Chapter 273

Chapter 274. Debt is Also an Asset (1)

Whoosh, thud!

Whoosh, thud!

Keter and Daat were tossing something back and forth.

Since it was snowing, it might have been a snowball, but upon closer inspection, the snowball had fur. Moreover, fangs were sticking out.

Squeak!

It wasn’t a snowball—it was Elije, the bat.

Around them, fully armed soldiers and knights were patrolling, making the bizarre combination look like the work of a mad artist.

Thud!

Elije, thrown by Daat, sank into the snow. Keter didn’t catch it.

“Maknun, I’ve got a feeling.”

“A poop feeling?”

“Not that. I felt the sensation of a boomerang returning.”

“In short, you’re saying karma is about to hit.”

“Calling it karma makes it sound like I’ve committed a sin.”

Keter pulled Elije, who was happily buried in the snow, and tossed her back to Daat.

Elije, flying in a parabolic arc, giggled incessantly, as if something was incredibly amusing.

Thud!

“Let’s just say it’s a seed Brother planted.”

“That makes it sound like I’ve been irresponsible.”

“Wasn’t that the case?”

Thwack!

Keter casually scooped up some snow and threw it. Daat, busy catching Elije, took the snowball to the face.

Daat wiped the snow off his face with Elije and grumbled.

“Now I understand why honest advisors always die young.”

“Timing is crucial for honesty.”

“I don’t want to live like that, always watching my words.”

“That’s why I’m a good leader. I willingly accept subordinates who lack tact.”

“Yes, yes~ You’re absolutely right.”

Whoosh!

Daat threw Elije. This time, instead of a parabola, a flash of light appeared. He had thrown Elije using the Aura Blade technique.

Thud!

Keter caught it effortlessly and said,

“So, Maknun. What kind of boomerang is flying our way?”

“Assuming you’ve told me everything, there are three possibilities: the Seven Evil Tribes, the Syndicate, and vampires.”

“I get the first two, but why vampires? Didn’t we sell the Blood Sword to the Grand Duke instead of taking it from Ruquer?”

“It’s not about the Blood Sword. It’s about that guy.”

“Huh?”

When Daat pointed at Elije, Keter immediately understood.

“Wow, I didn’t think of that. If vampires are looking for Dracula, they’d naturally come after our Jjokjjok, the first vampire, right?”

“Didn’t you bring her here knowing that?”

“Who would look at her and think ‘vampire’? She’s just a cute white furball.”

Keter scratched Elije’s chin, and she purred like a cat, clearly enjoying it.

“—Of course, that’s a joke. I did think we’d cross paths with vampires someday. That’s why I asked Vulkanus to prepare some silver arrows.”

“Even if silver arrows are a vampire’s weakness, do you think they’ll just stand there and take it?”

“We’ll figure that out when the time comes. Besides, we don’t necessarily have to fight vampires.”

“Vampires see humans as livestock. I doubt dialogue, let alone negotiation, is possible.”

“If dialogue fails, they’re just beasts. And beasts can be beaten.”

“Hmm, Brother. If this were Ruquer, I wouldn’t care what you did. But this is Sephira.”

Keter knew exactly what Maknun was implying. Now that there was something to protect, the enemy would exploit it.

“Maknun. You’re underestimating Sephira too.”

“I thought I was being generous.”

“Forget about military strength. The picture you’re imagining won’t come to pass.”

“You must have some vague reasoning.”

“Causality, or whatever the Grand Duke’s theory is. A great house like Sephira doesn’t fall so easily.”

“That’s typical of your carefree attitude.”

Keter shrugged and tossed Elije.

“It’s optimism.”

“Should I prepare too?”

“No need. Just get ready for the Family War. It’s tomorrow.”

“It’s tomorrow for you too.”

“I think my tomorrow will be a bit harsher.”

“My condolences in advance.”

Daat bowed his head deeply. Keter chuckled.

“If I die, will you avenge me?”

“Of course not.”

“Ah, then I guess I’ll have to stay alive.”

Keter stretched, brushing off the snow piled on his head.

“I’ll go greet the guests.”

“I’ll take a look around while I’m here.”

Keter and Daat exchanged light greetings, as if they were parting after a casual meeting, and went their separate ways.

* * *

Keter, who had been acting busy, arrived at the rooftop of his mansion and simply lay down.

He was already wearing an eyepatch, so he didn’t need to close his eyes. The place he lay down was his bed.

Keter, with his arms crossed, fell into a deep sleep, the snow falling from the sky.

How many hours had he slept?

Keter uncrossed his arms. The snow was still falling, but it wasn’t piling up on his face.

Peek.

Keter lifted his eyepatch and opened his eyes to find a man looking down at him.

“Welcome, my karma.”

“You speak as if you knew I’d come.”

Kai from the Empire’s Special Operations Unit. He was the first to find Keter.

Keter sat up and looked around.

“I thought I’d slept for a long time, but the sun hasn’t set yet. So, Kai, my comrade and friend, what brings you here?”

“If you’ve been waiting, you should know the reason.”

Kai’s reaction was colder than the winter snow. Keter could easily deduce why.

‘If he’s being this formal, it’s not about the Syndicate. If I’ve committed a crime against the Empire… it must be that.’

A week after arriving in Sephira, he had killed the Sword Wing Tribe brothers. That’s why Kai was here.

‘To be precise, it’s related to the Seven Evil Tribes.’

The Empire’s Emperor doesn’t tolerate anyone who shelters the Seven Evil Tribes, even if it’s the King himself. Even if that weren’t the case, Keter could feel it.

Kai, who usually showed favoritism, had a clear stance when it came to the Seven Evil Tribes.

“You’re here because of the Sword Wing Tribe.”

Keter readily admitted his crime. However, he left out the part about the Seven Evil Tribes.

A lie doesn’t have to be a direct falsehood. You can weave lies even while telling the truth.

“Thanks for saving me the trouble of using an expensive truth serum.”

“Tsk. I can’t keep the Empire’s Special Operations Unit waiting. Let’s go down.”

Keter led the way as if escorting a guest. Kai followed without a word. If Keter had denied it, things would have gotten complicated. But by admitting it so readily, it was one of two things.

‘Either he’s given up, or he’s confident this situation isn’t a big deal.’

The two were greeted by Jacques, the butler, as they descended to Keter’s quarters.

“Young Master? Who is this…?”

Jacques tensed at Kai’s unusual appearance. But Keter waved it off.

“No need to be nervous. He’s a friend.”

“A friend…? There seems to be quite an age difference.”

“Do friends have to be the same age? If our hearts align, we’re friends. Anyway, he’s a precious friend. Bring us a good bottle.”

“…Understood.”

Jacques, now naturally preparing strong liquor instead of tea.

Kai, feeling the tension ease without realizing it, slowly looked around the room. It was partly out of curiosity about Keter.

‘There’s a lot of stuff here. Is that an elixir? Stored so carelessly.’

Keter’s room wasn’t messy, but it was cluttered. If you rearranged it, it could pass for a shop.

“Old man, step out for a bit. This guy’s shy.”

“…….”

Jacques carefully took a potted plant and left.

As soon as the butler was gone, Keter poured a strong whiskey into Kai’s glass.

Expensive liquor is meant to be savored, sniffing the aroma first. Pouring it like this usually means it’s cheap.

But Kai knew exactly how precious the liquor Keter was pouring was.

“Apple spider wine. Not bad for hospitality.”

Made from the essence of thousands of spiders that only eat apples, apple spider wine is so rare it’s considered one of the world’s top ten delicacies.

Keter downed it in one go.

“Ah, the taste that stimulates every cell on the tongue is amazing.”

Keter stuffed a handful of dried pork into his mouth and stared at Kai.

“If you’re not going to drink that, give it to me.”

Kai, for some reason, felt his appetite rise and picked up the glass.

But he didn’t drink it immediately. He looked at it, felt the warmth with his fingers, and then savored the aroma.

‘No poison.’

Kai slowly closed his eyes, took a sip, and swirled it in his mouth.

Then.

Gulp.

He swallowed it without haste.

His mouth was clean, but the strong liquor aroma lingered. When Kai exhaled, the scent filled the room.

Though Keter drank it easily, apple spider wine was so potent that one shot could get most people drunk.

“Deo and Drant, I killed them.”

Just as Kai was about to savor the aftertaste, Keter struck first.

“You might not believe it was self-defense, but let’s just say it was.”

“I want to hear the situation. Briefly.”

“No need for a long story. Those two came to Hakoz Village saying the Seven Evil Tribes were there, we fought, and I won.”

“Seems like you skipped a part.”

“Why play games? You already know.”

“I don’t have time for wordplay, Keter. I’ll make you an offer. Hand over the hidden Seven Evil Tribes. If you do it now, we’ll treat it as if you were holding them captive, not sheltering them.”

Keter was impressed. Kai’s offer was incredibly tempting.

Clap, clap, clap!

“Amazing. It’s not a threat or a plea. It’s more like you’re offering to help. And it actually benefits me. As expected of the Special Operations Unit. Terrifying!”

“Stop playing the fool. Even without evidence, the Empire can turn Sephira into a wasteland on suspicion alone. You don’t want that, do you?”

“What if I do?”

“…….”

Keter’s bold words made Kai frown.

The Empire’s power is immense. Turning Sephira into a wasteland isn’t an empty threat.

But they can’t destroy Sephira immediately. They can certainly bring it down, but not ‘immediately.’ Even the Empire can’t just erase a prestigious family from the map without cause.

‘Is he deliberately provoking the Empire’s attention by killing the Sword Wing Tribe?’

Kai felt a chill. He suddenly wondered if Keter had killed the Sword Wing Tribe to draw the Empire’s attention.

What benefit that would bring was unclear. But if connected to the Family War currently happening in the Lilian Kingdom, something might emerge.

‘Is that it? If the Empire starts meddling with Sephira, at least the princes won’t be able to touch Sephira. But that’s like calling a tiger to drive away a wolf.’

Kai, who could see ten steps ahead, still couldn’t fathom Keter’s intentions.

Even with the Empire’s protection, it wouldn’t be enough. What could he possibly gain from incurring the Empire’s wrath?

No matter how he thought about it, there was no way out for the Sephira family once they earned the Empire’s disdain.

Yet, Keter’s enigmatic smile made Kai’s chest tighten. It even made him fidget with the truth serum in his pocket.

“Kai. I know the Empire doesn’t compromise on the Seven Evil Tribes. They’re practically treated like the killers of one’s parents, right? I wouldn’t tolerate that either.”

“…You don’t sound like you’re willing to hand them over.”

“To the Empire, they’re enemies to be killed, but to me, they’re just a nuisance. I’ve stashed them somewhere you can’t take them.”

Keter had sent the Birang Tribe, hidden by Elder Leganon, to Ruquer. Even the Empire couldn’t touch them there.

“Ruquer, huh.”

Kai immediately understood and frowned.

Ruquer was indeed a place even the Empire couldn’t touch. Once someone entered Ruquer, they were as good as dead. No one had ever come out alive.

But the problem was, there was no way to prove Keter’s claim.

“Even if I believe you sent the Seven Evil Tribes to Ruquer, it still looks like you’re protecting them from the Empire.”

“I did protect them. As I said earlier, if they were strangers, it’d be one thing, but we’ve become acquainted.”

Keter couldn’t abandon the Birang Tribe because of Leganon. Doing so would have turned Leganon against him.

Even if it meant making an enemy of the Empire, Leganon was worth protecting. His stance could affect Sephira’s overall condition and morale.

“You’re beating around the bush. What do you want?”

“Turn a blind eye to the Seven Evil Tribes in Sephira. In return, I’ll sell you another Seven Evil Tribe.”

“Another Seven Evil Tribe?”

“Wait a moment.”

Keter rummaged through a storage box and pulled out a smooth stone.

Before Kai could ask what it was, Keter tossed it to him and said,

“It’s a token of the Moon Beast Tribe. I know where they’re hiding. I’ll sell that valuable information to the Special Operations Unit.”