Chapter 209

Chapter 210. Bad News, Worse News (4)

Bad news and worse news, which one to hear first?

An extremely provocative statement. If someone feels insulted and challenges you to a duel, you have no excuse.

Baiga also said it with that intention. He wanted to see Keter get annoyed or discouraged.

But Keter’s reaction was unexpected.

“If I hear the worse news first, the regular bad news will turn into good news. So, I’ll just hear the bad news first.”

Like a child expecting a gift, Keter was actually looking forward to the bad news.

Baiga’s face twisted.

‘Are all the humans from Sephira insane?’

There’s no fun in teasing him. He was different from any noble Baiga had dealt with so far.

There were many nobles like Hisop who pretended to be calm, but it was just that—pretending. It was obvious they were actually holding back anger.

But Keter is different. He interprets and accepts malicious words in his own way.

‘But Keter, can you keep your composure even after hearing this news?’

The bad news Baiga had prepared was that special. Even the onlookers would feel a chill down their spines.

Originally, Baiga planned to scare him enough before revealing it, but Keter’s unexpected reaction made him cut straight to the point.

“The bad news is that the third son of the prestigious Browning Duke House from the north will be joining your party.”

The prestige of the Browning Duke House is known not just in the north, but in all regions.

It’s not just because the Browning Duke House holds the largest territory in the north.

They are the undisputed strongest swordsmanship family, representing the Lilian Kingdom.

The harsh climate and environment of the north also contribute greatly to their reputation.

An extreme climate that stays below freezing all year round. When it snows, it piles up to chest height.

Moreover, the north is the region closest to the Demon Realm. The Browning Duke House is the frontline family against the Demon Realm, and even connects to other countries by land, making it a military stronghold.

How could the family guarding such a critical region of the Lilian Kingdom be weak?

Especially since the current head of the Browning Duke House is praised as the strongest in history, even granted the title of Grand Duke directly by the Queen.

Lions give birth to lions, and his bloodline is no exception, born with unparalleled physical strength and exceptional talent.

The eldest son, Colt, is said to see the optimal path for the sword—the second son, Benelli, wields a versatile demon swordsmanship using mana instead of aura—and the third son, Vector, who has announced his participation in Sephira’s party, is a swordsman who wields four swords in the Four Sword Style.

“Who’s that?”

But to Keter, they were just strangers.

“Huh…?”

At Keter’s question of who they were, Baiga seriously wondered if Keter was messing with him.

But Keter’s face was genuinely asking, “Who’s that?”

“I know the Browning Duke House. They make a lot of ridiculously effective elixirs. But other than that, I don’t care.”

“…Unbelievable. I have to explain Vector Browning to you. Even foreigners would know more than you.”

Baiga had no choice but to explain Vector Browning.

“Vector Browning. The third son of the Browning family, also known as the ‘Step Killer,’ but more famously known as Vector of the Four Sword Style.”

“Four Sword Style? Does he carry four swords?”

Humans have two arms. So, they can only carry two swords at most.

Some idiot claimed to use a three-sword style by holding one in his mouth, but where would he ‘equip’ the fourth one? Keter could only think of one place and couldn’t help but laugh.

“Hoho, Keter. Figure out for yourself how Vector uses four swords. The important thing is why he’s joining Sephira’s party. You’re not imagining he’s just coming to enjoy the party, are you?”

“So, he’s coming to pick a fight.”

“You, who defeated the strong knights of the south, will accept anyone’s challenge. Even if it’s not for pride, refusing a challenge would tarnish your reputation. Vector is coming for that.”

“You’ve been hyping up this Vector guy as some terrifying figure… but I’m not feeling it.”

Keter, who had experienced countless boasts at the Southern Sword Tournament. The mercenary Burgundy scared him by saying three unprecedented masters would participate.

Rajis, Pasian, Henya. Those three were undoubtedly the strongest among the young, rising knights.

But that was only from Burgundy’s perspective. While they had exceptional physical abilities and talent, from Keter’s point of view, they were still ‘rookies.’ They might be interesting, but not enough to get excited about.

After being hyped up so much and being disappointed a few times, Keter now reflexively doubted. ‘Is that guy really strong?’

Baiga was also dumbfounded, but wanting to see Keter surprised, he thought of a suitable comparison.

“Rajis, the Sword Dragon, who fought you evenly at the Southern Sword Tournament. Vector fought Rajis ten times, losing once and winning nine times. Moreover, the number of strikes needed to win decreased each time. In the last tenth match, Vector defeated Rajis in just two strikes. Got it? Vector is also a master of strategy. He might lose the first fight, but from the second onward, he never loses. Not just against Rajis, but against anyone!”

“Against anyone?”

Keter’s eyes sparkled at the last phrase.

“So, even if he fights a Lord, he’ll lose once and then win from the second time?”

“…You should compare things properly. Comparing him to a Lord is crossing the line.”

Disappointment flashed across Keter’s face, then he said with a ‘well, this then’ expression.

“What about a 7-Star Prime?”

“Do you not know moderation? The difference between 5 and 6 stars is like heaven and earth, let alone 6 and 7 stars, which is like the gap between a bug and a human.”

“If he can’t beat a 7-Star, what kind of strategy master is he?”

“He can do it against a 6-Star Grandmaster. That’s enough to defeat you.”

How about it? Scared? Afraid? Baiga’s eyebrows raised and lowered as if asking.

But Keter yawned.

‘What a boring guy. Hoo, it’s faster to go find the real deal than wait for them to come.’

It would be nice if the strong came to him, saving time, but it never worked out that way.

The strongest family in the Lilian Kingdom, the Browning family. Wielding four swords, called the Step Killer, a master of strategy… To Keter’s ears, it all sounded like empty boasts.

‘He beat Rajis multiple times in sparring? He can win a hundred times in sparring. In a real fight, Rajis would win.’

Not that Keter particularly liked Rajis, but the Rajis he saw was simple yet precise, capable of striking unexpectedly. That type of martial artist never shows their full strength.

There’s a saying that a true martial artist only shows 70% of their strength. The remaining 30% is kept for real battles.

From Keter’s perspective, what Rajis showed at the tournament was the opposite.

He showed 30%, hid 70%.

‘If he had gone all out, it would’ve been more fun than that slime guy.’

It was a pity that Rajis didn’t seem willing to do so unless his life was on the line.

“Enough about this Vector guy. Let’s hear the worse news. Not that I’m expecting much.”

“Your confidence is unmatched in the kingdom. But what if the Princess attends the party?”

* * *

The Princess of this country.

What does that mean? She’s the daughter of Queen Lilian. The daughter of a divine being, could she be an ordinary human?

Keter’s eyes widened at Baiga’s words about the Princess coming.

“Lilian’s daughter is coming?”

“Even if it’s just the two of us, calling the Princess like she’s some girl next door is something only you would do.”

“This is definitely mouth-watering. The Princess is coming.”

Keter’s reaction to the Princess coming was actually excitement, leaving Baiga dumbfounded.

‘Vector was like that too, why is he happy?’

The Princess of the Lilian Kingdom, Iris.

She’s called the ‘Masked Princess,’ as she always wears a mask covering her entire face.

It’s not because she’s shy, introverted, ugly, or scarred.

Queen Lilian has the power to charm all things, and her daughter Iris has an even stronger charm. It’s so strong that she can’t control it, hence the mask.

Anyone who sees her face becomes charmed. Regardless of gender or age.

Moreover, her charm isn’t limited to humans.

It affects other races, inanimate objects, even energy like aura and mana.

Not only that, once charmed by her, one would dedicate their entire life to her.

Even if she’s not visible, even thousands of kilometers away, thoughts of her fill one’s mind, and if not seen within a certain time, one would go mad.

‘That Princess is attending the party. Of course, the royal Princess attending personally will boost Sephira’s prestige. But the Princess is a fearsome being. There are countless who have gone mad after seeing her face. Even I don’t want to get close to her…’

How beautiful must she be to charm someone to death with just one look? It’s intriguing.

But I don’t want to stake my life on it. Devoting one’s life to a single woman isn’t Baiga’s philosophy.

“Keter, it seems you don’t know about Princess Iris either? That’s why you can be so calm.”

Baiga thought he’d have to explain again, but Keter shook his head.

“I know about Iris. Called the Masked Princess. And about her power to charm everything.”

“Then it’s even stranger. Knowing that, how can you still be so relaxed?”

“It’s fun.”

“Fun…?”

Losing one’s life. That can certainly be a noble act. Fighting enemies for the country. Fighting for the family. Fighting for love… All honorable deaths.

But in this world, there are also meaningless deaths. Deaths without any significance. It’s safe to say no one in this world wants to die a meaningless death.

And worse than that is living as someone’s puppet without even the freedom to die. Falling under the Princess’s charm means living such a life.

Yet, Keter says it’s fun.

‘Calling him crazy was a compliment. Keter has gone beyond crazy.’

Baiga couldn’t grasp Keter’s intentions at all.

How could he know? Keter’s thoughts of using the Princess to kill Queen Lilian.

‘Iris. If she’s coming to approach me, I can use that to my advantage.’

He didn’t dismiss her charm as mere rumors.

Charm magic. It might seem like only fools driven by lust would fall for it, but that’s not the case.

Even a priest who maintained celibacy for 50 years can fall under charm magic.

It’s not about celibacy. Even a man who has been with thousands of women can fall under charm magic. It’s not about spells or magic, but stimulating human ‘instinct.’

Stimulating instinct means stimulating the ‘soul.’ Without defenses for the soul, anyone can fall for it.

Keter, as a victim who had fallen under charm magic and also resisted it, was confident.

‘I’ve been tormented by Inara of the Fox Tribe. Thanks to that, I’ve built resistance to charm.’

Keter was already born with resistance to charm, but he had fallen for the Fox Tribe’s charm without resistance.

But after dozens, hundreds of times, he adapted and eventually found a way to resist charm.

Keter suddenly remembered Inara’s words.

‘Keter. Charm isn’t something you can resist or adapt to. You’re just special.’

But that doesn’t mean he plans to just fall for the Princess’s charm.

‘The Fox Tribe’s charm is impressive, but the Princess is the daughter of Lilian, a divine being. Her charm might be stronger and possibly of a different kind.’

He needs another means to resist charm. And within a month.

‘And I know where to get it.’

The ‘bad news’ and ‘worse news’ Baiga delivered.

They were wrong.

It’s ‘bad news’ and ‘good news.’

If he hadn’t told Keter about Iris coming, Keter wouldn’t have prepared for the charm.

Keter decided to adjust his schedule a bit. Originally, he planned to bring Maknun to Sephira before the party started and head straight for training.

‘Find the real strong ones and defeat them to break through the Master’s wall.’

That was the initial plan, but with Princess Iris coming, he added one more thing to the schedule.

‘I’ll collect some treasures on the way.’

Not just treasures to resist Iris’s charm, but also useful treasures nearby, all in one sweep.

“Bad news and worse news. Is that it?”

Keter urged Baiga to spill if there was more, but Baiga shook his head.

“Making the bad news I brought seem worthless. Yeah, that’s it.”

“Then go.”

“Go? Really?”

Swish swish.

Keter waved his hand dismissively.

Baiga couldn’t help but laugh.

“First time in my life being treated like this.”

Baiga was experiencing many firsts in Sephira.