Chapter 41

Episode 41. You, Just Take One Hit (1)

The guy sitting silently in front of me had a blatant look in his eyes. It was clear that he was more interested in who I was rather than how strong I was.

Does staring like that create information out of thin air?

Arbold stared straight into my eyes and then raised his momentum.

What a petty move.

I kicked the leg of the table.

Thud!

The guy took a direct hit to the solar plexus from the corner of the table and bowed his head deeply. One of his subordinates, who was positioned around us, pointed a spear at me.

Well, I’ve grown a lot more mature too. Even though the opponent is pointing a weapon at me, I’m staying still so nicely.

“Keter?!”

Luke looked at me with a face that asked why I did that.

Whose side is this kid on? Even if I threw the first punch, he should still be on my side. I thought he was just a kid on the outside, but is he a kid on the inside too? Well, nobles are all like that, I guess.

I had some expectations since he’s the son of old man Jacques, but tsk tsk. As expected, the more you expect, the greater the disappointment. It’s a waste of a glance to give to a clueless kid.

“Are you going to tell your story, or are you going to die? Pick one.”

Arbold pulled his chair back at my words. He took a step back.

Interesting.

I have ears, so I know. The Baydant family treats Sephira as if they were the ones who killed their parents.

Yet, he chose to avoid me rather than confront me. Even though he thinks I’m weaker than him, and he doesn’t even know who I am.

I thought these guys were behind old man Leganon. The old man’s proposal to leave the Empire would have turned into a forced order by now.

Then they’d need someone with the skills to subdue me, and the only ones with that kind of skill in this village are the guys right in front of me.

Moreover, if it’s Baydant, they have plenty of justification. Who would think that an elder of Sephira would command a knight of Baydant?

But it’s too risky to conclude that ‘Leganon is targeting that weakness.’

The Leganon I know isn’t a gambler. These guys have nothing to do with Elder Leganon.

“You’re at least not a knight. Yet, seeing that Sir Luke, who is a knight, is staying still, it seems like you have the authority to listen to my story.”

Arbold speaks as if he’s trying to deduce my identity while pretending to be calm.

He really doesn’t know, huh? That’s strange too. If it’s Baydant, they should know everything that happens in Sephira, so why don’t they know about me?

Even if they don’t recognize my face, they should know when they hear my name.

‘Pretending not to know? That’s not it either.’

These guys really don’t know anything about me, the illegitimate child of Sephira.

Tap tap.

Then, the kid poked my side and whispered in my ear.

“Keter. What are you trying to do? This isn’t our job to handle. At the very least, we should report this to the Knight Commander or the Elder.”

What a carefree thing to say. And do you think just because you’re whispering, those guys won’t hear you?

“Why wouldn’t I have the authority? My father is the Lord.”

“Hey, hey!”

At my words, both Luke and the knights were surprised.

Especially Arbold in front of me, who smiled as if he expected it, but I could see the trembling beneath that smile.

“So you’re the son of Lord Basil. I didn’t recognize you.”

His words became a bit more polite, but he didn’t stand up or show any formal courtesy.

It’s clear that these guys have no connection to Leganon. So they really just happened to run into us.

‘No, it’s not a coincidence.’

If I hadn’t come here in this life, Catherine would have come here. And she would have run into these guys.

That’s how Catherine died in her past life. Which means Catherine fought these guys and lost.

Then why did Catherine fight them?

My slave has a competitive spirit, but she’s not a battle maniac who loves to fight. If she fought, it would have been to protect something related to Sephira.

What did she fight to protect?

Why did she fight here without running away or calling for reinforcements?

‘To protect the village.’

From these guys, of course.

And there’s only one thing that would warrant that.

‘The massacre of the territory residents.’

These guys must have been planning to carry out a massacre in Sephira village. Otherwise, Catherine wouldn’t have fought them to the death for no reason.

Then another question arose.

‘Why would they do such a thing?’

Even beasts and insects don’t do things that don’t benefit them.

Putting it the other way around, it means they did it because there was enough benefit.

‘There’s a secret in this village. A secret so important that the Baydant family would stake their lives on it.’

I’ve figured that much out.

Now, it’s time to listen to what this guy has to say.

“No need to drag it out. Let’s hear it now.”

“Very well. Our coming here was purely coincidental. As you can see from our attire, we’re in hunting gear. We came out for training and a bit of vacation hunting, but we got too excited and ended up crossing into Sephira’s territory. By the time we realized it, we were near the village. Although it was a coincidence, we can’t justify the intrusion. So we planned to stay in the village for a night and apologize at sunrise.”

Arbold’s story was both blatant and plausible.

“So, you’re saying you didn’t infiltrate with the intention of harming the Sephira family?”

“Yes.”

The answer was very clear.

What an idiot. He doesn’t even know what question I asked.

This confirms it.

These guys don’t have business with the Sephira family. They have business with this village.

Whether it’s treasure or something else, it has nothing to do with the Sephira family. Or they’re under the illusion that it doesn’t.

“I’ll turn myself in tomorrow morning. So just pretend you didn’t see us for now.”

“There’s a big difference between voluntarily confessing and being caught. We want to confess our mistakes ourselves. To do that, not just me, but my subordinates also need time to prepare themselves. It won’t end with just a light reprimand.”

“Hmm.”

Pretend to think about it for a bit.

I wondered if it was necessary to push further to get more information. If I dig deeper, they’ll definitely slip up—the problem is, these guys are willing to fight. They’re prepared to kill everyone to keep their secret.

Of course, fighting these guys is no big deal.

But, I’m also curious.

About the treasure they’re after.

If it’s a treasure that these guys, who are prepared for an all-out war with Sephira, are after, it must be at least on the level of the Demon Bow Amaranth.

‘If I torture them, will they spill it?’

They don’t seem like the type to talk under light torture.

But letting them go like this is also too vague? I don’t have any leads on the treasure.

After a brief moment of contemplation, I struck a balance between my greed and a dramatic resolution. Just one little push.

“Let’s make a clean deal, 70-30.”

I stood up first, letting my right hand hang naturally. Arbold also stood up and followed my lead.

“I’m not sure what you’re talking about. What are we splitting 70-30?”

“You’re not curious, are you? Why I came to this small, insignificant village.”

“……!”

Arbold was startled, and the kid behind him was also startled, giving me a look.

I signaled to Luke, who was about to say, ‘We’re here on a mission, Keter!’, to shut up and then delivered the final blow to Arbold.

“I came here knowing everything.”

* * *

Arbold made a mistake.

He looked away from Keter in front of him and glanced at his subordinates. This was practically a confession.

I have something to hide. I panicked.

There was no subordinate to correct him. Even Arbold, the calmest in the Silver Leopard Knight Order, was shaken, so how could his subordinates be any different?

The subordinates were so shaken that their eyelids were twitching. Yet, their hands gripping their spears were full of strength.

‘If things go south, we’ll kill them all.’

That was the original plan.

But it wasn’t their decision to make. It was Arbold’s, and he had to decide.

‘Dammit. Did we underestimate Sephira too much?’

Sephira also knows about the existence of the Birang Tribe. And they sent the Bloodline of Sephira to find them!

Arbold understood Keter’s words that way.

His assumption was reasonable. Keter’s words hit right at the core.

But there was something strange.

‘If they know, why are they trying to share? Why did only two come?’

After a series of self-questioning, Arbold arrived at one hypothesis and quickly reached a conclusion.

Arbold calmed his rough breathing and surveyed the situation again.

Keter was completely at ease, and his attendant knight, Luke, was more flustered than they were.

Arbold, with his sharpness, began to analyze the situation in a way that favored him.

“I’ve shown you a shameful sight, Prince Keter.”

“Did you erase the option of killing us to silence us from your mind?”

“I apologize, but it’s true that I had such thoughts. But as you said, it seems unnecessary now.”

“You’re quite sharp. You’ve figured it out, haven’t you?”

“Yes. Prince Keter. You are… a bastard.”

Arbold was triumphant, as if he had uncovered a great truth. Since Keter remained silent, he proudly explained his reasoning.

“I know quite a bit about the Sephira family. Lord Basil has five sons under him. Among them, there is no son named Keter. Ah, of course, that doesn’t mean you’re not of Lord Basil’s bloodline. But you’re not the legitimate heir. If you were, there would be no reason to hide it from the public. In other words, you’re a bastard.”

Clap, clap!

Keter clapped instead of answering.

Arbold, delighted, didn’t even notice his voice getting louder.

“Prince Keter, you must have recently joined the Sephira family. Naturally, your standing would be weak. In the midst of that, you accidentally discovered a secret. Normally, you would report it to the Lord, but you must have thought differently. ‘It would be better to monopolize it.’”

Keter didn’t ask what the secret was. That’s something only the lowest of the low would do.

Instead, he endlessly praised Arbold.

“As expected of the Baydant family. Is it okay for such talent to just wander around like this? How about working under me? I’ll give you everything you want.”

At the third-rate villainous line, Arbold’s subconscious evaluation of Keter changed.

‘He’s a noble young master who doesn’t know the ways of the world.’

His arrogant and rough behavior supported that.

Arbold, now thoroughly mistaken about Keter, shook his head with a relaxed smile.

“I’ll have to decline. But I’ll accept your previous proposal. However, there’s a condition.”

“I think I’ve already made a lot of concessions.”

“I’m not asking to adjust the ratio. In fact, I’ll give you 80-20. But in return, we’ll handle their safety, and we’ll also deliver the payment directly.”

“Just talking about ratios isn’t giving me a clear picture. Let’s settle it here. How much can you give me?”

“Strictly speaking, you were probably only expecting a reward for the tip. Even unofficially, anything more than that would be impossible, as you well know. If 80% of the reward is 8,000 gold, but if you promise to completely stay out of this matter, we’ll give you five times the full amount.”

“So how much exactly?”

“You’re very thorough. You really want to hear it from my mouth. Very well, I’ll tell you. 50,000 gold.”

At Arbold’s words, it wasn’t Keter but Luke who opened his mouth wide.

“…50,000 gold?”

An astronomical amount that could make you rich in an instant. Enough to make even a noble bow down.

But Keter spoke in a nonchalant tone.

“How do you plan to give such a large sum? You’re just planning to make a promise and then shut your mouth, aren’t you? It’s too obvious.”

“The Baydant family isn’t as poor as Sephira.”

“Nor as honest as Sephira.”

“You want a guarantee or a certificate, is that it?”

“Through a legitimate route unrelated to this matter.”

“Hmm.”

“Why hesitate? If you really planned to give it, there’d be no need to hesitate.”

“…….”

Arbold bit his lower lip and rolled his eyes.

It looked more like genuine contemplation than an attempt to deceive Keter. Keter, knowing this, gave him time to think.

“Prince Keter. To be honest, I’m not the decision-maker.”

“I know. Bring him here.”

“Will you wait?”

“Ten minutes. I can’t wait any longer than that.”

“Yes, I’ll be right back. Ah, before that……”

Arbold raised his head. His gaze was directed at the village chief, visible through the gap in the second-floor railing.

“Gasp!”

The village chief hurriedly ducked, but it was too late to avoid being seen. Arbold pointed his spear at the railing and said.

“That person has heard too much. It’s a shame, but it’s best to deal with him.”

Swish.

Arbold gestured to his subordinates.

They weren’t knights who upheld chivalry. They were just tools for the elders of the Moon Beast Tribe. They felt no guilt about killing powerless civilians.

The village chief, though hiding, realized he was in mortal danger.

“Wait. I’ll do it.”

That’s when it happened.

Keter climbed the stairs to the second floor before Arbold’s subordinates could.

“……?’”

Arbold looked puzzled, and Luke, horrified, tried to stop Keter.

“Keter. You’re not thinking of…?! No!”

Luke tried to follow Keter to stop him, but Arbold stepped forward to block him.

He had realized what Keter was planning to do.