Chapter 126

Chapter 127. For Pure Love (1)

Upon arriving at the shack by the dock, Henya didn’t need to go through the trouble of searching for Keter.

“You came?”

Keter, who was fishing with Wid’s fishing rod at the spot where Wid usually fished.

Henya, who had been hiding her presence using the power of her black armor, “Rainbow Black,” dispelled her magic and spoke in a low voice.

“Don’t act friendly. What did you do to Wid?”

“Ah, that kid. He’s cute. Feisty.”

“Don’t change the subject!”

Henya drew her sword.

Though it was a single blade, with a gesture of her hand, it split into two.

Like her armor, her twin swords were also level 5 magical tools. They were called “Cerberus.”

A murderous aura that could tear the world apart emanated from her. Grass and leaves were sliced by the aura, scattering in the wind.

“Eh, this place isn’t good for a fight.”

Keter, who had put down the fishing rod, turned around and whistled.

“Wow, both your swords and armor are level 5 magical tools? Truly fitting for the daughter of a lord.”

“Keter. I’ve only just met you today, but I thought you weren’t a bad guy, even if you weren’t exactly good. But how dare you betray me? And on top of that, why did you hurt Wid…!”

Henya was genuinely furious. It was already infuriating that Keter had revealed her feelings for Wid, but the reality was even worse.

Keter had injured Wid and was using that as leverage to threaten her.

“Have you ever lost something and learned from it? Today’s your first time. Consider it a cheap lesson. Hmm.”

“What do you want?”

“What do you think love is?”

Wid, who grew up at the very bottom of this world, said love is sacrifice.

On the other hand, Henya, who was born with everything, what would she say? Keter was curious.

“What…?”

Henya’s sword tip wavered.

It was a completely unexpected question.

‘What is love?’

She had studied everything about this world since she was two years old. She had even taken classes from the best professors in various fields. Mathematics, economics, history, philosophy…

But among all that, ‘love’ was never mentioned.

She had never learned what ‘love’ was. No one had ever told her it was important.

“I… don’t know. But one thing I’m sure of is this. If you’ve hurt Wid, I swear I’ll kill you.”

“Wid says love is sacrifice.”

“……”

“Can you sacrifice yourself for Wid?”

Henya, who had lowered her sword, pointed it straight at Keter again and said,

“So I asked you. What do you want? Tell me what you want.”

It was a far cry from the sacrifice Keter had in mind, but since he hadn’t called her here for a debate, he let it slide.

“Your lord’s weakness. Tell me that, and I’ll return Wid.”

“My father’s weakness? That’s stupid. I don’t know why you’re asking, but my father has no weaknesses. Give up.”

“You’re really dragging this out. But whatever, I didn’t expect you to know. Then, what does your lord like and dislike?”

Henya’s jewel-like eyes lowered.

‘What does my father like and dislike?’

It’s only natural for people to have likes and dislikes. But Henya couldn’t think of anything specific that her father, Lord Eslow, liked or disliked.

But there was one thing she knew for sure.

“My father spends most of his day maintaining his weapons. Whether he’s in the palace or outside, he polishes his weapons whenever he has a moment. I don’t know what he dislikes.”

It seemed like trivial information, but Keter was satisfied.

“Good, last question. Tell me about Eslow’s Authority, and I’ll release Wid.”

“Authority…?”

Henya muttered as if she didn’t know what that was, and Keter clicked his tongue.

“The lord’s daughter doesn’t know about Authority? My, my… Authority is the privilege of a 7-Star Prime. In academic terms, it’s the ability to manipulate reality. It’s the power to influence this world with one’s will. Mages sometimes call it a ‘singularity,’ but generally, it’s referred to as Authority.”

A Prime can influence the macro world with their will alone. For example, just having the ‘will’ to ‘cut someone’ will result in them being cut. In swordsmanship, this is called the Heart Sword.

‘Authority’ is when a Prime’s conviction intervenes in reality and acts as a law.

For example, the Authority of Dayal, whom Keter fought, is ‘Ignore Defense.’ All his attacks cannot be defended against. They ignore all ‘will’ and ‘purpose’ to defend.

The only thing that can counteract this is an Authority of the opposite nature, like ‘Defense.’

‘What will my Authority be in this life?’

Keter had been a 7-Star Prime in his past life and had possessed Authority.

A curiosity arises.

Are the Authorities of past and present lives the same or different?

Henya interrupted Keter’s thoughts.

“I think I know what it is.”

She seemed to know, but it wasn’t easy to say.

Telling him what her father liked wasn’t critical information, but revealing the nature of his Authority was a different matter. Even Henya, who had just learned about Authority, understood that.

Henya couldn’t help but hesitate. Should she abandon Wid to protect her father’s secret?

The answer came immediately.

‘I’m sorry… but my father is strong. Revealing one secret won’t harm him.’

The option to lie wasn’t there. Not only was she not the type to lie, but she also had a strong intuition that lying to Keter wouldn’t work.

Henya had seen Eslow use his Authority before.

In a sunny garden, as Eslow was polishing his weapons as usual, a bird fell from the sky.

It was a small bird, small enough to fit in the palm of his hand. Though it wasn’t clear where it was injured, it flapped its wings in pain.

Then, Eslow did something unbelievable. He knelt down and picked up the bird himself.

Henya, who was passing through the garden corridor at the time, was surprised.

‘My father has that side to him…?’

Henya, who had been avoiding Eslow’s excessive attention and affection, was about to approach him for the first time. If only she hadn’t witnessed what happened next.

Eslow clenched the bird in one hand.

Then, a spear suddenly appeared.

It wasn’t magic or sorcery. It was clear that the ‘bird’ had transformed into a ‘spear.’ A luxurious spear with a bird-like blade and feather decorations.

The power to turn living beings into ‘weapons.’

That was the Authority Henya had witnessed.

‘Since then, I’ve been even more afraid of my father.’

In Eslow’s palace, weapons exist everywhere you look. Henya had once wondered where all those weapons came from.

Having witnessed an unwanted truth, Henya felt a bitter taste in her mouth.

‘They’re not all made from living beings, right? They can’t be.’

Just recalling that incident gave her chills. Henya calmed her trembling body with a sigh and said,

“My father’s Authority… is the power to turn living beings into weapons.”

What kind of reaction would Keter have?

Henya thought he wouldn’t believe her. Even she thought it was an absurd ability.

“Hoh.”

Keter stroked his chin. He thought Henya wouldn’t know about the concept of Authority, so her answer was unexpected.

‘An Authority that turns living beings into weapons, huh.’

Henya had told the truth, but it wasn’t the whole truth. Authority is like that. It wields the power of ‘miracles’ beyond the imagination of ordinary people.

‘This is more than I expected.’

For Keter, who might end up fighting all four great lords, knowing a lord’s Authority in advance was top-tier information.

The difference between being prepared and not is enormous.

“I’ve told you everything truthfully. Now, as promised, return Wid!”

Henya said to Keter with a fierce look in her eyes. Her resolve to not give any more information was clear.

Keter smirked.

Wid and Henya. Both were hiding their feelings for each other. Afraid the other might get hurt. Afraid it might just be their own delusion.

Watching a fight is one thing, but watching love burn passionately is beautiful. There’s nothing as frustrating as unrequited love.

They need to confirm each other’s feelings. The pure, honest truth.

But how do you make someone confess their true feelings when they can’t even bring themselves to do it sober?

‘There’s no emotion that makes a person more honest than anger.’

There are two ways to make someone angry.

The first is to stop mid-sentence.

“Returning him might be difficult.”

Whoosh.

Keter threw something at Henya.

“……!”

Henya’s eyes widened. It was the black pearl earring that Wid had cherished, promising to return it someday.

“I told you to hand it over quietly. But that commoner stubbornly refused. You know what happens to commoners who defy nobility, right?”

Keter, embodying the cruelty unique to high nobility, showed no concern for the lives of commoners.

* * *

No more words.

Henya attacks without a word when she’s angry. Her twin swords have no delay in their attacks. Slashes and thrusts are infinitely linked.

Keter seemed busy dodging or retreating from Henya’s relentless swordplay. But in reality, he was calmly observing her twin sword techniques.

‘Her swordsmanship is like a wrecking ball. Fast and powerful. At first glance, it seems crude, but it’s meticulously designed so that two swords can’t be blocked simultaneously.’

Henya wasn’t just swinging her twin swords wildly. The intervals and rhythm of the two swords thrusting and slashing were carefully calculated, and she knew exactly where to strike so the opponent couldn’t block both swords at the same time.

In other words, Henya’s twin sword technique is designed so that two swords can’t be blocked simultaneously.

It’s an absurd attack, but it’s real. It’s unfolding right before Keter’s eyes.

‘The weakness is that the attack power is low due to the focus on speed and number of attacks. But she’s compensated for that with magical tools.’

Moreover, Henya’s twin sword technique was gradually accelerating. At the start, only the afterimages of the swords were visible, but now only flashes of the blades could be seen.

But for some reason, her twin sword technique wasn’t tearing Keter apart.

It wasn’t because Henya’s twin sword technique was lacking. It was because of the ‘emotion’ involved. If it were emotionless, even Keter wouldn’t have been able to dodge without risk.

But now, he was relaxed enough to speak.

“Why are you so worked up over one dead commoner?”

At Keter’s provoking words, Henya, who was already furious, shouted.

“How can you say that when you know I love Wid?!”

The twin sword technique, thick with anger, became even more ferocious. She thrust harder, slashed harder.

But the strength of her twin sword technique lies in its infinite chain of attacks, not its destructive power.

As soon as an opening appeared, Keter closed in on Henya. Then, he poked her nose with his finger.

“Kid, life doesn’t always go as planned. That’s what makes it fun, you know.”

Whoosh!

Henya’s twin swords crossed like scissors, slicing at Keter’s neck and waist.

Keter, who had bent his waist almost to the ground to dodge, swayed annoyingly.

“If you kill me like a commoner, you’ll have a hard time dealing with the aftermath. I’m the first guest your father officially invited to the palace, you know?”

Thud!

The twin swords embedded deep into the ground expressed her will.

“Even if you’re the queen’s son, I won’t forgive you.”

“Nice line.”

Keter, who had stepped back significantly, held Amaranth in his left hand and formed an Aura Arrow.

As Keter, who had only been dodging, showed his intent to attack for the first time, Henya naturally tensed up.

She couldn’t help it. No one had ever dodged her twin sword technique so effortlessly before.

And the fact that he was using a bow instead of a sword made her even more nervous, as she had never faced a strong opponent who used a bow.

Twang!

The Aura Arrow on the bowstring was shot swiftly. Henya, who had raised her sword to defend, frowned.

The arrow wasn’t aimed at her. It pierced through the door of Wid’s shack and flew past.

‘What’s his plan?’

One thing was certain. Keter doesn’t do meaningless things. There was a clear reason for attacking the shack.

“……!”

Henya’s eyes widened.

Soon, her ears turned red. Keter hadn’t made a meaningless attack after all.

Through the hole in the door, Wid could be seen. Tied to a chair, with a cloth in his mouth, but clearly alive.

And his face was as red as a beet. As if he had heard everything.

Keter, who had annoyingly hopped over, removed the gag from Wid’s mouth.

“How does it feel to hear Henya, the lord’s daughter, confess her love?”

“……”

Wid, who had bitten his lip, lowered his head.

Henya did the same.

The sword witch who had been unleashing a storm of attacks to kill Keter was gone, leaving only a girl who tightly closed her eyes in embarrassment.

Keter smiled contentedly as he watched.

“Another problem solved. Feels refreshing.”

Henya shouted at Keter, who spoke nonchalantly.

“What do you mean solved! What are you going to do about this atmosphere!”

“What do you mean what? From now on, you’ll go on dates and have a cozy time together.”

“D-dates? That’s impossible. People will recognize me. And my father will send people to look for me if I don’t return.”

“But you want to, right?”

“……”

Henya looked at Wid.

It was truly embarrassing and shameful to confess her love in front of the person in question. But what’s done is done.

“Wid. Tell me clearly. Do you love me too?”

When Henya boldly asked, Wid’s face turned even redder.

“I do… but how could someone like me be worthy of you, Henya? It’s impossible.”

“That doesn’t matter. What I want to know is your will.”

“Y-yes?!”

“I have everything—home, money, honor. You just need to bring yourself.”

“……!”

Keter gave a thumbs up.

“Bold. So, Henya. About the problems you mentioned. I can solve them. I can make it so you two can go on dates comfortably.”

“How?”

“Well, I’m a solver. As long as you pay the price. A date is just like eating warm soup.”

Keter made a coin shape with his hand.

Henya untied Wid from the chair and said,

“It’s really infuriating that you played with our feelings like that… but since the result is good, I’ll forgive you. Since you’ve decided to help, will you help us to the end? As a member of the Eslow family, I’ll repay you.”

“I don’t trust people’s words.”

Keter took out a contract from his pocket. Then, he skillfully wrote on the blank space.

“One-time solution for a love problem. One-day date pass. Since I’ve done you two favors, you’ll help me twice in return. Or you can help me once in a big way.”

“The date hasn’t succeeded yet. And can you specify exactly what kind of help you’ll request?”

Though Henya had been emotional when threatening Keter with Wid, she carefully checked the contract to ensure no unfair terms were added.

“Anything that doesn’t require you to risk your life. That’s the standard. If it’s a bit tricky, I’ll count two favors as one.”

“That’s vague.”

“Life’s like that, you know? Let me brag a bit—your date with Wid will be perfect. No one will recognize you. And I promise Eslow won’t come looking for you.”

It was an impressive display of confidence.

If anyone else had said that, they’d be treated as a scammer. But for some reason, Keter’s words carried a sense of credibility.

But Henya, like anyone else, didn’t trust people blindly. Especially after dealing with Keter once, she became even more cautious.

“Then add this clause to the contract. If the date fails, the contract becomes void.”

“Deal.”

Keter swiftly added the new clause to the contract. Wid, watching this, muttered.

“Keter, you’re like a contract devil.”

Though it was a whisper, Henya responded.

“Maybe we’re being played by a devil?”

“Ah, haha……”

“But I don’t regret it. My feelings for you right now are genuine.”

At Henya’s overly direct words, Wid bashfully lowered his head, and Henya carefully read the newly written contract before signing.

“Thank you, customer. Then let’s proceed with the procedure first.”

“Procedure?”

“Could you bend your knees slightly? You’re already tall, and with those boots, it’s a bit much.”

At Keter’s request, Henya slightly bent her knees.

Keter stood in front of Henya, cupped her face with both hands, and said.

“Don’t resist. Your face might tear.”

A flash of mana light appeared in Keter’s hands. Henya flinched but calmly waited.

Crack, squish.

The sound of bones moving and muscles twisting came from her face.

The secret technique of the Chimera Physician Franken, Reverse Plastic Surgery.

“Phew.”

Keter, with beads of sweat on his forehead, stepped back.

Then, Henya’s face was revealed.

She had become a completely different person.

Her sharp eyes had softened, and her jawline had become rounder. To put it metaphorically, a tiger had turned into a gentle cat.

Though her red hair color couldn’t be changed, there were plenty of women who dyed their hair red, so it wasn’t necessary to change it.

“What did you do to my face?”