Chapter 39

Episode 39. The Solver of Sephira (3)

The Lilian Kingdom is divided into four territories based on the four cardinal directions.

Under each territory, there are roughly two or three lord territories, or domains, and within them, various cities and villages exist.

Sephira, a renowned archery family, was one of the “Seven Gates” directly under the queen and belonged to the “Rantgen” domain within the southern territory.

Rantgen is located in the border region. Border regions usually have military cities or fortresses due to the constant threat of invasion, but Sephira was different.

This was because the power beyond the border was the Adeus Kingdom.

The Adeus Kingdom was also known as the “Kingdom of Real Men.”

“We will attack this place on such-and-such date and time.”

“We do not attack the weak. Only the strong should come out.”

“Ambush? Such a word does not exist in our kingdom.”

They do not wage war to conquer. They wage war to fight the strong. They revere and crave the fight itself. Solely for honor.

In Adeus, armor is a symbol of cowardice, and using ranged weapons is considered worse than the behavior of beasts.

Their preferred weapon is the fist. Next are blunt weapons like hammers and clubs.

Thus, Sephira, which uses bows, was thoroughly “ignored” by the Adeus Kingdom. Even if they invaded, it was obvious they wouldn’t engage in a thrilling fight but just shoot arrows from a distance.

Defeating Sephira, which uses bows as its main weapon, would bring no honor. Instead, it would only bring disgrace. Therefore, no one in Adeus even glanced at Sephira.

Ironically, this made the House of Sephira one of the safest places despite being in the border region.

“The Hakoz Mountains are neither too rugged nor too deep, so there are many herb gatherers and hunters. You can often see Adeus people there.”

On the way to Hakoz Village.

Luke was sharing his experiences to get closer to Keter.

Keter listened silently, looking straight ahead without saying a word.

“During my time as a squire, I was stationed at Hakoz Fortress when a huge wild boar came charging towards the fortress. I was so startled. I shot an arrow to chase it away, but the boar didn’t stop. Do you know why? Well, an Adeus man was chasing the boar! And he was unarmed, bare-handed!”

It was no exaggeration, and Luke still shivered at the memory.

“A knight could probably catch a boar with his fists, but that Adeus man was different. The Empire calls Adeus people barbarians. I can see why. Ah, you can see the fortress tower over there. We’re almost there.”

Luke pointed to the tower just visible over the horizon.

“A little further, and you’ll see the village. It’s near the fortress. It takes about 30 minutes by horse from the village to the fortress. And let me tell you in advance, Hakoz Village is a bit expensive. So don’t just buy things recklessly, okay? Huh? Keter?”

Thinking Keter was silently listening, Luke nudged closer when he got no response.

Keter was clearly awake, his eyes open and looking ahead.

“Keter? What are you thinking about? We’re almost at the village.”

Swish swish.

Even when Luke waved his hand in front of Keter’s face, Keter said nothing, making Luke feel something was off.

“Keter, what are you doing?”

Tap.

Unable to stand it, Luke poked Keter’s side with his bow.

At that moment—

Whoosh!

Keter’s hand, which had been motionless, snatched Luke’s bow and pulled. Any ordinary knight would have lost their bow without a fight.

But Luke was different.

He parried Keter’s unexpected attack as if he had anticipated it, twisting the bow to break free.

Swoosh.

The curse that sensed danger acted as a blessing in defensive situations.

“Hmm, what? Are we there?”

Keter turned his head and spoke to Luke.

Luke, with his bow back on his shoulder, replied.

“What? Keter, were you asleep?”

“I usually sleep when I’m bored.”

“Do you sleep with your eyes open?”

“Mostly?”

“I’ve never seen someone sleep with their eyes open. Especially on a running horse.”

They weren’t even moving slowly.

Though not at full gallop, they were still moving faster than a human could run.

At this speed, the body would jolt significantly, distributing shocks evenly, and one could fall off if they lost focus.

And yet, Keter was sleeping in such a situation?

Luke thought Keter was messing with him.

“Why did you try to take my bow if you were asleep?”

Keter answered nonchalantly, as if it were obvious.

“I was on guard.”

“What do you mean? How can you be on guard while sleeping?”

“Can you guarantee you won’t be attacked while sleeping? By the way, you managed not to lose your bow?”

“…That’s rich coming from you.”

At that moment, the horse Luke and Keter were riding slowed down on its own. The horses remembered. They knew to slow down around here.

It meant they had arrived at Hakoz Village.

Luke took out the mission board from his pocket and said.

“During missions, solo actions are prohibited. If you get hurt or something goes wrong, it’s my fault as your partner.”

Though he said that, Luke didn’t think anything would happen.

Hakoz Village wasn’t that big, and it would take only about 30 minutes to walk around the entire place.

Luke thought he’d quickly find the missing knight and then show Keter around the fortress.

* * *

“Huh… That’s strange.”

After quickly walking around the village in 20 minutes, Luke scratched the back of his head.

“Why can’t I see him? It’s not like we missed each other.”

Luke, who thought he’d find the missing knight quickly, awkwardly looked around.

Keter pointed to some children hiding in an alley, watching them.

“Why are those kids following us from the entrance?”

“Ah, it’s because we didn’t give them pocket money. I forgot.”

“Pocket money?”

“Hey, kids.”

Luke gestured to the children.

The children didn’t look like beggars. They were well-dressed and plump.

“Here, take 1 bronze. Listen to your mom.”

The children looked at the 1 bronze and frowned. The chubby kid who seemed to be the leader stepped forward.

“Bro. Is it right to say such things after giving just one bronze coin?”

“Huh?”

Luke was taken aback.

1 bronze wasn’t a lot, but it was enough to buy two fruits or a loaf of bread.

“Ahaha. Got it. I’ll give you one more.”

Three years ago, when Luke was stationed here, the kids would have been happy with just one bronze coin.

But now, even 2 bronze coins only got a lukewarm reaction.

“Being a knight and being stingy. Bro, you’re rich, right? I can’t be fooled. I can smell the wealth on you.”

Keter, who had been quietly watching the child pointing at him, bent down to meet the kid’s eye level.

“Kid. You’re sharp. That’s right. I have much more money than this guy.”

“Hehe. Then give us pocket money quickly.”

“Haha, don’t stick out your tongue. I might pull it out. Did you lend me money?”

“…Huh?”

When Keter cursed with a smile, the leader kid slowly backed away.

But with the other kids watching, he forced himself to muster courage.

“Ah, mister. You seem like a squire. If you talk like that, what will people think? Everyone will know?!”

Thud!

A knuckle hit the kid’s head.

“Ouch!”

The kid rolled on the ground, holding his head.

Keter rummaged through the kid’s pockets, took out a money pouch, and said.

“Why do these kids want to live life so easily? I envy them.”

Whoosh!

Keter threw the money pouch into a dirty sewer.

“Eek!”

“Our money!”

The kids, about to resent Keter, quickly ran away after seeing his fierce gaze.

Keter clicked his tongue as he watched the kids run.

“Tsk, kids with no guts want to earn money the easy way.”

“Ke, Keter. Isn’t that too much for the kids? No matter what, that’s too much! And why did you throw away the money?”

“I didn’t throw it away. That was an empty pouch.”

Keter showed the coins he had pinched between his fingers as proof.

“When did you take the money out of the pouch?”

“My hands are faster than your eyes. Anyway, why is the treatment of knights like this here?”

“That’s what I told you. The prices are a bit high.”

Luke sighed and shook his now lighter pouch.

“Only Sephira soldiers or knights come to this village. So the prices are high. But lately, it feels like they’ve gotten even higher. Earlier, at the stable, they asked for 3 silver just to take care of the horse.”

“They really treat knights like fools. Aren’t Sephira knights the ones protecting this village? They should be paying protection money.”

“Protection money? Keter. We’re knights, not thugs.”

“I wonder if it’s right to call this knighthood.”

“…Anyway, why can’t we find the missing knight? This is the first time something like this has happened. We’ll have to ask the village chief.”

“Hmm.”

Keter followed Luke around, observing the village. Occasionally, he tapped the ground with his heel.

‘It’s solid. It’s a difficult area to build a basement.’

For Luke, this mission was just a way to pass the time or to “get to know each other.”

But for Keter, it was about uncovering the village’s secrets. If a 2-star knight like Catherine could die, the attackers were no ordinary bandits or robbers.

‘Above all, there are guests who arrived before us.’

Luke, focused only on the missing knight, didn’t notice, but Keter already knew.

Keter sees a lot in small details.

Even at the stable where they left their horses. While Luke was paying for the horse care, Keter examined the horses.

‘They’re high-quality warhorses. The fact that their manes and tails are well-groomed means the person who rode them is a skilled knight.’

With a fortress nearby, they could be Sephira knights.

But Keter was sure they weren’t.

‘Luke said the fortress is 30 minutes away. But these horses have been running for at least half a day. Their muscles are still tense.’

Anyone would find this suspicious. Hakoz Village is not a tourist destination.

There’s no reason for knights from other families to come to Hakoz Village.

‘If knights from other families were here, it would have been mentioned in the mission board.’

But the mission board only said to come.

Keter had seen many mission boards and knew. If there were any special circumstances, they would be mentioned.

For example, in a mission to subdue bandits, the bandits’ base, estimated numbers, and origins would be listed.

The fact that this mission to find a missing knight didn’t mention knights from other families meant that even Sephira didn’t know they were in Hakoz Village.

Hehe.

As they approached the village chief’s hall, Keter couldn’t help but smile.

There were countless footprints near the entrance. To the casual observer, it might seem insignificant, but Keter gleaned much information.

‘These are knights’ footprints. Multiple people, yet their walking style and stride are identical.’

Only knights could walk in perfect unison without a single misstep. Moreover, there was more evidence.

‘The warhorses at the stable had the scent of raspberries. That faint scent is here too.’

Keter followed Luke around because he thought they might encounter knights from other families.

But they didn’t.

Then he was sure. If they weren’t in the streets, the knights must have gone to meet the village chief.

Though not as much as Keter, Luke also sensed something was off. His curse, not his reason, detected it.

‘My hand is trembling.’

The closer they got to the hall, the more Luke’s curse warned him.

Only then did Luke focus on the hall and sense something was wrong. He reached out to Keter.

“Wait. The village chief isn’t alone in the hall. There’s an aura user. Feels like a knight.”

“Is that so?”

“Stop! This is serious. They don’t seem to be Sephira knights. Why are external knights in Hakoz Village? Since it’s not on the mission board, it’s likely an unofficial visit. This is a major issue.”

Luke spoke seriously, but Keter, who already knew everything, pushed his arm aside and grabbed the hall’s doorknob.

“W, wait! Think before you open the door…!”

With a creak, the hall’s door swung open.

“…?!”

Luke’s eyes widened as he made eye contact with the people inside.

His loosely hanging hand clenched into a fist, and his eyes filled with hostility.

The people in the hall were those who should never be there.