Chapter 26

Episode 26. Let’s Do One Thing Together (5)

After Leganon left the reception room.

“Phew……”

Ultima, leaning back on the sofa, spoke with a visibly exhausted face.

“Young Master Keter. My business here is done, so I’ll take my leave.”

“Did you eat crow or something? Our deal isn’t finished yet.”

“Ah.”

Keter pointed toward the dining room connected to the reception room with his chin.

“Wait over there while you gossip about me on the communicator.”

“Could you at least tell me what you’re planning to sell? That way, I can prepare my calculations in advance.”

“Get lost.”

“Yep.”

Faced with the firm rejection, Ultima headed to the dining room without hesitation.

Only Hans, the butler, remained in the reception room. He immediately spoke up with a serious expression.

“Young Master Keter. Even though you joined the family by the Lord’s invitation, your attitude toward the elder earlier was too harsh.”

“Did it bother you?”

“Yes.”

“Then adjust your posture.”

“Huh?”

“I mean, adjust the way you look at me.”

“That’s just forcing it…!”

“First of all, are you in any position to lecture me? No manners toward your benefactor.”

“Benefactor?”

“Are you pretending not to know, or are you really that clueless?”

Of course, Hans wasn’t one to waste his years.

The sudden change in Ultima’s demeanor, from being high-handed to docile, clearly had something to do with Keter.

‘Did the head of Ultima Merchant become so obedient and confess his mistakes because of Young Master Keter?’

Thinking about it, there were signs. Ultima’s attitude toward Keter was extremely cautious.

Which meant the two weren’t strangers.

“Did you persuade the head of Ultima Merchant, Young Master?”

“Persuade? Ah, I persuaded him with this fist.”

Keter extended his scar-covered fist. Hans instinctively felt a chill. Though clearly a human fist, Keter’s hand looked like a bloodied hammer for a moment.

Thanks to that, Hans calmed down and regained his composure.

‘Now that I think about it, it was strange. That ruthless head of Ultima Merchant became as docile as a lamb in front of Young Master Keter. Could it be…?’

Hans wasn’t a fool, but he didn’t want to understand or accept it. Thanks to Keter, he had managed to erase a debt of 120,000 gold.

For Hans, who had struggled to even gather 10,000 gold, it was like a lifeline had been thrown to him.

The problem was that it was Keter who threw it.

“So, did you really threaten… no, persuade Ultima to admit his mistakes?”

Keter frowned at Hans’s words, which came after some thought.

‘I really want to punch him just once.’

Hans was the type Keter disliked the most.

The type who made him repeat himself.

If they had met in Requer, Hans would’ve been at least half-crippled.

“Old Man Hans. How much do you know about Elder Leganon?”

Keter suddenly changed the subject.

Why bring up Leganon all of a sudden?

Hans was puzzled, but given that Keter had helped settle the debt, he couldn’t just ignore him.

“I was his personal butler in the past. Though he’s busy with financial matters, I still visit him occasionally.”

“Does Leganon like fruit?”

“No. He dislikes sweet things.”

“What about his interest in magic?”

“As far as I know, he has no particular interest.”

Hans answered promptly, but he was still curious.

Why was Keter so curious about Leganon, whom he had just met today? And why were all the questions so odd?

‘Ah, perhaps he’s concerned about Elder Leganon’s health.’

Leganon looked like he didn’t eat, but that wasn’t the case. He ate enough to sustain himself.

Hans suddenly had a thought.

‘Even though the Young Master is rough and lacks manners… perhaps he loves the House of Sephira more than anyone else?’

Otherwise, why would he inquire about Leganon’s well-being?

Leganon was once one of the most active elders in the House of Sephira.

That changed after his daughter, Olive, died.

The family members and servants didn’t blame Leganon, who had practically gone into seclusion. Instead, they sympathized and understood.

It was none other than Lord Basil who had killed Olive.

Basil had tried to wield the Demon Bow Amaranth but failed, and Olive paid the price.

It was only natural that Leganon stopped eating and withdrew from family affairs.

So, did Keter genuinely like Leganon?

Quite the opposite.

Keter was suspicious of Leganon.

Sure enough, upon observing him, Keter noticed suspicious details. And those suspicions were confirmed by Hans’s answers.

‘Why did I smell oranges on an old man who doesn’t eat fruit?’

Keter wasn’t just sharp-eyed. His sense of smell was trained to be superior to that of a beast.

That’s how he knew. Leganon had come from a place filled with books, had been sitting on a leather sofa, and had eaten fish for breakfast. All from the scent alone.

But what tickled Keter’s nose was the faint scent of oranges.

Others might have dismissed it, but Keter was different. He doubted even the undoubtable. That was his creed.

The strange orange scent, so out of place with Leganon’s image, made Keter focus even more intently.

‘What’s this?’

He soon found it.

A trace of blue powder on Leganon’s heel.

Even for the sharp-eyed members of the House of Sephira, it would’ve been hard to notice, but Keter caught it.

It was ‘magic stone powder,’ used by mages and alchemists.

This could’ve been dismissed. Magic stone powder was widely used in daily life.

But for Keter, it was different.

‘He’s up to something. I don’t know what, but it’s not something honorable.’

Just last night, Basil had detained Elder Panir, suspecting him of betrayal.

While it might seem like the traitor had been caught, Keter felt that Elder Leganon was also suspicious enough to warrant attention.

However, it wasn’t the top priority to confront him immediately. Keter’s gaze shifted to the dining room where Ultima was.

‘Whether I kill Ultima or let him live, I can deal with him later.’

In this world, there are no eternal enemies or allies—

But Keter’s principle was to eliminate any immediate threats before they became a nuisance.

* * *

Keter loved to fight.

He loved taking on multiple opponents alone the most, and large-scale wars came second.

In war, Keter only cared about one thing: whether there were troublemakers among his allies.

In Keter’s eyes, Hans was borderline a troublemaker. A man who held a high position in the family but lacked any sense of crisis.

If he went a step further and refused to acknowledge his own faults, he’d be a full-blown troublemaker. A liability rather than an asset. Someone who helps the enemy more than his own side.

If he leaves quietly when told, Keter might even give him some parting money.

But if he refuses to leave?

“Then he dies.”

“Huh?”

Hans shivered at Keter’s muttering. Keter, still smiling, spoke to Hans.

“Old Man Hans. Let’s go back to our earlier conversation. You owe me a debt. Do you admit it?”

“That… I admit.”

“Do you also admit to colluding with Ultima to ruin the House of Sephira’s finances?”

“What are you talking about! Why would I do such a thing!”

Hans exclaimed, startled. But Keter looked puzzled.

“Old Man Hans. Ultima scammed the House of Sephira. And you failed to catch it. Where’s the proof that you weren’t in on it?”

“I’m not that kind of person. Betrayal? That’s absurd!”

“But what if Ultima admits to the scam? What if he testifies that he colluded with you to embezzle the family’s money? What then?”

“Why are you saying these things? I’ve sworn loyalty to the family for so long……”

Bang!

Keter kicked the marble table. The eight-seater marble table flew into the air, crashing loudly onto the floor.

Amidst the chaos, Keter caught a fountain pen mid-air and approached Hans.

“I don’t care. What kind of person you were in the past. What matters is now. What kind of person you are now.”

Hans, terrified, instinctively stepped back.

Thud.

“Hic.”

Hans, stepping back quickly, eventually hit the wall.

“Old Man Hans. I hate useless people the most. Are you useless?”

“Ah, even if you’re the Young Master… you can’t kill me without the Lord’s permission!”

Hans, sensing the killing intent, made a last-ditch effort. But Keter tilted his head to the left and smiled brightly.

“Do I look like someone who needs permission to kill?”

As the fountain pen drew closer, Hans forgot his position and closed his eyes, making a pitiful sound.

“Eek!”

Thud!

The pen’s tip touched Hans’s forehead. Tears welled up in Hans’s eyes from the cold touch.

Keter pressed the pen gently and spoke.

“I noticed Ultima’s scam right away, while you’ve been ignoring it for years. Who should listen to whom? It’s a quiz. Try to answer.”

“Ke, Keter Young Master is right!”

“Ah, shut up. Speak softer.”

“Keter Young Master……”

“Don’t repeat yourself. Do I look stupid?”

“……!”

Hans, unsure what to do but truly feeling death, nodded in silence.

Keter subtly pulled the pen back.

Drip.

Blood and ink mixed as they flowed down Hans’s forehead.

“Old Man Hans. I’m not asking for much. Just do as I say. If you don’t like it……”

Whoosh! Crash!

The fountain pen Keter threw pierced deep into the wall behind Hans.

“That dot on your forehead? It’ll become a hole.”

“…….”

“If you’re alive, show some reaction.”

Nod nod nod!

“Good. Old Man Hans. Very good. Even I find it awkward to kill family members. But if you ever want to retire, feel free to do something stupid.”

Thud!

At that moment, soldiers who heard the commotion burst into the reception room.

“What’s all this noise?”

“Gasp! The table?!”

The scene in the reception room was highly suspicious.

The massive table was shattered, and Hans was pinned against the wall with Keter by his side. Hans was awkwardly smiling, with something dark red dripping down his forehead.

The senior soldier, placing a hand on his sword hilt, asked Hans.

“Butler Hans… What happened here?”

Hans shook his head in denial.

“It’s nothing. Please leave.”

“But there’s blood on your forehead……”

“It’s ink.”

“It looks red for ink……”

“I said I’m fine. Please, just go.”

“…….”

Since Hans insisted he was fine, the senior soldier turned to Keter.

Keter gestured for them to leave with a “whatever” expression.

“Understood.”

The senior soldier, with no authority to do anything in this situation, closed the door and left.

Keter patted Hans’s shoulder.

“Well done, old man.”

“Ahaha, thank you.”

“Then let’s meet Ultima with this momentum.”

“Huh? Why should I……”

“How would a sparrow know the will of a dragon?”

“…….”

“Shut up and just follow me.”

Hans wiped the ink off his face with a handkerchief and hurriedly followed Keter to the dining room where Ultima was.