Chapter 252

Chapter 253. Sephira Poisons the Royal Palace (3)

When Keter, who had been happily flattering, suddenly lost his temper, Lerkin was startled.

“Did I do something wrong? Why are you angry?”

“Do you not know the current situation in the royal palace?”

“How would I know, being on this island? Even if I did, what could I do?”

“Since there’s no sign of Queen Lilian returning, the First Prince and the Second Prince are now vying for the throne. Did no one tell you about this?”

“Well, this is the first I’m hearing of it.”

Lerkin was tipsy, but not completely drunk. As the conversation turned to the throne, his expression grew serious.

The butler, who had been quietly observing, stepped forward.

“Prince Keter. Discussing politics here seems inappropriate. There are many good stories in the world.”

The butler’s words, laced with subtle threats, were ignored by Keter.

“See this? A mere butler dares to interrupt the Duke. Why should the Duke be treated this way? I can’t understand this situation!”

“Keter, you should step outside. Why are you being so annoying and disruptive?”

When Lerkin sided with Keter, the butler flusteredly said,

“Duke. Do you truly believe what this Keter is saying? He clearly came here to use you!”

*Crash!*

“I can tell right from wrong! Who do you think I am, a fool?”

Lerkin, enraged, threw a glass, shattering it. The butler, resentful, glared at Keter and left the dining room.

“So, Keter. Why did you tell me this information?”

“You already guessed, didn’t you? With Queen Lilian absent, it’s not the princes who can handle this chaos.”

Keter pointed at Lerkin with both hands, speaking softly but firmly.

“It’s only right for Duke Lerkin, the Queen’s consort, to step forward.”

“Hmm… So, you’re saying I should become the king of this country now…?”

When Lerkin cautiously asked, Keter added,

“Words can be interpreted differently. I’m not saying you should become king in place of Queen Lilian, but that ‘only the Duke is qualified to hold the position until Queen Lilian returns.'”

“Hmmmm!”

Lerkin didn’t openly agree, but he nodded slightly, showing satisfaction with Keter’s words.

“But you know, Rukan and Rakan are more popular than I am. They’re capable. Even if I don’t step forward, wouldn’t my sons lead this country well?”

“If the two princes could reconcile and compromise, it wouldn’t be impossible. But didn’t I tell you? They’re fighting over the throne. While the rightful successor is Crown Prince Rukan, the First Prince, Second Prince Rakan can’t accept that. He has his reasons. That’s why the country is now divided into the First Prince faction and the Second Prince faction. At a time when even united, we’re barely holding on.”

Keter pretended to wipe a tear with his right hand.

“I don’t want to see my beloved homeland, the Lilian Kingdom, torn apart. I don’t want to see it ravaged by enemies. Don’t you feel the same, Duke Lerkin?”

“Of course!”

“That’s why you must step forward, Duke Lerkin. Declare that you will temporarily hold the throne as the Duke, end the princes’ meaningless factional strife, and strengthen the country’s power.”

“Hmmmm…!”

Duke Lerkin, sobering up, stroked his chin repeatedly. No matter how many times he thought about it, Keter’s words made sense.

Moreover, there was no sign of greed in Keter’s words. Even if Duke Lerkin became king, what benefit would it bring to Keter or Sephira?

Of course, Lerkin felt gratitude towards Keter for enlightening him, but he considered that a separate matter.

‘Lilian wouldn’t want our sons to fight. Hmm.’

Though Lerkin thought, ‘I should become king,’ practical issues soon arose.

“Keter. Your words aren’t wrong. But… Lilian has no intention of letting me leave this place. She’s blocked me from leaving. Even if Lilian is absent, that order still stands.”

He looked around at the servants and knights in the dining room.

“I’ve heard things too. If I leave this island, everyone here will be exterminated, regardless of status. All of them.”

“That was when the Queen was here. Did you receive any instructions for when the Queen is gone?”

“Certainly…”

“I wouldn’t have brought this up if the Queen were alive. But she’s not here. Something must have happened. The princes are fighting to become king, and you, the Duke, are just sitting here on this island doing nothing? Queen Lilian would be disappointed. Did I really tell you not to come out?”

“Hmmm… Knowing Lilian’s personality, certainly…”

Keter felt Lerkin was almost convinced.

At that moment, the dining room door opened, and a knight with an imposing presence entered.

“From what I hear, Prince Keter, you’re the main culprit causing this country’s chaos?”

The knight, clad in white armor with the purple emblem of the Lilian Kingdom, was clearly a royal guard.

‘A royal guard. Judging by his presence, he must be a Grandmaster.’

Behind him was the butler who had been expelled. It was clear he had immediately run to the knight to report.

“Prince Keter. You must come with me to the inspection team. You need to explain who helped you come here and why you’re tempting Duke Lerkin, who’s living well here.”

“Sounds like you’ll take me by force if I refuse?”

“You understood correctly.”

*Thud.*

Keter stood up and faced the royal guard.

The guard appeared to be in his early thirties, but his actual age was likely twice that.

“I don’t care who you are. Did you have lunch?”

“I plan to eat after handing you over to the inspection team.”

“Too bad. You won’t get to eat proper food from now on.”

Keter walked past the guard and said,

“What are you doing? Aren’t you coming? You need to throw me into the inspection team.”

Provoked, the guard’s eyebrow twitched.

“If you insist on drinking punishment and going to the inspection team, I have no choice. Let me teach you a lesson.”

* * *

Keter and the royal guard faced each other on the beach, less than 10 meters apart.

Lerkin watched from a distance, alternating his gaze between Keter and the guard.

‘What confidence does Keter have to challenge Knight Talon?’

Royal Guard Talon. As Keter predicted, he was a 6-star Grandmaster and the head of the island’s defense.

In other words, to leave the island, Talon had to be defeated, making this fight inevitable.

‘Keter has grown stronger, but not as much as Talon.’

Lerkin had seen Talon’s divine power many times. Without exaggeration, Talon could split the sea with his sword.

Moreover, Talon was fully armed, wearing level 5 magical armor and weapons.

In contrast, Keter was unarmed.

“Prince Keter. You’re from Sephira’s clan, known for archery. Yet, you want to fight me at this distance?”

Talon showed his confidence first. Keter shrugged.

“Why? Too far? I’ll get closer, then.”

From 10 meters, Keter closed the distance to 5 meters.

Talon was speechless. Though he had just met Keter today, he had heard of Keter’s rising fame in the kingdom.

“I heard you became the Southern Palace’s master. But still, you’re just a master-level archer. On the battlefield, you’d be a nuisance, but now…”

*Clang, thud!*

Talon showed his confidence through action. He removed his armor and sword, throwing them to the ground. Raising his clenched fists, he cracked his neck and said,

“Prince Keter, you can do anything. I’ll just use these two fists.”

“No need to hold back.”

As Keter spat out the word “hold back,” he already summoned a black bow, Amaranth, in his hand.

Talon, a royal guard and Grandmaster worthy of the name, reacted immediately. As soon as Keter drew his bow, Talon charged.

But Keter didn’t just draw his bow.

With his right hand holding the bow, his left hand drew an arrow.

While normally arrows are shot from a bow, Keter threw the arrow directly at Talon.

Though Talon had little experience fighting archers, he had plenty of combat experience. Proving this, he twisted his body to dodge Keter’s unconventional arrow attack.

But Keter’s unconventional attacks didn’t stop at one. He didn’t just throw arrows; he threw his bow too.

Talon dodged the arrow but couldn’t avoid the flying bow.

*Thwack!*

Talon deflected the bow with his fist.

And the 0.4 seconds that created.

That was enough time for Keter to deploy Arrow Wing.

Feather-like aura arrows sprouted from Keter’s outstretched arms. During the Southern Sword Tournament, Keter could only create 40 arrows.

But Keter, who had grown through the tournament and defeated Hyperion, was different now.

Fifty arrows on each side. A total of 100 arrows.

Moreover, these weren’t ordinary aura arrows. They were incomplete but mixed with mana—Ain. Despite their incompleteness, their power was akin to aura lasers.

“Bang.”

As Keter playfully shouted, 100 aura arrows rained down on Talon.

An arrow barrage with no room to dodge. Talon calmly enveloped his entire body in thick aura armor and compressed aura into his fists.

*Ratatatatatat!*

The 100 arrows flew not sequentially but simultaneously, yet Talon shot them all down. His speed and accuracy were truly astounding.

But Talon frowned. Despite not being hurt, his face turned red with anger.

“Why aren’t you continuing your attack?”

It was because Keter suddenly stopped his attack despite being in a favorable position.

Keter, having picked up Talon’s sword from the ground, threw it to Talon and said,

“I want to fight you properly. Draw your sword.”

“Huh, not only do you give up a favorable position, but you also hand me your sword?”

“I’m a born fighter.”

“Hmph, my name is Talon. I underestimated you, Prince Keter, but I apologize. You are strong. I’ll take you seriously.”

As Talon adjusted his stance and drew his sword from its sheath.

*Whoosh!*

The mana Keter had hidden in the sheath exploded.

Though the explosion wasn’t powerful, meant to conceal mana, it was sudden enough to disrupt Talon’s vision and stance.

Naturally, Keter was waiting for this moment.

“Did you fall for that?”

In the blink of an eye, Keter closed the distance and punched Talon’s chest.

A new technique that had once defeated Hyperion, the successor of Kwonhwang and a Grandmaster, in one strike.

Sephira’s Celestial Infinity Technique, First Form: Big Bang.

*Kwaaaaaa!*

Keter didn’t hold back his ultimate move.