Chapter 59

Chapter 59. Are You Planning to Run Away After Death? (4)

Catherine, the Rose of Sephira.

What would change with her appearance? Did she bring any evidence?

No.

She simply called out one name.

“Elder Panir!”

And then she fell silent again. She just stared at Panir with her moist eyes.

A question arose in everyone’s minds. They wanted to voice it. Why did she come here? How did she get here?

That was all. Their thoughts about her presence here.

But Panir was different.

All the members of Sephira respected and feared him, but they did not love him. He never sought love in the first place. Love and respect are emotions that cannot coexist.

But Catherine was different.

She respected and feared him, yet she loved him. It wasn’t romantic love. It was more like familial love.

She was always happy to see him, and she would greet him whenever she visited. She worried if he caught a cold when it was cold, and she always shared her happy moments with him.

To Panir, Catherine was like a daughter.

He didn’t adopt her officially because he was worried that excessive attention from outsiders might harm her. That’s how much Panir cherished Catherine.

And now, Catherine was looking at him.

Standing beside Keter, of all people.

‘Catherine, don’t stand beside that damned lunatic!’

His hatred for Keter grew even more. But at least his determination to self-destruct here and now melted away like snow.

“…This is ridiculous.”

Panir finally spoke.

He alternated his gaze between Keter and Subid.

“Subid and I have no bad blood. There’s nothing to suspect.”

Subid’s lips curled up.

Just as he was about to speak in agreement, Panir continued.

“But Basil and I do have bad blood. The Chief Steward’s attempt to frame me must be because of that.”

“…!”

“Elder Panir. What are you saying? How could a former elder and judge of Sephira commit perjury!”

Despite Subid’s outcry, Panir didn’t stop.

“You all have ears, so you must have heard. You have eyes, so you must have seen. My constant conflicts with Basil. That’s true. I dislike the current head. The head and I have vastly different goals.”

It was a shocking statement, but no one reacted much. It was no secret that he harbored ill feelings toward the head.

“Basil left me alone. I don’t know why. But to the Chief Steward, I must have been a thorn in his side. He couldn’t have liked me constantly picking fights and not listening to the head. He must have wanted to get rid of me. For the head. For the unity of House Sephira…!”

Panir looked at the fallen head.

“Basil probably didn’t know. He wouldn’t have allowed it. Because he’s Basil.”

No one could disagree with Panir’s words.

Panir looked at Subid. Their eyes met in the air.

“The Chief Steward tried to use Basil to strip me of my power. For the unity of Sephira. That’s the full story of this incident.”

“Evidence…!”

“There can’t be any evidence. You orchestrated this.”

Subid’s mouth shut. The words, both a compliment and an attack, left him speechless.

Then, Keter stepped forward.

“There is evidence.”

“…!?”

“Didn’t I say earlier? Hulan here admitted to poisoning the soup. She even said she smashed the medicine bottle and threw it in the trash. We retrieved the broken pieces from the trash and reassembled them. Then we used magic to extract fingerprints.”

“How can you reassemble shattered glass?”

At Gasilious’s remark, Keter shrugged as if it were no big deal.

“In the underworld, there are experts for everything. Even powdered glass can be restored.”

Gasilious nodded and approached Subid.

“Chief Steward. You said it yourself. Given the circumstances, Elder Panir is the culprit, so arrest him. I have no choice but to return those words to you. Given the circumstances, I will arrest you as the perpetrator.”

“You’ll regret this. Not trusting me, who has served House Sephira for centuries, who has served two heads!”

Thud!

Gasilious’s finger struck the back of Subid’s neck. Subid was strong, but he was no match for a master like Gasilious.

As Subid slumped, Gasilious sighed and said,

“Take Chief Steward Subid to prison. I will personally escort the head to the treatment room.”

The knights, who had been frozen, began to move again. Amid the bustle, Panir approached Keter.

“You didn’t run away. You’ve got some nerve.”

As Panir spoke with a suppressed killing intent, Keter smirked.

“Thanks to that, life is easier.”

Panir couldn’t help but acknowledge it. Even a seasoned 2-Star Knight would kneel before his killing intent, yet Keter maintained his composure.

“You’re far from ordinary, Keter. What exactly are you?”

“Oh, you still don’t know?”

Keter took out a business card from his pocket.

“I’m just a great solver.”

* * *

As Panir’s mansion was being tidied up,

Panir and Keter moved to the study.

“Stay away from Catherine.”

“Someone might misunderstand. Catherine was the one who reached out first.”

“I’ll introduce you to a more beautiful partner. A much more beautiful woman. So let her go.”

“Beautiful women are profitable, but they’re hard to handle. I prefer money that doesn’t talk.”

“Now you show your true colors. How much do you want?”

“How much do you have?”

“I’ll give you 10,000 gold.”

“Is that the value you place on Catherine? Just 10,000? Catherine would be sad to hear that.”

“Catherine isn’t a materialistic person like you.”

“I’m materialistic, so I can convert everything into money. Catherine swore to become my slave. Thanks to you. Do you think 10,000 is enough to break that oath?”

Keter was needling Panir. Panir knew his scheme but couldn’t help getting angry.

“If you wanted to make me angry, you’ve done a great job. As a reward, I could kill you right now.”

“You won’t kill me.”

“You…!”

“If you want to tear me apart, feel free. But if you’re not going to, let’s settle the accounts first.”

“Settle the accounts?”

“Why are you acting like this? I helped you, didn’t I? From the Chief Steward’s vile plot. Surely you’re not planning to just say thank you and leave it at that?”

“Hah…!”

Panir seriously considered killing Keter. Even if he didn’t go that far, he wanted to hit him a few times.

“What makes you so bold?”

Keter pointed at himself in response.

Panir had nothing more to say. He had lived for decades, but he had never seen anyone as self-assured as Keter. It was almost fanatical.

“You’re a crazy lunatic.”

“Please settle the accounts with the crazy lunatic.”

“Fine. I’ll give you 10,000 gold.”

“Ah, I don’t need money.”

A vein popped on Panir’s forehead. Earlier, he said money was everything, and now he didn’t need it.

“You really…!”

“Instead of money, just grant me one request.”

“Not a chance. Take the money. I don’t want to be involved with you anymore!”

“Still, we’re family, so we understand each other. I don’t want to stick around with you either. So let’s just settle it with one request.”

“It’s obvious you’re going to make an outrageous request. Go ahead, say it.”

“I want you to introduce me to an Upper Noble who isn’t participating in the Southern Sword Tournament.”

“……”

Truly unpredictable.

Panir thought Keter’s request would be obvious. He expected Keter to ask for help in becoming an official member of Sephira.

But instead, he asked for an introduction to an Upper Noble. And from a family not participating in the Southern Sword!

“Keter. Are you planning to participate in the Southern Sword Tournament?”

“That’s the plan.”

“Ha, haha! Ahahaha!”

Keter winced at Panir’s uproarious laughter.

“Your humor circuit must be broken.”

“So that’s what it was. That’s why you helped me? Impressive, Keter!”

Though retired, Panir was a former high court judge and currently a consultant. He had put down his gavel long ago, but his authority remained.

Over decades of rulings, he had connections with many nobles. Many nobles owed him favors for fair rulings, or rather, rulings that served their needs.

If Panir asked, there were quite a few nobles who would gladly help.

“Who would sponsor a thug from the lawless city, a bastard like you? Even if you offered a million gold, they’d refuse. But if I arrange it, it’s a different story. There must be Upper Nobles who owe me favors. That’s what you thought, Keter.”

“Ah, well… let’s say that.”

Not at all.

Keter only got involved in visible ‘incidents’ for fun and profit. The other party just interpreted his motives as they pleased.

Keter had faced such misunderstandings countless times in Ruquer.

At first, he tried to explain it was a coincidence, but no one believed him, so he eventually gave up.

Helping Panir this time was just a byproduct of the outcome.

Of course, when it came to how to get rewarded for helping, his mind worked exceptionally fast.

“Fine, I’ll introduce you. But! Even if you don’t participate in the Southern Sword Tournament, I will have fulfilled your request.”

“The tournament is in three months, so you need to find someone within a month.”

“Alright. I’ll definitely find someone within a month. But how do you plan to get a recommendation from the former Southern Sword and become a Diamond Class in three months?”

“I’ll manage, work hard.”

“Good. This settles our debt. Get lost. I don’t want to see your face again.”

“What are you talking about? You need to sign this contract.”

Keter took out a contract and a fountain pen from his pocket. It was the same contract he had given to Jordic. A contract that could not be forged.

Panir frowned.

“Don’t you trust me now?”

“Do you trust me, old man?”

Panir scribbled on the contract with a sharp look and threw it at Keter.

Keter unfolded the crumpled contract, checked it, and nodded.

“Your handwriting is terrible.”

“Once the misunderstanding between me and Basil is cleared, I will take Catherine away.”

“Do that. If you can.”

“Next time you see me, call me old man again. Your pretty face will be smashed.”

“Understood, old man. You said next time, so it’s fine now, right? Old man.”

“Get lost!”

Panir threw a book at Keter, who calmly caught it and left the study.

“……”

Panir stared at the closed door for a long time.

He couldn’t believe it.

“…How did he catch that?”

It wasn’t a playful throw.

He had infused it with aura. He had even designed it to explode upon impact.

Yet Keter caught it effortlessly.

“…He’s not just some common opportunist or swindler.”

Panir completely revised his assessment of Keter. From a crazy lunatic to a capable lunatic.

Keter, leaving Panir’s mansion, didn’t return to his quarters.

He had had his fun, but it was still 2% short. The handling of Chief Steward Subid, the mastermind behind the poisoning, was sloppy.

So he went to the prison where Subid was held.

His crime was attempted assassination of the head, a serious offense, but given his status, he wasn’t placed in a harsh prison.

He was confined in a relatively bedroom-like atmosphere, with a window and no bars.

There were no guards at the door. There was no reason to publicize this incident and lower morale, and a thick lock replaced the guards.

Keter easily picked the lock and entered, looking at Subid, who was sound asleep on the bed.

“The sun’s not even up yet, and you’re already asleep.”

Keter forced Subid awake by channeling aura into his body.

“Gah!”

Subid, who had been knocked out, woke up to sharp pain. The first thing he saw was a fist.

“Guh!?”

Subid fell helplessly from the unexpected punch. Keter roughly grabbed his collar and pulled him up.

“Answer well from now on. Depending on your answers, I can be a devil or an angel.”