Chapter 30

Episode 30. I’ve Shown You Everything (4)

A warehouse filled with hay from the stables.

Keter placed Ultima down on a pile of straw and spoke.

“You can open your eyes now. At this time, even the stable hands aren’t around, and the soldiers avoid this area after lunch because of the smell of manure.”

Was Ultima still alive?

There were clear handprints on his neck. Marks that could easily be mistaken for strangulation, and he had been slammed into the ground hard enough to make it shake.

His ribs had shattered, and his internal organs had twisted from the impact—

But then, Ultima suddenly revived.

He sat up, leaning against the straw pile, and wiped the blood from his mouth with his sleeve.

That’s right. The loud noise had been a trick.

It wasn’t Ultima’s body hitting the ground—it was Keter slamming his fist into the ground. To those watching from a distance, it had only looked like Ultima had been struck.

Ultima was alive, but he wasn’t happy. Keter, who had deceived everyone’s eyes and ears, was now blocking his path.

“You’re thorough, aren’t you? To think of deceiving the watchers in that situation.”

Ultima and Keter had known each other since they were children.

It wasn’t a coincidence—more like a cursed fate.

Both were abandoned orphans, so their living situations and available tasks often overlapped, leading to frequent encounters. Naturally, Ultima was always compared to Keter, who excelled at everything he did.

Of course, Ultima wasn’t a fool. He had tried to kill Keter multiple times using Ruquer’s methods, but each time, he ended up beaten and stripped of everything he had.

“You always seemed reckless, but you always had a plan. I was always the one getting the short end of the stick.”

“I didn’t bring you here to reminisce about the past.”

“Heh, fine. Can you protect me—no, my merchant group? The House of Sephira?”

“Tch. Did you hit your head when you fell? I already told you it’s not the House of Sephira.”

Keter pointed at himself with his thumb.

“I’ll protect you.”

“…Wait, is this a hallucination or a dream? Did you actually kill me, and is this the afterlife?”

Swoosh.

As Keter raised his fist, Ultima’s expression turned serious.

“I’m joking. But you must be joking too, right? Protecting me from the Upper Nobles? Not just one house, but a coalition of houses. They may not be prestigious families, but their combined power isn’t something anyone can handle.”

Nobles are divided into the Lower and Upper Houses.

Even becoming a Lower Noble grants enough benefits to live comfortably for generations, but ambitious individuals dream of becoming Upper Nobles. Upper Nobles gain the right to maintain a private military force.

An Upper Noble can have at least 500 soldiers and ten knights.

And four Upper Nobles had joined forces.

Even if they weren’t “prestigious families,” their combined strength was no small army. So how could Keter, as an individual, protect Ultima from them?

It was absurd—that was the logical conclusion.

But Keter had always been an eccentric who defied logic.

“Ultima. I didn’t bring you here to hear how strong or great my opponents are.”

“…….”

“I brought you here to hear your answer. Yes or no. Is it that hard? Don’t try to persuade me—just tell me your choice.”

The unspoken implication was clear: ‘Depending on your choice, you might become a real corpse here.’

Of course, Ultima didn’t catch that part, but he couldn’t refuse as easily as before.

It was ridiculous.

No matter how many times he thought about it, it made no sense.

Even if the House of Sephira offered to protect him, he would’ve scoffed. But for some reason, Keter’s offer made him hesitate.

A day—no, a month of hesitation wouldn’t be enough, but Keter pressed for an answer.

“If you die, you’ll have an eternity to think about it. How about that?”

“Before I answer, what’s in it for me if I side with the House of Sephira? For the record, the Upper Nobles promised to make me a Lower Noble.”

“Ultima. Let me explain one last time—you’re not partnering with Sephira. You’re partnering with me.”

“Wait, hold on. So, you’re not doing this under Lord Basil’s orders? This is all your own decision?”

Snap!

Keter flicked his finger.

“Finally, you’re catching on.”

“…I thought this was rock bottom, but there’s an even deeper bottom.”

“There’s only one thing I can do for you, Ultima. I’ll make it clear so there’s no confusion.”

Keter crouched down to meet Ultima’s eye level.

“I’ll let you live.”

“Huh.”

Ultima’s face twisted in disbelief.

Meanwhile, Keter’s eyes were calm. Sharp and serene—utterly peaceful.

It was the look of a madman.

* * *

“Did he really kill him? That crazy lunatic?”

A porter from Ultima’s merchant group muttered to himself.

Though he looked like an ordinary porter, he was actually a subordinate of an Upper Noble tasked with monitoring Ultima. He kept a close eye on the stable Keter had entered.

Then—

Bang!

The stable door burst open, and a man came running out at full speed.

It was Ultima. Blood was dripping from his mouth, and his hair was a mess, but it was definitely him.

He seemed to have barely escaped with his life. Keter followed, shouting angrily.

“Hey! If you come back now, I’ll only hit you twice!”

“Eek!”

To anyone watching, it was clear Keter had beaten Ultima to a pulp.

The disguised assassin was disappointed.

“If he’d killed him, we could’ve used it to pressure the House of Sephira even more. What a shame.”

But since Ultima was still alive, he had to at least pretend to help.

He wasn’t the only one thinking that. Ultima’s subordinates rushed to protect their master.

Keter, blocked by the crowd, loudly scolded the commoners about noble etiquette, while Ultima didn’t even look back as he rode away from the estate.

“Tch, he got away? Lucky him.”

And so, everyone learned that Keter had thoroughly beaten Ultima and driven him out.

The news spread instantly, not only to Sephira’s lord but also to the spies monitoring Sephira. Keter had caused a major incident just two days after joining the house!

Those hostile to Sephira smiled victoriously. They had thought Keter, who had suddenly joined the house, was a hidden talent, but it turned out he was a disaster.

That day, all spies received urgent orders.

“From now on, if Keter needs help, help him. But don’t interfere.”

“Also, temporarily halt any activities that might entangle you with that Keter guy.”

They retreated from the front lines, eagerly waiting for Sephira to self-destruct.

The change was immediately noticeable. Though Lord Basil of the House of Sephira hadn’t heard any news yet, he could feel it.

“This is ominous.”

As usual, buried under a mountain of paperwork, Basil stood up and walked to the window. Sadly, his ominous premonitions were rarely wrong.

“It doesn’t seem like an attack.”

The commotion outside was lively but not dangerous. If anything, it was vibrant.

“I hope it’s just my imagination.”

Basil muttered as he rubbed his arm.

He was already uneasy about imprisoning his uncle, Panir. There were only circumstantial evidence of betrayal, and even if there were concrete proof, it would still be problematic.

‘Even if the family unites, it won’t be enough.’

The elders, who were supposed to be the pillars of the house, were all acting independently.

The previous lord had disappeared without a word, Panir was imprisoned, and Elder Leganon, his father-in-law, was avoiding any conversation with him.

‘The children are doing their best, but…’

They were objectively talented, but whether they were truly helpful was another matter.

‘The only one I can rely on is Hisop.’

His eldest son, Hisop.

Currently, Hisop was acting as the branch lord, handling external affairs. While there weren’t any great achievements, the absence of bad news was a good sign in this situation.

Knock knock.

A knock interrupted Basil’s thoughts.

“My lord. It’s Nabakin from the Holy Knight Order. I have urgent news.”

Basil, who had been wearing a troubled expression, quickly composed himself.

“Come in.”

Knight Nabakin skipped the formalities and spoke immediately.

“Young Master Keter has caused trouble.”

“…Keter again.”

Keter.

Honestly, it was a name he didn’t want to hear right now. Just yesterday, Keter had been involved in too many incidents.

As soon as he arrived, he knocked Anis out—

Became the owner of the Demon Bow Amaranth—

Turned Taragon into a racehorse.

And that wasn’t all. He even turned Catherine, Sephira’s rose, into a mute.

On top of that, rumors of a ghost haunting the estate every night since Keter’s arrival had spread.

Complaints and suspicions about Keter were snowballing. But Basil had endured, even asking for their understanding.

‘Just one more day. I need to figure out what Keter’s plan is.’

That was what Basil had vowed just this morning.

But right before this, Vulkanus and Hans the butler had visited. They got straight to the point—they had sold all the stored bows to Ultima.

Basil trusted them, so he assumed they had a good reason.

Until Keter’s name came up.

“Keter led the sale. Here’s the temporary receipt issued by Ultima’s merchant group.”

“……?”

Basil was shocked when he saw the receipt from Vulkanus.

It wasn’t because the sale of Sephira’s bows had earned 200,000 gold.

Nor was it because he had just learned that Ultima owed them 400,000 gold.

“Commission…?”

The receipt stated that Keter had taken a 10% commission from the sale.

Who had authorized this?

Selling the bows without the lord’s permission was already a clear overreach. But if it was the decision of Hans, who handled finances, and Vulkanus, the head blacksmith, Basil could have accepted it.

But why Keter? Not only did he lead the transaction, but he also took a hefty commission?

“Lord Vulkanus. What on earth is going on? I can understand selling the bows, but how could you let Keter take a commission?”

“Ahem. Keter said he’d explain, so we’ll take our leave now.”

Vulkanus and Hans left as if fleeing. Only they could get away with such an exit.

Basil pressed his hand to his forehead, feeling a headache coming on. Vulkanus, who had always been dignified, had just run away without looking back.

‘Should I call Keter?’

It was a strange dilemma. Why would a lord hesitate to summon his own son who had caused trouble?

But Basil had sworn just yesterday that he wouldn’t see Keter. It wasn’t an official oath, but breaking it still hurt his pride.

But honestly, he wanted to call Keter immediately and demand an explanation. What was he thinking?

But he couldn’t act rashly. He wasn’t a child.

With the wisdom of an adult—

With the dignity of a lord—

He would endure to protect the family’s honor. That was the greatest lesson he could teach as a father and a lord.

Calming his impatience, Basil asked Nabakin with a gentle expression.

“So, what did Keter do?”

His forgiving attitude, as if he’d forgive even murder, reassured Nabakin.

“He beat up Ultima’s merchant group leader.”

“Hahaha.”

Basil laughed leisurely, and Nabakin awkwardly joined in.

“Ha, haha.”

“Hahaha.”

“Haha, hahaha.”

“Bring him here.”

“Haha… Huh? Ah, Ultima’s leader has already left on horseback. Should we chase him?”

“No, no. Not Ultima.”

“Then…?”

“My son.”

“Ah, you mean Young Master Taragon. He’s running laps on the training field. I’ll bring him right away.”

When Nabakin failed to guess correctly, Basil called his name in a low voice.

“Nabakin.”

“Yes, my lord.”

“Bring the lunatic.”

If he still didn’t get it, it wouldn’t be a crime to hit him.