Chapter 15

Episode 15. Single-Plank Bridge Duel (1)

Sagunchilmun (Four Lords and Seven Houses).

A term referring to the four lords representing the Lilian Kingdom and the seven prestigious families.

Originally, the term “prestigious family” exclusively referred to “swordsmanship families,” but the emergence of the archery-focused House of Sephira shattered that convention.

Conservative upper nobles, who value tradition above all else, have long been dissatisfied with the very existence of archery families.

“How can archery even compare to swordsmanship? Even if they’ve achieved merits in war, it’s the knights wielding swords who risk their lives on the frontlines!”

When House of Sephira became an archery family, Queen Lilian cherished them deeply, so no one dared to touch them.

But now, the situation has drastically changed.

The crisis of House of Sephira has become the hottest topic among the nobility.

In the past, when large-scale wars between nations were frequent, House of Sephira’s contributions stood out. However, in the current era of cold war, the trend is for knights to engage in local skirmishes or honor duels, rendering archery families obsolete.

Naturally, many nobles have consistently applied political pressure, arguing that House of Sephira no longer deserves its prestigious status. They claimed that replacing them with a swordsmanship family would make the kingdom far stronger.

This argument, being reasonable and repeatedly brought up, eventually reached Queen Lilian’s ears, and House of Sephira was put to the test—a test to dispel the widespread distrust.

House of Sephira naturally declared they would participate in local skirmishes between nations to prove their worth.

However, House of Sephira had another significant flaw: they were excessively reserved.

Being reserved meant lacking sociability, and lacking sociability meant having no political influence in noble society.

During the era of large-scale wars, this wasn’t an issue. They had Queen Lilian’s favor based on their overwhelming achievements. But times have changed, and even Queen Lilian’s affection has cooled.

House of Sephira, politically inexperienced, had no allies or influence among the nobility.

In this situation, there was no room for House of Sephira to intervene in local skirmishes. Swordsmanship families controlled and managed all such conflicts, and they rejected House of Sephira’s participation for various reasons.

“Times have changed. Hiding behind others and shooting arrows is the weapon of cowards. Do you really think archery can defeat swordsmanship?”

Though they were a prestigious family, House of Sephira, lacking political influence, couldn’t ignore the swordsmanship families and join the skirmishes.

They made late efforts to engage in social circles and politics, but to no avail.

Even in the worst conditions, the only reason House of Sephira could hold on was the strong support of the kingdom’s citizens.

House of Sephira’s ancestors were originally nomads who settled in the Lilian Kingdom with the full support of the indigenous people.

Thus, when their ancestors became nobles, they vowed that House of Sephira, built on the blood and sweat of the people, would become a family that protects the people.

For hundreds of years, House of Sephira has sacrificed everything to protect the people from foreign invasions and monster attacks.

They never participated in noble social circles, dedicating themselves solely to the people, which naturally made it impossible for them to befriend other nobles. Nobles only seek to rule and dominate, not to befriend the common folk.

Of course, maintaining a family solely on the love of the commoners had its limits. After all, the real power in the kingdom lay with the nobles and the royal family.

Especially the upper nobles, who aspired to become prestigious families, were eager to bring down House of Sephira.

Among them, one family was particularly aggressive in trying to bring down House of Sephira.

The spearmanship family, Baydant.

They recently obtained some intelligence.

Baydant’s eldest son, Bolos, reported to his father, the family head.

“Taragon suddenly started running around the training grounds. It seems like some kind of training, but it’s suspicious that he started doing this right after meeting Keter from Absinthe.”

“Taragon is nothing but a mediocre talent. Whatever he does, he’s not a threat. But Absinthe is a lawless city filled with all sorts of trash. It’s strange that House of Sephira brought someone from there. Could Keter be using a false identity?”

The family head, Patra, didn’t even glance at Taragon but showed caution toward Keter.

Bolos smirked and said, “Father, there’s no need to worry at all.”

Bolos, who runs a secret organization composed of people from Absinthe, asked his subordinates if they knew Keter.

“Keter has a noticeable appearance. If he were using a false identity, he would have been spotted at least once and rumors would have spread. The fact that he’s unknown means he’s just another piece of trash from Absinthe.”

“If that’s true, why did Basil bring Keter into the family?”

“I heard his eye color is similar to House of Sephira’s. There’s a possibility he’s a bastard, but it’s unlikely Count Basil would make such a move.”

“Basil’s bastard… born in Absinthe? Something’s fishy.”

“Regardless of the reason, this is an opportunity. Basil has made a big mistake. Even if Keter is truly his hidden son, how could someone raised in Absinthe help the family? A lowlife thug with no dignity can’t live as a noble. He’s bound to cause all sorts of trouble.”

“I know that. Do you think Basil doesn’t know what we know? That fool. Basil didn’t bring Keter in without a purpose. I’m curious what that purpose is!”

As Patra clicked his tongue, Bolos’s expression stiffened momentarily before returning.

“Then I’ll send a letter to him. Asking him to deal with the thorn in our side, Keter.”

“A simple but effective method. But I wonder if he has the guts to kill Basil’s child. After all, he’s an elder of House of Sephira.”

Patra’s words were shocking.

What is the position of an elder? It’s a position of great trust, connected by blood to the family, and requires both character and the family head’s support to be appointed.

Yet, an elder of House of Sephira is colluding with House of Baydant.

There are three elders in House of Sephira.

The family head’s father and former family head, “Ricotta Sephira.”

The family head’s uncle and former kingdom judge, “Panir Sephira.”

The family head’s wife Olive’s father and former royal scribe, “Leganon Drayton.”

One of them has betrayed House of Sephira.

And since this was Bolos’s achievement, he confidently said, “He’ll do it. He asked me to support him as the next family head, so he can’t refuse my request.”

“Good, I’ll trust you with this, Bolos.”

Patra nodded, showing satisfaction.

The matter proceeded swiftly. A letter containing Baydant’s orders was magically delivered to one of House of Sephira’s elders.

The order was to kill Keter.

* * *

Territory Main Gate Fortress of House of Sephira.

The ears of the soldiers, who were vigilantly guarding the area, twitched. Though they couldn’t see anything, they heard a sound—the sound of carriage wheels.

The two soldiers guarding the entrance stared straight at the road where the sound came from. In the distance, the roof of a carriage appeared first, followed by a fluttering flag.

The emblem of a drawn bow aiming at the sun.

The symbol of House of Sephira’s elder.

The senior soldier, straining his eyes to confirm the emblem on the flag, took a deep breath. The junior soldier, startled, spoke in a trembling voice.

“That carriage… it can’t be, right? According to schedule, they’re supposed to return in a week.”

The senior soldier sighed and said with a tense expression, “Straighten up. It’s definitely Elder Panir’s carriage.”

“Ugh.”

The two soldiers, already on high alert, hurriedly dusted off their armor and stood at strict attention as the carriage approached.

Soon, the carriage stopped in front of the gate. As the coachman opened the carriage door, the soldiers felt a chill down their spines.

Neatly combed-back white hair. Fierce eyes that overwhelmed anyone they looked at. A restrained yet sharp demeanor. The robust presence of a 70-year-old man was hard to believe.

He was Panir El Sephira, the elder of House of Sephira, more famously known as a judge of the Lilian Kingdom’s high court.

As Panir stepped out of the carriage, the two soldiers shouted in unison, “Guard duty, all clear!”

Panir’s fierce eyes narrowed even further.

“All clear? No sense of crisis at all, just like commoners!”

Panir slammed his fist on the carriage he had just stepped out of.

“You saw the emblem and thought it was me, so you didn’t guard at all. What if this carriage had been attacked? You two would’ve died, and this fortress would’ve fallen without a fight!”

“Sorry! We’ll fix it!”

Despite the soldiers’ remorse, Panir clicked his tongue.

“How many times have I heard ‘we’ll fix it’? Are you planning to fix it after our family burns to the ground?”

As if he didn’t want to hear any more excuses, Panir got back into the carriage.

The senior soldier quickly opened the gate. Even after the carriage passed through, the two soldiers remained tense, fearing Panir might still be watching.

The carriage stopped in front of the main building where the family head resided, and his personal butler, Prosciutto, opened the carriage door.

Panir immediately complained, “Why is the family in such disarray?”

Prosciutto, Panir’s personal butler, handed him a damp towel and replied, “Young Master Taragon has been running around the training grounds.”

Panir wiped his hands with the towel and stared at Prosciutto.

“Has Taragon ever done running training before?”

“No. He’s done strength training and archery, but this is the first time he’s done endurance training.”

“He’s always been eccentric, but this time it’s strangely unsettling.”

“I asked him why when I brought him water, but he seemed reluctant to answer.”

“Hmm… Taragon is one thing, but what’s that guy doing?”

At the mention of “that guy,” Prosciutto took the used towel and replied, “Keter caused trouble as soon as he arrived and is now at the second shooting range.”

“That guy who arrived this morning has already caused trouble?”

Panir’s voice naturally rose.

Prosciutto, frightened, gestured for the servants to leave and said, “It’s a long story. I’ll explain in detail at your quarters.”

Prosciutto had been monitoring Keter from the beginning and relayed everything that had happened.

Meeting Anis and having a duel.

Having lunch and a drinking contest with the butler Jacques.

Meeting Vulkanus at the blacksmith and bringing out Amaranth.

After hearing everything, Panir’s face turned icy. He quietly stood up, took his bow and arrows hanging on the wall, and said, “I tried to tolerate Basil ignoring my opinion and accepting that guy. But it seems Keter, that troublemaker, thought our House of Sephira was a joke.”

“Are you planning to go yourself, Elder?”

“I initially hoped he would die quietly. Now that he’s part of the family, I can’t kill him, but at least he needs to learn his place.”

Indeed.

When Basil mentioned Keter’s existence, Panir was the one who suggested killing him before he could reveal himself to the world.

Prosciutto thought for a moment and then blocked Panir’s path.

“Blocking my way? What do you mean?”

Panir is as fiery-tempered as he looks. Even his personal butler isn’t spared from his wrath.

But Prosciutto, having served Panir for nearly 20 years, calmly said, “You don’t need a dragon-slaying bow to kill a goblin, do you?”

“Hmm? That’s not wrong.”

“Moreover, Elder, you’ve spent the last half-year tirelessly persuading nobles. You must be tired. There’s no need for you to handle such trivial matters personally. Leave it to me, won’t you?”

Prosciutto, trying to lighten the mood, offered to handle the problem himself. Panir, somewhat softened, asked, “You’re right. It seems you already have someone in mind. Who is it?”

“I plan to send Catherine.”

“Catherine?”

House of Sephira has hundreds of knights, but only one female knight—Catherine.

Panir looked at Prosciutto, demanding an explanation for why he chose Catherine among all the knights.