Chapter 208

Chapter 209. Bad News, Worse News (3)

Right after Keter left for Ruquer, a visitor arrived at House Sephira.

It was Baiga, the head of Ultima Merchant and a party enthusiast from the renowned swordsmanship family.

Behind them, an enormous amount of supplies and workers were lined up.

Baiga had been asked by Keter to help organize a party at Sephira, and Ultima, as the financier, had mobilized all the resources and manpower from his merchant group to support it.

Branch House Lord Hisop, having heard the general situation from Mail, warmly welcomed Ultima and Baiga.

“I didn’t expect to see you again, Branch House Lord.”

Baiga bowed deeply, showing utmost respect to Hisop. Hisop smiled awkwardly.

“I heard you came for Sephira. Thank you.”

“No need to thank me. It’s for Keter, not Sephira.”

Baiga’s provocative words ignited Panir’s anger, who was standing nearby.

“I’ll cut your tongue…”

“Since Keter is throwing a party for our Sephira, isn’t it ultimately the same thing?”

Hisop’s calm response made Baiga smile slyly.

“Thank you for clarifying. Time is short, so would you grant me full authority over the party preparations?”

“As long as your requests are reasonable, gladly.”

“I’ll do my best not to get on Keter’s bad side.”

With that, Baiga casually left the reception room without even waiting for Hisop’s permission, as the acting House Lord.

Panir looked like he wanted to kill Baiga on the spot but held back. Hisop, however, remained serene.

“Elder Panir. I’m in a good mood.”

“Branch House Lord, what do you mean?”

“The Baiga I know wouldn’t even bother with formalities. But now, he’s at least pretending to be polite.”

“…!”

Panir couldn’t help but be surprised by Hisop’s magnanimity.

Baiga had emphasized that his deference was solely for Keter, not Sephira.

Normally, Hisop should have been offended, feeling insulted. But he wasn’t upset at all.

It wasn’t forced. If it were, it would have shown in his expression or actions.

‘What patience. No, what tolerance.’

Hisop’s ability to remain unshaken by Baiga’s fake politeness and sharp words was extraordinary.

It was a talent and nature that even surpassed Basil, the House Lord, and anyone in Sephira’s history.

After Baiga, Ultima met Hisop in the reception room. Unlike Baiga, Ultima genuinely showed respect and treated Hisop with courtesy.

Though it was also for Keter, Ultima didn’t mention it, and Hisop didn’t bring it up either.

“To celebrate Sephira’s victory, I’ve prepared a modest gift. Please accept it.”

Unlike Baiga, who came empty-handed, Ultima had brought a carriage full of gifts—paintings and artworks to decorate Sephira’s main building.

Though frugality was Sephira’s motto, Hisop didn’t mind.

“These are hard to obtain even with money. Ultima Merchant Lord, I won’t forget your sincerity.”

“Thank you.”

After their meeting, Ultima and Baiga coincidentally met at Keter’s mansion, as if it were planned.

“So, you came to see Keter as if it’s natural?”

Baiga, who had arrived first and was drinking tea, offered Ultima a seat. Ultima didn’t sit and instead looked around.

“Prince Keter seems to be absent.”

“Oh, how did you know? Are you quite close with Keter?”

“…A merchant’s intuition.”

At that moment, Jacques, the butler, brought tea for Ultima.

“Lord Ultima, Prince Keter has gone out. I’ll inform him of your visit when he returns.”

“Hmm… Butler Jacques, a moment please.”

Ultima, avoiding Baiga’s gaze, took Jacques aside and whispered.

“When will Keter—no, Prince Keter—return?”

“Haha, you know how it is. The young master doesn’t tell anyone when he’ll return. Even if he did, I wouldn’t disclose his schedule to anyone except the House Lord.”

“You know I have a special relationship with Keter, right? Unlike Prince Baiga.”

“I don’t have the authority to judge on behalf of the young master. And I truly don’t know where he went or when he’ll return.”

“Then at least tell him I came first and that it’s very important.”

“Hmm…”

As Jacques was about to nod, Baiga shouted from the next room.

“My business concerns Sephira’s fate, but Lord Ultima, is your business equally important?”

Though it was the next room, the walls were thick. Ultima had even whispered to avoid being overheard. Yet Baiga spoke as if he had heard everything.

Ultima clicked his tongue, and Jacques returned to his original spot, addressing both.

“I understand both of you have important matters. I’ll inform Prince Keter as soon as he returns.”

Seeing Jacques calmly propose a solution, both realized there was nothing more they could do.

“Then, please do.”

As Ultima was about to leave, he noticed Baiga still sitting and drinking tea.

“Prince Baiga, aren’t you coming? We need to decide on the party venue.”

“We’ve already decided on an outdoor location. Fortunately, Sephira’s grounds have a great view. The open fields are perfect.”

“So, you’re staying here to wait for Prince Keter?”

“Not waiting, just looking around. I’m curious about what kind of person Keter is.”

“…I’ll send someone to inform you once the venue is decided. Your input will be needed for decorating.”

“Do that.”

Baiga waved his hand dismissively.

Ultima didn’t like Baiga, but with Keter as a common connection, he couldn’t act recklessly.

After Ultima left, Baiga genuinely explored Keter’s mansion. Of course, Jacques accompanied him, guiding and keeping an eye on him.

“From the outside, I wouldn’t have guessed, but this mansion seems like a remodeled warehouse.”

“Yes, that’s correct.”

Jacques confirmed flatly.

“Keter, the sacred one of Sephira, known as the Southern Palace, being treated like this… It pains me. It seems Branch House Lord Hisop dislikes Keter. Well, it makes sense. Being a bastard, he must be a thorn in his side.”

“…….”

Jacques didn’t respond. There was no reason to get angry or correct Baiga’s personal opinion.

“Keter is special, but this mansion isn’t.”

As Baiga said, there wasn’t much to see in Keter’s mansion.

“Is this Keter’s bedroom?”

Finally, Baiga tried to open the bedroom door, but Jacques blocked it with his body.

“Prince Baiga, the bedroom is the young master’s private space. Please understand.”

“Huh? Oh, you don’t know yet. Keter and I are friends. It’s no big deal for a friend to see another friend’s bedroom, right? So, it’s fine. Move aside.”

“I haven’t heard anything about you from Prince Keter.”

“Judging by your expression, there must be something interesting in this bedroom, huh?”

“I’m sorry, but no.”

Jacques stood firm, refusing to budge.

While various elixirs and potions were stored there, the main reason was Elije.

In bat form, it was fine to show her to others. She was just a cute white bat, nothing more.

Moreover, Elije was extremely shy. She only showed affection to Keter and was indifferent to others.

The only person she allowed close was Jacques. She didn’t show herself to anyone else.

But now, Elije had transformed into a human—a cute girl you couldn’t help but adore.

If Baiga saw her like that, who knows what would happen.

Jacques had heard rumors about Baiga—a party-loving troublemaker.

Of course, Jacques didn’t judge people by rumors or appearances.

But after seeing Baiga in person and exchanging a few words, Jacques was certain. If Baiga and Elije met, trouble would surely follow.

Baiga, unaware of this, wouldn’t back down even if he knew.

In this world, if someone with such a terrible personality survived, it was for one of two reasons: they had power no one could challenge, or they were strong.

Baiga fit both.

A troublemaker who threw parties every day. No one had ever seen him seriously train in swordsmanship, yet he was strong—strong enough to easily defeat a 5-Star Master.

Baiga pointed at Jacques.

“No. That’s my least favorite word. I didn’t expect to hear it from a mere butler.”

He spoke with a smile, but a palpable killing intent filled the hallway.

“Prince Baiga, retract your killing intent!”

A holy knight stationed in the hallway aimed his bow at Baiga.

Though unarmed, a Master-level fighter didn’t need weapons. They could create weapons with their aura.

“Shoot. I’ve been curious about Sephira’s archery.”

“……!”

“What, is it too much to shoot at an unarmed man? Then—”

Whoosh!

Baiga grabbed Jacques by the neck and lifted him high.

“Gah!”

“Now, if you don’t shoot me, this old butler will die from strangulation. That’s reason enough to shoot, right?”

At Baiga’s threat, the holy knight’s eyes trembled. Could he shoot at the direct descendant of a renowned swordsmanship family? Even if Jacques was held hostage, the opponent was the family’s legitimate heir.

The holy knight bit his lower lip, resolved. He could endure being disrespected, but he couldn’t tolerate Sephira being disrespected.

Creeeak!

The bowstring was pulled back with full force. If he was going to shoot, he would put all his strength into it.

As the holy knight made his decision, Baiga laughed with delight.

KABOOM!

A loud explosion came from inside the bedroom, and a shockwave spread in all directions.

Crash! Thud!

Unable to withstand the shockwave, the door was blown off, hitting Baiga, who was standing in front of it, and sending him flying.

* * *

Keter, who had brought Maknun, the slime Popo, and the homunculus Six Hundred to Sephira, was shocked.

‘Feels like I got punched by an ogre.’

Fortunately, Maknun and Popo seemed unharmed, and Keter felt relieved.

“The old man’s going to scold me again.”

While he and his party were fine, the bedroom was a mess due to the overloaded teleportation magic circle exploding.

“Is this a prestigious family? It’s much messier and shabbier than I thought.”

Daat, who had expected a grand palace, spoke disappointedly. Keter handed Popo over and said,

“Wait. Sephira is frugal for a prestigious family, but it’s not unbearable.”

“And, brother. My body feels strange. I’m overflowing with energy, and my body feels too light. If I don’t put in effort, I might float in the air.”

“I felt the same. You’ll get used to it soon. But it seems we have guests.”

The presence outside the door was familiar to Keter.

“Look around the room. Oh, Jjokjjok is here too, so say hi.”

“Jjokjjok can’t resist.”

After sending Maknun off, Keter stepped into the hallway. Baiga, who had been hit by the flying door, stood up at the perfect timing.

“Ah.”

“Huh?”

The problem was, Baiga still had Jacques by the neck.

“Keter. Where did you go? Was the butler lying?”

“What are you doing right now?”

“Huh? Oh, your butler disrespected me, so I’m giving him a light lesson…”

Thud!

It happened in an instant.

Baiga’s body floated in the air.

Not by his own will. Keter had grabbed his neck and lifted him, returning the favor Baiga had given Jacques.

“Gah?!”

Baiga was shocked for two reasons.

One, he couldn’t react to his neck being grabbed.

Two, Keter’s expression was cold and emotionless as he strangled him, showing no hesitation despite Baiga being a legitimate heir of a prestigious family.

“Who gave you permission to strangle my butler?”

“Ke, Keter. You’re taking this too far. It’s just an old butler…!”

Sweat dripped from Baiga’s forehead as he clung to Keter’s arm.

‘Wh, what… This doesn’t feel like a human arm.’

It didn’t feel like being held by a human. It felt like being gripped by a giant.

Baiga quickly changed his target to Keter’s fingers.

But the result was the same. He couldn’t even budge Keter’s pinky finger, even with all his strength!

‘Is this really human strength?’

Baiga had rarely felt like a ‘weakling’ in his life. He could count such instances on one hand. And among them, none were his peers.

Even when facing the House Lords or leaders of the Mejai family, he had felt weak but never defeated. They were monsters who had trained for decades.

But Keter was younger than him. He didn’t seem like the type to train hard. Yet, the gap felt insurmountable.

‘Do I have to endure this humiliation over a mere butler? And from someone younger than me?’

He had already forgotten he was the weak one. His humiliation was turning into anger.

“Don’t struggle, Baiga. I might accidentally use too much force.”

“……!”

“I hate it when people mess with what’s mine. But since you didn’t know, I’ll consider it a mistake. Everyone makes mistakes. Apologize, and I’ll let it go.”

Baiga wondered what would happen if he didn’t apologize.

‘Would he really kill me?’

When he looked into Keter’s eyes, he realized.

‘Crazy. This guy is insane. He’d really kill me.’

If Keter killed him, a legitimate heir of a prestigious family, war would break out between Mejai and Sephira.

But Keter wouldn’t care. He’d kill without hesitation. That was the instinct Baiga felt from Keter.

“Sorry. I didn’t know, so I made a mistake.”

“Why are you apologizing to me? Apologize to Jacques.”

A high noble apologizing to a mere butler, an old man at that?

Baiga felt immense humiliation, but he didn’t want to lose his life over it.

“…I’m sorry, Butler Jacques.”

Though bewildered, Jacques realized accepting the apology would end the situation and accepted it.

“I also failed to explain in a way Prince Baiga could understand. I apologize.”

Whoosh!

Keter released Baiga’s neck. Finally able to stand, Baiga rubbed his reddened neck.

“First time being strangled… I’m having a lot of first experiences at Sephira.”

“So, why are you here? I’m tired, so just get to the point.”

“Ha, you’re acting so calm after just strangling me.”

“That’s that, and this is this. Or do you want to settle this for good?”

“You’re really insane. I’ll pass on settling things. And you’re the one who called me.”

“I asked for help with the party, not to come see me.”

“Wow. What a heartless guy. The moment Sephira decided to throw a party, and I became the one preparing it, did you not think about what would happen?”

“I don’t care about that.”

“Crazy. But no matter how crazy you are, there’s something you need to know. I came to see your reaction to it.”

“Fine. I’ll admit you’ve piqued my interest. But if you disappoint me, you know what’ll happen, right?”

Baiga’s lips curled into a smile. He held up two fingers.

“Bad news and worse news. Which do you want to hear first?”