Chapter 64

Chapter 64. It’s Right in Front of You (1)

Leganon couldn’t believe it.

The Birang Tribe had left Hakoz Village.

He had no idea where they had gone. They had moved so thoroughly, erasing all traces to leave no room for pursuit.

That alone was enough to give him a headache, but now the knights of House Baydant had appeared in Hakoz Village. They were searching for the Birang Tribe, a group that no one should know about.

“But… Keter and Luke captured all the Baydant knights by themselves…?”

He had no idea where things had gone wrong. He hadn’t left any openings, nor had he made any mistakes. It was as if he had woken up to find the tower he had built had collapsed into ruins.

Leganon was so anxious he couldn’t sit still.

“I don’t know where the Birang Tribe is now, so there’s no way they’ll be connected to Sephira. But how did Baydant find out about the Birang Tribe in Hakoz Village?”

He couldn’t figure it out.

Asking Baydant directly what had happened would be foolish.

“Baydant must have thought I wouldn’t handle Keter properly, so they sent a secret knight order, and by chance, they stumbled upon traces of the Birang Tribe… That’s the only explanation I can think of. Haha, how unlucky can I be?”

This was the worst-case scenario Leganon could imagine. The crucial forces and alliances he needed to save Sephira had vanished.

Baydant, who had refrained from directly pressuring Sephira at Leganon’s request, had now become a clear enemy and would soon begin to apply pressure.

“I have no choice but to summon Keter and ask him. I need to hear the full story to plan our next move.”

He couldn’t bring Keter that day due to overlapping summons from the lord, but now he had to bring him by any means necessary.

“Sir Gant. Use force if necessary, but bring him here.”

“As you command.”

With that, Gant led two Lunar Knights to find Keter.

“Keter. This isn’t a request, it’s an order. If you don’t follow me, you’ll regret it.”

At Gant’s sharp words, Jacques was the one who got angry, not Keter.

“Sir Gant! What is the meaning of this? Even if it’s Elder Leganon’s summons, do you think it’s the duty of a knight to threaten Young Master Keter like this?”

“Step aside, Jacques. This is a serious matter.”

Gant signaled to his subordinates. They were about to grab Jacques by the shoulders when Keter began counting down softly.

“5, 4, 3…”

As soon as he reached 3, Keter’s fist shot out.

The knight who had grabbed Jacques’s shoulder with his left hand blocked the punch with his right arm. It was a reaction speed and response befitting a 3-star knight.

But—

*Crunch!*

The knight’s steel gauntlet crumpled first, and his arm twisted grotesquely.

“Gah!”

The knight gasped and quickly stepped back.

Seeing this, Gant’s brow furrowed.

His subordinate’s response had been excellent. If he hadn’t stepped back, his arm would have been broken.

“A simple-looking punch turned out to be a technique… So you’ve trained in martial arts as your main focus.”

Gant could understand. Punches and kicks were humanity’s most basic means of attack. In other words, martial arts was a skill easily learned by the lower classes.

“Don’t touch my property without permission. Next time, it’ll be your fingers.”

At Keter’s warning, Jacques hurriedly intervened.

“Young Master, you mustn’t fight. These are the Lunar Knights, Sephira’s main force.”

“Do you think I’ll lose?”

“Win or lose, it’ll only worsen relations.”

“Whatever… Sephira won’t fall just because these guys are gone.”

Gant felt he had shown enough mercy.

“Elder Leganon said that if you refuse the summons, we are permitted to use force. How dare a bastard like you defy the elder’s summons? I’ll make you pay the price.”

“Wait, old man. I haven’t refused yet.”

As Gant drew his bow, Keter spoke calmly.

“Then come quietly. My target is you, not Jacques.”

“Got it? Hey, Luke! Why don’t you come in now?”

Keter called out toward the door.

The door slid open, and Luke entered with an awkward expression.

Luke and Gant’s eyes met. Gant glared at Luke, who tried to ignore the gaze as he approached Keter.

“Don’t get the wrong idea. I wasn’t planning to watch, but I thought things would get weird if I got involved.”

“I don’t care. Hey, old man, wait outside, will you? I need to change clothes before I go.”

“Do you think I’ll fall for such a cheap trick? I know you sneak out through the window all the time.”

“With that kind of prejudice, how do you even call yourself a knight? I swear on Sephira I won’t go out the window.”

“Hmm…”

Keter’s oath on Sephira gave Gant pause.

‘Keter… Have you finally realized your place?’

No matter how much he struggled, Keter was just a thug from the Lawless City. It was clear that capturing Baydant’s knights had been a fluke, thanks to Amaranth’s power.

Seeing the true strength of the Lunar Knights must have made him realize the difference in power.

“If you don’t come out within five minutes, I’ll bind you and take you by force.”

It was an oath made on Sephira’s name. Breaking it would mean expulsion from Sephira.

Keter, who wanted to cling to Sephira, would never abandon its name, so Gant had no doubt Keter would come out.

Gant led his subordinates outside.

“Young Master, what’s going on with Elder Leganon? Why is he trying to take you so forcefully?”

“I told you when we first met. That old man is definitely a traitor. He’s desperate to deal with me before I expose him.”

“Do you expect me to believe that now?”

“If you don’t, it’s your loss.”

“Hmm, let’s get you into some clean clothes first. I don’t know why Elder Leganon is looking for you, but you can resolve this through conversation.”

“Speaking of which, I have a favor to ask.”

Jacques felt a sense of foreboding.

“You’re not thinking of escaping through the window, are you? You swore on Sephira’s name. Breaking that oath means immediate expulsion.”

“Who escapes through windows these days? That’s childish.”

Keter suddenly flipped over the carpet on the floor.

“Wha—?!”

Jacques was startled. He thought Keter had dug a hole in the floor, but that wasn’t the case.

“A magic circle?!”

Even Jacques, who knew nothing about magic, could tell that what was under the carpet was a magic circle.

“Young Master, did you carve this? When? How?!”

“Don’t you know that a mage’s symbol is their calling card? And for a mage, knowing how to draw a teleportation circle is essential.”

Keter stood in the center of the circle and gestured to Luke.

Luke’s misfortune alarm was ringing loudly. Even without the alarm, Luke was extremely uneasy about the unknown magic circle.

“Keter, what is this circle? What does it do?”

“It’s a teleportation circle. It’ll take us straight to my office in Ruquer. Pretty amazing, right?”

“Wait, hold on. Are you saying you’re the one activating this? From what I’ve heard, teleportation magic is extremely high-level and dangerous!”

“It is difficult and dangerous. Even specialized teleportation mages have a 1% chance of failure.”

At the mention of a failure rate, Luke gulped.

“W-what happens if it fails?”

“If you’re lucky, instant death. If you’re unlucky… I’ll leave that to your imagination.”

“I don’t want to imagine… Can’t we just take a carriage?”

Of course, Keter wouldn’t fail. With 50 years of magic experience and a bidirectional teleportation circle anchored by powerful magical tools, the chance of failure was zero.

Keter grabbed Luke by the scruff of his neck as he tried to step out of the circle.

“Old man, if those idiots outside come in, tell them this.”

*Whisper whisper.*

After hearing Keter’s words, Jacques’s face turned pale.

“H-how can I say something like that?!”

“I’m counting on you.”

Keter clenched his fist, revealing the ring of Akra he had received from Basil.

Normally, teleporting into Ruquer’s interior would be impossible.

But with Akra’s ring, it became possible. The reverse was also true. This was knowledge from his past life.

*Boom! Crackle crackle!*

Keter slammed his ringed fist into the center of the magic circle. A crimson spark flew, and the two figures vanished without a trace.

“Young Master? Young Master! Did you really leave?!”

Left alone, Jacques looked around, wondering if Keter was playing a prank, but he was truly gone.

*Boom!*

Gant burst through the door moments later.

“Keter! It’s been five minutes. Come out now!”

But Keter was nowhere to be found.

Gant let out a hollow laugh.

“That idiot. Did he escape through the window? He’s digging his own grave by leaving Sephira.”

At Gant’s words, Jacques sighed and stepped forward.

“Young Master Keter didn’t leave through the window. All the windows are closed, aren’t they?”

“Do you expect me to believe the words of his servant?”

“If he had gone through the window, there would be witnesses. Check for yourself, and… Young Master Keter left a message for Elder Leganon.”

“That runaway has some nerve. What did he say?”

Jacques hesitated for a moment before speaking.

“…He said, ‘I’ll come find you soon, so please wait a little longer.'”

Originally, it had been, “Hey, you traitorous bastard! Stay right there! I’ll bring an army and blow all your heads off!”—but for the sake of the family’s peace, Jacques had softened the message.

* * *

*Crackle! Whoosh!*

With a burst of orange sparks, two figures appeared in midair.

“Ugh.”

As soon as they arrived, Luke gagged. Nausea was one of the side effects of teleportation.

“Wow—it’s been a while. Oh, right. It’s been four days.”

“Ugh, Keter. Where the hell are we?”

The smell of damp wood and thick tobacco made Luke’s head ache.

“Welcome, stranger. This is the famous Lawless City, Ruquer, and my office.”

“Ruquer? Not Absinthe?”

“Absinthe is a imitation city built next to Ruquer. This is the real Lawless City.”

“Ah…”

Luke shook his head, trying to clear his mind, and looked around.

The place was a mess. All sorts of junk littered the floor, and in the center of the room was something that looked like a table.

“So… you work here?”

“This is a sort of reception room.”

“That table… it’s made of bones, right? Not human bones, I hope? Ugh! What’s that green liquid on the ceiling?”

“That’s a slime. A cute little guy. He cleans up corpses nicely. His name’s Popo. Popo, come here.”

Keter extended his finger, and the green liquid on the ceiling stretched down, enveloping his finger.

*Sizzle.*

“Hahaha, you little guy. Still as cute as ever.”

“Hey, I smell meat cooking somewhere…”

“Popo, that’s enough.”

Popo obediently returned to the ceiling.

Keter chuckled.

“Want to give him a finger? He eats really well.”

“…I’ll pass.”

Luke touched the bone table and shuddered.

“Keter… I hear voices from this table… begging to be killed… Am I hallucinating?”

“It’s a table made from the bones of a Death Knight. Everything here is either a relic or a magical tool, so handle them carefully. If you mess up—”

“…If I mess up?”

“Your name will become the name of the chair that matches this table.”

“Gah!”

“Is Maknun outside?”

Keter opened the door and stepped out.

Luke looked up and noticed Popo had moved above his head. When their eyes met, Luke panicked.

“Gah! Let’s go!”

He quickly followed Keter.

The room next to the reception area reeked even more of tobacco. It seemed like someone had just finished smoking.

“This is where I usually handle requests…”

There was one person in the reception area.

Keter’s subordinate, Maknun.

His face was hidden under a hat, but judging by his build, he looked like an ordinary boy.

He was sitting in a chair made of lion skin, legs propped up on the desk, fast asleep.

“Hey, kid. Living the good life, huh?”

Keter sat in his own chair and poked the snoring Maknun. The boy twisted and muttered in his sleep.

“Mmm, we’re closed, go away.”

“Have you forgotten my voice after just four days?”

Keter kicked the chair out from under him. Maknun, who had been leaning his feet on the desk, tumbled to the floor in an undignified heap.

“Ow, my tailbone! Who is it? Do you know who I am?”

“Do you know who I am?”

Maknun scrambled to his feet and looked up at Keter.

“Huh…”

Maknun had an innocent face.

A pure-hearted youth who didn’t belong in the Lawless City.

The boy stared at Keter and muttered.

“Is this a dream? Ow!”

Only after getting a knuckle to the head did Maknun snap out of it.

“Ow, that hurt… So it’s real. Hey, boss! What’s up? Why are you back so early? You said you were going to a noble family and wouldn’t be back.”

“Kid, it’s really good to see you again.”

“It’s only been four days.”

“Stuff happens, kid.”

Keter ruffled Maknun’s fluffy hair.

In his past life, Maknun had helped him until the very end. Keter didn’t know if he had survived or died in the end, but he would never forget his gratitude.

“Maknun, my Maknun. Have you been well?”

“…Did something go wrong at the noble family? I’ve just been eating, resting, and working as usual.”

“That’s my Maknun. You’re the best among my subordinates. An ace, an ace!”

“Instead of compliments, I’d prefer money… Just kidding.”

“Right. Actions speak louder than words. Here, you’ve worked hard.”

Keter immediately pulled out a 1,000 gold note from his pocket and handed it to Maknun.

It was an enormous sum, but Maknun looked at it suspiciously and didn’t take it.

“Boss, you promised not to give and then take back.”

“I’m not taking it back, kid. It’s yours.”

“But why are you giving this to me? I haven’t done anything special in the last four days.”

“Just being alive, being by my side, is enough.”

“Did the Sephira family brainwash you or something? Why are you acting like this?”

Maknun looked at Luke, who was standing awkwardly.

“Hey, Sephira knight. What’s your relationship with Boss Keter?”

Luke pondered how to describe his relationship with Keter.

“We’re friends, but… we’re still getting to know each other…?”

“Ah, I thought you were a new recruit. So you’re Boss’s friend. What’s your name? Just call me Maknun.”

“Luke. I don’t have a family name. As a knight, I’d like to address you formally. May I know your name?”

It was the first time Luke had seen Keter show such affection for someone. He couldn’t bring himself to call someone like that “Maknun.”

“Being called Maknun is fine, but… you can call me Daat.”

“Daat. Nice to meet you.”

“Uh… I don’t really like knights.”

Keter interjected.

“Maknun, get along with Luke. He’s a knight, but it’s a cover. He’s a big shot.”

“You should’ve said so earlier. Let’s get along. Ask me anything you’re curious about.”

“I do have a lot of questions.”

“Alright, you two can bond later. Maknun, there’s a reason I came back. I’m going to participate in the Southern Sword Tournament.”

That was all Keter said.

Luke was speechless. How could Daat understand with just that?

Just as Luke was about to step in and explain—

“Ah—so that’s why you came back. Hold on a second. That must be… right. That’s it.”

Maknun acted as if he knew everything, as if he already understood what Keter needed.