Chapter 55

Chapter 55. Call Me an Archery Genius (5)

Lord Basil checked the time. In an hour, it would be time for the dinner he had promised with Elder Panir.

But Keter still hadn’t arrived.

“I didn’t think he’d be this late.”

Basil sighed, and Gasilious stepped forward.

Chief Steward Subid had already left to prepare at Panir’s mansion, and Gasilious, who would soon take over as the next chief steward, was assisting the lord in his place.

“I’ll go fetch him now.”

“Hmm.”

What should he show his victorious son—authority or mercy?

As Basil groaned in thought, both he and Gasilious turned their gaze to the window.

*Creak.*

Keter opened the window and entered, clicking his tongue.

“Really, I can’t fool your ears, Father.”

“…You could’ve just come through the front door.”

“I’m just keeping your senses sharp.”

“Haha, I appreciate that. But I didn’t sense you by sound.”

“Oh?”

“Just know it was the wind.”

“Well, I’ll keep that in mind. May I sit?”

“Of course. You can have some chocolate too.”

“Thanks.”

Keter unceremoniously stuffed the chocolate into his mouth.

Basil smiled warmly at Keter’s lack of formality but soon regained his stern expression.

“I heard from your partner, Luke, about what happened.”

“Oh, I should’ve coordinated with Luke first. What did he say?”

“Hoho. That depends on how you explain it. I thought I gave you the easiest task, but it seems you ended up with the hardest one.”

“Didn’t I tell you? I’m a Solver.”

Keter pulled a business card from his pocket and handed it to Gasilious behind him.

“Grandpa, take one too. I don’t give these to just anyone.”

“An honor.”

Gasilious smiled faintly as he took Keter’s card.

“Now, tell me. Why were Baydant’s knights in Hakoz Village, and why did you end up fighting them?”

Basil didn’t ask how he won. Keter roughly guessed what Luke had told him.

‘He probably said I won using Amaranth.’

A model answer.

The opponent was a rising star of the kingdom. Even if he was called the Spear Dragon, he was still just a 4-star rookie. He wouldn’t stand a chance against the Demon Bow Amaranth.

“It’s probably not much different from what Luke said. But there are some things I can’t tell you.”

“Not even to me, your father and the head of the family?”

“It’s because of a prior agreement. With Elder Leganon.”

“I didn’t expect you to mention your maternal grandfather. I knew you met him before the mission, but is it related to this?”

“Why would Elder Leganon be my maternal grandfather? He’s a complete stranger.”

“Don’t think like that. Even if our mothers are different, we’re still family by blood.”

“Anyway, I can only tell you after I’ve spoken with Elder Leganon first.”

It might seem like he’s hiding something, but he’s not. Basil could press Leganon for answers.

Basil didn’t push further on that matter.

“Fine. Since you’re being so insistent, I’ll wait. And by the way, Sir Luke mentioned that you used both Aura and Mana simultaneously. He said you defeated Baydant’s knights with an archery technique I’ve never seen before. Without even using Amaranth. Where did you learn such archery?”

Contrary to Keter’s expectations, Luke had reported everything honestly to the lord. Everything he had seen.

For Keter, it was a pleasant surprise.

After all, he had shown those techniques for a reason.

“It seems you don’t think I had Amaranth’s help.”

“I heard from Sir Haksen about the condition of Baydant’s knights. There were no traces of Mana Arrows.”

“Even if I said I taught myself archery, you wouldn’t believe me, right?”

“It’s hard to believe. Archery isn’t just about nocking an arrow and releasing it. It’s simple, yet profoundly deep.”

If we’re talking about archery, the House of Sephira has the deepest history. Except for the Empire, of course.

“Father, how much do you know about Ruquer?”

“That it’s a lawless land. And I’ve heard it’s full of secrets.”

“In Ruquer, there’s nothing you can’t get. If you have money and power, you can get anything.”

“Are you saying you learned archery there?”

“Isn’t that the most plausible excuse?”

“Haha, I can’t tell if you’re trying to deceive me or being honest.”

“The concentration of truth is a bit higher, so it’s easier for both of us if you just accept it as the truth.”

“Easier for both of us.”

Basil sipped his lukewarm tea.

“My son has many secrets.”

“I’ve learned that a charming man must have many secrets. And I’m overflowing with charm, aren’t I?”

“Overflowing to the point of drenching my face. A little restraint would be nice.”

“You could just stay farther away. Or come closer and get soaked. That wouldn’t be bad either.”

“What do you plan to do with Baydant’s knights? I heard you even ordered them to be treated.”

“I plan to interrogate them. They dared to target Sephira, so they must pay the price.”

“You’ll personally interrogate them?”

Interrogation and torture are things you can’t do while sober, and without understanding human psychology, they can backfire. That’s why skilled interrogators are rare and expensive.

Basil couldn’t help but laugh.

He had a feeling Keter would be good at it.

It’s not normal to have your own son do such cruel things, but what could he do?

Even he, no, all of Sephira, had failed to anticipate Baydant’s sudden, unauthorized intrusion.

Keter had discovered it during his mission, subdued them, and brought them all back. Keter had every right to do so.

“Don’t kill them. I can grant you the right to interrogate them since you captured them, but the right to judge is mine.”

“Kill them? I’m not that cruel. The world just makes me seem that way.”

“The world is at fault, then. Care for another cup of tea?”

“It’s almost dinner, so no. Instead, shall we get to the main point?”

“The main point?”

Keter made a coin shape with his fingers.

“You need to settle the payment, Lord.”

* * *

The Grand Duke who taught me once said:

If you want to survive in Ruquer, always remember this.

If you give, take. If you take, give.

It doesn’t matter who it is.

Even if it’s the Emperor, or even a god!

After saying this, the Grand Duke took 10 gold from me as tuition. I was only six at the time, and my entire fortune was 7 gold.

Thanks to that, I learned well.

The principle of give and take is the way of the world.

“The missing knight, Reynald, has been confirmed to have deserted. His family disappearing with him is proof.”

“If it’s about the mission reward, the finance office will handle individual payments, so don’t worry.”

“Then shall we discuss the reward for capturing Baydant’s knights? The standard ransom for a 1-star knight during wartime is 500 gold.”

“Seven would be 3,500 gold.”

“Haha, Lord, why so stingy? They were at least 2-star knights. And Jordic was a 3-star close to 4-star. Let’s generously count him as 4-star.”

“…….”

Negotiation wasn’t Basil’s forte. The fact that a 1-star knight’s ransom was 500 gold was something he’d only just heard from Keter today.

“Since you’re silent, I’ll do the math for you. Six 2-star knights at 3,000 gold each, but since it’s a special situation, not wartime, you should pay double as a premium. So, 6,000 each for six makes 36,000. Jordic is 4-star with the grand title of Spear Dragon, so 100,000 is reasonable. Total is 136,000 gold, Lord.”

At the mention of 136,000, Basil’s pinky twitched.

No money? I’ll give you a family discount, no choice.

“Since you’re my father before being the Lord, I’ll deduct 6,000. Let’s agree on 130,000. If you have any objections, I’ll hear them.”

“Objections… you say.”

Father’s generation experienced war, but it was towards the end. He wouldn’t know about prisoner negotiations.

Instead, he sent a pleading glance to Gasilious behind me.

“It seems a reasonable price, Lord.”

What?

Why is this old man siding with me?

Father, looking quite flustered, spoke.

“Is what Keter said true, Sir Gasilious?”

“Not exactly. The premium is a bit excessive. But it’s acceptable.”

“The family’s finances aren’t in great shape.”

“But Baydant’s finances are solid, aren’t they?”

Oh ho. This old man’s got some guts.

Father seemed to catch on quickly, as his expression brightened.

“You mean we can charge Baydant triple the premium?”

Triple?

Father, you’re thinking too small.

“Lord.”

“Speak.”

“Ten times.”

“……!?”

Father’s eyes widened. Ten times seemed excessive to him.

Well, it’s understandable. No matter how hard it is to train knights, 100,000 gold as ransom is too much.

But the captured Baydant knights are special.

The secrets they hold.

Baydant must absolutely keep quiet about the existence of the Moon Beast Tribe. If it’s revealed, no matter how much money they have, it’s over.

Once exposed, even if they spend millions to hire mercenaries, it’s useless. No one will take the job.

The Emperor is serious about eradicating the Seven Evil Tribes. Anyone related to them will be wiped out by the army. History proves it, so the chance of a ‘what if?’ is nonexistent.

Father doesn’t know that, so he thinks ten times is excessive……

Should I just tell him?

No, forget it.

I don’t trust Father.

Besides, it’s not my place to boss him around.

It’s better if I handle the money myself. It’ll help the family more. If it gets too bothersome, I can just hand it over to Father later.

“Trust me. Baydant will definitely pay ten times, even if they say they won’t.”

“You seem to know the reason. Is that another secret?”

“I’ll tell you someday, but not now.”

“Hoho, Keter. If my other sons had said that, I’d have told them not to act like adults. But coming from you, it fits. I’d even believe you’re friends with Sir Gasilious behind you.”

Sharp as ever.

Given that my past life’s age was similar to Gasilious, he’s pretty much hit the mark. Even if those years were spent fighting the Queen and losing.

“Oh, and even if you release them, it must be ‘30 days later.’”

“Now you’re not even asking.”

“It’s important. More of a request than a favor.”

“A request from Solver Keter. I think I need to get closer to him, so I’ll allow it.”

“Thank you.”

Jordic has a contract.

A contract to pay me within a month.

Jordic knows that if the deadline passes, the payment becomes tenfold, but the Baydant family doesn’t. If Jordic can’t pay, it’s the Baydant family that’s in trouble.

I’ll suck Baydant’s family dry.

“Oh, and I heard something interesting. There’s a Southern Sword Tournament coming up, and the House of Sephira is participating.”

Even if Jordic hadn’t told me, I’d have been interested.

The Southern Sword Tournament, happening in three months.

Sephira, which had always been denied entry, is participating for the first time this year. And they’ll be utterly crushed.

That incident drives Anis mad, and Taragon becomes obsessed with Amaranth, leading to disaster.

Externally, it proves that archery can’t beat swordsmanship, severely diminishing Sephira’s standing.

Unaware of this future, Father tried to console me.

“I don’t know where you heard it, but you seem interested. Unfortunately, the participants have already been decided. Four, including Anis, whom you know well, will compete. Even if you wanted to join, the list is finalized, so changes are impossible.”

I didn’t say I wanted to join, but Father seemed to think I definitely wanted to.

He’s completely shutting it down……

It’s the right answer, but wrong.

“If the list can’t be changed, we’ll just find another way.”

That’s how I live my life.