of the Seven Cursed Species with a bounty of more than one million gold. Even their corpse was worth one hundred thousand gold, and simply providing information on their whereabouts was rewarded with ten thousand gold. This was why the Seven Cursed Species were seen as a golden ticket to instant wealth for many.

One might wonder why Sefira was protecting a flying wolf, but it was a secret. Even Besil didn’t know that one of the Seven Cursed Species was right under his nose. All of this was Reganon’s independent doing. He had stumbled upon a flying wolf by chance and decided to help them, offering them a place to hide and live.

The only people aware of the beastfolk’s existence were Reganon and the fourth division of the Order of the Galaxy. However, Gant didn’t know how strong they were, as he only knew of their existence. On the other hand, he had seen firsthand the destructive power of the Marksman of the Demon Arrow, having witnessed Besil wield it himself.

When Besil became the Marksman of the Demon Arrow, he appeared unstoppable—an unbeatable superhuman, almost god-like. While Keter might not wield it with the same power as Besil, he was still a Marksman of the Demon Arrow, after all.

However, Reganon just smiled at Gant’s concern.

“There’s no need to worry. I’ve seen their strength with my own eyes. Even if Keter becomes a Marksman, it won’t be a problem.”

“Yes, I trust you, my lord. If you are confident in this, it will surely work.”

“Thank you. Without you, it would have been difficult to carry out this plan.”

“No, I’m the one who is honored, my lord. You shared this plan with me first to save Sefira. I still tear up when I think about that moment.”

“Save your tears. We still have greater crises ahead.”

Suddenly, Gant dropped to one knee and said, “I hesitated back then, but now I can say this with certainty: the patriarch is wrong. In trying to save everyone, he’s putting us all in danger. The entire fourth division of the Order of the Galaxy, including myself, fully agrees with your stance, my lord. To gain something, we must be willing to give something up.”

Moved by Gant's determination, Reganon stood up and placed a hand on his shoulder.

“Gant... I will prove that you are not wrong. Trust me and follow.”

“Yes, my lord! I will follow. You are the true head of Sefira to me, my lord.”

This was treason.

While knights were human and could like or dislike someone, they must never betray the patriarch, who was their reason for existence. If they disagreed, they had to be prepared for exile to offer counsel, and had to follow it, even if they didn’t understand it. But now, Gant had declared that Besil was wrong and pledged his loyalty to Reganon. It wasn’t just about himself, but the entire fourth division, made up of ten knights.

Reganon suddenly recalled Keter's words, asking if he had betrayed the family for the sake of avenging his daughter. If someone asked him if what he was doing was betraying the Sefira family, he could confidently deny it.

Besil's neutral stance will only bring ruin to Sefira in the end.

Reganon already strongly advised Besil against staying neutral, but he didn’t accept it. As Reganon couldn’t let the family fall, he began acting on his own—all to save Sefira. He could be seen as a traitor for his actions, as he was going against the patriarch.

If this is betrayal, I don’t care if I’m called a traitor.

Olive always told Reganon to look after the Sefira family, as she loved them. He wanted to keep his promise to his daughter, even if he would be recorded as a traitor in history.

I am not betraying Sefira for revenge; I’m betraying Sefira for them.

This was what he wanted to say to Keter, but he couldn’t bring himself to say this in front of him.

Instead, he said to Gant, “This is all for Sefira.”

* * *

“I’m home.”

As soon as Keter returned, the two people who had been anxiously waiting jumped to their feet.

“What happened? Why did Lord Reganon call for you?”

“You didn’t offend Lord Reganon, did you, my lord?”

Keter shrugged.

“He threatened me, said I'd be dead if I didn’t leave the family. So I just gave him a little comeback. I told him, ‘You traitor! I’ll expose your dark schemes for sure!’ and walked out,” replied Keter, answering both questions at once.

There was no reason to hide his relationship with Reganon. It would be foolish for him to act like nothing happened and then reveal what Reganon had said after the situation blew up.

That old man must be pretty confident.

Reganon's bold reveal was something that could only be done with absolute certainty and conviction. He couldn’t possibly believe Keter would stay silent.

Keter had just explained everything to Luke and Jacques, but they looked at him like they didn’t believe a word of it.

Luke sighed and said, “If you don’t want to tell us, fine. I’m just glad you came back safely.”

As expected, Luke didn’t believe Keter.

On the other hand, Jacques muttered with a serious expression, “You were serious when you said you called him a traitor, right?”

“Father, if that were true, Keter wouldn’t have come back in one piece. He was probably joking.”

“I hope you’re right... No matter how kind Lord Reganon may seem, the Order of the Galaxy is always by his side.”

The mention of the Order of the Galaxy piqued Keter’s curiosity.

“Speaking of which, how many knights are in this Order of the Galaxy?”

Luke answered, “There are six divisions, each with ten members. Sir Gant, who came to fetch you earlier, is the captain of the fourth division.”

“Oh, really? So at least ten of the Order of the Galaxy are on Elder Reganon’s side.”

“The fourth division is in charge of guarding the records archive, so they’re likely on good terms with Lord Reganon.”

The idea of Reganon betraying the family was something Luke couldn’t even begin to imagine. There hadn’t been any sign of it either.

Luke quickly continued talking before Keter could be distracted again.

“Now that you’ve come back safely, you need to get ready for the mission. I’ll explain everything right now, so listen carefully.”

“Yeah, get ready,” Keter replied, as if he was about to leave as soon as he came back.

Luke grabbed his arm.

“Where are you going? You just got back. You need to prepare with me. You’re a member of Sefira now. There will come a time when you’ll have to take on a solo mission, so you need to know how to get ready. Father, I’ll take Keter to the supply storage.”

“Hmm. Be careful,” Jacques replied.

“What? Of what?”

“... Lord Keter can be quite mischievous.”

“Oh, the other division members said the same. Don’t worry.”

Luke didn’t want to make Jacques anxious. His reputation in the family was already at rock bottom, as despite being a knight, he had never once accomplished anything notable.

Jacques might not be related to him by blood, but to Luke, he was more than a father figure. In reality, Luke had pretty much been stripped of his knighthood. He couldn’t fight, and if he couldn’t even play his role as a partner properly, he’d be nothing more than a parasite. He felt it might be better to just leave the family altogether.

Unaware of how cornered Luke felt, Keter said, “Gramps, can I use the stuff that was confiscated from me when I came in for the mission?”

“Ah, yes, you can,” Jacques replied.

Keter hadn’t come to Sefira empty-handed. He had brought some equipment that he was using in Liqueur, but most of it had been confiscated during the inspection process.

“Can you bring that for me?” Keter asked.

“Yes, my lord.”

“Wait a second. I’ll go with Keter to get it. I need to know how to find it, too,” Luke offered, but Jacques stopped him.

“No, I should have already gotten it before Lord Keter even mentioned it. This is my responsibility, so don’t worry about it.”

After Jacques left the room, Keter pointed toward the bathroom with his thumb and said, “I need to use the restroom.”

“Hold on. I’m twenty-one. How old are you?” Luke asked.

“I’m definitely a year older than you,” Keter replied.

“What kind of...” Luke began, but before he could finish, Keter disappeared into the bathroom.

If Jacques had been there, he would’ve shaken his head knowingly, having once fallen for the same tactic himself. Left alone, Luke began organizing the things he needed to explain to Keter in his mind.

Ten minutes passed, and Luke glanced at the clock on the wall, muttering to himself, “Is he taking a number two? Well, I guess he just came back from meeting Lord Reganon, so it makes sense to relax a bit. I almost collapsed the first time I met Lord Panir.”

Luke, who was unnecessarily understanding, was fine with Keter being late.

Twenty minutes passed. Finally, the door opened—not the bathroom door, but the room door. Jacques walked in, carrying a wooden box with both hands, his head peeking out to the side.

“Luke, you're still here.”

“Oh, Keter said he was going to the bathroom. He's taking a while though. Let me help you with that.”

Luke took the box from Jacques and was shocked by the weight.

“What’s in here for it to be this heavy?”

“I thought my back was going to give out,” Jacques replied.

Thud!

The box was supposed to only contain Keter’s belongings, and it wasn’t even that large.

“This weight feels like it’s filled with iron bars. Can I open it?”

“You’ll have to open it to sort things out anyway,” Jacques said as he unlocked the box himself.

Creak.

There wasn’t much inside the box. In fact, it was hardly anything: just a pair of daggers, a bracelet, a belt, and a few small pouches.

“I guess Keter uses daggers,” Luke casually remarked as he picked one up, only to be startled. “They’re really heavy!”

The daggers were absurdly heavy. Of course Luke, being a knight, could manage to lift them, but it was strange for daggers to be this heavy.

“Heavy, you say? Let me see,” Jacques said, reaching for the other dagger.

Luke warned, “Careful, Father. It might be tough for a normal person to lift with one hand... Huh?”

Luke was left dumbfounded as Jacques effortlessly lifted the other dagger. Jacques looked just as confused.

“Heavy? It feels so light, as if I’m holding nothing at all.”

“What? It’s really light? Oh, you're right, it’s so light.”

“But this one is indeed as heavy as you said. They look identical, yet the weights are completely different.”

𝕗𝐫𝚎𝗲𝘄𝐞𝕓𝐧𝕠𝘃𝕖𝐥.𝐜𝚘𝚖

“Why would he use a weapon like this? What about the other items?”

“The bracelet seems ordinary. The pouches... Hmph, strange. They won’t open, but there’s no lock,,” Jacques said, puzzled.

The bracelet had a smooth surface and an ordinary weight. Luke was curious about what was inside the pouches, but they wouldn’t open. He figured he could probably force them open, but that might break them, so he shook his head.

“I’ll have to ask Keter about these. As his partner, I need to know about these things.”

“Hm. You said he went to the bathroom?”

“Yes. It’s a bit rude, but considering how long it’s been, I’ll have to tell him to come out.”

“

Sigh.

Looks like I’ve been fooled again.”

“Huh? What do you mean?”

“Go knock on the door and see for yourself.”

Confused by Jacques’ words, Luke walked over to the bathroom door and knocked, calling for Keter.

“Keter, sorry to bother you, but are you almost done? How much longer do I have to wait?”

But there was no response from inside the bathroom. Luke knocked harder this time. He thought that Keter might not have heard him if he was taking a bath, as the bathroom was quite large.

“Keter!”

He tried turning the doorknob, wondering if it was unlocked, but it was locked from the inside.

Watching from behind, Jacques handed him a key and said, “Open it.”

“What? That’s a bit...”

“It’s fine. No one will be in there.”

“Haha, there's no way...”

Despite denying it, Luke took the key and unlocked the door. As Jacques had predicted, the bathroom was empty. The window, however, was wide-open.

“...”

As there was nowhere to hide in the bathroom, Luke walked over to the window, peeking outside to search for any sign of Keter. But there was no trace of him anywhere.

“This is the third floor, though...” Luke muttered.

Luke didn't know this, but this was the second time this had happened.

“He’ll come back, right?”

However, Keter didn’t return, even after sunset. Luke panicked and insisted that they needed to find him immediately, but Jacques just shook his head.

“He’ll return.”

“But...”

“Get some sleep. If he hasn’t returned by tomorrow morning, we’ll talk about it then.”

“Alright.”

And the next morning, Keter was found peacefully asleep on his sofa.