Chapter 40: I’m Sefira’s Solver (4)

Just before Luke was deployed on his first mission as a member of the Sacred Order of Sefira, his senior knight showed him one family crest and said, “If you see this emblem, stay clear, no matter what.”

It was the image of a proud leopard standing tall under the moonlight. At the time, Luke didn’t understand why he had to avoid anyone bearing this symbol. But it wasn’t until a mission in a distant city, where he encountered a knight with that very crest, that he learned the reason the hard way.

“Why do you keep following me and causing trouble?”

The knights of that house went out of their way to track him down, interfering with his mission and provoking him at every turn.

“Because you’re a damned Sefira.”

“What kind of nonsense is that? I’ll formally lodge a complaint!”

“Heh. Go ahead, try it.”

In the end, Luke returned to Sefira, having failed the mission, and immediately reported everything to the captain. However, the captain merely sighed.

“Didn’t your mentor warn you? When you see a knight from that family, you steer clear.”

“Why do we have to avoid them and take this? We’re knights of a master family!”

The captain just smiled bitterly at Luke’s feisty counter.

“That’s the reality of our family, Sir Luke. I’m telling you this for the last time, so remember it.”

The captain put his hand on Luke’s shoulder and said something he would never forget.

“Avoid the Bydent family at all costs.”

Hearing that, Luke pledged to himself he would never do that. He promised himself that he would fight back if the Bydent family caused trouble. However, Luke never met the Bydent family’s knights after that.

But now, they were standing right in front of him.

Bydent’s knights.

He couldn’t tell if they hid their crest or purposely wore something without it, but Luke was certain that they were Bydent’s knights. It wasn’t just because they had spears for weapons; out of the seven men there, he recognized one of them. A man with no hair or eyebrows—he was one of the knights who caused him trouble on his first mission.

“You...!”

Luke gripped the end of his arrow, like a wolf growling after its territory was invaded. But he couldn’t take one out.

Rattle.

Luke clenched his jaw as his arm trembled.

... Damn curse!

His curse was telling him that He and Keter shouldn’t fight because they wouldn’t stand a chance against the knights.

Okay, I know. Then, I can still defend, right?

Even though it was a curse, it didn’t act completely without reason. It never interfered with defensive attacks, but this time, for some reason...

Rattle!

It even refused to allow defense.

Of course, this wasn’t the first time it had happened, so Luke let go of the arrow without hesitation. He knew too well that no matter what he tried, he couldn't overcome the curse. There was no will left in him to resist it. Instead of the arrow, Luke gripped the signal flare he had brought just in case.

“Heh heh.”

The sound of mocking laughter came from among the knights of Bydent. It was from the knight with no eyebrows.

The anger inside Luke churned, but he suppressed it, and firmly said, “Why are the knights of Bydent in the territory of Sefira? You know full well you do not have official permission.”

Luke cast a quick glance toward Keter, signaling him to go and call for reinforcements. However, Keter neither budged nor acknowledged the signal. Luke wasn’t sure whether Keter didn’t understand it or was simply refusing.

Damn it, Keter’s never worked with anyone before. He probably doesn’t even recognize a simple signal like this.

Feeling that he couldn’t rely on Keter—no, that he had to protect him—Luke stepped forward and demanded with authority, “Who’s in charge? Step forward!”

At Luke’s harsh command, the knights of Bydent all turned their gazes toward one man. Honestly, Luke already had a strong suspicion about who was in charge. It was the man with long silver hair; his presence was undeniably strong.

He’s at least a two-star knight, maybe even three

.

Luke stood nervously, prepared to launch the signal flare into the sky at any moment.

The silver-haired knight, gripping a long spear behind his back, stepped forward and introduced himself.

“I am Arbold of Bydent. Now, may I ask for your name?”

“Luke of the Sacred Order of Sefira. Let’s not waste time—show me your authorization papers. If you’ve passed through the checkpoint legally, you should have them.”

“Unfortunately, I don’t,” Arbold replied with a faint smile.

“...Keter. Fire the signal.”

Luke handed the signal flare to Keter like there was no need for further conversation. But just then, something strange happened.

Arbold’s long hair suddenly fluttered in the air, even though there was no wind.

An ambush!

Luke immediately sensed Arbold’s attack—a sudden strike aimed at Keter, who was holding the flare. Without hesitation, Luke swung his bow to intercept the spear aimed at Keter.

But despite his swift reaction, he couldn’t stop Arbold’s spear in time. His spear was much faster than Luke’s reaction.

Too late...?!

But there was something even faster—Keter’s foot.

Thud!

Keter landed a swift kick to Luke’s rear.

“Ugh!”

Luke, who never expected an attack from behind—let alone from an ally—was knocked forward and stumbled straight towards Arbold. Arbold, startled, quickly withdrew his spear and stepped back to avoid Luke.

Then, Arbold glared at Keter.

His kick was faster than my spear.

It seemed impossible. Arbold wasn’t even targeting Keter. His only intention was to snatch the signal flare, not to harm anyone, and as such, he had no intent to kill.

How did he sense it?

The mysterious man—who didn’t appear to be remarkable at all, even looking somewhat dumb—had somehow reacted in time.

Arbold, still wary, looked at Luke, who had barely managed to regain his footing after his fall.

“Who is that man?” Arbold asked, his eyes still on Keter.

Luke couldn’t believe what he was hearing.

“You attack us and then ask questions? As expected, none of the people from the Bydent have any manners.”

“I did not intend to attack you. I was merely aiming for the signal flare. I would appreciate it if you’d hear us out and listen to why we’re here.”

“If you want to talk, then talk. But I have no intention of letting you speak from a position of advantage. Keter! The signal flare... where is it?”

Luke turned around, only to realize the signal flare was nowhere to be seen.

𝕗𝕣𝐞𝐞𝘄𝐞𝚋𝚗𝗼𝘃𝗲𝗹.𝚌𝕠𝚖

Screech, thud.

Keter silently closed the door to the hall.

Everyone was on edge. The knights of Bydent tightened their grips on their spears, and the village chief, who had been quietly observing, hurriedly retreated to the second floor to hide. All eyes were fixed on Keter’s next move.

Thud.

But Keter’s actions were simple. He merely sat down in a chair.

Tapping the table with his fingers, Keter calmly asked, “So, who’s going to tell us their story?”

* * *

Every noble house had its history, and when discussing that history, there was one subject that was always mentioned: the origin of the family’s unique combat techniques. For instance, Sefira’s archery technique, Zodiac Archery, was said to be modeled after the constellations in the sky.

Just as Sefira had a historical basis for its skills, so did all other noble families: the Falling Flower Sword was conceived by observing petals fall, while the Wave Sword drew inspiration from the crashing tides. But there is an exception—Bydent. Unlike other noble families, Bydent’s spear technique seemed to lack any significant historical origin. To be more precise, it had an origin, but the foundation and history behind it were unpolished.

The Zodiac Archery technique of Sefira had a history of three hundred years. The Falling Flower Sword had four hundred, and the Wave Sword had been around for over five hundred years. In contrast, Bydent’s spear technique had only existed for thirty years.

Normally, such a short history would show a lack of refinement, yet the opposite was true—the technique was remarkable. Even if the genius of the century had created it, achieving that level of perfection in such a short time was thought to be nearly impossible.

Rumor was that Bydent discovered an ancient text detailing a mythical spear technique, and many believe this was the true source of their skill. Bydent officially acknowledged this, stating that they had found and interpreted an ancient spear manual.

The moment Bydent openly admitted that their spear technique had no true foundational origin, the noble society quickly lost interest. People were curious about where and how Bydent found the manual, not about the spear technique itself. This was in part because Bydent used a spear technique; if they had claimed to have discovered a sword technique instead, the matter probably wouldn’t have been so easily dismissed.

“There has been an order from the high elder.”

Arbold, a knight of Bydent, was more nervous than ever before.

The true head of Bydent was not the patriarch; that position belonged to the high elder, the one who had passed down the most powerful spear technique in the family’s history. He was the true authority behind the scenes.

The Order of the Silver Leopard, the order that Arbold belonged to, was a knight order established solely for the protection of this high elder, and it was one of the earliest units created in the family.

“We believe we have found the location of the flying wolf, one of the Seven Cursed Species. Your mission is to find them there and bring them back safely. There cannot be any witnesses,” calmly said the captain.

Despite his calm tone, the gravity of the mission was unmistakable.

Arbold's voice shook as he replied, “The Flying Wolf Tribe is a species wanted by the emperor of the empire. If the empire discovers us, Queen Lillian will not be able to protect us...!”

“You are quite slow, Arbold,” the captain replied, his tone patient.

“What do you mean?” Arbold asked, confused.

“We crossed the line the moment we accepted the proposal of the Seven Cursed Species. From that moment, our fate was sealed—we now stand against the emperor.”

“You... you can’t mean...”

“Yes, it’s true. Our high elder is one of the Moon Rabbit Tribe, the Seven Cursed Species.”

The Bydent family’s high elder was from the Moon Rabbit Tribe—one of the Seven Cursed Species—that had once attempted to assassinate the emperor of the Empire. It was through his power that the Bydent family had suddenly risen to prominence and mastered their spear technique. All of Bydent’s recent success was because of the moon rabbit’s strength.

The Bydent family had been sheltering the Moon Rabbit Tribe in exchange for the legendary spear technique scroll that had been passed down to them. The Moon Rabbit Tribe received the protection they needed and had certain requests fulfilled by the Bydent family.

“No matter how many secrets we have, the moment we’re discovered, it’s all over. Am I wrong?” said the captain.

Arbold couldn’t deny it.

“I agree, sir. So, where is this place? If the Flying Wolves are hiding there, it must be incredibly dangerous.”

“Um... It’ll be easier if you see it for yourself.”

The captain handed Arbold a map. His eyes widened as he looked at it.

“This is... in Sefira’s territory...”

His reaction was complicated: part relief, part discomfort. The captain shared a similar sentiment.

“Besides the mountains and forests, there’s a village you’ll find there. It’s called Hacose. The search area also includes a fortress, but it’s unlikely they’re hiding there.”

“So, they’re either hiding in the village or somewhere in the mountains,” Arbold concluded.

“If they’re in the mountains, it’ll be hard to find them, but it's only a matter of time. However, if they’ve blended into the village, pretending to live as humans...”

“Things could get complicated.”

They would have to infiltrate Sefira's territory to find the Flying Wolves. This alone was a tricky endeavor, as the two families, Bydent and Sefira, were sworn enemies. There was no way Sefira would grant the Bydent knights entry. However, it would be difficult to sneak in and conduct a search without raising suspicion. If the Flying Wolves were to be discovered by the villagers...

“If worse comes to worst, we may have to eliminate the entire village,” said the captain grimly.

“I’d prefer to avoid that. As much as I dislike Sefira, the villagers are just civilians.”

“I’m hoping, too, that the flying wolves are hiding in the mountains.”

Then, the Order of the Silver Leopards secretly snuck into Sefira’s land. Though entering wasn’t difficult, the worst-case scenario unfolded. Despite combing every area designated by the high elder except for the village, they could not locate the flying wolves.

The Moon Rabbit Tribe was known for their unparalleled ability to detect and foresee. If they hadn’t found the flying wolves outside the village, that meant one thing: they were hiding within the village.

Exhausted from a month of combing the forests, looking disheveled and worn, Arbold approached the captain.

“Should we claim we’re here as tourists and ask Sefira for a pass to search the village? If we get caught wandering around without permission... things will really get complicated.”

“Dismissed. Do you not remember what we did to the Sefira family?”

“If that's the case, why not just force our way through?”

“Don’t underestimate Sefira. They might be weak in open battles, but they are unmatched in defense. In fact, they are the strongest when it comes to defense."

“So what are we supposed to do? Just retreat?”

“That's not an option either. You all will go to the village first and assess the situation. If it looks feasible, bribe the village chief and start the search.”

“What about you, sir?”

“I’ll be scouting the area further, just in case. I trust you, as the deputy, to lead the team well.”

“You always dump the work on me and then pretend to trust me.”

Arbold snapped out of his thoughts and looked at Keter, standing before him. He couldn't read Keter’s expression at all. Beside him, Luke also kept a stoic face, but his anxiety, tension, and hostility were clear. That was the natural response; it was normal.

This guy, on the other hand, doesn't seem normal.

Even though the man in front had initiated the conversation, Arbold felt uneasy for some reason.

“I haven’t heard your name yet,” Arbold asked Keter before continuing the discussion.

Since he had learned about all the key figures of the Sefira family, he wondered if Keter might be one of them.

“Keter.”

“Keter...?”

Arnold looked through his memory, but he had never heard that name before.

Pointing to himself, Keter added, “I’m Sefira’s Solver.”