Chapter 267

Chapter 268. Victory is Just a Side Dish (5)

The Great Thief Shade.

Though the title was grandiose for a mere thief, Shade was a thief worthy of it.

A madman who always gave a “warning” before stealing. A madman who never used his “warnings” as empty boasts. A madman who had never failed even once!

Crucially, he had stolen from the Emperor of the Empire. With that, he boasted that there was nothing in this world he couldn’t steal.

But the Emperor was the Emperor. Shade, who believed he would never be caught by anyone, was captured by the Emperor and brought to the execution grounds.

On the day of Shade’s execution, a massive crowd gathered, easily numbering in the thousands.

The executioner told Shade to leave his last words, and Shade, as if he had been waiting, shouted:

“My treasures? If you want them, I’ll give them to you. Look carefully. The strongest swordsmanship in this world, the finest elixir! And endless gold coins—I left them all there!”

It was his answer to the crowd’s cries about where he had hidden the treasures he had stolen.

*Thud!*

Shade’s head, which had been inciting the crowd, fell.

And so, the world believed the Great Thief Shade was dead…

But now, most people believed Shade was still alive.

And for good reason—Shade was a master of disguise. From children to the elderly, he could change his height, build, voice—everything. His skill was called “Thousand Transformations.”

After Shade’s death, countless adventurers and treasure hunters began to flourish, seeking his treasures, ushering in a brief era of great adventurers.

Thanks to this, many hidden relics and treasures were discovered, and architectural techniques to prevent theft advanced significantly.

Some of Shade’s treasures were also unearthed. Among them was Shade’s “Seven Tools.” Keter showed one of the tools, the Master Key, and said:

“It’s true I have his items, but sadly, I’m not his disciple.”

Gioran crossed his arms and snorted.

“Keter. I don’t know how you, a scion of a noble family, are connected to Shade, but if you provide information about his whereabouts, actions, or anything related to him, I might overlook it.”

“Listen. The <Widow> by Picasso was won in a bet. I didn’t know it at first, but there was Shade’s signature on the back of the painting. I only realized later that it was an incredibly valuable piece.”

“Are you saying you gambled with Shade?”

“I can’t confirm that. Shade was a master of disguise, after all. But it didn’t feel like it. The guy I gambled with didn’t even know the value of the painting or Shade’s signature.”

“That’s strange. The <Widow> by Picasso couldn’t possibly be rolling around in a gambling den in this world.”

“There’s only one place, isn’t there?”

Though his tone wasn’t serious, Keter’s sincerity was evident, so Gioran pondered for a moment.

The answer came quickly.

There was only one place in this world where Picasso’s works could be found.

“Ruquer?”

“Correct.”

“So, Prince Keter. You’re saying you’re from Ruquer—”

“That’s right.”

“Hmm.”

Gioran, who hadn’t cared about Keter’s noble lineage, immediately softened his stance upon hearing he was from Ruquer.

“Prince Keter. You have a peculiar talent. Your words feel unfiltered, as if I’ve become a psychic.”

“Honesty is my weapon.”

“Then tell me one thing. Shade left his signature on the back of the <Widow>. A signature boasting he stole it from Dranak. Why did you send it to us after seeing that?”

“I told you earlier. I was sure you’d come.”

“So, to save Hisop, the Branch House Lord… you risked antagonizing Dranak?”

“Your tone makes it sound trivial. Even I, an amateur, can see the <Widow> is a well-painted piece. It could fetch millions of gold. But right now, Dranak is the only place that can save Hisop.”

“You must care deeply for Hisop, the Branch House Lord.”

“Is that how it seems?”

Keter scratched the back of his head and flicked his finger.

“How did Crown Prince Rukan look when you took Hisop?”

Gioran hadn’t paid close attention to the Crown Prince’s face, but he could easily answer based on the atmosphere.

“He pretended not to care, but he was clearly displeased.”

“Haha! Isn’t that great? They wanted to keep Hisop as a hostage but had no choice but to release him! Isn’t that satisfying and fun?”

“Huh? Hmm…”

Watching Keter cheer like a child, Gioran muttered to himself.

‘Is he insane?’

On the other hand, Keter was also irritating.

“Aren’t you afraid of crossing Crown Prince Rukan and Dranak?”

Comparing a kingdom of millions to a single organization might seem foolish, but strictly speaking, it’s correct. Dranak is an organization even Crown Prince Rukan respects.

Even so, no matter how noble the Sephira family is, this isn’t something they can easily handle.

But Keter spoke nonchalantly.

“Dranak didn’t lose anything, did they? They found the <Widow> without spending a penny, and they found something even more valuable than the <Widow>.”

“Something more valuable than Picasso’s <Widow>…?”

Keter pointed at himself with his thumb and grinned.

“Sephira’s Solver, Keter. Soon, I’ll be someone you’ll want to meet but won’t be able to.”

“…Hah, hahaha!”

The tension in Gioran’s body melted away. He wiped away a tear and shook his head.

“Prince Keter. It seems you don’t know the word ‘humility.'”

“It’s one of the hardest things in this world. But you won’t find it easy to hate me, will you?”

“Hahaha! Every word you say is a masterpiece!”

Gioran, who had been trying to hold back his laughter, finally burst out and slapped his knee.

Keter was satisfied with Gioran’s reaction.

‘He’s a man who doesn’t judge good or evil. It’s fine to form a connection with him.’

He’s not the type to act on emotion. Even if he becomes an enemy, he could still become an ally through calculation. Keter liked that kind of person.

“Six Hundred.”

Keter called Six Hundred and then spoke to Gioran.

“This is my business card, and please tell me Dranak’s coordinates. The teleport gate is on me.”

“You can even open a teleport gate? You’re quite versatile. I’ll take the business card, but the coordinates are out of the question.”

After receiving Keter’s business card, Gioran handed over his own. Then he pulled out something like dice from his pocket and threw it on the ground.

*Rumble—*

*Clatter!*

The dice, no bigger than a pinky finger, suddenly swelled and transformed into a gate large enough for a person to pass through.

“It’s a makeshift teleport gate. The Empire’s latest magical tool.”

“If you’re showing off, give me one too.”

“If you come to Dranak, I’ll consider it.”

“I’ll consider going to Dranak.”

“…Heh, you’re amusing. I’d like to keep you around, but I’d get bored quickly. To savor it, I’ll leave for now.”

Gioran slipped into the makeshift teleport gate. As the gate narrowed, Gioran’s head suddenly popped out.

“Since saving Hisop doesn’t seem to cover the value of the <Widow>, I’ll tell you this: keep an eye on Crown Prince Rukan. I sensed the presence of an ‘Old God’ from him.”

After saying his piece, Gioran disappeared, and the makeshift teleport gate closed and vanished.

* * *

Keter stroked his chin where Gioran had left. It was because of the term “Old God” he had mentioned.

‘Rukan, that cripple, believes in the Old God, huh?’

So there was some basis for his actions after all. There was something to believe in.

The Old God was just a lofty term—they were beings called “Evil Gods.” Different from regular evil gods, they were beings like Ruquer.

‘It’s easy to prepare for someone who openly says, “I’m a bad guy,” and goes around causing trouble. But these Evil Gods are annoying.’

Many pretend to be benevolent gods, giving without asking for anything in return, but this world is so messed up that you could call them all Evil Gods.

“If that’s the case, the Family War might not just be about expanding influence.”

What the Evil Gods want is ultimately humans. They love souls, lives, and such.

“What if they started the Family War to offer sacrifices to the Evil Gods?”

Ignoring foreign invasions to wage civil war isn’t feasible, so they’d compromise and hold the Family War, but even then, thousands to tens of thousands would die.

Or perhaps the negative energy from the war itself could feed the Evil Gods.

“Keter!”

At that moment, Mail’s voice called from afar. Behind him were two squads of the Lunar Knight Order. Had they sensed Gioran’s unusual strength and brought reinforcements?

‘Hmm. It strikes me again—Sephira lacks Transcendent Beings.’

The quality of the troops is top-notch. Their archery skills, the soldiers’ mindset—all passable. If Sephira decided to defend, they could hold their own against the entire noble family.

But there’s a huge flaw—the lack of Transcendent Beings.

They could handle up to a 6-Star Grandmaster, and with all their resources, they might even kill one. But against a 7-Star Prime, they stand no chance.

Of course, Primes aren’t invincible. Even a 5-Star Master could kill one.

But the problem is that Primes don’t fight alone. If one side has a 7-Star Prime, they have an overwhelming advantage.

That’s Sephira’s current state.

They have a few 5-Star Masters, but not even a 6-Star Grandmaster, let alone a 7-Star Prime.

‘It’s the fundamental issue of the Twelve Zodiac Palaces.’

If Basil and Gasilious hadn’t stepped forward, Keter would have tried to solve the problem himself.

But Basil and Gasilious stepped up first. Their seclusion training was proof of that.

‘They didn’t enter seclusion just to find a clue. That’s an endless task. Sephira, always on the edge, doesn’t have time for that.’

They must have found a clue and entered seclusion to master it.

That’s somewhat reassuring. At least the two will return as 6-Star Grandmasters.

‘Becoming a Prime is out of the question.’

Keter, who believes nothing is impossible in this world, thinks it’s extremely difficult for Basil and Gasilious to become Primes.

The realm of a Prime is like that. No matter how talented, it’s not an easy realm to reach.

A realm where one realizes they are no longer human. A realm where one must give up what’s precious. That’s what a Prime is.

‘In my past life, I paid a heavy price to reach that realm.’

In fact, Keter could become a Prime right now if he wanted. Having been a Prime in a past life, he could simply replicate that.

But he won’t. He doesn’t need the power of a Prime yet—

‘What I want isn’t self-destruction.’

Keter’s goal isn’t “If I kill the Queen, I don’t mind dying.” It’s the opposite.

I kill the Queen to live. Killing the Queen is just a means to survive.

So what does it mean to “live”?

Is it just being alive?

‘That’s not it, is it?’

The Lunar Knight Order surrounded Keter. Mail asked with concern in his eyes.

“Keter. Are you hurt anywhere?”

“Isn’t this what being alive is about?”

“Huh?”

“Being worried about, respected, admired… The flavor of life seems to be in this exchange with others.”

Mail wondered why Keter was suddenly like this, but it was so like Keter that he burst out laughing.

“Right, Keter. You’re safe.”

“I plan to stay that way.”

“I wish I could too.”

For Mail, it was a dream he wanted but couldn’t achieve, but for Keter, it wasn’t.

“It will happen.”

For Keter, this world itself is a dream world.