Chapter 21

Episode 21. Like Father, Like Son (2)

The mansion of House Sephira, shrouded in darkness.

Among the shadows, one place stood out with its brightness—the office of Count Basil.

“Sigh…”

The table was piled with various agendas and documents urging approvals. The most troublesome among them were the archer support requests pouring in from all over.

From trivial requests to dispatch archers to protect crops from wild animals to military requests for a full battalion to strengthen border defenses.

“They’re determined to exhaust our family.”

Half, no, most of the support requests were unnecessary, clearly aimed at dispersing the family’s forces and draining their resources. A petty scheme.

Yet, ignoring their requests wasn’t an option.

Rejecting even a village chief’s request outright would damage public sentiment, and refusing a high noble’s request without a valid reason would invite political backlash.

Basil was sorting through the requests, identifying which ones truly needed support and crafting polite rejections for the false ones, citing various reasons.

But there were requests even Basil couldn’t refuse. Requests that were undoubtedly false but impossible to ignore.

Places that even the prestigious House Sephira couldn’t disregard—other noble families and the Four Great Lords.

After painstakingly sorting through the requests, Basil barely had time to catch his breath before reading an important report.

“Just when things were calming down, attention is flaring up again…”

The report, from a knight in charge of the family’s security, detailed a significant increase in external attention and internal spy activity.

The primary cause, unsurprisingly, was Keter.

‘I expected this, but Keter is more active than I anticipated.’

The final line of the report requested additional troops to strengthen security. Basil pressed his forehead in frustration.

They were already short on manpower, even sending out apprentice knights. How were they supposed to add more troops now?

Basil, who always had to maintain a composed demeanor in front of the family, was left to suffer alone.

*Thud thud thud thud.*

The sound of heavy footsteps echoed, and Basil let out a deep sigh.

“Here it comes.”

The footsteps led straight to Basil’s office, and soon the door was flung open.

“Basil!”

It was Elder Panir.

Basil had mentally prepared for his arrival, but seeing him only made his headache worse. He pressed his forehead again.

“What brings you here at this hour?”

“What brings me here? Are you seriously asking that now?”

Panir’s furious voice pierced through the curtains and darkness, startling the soldiers on night patrol outside. Recognizing the voice, they sighed.

“Why does Elder Panir always yell at the Lord whenever he returns?”

“Lower your voice. Elder Panir’s hearing is sharp even at night.”

“Ugh, let’s move.”

As the soldiers hurried away, Panir began interrogating Basil.

“Do you even know what that lunatic Keter has been up to lately?”

At the mention of Keter, Basil sighed again, as if expecting this. Panir immediately snapped back.

“You’re sighing? Are you treating me like a senile old man now? Basil, did Ricotta teach you to act like this?”

Ricotta was Basil’s father, Panir’s younger brother, and the former head of the family.

Basil rubbed his temples and gestured to the sofa.

“Please, sit down and have some tea. Lower your voice too. The whole estate can hear you.”

“This is no time to calm down. Keter is a disaster for House Sephira. We should’ve kicked him out long ago, and now you’re telling me to sit and drink tea?”

“Yes. I’ll serve you something hot. Maybe burning your tongue will quiet you down.”

“You little…”

Everyone saw Basil as calm and composed, but he was just holding back for the sake of the family’s dignity. He had a temper too.

Seeing no sign of Panir calming down, Basil resorted to a stronger approach.

“As the head of the family, I order you to sit down, Elder Panir.”

“……”

Panir was hot-headed but also deeply conservative. Invoking the family head’s authority made him at least pretend to listen.

Grumbling, Panir sat on the sofa. Basil personally poured him a cup of steaming hot tea.

“I’ve been keeping an eye on Keter’s movements. I said I’d ignore him, not that I’d turn a blind eye.”

Basil poured himself a cup and sat across from Panir.

“You knew Keter ambushed Anis, yet you did nothing?”

“I didn’t hear about any ambush. In fact, I heard it was a fair fight, and they agreed to a rematch.”

Panir’s eyes narrowed.

“What about forcing the family butler to drink?”

“Chef Alteste testified that Keter offered the drink but didn’t force it. Butler Jacques admitted to overdrinking and voluntarily returned half his salary.”

*Thud.*

Panir’s veins bulged. His lips trembled like a ticking time bomb about to explode.

“What about the incident at Vulkanus’s forge? Did I hear wrong? He took Amaranth. The Demon Bow Amaranth! I heard it was sealed. What happened? Explain!”

“……”

Basil fiddled with his teacup, delaying his response. Panir shifted in his seat and shouted.

“He’s a spy! I don’t know how he knew about Amaranth, our family’s curse, but he stole it! We need to retrieve Amaranth and interrogate him immediately!”

*Thud.*

The handle of Basil’s teacup snapped. Their eyes met in mid-air.

The two stared at each other, neither willing to back down. Finally, Basil spoke.

“Elder Panir, you seem to know everything despite being away from the family.”

“I love and care for this family more than you do.”

“There’s a limit to that. What exactly have you been doing outside?”

“Hahaha! Are you doubting me, Head of the Family? What have I been doing outside? I’ve been working tirelessly to sway the hearts of the nobles!”

“Why did you meet with House Turbin, a family already at odds with us? And in secret, no less.”

“……”

Panir, who was about to storm out, froze. His expression darkened.

“You’ve been spying on me, Head of the Family?”

“Elder Panir. Why did you document everything happening in the family?”

The atmosphere turned icy.

‘There’s a traitor in the family.’

Since discovering this, Basil had secretly placed the elders under surveillance. He wanted to believe it was an overreaction, but Panir’s suspicious behavior had been caught.

While it was true Panir was persuading nobles outside, he was also meeting with nobles unrelated to House Sephira—secretly and unofficially.

If he had nothing to hide, there was no need for secrecy.

Basil considered Panir the prime suspect for the family’s traitor.

Though he wasn’t certain.

And he didn’t want to believe it.

Despite Panir’s temper and nitpicking, his love for House Sephira was genuine.

But too much of anything is poison.

*Swoosh.*

Basil leaned forward, glaring at Panir.

“Not just House Turbin, but you also visited House Zephyrus. A family that contributed to House Sephira’s downfall.”

“……”

The usually loud and talkative Panir fell silent. Basil pressed further.

“I also know you sent Catherine to Keter through Butler Prosciutto.”

Panir slowly stood up.

He spoke in a low voice.

“Are you doubting me?”

Basil remained seated, looking up at Panir. Panir finally said what he hadn’t before.

“Do you think I betrayed House Sephira?”

“Sit down. We’re not done yet.”

“I have nothing more to say.”

As Panir turned to leave—

Basil stood up. His coat transformed into a bow and arrow.

The family treasure, ‘Doppelganger,’ capable of transforming into anything.

Feeling the Doppelganger aimed at him, Panir shouted without turning around.

“Who are you pointing that bow at? Basil, I’m your archery teacher!”

“That’s why—”

Basil drew the bowstring. Despite his calm voice, his eyes trembled.

“Explain yourself. Why did you do all this?”

“…You weren’t like this before. What changed you? You said you trusted me. Is it—”

Panir clenched his fist.

“Is it because of Keter? Are you baring your fangs at me to protect that bastard?”

“What does Keter have to do with this?”

“Then trust me. Everything I do is for House Sephira. Trying to expel Keter is no different. He’s the source of discord. If he hadn’t come to our family…! None of this would’ve happened.”

“So, you refuse to explain.”

“I have no reason to be treated like a criminal in my own family. And it’s not me who needs to explain, but you.”

Basil lowered the bow. The bow and arrow returned to his coat.

*Snap.*

Basil flicked his fingers. The door opened, and two knights entered—Rual and Talon, the family’s guards.

They stood on either side of Panir.

Basil sighed softly.

“You are forbidden from leaving your residence until you provide a satisfactory explanation, Elder Panir.”

Basil gestured for Rual and Talon to take him away.

“I’ll go to my residence.”

As Rual reached for Panir’s arm, Panir roughly slapped his hand away.

“Let go. I’ll go on my own, with dignity.”

Without even glancing at Basil, Panir left the office.

As the three disappeared into the dark corridor, a shadow stirred behind a decorative suit of armor. A figure emerged, whistling softly.

“Father’s got a temper too. Like father, like son.”

Keter, who had accidentally overheard the conversation, smiled faintly.

* * *

Sleeping at night isn’t just about being tired.

Even with candles or lamps to light the darkness, relying on limited lighting drastically reduces work efficiency, so people sleep until sunrise.

But in this world, there are places where common sense works in reverse. Places that reveal their true nature at night.

‘The Lawless City of Ruquer.’

Daytime Ruquer is just a facade. Nighttime Ruquer is the real deal.

Ruquer’s night is filled with dazzling lights, captivating everyone’s gaze.

This brilliance doesn’t mean clarity. Instead, it confuses the senses, making newcomers dizzy and nauseous.

Keter grew up in this chaos, roamed every corner, and ruled it.

Naturally, he wasn’t the type to feel sleepy or uncomfortable just because it was night.

“The security level is pathetic. Even with a manpower shortage, this is unacceptable.”

The Sephira mansion was dark, with only the occasional light from patrolling soldiers.

Keter walked around without a single candle, hands clasped behind his head.

He hadn’t snuck out for any particular reason. He simply slept little and often stayed awake at night.

Sitting still didn’t suit him, so he wandered around, checking for any incidents.

“The soldiers lack tension, no tension.”

Keter, who habitually moved silently, deliberately made his presence faint as he strolled through the mansion.

He ignored the guards—no, he even passed right by them.

Whenever he spotted a servant working at night, he’d sneak up and poke the back of their neck.

“Who, who’s there? Who poked me?”

“Ahhh!”

No one could stop Keter, who moved without a sound and poked necks at will.

The quiet mansion grew chaotic. Soldiers, alerted by reports of a ghost, searched the area and tightened security, but it was futile.

Keter even boldly poked the necks of the soldiers.

‘Even though I know the mansion’s layout, the security is too lax.’

Only knight-level individuals could barely sense Keter’s presence, and even then, he could easily slip away.

Taking advantage of the chaos, Keter infiltrated the main building where the family head resided.

The security there was even laxer than outside, but there was a good reason.

‘The strongest person in the family doesn’t need guards.’

Keter fully committed to his stealth, wanting to test if it would work on Basil.

He stopped breathing, halted his heartbeat, and even put his aura and mana into hibernation, erasing himself from the world.

The pinnacle of stealth, used only by top assassins. He couldn’t sustain it for long, but a moment was enough.

Avoiding even the guards’ eyes, Keter stopped at the office door. His instincts warned him that going further would risk detection.

Besides, there was no need to go closer. Panir’s loud voice seeped through the door, clearly audible in the corridor.

“Panir, that noisy old man is suspicious.”

Keter stroked his chin.

He had planned to visit Panir soon to probe him, but his father had beaten him to it.

‘At least Father is aware of the traitor’s existence…’

From what he saw, it seemed like Basil had identified the traitor, but the family’s downfall hadn’t been prevented.

This meant either Basil failed to resolve the traitor issue or…

‘Even if he found the traitor, he couldn’t prevent the family’s ruin.’

There were many questions, but there was no immediate need to confront Panir.

‘Father will handle Elder Panir. If he can’t, I’ll step in then.’

Keter muttered as he watched Panir’s retreating figure, unaware of his presence.

“When it’s my turn, you’re really out of luck.”

Keter’s eyes held no emotion as he looked at Panir.

“Well, that’s that. Let’s finish what I started.”

Keter intended to inject some tension into Sephira’s lax night.