Chapter 89

Chapter 89. Everyone Makes Mistakes (1)

At the main gate of Sephira’s border fortress.

The guards tensed up at the appearance of a vagabond with a massive sword slung over his shoulder.

The vagabond made a gesture of surrender and handed a name card to the guard. Seeing the name “Keter” written on the card, the guard cautiously asked, “What is your relationship with Young Master Keter?”

The vagabond replied politely, “I am Jairo, a subordinate of Keter. I was invited to Sephira, so I came here.”

This news was relayed to Jacques, Keter’s personal butler, who met Jairo to verify the information.

“The signature on this card is undoubtedly Young Master’s,” Jacques confirmed.

Thus, Jairo easily secured a place to stay in Sephira under the pretext of being Keter’s guest.

The first day passed without incident. Despite his vagabond appearance, Jairo spoke softly and displayed impeccable manners.

The trouble began the very next day.

Jairo, who had been perfectly fine the day before, suddenly started having seizures.

“Gwaaaah, uwaaaah!”

His screams were filled with ferocity, resembling the roar of a wounded beast. It seemed that stopping the poison he had been consuming to maintain his sanity had triggered withdrawal symptoms.

Even though he was Keter’s guest, as an outsider, soldiers were always stationed nearby to keep an eye on him. They shot blunt arrows to subdue the rampaging Jairo.

Whether they intended to subdue or kill him, it didn’t matter. The soldiers’ arrows couldn’t even pierce the aura emanating from Jairo’s body.

“Kwaaaah!”

Jairo, now like a wild beast, effortlessly lifted his massive sword and slammed it down. The strike, though aimed at the ground, had devastating effects.

A crater larger than the sword itself formed, the shockwave uprooted grass, and the road was obliterated. Soldiers standing far away were knocked over and injured.

“What… what kind of power is this?”

Of course, Sephira didn’t underestimate Jairo. It was clear from a glance that he was a former knight, and given how easily he wielded the massive sword, he was estimated to be a 2-star knight.

But the power he displayed was on par with a 4-star knight.

It was painfully clear that the soldiers alone couldn’t stop Jairo, so the Holy Knights were immediately deployed.

As the knights began shooting arrows infused with aura, Jairo finally reacted. He swung his sword like a windmill, deflecting every single arrow.

The knights of Sephira watched their arrows being effortlessly deflected but didn’t give up, continuing to shoot.

They did this all day, until Jairo finally tired out.

‘Seven hours, 62 knights.’

That was the time it took for Jairo to collapse and the number of knights deployed.

“Restrain him!”

Even if he was Keter’s guest, they couldn’t just let him rampage like this.

But they had no choice. Just before passing out, Jairo planted his sword into the ground, creating a barrier.

This barrier only protected Jairo, and no matter what the knights of Sephira tried, they couldn’t break through it.

Eventually, Lunar Knight Commander Gasilious arrived at the scene and, after assessing the situation, said, “Leave him be. Destroying the barrier would only put us in danger.”

Gasilious realized that Jairo’s massive sword wasn’t just large—it was a demon sword.

Moreover, the barrier wasn’t just to protect Jairo but to safeguard Sephira itself.

“I heard Jairo tried to avoid harming people. There was property damage, but no casualties. He’s still in control of his senses.”

“It’s true that no one was hurt, but the property damage is catastrophic.”

“…We’ll have to bill Young Master Keter for that.”

But no one knew when Keter would return. Officially, Keter was away on a mission.

Jairo’s rampages continued even after that. He would be fine one moment and then suddenly go berserk.

“Commander Gasilious is eagerly awaiting Young Master’s return. He checks every morning. Today as well.”

Upon hearing the situation, Keter nodded with a satisfied expression.

“He’s doing well.”

“We’re not doing well. Please get rid of him soon. Everyone is anxious. We’re afraid all the goodwill Young Master has built up will be ruined.”

Jacques was infinitely merciful to Keter but strict with everyone else.

“Don’t worry, was there anything else?”

“There are many people looking for you, Young Master. Commander Gasilious, as I mentioned earlier, and Elder Leganon is also searching for you intensely.”

“Ah, right. Before I left, some guy named Gant or something came by. Did they cause any trouble?”

“Young Master, even if the person in question isn’t present, you should still show respect. Please. And Commander Gant only checked if you were here and didn’t do anything to me.”

“What a shame. If they had caused trouble, I would’ve gone after them immediately.”

“Before meeting Commander Gasilious and Elder Leganon, it would be best to report to the Lord first.”

“Father is looking for me too?”

Keter knew Basil wouldn’t expect a report from him. Sure enough, Jacques shook his head.

“No. This is my personal opinion, but I believe the Lord is currently paying attention to you. It would be good to continue this trend and gain his trust.”

“So, I should report to Father about where I’ve been and what I’ve done?”

“As a member of Sephira, you should. Even if you don’t report directly to the Lord, you should inform your partner Luke or me, your butler. From the servants to the knights, even Young Master Hisop, the eldest son, doesn’t skip reports. Of course, this isn’t to monitor your every move but to understand your intentions.”

Jacques’s words were perfectly reasonable. Keter knew this, but it was Sephira’s way.

“I’ll speak when I feel like it.”

“Young Master. The Lord is the one responsible for this family, not you. Please consider that…”

“If Father doesn’t like my ways, he’ll tell me to leave. Even if he tells me not to, I’ll leave, so don’t worry.”

Since it was Jacques, Keter ended it there. If anyone else had said such things, Keter would have responded with more than just words.

Jacques, knowing this well, didn’t push his opinion further.

‘Young Master Keter is like the wind. If you try to suppress him, he’ll truly leave Sephira.’

But he couldn’t just leave it be, so he took the opportunity to speak his mind.

“Understood, Young Master. Is there anything you need?”

Keter, as if waiting for this, pulled out Jjokjjok from his chest pocket.

“Take care of this one. Jjokjjok hates sunlight and loves blood. Human blood, not animal.”

“Huh? Young Master. Its characteristics are just like a vampire…”

As soon as Jjokjjok was placed in Jacques’s hand, Keter jumped out the window.

* * *

Luke, Keter’s partner, should have followed immediately, but knowing where Keter was headed, he didn’t rush and instead spoke to Jacques.

“Jjokjjok is fine. It seems like a vampire… but it listens well and is gentle.”

“Looking closely, it’s quite cute.”

“Sorry, Father. I should have stepped in earlier.”

When Jacques was explaining Sephira’s family rules to Keter, Luke didn’t intervene. Not out of fear, but because he wasn’t sure if he had the right to.

Jacques gently stroked Jjokjjok’s back with his finger and said, “No. If you had stepped in, it would have backfired. I’m fine, so go ahead and follow him.”

“Even though Keter seems stubborn… well, he is stubborn, haha. But he’s quite reliable.”

“Seems like a lot happened in the Lawless City.”

“Without a doubt, it was the longest and hardest week of my life. Others probably wouldn’t believe it.”

“If there’s a chance, tell me tonight. I’m curious about where Young Master Keter grew up.”

“Alright. I’ll come see you tonight.”

While staying in Ruquer, Luke didn’t have private conversations with Keter. But he often overheard Keter and Daat talking.

It wasn’t intentional eavesdropping. They traveled together, and Keter didn’t mind, so Luke didn’t think much of it.

‘He only took portable artifacts. Probably to give to Blacksmith Vulkanus.’

Like Keter, Luke stepped on the window ledge and leaped, only to be startled.

“Wha, what!?”

With just a slight push from his knees, he soared higher than the building’s rooftop.

After experiencing double gravity in Ruquer, his body felt incredibly light.

Not only that, but the amount of oxygen entering his nose and mouth was overwhelming, as if he was breathing through his entire body.

*Thud!*

Unlike Keter’s silent landing, Luke smashed into the ground.

“Was I always this strong?”

He had leaped dozens of meters and landed without a scratch, as if he had landed on a soft loaf of bread.

“All that hardship paid off.”

Luke felt proud. Even just walking, his body moved forward effortlessly. If he really tried, how fast could he run? Luke suddenly wondered.

“The forge is always hot.”

Feeling the heat of the forge, Luke entered and found Keter.

“Old man! Do you know what this is?”

“Country bumpkin. Where did you get this? Hand it over. I need to check if it’s genuine.”

“Hey, why so serious? You have to see it to know?”

Keter tightly gripped a finger-sized rod. Instantly, a longsword sprang from his hand.

Vulkanus, a born blacksmith, couldn’t hide his excitement.

“Wow, it really is a portable artifact! But did you bring it just to show off?”

Luke quietly slipped in and sat beside Keter. Vulkanus, recognizing Luke, turned his attention back to Keter.

“We should apply the portable artifact technology to bows and arrows. You know what I mean?”

“Kid, it’s not as easy as you think. If dismantling portable artifacts could reveal their secrets, why would the Empire have monopolized their production for decades? Beyond a certain point, they self-destruct, and the remnants don’t provide the slightest clue. Give up.”

“Old man, don’t say ‘give up’ so easily. I won’t allow it.”

Keter pulled out another rod. This one was larger and heavier than the Empire’s portable artifacts.

“What’s that?”

Actions speak louder than words. Keter showed rather than told.

It was a weapon received from the Birang Tribe after saving Hakoz Village. The origin of portable artifacts.

As Keter infused the rod with aura, it transformed into a two-meter-long longsword.

“This… is this what I think it is!?”

Even Vulkanus, who had seen rare portable artifacts, couldn’t contain his excitement.

“Give it here, kid! I need to touch it myself!”

Having lived for centuries, Vulkanus knew the origins of portable artifacts well.

The Birang Tribe’s metallurgy, shape-memory alloy. That was the core technology behind portable artifacts.

And now, what Keter showed was undoubtedly the Birang Tribe’s weapon.

“You want it, don’t you? You want to dismantle it piece by piece and see how it’s made?”

“Of course! Hand it over! I’ll make you any portable artifact you want. Armor, bows, arrows—no problem!”

“Who will you give them to?”

“Of course, I’ll make yours first.”

“And then?”

“Well… I’ll make one for Basil too. He doesn’t need it, but as a memento.”

“No, no.”

Keter wagged his finger defiantly.

“If you learn the technology of portable artifacts, whose credit is it?”

Vulkanus wondered what nonsense Keter was spouting.

“What do you want to hear? It’s thanks to you, but understanding and applying it isn’t something just anyone can do.”

“Still, I provided it, didn’t I?”

“Fine, let’s say it’s all thanks to you. So what?”

“It’s mine.”

“Huh?”

Both Vulkanus and Luke were puzzled by Keter’s words.

“All the portable artifacts you create, their ownership belongs to me.”