Chapter 4: Be Sensible and Do It On Your Own (1)
In the Sefira family’s arrow shed, a place filled with the musty smell of old leather, a middle-aged man was carefully inspecting the arrows. It was Besil El Sefira, the head of the Sefira family. For decades, he had inspected the arrows produced each day without fail.
There were light and balanced ordinary arrows, but also huge arrows almost the size of his arm designed for hunting monsters with thick, tough skin. The last arrow he picked up was like a skewer, made to pierce thick shields or armor. These arrows were the fewest in number.
Besil was emotionless as he stroked the fletching of the arrow. At that moment, the doors to the shed slowly opened. Someone came in, silencing his footsteps. It was Hissop, his first son, who had returned home last night. His sharp features, intense eyes, and stern face, which was hard to imagine smiling, were a spitting image of Besil.
Dressed in elegant and sophisticated blue velvet attire, Hissop greeted Besil with an impeccable posture, befitting his role as the deputy patriarch who handled external affairs in place of the patriarch. He placed his left hand on his stomach and his right hand at his side, then bowed. When Besil nodded to acknowledge the greeting, Hissop straightened up and got straight to the point.
“Father, I heard from Myle that my half-brother Keter is coming.”
Besil, rubbing the fletching of the arrow in his hand, replied, “That is correct.”
“I respect and admire you, Father, and I trust there is a good reason for this. However, no matter how much I think about it, I think it is premature.”
“I guess you wouldn’t like your half-brother who showed up out of the blue.”
“I’ve never met him, so I do not like nor dislike him. However, you know best that the family is in jeopardy right now. I don’t think bringing in an outsider in these troubled times would be safe for us or for that child.”
It was a reasonable and valid point.
With his tone unchanged, Besil asked, “So?”
“Keter may stay with us, but we cannot let him get involved in family affairs for our sake and his,” Hissop replied.
“Are you saying we should ignore him?”
“Unfortunately, yes. Keter is from the lawless city; I do not want to be suspicious of Keter without evidence, but I don’t want to blindly trust him either.”
It was a reasonable point, completely devoid of emotion. As Hissop had learned all these qualities from him, Besil had no reason to object.
“Do not worry, I have also determined so. As such, I am going to keep an eye on Keter. I want to see how he will act.”
“As you wish, Patriarch. However, if it’s alright, I have something I would like to ask. How did you know about Keter, and how and why did you bring him here?”
“That is not a question I can answer lightly.”
Besil, avoiding the question, held his hands together behind his back and stared at the mountains through the window.
“I hear the carriage, so Keter is probably here. I have already told the vassals to pay no attention to Keter, so you should do the same.”
“... As you wish.”
As Besil ended the conversation like he had nothing more to say, Hissop bowed to show respect and left the shed.
Besil put back the arrow he was holding into the quiver and let out a deep sigh. The reason that he brought his son from the lawless city of Liqueur into the family—who he didn’t even know existed—started with a letter he received a month ago.
“Sending me a letter all of a sudden that… that I have a son…”
The letter was from a mysterious woman he had briefly met twenty years ago, when he was young and feisty. The content of her letter was shocking.
—The starry night feels like just yesterday, but time has flown by. I am doing well, but I assume you are not. So I am sending you this letter.
We have a son between us. His name is Keter. Just as you helped me back then, now our child will help you. He is currently in Liqueur. The signet on the ring enclosed in this letter can bring him out of Liqueur.
There was no sender’s name, but Besil could tell who had sent him the letter from the opening line.
“Akrah…”
It was a momentary fling, but Besil had indeed spent a passionate night with a mysterious woman named Akrah. Back then, Akrah had told him not to worry about anything, but now, saying that they had a son and that this son would help the family was utterly absurd.
At first, Besil did not intend to look for Keter. It wasn’t because he didn’t trust Akrah, but because the family didn’t have the resources to do so.
However, Besil changed his mind overnight, as Akrah’s letter had disappeared.
“...”
The letter that he had placed on his desk in his office had vanished without a trace.
He thought perhaps the maids threw it away by mistake while cleaning his office, but it made no sense.
Who would dare to tamper with the items on my desk. Moreover, not just anyone can come and go from my office.
Unable to find any signs of intrusion, Besil asked the soldiers guarding the front of his office who had come by while he was gone.
“Three elders and the chief butler visited,” said the soldiers.
The list of suspects was narrowed down to four. However, this only made Besil more troubled. One of the key members of the Sefira family had secretly read the letter and stolen it. It would not bode well if the existence of a bastard child in the Sefira family, which was known for its integrity, was revealed. The key members would know this, which made Besil even more unsettled that one of them stole it.
Is there a traitor in the family?
The suspects, expected to be traitors, included three elders composed of the family’s bloodline, and the chief butler had been loyal ever since the previous patriarch. Besil’s headache was worse than ever, but it was clear what he had to do right now.
I have no choice but to bring Keter now.
Besil hadn’t refrained from calling Keter from the family because of where he was born; it was because the Sefira family currently had many enemies, and its power was dwindling. There was no reason to summon him and involve him in the potential bloodshed.
However, now that the traitor knew Keter’s identity, he was in danger as well. Besil judged that it would be better for Keter to be in his sight. He didn’t know Keter existed and what he looked like, but…
He’s still my son.
Besil held a meeting to notify people of Keter’s existence and unilaterally informed them that he would be bringing Keter back. However, he kept Keter’s origin hidden, saying that he was bringing Keter from Absinthe, a city that imitated Liqueur. If word got out that there was an artifact that allowed one to come out of Liqueur, no master family would be able to handle that, not just Sefira.
Akrah, who are you to have such a great artifact, and why did you let our child grow up in Liqueur?
Besil couldn’t understand what Akrah, someone he could barely call his wife, was thinking. It was a series of circumstances that were definitely not favorable, but even in the midst of all that, Besil—as a father— was curious how Keter, his and Akrah’s son, grew up and what kind of values he had. He wondered if Keter resented them, thinking he had been abandoned by his mother and father.
Keter hadn’t grown up in ordinary circumstances; he had grown up in the lawless city of Liqueur. It was easy to deduce that he had grown up roughly. The worst-case scenario was that Keter might actually put the family in jeopardy.
Once you go into Liqueur, you can never leave. That’s the kind of place Keter grew up. Could he really possess a normal character?
There were many possible scenarios, but Besil could only think of the worst-case ones. Realistically, he thought it might be best to eliminate any future threat, but Besil had no intention of doing that. He believed that abandoning one family member was the same as abandoning the entire family.
Coming out of his reminiscence, Besil heard the sound of a carriage stopping. There was only one carriage expected at this hour. It was Keter, who had come from Liqueur.
Keter, rest assured that I will not burden you with the responsibilities of the family. I have only called you here to protect you.
It wasn’t just that. If the family fell, Besil had to save Keter at the very least, as he had done nothing wrong and bore no responsibility. Therefore, Besil had made the decision to ignore Keter and maintain a distance, even if it seemed harsh. If he was blatantly isolated to appear as someone unrelated to the family, the internal enemies would lose interest in him.
Besil only hoped that Keter, who had grown up lonely without parental love, would be safe, comfortable, and unharmed here, no matter what happened.
“I’ve wasted too much time.”
Besil’s shoulders felt heavy. As the head of the family, he had the duty to protect the honor and history built by his ancestors, and as a father, he had the responsibility to protect his family.
It was when Besil, who had set aside his personal feelings, was about to leave the arrow shed. A loud shout came from outside.
“Father! The bastard you abandoned has returned!”
A passionate voice, like a volcanic eruption; Besil instinctively knew that this was the voice of his son, Keter, whom he hadn’t seen in eighteen years.
“Ha… Haha,” Besil scoffed.
He never imagined that Keter would greet him in such a bold manner.
He’s just like me when I was younger.
However, Besil had no intention of meeting Keter immediately.
“I’ll watch you, Keter.”
Besil, who loved his family as much as his children, went up to his office.
* * *
“My lord, the patriarch is busy and won’t be able to hear you. So, why don’t you go back to your living quarters for now?,” said Jacques, who quickly followed behind Keter.
Keter also knew that his father wouldn’t come out anyway. He would be disappointed if he could meet his father so easily.
“I don’t think my father is deaf. It’s clear that he’s ignoring me on purpose.”
Jacques blinked for a moment at Keter’s blunt words before making up an excuse.
“If you adapt well to the family, the patriarch will surely call for you.”
“Well, it doesn’t matter. I’m curious about how patient my father is.”
Keter wasn’t disappointed that Besil didn’t meet him; instead, he took it as a challenge. He wondered when Besil would finally call for him.
If you last one night, I’ll say you lasted a long time.
Jacques, who didn’t know what Keter was thinking, asked, “Um… What do you mean by that, my lord…”
“Whatever. Let’s go to my living quarters. It’s that shed-looking one, right?”
Jacques was flustered as he watched Keter walking ahead of him, heading straight in the direction of the shed.
How did he know?
There was no time for Jacques to question this. Although Keter appeared to be walking, he was moving so fast that it was like he was running.
“M-My lord! Please wait for me!”
As Jacques hurriedly followed Keter, the soldiers on guard duty began whispering about Keter.
“Is that the person the patriarch mentioned? They certainly look similar, right?”
“Yeah. He looks exactly the same as the young patriarch’s picture hanging in the main building.”
“Do you think his coming will be beneficial for our family? I’m worried…”
“Don’t be silly. Has the patriarch ever made a mistake? Let’s just focus on our duties.”
“Yeah, you’re right about that.”
After gossiping, the soldiers were about to go back to their stations. But just then, a soldier arrived late and interrupted them.
“Hey, did you hear where he came from?”
“We only heard that he was coming, but not where he’s from.”
“This is a secret, but… There are rumors that he’s from the lawless city of Absinthe.”
“Absinthe?!”
“That shithole?”
Oren was the only one that knew Keter came from Liqueur, and everyone else believed he came from Absinthe.
The city of Absinthe was similar to Liqueur in that they were both lawless cities, but it was called a shithole for a different reason.
“I can’t believe Lord Keter is from Absinthe!”
It was shocking that Besil had an illegitimate child, but it was still understandable, but not if the child was from Absinthe.
The soldiers quickly turned somber.
With a serious face, the soldier that first mentioned Absinthe added, “I’ve been to Absinthe before, and everyone who lives there is crazy bastards with shitty personalities. If Lord Keter is also from there… You better be careful.”
“I wasn’t able to take a good look at him, but he didn’t seem that way…”
“You never know. I shouldn’t get on his bad side.”
“Not even that, just avoid him. Isn’t that better?”
“I agree. That’s probably safer.”
The rumor spread quietly through the family by a soldier who knew about Absinthe. The fact that Keter was not from an ordinary place and was from Absinthe, a lawless shithole, became a secret that everyone knew about. There were no rumors that Keter had done something evil, but he was naturally labeled as someone to be avoided.
All of the reasons why Keter had been ignored by everyone in his past life were revealed. Of course, Keter didn’t care at all.
He soon arrived at the place where he would be staying from now on.
“My lord, this is the bathroom, and on the left is the closet…”
Jacques enthusiastically explained the various rooms, but Keter just looked around, pretending to listen.
“It’s exactly the same, just as I expected.”
“Pardon? What do you mean it’s the same?”
“Don’t worry about it. Gramps, what are my brothers doing?” Keter asked.
“Gr…amps? My lord, do… Do I look that old?”
Jacques rubbed his smooth forehead as Keter called him “Gramps.”
“It’s just because you remind me of a nice grandpa. Anyway, are you going to tell me?”
“Oh…”
Jacques trailed off. He’d been given strict orders from the patriarch to keep Keter away from his siblings, so Jacques couldn’t take Keter to the others for greetings.
Keter, who obviously knew the situation, shook his head.
“It’s fine if you can’t tell me. It doesn’t matter if I find them, right?” asked Keter.
“Um…”
Jacques was at a loss for words again. Everything Keter was saying was so unexpected.
I heard that Lord Keter lived his entire life in Absinthe. How is he so unconcerned when he’s in a foreign country, especially a noble family?
It had only been an hour since Keter had arrived. Jacques didn’t know what to make of Keter’s actions, which looked like he had already adapted to this environment.
Keter tried to leave his room abruptly, so Jacques had to do something to stall for time.
Jacques said, “My lord, wouldn’t it be better to start with a bath and a change of clothes? People will regard you favorably if you show the dignity of a nobleman.”
It was a convincing, reasonable argument. But it wasn’t enough to stop Keter.
“Good appearance? Give me a break. How are they going to think highly of a bastard like me?”
Jacques felt dizzy from the blunt and unfiltered remarks.
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