Chapter 91

Episode 91. Everyone Makes Mistakes (3)

Without a second of hesitation, Keter pulled out a Mana Arrow, causing Gant to panic and raise both hands.

“Stop, Keter! If you use a Mana Arrow here, even the innocent will get caught up in it!”

“If you don’t stop me, it’s fine.”

Unlike others, Keter would really shoot. He’s the type to shoot without hesitation!

The people gathering around realized the danger but didn’t actively retreat. They slowly backed away.

Gant knew the terror of the Mana Arrow. Even a tiny fragment could cause deathly decay.

Of course, he could block it himself, but he didn’t want the servants or soldiers to get caught up in it. Yet, he couldn’t just let himself get hit by the arrow either. He was stuck between a rock and a hard place.

Thud, thud.

At the critical moment, an echo rang through the hallway, drawing everyone’s attention.

“What’s that sound? No way?!”

Despite Keter aiming the Mana Arrow, Gant turned around.

“Elder Leganon!”

Elder Leganon, leaning on his cane, had made it all the way to the blacksmith, looking utterly exhausted.

The onlookers were shocked by Leganon’s appearance.

“E-Elder Leganon? Is that really Elder Leganon?”

“It’s him. I’ve seen him before.”

The soldiers were the first to kneel before Leganon. The servants followed suit, showing their respect.

The memory of Keter calling Leganon a traitor had already vanished.

Even Luke, who was standing beside Keter, knelt on one knee and bowed his head.

“I don’t know how long it’s been since I’ve walked this far alone.”

Gant’s eyes reddened. Leganon only ate enough to survive. His emaciated body proved it.

Each step must have been harder than climbing a vertical cliff. Yet, Leganon had come here alone, without anyone’s help.

His hand gripping the cane was soaked in blood. Gant grabbed Leganon’s arm and spoke.

“Why did you come here alone? Did the other members abandon you?”

“Sir Gant. They are not knights meant to serve me. They are guardians of the Archive, where Sephira’s history is kept. How could I use them as my limbs when they are performing such a crucial duty?”

Leganon’s indifferent words brought tears to everyone’s eyes.

Everyone except Keter.

“When did this turn into a melodrama? Stop forcing those fake tears.”

The atmosphere instantly shifted.

Gasps erupted from all around.

Even Luke looked at Keter with trembling eyes and whispered.

“Keter, isn’t that too harsh?”

“Stay out of it and step back.”

Keter pushed Luke aside and boldly approached Leganon.

Five Lunar Knights stepped forward, surrounding Keter.

“Let him go.”

At Leganon’s words, the Lunar Knights stepped aside, and Keter stood before him.

“You came at the right time. You have good instincts.”

“It was my mistake. I underestimated you.”

Leganon looked around, as if to show Keter.

“I should have come to you sooner. I’m sorry. I’ve come now, so please forgive me.”

“……!”

Leganon even slightly bowed his head.

Gant gritted his teeth so hard they might shatter.

The onlookers regretted it. They had heard and seen things they shouldn’t have. Now, they couldn’t even run away.

What was Keter’s reaction?

He was purely impressed by Leganon’s handling.

‘A noble elder, bowing his head to me. What a remarkable old man.’

He acknowledged what needed to be acknowledged.

Even if Gant was foolish, Leganon’s schemes were deep. He willingly set aside his pride to turn the tide in his favor.

In this situation, even if Keter had the moral high ground, he couldn’t act rashly. Leganon had made himself the underdog. For nobles who valued honor as much as life, this was an unthinkable choice.

Of course, Keter liked to strike when his opponent was off-guard, so he pushed even more aggressively.

If there was no chance for redemption, Leganon wouldn’t have been worth keeping alive.

‘I’ll give him a chance to redeem himself.’

Keter was willing to spare anyone who could be useful to the family, even if they had betrayed him or stabbed him in the back.

Morality didn’t matter. Only ability.

Even the radical elder Panir and Subid, the head butler who tried to cause internal division, eventually repented and returned to Sephira.

Blood relations didn’t grant special treatment.

Anyone who fulfilled their duties with conviction would be praised and rewarded. Even if they failed, as long as they recovered, it was fine. That was Keter’s philosophy for Sephira’s growth.

Leganon was no different.

Outwardly, he seemed like a traitor clinging to Baydant, but if he admitted his mistakes and repented like Panir and Subid, Keter was willing to accept him—not welcome him, but accept him.

“Shall we have an honest conversation to clear up our misunderstandings, Elder?”

* * *

Sephira’s Archive, Office.

The 4th Division of the Lunar Knight Order had gathered.

At the central table, Leganon and Keter sat facing each other.

“Don’t you even offer tea to guests?”

Keter tapped the empty desk with his finger. Gant growled behind him.

“Watch your mouth, Keter. It’s just us here.”

“Elder. You didn’t bring me here just to listen to this nonsense, did you?”

“Sir Gant. Bring some tea. Mine too, please.”

“…Understood.”

Gant stepped back, and Leganon rubbed his forehead. Even now, it was unbelievable. Everything had collapsed in just one day.

“To think a single mission, an F-rank mission at that, could cause me so much trouble. Haha, it’s astonishing.”

Leganon had two cards up his sleeve.

The Birang Tribe, one of the Seven Evil Tribes.

A secret pact with the Baydant family.

No one had noticed, and it was hard to uncover.

But Keter had taken it all away in less than half a day.

“How did you do it? How did you deceive the Birang Tribe and capture Baydant’s knights?”

“By being observant and working hard! That’s the secret.”

“Haha, right. Knowing the process now won’t change anything. But why did you link me to the Baydant family? Without any evidence.”

“Orange scent. You had the scent of dried oranges. It didn’t suit you, so I remembered it. Then, lo and behold, Jordic had the same scent in his perfume. When I asked, he boasted that only Baydant’s direct descendants used it. That’s when I realized—ah, Leganon’s been colluding with Baydant.”

“Hah, haha. Unbelievable. You, who’s just starting to adapt to the family, not using honorifics with me, the family elder, and branding me a traitor based on a scent.”

“I don’t show mercy to traitors.”

Keter leaned forward. If Leganon didn’t admit his betrayal and continued to act shamelessly, Keter was ready to kill him.

If Leganon died, the Lunar Knights would be furious, but if one fruit in the basket rots, the rest will too, so it’s better to discard them all.

From the moment he called them to the Archive, Keter had prepared to fight the Lunar Knights loyal to Leganon.

The entire Lunar Knight Order, all 3-Star Knights. They were on par with or even stronger than Cork, who had been the branch leader in Ruquer.

But unlike Ruquer, they weren’t alone. Including Gant, there were ten of them, and their coordination was excellent.

Fighting ten 3-Star Knights. Even Keter couldn’t guarantee victory in a fair fight. But this was only if they fought ‘fairly.’

Kill Leganon in a surprise attack, enrage the Lunar Knights, then shatter the sunstone embedded in the office ceiling.

In the moment of blindness, the knights, already enraged, wouldn’t be able to think straight. Meanwhile, Keter’s eyes weren’t hindered by darkness.

In conclusion, if he could enrage the knights and take away their vision, he could manage without the Mana Arrow. That was Keter’s simple and surefire plan.

Leganon’s neck twitched. He took a breath and moved his lips. The moment words came out, Keter’s hand rose.

“You’re right. I was colluding with Baydant.”

Swish.

Keter raised his outstretched hand and brushed his bangs back.

Leganon, unaware that the natural movement was meant to cut off his breath, continued his confession.

“I proposed to them that Sephira would lose its status as a noble family, and in its place, the Baydant family would rise. In return, I demanded Sephira’s survival.”

Leganon readily admitted his guilt. It was akin to acknowledging Keter’s victory.

You’ve beaten me. I admit defeat. At the weak surrender, Keter’s brow furrowed.

‘Crocodile tears. What a cunning old man. Tch, I was hoping for some fun.’

Fighting the ten strongest knights of Sephira. Not a spar, but a real battle.

How exciting it would have been, and how helpful in identifying the weaknesses of Sephira’s knights. It would have been a fruitful endeavor.

But Leganon knew very well that force wasn’t the only way to fight.

The situation quickly became dull for Keter, and Leganon’s words didn’t register. He rambled on, but it just sounded like a tedious lament.

He truly believed he had acted for Sephira’s sake, that this was the best course of action. That hadn’t changed. Only, my appearance had altered things. At first glance, he thought I was just a skilled swindler.

Trying to stifle a yawn, Keter didn’t hear what Leganon said next. If left alone, he’d probably keep talking until morning.

“Enough. My ears are bleeding.”

“Do you believe me? Even though I made a secret pact with the Baydant family, I caused no harm to Sephira.”

“Whether you caused harm or not isn’t the point. You colluded with Baydant. That fact remains.”

“You brat, Keter! You haven’t been listening to Elder Leganon properly! The Elder was actually deceived by Baydant. He sent knights to Hakoz Village to retrieve the Birang Tribe, but they were captured, and Baydant shifted the blame onto us, demanding we take responsibility and resolve it! At that time, Elder Leganon severed ties with Baydant himself. Do you understand how significant that decision was?!”

Since Leganon didn’t raise his voice, Gant did it for him.

“Are you trying to convince me? Am I the head of Sephira? You should be saying this in front of the Lord, not shouting and causing a scene in front of me. What I want to hear is, what are you going to do now? If you wanted to kill me outright, that would’ve been fine. Let’s fight and end it. Even now!”

Keter stood up boldly, and Gant didn’t back down.

“Well said. If I kill you, everything can be swept under the rug!”

“You should’ve come at me like that from the start!”

Gant was the first to draw an arrow, and the other Lunar Knights followed suit.

“Enough!”

Leganon’s roar, which he had never raised before, echoed through the office.

“Cough, cough, cough!”

Leganon coughed as if he might die from the shout.

The Lunar Knights rushed to his side.

“Elder, Elder! Are you alright?!”

“Let’s get you to the treatment room!”

Seeing the Lunar Knights lose their fighting spirit again, Keter muttered.

“What a mess.”

“*Sigh*, Keter. And Sir Gant. I don’t want you two to fight. You are Sephira’s future.”

“Right.”

“Sir Gant and the Lunar Knights here were merely swayed by my incompetence. I led them down the wrong path. It’s all my fault, so I’ll take responsibility and end it. Can’t you forgive me for that?”

“Elder! Don’t say such things. We’ve already sworn loyalty to you. What value does a knight have if they can’t protect their lord?”

“The family’s in good hands.”

The 4th Division of the Lunar Knight Order had sworn loyalty to Leganon. That was tantamount to rebellion against the Lord.

“Sir Gant. Don’t say you’ll die meaninglessly for me. That’s an order. Aren’t you a proud Lunar Knight of Sephira?”

“Alright, enough, enough!”

Clap, clap!

Keter couldn’t take it anymore and clapped loudly, stepping between Gant and Leganon.

“Elder Leganon. Are you planning to run away?”

“No. I intend to take my own life…….”

“That’s running away. You caused all this trouble and now want to leave the cleanup to others.”

“……!”

What’s so complicated about this?

Leganon admitted his guilt. All he had to do was reflect and pay for his crimes.

“If you truly care about Sephira, you should act for its sake. If you think that means suicide, I won’t stop you.”

At Keter’s words, a smile crept onto Leganon’s bowed face.