Chapter 185

Chapter 186. Politics Under the Name of a Party (2)

Eslow accepted Henya’s proposal and granted her a one-year grace period.

Of course, it wasn’t because he loved Henya. It was simply because it would be better for Henya to have a child with someone she truly loved.

Moreover, for Eslow, who had lived for hundreds of years, a year was like a fleeting moment.

Keter took Henya to a room next to the office under the pretext of treating her.

“So, what’s the plan?”

Keter asked casually as he stitched up Henya’s wounds. Henya, now feeling the pain, grimaced and spoke.

“Are you going to help?”

“My schedule is packed, so I can’t. But I can give you advice. After all, you’re a client who owes me.”

“You just helped me, so we’re even. If I hadn’t stopped him, your head would’ve been cut off.”

“First, you don’t plan to marry me anyway. Second, do you really think I’d throw my life away trusting Eslow? If he really tried to cut me, I’d have backed off halfway.”

“Can you back off when your neck is half-cut?”

“I can.”

“Impressive.”

After finishing the stitches, Keter bandaged Henya’s wound.

“So, what’s the plan? Don’t tell me you acted on impulse.”

“I’m going to become Lord Dayal’s disciple.”

“Huh?”

Keter was puzzled as to why that name came up.

Dayal, the one who cuts the sky.

The Lord of the East who had brought Keter’s end in his past life. It seemed Henya had some connection with him.

“I’ll also ask him to take Wid as a disciple. I’ll ask him to help Wid block my father’s sword just once.”

“Hmm.”

If they could get Dayal’s help, it would indeed be reassuring. But Wid is a complete novice in swordsmanship. It’s hard to tell if he has any talent.

‘Even if hidden talent explodes, there’s no way he could block Eslow’s strike in just a year.’

Keter observed Henya’s expression. Her face was filled with determination. If she’s resolved, there’s still a chance.

“You know as well as I do that even if you learn swordsmanship from Dayal, a year isn’t enough, right?”

“My father didn’t set strict conditions. He said as long as I can block it, it’s fine. I’ll use every means possible.”

“Tell me all the means you’re thinking of right now.”

“I’ll gather artifacts and elixirs. And if I hire high mages to cast enhancement and defensive spells on Wid, combined with Lord Dayal’s swordsmanship, there’s definitely a chance—”

*Slap!*

Keter cut her off by smacking Henya’s back after finishing the treatment.

“That’s not even close to enough.”

“……”

“The only chance is that Eslow didn’t set detailed conditions. You need to prepare to the point where it feels excessive.”

Keter imagined himself in Henya’s position and substituted Wid with Maknun, squeezing out every possible method.

“If it were me, I’d choose a place where Eslow can’t fully exert his power. Near the Empire’s border. If Eslow goes all out, the Empire would notice and send the 7-Star Prime and their army. Even if Eslow is a lord, can he start a war with the Empire alone?”

“……!”

“And while the idea of using high mages to enhance and protect Wid is good, it’s not enough on that scale. Build an altar. You’ll need altar-level magic to help block Eslow’s strike. If you propose the idea of wanting to block Eslow’s strike, many mages would be tempted.”

“An… altar?”

“It’s too early to be surprised. You know about sword formations, right? Whether you get help from the Browning Duke House in the north or another country, form a sword formation. Don’t let Wid block it alone; everyone should block it together. Of course, the more members in the formation, the better, and the higher their level, the better.”

“…Would my father allow that?”

“There was no condition that it had to be blocked alone, right? And this whole plan isn’t something you can just do because you want to. It requires immense connections and resources. All of that is power. Your power and Wid’s.”

“……”

“That’s the end of my advice. I’m leaving.”

Keter didn’t offer to help directly. It would be interesting, but the gains wouldn’t outweigh the losses.

A solver isn’t a volunteer. There needs to be a corresponding price. And right now, Henya doesn’t have the ability to pay that.

Henya didn’t ask for help either. She has a conscience and knows better.

Keter had already helped Henya a lot. The fact that she got closer to Wid and could go on dates was all thanks to Keter.

Asking for more help here would be shameless, and it would hurt Henya’s pride.

Keter’s advice had illuminated the path. The rest was up to her. Watching Keter return to Eslow without any hesitation, Henya made a new resolution.

‘This time, I only received help from you, but next time, I’ll make sure it’s the opposite.’

Henya immediately moved. She didn’t want to waste even a single second of the remaining year.

* * *

Eslow’s office.

Eslow was sitting in his chair, smoking a pipe. When Keter returned, smoke billowed from Eslow’s nostrils.

“You’ve got a long life.”

“I hear that often.”

“A guy like you is one of two things. Either you disappear without a trace one day, or you’re found as a corpse.”

Though the words were chilling, Keter shrugged.

“At least not today.”

“Right, not today.”

*Thud.*

Eslow slammed his pipe on the desk. Then, the second butler entered and handed Keter two documents.

“The first prize for the tournament, 1 million gold. And an official appointment as an Upper Noble.”

At the butler’s explanation, Keter smiled contentedly.

1 million gold was an unimaginable fortune, and being officially appointed as an Upper Noble meant he wouldn’t be looked down upon as a non-noble anywhere.

‘If I had tried to be recognized as a noble without this opportunity, it would’ve taken tens of thousands of years.’

People need to prove themselves. Their worth and abilities. And Keter had earned recognition. From Eslow, the Lord of the South.

Eslow exhaled smoke and spoke in a subtle tone.

“If you want, you can build a new castle.”

It meant he could ‘separate’ from Sephira and establish a new ‘house.’

Creating one’s own house was an offer no ambitious man could refuse—but Keter scratched the back of his head.

“I’m not interested.”

“Is that so.”

Eslow had just thrown it out there, but Keter’s resolve remained unshaken.

“Go.”

Eventually, Eslow turned his chair, showing his back.

He had tried to subdue Keter but failed.

He had failed to connect him with Henya.

And he had failed to kill him, so there was nothing left to do with Keter.

For now, he’d let him go. As long as Sephira belonged to the South and Keter belonged to Sephira, he was still within Eslow’s grasp.

But—

“My business isn’t finished yet.”

Keter stood his ground.

Eslow’s brow furrowed.

“Speak.”

“I’ll take the compensation for Lyze’s surgery that was postponed back then.”

“Tell me what you want.”

Originally, Keter didn’t want anything specific from Eslow. If he were to receive compensation, he planned to ask for elixirs, artifacts, or money.

But after gaining so much information and experience from this tournament, his mind had changed. He now wanted something.

Through Henya, he had learned about Eslow’s ‘Authority,’ and by making Kai and Jeffrey fight, he discovered that weapons created by Eslow’s Authority could be ‘transferred.’

Keter, with his collecting desire, wanted Eslow’s armaments.

“Give me the arrow you used, my lord.”

“Not the bow, but the arrow……”

Eslow turned his chair and stared intently at Keter.

“Why do you think I have an arrow?”

A strong person like Eslow doesn’t need a physical arrow. He can create arrows with his aura, so why would he use a real one?

“Just a hunch.”

“Your hunches are annoyingly good.”

*Puff.*

Eslow waved away the smoke and spoke.

“Leave.”

“You haven’t given it to me yet.”

“I already did.”

“……?”

Keter thought Eslow had gone mad. But since he said he had given it, Keter turned to leave—

“……!”

Right in front of his eyes, an arrow floated in mid-air, fixed in place. If he had stopped a moment later, he would’ve lost an eye.

It was an arrow that looked as if it were made of marble. A smooth white body. The arrowhead was transparent like an ice crystal.

‘I can’t sense any presence from the arrow.’

Even though it was right in front of him, it felt as if it didn’t exist. Even when he tried to grab it, it felt like he was holding nothing.

Eslow, pleased with Keter’s reaction, smirked slightly.

“It’s an arrow made from the leader of the Cloud Wyvern.”

“Cloud Wyvern……!”

Wyverns are top-tier monsters, predators of the sky.

Among them, the Cloud Wyvern, despite its massive size, is known as the ‘silent’ assassin of the skies, capable of flying without a sound.

This arrow was made from the leader of such a Cloud Wyvern pack. Inheriting its traits, the arrow had no presence at all.

“Does it have a name?”

“No.”

“Then from now on, this thing’s name is ‘Baeklin.’”

*Shiver!*

The arrow trembled as if it understood. Soon, it was absorbed through Keter’s chest.

Keter could feel it. He could summon ‘Baeklin’ whenever he wanted.

* * *

The Southern Sword Tournament had ended.

But the excitement in Eslow’s direct territory didn’t cool down—it only grew hotter. All thanks to the after-party festival.

Citizens danced, drank, and chatted about what had happened during the tournament. There were so many stories that bards were experiencing unprecedented prosperity.

-As Keter said, archery is the pinnacle of all martial arts.

-His arrows rained down like a storm, leaving knights scrambling to dodge.

-When Divine Archer Keter roared, even the darkness retreated in fear.

-Keter, is he a god?!

Even as exaggerated rumors spread, most nobles didn’t join the festival. Nobles had their own way of celebrating.

The social party.

After the Southern Sword Tournament, influential families would host parties.

During the 8th Southern Sword Tournament, the Garcia and Ruvan families, renowned for their swordsmanship, and the wealthy Galahind family hosted the party.

But since the Galahind family had effectively fallen, another family took their place.

The spearmanship family, Baydant. The Baydant family, who were like sworn enemies of Sephira, were the second most powerful after Marquis Galahind.

Naturally, an invitation also arrived for Sephira at the hotel.

The 9th Southern Sword Social Party was hosted by three families: two renowned swordsmanship families and the newly rising Baydant family.

“The Baydant family is shameless. Sending us an invitation.”

Taragon cursed after seeing the Baydant family’s invitation, then asked Mail, who was carefully examining the three invitations.

“Brother, have you decided where you’re going?”

Attending the social party was a ‘personal’ choice. Not all members of a family had to attend the same party.

At Taragon’s question, Mail spoke with a serious expression.

“I plan to go to the Baydant family. To understand the enemy, it’s fastest to experience them directly.”

Thinking that social parties were purely ‘social’ was naive.

Social parties were an extension of politics. For the hosts, it was a way to flaunt their wealth, and for the attendees, it was a chance to expand connections or share high-level information.

“I’ll go to Marquis Ruvan’s house. It’s where the most nobles gather, so I can understand the country’s political climate and trends.”

Anis chose Marquis Ruvan’s house—

“I want to get closer to Sir Rajis, so I’ll go to Marquis Garcia’s house.”

Taragon chose Marquis Garcia’s house.

Unintentionally, the three brothers ended up attending different parties.

Soon, their gazes all turned toward Keter, who was having a late dinner.

“Keter, are you going to the party too?”

Given Keter’s personality, it seemed unlikely, but since Keter always acted contrary to expectations, Taragon asked to confirm.

Keter nodded.

“Of course.”

At Keter’s confirmation, the atmosphere suddenly turned serious.

“Have you decided where you’re going? You have about a month before the party starts, so you don’t have to decide right away.”

This time, Mail asked.

One of the brothers would inevitably attend the party with Keter. That was a future that required preparation, so they needed to know now.

“Yeah.”

Keter replied casually, as if he had already decided.

All three brothers swallowed nervously or clenched their fists.

“Where?”

To this question, Keter answered without hesitation.

It was an unprecedented answer that shocked the brothers.