Chapter 103. Pride Can Be Bought with Money (1)
Jairo and Jordic’s sword and spear clashed in mid-air. The heavy sword pressing down and the spear trying to deflect it tangled in a chaotic dance.
The trio forgot to breathe or blink, absorbing every moment of the battle in their minds.
Where else could one witness the fight of 3-star or higher powerhouses? Simply watching was an immense learning experience, with insights pouring in like a flood.
Moreover, both fighters wielded supreme techniques.
Jairo’s Refreshing Sword contained the essence of speed, power, and absorption, while Jordic’s Moonlight Spear Technique, derived from the Moon Beast Tribe, embodied transformation, unpredictability, speed, and unity—a pinnacle of spear arts.
Of course, having more techniques didn’t guarantee an advantage in compatibility, but Jordic seemed to fully grasp all four essences, his spear flowing like an unbroken stream.
However, it didn’t fare well against Jairo’s sword. The heavy sword, like an enraged elephant, crushed transformation and unpredictability, while speed was evenly matched.
Sweat dripped from Jordic’s forehead. His earlier resolve to win using only the basics had long vanished.
He aimed for Jairo’s chin and legs with the 1st Form: New Moon Spear, only to be blocked by the incoming heavy sword. He then deflected with the 3rd Form: Reverse Crescent Spear.
The Reverse Crescent Spear was meant to disarm or deflect, but it had no effect on Jairo. Instead, Jordic nearly lost his grip on the spear.
‘Where did this monster come from?!’
There was no time to speak.
Jordic stepped back, escaping the range of the heavy sword, then pulled his spear back before thrusting forward. His spear was momentarily swallowed by a silver sphere.
4th Form: Full Moon Spear. A thrust hidden within the moon. It forced the opponent to defend all directions or retreat.
But Jairo was different.
He didn’t look at the moon.
Instead, he looked at Jordic’s eyes.
Kwaaaaah!
Jairo countered with a diagonal slash. The seemingly simple slash carried a gravitational pull, drawing in the opponent’s weapon or aura. It was one of the three essences of the Refreshing Sword—absorption.
Jordic managed to resist the pull on his body, but he couldn’t stop his spear’s trajectory from being altered.
Krrrrk!
Jordic’s cross-shaped spear screamed as it clashed with the heavy sword, on the verge of breaking.
Jordic twisted his shoulders, pushing the heavy sword away, and lunged forward with the 2nd Form: Crescent Spear.
It was a bold charge, but Jairo skillfully lowered his stance and drove the heavy sword vertically into the ground.
Kwaaazzzz!
The aura emitted from the heavy sword embedded deep in the training ground completely flipped the ground in front.
Jordic didn’t retreat. Instead, he used the debris as a foothold to leap forward.
Uuuuuuuung!
Aura exploded from both fighters, their hair whipping wildly, the clouds above pushed far away.
Moonlight Spear Technique’s secret art: Moon Eclipse.
Refreshing Sword’s secret art: Skyward Path.
A dazzling moonlight engulfed the earth—
Jairo’s heavy sword extended endlessly.
Just as both were about to unleash their ultimate techniques—
“That’s enough.”
Thud.
Two Aura Arrows, casually fired from Keter’s hand, struck Jairo’s heavy sword and Jordic’s spear.
Kwaaaang!
Jairo was pushed back several meters, his sword embedded in the ground, while Jordic spun in the air before barely managing to land.
“……!”
Both were in disbelief.
The strike they had been preparing was meant to kill.
Yet, it was shattered by a single arrow from Keter, and they were effortlessly pushed back.
“…Hmm, the boss really is a monster.”
The Demon Sword Obelisk, which hadn’t awakened to any attack, was now roaring. It demanded to tear apart the one who had awakened it.
Jordic also looked down at his spear. The tip was gone, broken by Keter’s arrow.
Though not an Artifact or Magical Tool, it was a spear made of Amantium. While its durability had weakened significantly from clashing with Jairo’s heavy sword, it was still unbelievable that it broke from blocking an arrow.
Jordic, who had never properly fought Keter, felt not fear but a competitive spirit. The archery he had dismissed as inferior had displayed such power.
‘I acknowledge you, Keter. You’re my rival.’
He also acknowledged his loss to the mysterious swordsman. If he had used Moon Eclipse at the end, he might have won.
‘Damn you, Keter. You think I’ll go back to prison?’
Jordic turned.
He still had stamina and aura to spare. He planned to escape Sephira on his own.
Thud!
A stone struck the back of his head as he turned.
Jordic fell forward, blood streaming from the back of his head.
“If you hadn’t turned, you could’ve dodged that.”
Keter placed another aura-suppressing bracelet on the unconscious Jordic and sealed his muscles.
“Hup.”
Keter, carrying Jordic with one hand, spoke to the trio.
“I arranged a difficult position for your training. Did you learn something?”
The trio nodded simultaneously.
Though the match lasted only about three minutes, those three minutes were worth more than three years of training.
Especially Taragon, who had no real combat experience, was left speechless.
He knew Jairo was holding back, but seeing Jairo fight seriously was beyond imagination.
If Jairo fought him like he did Jordic, Taragon was sure he’d die in five seconds.
While 99% of what the trio felt was similar, the remaining 1% was entirely different.
The trio stood frozen, their minds busy organizing the insights gained from the battle.
Jairo, brushing off the dust, approached with a sly smile.
“Boss, can I get some Elixir? I’m out.”
“You already used it all? Did you drink it instead of water? Just spit on the scratches.”
“I took hits I shouldn’t have because I was holding back… And my age… I’m probably over 60 now.”
“Should I really retire you?”
Despite his words, Keter handed over diluted Elixir. Even for someone as wealthy as Keter, using pure Elixir recklessly was nerve-wracking.
“By the way, Jairo, give them another round when they come to.”
“Understood. Ah, and—”
Jairo called out to Keter’s retreating back.
“When this is over, tell me.”
“Got it.”
Jairo and Keter weren’t master and servant. They had a transactional relationship. Jairo came to Sephira because Keter promised to teach him how to kill a god.
When Keter agreed immediately, Jairo regained his vigor.
After locking Jordic back up, Keter was stopped by a servant as soon as he left the prison.
He wondered if his father had found out about Jordic’s brief escape, but that didn’t seem to be the case. If so, knights would have come, not a servant.
It seemed to be another matter, as the servant, trembling, spoke without even looking Keter in the eye.
“Young master, Butler Jacques said, ‘Lady Catherine has arrived, what should we do?’…”
“Ah, it’s already that time.”
Keter hadn’t forgotten Catherine.
Of course, he remembered.
Sephira’s first slave. To test if she was trustworthy, he had ordered her to remain silent for a month.
‘She wanted to learn the transparent arrow.’
Originally, he planned to teach her the basics and leave her be. Her mere existence in Sephira had a positive influence.
“Let’s meet her.”
It would take time for the trio to recover anyway.
To decide whether to use Catherine casually or seriously, Keter headed to the mansion where she waited.
* * *
Living as a mute was harder than expected.
Without proper communication, relationships crumbled, and the inability to express desires led to immense frustration.
An ordinary person would go mad from the frustration after just a day of being mute.
Catherine endured such a life for a month. Not a single word, even in uncomfortable or explainable situations.
As Sephira’s rose, the center of attention, it must have been an unbearable trial.
Yet, she persevered. Her spirit didn’t break. She returned to her former self—vibrant and full of life.
“Butler Jacques, the young master hasn’t forgotten me, right?”
“Haha, the young master has been busy lately, but he’s not one to forget. Wait patiently, Lady Catherine. He will surely respond.”
“Thank you, Butler Jacques. The green tea you prepared calms my heart.”
“You flatter me.”
As Butler Jacques and Catherine chatted, the door burst open.
Catherine and Jacques stood up. Only one person would open the door so roughly.
“Young master!”
“Master!”
“…?”
Jacques looked at Catherine, who called Keter “master,” with a strange expression. Then, seeing Keter’s disheveled state, he spoke to a servant.
“Prepare the bath. You should wash up first.”
“No need. I’m not done yet. I just stopped by to talk to the slave.”
“Slave?”
“We made a bet. If I won, she’d become my slave. And as you can see, I won.”
“Ah… um… uh…”
Jacques pondered if such a master-servant relationship was possible but couldn’t find an answer.
“Old man, everyone out.”
“Understood.”
Jacques left with the servants.
Keter got straight to the point.
“You kept silent for a month?”
“Yes. Not a single word.”
“You spoke once at Elder Panir’s mansion.”
Even at Keter’s unreasonable nitpicking, Catherine answered confidently with bright eyes.
“That was because you told me to.”
“If I told you to jump off a cliff, would you?”
“I’d ask a few times. Really? Truly? If you still said so, I would.”
Keter stared intensely at Catherine. She met his golden eyes without flinching.
‘She’s serious. Or she can control her emotions well enough to deceive me.’
Humans’ minds and bodies act separately. Even if the mind thinks it’s not lying, the body betrays it.
Catherine seemed at ease.
That meant she had conviction. Not a knight’s enforced conviction, but her own.
“Fine, I acknowledge it. A month of silence. You endured well. Now live freely and speak your mind.”
As Keter acted like he was leaving, Catherine reached out. Keter’s clothes were filthy, but she grabbed them without hesitation.
“You promised to teach me how to shoot transparent arrows. Teach me.”
Catherine’s eyes were filled with passion. Her determination to learn, no matter what, was clear to Keter.
“Hmm, you really want to learn?”
“Yes. If I can use transparent arrows, my archery’s power will increase tenfold. Combined with the Twelve Palaces, it would be unmatched.”
“Do you plan to teach my techniques to other knights?”
“If you allow it.”
“Are you stupid? Why would I teach you? Your value increases only if you’re the only one who knows. If everyone can do it, you’re just one of many knights.”
“Even if my value decreases, it doesn’t matter. I don’t think it will. House Sephira must survive. If House Sephira rises, so will I. I want to learn transparent arrows not for myself, but for Sephira.”
“Ah, that logic? What if I teach someone else transparent arrows instead of you?”
“That would be grateful. If you teach the knights directly, it would be much better than me, who’s still inexperienced.”
“Tsk, don’t you have any greed?”
“I do. For Sephira…”
“No, I mean greed for yourself. Will you live and die as a knight of Sephira? Is that your life?”
Catherine pondered briefly before answering.
“I was abandoned by my parents. Do you know what happens to abandoned girls? Ten out of ten are sold as prostitutes. If House Sephira’s orphanage hadn’t taken me in, I would have died fleeing the brothels or become something other than a knight.”
“You want to repay Sephira’s kindness?”
“Yes. They saved my life.”
“You think you haven’t repaid Sephira’s kindness yet. Fine. What if you repay it all? What then?”
“After that…”
Catherine hadn’t thought beyond that. She was certain such a day would never come.
A knight’s life is short. Survival rates are low. Most knights don’t consider life after retirement.
Catherine had never thought about life after retirement. She only vaguely imagined dying in battle for Sephira.
When Keter asked about the future, she was at a loss, but one vague thought surfaced.
“If I retire, I’d like to run a ranch… Raising flocks of sheep and chickens in wide fields. A small orchard would be nice too.”
A dream. An unattainable dream. Catherine thought so.
But Keter smiled and said,
“See? You do have greed. You don’t fight just to fight. You fight for peace. Your dream is to live comfortably without worrying about money, right?”
“Yes… That’s right. But is that possible? Do I have such a future?”
“It’s hard, but not impossible.”
“But what does that have to do with learning transparent arrows?”
“It’s deeply connected. If you learn transparent arrows properly, you become useful. I don’t easily discard useful people. But such a rosy future isn’t easily obtained.”
Keter extended two fingers in front of Catherine.
“You have two choices. One is a safe path, but far from your dream. The other is a path where you risk your life but get closer to your dream. Choose. Your future.”