Chapter 7

Episode 7. The Lower Body is Really Weak (2)

Anis’s personal guard couldn’t believe it.

‘Lord Anis… lost?’

Although Keter had opened the way with an absurdly easy victory, it wasn’t just because Keter was feared.

The third young master is strong.

Even though Keter was bizarrely strong, the guard was confident that he couldn’t possibly defeat our Lord Anis.

There was also the expectation that the young master would teach Keter a lesson.

But what was the result?

Keter and Anis clashed for a moment, and in the blink of an eye, the match was over. Anis’s defeat.

The movements of the two were too fast to see clearly, but the senior guard could tell that Keter had overwhelmed Anis using only techniques.

The subordinate, Alex, had been sent to the main building to report the situation. So it was even more disappointing. He was the only one who witnessed the brief battle between the two.

Even if he told the other soldiers, they wouldn’t believe it. That Keter had subdued Anis in an instant.

‘How on earth did Lord Anis…?’

Anis often spars with soldiers as part of his training. And he has never lost a single time.

He basically fights three people at once, and on good days, he has even fought and won against nine people.

A master of combat, excelling not only in archery but also in martial arts. If you ask who the young soldiers admire most in the Sephira lineage, it’s undoubtedly Anis.

It was hard to accept the defeat of Anis, whom everyone admired.

‘This was an ambush. Lord Anis has been undergoing intense training for several days in a row and was even injured. Lord Keter cowardly attacked first.’

The senior guard, who was watching from behind Keter, didn’t know that Anis had attacked first.

‘It’s true that Lord Keter is strong… but we can’t leave Lord Anis like this. What should we do?’

As the senior guard pondered what to do, Anis tried to get up, and Keter spoke.

“Why is a corpse getting up?”

If this were a real fight, you’d already be dead. Understanding Keter’s words, Anis retorted.

“This wasn’t a fair fight.”

“Oh, in what way?”

“I haven’t slept for three days, training non-stop. Besides, for an archer, distance is life. If you were an enemy, I wouldn’t have given you this much distance in the first place.”

“Ah, so you’re saying this. An enemy trying to kill you would announce their presence and fight when you’re in top condition and mentally prepared. That’s what you consider a ‘fight,’ huh?”

“Don’t mock me. You’ve lived as a commoner all your life, so you wouldn’t understand, but dignity is as important as life to a noble.”

“Whatever the reason, you lost. You’re alive now, so you can make excuses, but once you’re dead, you can’t. You’ll just be a stupid, dead fool.”

“What do you know to lecture me?”

“What are you, acting like you know everything? You’re just a brat who knows nothing.”

“You…!”

Enraged, Anis tried to get up again, but Keter pushed him down with his bow.

“A winner can’t take everything from the loser, but they can certainly take one life.”

“So, are you going to kill me?”

From the first meeting, it was a tense situation where killing was a real possibility. The senior guard watching was so nervous he forgot to breathe.

If Keter said he would kill Anis, he was ready to rush out immediately.

But Keter spoke nonchalantly.

“Why would I kill a valuable client?”

Keter took out a business card from his chest pocket and handed it to Anis with two fingers.

A stiff, magically coated business card.

Seeing this, Anis blinked.

“What is this…?”

A business card in this situation?

But according to noble etiquette, you can’t refuse a business card handed to you.

– Solver, Keter.

I solve problems at reasonable prices.

Anis felt an odd sensation from the back of the card and flipped it over.

On the back was inscribed the rune for ‘Akashic Code,’ a long-distance communication magic used by mages.

“You’re from the Lawless City, but you’re a mage?”

Using the Akashic Code requires mana and magical knowledge.

Keter shrugged.

“Not a mage, a solver. It seems you’re finally ready to talk. I can’t let a client sit on the cold ground.”

Keter reached out his hand to Anis.

But Anis didn’t take Keter’s hand and stood up on his own, saying.

“A solver? Don’t make me laugh. I know my problems and how to solve them. I don’t need anyone’s help. Stop nagging and let’s fight again. This time, I’ll fight seriously.”

“If you want to fight me, the waiting list is quite long. Do you have the money for a ticket? I might give you a family discount.”

“Typical of someone from the Lawless City, always talking about money first.”

“So, how much do you have? More than me?”

Anis was at a loss for words. He had never really thought about his wealth before.

‘How much money do I have?’

Soon, Anis shook his head as if shaking off distracting thoughts. Talking to Keter always made him feel scattered.

“Enough! I don’t care if you’re from Absinthe or a solver. Just leave now. I don’t have time to waste like this.”

Anis exploded in anger.

Then Keter held up two fingers.

“I don’t take requests verbally. 200 gold to leave.”

“Ridiculous. I don’t have that kind of money.”

“Don’t worry. I accept IOUs.”

When Keter took out a pen and paper from his pocket, Anis was horrified.

“You carry that around? You’re insane.”

Keter grinned.

“Seems like you’re starting to understand me a bit.”

Keter handed back the bow and arrows he had taken from Anis. Even as he took the bow, Anis had a suspicious look on his face.

“You’re not asking for money, are you?”

“Let’s call it a day for now. Eat well, rest well, and come find me when you’re in better condition.”

Not ‘come find me if you want,’ but ‘come find me’ as an order. Anis’s expression twisted again.

“Why should I?”

Regardless, Keter had already turned his back and was walking towards the entrance. He replied as if it were obvious.

“Because you lost.”

Anis interpreted this as Keter accepting a rematch.

“Fine! I’ll come find you. I’ll make it clear that your victory was just luck.”

If there’s no client, create one. That’s Keter’s way.

It was the moment of creating the first client in the Sephira household.

* * *

The first fight after returning.

It wasn’t satisfying. No adult would be happy about beating a baby.

I could clearly feel what the problem was. My body couldn’t keep up with the techniques my mind knew.

It was natural. The techniques my mind knew were from my past life, but my body was from the present.

How much aura and mana did I have at this time? I focused my mind to check the amount of aura and mana accumulated in my body.

7 years’ worth of aura, 2 years’ worth of mana.

At 18, this level is respectable. By ordinary standards, that is.

By my standards, it’s just a speck.

The power I used against the Lord, ‘Ain,’ is a fusion of aura and mana, and to fuse them, you basically need 100 years’ worth of both.

In my past life, it took about 30 years? And even that was by sacrificing my lifespan to speed up the process, and it wasn’t a complete Ain.

With an incomplete Ain, I couldn’t even defeat a Lord, let alone the Queen. So I need to obtain a complete Ain and gain power beyond that.

The next realm after Ain, Ain Soph.

This is the power used by those worshipped as gods. To oppose the Queen, I need that power too.

But I only know that Ain Soph exists, not how to obtain it.

First, I need to recover the realm I achieved in my past life. The realm of ‘7-Star Prime,’ the final realm allowed to humans, surpassing ‘6-Star Grandmaster.’

In my past life, it took 30 long years—

‘This time, let’s shorten it to 5 years.’

In 5 years, I will obtain the highest and supreme realm a human can reach, the power of the Prime. And I will obtain not the incomplete Ain from my past life, but the complete Ain.

People who know about the power of Ain would laugh, but if I can’t even do this after returning, I might as well drown myself in a dish of water.

But now is the time to praise my achievements and enjoy the rewards. I’ve confirmed that there’s no difference between my past and present life, and I’ve achieved the feat of making Anis my first client.

‘This is killing three birds with one stone.’

Feeling the pleasant gains, I realized I had forgotten my hunger.

‘Saving the family, killing the Queen, it’s all about living well and eating well, right?’

As I headed to the dining room, whose location I already knew, I ran into Jacques, who was looking for me. He ran up, puffing, and said.

“Young master! Why did you go to the main building alone? If you get lost, you could die from a heart attack due to acute panic disorder!”

Jacques’s exaggerated fuss, throwing logic to the wind, is the same as before I returned.

“Wait, young master. That blood on your shoulder…? No, surely not?”

“It’s not my blood.”

It seems Anis’s blood got on my clothes while we were arguing.

“Huh? What did you say? That’s even more of a problem! Who, who did you kill? Huh!?”

“I don’t kill just anyone.”

“Ah, you don’t kill just anyone? What kind of nonsense is that? Please, please, just stay still for the first day, can’t you? You don’t even know much about the Sephira family yet.”

“Hmm.”

Half of that is true.

I know almost everything about the Sephira family on the surface. I didn’t just play around for a year.

But I don’t know the details. In my past life, I wasn’t interested in the family’s internal affairs.

I definitely need to get information from someone who knows the family’s internal situation well.

No need to look far, he’s right in front of me.

Old man Jacques was born into the Sephira family, received butler training, and has sworn loyalty to this day. In other words, he’s a living witness to history.

I put my arm around old man Jacques and said.

“Old man. Let’s go eat.”

“Suddenly?”

“Well, it’s sudden. Do we need to plan to eat?”

“Ah, yes, well. It is lunchtime after all. I’ll guide you to the dining room… but before that, please change your clothes. There’s blood on them, and the servants are scared.”

Looking around, I could see the servants who met my eyes scattering like rabbits before hunting dogs.

“Hmm. Since it’s you saying it, I’ll listen for free.”

In the wardrobe, I ignored the sophisticated clothes Jacques suggested and picked out what I liked.

A dark blue mixed with black, like the darkness of the night sky. With splashes of crimson here and there, it was just to my taste.

I didn’t button it up. It’s stuffy. Jacques seemed to know I was making a big concession and didn’t complain.

In the dining room, a bald chef was waiting for me.

“Welcome, young master. I am Altein, assigned as your personal chef starting today.”

Altein. How could I not know that name? In my past life, he would make anything I wanted to eat, the kind octopus uncle.

“Nice to meet you, octopus uncle.”

“Octopus…? Ahem, yes, pleased to meet you. Shall I prepare your meal right away?”

“Four servings, 20% vegetables, 80% meat. I’m not picky, so use fresh seasonal ingredients and make something you’re confident in.”

“Quite specific. Understood.”

As Altein went into the kitchen, the sound of bustling preparation soon followed.

“Young master. Then I’ll wait outside, so please enjoy your meal.”

As Jacques tried to leave, I slipped my hand under his armpit and lifted him onto a chair.

“Why wait outside? We’re not strangers. Let’s eat together.”

“…That goes against noble etiquette.”

Although old man Jacques acts clueless in front of me, he’s a loyal servant who pledged his life to the Sephira family until its downfall, and a man of few words.

No matter how friendly I am while trying to extract information, he would never answer questions that cross the line.

But I know old man Jacques’s weakness.

I grabbed the cork of the wine bottle on the table and pulled it out, filling my glass to the brim.

“Etiquette be damned. Here, my word is law. Here, old man, have a glass too.”

I filled Jacques’s glass to the brim and raised my own.

“Cheers. Let’s toast to today’s meeting.”

“Ah… uh…”

Clink!

I clinked my glass against Jacques’s and downed the wine.

I can see it, I can see it.

The way Jacques gulps as he watches my throat move smoothly while I drink.

“Old man?”

I shook my empty glass, and Jacques’s Adam’s apple bobbed in response.

“Well, then, just a little.”

Reluctantly, Jacques took a sip of wine and set it down on the table.

This guy, why can’t he be honest?

I just need to give him a slight hint. Then, Jacques made a pained expression and emptied his glass. Anyone watching would think I was forcing him to drink.

Old man Jacques can’t resist alcohol. He just restrains himself to the extreme during work.

Even now, he’s looking at the empty wine glass with a longing expression.

Glug, glug, glug.

I’m not one to just watch. I filled his glass again, and Jacques’s expression changed moment by moment.

Joy, worry. And then joy again.

I was about to pour myself another glass when Jacques snatched the bottle from my hand and said.

“If you’ve received a glass, it’s etiquette to return it. Let me pour for you.”

Glug.

Elegantly and sneakily, Jacques filled my wine glass and then tried to put the bottle away.

I shook my wine glass again to express my dissatisfaction.

“Old man, are you not happy to see me? Giving me so little like this.”

“Ah, no. I just thought it wouldn’t be good for you to drink too much on the first day.”

“Are you saying I’m weak with alcohol now?”

“That’s not what I meant…”

“My pride is hurt. Should we make a bet? Who gets drunk first. The loser grants a wish.”

“How could I possibly bet with the young master?”

Jacques refused with a serious expression, but this was also within my expectations.

“Oh dear, I’m sorry. Old man Jacques is getting on in years, so he must be weak with alcohol. Suggesting an unfair bet like this. Tsk, forget it. Let’s pretend it never happened.”

As I said that and tried to put the wine bottle away, I could clearly see the corner of Jacques’s eye twitch. Jacques, a heavy drinker, hated being called weak with alcohol the most.

Thud.

Jacques grabbed the wine bottle and said with a serious face.

“Young master. What you just said. Do you mean it? The bet where the loser grants a wish.”

The big fish has taken the bait.

“I swear on my honor… no, what’s with that disappointed look? Fine. I swear on the blood of the Sephira family. If I lose, I’ll grant any wish.”

“…I will swear too.”

Unlike my casual oath, Jacques went through a solemn oath ritual. He closed his eyes reverently and spoke as if in prayer.

“I swear on my soul to Queen Lilian. If I lose this bet, I will grant one wish to Lord Keter, within the bounds of not harming the Sephira family.”

“……”

“Young master?”

“Huh? Ah, I heard you.”

Lilian. Hearing that name instantly put me in a bad mood.

Yeah, to Jacques, Lilian is like a god. Not just Jacques. Everyone worships Queen Lilian as a ‘god.’

Even the name of this country is ‘Lilian Kingdom.’

For nearly 800 years since the founding, no, for thousands of years before that, Lilian has maintained her youth, proving she is a god.

Of course, I know that woman is no god. The kings of other kingdoms besides the Lilian Kingdom all claim to be gods—but they’re all killable.

Anyway, right now, the Sephira family is important, not kings or gods.

“The food is ready!”

From the kitchen, Altein came out carrying a large bowl, marking the start of the meal. And simultaneously, the drinking bet with Jacques.

“Cheers.”

Jacques confidently started drinking first, but to me, it just looked cute.

Does the old man know? In Liquor, when there’s a drinking contest, they always call me to be the judge or mediator.

Why?

Because I am the god.

The god of alcohol.

From the age of seven when I started drinking until now, I have never lost a drinking contest.