Chapter 239

Chapter 240. I Will Kill You (7)

Artifact, Orpheus’ Mask.

The charm effect is volatile when the mask is removed, and its power grows stronger the longer it is worn.

Keter had been wearing the mask for a week before attending the party, and as a result, he was able to momentarily resist Princess Iris’s charm.

However, the charm of Orpheus’ Mask is instantaneous. It is most powerful when the mask is removed, and its effectiveness gradually diminishes afterward.

If this continues, Keter will be swallowed by Princess Iris’s charm.

Of course, Keter has a resistance to charm due to his experiences with the Fox Tribe, but he can’t be 100% sure he’ll be fine.

Regardless of safety, Keter doesn’t want to lose in any kind of contest.

So, he tore off his shirt.

“Charm is ultimately about attraction!”

No matter how fancy the clothes, nothing beats being shirtless!

Of course, attraction is relative, so it might not work. But Keter would rather do something than just stand there dumbfounded.

As a result, it worked.

Iris turned her head away at Keter’s unexpected stripping.

She wasn’t charmed. If she were, she would have kept staring, unable to regain her composure.

She was just embarrassed.

It was the first time she had seen a man shirtless! Paradoxically, it was her first time seeing a man strip so boldly.

After all, she is a princess. The only one in this country.

Of course, men who had been charmed by her in the past had tried to strip, but their heads and bodies were separated before they could.

But now, she was all alone. Well, Krona was watching, but she just stared at Keter with a “What a lunatic” expression.

Thus, there was no winner in the charm contest. Princess Iris could charm Keter if she wanted, but seeing him shirtless made it useless, and Keter had already used up the mask’s effect.

A clear draw.

But Keter raised his fist and declared,

“I won.”

Even the embarrassed Princess Iris felt the absurdity of his shameless victory declaration.

* * *

Iris lost her will to fight.

Even though Keter used an artifact, he faced her charm head-on.

A noble from the Upper House and a knight representing the southern region stripping in front of a woman.

Everything was embarrassing, absurd, and hollow.

“I’ve never met someone like this before.”

It’s not that she felt any affection, but she didn’t feel disgust either.

“Above all… even if we’re not making eye contact, he seems completely unaffected by my charm.”

Even without eye contact, she can charm others when the mask is off. But Keter was fine.

She would have to see what happens if they make direct eye contact, but at least indirectly, he resisted her charm.

That alone made Iris’s heart swell.

“Finally, someone who can resist my charm. So, they do exist.”

Like a princess waiting for a prince to rescue her from a dragon, Iris had been waiting.

Waiting for a man who wouldn’t be affected by her charm, who would love her purely.

“…Keter isn’t the prince I imagined, and he’s not exactly normal, but… could we still be friends?”

The princess has no friends. She has Lexis, her guard knight, but the difference in status has created a master-servant relationship.

Keter is also a noble, but he’s different.

“He’s a bit rude, but… tolerable.”

Click.

The princess, who had put her mask back on, took a deep breath. The party venue was in chaos. People were collapsed everywhere.

In the silence that didn’t match the scene, the princess regained her senses. She had only tried to charm Keter to tease Krona, with no other intentions.

“I’m sorry.”

The princess, embarrassed by her own plan, apologized to Keter first.

Seeing this, Krona approached and said,

“I thought you’d stay childish forever, but you’ve grown up a bit.”

“…Krona. You’re out of line.”

“I can’t help it. What do you think you’re doing to our sweetheart?”

“Am I in danger? That’s rich coming from someone who used to line up handsome men.”

“Are we really bringing up the past now? Where’s that cute lady who used to call me ‘big sister’?”

Sparks seemed to fly between the two women glaring at each other. Normally, one would feel uncomfortable and fidget in such a situation, but Keter, after stripping a fallen noble’s shirt and putting it on, calmly said,

“Do you need anything else from me? If not, I’ll wrap up the party.”

All the attending nobles, and even Sephira, were down. The only ones still standing were Lexis, the princess’s guard knight, and Hisop, who had held on with immense willpower.

“I’ll leave when Iris leaves.”

“You don’t have to say that, I was planning to leave anyway. Lexis!”

At the princess’s call, Lexis nodded and whistled. It was a whistle to call Drake.

“Give that to me too.”

“Huh? Princess, surely not?”

“Quickly.”

“Ugh…”

Lexis shot Keter a glance, then handed the princess a gold-embossed envelope from his pocket.

Swish.

The envelope was immediately handed to Keter.

“Don’t feel burdened… or should I say, do feel a bit burdened?”

When Keter checked the contents of the envelope, Iris let out a hollow laugh.

Lexis’s eyes widened in rage.

“You, you lunatic! How dare you open that here! Do you have no manners!?”

“……”

Ignoring him, Keter quickly skimmed the contents.

It was an invitation to a birthday party. A month from now.

The princess couldn’t read Keter’s expression as he looked at the invitation; it was completely blank.

“No need to feel burdened. I’m just inviting you to get to know you better. It’s not a trap.”

She said this, worried that Keter might refuse if he thought it was a trap, but Keter responded with more than words.

Rip!

The birthday party invitation the princess had personally handed him was mercilessly torn apart.

Iris stared blankly at the fluttering pieces of paper, and Keter drove the nail in.

“I will kill you.”

* * *

Krona, Iris, Lexis. The three of them had just met Keter today.

But from the first impression, they could tell. Keter was a lunatic.

Moreover, he introduced himself as the madman of his family. So, the three of them had already recognized that Keter was thoroughly insane.

Still, his earlier statement was beyond imagination.

“I will kill you.”

Keter’s sudden murder threat made Iris seriously wonder if she was drunk.

Swoosh!

Lexis drew his sword and approached Keter.

“How dare you threaten the noble princess? This is immediate execution.”

“Wait, Lexis.”

When the princess stopped him again, Lexis said with a frustrated expression,

“Princess! Please don’t stop me. This lunatic is insulting the entire royal family!”

“Of course, I have no intention of forgiving Keter’s actions. But I need to hear his reason. Keter, what on earth made you say you’d kill me? If you were going to kill me, wouldn’t it be better to do it without warning? It was the perfect opportunity.”

Even Krona, watching this, was curious about what Keter would say, as his statement was so absurd.

Keter’s answer came immediately.

“I’ll kill you later, not now.”

“Why? Because I ruined your party?”

“No.”

“Because I tried to charm you?”

“No.”

“Then why?”

“There’s a reason. I have to kill you.”

Iris was utterly frustrated. She had never been so angry and baffled in her life.

“So, why did you tell me in advance? It would be easier to kill me if you didn’t.”

“So you don’t get attached.”

“…?”

“I don’t want to kill a friend.”

“…So, you’re saying you plan to kill me later, so don’t get close to me. That’s why you gave me a murder warning?”

Nod.

Keter nodded nonchalantly.

“You know I’m a princess, right?”

“Of course.”

“Didn’t you think insulting royalty alone would get you executed?”

“Let’s just say I was drunk and joking.”

“So, saying you’ll kill me is a joke?”

“No. It’s true, but I don’t want to be executed, so let’s just pretend it didn’t happen.”

“……”

Iris had never had such a long conversation with anyone in her life. This alone was a strange experience, dizzying, and while it seemed like they were communicating, they weren’t, leaving her dazed.

“So, you’re asking me to ignore an assassin who’s trying to kill me? Did I hear that right, Lexis?”

“Princess. You don’t need to hear any more.”

Whoosh!

A blue aura enveloped Lexis’s sword. If the princess gave the order, he would tear Keter apart on the spot.

Even Krona, watching this, was conflicted.

‘Should I protect him?’

No matter how much she liked Keter, threatening royalty crossed a line.

And she is a lord. She has a duty to protect royalty. In fact, not attacking Keter on the spot could be considered dereliction of duty.

‘Ah, I don’t know. What on earth is that guy thinking? Declaring he’ll kill Iris, whom he just met today.’

Keter was clearly insane, but his madness wasn’t without reason.

That made it even stranger. What benefit would Keter gain from killing Iris?

“Alright, try to kill me.”

“…?!”

“Princess? What are you saying?”

“I was getting bored anyway. It might be fun to have someone… aiming for my life.”

“No way. As a knight, I can’t let you be in danger. Even if I get dismissed, I must kill Keter here and now.”

“Not as my guard knight, but as a friend, turn a blind eye. Lexis.”

“…!”

At the princess’s request, not command, Lexis’s sword tip trembled.

“……”

Clang!

Lexis sheathed his sword and scrutinized Keter’s face.

“Because of the princess’s request, I’ll back off for now. But you will never kill the princess. Not before you kill me.”

“That’s too easy a condition.”

“Tch!”

Just then, the Drake Lexis had called descended from the sky.

“Keter, today was interesting. Really, in many ways.”

Iris left with those words, boarding the Drake, and Lexis flew up, disappearing into a dot in an instant.

* * *

“Drakes, I wish I had a few of those…”

As Keter muttered, watching the departing Drake, Krona approached.

“You, what’s your goal?”

It wasn’t a question expecting an answer.

But Keter answered readily.

“To live freely and enjoyably. That’s my life’s purpose.”

“Not a convincing goal. Well, everyone’s like that. If you don’t hide it, you’ll be figured out.”

Keter spoke the truth without a hint of lie, but Krona thought even that truth was a lie.

“By the way, do you know why I stayed until the end?”

“No idea.”

“Soon, this country will change greatly. A revolution is coming.”

“Big sis, you’re being vague.”

“Wouldn’t it be boring if I told you everything?”

Krona smirked, but Keter wasn’t particularly disappointed. He knew what she meant by ‘revolution.’

Civil war.

Due to the queen’s long absence, the First Prince tried to ascend the throne himself, but was thwarted by the Second Prince.

As a result, a factional fight between the First and Second Princes broke out, escalating into civil war.

Of course, it’s not a full-scale civil war. That would destroy the entire country.

A civil war where only the nobles bleed, not the citizens. That is the revolution coming to this country.

‘And it’s also the catalyst for Sephira’s downfall.’

Originally, it was supposed to happen at least a year later, but the timing was moved up.

There’s one reason.

‘Sephira’s revival accelerated the revolution.’

Someone who didn’t want to see Sephira grow must have pressured the princes. And it’s obvious who that ‘someone’ is.

The Six Swordsmanship Families.

Their influence is more than enough to spark a revolution.

But to Keter, it was laughable.

‘Their goal is to prevent Sephira from growing, but the foundation is already set.’

In fact, now is the perfect time. Growth often blooms in war, not peace.

‘No time to be bored, hehe.’

Keter, who had been worried that the Swordsmanship Families might chicken out and prevent the civil war, felt relieved.

Krona, seeing Keter laugh at the mention of revolution, made a disgusted face.

“Eslow and I, I wonder if we’re doing the right thing.”

“One thing I can promise you, big sis. It’ll be fun. A lot.”

“Talking like a devil. Can’t you show a bit of fear befitting your age?”

“That might be a bit too hard.”

“Hmm… You make me want to show off, but…”

Krona, who had briefly considered throwing Keter into the Eternal, decided against it.

“I shouldn’t show you my true strength.”

“You’ve already shown a lot.”

“That’s just the tip of the iceberg.”

Keter wanted to say, “I’ve seen it all in my past life, you hag,” and held back a bitter laugh.

“Again, laughing for no reason. Sigh, whatever. I’m leaving too.”

Krona left with just those words, disappearing as if she was never there.

* * *

Sephira’s party started quietly and ended like a storm.

In just over six hours, Sephira’s will was fully displayed.

The will to no longer tolerate being ignored and looked down upon. The will to overcome and advance was shown to all the nobles.

They defeated Vector of the Browning Family, the top swordsmanship family in the kingdom, and openly clashed with the Goshikyeonro Association.

Thus, all the nobles deeply realized that Sephira had the strength to back it up. No family in the southern region would dare dismiss Sephira as just a prestigious name.

The time after the stormy party was spent in a flurry of cleanup.

Keter also secluded himself, focusing on mastering Ain, which he had learned from Hyperion.

Fusing Aura and Mana into Ain isn’t something that can be done in a day or two. It requires persistent practice, like steeping tea leaves in cold water.

A week flew by, and many things happened during that time.

First, Anis and Taragon left the family. Replacing the returned Big Dipper, they headed to the front lines with the knights.

The two accepted Hisop’s unilateral notice without complaint and agreed immediately.

“We’ll grow and return, brother.”

“We need to show that Sephira isn’t to be underestimated.”

Then one day.

“Prince Keter, Scholar Daat!”

On a field where the winter wind had started to blow. While the two were enjoying a nap in the warm sunlight, Nabakin arrived.

“Urgent matter. You need to come to the meeting room right now!”

“Yawn, as long as it’s not urgent.”

Keter, disturbed from his nap, grumbled and headed to the meeting room with Maknun.

There, all the family’s key figures were already gathered. In the serious atmosphere, Hisop, still acting as the temporary head, got straight to the point.

“Keter, we’ve received word from the royal family.”

At this, Keter finally showed the expression that what he had been waiting for had arrived.