Chapter 241

Chapter 242. The Lord’s Summoning Order (2)

The southern region is the farthest from the capital where the royal palace is located. Among the southern families, the Sephira family is the farthest from the capital, followed by the Baydant family.

After the Lord’s Summoning Order was issued and the “Glory Road” began, Sephira immediately adopted a strategy of swift departure.

So, how did the Baydant family’s lord handle it?

Baydant’s lord, Bolos, coincidentally, was away from his family. He was in the city of Alester, half a day’s journey from the capital, Grisa, where the royal palace is located.

Thanks to this, Bolos had no reason to rush like Hisop. Even if he walked leisurely, he could reach the royal palace in a day.

“Huu, huuk… Sssuup!”

In a dimly lit room, even in broad daylight.

Bolos was inhaling white powder through his nose.

“Huuuuu……”

Bolos sprawled on the sofa with a blissful expression. After a brief shiver, he opened his eyes.

“By now, the royal messenger must have reached Sephira. What was their reaction?”

Nether, the capable solver from the Empire, frowned but answered dutifully.

“All the informants and spies we planted in Sephira have been caught. We can’t know anything at this point.”

“I distinctly remember telling you to plant new ones?”

“You did, four days ago. We tried, but failed. There was no gap to infiltrate.”

“Tsk, tsk. So, you failed.”

Nether’s already crumpled expression twisted further.

‘This drug-addicted brat… Sephira is at its peak right now. No matter how capable my subordinates are, there’s no way they could break through a prestigious family under strict surveillance in just four days.’

It takes at least half a year to infiltrate a prestigious family with tight security. And that’s only possible because it’s Nether. For anyone else, it would be a pipe dream.

“At least we’re thoroughly monitoring Sephira’s external movements. If they make any moves, we’ll know.”

“You were all talk about waiting for the right opportunity, but in the end, I have to handle everything myself.”

“……”

Thump, thump.

Bolos clenched and unclenched his right fist. He wore black leather gloves to hide the loss of his fingers and the family treasure, the Ring of Survival, to Keter.

“If we fail this time too, you know our family will take a significant hit, right?”

Nether had already heard this twelve times and was sick of it, but since Bolos was high and unpredictable, he silently nodded.

“I’ve planted bombs on all possible routes Hisop might take.”

“You followed my orders to place them in areas with high foot traffic, right?”

“…Yes.”

Placing bombs in areas with high foot traffic. The implication was blatantly obvious.

Bolos had anticipated the Lord’s Summoning Order and had a clear intention to kill Hisop.

“Keter. Given his personality, he’ll definitely accompany Hisop. Keuk keuk keuk! Let them both explode! Uheeheehee.”

Watching Bolos laugh sinisterly, Nether secretly clicked his tongue.

‘A noble willing to sacrifice his own people for personal revenge? What trash.’

Of course, Nether was the one who orchestrated this, but he felt no guilt or remorse.

‘I’m just doing the job I was paid for. But after this, I’ll need a long break.’

Having received millions of gold upfront, Nether bowed to Bolos, but he also harbored other thoughts.

‘Sephira is much more troublesome than I thought, and the Baydant family is incompetent. If this fails again…’

Glancing.

Nether’s gaze turned cold as he watched Bolos, high and shaking his head.

Killing Sephira on this Glory Road is what Bolos wants.

In the process, Bolos pushed himself to the extreme. He forced through plans that even his vassals advised against. Planting bombs in high-traffic areas was just the tip of the iceberg.

He hired fallen knights more vicious than dark mages and even mobilized monster tamers.

He even planned to ambush Sephira not with a direct assault but by lurking in villages or cities and attacking from there.

He showed no hesitation in dragging innocent civilians into this.

Why is Bolos doing this?

There was a clear reason at first.

To bring down Sephira and elevate Baydant to a prestigious family. That was why Baydant united to destroy Sephira.

But now, it’s clearly personal revenge. Personal revenge to kill Hisop and Keter.

If Hisop and Keter die, Sephira will take a significant hit. But that doesn’t mean Sephira will cease to be a prestigious family.

The economic and political losses are extreme compared to the money spent and the moral burden. Even if successful.

‘I should plan an escape route just in case.’

Nether has no loyalty. If the Baydant family is destined to fall to Sephira, Sephira’s wrath will come for him too.

At that point, the excuse “I was just doing my job for money” won’t work on Keter.

Beep, beep…

Just then, a message came through his wrist communicator. It was from a subordinate monitoring Sephira.

“My lord. Sephira has moved. Six people, including Hisop, have left the family.”

“Finally, the news I wanted to hear. Six people? Keter must be among them, right?”

“Yes. Keter, Daat, Decameron, Catherine, Haribo. These five left with Hisop, the branch house lord.”

“I know the others… Haribo? Who’s that?”

Except for Haribo, the other four are well-known figures, not just within Sephira but outside as well.

But Bolos, hearing Haribo’s name for the first time, chewed his lower lip. Could Sephira have found new talent? He felt both jealous and worried.

“From what we’ve uncovered, he’s a member of the Constellation Knight Order and was the deputy commander of the border fortress in the Adeus Kingdom.”

“…Is he a Master?”

“No. Half a year ago, he was a 1-star. Even if he’s grown since then, he’s at most a 2-star.”

“So, he’s nothing special?”

“We investigated thoroughly, but he seems like an ordinary knight. Probably a pack mule.”

“No! That can’t be. If Keter is taking him along, he can’t be ordinary.”

“Even if he’s special, does it matter? He’ll be blown up anyway.”

“Uhu hu, that’s true.”

Bolos has no patience. He planted bombs in a village just 30 minutes from Sephira. It’s a village Sephira must pass through. There’s no other route.

The bombs buried and installed in the village have enough power to collapse an entire mine. Hundreds of villagers would die, but Bolos doesn’t care.

“Kikiki, keuk keuk keuk keuk……!”

Even if they don’t kill Hisop’s group, they’ll at least inflict serious injuries. No matter how much of a Master one is, a surprise explosion is unavoidable.

Just then, Nether, who had been intently watching his wrist communicator, suddenly changed his expression.

Surprise, doubt, confusion, shock… Even Bolos, high as he was, could sense Nether’s emotions.

“What is it? What’s going on?”

“……”

Nether blinked silently, and Bolos exploded in anger.

“I’m asking what’s going on!”

“They’re flying.”

“…What?”

Bolos looked at Nether as if he was spouting nonsense. Nether sighed deeply and explained.

“Keter and his entire group are walking up into the sky.”

* * *

Keter, having regressed, knows future information but not the details.

He knows that a civil war will break out in the Lilian Kingdom but not the process.

In other words, Keter didn’t know about the Lord’s Summoning Order or the Glory Road.

But even without knowing the future, the intention was clear to the sharp Keter.

“This Glory Road… It’s probably meant to be like that, right?”

“100%, brother.”

Keter and Maknun exchanged words. Even the party members nearby couldn’t understand what they were talking about.

Maknun gave a brief explanation to the party.

“It’s not just about walking; we’ll be attacked too.”

“By Baydant?”

Hisop, sensitive to politics, mentioned Baydant, but Maknun shook his head.

“Including Baydant, the royal family will likely interfere too.”

“The royal family that issued the summoning order will interfere? Why?”

“Probably not because they like us.”

The conversation could go on forever, so Maknun cut it short and glanced at Keter.

Keter loves traps. He especially enjoys breaking through traps prepared by his opponents.

But there’s something he loves even more.

Ignoring the traps his opponents painstakingly prepared.

Maknun could tell just by looking at Keter’s expression. He knew what Keter was thinking.

“Everyone, warm up.”

Keter suddenly told everyone to warm up.

Maknun and Catherine immediately responded. They started warming up as instructed. Hisop, who hesitated for a moment, soon followed, and Haribo cautiously joined in.

“Anyone afraid of heights?”

“……”

Amidst the silence, Haribo cautiously raised his hand.

“It’s not that bad, but a little.”

“Good. Let’s overcome it today.”

“Huh?”

“Six Hundred, from now on, create a platform between you and me. Base it under our feet.”

No permission or agreement was sought. Keter, standing about five meters away from Six Hundred, unleashed his mana.

Whoooosh!

Keter first extracted his mana into a surface and sent it to Six Hundred. Understanding the intention, Six Hundred also sent a mana platform to Keter.

Clack!

The two mana surfaces met and merged in the center.

“Match the rhythm to me. What are you all doing? Get on.”

Again, Catherine and Daat naturally stepped onto the mana platform, followed by Hisop, and finally Haribo.

Only Maknun understood what Keter was trying to do.

“Now, we’re going up into the sky. You just need to follow the platforms I create.”

“Ah, that’s how it is? I understand.”

“Indeed… It’s amazing that this is possible.”

Catherine and Hisop understood Keter’s explanation, but Haribo just blinked in confusion.

Daat placed a hand on Haribo’s shoulder.

“Don’t worry. You’ll understand as you go. If you don’t, you’ll die.”

“Ye, yes?”

“Let’s go!”

Keter bent his knees, and Six Hundred followed without a single error. Soon, their bent knees powerfully extended.

Kwaaaaaaang!

With a loud noise, Keter and Decameron jumped from the ground. The four standing on the mana platform in the center also rose into the sky simultaneously.

“Woah, woaaaaah!”

Haribo, who had risen dozens of meters into the air in an instant, screamed.

Wobble, wobble.

The platform was barely wide enough for one foot. Haribo used all his strength to keep his balance.

“One more time!”

Already dozens of meters in the air, Keter and Decameron jumped again.

Though it was called one jump, they actually jumped three times in succession. Moreover, while the first jump was dozens of meters, the subsequent jumps, with added acceleration, covered hundreds of meters.

Whoooosh……!

“Huff, huff, huff!”

Haribo breathed heavily. It wasn’t just from fear.

The air was thin. They were high above the clouds. Even Hisop, who was fulfilling the role of a prestigious family’s lord, felt his courage wane at this height.

“Keter, there’s nothing you can’t do.”

Hisop couldn’t fathom Keter’s limits. Jumping thousands of meters into the air was already unbelievable, and maintaining the mana platform at such a height was even more so.

“Maknun, which way to the capital from here?”

“Just a moment.”

Maknun took out a compass from his pocket and pointed towards the mountains.

“Go straight that way.”

“Good, let’s go straight.”

They weren’t traveling by land but through the sky.

Was such a thing even possible?

For Keter, it was.

“The mana platform is a platform, not a vehicle, so it’s not against the rules.”

“But Keter, even if we go straight, won’t it take more than a day or two?”

Daat answered Catherine’s question.

“If we jump moderately, we’ll arrive in three days.”

“Can you maintain the mana platform for three days? What about resting or sleeping?”

Hisop and Haribo were also very curious. The idea of walking through the sky was novel, but considering the need to eat and sleep, wouldn’t they eventually have to descend to the ground?

“There are times in life when you have to push through, even if it’s hard. This is one of those times.”

“……?”

“……”

This time, even Catherine blinked in confusion. Keter took a running stance and said.

“By the way, this platform is ‘fixed’ between me and Six Hundred. That means you all have to follow.”

“Huh?”

“Yes?”

“Keter? What do you mean? Are you saying I have to jump too…?”

Hisop thought Keter would comfortably carry them. But hearing they had to jump themselves, he broke into a cold sweat.

“Don’t worry, brother. Who’s going to see us up here? You’ll maintain the lord’s dignity and train your stamina! How great is that?”

“If I miss a step, I’ll die, won’t I?”

“Have you ever fallen from thousands of meters? Try it. It’s quite fun.”

“……”

“Let’s go!”

Keter cheerfully said and suddenly started running. As warned, the platform moved with him, so simply standing still would mean falling to the ground.

Maknun, having similar experience, skillfully followed the platform. Catherine and Hisop, though nervous, managed to follow without issue.

Except for one.

“Uwaaaah! Mother! Father!”

Haribo screamed, but his feet diligently matched Keter’s pace.

* * *

Meanwhile, at that moment.

At the entrance of the village where the bombs were planted.

“…They said they left. When are they coming?”

Nether’s subordinates, endlessly waiting for Sephira’s group to arrive.

Bolos and Nether had set up traps on all possible land routes Sephira might take. They had hired hundreds of assassins.

But all of it became useless the moment Keter chose to travel through the sky.

If this continues, Sephira will reach the royal palace without any interference.

But it’s not just the Baydant family that doesn’t want that.

In a garden filled with an excessive number of glass sculptures.

A middle-aged man knelt before a man sitting in a wheelchair.

“Your Highness, the Crown Prince. Sephira is flying through the sky to move.”

“Oh? Isn’t that against the rules?”

“No. They’re using mana platforms to jump and move.”

“So, it’s not a vehicle, and they’re using mana, not magic?”

“Yes, so we can’t legally sanction them.”

“Haha, interesting. Sephira is.”

The Crown Prince, smiling faintly, tapped the ground twice with his cane and said.

“I wasn’t planning to interfere, but if they’re going to do that, I have no choice. Sir Nocturne?”

“Yes!”

“Change the rules by midnight tomorrow. The Glory Road must only be traveled by land.”

Thus, the moment Sephira entered the sight of the Crown Prince, who desired the kingdom’s transformation, had come.