Chapter 91: Everyone Makes Mistakes (3)

Without a second of hesitation, Keter pulled out the Demon Arrow

.

Gant, shocked, raised both hands in surrender.

“Stop, Keter! If you use the Demon Arrow here, innocent people will get caught in the crossfire!”

“They won’t, as long as you don’t get in the way.”

Keter wasn’t one to fake anything; he was the type to follow through without hesitation.

The crowd, recognizing the danger, began to back away cautiously, though no one was bold enough to leave outright. Slowly, they retreated step by step.

Gant knew well the terror of the Demon Arrow. Even a fragment as tiny as a grain of sand could cause death by decay. While he could block the attack, he couldn’t say the same for the servants and soldiers nearby. Yet he also couldn’t let himself fall victim to the Demon Arrow—this was a classic no-win scenario.

𝙛𝓻𝒆𝓮𝒘𝙚𝙗𝒏𝙤𝙫𝓮𝒍.𝓬𝒐𝙢

Thud thud.

At that moment, the tense standoff was interrupted by the echoing sound of footsteps in the corridor. Everyone turned their eyes toward the source.

"That sound... Could it be?"

Even with Keter aiming the Demon Arrow at him, Gant turned around.

"Lord Reganon!"

Using a staff for support, Reganon had made his way to the forge. He looked utterly exhausted. The crowd was surprised at his appearance.

“Lord Reganon? Is that truly him?”

“Yes, it’s him. I’ve seen him before.”

The soldiers were the first to kneel before Reganon, followed by the servants. Everyone bowed in respect.

The accusations of betrayal Keter had hurled at Reganon seemed forgotten. Not just the Order of the Galaxy, but even Luke, standing by Keter’s side, dropped to one knee, bowing his head.

“It’s been a long time since I’ve walked this far on my own,” Reganon said, his voice strained.

Gant’s eyes reddened with emotion. Everyone knew Reganon barely ate enough to sustain himself, and his gaunt figure reflected his frailty. Every step must have felt like climbing a sheer cliff, yet Reganon had come all this way without anyone’s help. The staff in his hand was slick with blood from his blistered grip. Gant hurried to support him.

“Why did you come all this way alone? Did the others abandon their duty to assist you?”

“Sir Gant,” Reganon replied, his tone steady, “these knights are not meant to serve me personally. They are the guardians of the archives of Sefira, safeguarding our history. How could I use them as if they were my personal servants?”

Reganon’s words left everyone moved, their eyes welling with tears—everyone except Keter.

“And when does the melodrama end? Spare us the forced tears,” Keter said.

The atmosphere immediately shifted. Gasps of shock rippled through the crowd.

Even Luke stared at Keter with trembling eyes and whispered, “Keter, isn’t that going too far?”

“Stay out of this,” Keter shot back, pushing Luke aside.

He walked toward Reganon without hesitation. The five knights of the Order of the Galaxy stepped in to block his path, encircling him.

“Let him through,” Reganon ordered.

The knights parted, and Keter came face-to-face with Reganon.

“You’ve arrived at the perfect time. You have good timing,” Keter said.

“It was my mistake. I underestimated you.”

Reganon purposely looked around the room for Keter to see.

“I should have come to you sooner. I was wrong. Forgive me for only coming now.”

“...!”

Reganon went so far as to bow his head slightly. Gant clenched his teeth so hard they nearly shattered.

The onlookers regretted staying. They had seen and heard things they should not have. Yet it was far too late to leave unnoticed.

As for Keter, he found himself impressed by Reganon’s response.

For an elder of a noble family to bow to me... impressive. Truly impressive.

Even though Keter didn’t like Reganon, he still acknowledged how impressive this was. Gant was an idiot, but Reganon was extremely clever; he had let go of his pride to turn the tables. In such a scenario, even if Keter had the moral high ground, taking aggressive action would backfire. By lowering himself, Reganon had positioned himself as the victim. This was an easy approach for nobles, who considered their life their pride.

Of course, Keter enjoyed pushing his opponent to their demise when they least expected it, so he pushed back more aggressively.

Reganon isn’t irredeemable. I don’t have to kill him just yet. I should still give him a chance to redeem himself.

No matter if they betrayed him or stabbed him in the back, Keter was willing to let them live if they would be of help to Sefira. To Keter, a person's character was irrelevant. Whether it was Panir, who was violent, or Suvide, the butler who once tried to sow discord within the ranks, both had returned to Sefira. No one was given special treatment because they were direct descendants of the family.

Keter’s philosophy was simple: anyone who demonstrated competence and contributed to the organization deserved recognition. Even if they failed, they just had to make it up. That was how he believed an organization grew.

If Reganon could do the same, Keter would reluctantly accept him back. He seemed like a garbage traitor who teamed up with Bydent, but if he acknowledged his wrongdoings like Panir or Suvide, he would gladly welcome... Well, welcome him back.

“How about we set aside our misunderstandings and have an honest conversation, Lord Reganon?”

* * *

In the office of Sefira's archives, the entire Fourth Division of the Order of the Galaxy was gathered. At the central table sat Reganon and Keter, facing each other.

“No tea for your guest?”

Keter tapped the empty table with his finger. At the sound, Gant growled from behind him.

“Watch your mouth, Keter. There’s no one here but us.”

“Lord Reganon, you didn’t drag me here just to listen to this nonsense, did you?”

“Sir Gant, please bring us some tea. And fetch some for me as well.”

“...Understood, my lord.”

As Gant stepped back, Reganon pinched the bridge of his nose. Even now, it was hard to believe how everything had collapsed in just one day.

“A single mission—just one F-tier mission—was enough to put me in this situation. Truly absurd.”

Reganon had two trump cards: first, the Flying Wolf Tribe, one of the Seven Cursed Species, and second, a secret pact with Bydent. Both were secrets that weren’t suspected at all and nearly impossible to uncover as well. Yet Keter had unraveled it all in less than half a day.

“How on earth did you do it? How did you deceive the Flying Wolf Tribe and subdue the knights of Bydent?”

“With instinct and effort! That’s the secret.”

“Heh, well, knowing the details now won’t change anything. But why implicate me with the Bydent family? Without any evidence?”

“The orange scent. You had a faint smell of dried oranges. It didn’t suit you, so I took note of it. And wouldn’t you know, the same scent came from the fragrance oil Jordic had. When I asked, he bragged that it was exclusive to Bydent’s direct bloodline. That’s when I realized that Reganon was in bed with Bydent.”

“Ha... Ha! Unbelievable. A newcomer to the family like you refuses to respect an elder, and worse, brands me a traitor based on nothing but a smell?”

“I don’t waste mercy on traitors.”

Keter leaned forward slightly. If Reganon chose to deny his betrayal and remain defiant, Keter was ready to kill him. If Reganon died, the Order of the Galaxy would undoubtedly erupt in outrage. However, when a single rotten fruit threatened to spoil the rest, sometimes the entire basket had to be thrown out.

From the moment he was summoned to the archives, Keter had prepared himself to face the Order of the Galaxy loyal to Reganon.

All of them were three-star knights, comparable to, or even stronger than, Cork, the former branch manager of Liqueur. Unlike Cork, though, they weren’t alone. Including Gant, there were ten of them, and their teamwork was exceptional. Even Keter was uncertain whether he could take on ten three-star knights at once. He didn’t know what would happen if he fought them directly, but that was only if he fought them by the book.

His plan was to kill Reganon by surprise to enrage the knights, then shatter the sun stone embedded in the ceiling of the office. Blinded by the sudden loss of light, the knights, already in a state of fury, would be unable to think clearly. On the other hand, Keter’s vision was unaffected by darkness. By disorienting the knights and robbing them of their sight, Keter could manage without even using the Demon Arrow. This was Keter’s straightforward and reliable plan.

Reganon swallowed nervously. His throat bobbed, and he took a deep breath before opening his mouth.

The moment Reganon spoke, Keter’s hand began to rise.

“You’re right. I was colluding with Bydent.”

Swoosh.

Keter’s hand, which had been poised to strike, instead swept up to push back his bangs. Not knowing that Keter’s fluid motion was initially a lethal strike to kill him, Reganon continued his confession with a calm demeanor.

“I proposed to them that I would make Sefira lose its status as a master family and pledged to recommend the Bydent family in its place. In exchange, I demanded the preservation of Sefira itself.”

Reganon readily admitted his crimes, meaning he had acknowledged Keter’s victory over him. Keter’s brow furrowed in irritation over his submissive admission to surrender.

Crocodile tears, huh? What a cunning old fox. Tch, I thought this might get interesting.

Keter was excited at the prospect of battling the ten knights of the Order of the Galaxy—Sefira’s strongest force—not in a spar but in a life-or-death confrontation. It would’ve been a thrilling fight and an invaluable opportunity to identify their weaknesses. It could have been a productive and entertaining endeavor.

But Reganon knew that brute force wasn’t the only way to win a battle.

Now extremely bored by the situation, Keter didn’t care what Reganon had to say. Whatever he was droning on about felt like a tedious justification.

It seemed like Reganon was saying something about how he acted for Sefira, convinced he was making the best decision, which was true even now. However, everything had changed with Keter’s arrival. He mentioned that he thought Keter was a sly conman... or whatever.

Keter didn’t hear a word after that, as all his attention was focused on stifling a yawn. Reganon seemed ready to talk until dawn if no one stopped him.

“Enough. My ears are bleeding.”

“Does that mean you believe me? That, despite my secret pact with Bydent, I’ve done nothing to harm Sefira?”

“It doesn’t matter whether you caused harm or not. The fact remains: you colluded with Bydent. That much is undeniable.”

“You insolent wretch, Keter! You weren’t listening to Lord Reganon at all, were you? He was tricked. When he sent knights to Hacose Village to retrieve the Flying Wolf Tribe, they were captured instead! Bydent blamed it all on us and demanded we take responsibility. That’s when Lord Reganon cut ties with Bydent. Do you even realize how monumental that decision was?”

Since Reganon wasn’t shouting, Gant decided to do it for him.

“Are you trying to convince me of something? Do I look like the patriarch of Sefira to you? Save those arguments for them. Why are you shouting at me? What I want to hear is simple: what now? If you were going to kill me, you should have just done it already, and we could have settled this with a proper fight. Or we could do it right now!”

Keter stood up confidently, and Gant didn’t back down.

“Fine by me! If I kill you, everything goes back to normal!”

“Now we’re talking!”

Gant was the first to draw his weapon, and the other knights followed suit, readying their arrows.

“Enough!”

For the first time, Reganon’s voice boomed across the office, silencing the room.

“

Cough, cough, cough!

”

A shout left Reganon coughing violently, and the knights immediately swarmed him.

“My lord, are you all right?”

“You should head to the infirmary!”

Watching the knights lose their will to fight once more, Keter muttered under his breath, “Some bullshit.”

“

Hah

... Keter, and Sir Gant. I don’t want you two fighting. You are the future of Sefira.”

“Wow, sure.”

“Everyone here, including Sir Gant and the Order of the Galaxy, was misled by my foolishness. I led them astray. This is entirely my fault, and I will take responsibility. Can’t you forgive them for that?”

“My lord, please don’t say such things. We’ve sworn our loyalty to you. A knight who fails to protect his lord has no right to live!”

“What a dysfunctional household,” Keter remarked dryly.

The Fourth Division of the Order of the Galaxy reaffirmed their loyalty to Reganon. It was, in essence, rebellion against the patriarch.

“Sir Gant, don’t talk about dying meaninglessly in my name. That’s an order. You are a proud Galaxy Knight of Sefira.”

“Okay, enough already!”

Clap, clap!

Unable to hold back any longer, Keter clapped his hands loudly and stepped between Gant and Reganon.

“Lord Reganon, are you planning to run away?”

“No. I intend to take my own life...”

“That is the same thing as running away. You’re just dumping all the cleanup on someone else after causing this mess.”

“...!”

This wasn’t complicated. Reganon had admitted his crimes. The next step was simple: reflect on them and atone.

Reganon lowered his head.

“If Sefira truly matters to you, then act for its sake. If you think dying for it is the answer, I won’t stop you.”

Hearing Keter, a smile appeared on Reganon’s face.