Chapter 33

Episode 33. When You Speak of Goblins, They Appear (1)

Basil calmly accepted the mission Keter had chosen from the mission board, but deep down, he was disappointed.

‘He picked the easiest mission without any hesitation.’

-[Search for Missing Vacationers]

Assigned Knight: Catherine

Mission Difficulty: F

An F-rank mission was practically risk-free, more akin to running errands than anything else.

Basil thought Keter had chosen this mission because Catherine was the assigned knight.

‘He’s acquainted with Catherine and even beat her in a match.’

Basil didn’t dwell too much on Keter’s victory. After all, it was likely a victory achieved with the help of Amaranth.

He believed it wasn’t Keter’s archery skills that won the match, but rather the Demon Bow Amaranth guiding the arrows. The soldiers also testified that Keter had used Amaranth, so there was no room for doubt.

Of course, the soldiers weren’t lying.

Keter had indeed used Amaranth. But what people didn’t know was that Amaranth hadn’t interfered at all during the match.

“Did you choose this mission because you’re acquainted with Catherine?”

“It’s not entirely unrelated, but it’s not a big factor either.”

“Then it wouldn’t matter if we assigned someone else. Catherine hasn’t said a word since she met you.”

“A knight ignoring the Lord’s words? Isn’t that grounds for dismissal?”

“She seemed to have her reasons. They were related to you.”

“I did tell her to keep quiet. She’s holding up well.”

“I heard you made a bet with her, swearing an oath. You don’t plan to keep her silent forever, do you?”

Catherine was a knight Basil also cherished.

Not just because she was the only female knight. She had talent, loyalty, and worked hard—she was a true gem.

‘Catherine is a knight who deserves the title of the Big Dipper.’

The strongest force of House Sephira, the Lunar Knight Order. Among them, the top seven are granted the title of the Big Dipper.

Currently, two spots are vacant due to a lack of talent. Basil hoped Catherine would become one of the Big Dipper and was confident she could.

“It’ll be over in a month. Maybe even sooner.”

“Catherine made a rash oath, so I won’t hold you accountable. But you’re too reckless to be left alone, so I’ll assign you a partner.”

“I was actually in need of a subordinate to assist me. This works out.”

“The partner isn’t your subordinate. Think of them as a comrade and equal. All my sons grew alongside their partners. Learn the virtues of a knight from your partner. And remember, partners are equals regardless of rank, so don’t get any foolish ideas.”

Basil didn’t believe in blind positivity.

Keter’s actions were unpredictable and extreme. Unable to simply watch, Basil assigned a partner as a sort of brake.

Keter, aware of Basil’s intentions, found it intriguing.

‘If they want to control me, they’d need at least a 3-star knight.’

But the way he talked about growing together suggested they’d send someone around his age.

Whoever it was, Keter had no intention of letting anyone hold him back.

‘Hmm. Should I bring Maknun into Sephira?’

Not because he’s my subordinate, but because Maknun is truly exceptional.

He uses knowledge and wisdom at the right moments, plans for the future, and adapts on the fly—skills even surpassing mine.

On second thought, that wouldn’t work. His abilities should serve me, not Sephira.

Basil looked at Keter’s calm face. It was impossible to tell what he was thinking.

Honestly, Basil felt uneasy. Even if Keter harbored no ill will, all his actions were carried out in the name of Sephira, meaning Basil bore full responsibility.

‘Even so. I believe in you, Keter. As you said, you possess what we lack.’

Freedom and unpredictability.

Keter had what Sephira didn’t.

As the Lord responsible for tens of thousands of lives and centuries of history, Basil had already planned how to utilize Keter’s strengths.

Coincidentally, there was a knight in Sephira who was considered a burden—too valuable to discard, yet not useful enough to keep.

Basil decided to assign this knight as Keter’s partner.

‘It’ll be a trial for these two opposites. I hope they grow together.’

After their respective thoughts concluded,

Basil stood up first and approached Keter.

“Let me give you a hug.”

Basil, who usually didn’t show affection to his children, felt pity for Keter, who had grown up in harsh conditions, and thus acted without hesitation.

And—

Keter hated the feeling of pity more than anything in the world.

Especially when it was directed at him.

“That’s disgusting.”

Keter stood up and took a step back.

Basil couldn’t bring himself to hold Keter back. Instead, he took Keter’s right hand.

“Just looking at your hand, I can tell how much you’ve suffered.”

A hand calloused and scarred from repeated injuries. The fact that all his fingers were intact was almost miraculous.

Keter’s rough palm was proof he had walked the path of a warrior.

Keter also felt something from Basil’s hand.

‘I’ve been caught off guard.’

Keter never let his guard down, no matter who the opponent was. Even if it was a crawling infant or a dying old man.

Yet, his hand had been caught.

‘Is this really the same man who’s been buried in paperwork for years?’

Just from holding his hand, Keter could feel it. His father had reached the pinnacle, both physically and technically.

‘Of course, within the limits of humanity.’

His father was a 5-Star Master. A level only one in tens of thousands could reach. A level all humans revered.

However, Sephira’s ultimate opponent was Queen Lilian of this nation. And this nation had over 50 Masters.

Moreover, to oppose the Queen, one must surpass the Monarch. The Monarch is a 7-Star Prime.

Even with 100 5-Star Masters, they couldn’t defeat a single Monarch.

‘Father should at least try to become an Ain. But that’s easier said than done.’

From the looks of it, Father had no intention or room to grow stronger here. That means I’ll have to give him hints to reach the realm of Ain.

If I give them outright, of course, Father wouldn’t accept them. For a human who has already mastered Aura to take in Mana is simple yet difficult.

First, they must discard all the Aura within their body. Only then can they take in Mana, allowing the body to hold both Aura and Mana simultaneously.

But who would willingly give up what they’ve spent decades honing, shedding blood and sweat to achieve the level of Master?

It’s hard. Almost impossible.

That’s why it’s good.

If it were easy, it’d be boring. Doing what everyone else says is impossible—that’s the real thrill.

* * *

Sephira has three knight orders.

The Holy Knight Order, composed of 1 and 2-star knights.

The Lunar Knight Order, composed of knights 3-star and above.

And the Constellation Knight Order, which serves as the command for soldiers.

In the Holy Knight Order’s barracks, one knight was packing his belongings.

After gathering all his things, the knight looked at the nameplate on the shelf.

-97th Holy Knight Luke Blendor.

Luke took one last look at his nameplate, then carried his bag out into the hallway.

The hallway was empty.

Luke looked around with a bitter expression. Though the sudden transfer was unexpected, everyone knew he was leaving today. Yet, no one came to see him off.

It was because of his nickname.

‘Coward.’

A derogatory nickname.

But it was a nickname that clearly applied to Luke, and even he acknowledged it.

Luke hesitated and feared killing, no matter the reason. Not only that, but he also struggled with the idea of harming others.

“It’s not like I want to be this way.”

Avoiding killing is human instinct, but it’s something that can be overcome.

Yet, for some reason, Luke couldn’t. It wasn’t due to trauma or psychological issues.

Luke believed this was a ‘curse.’ Of course, no one else believed him.

Living half-resigned, he heard that the Lord had summoned him. At first, he thought it was to tell him to quit the knight order.

After all, a knight who can’t fight isn’t a knight. Someone worse than a soldier being called a knight—it’s only natural for anyone to be dissatisfied.

But Lord Basil surprised Luke with his words.

He asked Luke to become Keter’s partner, to grow together by complementing each other’s weaknesses.

‘This is the last chance the Lord is giving me.’

Luke also vowed this would be his last chance. Even if it meant dying, he would overcome this curse and become a knight worthy of the name Sephira.

With this resolve, Luke headed to the mansion where his partner, Keter, resided.

* * *

Arriving in front of the mansion where Keter lived, Luke swallowed hard.

“So this is where Keter lives.”

A three-story warehouse converted into a mansion. Perhaps due to its hastily made exterior, it gave off an atmosphere that didn’t quite fit Sephira.

“This place feels unnervingly cold.”

Feeling uneasy, Luke looked around.

The soldiers stood silently, unfazed, guarding their posts.

‘Keter is younger than me. A younger brother. If I’m already this nervous, what’s the point?’

Before coming here, Luke had heard some basic information about Keter. Rumors painted him as a demon, but Luke dismissed the rumors and focused on the necessary details.

From the lawless city of Absinthe, age eighteen.

A fiery age indeed.

‘Growing up in a lawless city, he probably doesn’t know manners or laws. I’ll have to teach him and set an example. Get a grip.’

Contrary to his thoughts, his hands were sweating.

‘Damn it, what am I doing standing at the door? I should greet him.’

*Click.*

After a long while, Luke finally grabbed the doorknob.

Just turn and pull.

Simple and easy.

But Luke couldn’t do it.

*Shake shake shake.*

Luke’s hand trembled as he held the doorknob.

It wasn’t nerves. Luke knew it best.

‘This… this is just like back then.’

Luke had experienced strange phenomena since he was very young. Just before something unfortunate happened, his body would tremble.

If he ignored it and tried to proceed, the trembling would turn into paralysis, tormenting him.

At first, he thought it was a disease, but no doctor or priest diagnosed it as such. They all concluded it was psychological.

But Luke thought differently.

This is a curse. A curse placed only on me, not born of the Lilian Kingdom.

Luke’s inability to kill was also due to this curse. Just the thought of harming someone made his hands tremble so much he couldn’t shoot an arrow.

But the curse wasn’t entirely harmful. In truly dangerous moments, it had saved his life many times.

Like when he tried to cross a mountain, felt the trembling, and took a detour only to find bandits wreaking havoc. Or when he detected poisoned water through the trembling.

But this was the first time.

The curse reacting when he was about to meet someone.

‘Damn it, leave me alone. Please!’

The more he tried to force his hand, the worse the trembling became.

But Luke didn’t give up. Even if he ended up paralyzed and collapsing in a heap, it didn’t matter.

This was his last chance. He wanted to try, even if it meant fainting in disgrace.

That’s when it happened.

“What are you doing, kid?”

A voice from behind. Luke snapped out of it and turned around.

‘Who is this?’

A man with sharp features but a soft demeanor—a mismatched combination—was looking down at him. His attire gave no hint of his status or profession.

Fortunately, the trembling stopped.

But unfortunately, the man in front of him looked highly suspicious. Though the lack of trembling suggested he wasn’t dangerous.

“And who are you to be here?”

Luke, who disliked being called a kid, wasn’t about to say anything nice.

“I asked first. Answer me.”

“I’m Luke from the Holy Knight Order. Obviously an adult. Please refrain from calling me a kid.”

“Sephira must really be lacking in talent if they’re sending kids like you to the knight order.”

“You, take that back. I can tolerate insults to me, but not to Sephira.”

“What if I don’t?”

The man lowered his stance and even offered his cheek, as if daring Luke to hit him.

‘What kind of person is this? A complete back-alley thug.’

For some reason, the soldiers were just standing by, doing nothing. Probably because Luke was a knight, they left it to him.

Luke couldn’t use violence, but he could push someone, so he prepared to act.

That’s when a familiar figure appeared behind the man.

His father, Jacques.

Jacques, having seen Luke, quickly approached.

Luke thought they’d team up to drive away this rude man. But Jacques spoke first.

“Young master. Why are you standing at the door? Huh? Luke? What are you doing here?”

“Huh?”

Young master?

Luke knew his father was Keter’s personal butler. But why was he calling this thug ‘young master’?

A bolt of lightning struck Luke’s mind.

No way, it can’t be. It shouldn’t be…….

Luke’s gaze shifted from Jacques back to the thug.

The thug was grinning.

A devilishly innocent smile on his face.