Chapter 124

Episode 124. Powerless Convictions Are Meaningless (3)

When faced with a situation that flows smoothly, Keter can’t help but feel an itch in his body.

This was exactly that kind of situation.

On the way to join the party after examining Lyze, the youngest son of Lord Eslow of the Southern Region, Keter was walking down the corridor with the 47th Butler, feeling unbearable boredom.

‘If I go back to them like this, Anis and Taragon will probably suggest practicing for the tournament together. I want to tour the palace, so I’ll ignore them. This guy sticking to my side will follow me around, saying he’ll guide me. Then I’ll have to walk slowly at this guy’s painfully slow pace, and wherever I go, he’ll introduce me, right? “This is an honored guest from Sephira.” Then the other person will say, “Ah, I see. I’m so-and-so from such-and-such place. Nice to meet you.”‘

Touring the palace smoothly and being introduced to others.

This isn’t bad at all. Expanding and building connections is an essential process, almost like a rite of passage for nobles.

However, for Keter, it was torture, something that twisted his entire body. The constraints of not being able to act as he wished, under someone’s watchful eye and protection.

Just imagining it made Keter shudder.

So, he acted out.

The 47th Butler, who had been walking along just fine, suddenly slumped like a puppet with its strings cut. As they passed through the hall supported by giant statues, in a blind spot without the soldiers’ surveillance, Keter pressed a pressure point between the butler’s arm and shoulder.

Pressure Point Technique. This technique, often used by Keter in medical practices, is also excellent for instantly knocking someone out.

After hiding the unconscious 47th Butler behind a pillar, Keter immediately shouted to the soldiers guarding the corridor, as if wanting them to hear.

“Is anyone there? The 47th Butler has suddenly collapsed! Please help!”

Two nearby soldiers approached Keter. Keter tapped the butler’s cheek and said, “He’s not regaining consciousness. His pulse is unstable, so it must be acute heart failure. You, go call a doctor.”

The soldier, who didn’t understand medical terms, was fooled by Keter’s convincing words and ran off with a serious expression.

Keter gestured for the other soldier to sit and said, “We need to perform CPR. I’ll do it, so please support the back of the butler’s neck.”

“Understood.”

The moment the soldier put down his weapon and removed his helmet without suspicion, Keter’s fingers struck the defenseless soldier’s neck.

In the blink of an eye, Keter knocked out the soldier and acted swiftly. It wouldn’t take more than a minute for the first soldier to return.

After changing clothes with the soldier and putting on the helmet, Keter adjusted his posture. He mimicked the soldiers’ grip and gait he had observed on the way.

In just over a minute, Keter successfully disguised himself as a soldier and slipped out of the corridor, disappearing without a trace.

When the soldier returned with the doctor, Keter was nowhere to be found, and the soldier was stunned to see his comrade collapsed.

Who could have expected that a direct descendant from the prestigious Sephira family would steal a soldier’s uniform and disappear?

An immediate search was conducted, but Keter’s whereabouts remained a mystery. He left no trace and vanished without a clue as to where he went.

This news reached the ears of the palace’s owner, Lord Eslow.

* * *

“Keter suddenly disappeared? Heh, was he seeking my attention?”

Lord Eslow, with a tobacco pipe in his mouth, put down the report. It was a report detailing Sephira’s activities over the past year.

The 97th Butler standing before him continued the report.

“Sir Jeffrey went to Prince Mail to confirm if this was a planned action by Sephira, but they said no. They were also unaware of Keter’s disappearance.”

“Sephira wouldn’t dare provoke me. They’re not that foolish. It must be Keter’s own doing.”

“We are currently conducting a search from the outside in.”

“Leave it be. Whatever he’s hiding for, as long as the Sephira family is under my control, he can’t do anything reckless.”

Eslow judged that Keter was acting out to seek his ‘attention.’

Having lived for 200 years, Eslow had encountered people like Keter before. Those who couldn’t gain attention through proper means and resorted to eccentric actions to draw it.

‘He must have thought that just treating Lyze wouldn’t be enough to catch my eye. He wanted to show off his stealth skills, huh? Keter. Pretending to be unique. In the end, you’re just like any other noble.’

If Eslow knew that Keter had disappeared simply because he was ‘bored,’ he would have praised him as a madman.

However, Eslow, who couldn’t imagine Keter doing something so reckless with so much to lose, simply thought of Keter as an attention-seeker and let his guard down.

‘Once he treats Lyze, I’ll have to coax and threaten him to keep him by my side.’

What does it mean to crave attention?

It means to desire power.

Eslow, who had initially given Keter high praise for his boldness, now downgraded him to ‘easy to manipulate.’

“Is Henya still holed up in her room?”

Having lost interest in Keter, Eslow inquired about his daughter, Henya.

“Yes. Princess Henya returned around 4:30 PM yesterday and went straight to her quarters, where she has remained since.”

“Tsk, she’s probably reading strategy books again. I miss the days when she acted like a girl.”

Eslow didn’t force fate upon his children. He gave them the freedom to do as they pleased and live as they wanted.

As Eslow wished, his children enjoyed irresponsible freedom.

His eldest son became a sculptor, and his second son lived a life of indulgence without learning anything.

His third daughter, Henya, learned swordsmanship and became a knight. No one forced or urged her to do so.

True to being the child of Eslow, known as the Weapon Master, Henya was a genius in swordsmanship. In just five years of learning, she created her own ‘signature technique,’ and within ten years, she became a 5-Star Master.

At that time, Henya went to Eslow and said, “Father, please allow me to establish a branch family.”

“Call me ‘Daddy’ and kiss my cheek, and I’ll allow it.”

“No.”

“Then I won’t allow it.”

“The swordsmanship I’ve learned is based on yours, but it’s a new swordsmanship that doesn’t exist in this world. Isn’t that qualification enough?”

“Just becoming a Master and you’re showing off? No. Become a Grandmaster. Then I’ll allow you to establish a branch family.”

“Becoming a Grandmaster is just a matter of time. So, please allow it now.”

“What’s the rush? If you’re in a hurry, call me ‘Daddy’ and kiss my cheek.”

“How about this? I’ll participate in the upcoming Southern Sword Tournament. If I become the Southern Sword, will you acknowledge me?”

“Hmm…”

Eslow couldn’t understand why Henya wanted to establish her own family so badly. Still, he had no reason to refuse, so he nodded.

“Fine. If you become the Southern Sword, I’ll allow your independence. However, you won’t be participating as my daughter.”

“That’s what I wanted too.”

Eslow ended his brief contemplation and blew out a puff of smoke.

Seeing Eslow lost in reminiscence with a distant expression, the 97th Butler cautiously suggested, “If you give the order, I will go to Princess Henya and convey your words.”

At the butler’s words, Eslow smiled with his eyes and said, “Are you giving me advice now?”

“N-no, I just wanted to ease your worries.”

“Don’t presume to understand my thoughts. How presumptuous.”

“I apologize. I won’t do it again.”

“Hoo- There won’t be a next time to apologize.”

“Huh?”

That was the 97th Butler’s last words. The smoke from Eslow’s pipe brushed past his neck.

Thud.

The 97th Butler’s head was separated from his body.

The servants naturally cleaned up the corpse, and five minutes later, a new butler stood by Eslow’s side. The number ’97’ was sewn onto his shoulder.

* * *

Free from surveillance, Keter moved around in stealth.

The security was extremely tight, but that only satisfied Keter more.

A large, complex structure with tight security. Eslow’s palace was a place full of adventurous fun.

While the corridors were heavily guarded, the rooms inside were often empty.

“What’s this place?”

It was a room filled with weapons scattered everywhere, like a graveyard for weapons.

-Save… me.

-I am, I am, I am. Who am I?

A sinister whisper came from somewhere, and a sticky aura swept over Keter’s entire body.

“What is this? Just a regular cursed space.”

As Keter closed the door and came out, a helmeted soldier walked towards him.

The helmeted soldier, whose eyes met Keter’s, spoke in a split voice.

-That body… give it to me!

The helmeted soldier, with red light flashing in his eyes, spread his arms and charged at Keter. It wasn’t the gaze of a living being.

Crunch!

Keter’s punch landed squarely on the helmeted soldier’s face, causing it to cave in.

The helmeted soldier, clutching his face, ran away crying.

-It hurts… I hate you…

“This place is fun. There’s a lot to enjoy. What else is there?”

As Keter looked around, a shiny coin caught his eye. It was a silver coin.

“A silver coin in a place like this?”

As Keter bent down to pick it up, shadowy fangs opened wide behind his back.

“-As if I’d fall for that.”

Thud!

A finger infused with aura pierced through the silver coin. The shadowy fangs behind Keter disappeared with a puff.

“What else is there?”

Like a child waiting for the next act at a circus, Keter anticipated what would happen next, but no further strange phenomena occurred.

After wandering around for a while, Keter stopped at a scent that brushed his nose.

“It smells like expensive alcohol.”

Finding the wine cellar, Keter boldly infiltrated during the brief moment when the soldiers were changing shifts.

“Wow, this is Château de Sangréal.”

True to being the ruler of the most powerful nation, the stored wines were all precious. Wines worth a mansion each were densely displayed.

“Deep Forest of Fedelouze, Lunesque Silvermist, Radiant Sunset! They have everything.”

Like a cat passing by fish, Keter unhesitatingly opened and tasted each one. He also visited the nearby cheese aging room for snacks.

“Food tastes best as a midnight snack, especially when eaten secretly.”

After quenching his thirst, Keter roamed the castle again. Eventually, he stopped at a secluded spot.

“What’s this place?”

Judging by its appearance and location, it was clearly a room where someone lived. But there were no guards around. Instead, the security was thorough.

There were two locks on the door, and the carpet in front of the door had a magic spell that would sound an alarm if weight was detected.

It was too remote to be a servant’s quarters, and there was no sign of life. Tight security but no guards.

Who could be living here? It piqued Keter’s curiosity.

“There’s a smell of sweat and earth. And this… the footprints on the floor are very faint. Consciously moving lightly, so it must be a high-level knight.”

Based on the faint traces in the air, Keter began to deduce who might be living inside.

“I can’t tell if it’s a man or a woman. The door style is neutral. If it’s neutral, it’s more likely to be a woman. But a woman living in such a room couldn’t be Eslow’s wife or concubine. A daughter, perhaps?”

Keter stood in front of the door.

Stepping on the carpet should trigger the weight detection and sound the alarm, but it didn’t. Because Keter had created a mana platform to float in the air.

Keter pressed his ear against the door and muttered, “No signs of life. Come out, master key.”

Keter took out the master key, a wire, from his pocket.

This wire, which had even opened locks made by Vulkanus, the master blacksmith of Sephira, was no ordinary wire.

One of the Seven Tools of the Grand Thief Shade. It was a precious item made of liquid metal that could change shape when mana was infused, and it had magnetic properties.

When inserted into a lock, it automatically changed shape into a key, so it was rightly called a master key.

Click.

Even the lord’s palace was no exception. The locks opened easily. After disassembling the two locks, Keter didn’t hastily open the door but observed the movements.

“Someone this serious about security might have traps.”

For example, traps that activate when the handle is grabbed or when the door is opened are the most common and deadly.

“Hmm, there’s a mechanism, but it’s not a trap.”

A piece of paper was wedged between the door and the floor. It was high-quality but not a special magical paper.

“It seems to be for checking if someone entered while they were away. Is it puberty? Or are they learning black magic?”

One thing was certain: whoever lived here wanted to hide something. That’s why they didn’t have guards and only focused on security.

“Hehehe. What are you hiding? Let me know too.”

The more something is hidden, the more one wants to expose it. There were no signs of life inside, but Keter opened the door without making a sound.

“Hmm. Not a girl’s room? Why is it so bleak?”

What Keter saw upon entering the room was an excessively simple and dull room.

No decorations, no carpets. This wasn’t just simplicity; it was almost as if the person had an allergy to furniture.

The room was large and tall, but with no furniture, there seemed to be no place to hide anything.

“Nothing here, -as if.”

Keter pressed his palm against the wall and began to examine it carefully. Soon, he found a clue in the room filled with armor and smiled.

He discovered an artificially empty space among the densely packed armor. Meaning, there was a secret space on the other side of this wall.

“I sense life.”

There was someone in the secret space.

Surely, it must be the owner of this room.

“What’s the secret? Black magic? It must be black magic, right?”

Although the Lilian Kingdom is sensitive to magic, they’re not that strict. Many nobles learn magic as a hobby, and there’s even a magic corps.

However, when it comes to black magic and blood magic, even nobles are punished without exception.

“Found it.”

Keter found the mechanism to open the secret passage and opened it without a second thought.

With a clunk, the space opened to the sides, revealing… not a dull gray wallpaper or a damp space.

It was pink.

Pink wallpaper with cute animal figurines. Beautiful and vibrant potted plants. On one side, women’s dresses and clothes were neatly hung.

And as Keter expected, there was a person.

A woman in a sky-blue dress that revealed her thighs and legs, standing in front of a full-length mirror. Her face was clumsily made up, but she was still beautiful.

Tall and slender with long, deep crimson hair and emerald-green eyes, she was Henya, Eslow’s esteemed daughter, known in the world as the ‘Witch of the Sword.’

“Uh, uh?”

Henya pointed at Keter, who had suddenly appeared, and her voice trembled. Her flustered, reddened face and expression were incredibly cute.

However, that expression didn’t last long. In the blink of an eye, her eyes turned cold.

“Die.”

The aura sword that had formed in her hand aimed for Keter’s neck.