Chapter 119

Chapter 119. I’m Here (3)

I’m disappointed, really disappointed.

You still don’t trust me?

Even if I offer it for free, you’re suspicious first. How capable. As expected of a prestigious family. If I don’t explain, it seems like you really won’t accept it.

“It’s because I need it, I need it.”

“So, there’s something you need again. Don’t beat around the bush, just say it quickly.”

Old Man Panir speaks as if he expected this. Well, he’s the kind of old man who doesn’t know how to say things nicely.

“Sephira needs the Lord and the elders. I know you’re working tirelessly even now. It’s like pouring water into a bottomless pit, so it’s not noticeable. But, you’re all so old, aren’t you? I’m worried you might collapse at any moment. Look at you now.”

Wait, why are you looking at me like that? I’m not done yet.

“Elder Leganon looks like he’ll fly away with just a gust of wind, and Elder Panir was sweating after just a short fight. Father, the dark circles under your eyes will reach your knees soon. How can I not worry?”

Mail looks at me with a ‘What about me?’ expression. You’re just that.

“Brother Mail is a bonus. It’d be unfair if you were the only one who didn’t get it.”

The ability of sorcery is more difficult to learn than magic. It requires not only talent but also patience. That’s why, compared to sorcery, magic is relatively easier to learn.

Isn’t this a convincing enough reason? Yet, they still look at me with suspicion. They’re practically eating me with their eyes.

Well, I didn’t want to say this much, but…

“I’m also grateful. I know. The things I’ve done so far would have been impossible in any other noble family. They would have foamed at the mouth, tried to restrict my actions, and opposed me. But Father, you trusted me as promised. Especially teaching Anis and Taragon, I thought there would be a lot of talk.”

“In learning, there is no hierarchy.”

Elder Leganon chimes in. His attitude towards me has changed significantly, and I no longer feel any discomfort.

“Most importantly, I’m not such a bad guy that I would take the elders’ hard-earned savings like a squirrel hoarding acorns.”

“Hehe, a squirrel. Even your metaphors are amusing.”

Elder Leganon laughs at whatever I say. Did his laughter circuit break after that?

“I don’t like being treated like a pauper.”

“Fine. If you don’t want to take it for free, then pay for it. I’ll take 250,000 gold.”

Only when I mentioned taking money did Panir quickly reach out and grab a rejuvenation pill.

Following him, Father and Elder Leganon also quietly took rejuvenation pills. Finally, Mail took a Shenchuan pill.

Seriously. Is it this hard to give out elixirs for free?

There’s no trick.

I’m giving them as a reward because I’m grateful and they’ve done well.

And I’m not the kind of stingy person who just says thank you and leaves it at that. If you’re grateful, isn’t it natural to repay?

Besides, while rejuvenation pills cost 500,000 gold outside, in Ruquer, you can get them for 50,000 gold.

Elixirs that only work on the elderly aren’t popular in Ruquer. Everyone dies before they get old.

“You won’t come back later and demand repayment for this favor, will you?”

Old Man Panir keeps pressing. He’s like this with everyone, not just me, so I let it slide.

“I won’t say anything stingy like that, but I’d like to hear a thank you, even if it’s just lip service.”

“…Thank you. I’ll enjoy it.”

Anyway, even if I wanted to hate them, I can’t. They’re really showing their gratitude.

Elder Leganon and Father also thanked me. Finally, Brother Mail too. I didn’t prepare this to hear those words, but it feels good to hear them.

“Do you have anything else to say?”

At Father’s words, I nodded.

What else is there to say? No news is good news, and Sephira is running smoothly for now.

I laid the foundation, but the roles of Father and the family members who trusted me to shine were also significant.

The unique atmosphere of Sephira, which doesn’t get arrogant even when things are going well, also plays a part.

“No.”

“I’ll ask a few things. How far do you plan to go in the Southern Sword Tournament?”

Well, that’s an obvious question.

“First place. I’ll become the Southern Sword, no, the Southern Bow.”

“Your confidence is good to see. But, first place isn’t always beneficial. All eyes will be on you. Can you handle that? You and our Sephira.”

Not just Father, but Leganon seems to think the same. He looks at me with a serious expression.

I know what they’re worried about.

They’re hinting that showing too much at once might not be good, and maybe second place would be better.

“Didn’t we decide to stop being ambiguous? If you’re going to strike after holding back, you should hit as hard as possible, not go easy.”

“Haha! I like what you’re saying. Yes, that’s right. If you’re going to hit, hit hard!”

Panir backs me up. It’s times like these when we understand each other.

Originally, I left politics to Father, but since we’ve started, I might as well finish.

“Don’t worry about the troublemakers. I’ll crush them all. Sephira isn’t just full of gentlemen; we have our share of lunatics too.”

At my words, Father bursts into laughter.

“Hoho, it’s worrying, but also reassuring.”

“Basil. I agree with Keter’s will, but you’re not planning to pass the family’s fate entirely to this child who hasn’t even had his coming-of-age ceremony, are you?”

At Panir’s words, Father shakes his head.

“No. I only trust and support Keter’s intention to work for the family. As a parent, as the Lord, if I can’t trust him, who will dedicate themselves to Sephira?”

“Hmm, I asked because you seem particularly soft on Keter.”

“I cherish all my children equally. But Keter seems to live with his heart outside his body, so he’s more noticeable and worrying.”

“That’s like you. Tsk.”

“Keter, since we’re talking about the coming-of-age ceremony, do you know your birthday?”

I shrugged. No matter how good my memory is, I can’t remember the moment I was born.

“If it’s okay with you, let’s make it January 1st. For Sephira and for you, as a new beginning.”

“I like it. January 1st.”

If it were an ambiguous date, maybe not. But January 1st is easy to remember and just right.

“There’s about a month left until the tournament. We’ll leave early to secure our spot, so Keter, you should prepare in advance.”

I nodded roughly. I’m always ready, after all.

* * *

After the family meeting, a period of downtime arrived.

Anis and Taragon, who were confirmed to participate in the tournament, continued their training in their own ways even after finishing their training with Keter.

On the other hand, Keter spent his days lazily. After a hearty breakfast, he napped under the warm sun, played with Jjokjjok, whom he brought from Ruquer, in the afternoon, and taught Catherine demon archery, a magic-based archery technique, in the evening.

Catherine absorbed the demon archery, which operates through manifestation magic, like a sponge. She was naturally intelligent and open-minded, making her talented in magic.

Nine days passed.

From dawn, a group of people moved busily. The 5th Division of the Lunar Knight Order lined up in the garden with horses and carriages.

Shortly after, five people gathered in front of the carriage. Keter and Catherine in light attire, and the fully armed trio of Mail, Anis, and Taragon.

“Keter, why did you bring Lady Catherine?”

At the question from Mail, who was chosen as the leader of this journey, Keter put his arm around Catherine’s shoulder and said.

“We can’t let Sephira’s image be just a bunch of dull men.”

“Huh? Was that my role? You said you’d teach me more demon archery.”

Catherine, who had followed, was surprised.

Keter released her shoulder and opened the carriage door.

“It’s a bonus. You should show off what’s cool and beautiful, why hide it? Right?”

As if to show that no answer was needed, Keter boarded the carriage first.

Catherine looked awkwardly at Mail. Either way, Catherine also wanted to see the Southern Sword Tournament privately.

“If a capable knight like Lady Catherine is coming along, I welcome it.”

It wasn’t just lip service. Everyone in Sephira knew Catherine was capable, and Mail especially liked her.

She showed meticulousness in her work, not missing even the smallest details.

Catherine bowed her head brightly in gratitude.

“Hehe, thank you.”

The carriage was large enough for eight people, so five could ride comfortably.

The group boarded the carriage in order of age. The 5th Division Leader of the Lunar Knight Order closed the carriage door and spoke through the window.

“I am Didos, the 5th Division Leader of the Lunar Knight Order, responsible for escorting this journey. Our destination is the direct territory of Lord Eslow, where the Southern Sword Tournament will be held. We aim to arrive by 2 PM without any stops or breaks. Prince Mail, if there are no issues, may we depart?”

Although he had already checked once, Mail looked over the group’s condition again. Everyone had a mix of tension and anticipation, except for Keter, who was half-lying down and yawning lazily.

He also checked the condition of the Lunar Knight Order members outside the carriage through the window. Two coachmen, four vanguards, three rearguards. Including the leader Didos, all ten were accounted for.

No one came to see them off. To avoid the nobles who were likely to cause trouble, the departure schedule was kept strictly secret.

“Let’s go.”

At Mail’s words, Didos gave the signal to depart. The sound of the whip cracked, and the carriage began to move.

Catherine started practicing the ‘manifestation magic’ she learned from Keter, Anis meditated, and Taragon checked his equipment.

Mail opened a thick book. It was a book containing maps and history of Lord Eslow’s direct territory. He started reading from the middle, as if he had been reading it before.

And Keter was leaning against the window, looking outside. Mail glanced at him and smiled.

‘Keter must be seeing a big city for the first time too. At times like this, he seems like a younger brother.’

In reality, Keter was just sleeping while catching the breeze, but Mail, as the group’s representative, felt even more responsible.

* * *

From a high window, two people watched the gradually disappearing carriage. Lord Basil and Steward Subid.

“Are you worried?”

At Subid’s question, Basil smiled faintly.

“I’m always worried. I prepare every day, but it’s hard to hide the worry that something might happen to my child.”

“There might be problems, but I believe they’ll overcome them. Prince Mail is wise and strong in improvisation, so he’ll lead the group well. And the experienced Sir Didos will surely protect the princes no matter what happens.”

“Hmm.”

Basil nodded in agreement and looked up at the sky.

Keter had declared that he would become the Southern Sword.

Basil couldn’t just stand by. As he told Panir, he had no intention of passing the family’s fate entirely to Keter.

“Steward. Have you heard of Sephira’s guardian?”

“…Yes.”

“Is it true? The legend that there’s a guardian who protects Sephira from the shadows.”

“It’s all true.”

Basil had never seen it, but Subid had. It was a long time ago, but it left a strong, unforgettable impression.

“Is he in the sanctuary?”

Sephira’s sanctuary.

It’s the place where the first Lord planted the ‘Sacred Tree.’ It’s also close to the tombs of Sephira’s past Lords.

“His name is Endymion, and he’s said to be in the sanctuary, but I’m not sure if you can meet him. Why do you want to meet him?”

“I’ve been curious about something, and I think only he would know.”

Basil had long felt a sense of incongruity. It was about the secret archery technique passed down in Sephira, the Zodiac Twelve Bows.

“The Zodiac Twelve Bows has a flaw. Something is missing. I’ve tried to uncover its secret, but from a human perspective, it’s impossible to reach.”

Even with its flaw, the Zodiac Twelve Bows is an incredibly advanced technique. But Basil wanted to grasp its greater potential.

Because he had ambition.

Because he had a reason to grow stronger.

To adapt to the times, he had to start evolving, even if it meant taking risks.

“I must uncover the secret of the Zodiac Twelve Bows.”

In his past life, Keter realized the Zodiac Twelve Bows was an incomplete technique. So, he created his own archery technique, ‘Celestial Infinity Technique,’ inspired by it.

But that was possible because it was Keter.

As Sephira’s Lord, Basil couldn’t easily abandon the Zodiac Twelve Bows. No, there was no reason to abandon it. It was the foundation of Sephira.

Feeling Basil’s determination, Subid brought his coat and said.

“I’ll escort you to the sanctuary.”

And so, Basil headed to the sanctuary to uncover the secret of the Zodiac Twelve Bows—

And small cracks began to form in the thick causality of doom that had engulfed Sephira.