Chapter 41: Just Take One Hit, You Little Punk (1)

The intent of the man sitting silently in front of Keter was blatantly obvious. The man wasn't interested in how strong he was, but rather

who

he was.

As if staring at me like that would suddenly give you new information.

Arbold fixed his gaze on Keter and glared, trying to intimidate him.

What a pathetic move.

Keter kicked the table leg toward him.

Thud!

Arbold took the corner of the table right in the gut and slumped forward, his head hanging low. One of his underlings, who had been standing nearby, pointed his spear at Keter.

I've become quite mature. Even with a weapon pointed at me, I’m sitting here generously not making a fuss.

“Keter?!”

Luke looked at Keter, as if he was asking why he did that.

Whose side is this kid on? Even if I threw the first punch, he should be backing me up. I thought he just looked young, but I guess he’s actually a kid. Well, that's typical of nobles, isn't it? I had some hope since he’s Gramps Jacques’ son, but... Tsk tsk. Should’ve known better than to expect anything; it only leads to bigger disappointments. He’s not good enough for my attention.

“Are you going to spill the story or die? Pick one,” Keter said.

Arbold pulled his chair back, taking a step away.

Interesting.

Keter heard everything. The Bydent family treated the Sefira like they were their sworn enemies. But instead of fighting him, Arbold chose to avoid confrontation, even though he clearly saw Keter as someone weaker than him, someone he didn’t even know.

At first, Keter thought these guys were backed by Reganon. Reganon's offer for Keter to get lost to the Samael Empire had probably turned into a forceful exile by now. This meant he probably needed someone strong enough to take him down, and the only capable ones in this village were these knights standing before him. Plus, it seemed like Bydent had enough of a reason to act. No one would suspect an elder of Sefira to be pulling the strings behind a bunch of Bydent knights.

But thinking that Reganon was exploiting this situation felt too risky to assume. The Reganon Keter knew wasn’t one to gamble like that.

No, these guys aren't connected to Reganon.

“You’re not a knight, at least. Yet seeing that Sir Luke, a knight, is sitting quietly while you’re running the show makes me think you’ve got the authority to hear me out,” Arbold said, pretending to be calm, as if he were trying to piece together his identity.

It seemed like Arbold really didn’t know. Bydent probably knew everything that was going on in Sefira, but for some reason, these knights didn’t know about Keter. Even if Arbold couldn’t recognize him by face, hearing his name should’ve given it away.

Is he just pretending not to know? No, that’s not it.

These guys genuinely seemed to not know anything about Keter—or the bastard child of Sefira.

Tap tap.

At that moment, Luke nudged Keter’s side and whispered into his ear, “Keter. What are you planning to do? This isn’t something we should handle. At the very least, it’s something to report to the captain or the elder.”

Such a typical reaction. Boring and dry. Situations like this should be handled on the spot.

“Why don’t I have the authority? My father is the patriarch.”

Both Luke and the knights were visibly shocked by Keter, but the most interesting reaction came from Arbold. He gave a faint smile, almost as if he expected it. Yet beneath that smile, Keter could see a subtle trembling.

“So, you are Lord Besil’s son. I didn’t realize.”

His tone had become a bit more respectful, though he still didn’t bother to stand or offer any formal gesture. That confirmed it—these knights really weren’t connected to Reganon, which meant they really just ran into us by coincidence.

No. It can’t be a coincidence.

If Keter hadn’t come here in this life, Katherine would have been here instead. And she would have encountered them. In his previous life, Katherine died, meaning that she met these guys, fought them, and lost.

But why did she fight them?

Katherine, Keter’s slave, wasn't a battle-hungry maniac, even though she enjoyed competition. If she fought them, it was probably to protect something related to Sefira.

Keter thought about why she would have fought, and why she didn’t run or ask for help.

Katherine must have felt she had to protect the village from these people.

And there’s only one reason she would have done that.

A massacre of the villagers.

These guys were probably planning a massacre in this village in the Sefira estate. Katherine wouldn’t have thrown herself into a fight recklessly unless it was something like that.

That raised another question in Keter’s mind.

Why would they do such a thing?

Even animals or insects didn’t act without some gain. If these people were willing to risk it, there had to be something in it for them.

This village must be hiding something. Something so important that the Bydent family would stake everything on it.

Keter had figured that much out. Now, it was time to hear what Arbold had to say.

“No more stalling. Let’s hear it.”

“Of course,” Arbold replied. “Our presence here is purely coincidental. As you can see from our attire, we’re dressed for light patrol. We came out hunting for training and vacation purposes, but in our excitement, we accidentally crossed into Sefira's territory.

“By the time we noticed, we were already near the village. Although it was an accident, there was no way to justify our intrusion. We were planning to spend just one night in the village and leave at sunrise to offer our apologies.”

Arbold's story, while predictable, was also fairly convincing.

“Let me get this straight,” Keter said. “You didn’t sneak in to harm the Sefira family?”

“Yes,” Arbold responded confidently.

He answered so clearly, but he didn’t even realize the nature of Keter’s question. That confirmed everything.

These guys aren’t here for the Sefira family. They are after something in the village.

Whatever it was—whether treasure or something else—it didn’t have a direct connection to the Sefira family. Or, at least, they thought it didn’t.

“So, you’re saying that you want us to look the other way since you’ll surrender in the morning?”

“There’s a big difference between surrendering willingly and being caught. We want to admit our wrongs on our own terms. For that, both I and my subordinates need time to prepare mentally. We know this won’t end with a light scolding.”

“Hm.”

Keter pretended to mull it over, wondering if he should drag on the conversation further. Arbold would probably slip up if he pushed harder, but there was a bigger issue: these guys were ready to fight. If things went south, it seemed like they were prepared to kill everyone here to keep their secret.

Of course, fighting these guys wouldn’t be much of a challenge. But, Keter also wanted the treasure they were after. If they were willing to risk a full-on war with Sefira for the treasure, it had to be at least on par with Demon Bow Amaranth.

I wonder if they’ll talk if they are tortured.

Arbold and the other knights didn’t seem like the type to spill easily under a little pressure. But Keter hadn’t found out anything to let them go, and he didn’t get any information about the treasure either.

After a brief moment of contemplation, Keter made a decision—a compromise between his greed and practicality. He was going to provoke them, just once, to see what would happen.

“Let’s split it clean, seventy-thirty.”

Keter stood up, casually dropping his right hand to his side. Arbold followed suit, rising as he echoed his words.

“What exactly do you mean by seventy-thirty? What are we negotiating over?”

“Why do you think I came to a tiny, insignificant village like this in the first place?”

“...!”

Arbold’s eyes widened, and Luke, standing beside Keter, shot a startled look his way.

Luke was practically shouting with his eyes that they were on a mission, but Keter signaled him to shut up and hit Arbold with the final blow.

“I know everything.”

* * *

Arbold had made a mistake.

He broke eye contact with Keter and glanced at his subordinates. This was as good as a confession; he might as well have said they were hiding something and that they were flustered. There wasn’t a single subordinate who could cover for him. Arbold, the calmest member of the Order of the Silver Leopard, was shaken, so how could his men be any different?

His subordinates were visibly shocked, their eyelids shaking with unease. Yet, their grips tightened firmly on their spears.

If it comes to it, we’ll kill them all.

That had been the plan from the start. But the decision wasn’t theirs to make—it was Arbold’s. He had to decide.

D-damn it... Did we underestimate Sefira too much?

From what Keter said, Arbold thought Sefira knew about the existence of the flying wolf and had even sent their own family to find them. His misunderstanding was reasonable, though, as Keter was talking about the heart of the matter.

But there was something odd.

If they know, why are they willing to share? And why did only two of them come?

As he continued to question himself, Arbold eventually formed a hypothesis and arrived at a conclusion. He took a deep breath, trying to steady his racing thoughts, and reassessed the situation.

Keter was calm, while Luke, the knight beside him, looked more flustered than even Arbold's group. Arbold began to piece things together. His intelligence began analyzing the situation to his advantage.

“I apologize for showing such a disgraceful attitude, Lord Keter.”

“So, you've given up on killing me to silence me?”

“I apologize, my lord, but It’s true that we had considered it. But, as you said, it seems unnecessary now.”

“You're pretty sharp. Looks like you’ve figured it out?”

“Yes, Lord Keter. You’re a bastard child, aren’t you, my lord?”

Arbold spoke with an air of triumph, as if he had uncovered some great secret. With Keter remaining silent, Arbold began to boast about his reasoning.

“I know quite a bit about the Sefira family. Lord Besil has five sons in total, but none of them are named Keter. Now, that’s not to say you're not of Lord Besil’s blood. However, you must not be a legitimate heir, or there would be no reason to hide your existence. In other words, you’re a bastard.”

Clap, clap!

Keter didn’t respond with words, but instead clapped. Arbold, feeling emboldened, didn’t even realize his voice had grown louder with excitement.

“Lord Keter, you must’ve entered the Sefira family fairly recently. Naturally, your position within the family would be weak. During that time, you happened to uncover a secret. Normally, you'd report it to Lord Besil, but you had a different thought, didn't you? You thought that it would be better to claim it all for yourself.”

Keter didn’t ask what the secret was, knowing that such a question was a foolish act for amateurs. Instead, he continued to elevate Arbold's confidence.

“Ah, the Bydent family. How can such talent just roam freely? What do you say about working under me? I can give you everything you desire.”

As Keter acted like some third-rate villain, Arbold’s perception of Keter shifted in his subconscious.

What a naïve noble lord.

Keter's arrogant and rough tone only reinforced this impression. Fully misjudging Keter, Arbold shook his head with a relaxed smile.

“I’ll decline your offer. However, I am willing to accept your previous proposal. But I have a condition.”

“I think I’ve already made a significant concession.”

“I’m not asking you to adjust the ratio. In fact, I can agree to an eighty-twenty split. However, we will handle their safety, and we’ll provide the payment directly.”

“Talking about ratios isn’t very clear. Let’s determine the specifics right here. How much can you give me?”

“Strictly speaking, you would only expect the reward for the tip, right? I believe you know that it’s impossible to get more than that, even unofficially. Based on the reward for the tip, eighty would be just eight thousand gold. However, if you promise to withdraw completely from this matter, we will give you five times that amount.”

“How much exactly?”

“You're quite meticulous, my lord. If you want me to say it, then I will tell you. It’s fifty thousand gold.”

It wasn’t Keter but Luke who gasped in astonishment.

“... Fifty... Fifty thousand gold?”

It was an enormous sum that could instantly make one rich. It was a fortune that could easily bring many nobles to their knees.

However, Keter replied in a disinterested tone, “How do you plan to give such a large amount? It’s pretty obvious that you intend to just make a promise and then keep your mouth shut.”

“The Bydent family isn’t as poor as Sefira.”

“And the Bydent family is not as honest as Sefira.”

“So, you are saying you need a guarantee or a written agreement.”

“Through a legitimate route unrelated to this matter.”

“Hmm.”

“Why are you hesitating? If you truly intended to pay, you wouldn’t need to think about it.”

“...”

Arbold bit his lower lip and averted his gaze. His expression seemed less like he was trying to deceive Keter and more like he was genuinely troubled. Keter understood this, so he allowed him some time to think.

“Lord Keter, to be honest, I’m not the decision-maker here.”

“I know. Bring him here.”

“Will you wait for me?”

“Ten minutes. I can’t wait any longer than that.”

“Yes, I’ll be right back. Oh, before that...”

Arbold lifted his head, his gaze directed at the village chief peeking through the gap in the second-floor railing.

“Gah!”

The village chief quickly ducked down, but it was too late to avoid being noticed.

Arbold pointed his spear at the railing and said, “That man has heard too much. I’m afraid it’s best to eliminate him.”

Arbold signaled his subordinates with a swift gesture. They were not knights bound by chivalry; they were merely tools for the moon rabbit, the high elder of Bydent. They felt no guilt about killing powerless commoners. The village chief, despite hiding his body, realized he was in mortal danger.

“Wait. I’ll do it.”

At that moment, Keter ascended the staircase to the second floor before Arbold's subordinates could.

“...?”

Puzzled, Arbold watched Luke as he tried to stop Keter in shock.

“Keter. You’re not... No! You can’t!”

Arbold stepped up and stopped Luke, who was about to run after Keter to stop him. Arbold had realized what Keter was trying to do.