Chapter 263

Chapter 264. Victory is Just a Side Dish (1)

Jordic, who had recognized Keter’s presence with his eyes and mind, unconsciously used a technique.

Moonlight Spear Technique, Fourth Form: Full Moon.

A circular sword aura filling the front. But the real attack was the thrust hidden within. A spear of extreme pleasure concealed within the void.

Despite the surprise attack, Keter, always in combat readiness, casually threw an arrow he had created in his hand. The arrow struck the center of the Full Moon, causing an explosion.

Kwaaaaang! Crash!

The corridor’s glass windows shattered into pieces, scattering everywhere. The shockwave blew apart the floor and ceiling, causing them to collapse and scatter.

Jordic’s spear, Gungnir, with its unerring accuracy, weaved through the tiny gaps, precisely targeting Keter’s vital points all over his body.

The Infinite Bank’s debt collector, who had unintentionally witnessed this, was intrigued.

‘The Moonlight Spear Technique is a mediocre spear art with its core missing. But Jordic has filled that gap with his own talent.’

The debt collector, a 6-star Grandmaster, immediately noticed that the Baydant family’s Moonlight Spear Technique was a degraded version, missing dozens of screws.

It was inevitable for the Moon Beast Tribe. If they passed on the original spear art to Baydant, the Empire would catch on immediately.

Thus, the Moonlight Spear Technique became a degraded art, not just one step but two steps below its original form.

Of course, even that was enough to be called a ‘renowned spear art’ in the human world, but it was useless in the realm of Transcendent Beings.

Jordic had come to understand this forcibly. Through his matches with Jairo and after witnessing Keter’s divine authority at the Southern Sword Tournament!

He had poured blood and sweat to defeat Keter. And the result was this spear.

A linked technique following the Moonlight Spear Technique’s Full Moon.

Full Moon → Lunar Halo.

The shattered fragments of the Full Moon became a belt of sword aura, striking Keter.

Jordic was confident. In terms of power, the Moon Eclipse was far superior, but it required a long preparation time and large movements. Moreover, Keter had already seen it multiple times, making it unlikely to work.

But the Lunar Halo was a technique Jordic had created himself, and he was showing it for the first time here. Even the great Keter would have to give up dodging and laugh, right?

‘Laughing?’

Jordic’s neck felt cold. It was an ominous premonition.

‘No need to dodge?’

Keter spoke as if he had read Jordic’s mind.

“You’ve grown, Jordic.”

It wasn’t mockery. It was a professor’s sincere praise, genuinely happy to see his student grow.

Normally, Keter would have deliberately taken the hit to frustrate his opponent, but this time was different. As if praising Jordic’s growth, Keter unleashed a new technique he had created.

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

If the First Form, Big Bang, was a large, sweeping strike, the Second Form, Soft Big Bang, was a short, snapping punch.

Much faster to activate than the original Big Bang, but only a tenth of its power.

But even a tenth was more than enough. It shattered Jordic’s Lunar Halo and caused the building to collapse.

At that moment, the Infinite Bank’s debt collector, who had been watching, lightly flicked his hand.

Swish!

A sound like dozens of beads rolling was heard, and the shockwave of the Soft Big Bang was torn apart and dissipated.

“Nice sense.”

Keter gave the debt collector a thumbs-up. The debt collector, sheathing a sword he had drawn without anyone noticing, said,

“I was just protecting the Infinite Bank’s assets.”

With just that brief comment, the Baydant family’s knights surrounded Keter.

“The family head’s enemy…!”

“You won’t leave here alive.”

The lines were childish, but the killing intent was real. Just as the knights with spears were about to strike Keter, Jordic, who was thought to be dead, rose from the rubble and shouted,

“Stop! Everyone, put away your spears… No, retreat for now.”

After sending the knights away, Jordic looked at his spear, Gungnir.

‘It’s said to have unerring accuracy, but it protected me.’

Keter’s technique was both martial arts and archery. Compared to his mysterious and destructive technique, Jordic’s Lunar Halo felt like child’s play.

Above all, it was clear that Keter was ‘holding back.’ The trajectory wasn’t aimed at Jordic but only at destroying the Lunar Halo.

Feeling the gap in their levels, Jordic unconsciously loosened his grip.

Because of that, a situation that shouldn’t have been dangerous became life-threatening. Even if Keter was holding back, without defense, Jordic could have been swept away by the aftermath and died.

He realized it too late to take action. But Jordic was resigned.

‘I already ambushed Keter first. Knowing Keter’s personality, he’ll use this as an excuse to kill me.’

Originally, Jordic had intended to kill Keter. That would give him a significant advantage in the family war with Sephira. No, to be honest, he thought that without Keter, Sephira was nothing.

Even though he failed, it was fine. If he died now, the family’s knights would have a reason to kill Keter. There were three 6-star knight captains nearby.

‘I’ll trade my life for Keter’s. Not a bad exchange.’

As Jordic closed his eyes, ready to die, Gungnir was caught in his hand. Then, his hand moved on its own, deflecting all the incoming debris.

He had already relaxed his body, so he couldn’t avoid being buried under the collapsing rubble, but by then, he had regained his senses and could protect his whole body with Aura Armor. Although covered in dust, he survived.

‘Thanks for saving me, but this is overwhelming.’

In this situation, Jordic wasn’t ruthless enough to order the knights to attack. Above all, Keter’s attitude was enough to confuse him.

Even after being ambushed, Keter was calm. No matter how strong he was, being ambushed out of nowhere…

‘By the way, how is Keter even in Baydant? He should be imprisoned in the royal palace with Hisop, the branch house lord.’

His mind was a mess. A minute had passed since he silently glared at Keter, but he couldn’t think of anything to say.

Then, Keter, tired of waiting, spoke first.

“Don’t you offer guests a drink here?”

* * *

Gulp, gulp.

Jordic watched Keter down a bottle of alcohol and fidgeted with his fingers. Despite only one clash, Jordic knew for sure.

‘I’m no match for Keter.’

He had always thought that. But he thought that with the power of the artifact Gungnir, he might at least achieve a draw. That was nonsense.

‘You monster. I thought I had grown stronger, but you’ve become dozens of times stronger.’

Jordic suddenly felt his body heat up.

Keter, drinking expensive alcohol worth hundreds of gold per bottle like water. Keter, complaining about the lack of snacks in enemy territory. Jordic, feeling the knights’ concern about facing Keter alone as meddling rather than goodwill, suppressed his anger and said,

“What the hell are you?”

Keter ignored Jordic’s anger, shoving a plate of tomatoes and cheese into his mouth.

Still, Jordic knew Keter was listening, so he continued.

“There are many crazy people in the world, but you are the worst and the best, Keter.”

“Finally, some decent snacks. The alcohol tastes much better now.”

Keter, putting down the empty bottle, took out a cigarette and put it in his mouth.

Jordic, who disliked the smell of cigarettes, frowned, but Keter didn’t care and lit it with a flick of his finger.

“What’s your dream?”

A question you’d ask a friend came from Keter’s mouth. Jordic gave up thinking and said,

“To make Baydant a prestigious family.”

“Why do you need to be a prestigious family?”

“Do you ask a growing child why they grow? Just as common nobles want to become lower nobles, and lower nobles want to become upper nobles, we want to grow from upper nobles to a prestigious family.”

“A child grows into an adult, and an adult grows into an old man. What does an old man grow into?”

“Ending with sophistry, I see.”

“Did I make it too complicated? There are too many people around me who speak meaningfully, so I tried it too, but it’s still hard.”

Munch.

Keter, swallowing the half-smoked cigarette, leaned in close to Jordic.

“Baydant can’t defeat Sephira.”

“……”

Only the family heads knew about the family war, and Sephira’s family head was imprisoned. Keter speaking as if he knew about the family war was clearly an impossible situation.

“Ah, wait. That was a roundabout way of saying it. Let me say it again. Baydant can’t defeat Sephira in the family war. Whew, that’s clearer now.”

“……!”

Keter, who clearly knew about the family war. Finally, Jordic couldn’t maintain his composure and jumped up from his seat.

“No matter how you know about the family war, declaring a family war doesn’t mean it starts immediately. It only begins after the negotiation process is over.”

“Then why did you attack me?”

“…That was a mistake because you suddenly appeared, and I thought you were an assassin.”

“For a mistake, there was a lot of emotion in that attack. Anyway, do you understand what I’m saying? Baydant can’t defeat Sephira.”

“If you’re provoking me, I understand deeply. If you’re here to suggest surrender, do you think I’ll accept it?”

“Seeing that you still have fighting spirit after being beaten like that is a relief. There’s a taste to breaking you.”

Keter, leaning back on the sofa again, took out another cigarette and put it in his mouth.

Thud!

Jordic, who had snatched the cigarette, held the spear he had leaned on and said,

“If you’re testing my patience, it’s over now, so get lost.”

“Is this the patience of a family head of a prestigious family? Take it easy, friend.”

“If you have more to say, say it quickly and get lost. This is my last mercy and warning.”

“Alright. I’ll stop messing around and talk business.”

“Business……?”

Jordic bit his lower lip.

He was too angry. From start to finish, he couldn’t understand Keter. He had never thought of himself as stupid in his life, but in front of Keter, he felt like an idiot who understood nothing.

“Here, take it.”

Keter placed a wad of paper too large to fit in a pocket on the table. Jordic, as if entranced, looked down at the document and his mouth fell open.

-Baydant Family Merger Plan

“Wha, what?!”

Jordic, in disbelief, flipped through the pages to confirm the contents.

-According to this contract, the Baydant family, defeated in the family war, will lose its surname. And instead of being absorbed into Sephira, it will merge as Sephira’s branch family.

As a branch family, the Baydant family can practice spear arts independently of Sephira’s main family rules and have its own succession and discipline, in exchange for faithfully fulfilling its duties as a branch family.

“Hah, haha……”

Jordic couldn’t read any further and let out a hollow laugh.

This was a contract written under the assumption that Baydant would definitely lose.

“Keter. I admit you’re strong. I admit Sephira’s strength is beyond our expectations. But the same goes for us. We’re not letting our guard down. We’re fully prepared to defeat Sephira. Even if you send the Infinite Bank’s debt collector and kidnap our key figures to buy time, that fact won’t change.”

“We’ve prepared a lot, but what can we do? All Sephira has prepared are arrows.”

“Even if you somehow defeat us, do you think that’s the end? Not a chance. The renowned sword families will step in. There may be a time difference, but Sephira’s downfall is inevitable!”

“You’re right. That will happen. No matter how much Sephira struggles, facing the combined forces of the princes, it will wither and die. That’s why we’ve prepared something. Want to hear it?”

* * *

Bang! Crash!

The door and windows of the reception room were broken as the Baydant family’s knight captains burst in, pointing their spears before lowering them.

“Family head! Are you alright?”

“Where did Keter go?”

They were the Black Panther and White Panther knight captains, the representatives of the Baydant family’s knights.

The 6-star Grandmasters had rushed back to the family after hearing of Keter’s intrusion, covering thousands of meters, but only found Jordic with a troubled expression.

“Keter left long ago.”

“Huh? That can’t be. The White Panther knights were guarding the reception room door, and the Black Panther knights were outside the window. We heard no one left.”

“Of course. Keter left via teleportation.”

“Keter, an archer, used teleportation, which even high mages find difficult?”

“To be precise, it wasn’t Keter but the kid next to him who used it… Anyway, you’ve come a long way, but please leave now. I’m a bit tired.”

The two knight captains exchanged glances. Jordic’s state was unusual.

“We heard you spoke with Keter for about ten minutes. What did you talk about?”

“It was just provocation, saying Sephira would definitely win. If you want to hear more about how he provoked me, sit down.”

“No, we’ll leave. And sorry. We’ll strengthen our defenses against teleportation.”

“You should. Baydant isn’t a place anyone can come and go as they please.”

The two knight captains, with nothing more to say, quietly left.

As soon as they left, the head butler entered.

“Family head. We’ve sent money to the assassins and found out where the key figures were kidnapped. But it’s quite far, and it will take at least 2-3 days to bring them back.”

“…That’s good news.”

“Also, the Infinite Bank’s debt collector is looking for you. He says you must pay 100 gold per minute for every minute you make him wait……”

“Hahaha.”

Jordic, running his hand from his chin to his forehead, muttered with his head bowed.

“10 minutes. Just wait 10 more minutes.”

“…Yes.”

The head butler couldn’t bring himself to say, ‘We can’t afford to pay 1,000 gold when every coin counts.’ Jordic was like a spear barely hanging on the edge of a cliff.

Finally alone, Jordic’s eyes caught sight of a cigarette. The one he had taken from Keter.

“……”

Jordic awkwardly put the cigarette in his mouth and tried to light it with a flick of his finger like Keter had, but no matter how many times he tried, it wouldn’t light.

“Damn it, how did he do it?”

Cursing, Jordic spat out the cigarette but then lit it with a match right in front of him.

“Why won’t this light?”

Unaware that you need to suck while lighting it, Jordic struggled for a while before finally taking a puff.

“Huff, haa……”

Pretending to be fine, but his chest to his throat felt hot and prickly. This sensation was clearly ‘pain,’ not pleasure.

“Why the hell do people smoke this poison?”

Despite his words, Jordic took another puff and stared at the ceiling.

The cigarette smoke made his vision blurry. It felt like the smoke had entered his head, filling his mind with fog.

The kidnapped key figures, where to scrape together the money for the Infinite Bank’s debt collector, how to lead the family war to victory… None of it entered his mind.

“Keter, you damn bastard. You, you’re just……”

Keter’s words before he left wouldn’t leave Jordic’s head. It wasn’t Sephira, but Keter who had prepared those things.

They were truly unbelievable.

‘First, we made an agreement with the Mercenary Association. From now on, mercenaries will prioritize Sephira’s requests in the Lilian Kingdom and won’t accept requests from nobles who oppose Sephira. Additionally, the Sun Church will support us. Ah, don’t worry. The family war with Baydant will be handled solely by Sephira’s forces.’

The Mercenary Association and the Sun Church.

Both are global organizations not tied to any single nation but rivaling nations in scale. To have the cooperation and support of such organizations? How?

The surprises didn’t end there.

‘By now, even a fool like you would understand. How did Sephira know about the family war and prepare all this? Information about the family war was top-secret, known only to the princes and their loyalists.’

The Baydant family learned about the family war three months ago.

Three months. A long time, but far too short to prepare for war. Still, it was better than knowing nothing.

But Sephira was even better prepared for the family war than Baydant, who had three months.

‘If Keter’s words are all true, then……’

It means Sephira knew about and prepared for the family war even earlier than Baydant, which means-

‘Sephira was never neutral.’

Either the Crown Prince’s faction or the Second Prince’s faction.

One of them supports Sephira.

There’s no need to ponder; it’s clear who supports Sephira. Baydant is part of the Second Prince’s faction.

Why would the Second Prince, Rakan, pit factions against each other?

In other words, Sephira was actually part of the Crown Prince’s faction and had been hiding it. To make Baydant and the Second Prince let their guard down in the family war!

Jordic grabbed his forehead. It wasn’t because the cigarette made him dizzy.

‘Damn it, so the secret agreement between the Crown Prince and the Second Prince was a lie? If the Crown Prince’s faction, Sephira, devours Baydant, part of the Second Prince’s faction, and stabilizes with the help of the Mercenary Association and the Sun Church, the only one who loses is the Second Prince!’

If the Crown Prince’s faction, thought to be Sephira’s enemy, suddenly turns and joins Sephira to strike the Second Prince?

‘The Second Prince will be helpless.’

Crunch.

Jordic, chewing the half-smoked cigarette with his teeth, clenched his fist.

He had uncovered a massive conspiracy. Keter was an idiot. Revealing such secrets to him, part of the Second Prince’s faction.

‘If I report everything to Prince Rakan… the Crown Prince’s schemes will all