Chapter 56

Chapter 56. Are You Planning to Run Away Even in Death? (1)

The Southern Sword Tournament, a competition to select the strongest knight in the southern region.

Hundreds of nobles participated, not only those who wielded significant power in the south but also those who joined for social purposes or simply for fun.

The participant who achieved the highest score in the three types of matches would be awarded the title of “Southern Sword” and receive three benefits.

First, if they were not already an Upper Noble, they would become one.

Second, they would gain the qualification to challenge for the title of the Kingdom’s Greatest Sword.

Third, they would have the opportunity to meet Lord Eslow, the southern lord and Weapon Master.

For most nobles, the primary reason for wanting to become the Southern Sword was to ascend to the status of Upper Noble.

Additionally, the prize money was enormous. The first-place winner would receive 1 million gold, the second-place 500,000, and even the third-place would get 100,000 gold.

But that wasn’t all.

This tournament was also the largest festival in the Lilian Kingdom. Tens of thousands of citizens from other regions traveled to attend, along with hundreds of nobles from other areas. In short, it was no exaggeration to say that the entire kingdom watched this tournament.

Participants who placed within the top five would instantly gain immense fame and honor.

However, what the audience truly wanted to see was something else entirely: bloodshed.

Although the participants were nobles, the tournament rules were the same as those of the arena. Blood would splatter, flesh would tear, and screams would fill the air.

What the audience truly desired was violence. They wanted to vicariously satisfy the sadistic tendencies they couldn’t express in their daily lives.

They cheered and reveled in the sight of nobles humiliatingly eliminated, begging for their lives, and top contenders collapsing in defeat.

In his past life, the knights of House Sephira were eliminated in the preliminary rounds of the Southern Sword Tournament.

The fact that House Sephira, an Upper Noble and a prestigious family, was eliminated in the preliminary rounds was not something that would end with mere ridicule and insults.

Even the nobles who had remained neutral turned their backs on House Sephira, and the commoners who had supported them were disappointed by the knights’ pathetic performance.

The honor and prestige that Basil had fiercely protected were buried underground overnight.

Moreover, the Southern Sword Tournament became the decisive event that caused internal divisions within House Sephira.

Keter was determined to overturn this future.

He would turn the execution platform meant to kill House Sephira into a stage to showcase their potential, using it as a stepping stone to leap to greater heights.

The additional benefits, rewards, and entertainment that came with victory would also be quite satisfying.

But whether it was first place or not, the first step was to participate, and solving that problem was the top priority.

“As you said, Young Master Keter, there is a way.”

Gasilious, who didn’t need to look far, knew the information Keter wanted.

Seeing that Keter was interested and Basil didn’t object, Gasilious continued.

“Registration for participation as a member of a house has already closed, but unaffiliated participation is possible until just before the tournament.”

At the mention of “unaffiliated participation,” Basil shook his head.

“Sir Gasilious. That method is too demanding. No one has ever succeeded before.”

Gasilious smiled faintly and looked at Keter.

“Young Master Keter seems eager to hear what those conditions are.”

“You know me better than my father. From now on, Sir Gasilious, you are my uncle.”

“Young Master Keter. To participate as an unaffiliated, you must meet three conditions.”

The conditions Gasilious mentioned were as follows:

First, obtain a proxy qualification from an Upper Noble who is not participating in the tournament.

Second, obtain a recommendation letter from the Southern Sword.

Third, possess a 3-Star Knight identification badge or a Diamond Class mercenary insignia.

These were conditions that no one had met in hundreds of years for a reason.

“Unaffiliated participation” was a rule designed to allow free knights or mercenaries without affiliations to participate in the tournament.

But how could an unaffiliated participant gain the support of an Upper Noble to obtain a proxy qualification? And how could they get a recommendation letter from the Southern Sword? Merely meeting them would be a trial in itself.

Even if they managed to meet them, Upper Nobles had no reason to support a mere 3-Star Knight or a Diamond Class mercenary.

In the end, this “unaffiliated participation” had long since become a mere symbolic gesture.

Conditions that could never be fulfilled, yet Keter was smiling.

“I think I’ll give it a try.”

This time, Basil could understand Keter’s intentions. He knew Keter was planning to challenge those three conditions.

Basil didn’t say anything about failure or wasting time.

Failure is not something to be ashamed of.

And challenge is a symbol of growth.

It was something he always told his children and vassals.

“Isn’t it a special kind of fun to do what everyone else says is impossible?”

Keter, who had no intention of revealing future information to Basil, only gave a straightforward reason. It was the truth, so it wasn’t a lie.

“Fun, huh…”

Basil, who had once been immersed in that very concept of fun, could understand Keter’s words. But he wasn’t naive enough to believe that was the only truth.

‘Even if his words and actions seem light, he’s not a child who acts without reason. There must be a reason he can’t tell me.’

If it were his other sons, Hisop or Mail, who had hidden their true feelings, he would have gently urged them to speak up. But he didn’t want to do that with Keter.

It wasn’t favoritism.

Keter had asked to be trusted, so he would trust him.

“Lord. It’s time to prepare.”

At Gasilious’s words, Basil snapped out of his thoughts.

“Keter. Talking with you always makes time fly.”

Basil stood up, and Keter followed suit, asking, “Where are you going at this late hour?”

“I have dinner plans with your granduncle.”

Officially, Elder Panir was said to be staying at the mansion temporarily, but Keter, who knew he was suspected of being a traitor and was under house arrest, sensed something.

It was the sharp scent of an impending event.

From Keter’s past life memories, Panir was eventually branded a traitor and stripped of his position.

Was that event about to happen now?

Keter wasn’t entirely sure. He hadn’t paid much attention.

He looked out the window. The sun had long set, and the night sky covered the world like a blanket. It was the perfect time for a sinister event to unfold.

“Please give my regards to Granduncle Panir.”

“…I will.”

Basil’s expression was complicated.

With that, Keter returned to his quarters, and Basil headed to Panir’s mansion.

Meanwhile, Jacques, the butler, vowed not to let Keter slip away this time.

“Young Master. I must ask where you’re going at this hour.”

“A walk.”

“Walking at night is extremely dangerous. It’s also curfew.”

“I’m more dangerous, so it’s fine.”

“That’s… Anyway, no matter what, do not leave your room tonight. You must have breakfast with the family tomorrow!”

After leaving the room, Jacques stood in front of the door and said, “No matter what happens, I will guard this door. I’ve locked all the windows, so don’t even think about escaping!”

With that, Jacques covered his mouth with his hand and swallowed his tears.

‘If I don’t do this, the Young Master will forever be an outsider to the family. Even if he resents me, it’s fine. As long as he can settle into House Sephira…’

Jacques saw this as an opportunity.

Now that Keter had returned after achieving great feats outside, if he could solidify his position, even Basil and his brothers would have no choice but to acknowledge him.

‘But given the Young Master’s personality, he’ll definitely try to escape somehow.’

Coincidentally, Luke had entered seclusion, saying he had much to ponder. Judging that the soldiers alone couldn’t stop Keter, Jacques requested two holy knights under the pretext of providing protection.

Thirty minutes later.

‘Why is it so quiet?’

Jacques grew uneasy. It was too quiet inside. Given Keter’s personality, it shouldn’t be this quiet.

“Did he escape through the window?”

The windows were locked from the outside, so unless they were broken, there was no way out. If they had been broken, there would have been a sound.

“Young Master!”

Unable to bear the silence, Jacques entered the room.

“Huh? He’s gone?”

The room was empty.

The windows were intact. Only Keter’s traces had disappeared.

“Come in and search for Young Master Keter!”

At Jacques’s urgent call, two knights entered the room and began searching for Keter.

“The bathroom!”

Not there.

“The wardrobe!”

Not only Jacques but the two knights also looked around, but there was no sign of Keter or any trace of him escaping.

“Could it be this way!?”

Jacques ran to the ventilation shaft in the wardrobe.

Seeing this, one of the knights said with a stern expression, “Butler Jacques. There’s no way he could have gone through there…”

As the knight said, the ventilation shaft was barely wide enough for a face to fit through.

“You don’t know Young Master Keter!”

Thud!

Jacques opened the ventilation shaft and stuck his face in.

“Young Master! Are you there!? Huh?”

Jacques, who had stuck his face in, was startled. It was easy to put his face in, but now it was stuck, and he couldn’t pull it out.

“My, my head is stuck. Help me!”

“Sigh…”

The knights sighed and approached Jacques, whose head was stuck in the ventilation shaft.

“You guys are having fun.”

Keter, who had been hiding behind the door, chuckled.

The knights hadn’t thought to look between the door and the wall. It was a space so narrow that only a child could fit.

But Keter was there.

Like a cat, Keter had slipped through the narrow gap and quietly left the room.

* * *

Panir’s mansion.

“Lord, Elder Panir has arrived.”

At Chief Steward Subid’s words, Elder Panir replied curtly, “So what? Should I run over and bow?”

“You always say that a noble should never lose dignity, even in death. Why are you being so stubborn now?”

“It’s all because of Basil. He’s grating on my nerves and provoking me. How can I keep my composure?”

“Elder Panir. Lord Basil is not your nephew. He is the head of this house. As an elder, you should set an example of loyalty. The Lord has come to apologize, yet you refuse to cooperate. Is that your true intention?”

“Ugh…”

Elder Panir, who was as big as a mountain, hunched over and groaned, resembling a bear throwing a tantrum.

Subid watched Panir, who had turned his back, with a cold gaze. When Panir turned around again, Subid’s expression had returned to normal.

“The Chief Steward is right. I can’t just talk about maintaining a noble’s dignity. Where is the Lord?”

“He’s waiting in the dining room. Let’s hurry.”

“Wait, I can’t meet the Lord looking like this. Give me a moment.”

Since there was no one in Panir’s chambers, he adjusted his appearance and clothes in front of the mirror by himself.

It was quite clumsy for him to do what the servants usually did, but to him, it looked fine.

Arriving at the dining room, Panir and Subid faced Basil, who was standing and waiting.

“You’ve come, Uncle.”

“…Sorry to keep you waiting, Lord.”

“I just arrived. Please, sit.”

As Basil sat down first, Panir also sat across from him. The dinner consisted of easily digestible foods.

“I heard you’ve been skipping meals. Let’s talk after dinner…”

“If you’ve come to pity me, I won’t eat.”

“How could I pity you, Uncle? I’m just concerned.”

“If you think a traitor with no backing would act recklessly, there’s no need to worry.”

“I have never called you a traitor.”

“But you’ve thought it, haven’t you?”

“Do you want to say that even thinking is a crime?”

“……”

The exchange was sharp, but unlike last time, no one lost their temper.

“Last time, I made a mistake. I didn’t explain what had happened to me and just pushed you based on the circumstances. I apologize.”

Panir, who had said he wouldn’t eat anything, couldn’t resist and took a sip of water.

“…I also apologize. I lost my temper at your words and didn’t explain properly.”

With their apologies, the heavy atmosphere lightened slightly.

“Uncle. Just today, Baydant’s knights invaded Sephira’s territory.”

“The Baydant family. Those petty people daring to openly approach Sephira like this. I shouldn’t be like this…”

“There’s no need to worry. Whatever they were trying to do, we caught them all. Keter told me.”

“……!”

At the mention of Keter, Panir’s face, which had calmed down, turned red again.

The one who had turned the house upside down and even made Catherine, whom he cherished like a daughter, mute.

“This is absurd. Keter caught Baydant’s knights? Are you telling me to believe that now, Lord? What on earth are you trying to achieve by saying this!”

Panir was getting agitated again.

But Basil continued in a calm tone.

“While you were here, I called Keter and told him that as a member of Sephira, he should take on a mission. Keter chose a simple mission to bring back a missing vacationer. I was disappointed that Keter chose an easy mission, but he encountered Baydant’s knights there and fought them. He stopped Baydant’s invasion and conspiracy, which even I, and everyone else, had failed to notice.”

“I can’t believe it. If that’s true, then we should suspect Keter of being Baydant’s spy. Are you saying that Keter, that bastard, is better than the Lord, better than everyone in Sephira?”

“What if he is better? What if it was just luck? Keter is my son and a member of Sephira. Why are you angry that a family member protected Sephira?”

“That bastard is not our family!”

“Why are you trying to decide that, Uncle?”

“Why do you always ignore my words? Originally, your position was mine. Did you put me in this position just to ignore me?”

Basil found a clue in Panir’s earlier words.

If Panir was a traitor, what was his motive for betraying?

“Uncle. I have never ignored your opinions. I’ve listened to all of them. But they didn’t align with the direction I wanted to take, so I couldn’t reflect them.”

“How is that different from ignoring me?”

“It’s different! As the Lord…”

Just as Basil was about to get slightly agitated, Chief Steward Subid intervened.

“Lord. Other dishes can still taste good even when cold, but soup becomes unpleasant when it cools. Why don’t you at least have some soup?”

Basil gave Subid a grateful glance for intervening at the right moment and said, “As the Chief Steward said, let’s at least have a spoonful of soup, Uncle. I’ll have some too.”

As Basil picked up his spoon, Panir reluctantly dipped his spoon into the soup as well.

Meanwhile, Gasilious, who had accompanied Basil, felt something was off.

An indescribable, indefinable sense of unease.

But given the situation, he couldn’t just speak up, so he kept a vigilant watch around him.

If Gasilious, a 5-Star Master-level knight, decided to monitor his surroundings, no one could cause trouble.

But Gasilious didn’t realize that the darkest place is under the lamp.

Right next to him, Chief Steward Subid. The moment Lord Basil took a sip of the soup, the corner of his mouth twitched upward.