Chapter 244

Chapter 245. Ruquer’s Friend-or-Foe Identification Method (3)

Suddenly kicked in the shin, Lenin was momentarily dazed by the intense pain.

But he was a 5-Star Master. In the blink of an eye, he regained his composure and tried to counterattack Keter—but Keter’s hand was much faster than the blink of an eye.

Thud! Thud!

Lenin, whose neck and waist were struck by Keter’s fingers, was baffled. It didn’t even hurt, so what was the point? But his body wouldn’t move at all.

“W-What?!”

Lenin, now only able to move his mouth, fell forward.

The same phenomenon occurred among his knights.

Daat’s Aura Blade slashed the ankles and wrists of the knights, then disarmed them by taking their swords. Catherine, who reacted a step later, joined in by punching and subduing the knights alongside Blitz.

Three seconds. Eleven knights, including the knight captain, were subdued by just three people in three seconds.

Bruce, the lord of the Blitz family, who was left standing alone, spoke with a bewildered expression.

“W-What is the meaning of this, Hisop, Branch House Lord?!”

That was something Hisop wanted to ask Keter too. The suppression had happened on the spot without any prior signal.

But Hisop played along as if it had all been prearranged. After all, the lord is the one who takes responsibility.

And looking back now, it was easy to infer why Keter had done it.

“We met by chance. It’s hard to believe.”

Hisop pressed Bruce with a cold gaze.

“With time so tight, we can’t afford to travel with you while trembling in uncertainty about whether you’re allies or enemies. So……”

Hisop deliberately trailed off.

Keter picked up where he left off.

“I guess I should let you know that Sephira doesn’t show mercy to enemies. Six Hundred, dig a hole and bury these guys.”

Upon receiving the order, Six Hundred immediately began digging the ground with both hands. His Aura was fully concentrated, so with each strike, a large amount of dirt and stones flew out.

“W-Wait! What do we have to do to make you believe us? We really did meet by chance!”

Dignity be damned, Lenin spoke urgently to save his life. Keter kicked one of the knights into the pit and replied.

“The Blitz family is as far from the capital as Sephira. Yet how did you manage to cover the same distance as us in the same amount of time? And you didn’t even break a sweat.”

“I told you, we’ll explain the secret if you let us join you!”

“Do you still not understand the situation? Do you think Sephira needs your ‘consent’?”

Thud! Thud!

The second and third knights were also kicked into the pit.

Lenin gritted his teeth. But deep down, he believed Keter was just trying to intimidate them, so he had no intention of revealing the secret. It was a matter of pride.

“We came by mine train.”

“Lord?!”

But Bruce spilled the secret. Lenin, startled, looked at Bruce, who shook his head and said.

“Sir Lenin. Keter isn’t threatening to kill us right now. He’s making a reasonable request for evidence to gain trust.”

“But……!”

“Snap out of it! Sephira isn’t the same Sephira as before! Their prestige, their mindset—everything has changed! Can’t you see it in their eyes?”

Lenin struggled to lift his head and looked into Keter’s eyes. Then he was shocked.

Until now, Lenin had been talking to Hisop, while Keter had been speaking with a distant, indifferent attitude.

So he hadn’t noticed.

Keter’s emotionless eyes.

It wasn’t a face twisted in menace to intimidate. It was a calm face, simply doing what needed to be done.

If Lenin had really kept the secret until the end—

Gulp.

‘They would’ve really buried us alive.’

Sephira can do that. They’re a prestigious family.

Even though the Blitz family’s lord is an Upper Noble, in front of the prestige of a prestigious family, it’s just a humble name. That’s the truth.

Until now, the Blitz family could stand tall in front of Sephira because Sephira hadn’t shown the dignity of a prestigious family.

But now it’s different. And Lenin had failed to realize this.

Finally realizing the truth, Lenin pressed his forehead to the ground and spoke.

“As the lord said… we came here by underground mine train. We chose the mountain path because the mine is connected nearby.”

This was the absolute truth.

But Lenin swallowed hard. Even if it was the truth, it didn’t matter if Keter or Hisop didn’t believe it. If they simply refused to believe and buried them, there was nothing Lenin could do now.

He could struggle, but at best, it would only amount to cursing.

However, Keter nodded as if he now understood.

“So that’s why you smell like coal?”

Then Maknun, who had been inspecting the knights’ belongings, added.

“No suspicious items, brother.”

“Hmm……”

After Maknun’s words, Keter carefully observed each of the Blitz family’s knights and even looked into Bruce’s eyes before clapping his hands.

Clap!

At that moment, the tense atmosphere shifted dramatically.

“Six Hundred. Stop digging and get them out for treatment.”

With Keter’s words acknowledging the Blitz family’s knights as allies, Lenin and Bruce finally let out the breath they had been holding.

* * *

Lenin, who had been subdued by pressure points, was released by Keter himself, and the severed tendons in his wrists and ankles were instantly healed by Six Hundred’s recovery magic.

The Blitz family’s knights were dissatisfied with Sephira’s actions of first harming then healing them, but they soon had no choice but to accept it.

“As I said, our Sephira has many enemies and little time. We had no choice but to test you this way. We offer our sincerest apologies.”

“Haha, no, Hisop, Branch House Lord. We should’ve bowed first, but we arrogantly held our heads high and tried to stand equal. That was our mistake.”

Bruce, now aware of his place, spoke extremely humbly. Hisop didn’t deny it, but Keter was different.

“Old man, are you mocking us now?”

“Ah, no, Prince Keter. I was just grateful. If I went too far, I apologize.”

“Behave.”

Keter made a gesture of watching with two fingers covering his eyes. Bruce could only laugh awkwardly and let it pass.

Lenin, the Blitz family’s knight captain, could do nothing but watch.

‘I’d heard rumors of Keter’s strength, but I didn’t expect it to be this much.’

Even though it was a surprise attack, they couldn’t put up a decent resistance and were subdued. If Keter had intended to kill, they wouldn’t be standing here unharmed now.

“Anyway, let’s all eat first.”

Keter handed out the wild boar stew he had made to everyone.

The Blitz family’s knights were awkward in this situation and hesitated, but after one bite of the stew, their eyes widened.

Lenin looked at his knights devouring the stew like madmen with a pitiful expression, but after taking a bite himself, his eyes also widened.

“T-The meat melts in your mouth!”

The sweet and spicy flavor stimulated his appetite so much that Lenin felt he could eat this stew endlessly.

Even Lenin, a 5-Star Master and knight captain of a family, forgot his duty of escorting the lord and mindlessly inhaled the stew. Daat sat down beside him.

“Try some roasted sweet potatoes too.”

“Thank you!”

“By the way. Earlier, you mentioned coming by mine train, right? Even though it’s a vehicle, isn’t that a violation of Glory Road’s rules?”

“Slurp! Don’t worry about that. This mine train has been used since the previous lord’s time. The royal family has never raised an issue about it. In short, as long as we’re not caught, it’s fine, right?”

Forgetting even the fact that they had been subdued first, Lenin spilled the family’s secrets.

“The mine train doesn’t connect all the way to the capital, does it?”

“Hahaha, of course not! Our family’s mine is only connected between mountains. But that’s enough to reach the capital without any problems. As long as we don’t dawdle, it’s fine. No need to worry!”

“Ah, I see. Enjoy your meal.”

Maknun, who had gathered information from Lenin, got up and sat next to Keter.

“How is it? Useful?”

Keter asked, and Maknun shook his head.

“No. Regardless of everything, if we use the mine train, the royal family will definitely raise an issue.”

“What if we use it until they tell us to stop?”

“Jumping through the air wasn’t in the rules, but the mine train is clearly a vehicle, so that’s unlikely. Moreover, since the royal family sent a mage to teleport and check on us, they’re probably watching us with magic.”

“Not just from a distance, but they’ve even sent a dedicated observer.”

Chacole still hadn’t left. She was eating the stew and exclaiming in admiration.

Even if suspected of being a spy, they didn’t kick her out because Chacole generously shared useful information.

“Well, I didn’t expect much. Then let’s pretend the mine train never existed, and Six Hundred can handle the long-distance surveillance. Six Hundred.”

Keter called Six Hundred with a gesture and gave the order.

“There are people watching us with magic, right? Make sure they can’t see us by continuously emitting a mana pulse.”

“Understood.”

Emitting a mana pulse alone can block long-distance scrying magic.

Of course, the mana consumption for such a purpose is enormous, so no one deliberately emits a pulse.

But Six Hundred isn’t human. He’s an artificial life form with infinite mana.

Of course, even so, continuously emitting a mana pulse 24/7 is the height of inefficiency. It’s much more efficient to just use ‘magic’—but it’s not that Keter doesn’t know this.

‘We can’t use magic without the royal family’s permission.’

They cleverly circumvent the laws and rules they’re supposed to uphold, exploiting loopholes.

Why?

‘To piss them off.’

Keter smiled, imagining the frustration of those whose long-distance scrying magic was now blocked. Hisop sat down beside him.

“Keter.”

“Brother, does the stew suit your taste?”

“It’s a bit salty for me.”

“Add some water, then.”

“I’m already doing that. By the way, what’s the plan now? The mine train the Blitz family used seems hard for us to use.”

Hisop checked their current location on the map. Thanks to traveling through the air, they had saved a lot of time, but there was still a long way to go.

He didn’t want to leave everything to Keter, and more importantly, Hisop wanted to prepare himself, so he came to ask Keter about the future plans.

To this, Keter casually replied.

“We’ll run.”

“…Run?”

Hisop, who had been expecting some ingenious plan, blinked in confusion. No matter how long he had been with Keter, he still couldn’t get used to him.

* * *

“Keter, that bastard finally came down to the ground?!”

Volos, who had nearly gone mad upon hearing that Keter had flown through the sky, jumped up at the good news.

“Yes. The Crown Prince added a rule, so Sephira had no choice but to come down.”

“Kukukuku! As expected, the Crown Prince wouldn’t let Sephira off the hook! Where is he? No, I don’t care where. Send everything we have—assassins, no, send everything!”

“Calm down first. Sephira has landed on a mountain ridge. We’ve stationed subordinates there, but the terrain isn’t easy to approach. We need time.”

“Time, time! If we lose Hisop and Keter again because of this, will you take responsibility, Nether?!”

Nether, seeing Volos about to explode in anger, felt his blood boil but managed to hold back and spoke calmly.

“With the new rule prohibiting flying, the only actions Sephira can take now are walking or running. According to the latest report from our subordinates, smoke has been spotted. They’re likely cooking food. In other words, Sephira is resting now. Even if it’s a smokescreen, running through mountain paths will be slow, and traces will be left behind. So there’s no need to worry.”

There’s no reason to rush now. Stay calm. Despite Nether’s persuasion, Volos struggled to regain his composure.

“Do you know how much I’ve lost because of your advice? A whopping 200,000 gold! That money just vanished! In one second!”

Why is that my fault? Who could’ve predicted Keter would fly? Nether wanted to say that, but having held back once, he held back again.

“Our scouts have surrounded the entire mountain. No matter where they go this time, we can chase them. So rest assured.”

“This is the last time, Nether. If we lose Sephira again, I won’t let you off.”

Under Volos’s threat, Nether silently nodded and stepped back.

Several dozen minutes passed. While Sephira’s party leisurely ate and took a nap, the mercenaries hired by Volos and Nether’s scouts surrounded the mountain, pressing in from all directions.

It was a tight encirclement, determined to capture Sephira no matter where they moved.

During this process, they also heard that the Blitz family had joined Sephira, but Volos paid no attention.

“Joining hands with the soon-to-be-ruined Sephira? The Blitz family’s lord has lost his mind. Let’s deal with them together this time.”

“Branch House Lord. We’ve now closed in to a distance where we can strike Sephira.”

“Nether. Didn’t I tell you not to call me Branch House Lord? I’m the lord of the Baydant family!”

“Ah, my apologies. Lord Volos.”

Volos hadn’t yet been officially recognized as the lord. He was only the temporary lord since the previous lord, Patra, had gone “missing.”

But Volos acted as if he were the lord, as if he were certain Patra would never return.

‘What a scumbag.’

Nether, who knew all the behind-the-scenes details, ignored it since he didn’t care what happened to the Baydant family.

Beep.

Then, a communication came in from his subordinate. It was a report that Sephira’s party had started moving. Just as he was about to relay it to Volos—

Beep! Beep! Beep!

Communications came in rapid succession.

Nether’s eyes widened silently as he quickly checked the contents. The noisy communication device made Volos, who had been waiting quietly, lose his temper.

“Nether! If there’s news, report it immediately!”

“…….”

Despite Volos’s urging, Nether couldn’t respond.

How could he?

‘How am I supposed to say that Sephira’s party disappeared right before our eyes?’

The information that had come in from his subordinates was something that would undoubtedly make Volos foam at the mouth and throw a fit.