Chapter 5: Be Sensible and Do It On Your Own (2)
“I’m just going to say hello. It’s just a simple greeting.”
Keter quickly slipped out of his room when Jacques was occupied. Jacques was a quick learner; he was soon going to learn how to counter Keter, so there was no need for Keter to go easy on him.
First, Keter headed to the west mansion, where the family resided. He had six brothers, but there was one person he wanted to meet first.
“Anis.”
Anis El Sefira was the third son of the Sefira family. In Keter’s previous life, unlike the other siblings who ignored and avoided him, Anis was the only one who didn’t. He challenged Keter to duels, getting riled up when Keter made a dismissive remark about archery. Of course, Keter destroyed him.
They became close after that, as they fought whenever they met. By Keter’s standards, people were close friends if they fought without killing each other.
Well, that didn’t matter anymore. Keter was at the mansion now, but he wasn’t sure if this life was exactly the same as his previous one. It was the same so far, but he expected some things to be different. He thought that seeing Anis would make it clear; maybe Anis would welcome him with kindness and warmth.
Keter didn’t know where Anis was, but he had an idea. As far as he knew, Anis was a training fanatic, and he always trained underground like a creep, so he might be there. If not, Anis was probably in the training room above ground.
As Keter was walking there, he could feel people’s gazes. The soldiers knew to keep their eyes down, but the maids were secretly glancing at him. When he looked at them, they avoided his gaze. He couldn’t help but say something.
“If you want to look at my handsome face, look me in the eyes. You’re not going to be able to get a proper look like that.”
The maids ran away, squealing like chickens. That was when Keter heard a familiar sound.
Squeak…
This sound, like stretching twisted rubber, was from Zodiac Bow—the unique archery technique of the Sefira family. Specifically, it was the sound of Leo Archery.
Anis was definitely in the underground training room. As Keter went down, he saw several training rooms, but there was only one being guarded by two soldiers.
They’re guarding it so obviously.
Keter approached the one, who seemed significantly more muscular than the other soldiers. The one of the right, possibly the senior out of the two, held out his hand.
“Stop. This is Lord Anis’ private training room. If you’re lost, I can guide you back.”
Keter could tell from his palm lines that the soldier had a destiny to die early due to his lack of awareness.
“I’ve come to the right place. Step side.”
“I cannot. This area is not open to others.”
If this was Liqueur, this was what Keter would have done.
“Five… Four… Three…”
If they didn’t move aside even at two, it was Keter’s principle to leave them half-crippled. However, this was Sefira, and he was a noble. And like a noble, he wanted to try to resolve this through conversation.
“Are you prepared?”
“What?”
“For the consequences of blocking my path.”
“I am aware of who you are, my lord. You still cannot enter.”
Keter really tried to resolve this through conversation like a gentleman, but these two brutes just puffed up their chests and glared at him menacingly.
If they were going to be like this, Keter’s actions would be justified.
“You’re wrong.”
They seemed to think Keter was a lord, so he needed to remind them about something.
“You don’t know me at all.”
* * *
The two soldiers guarding the entrance to Anis’ private training room did not look favorably upon Keter. It was because their fellow soldiers had quickly informed them that Keter was from Absinthe.
This was their first encounter with Keter, and he was acting incredibly forceful. This made the soldiers, who were already wary of him, more irritated, causing them to view his every action negatively.
Putting his hands in his pocket. He thinks we’ll bow to his authority and step aside?
Although Keter was a direct descendant of the Sefira family, he hadn’t officially joined the family yet. The two soldiers had been educated several times by their squad leader that they didn’t have to follow all of Keter’s orders and that it was fine to refuse unreasonable ones.
Moreover, Keter acting like he didn’t mind a physical confrontation made the two soldiers scoff. Keter’s agile-looking physique and handsome appearance made him seem entirely unrelated to fighting. In contrast, their own biceps were thicker than his calves.
It seems like he’s trying to solve this using force, just like his Absinthe ways. How immature of him.
The soldier flexed his thick, muscular arms and said, “This is your last warning. Go back to your living quarters.”
Keter took a big step toward them and replied, “I don’t take orders from someone weaker than me.”
“If you try to use force, we have no choice but to fight back.”
Keter chose to walk forward, ignoring the soldier’s warning. In response, they grabbed his shoulders with their large hands. Considering the size difference, there was no need for both of them to step up; just one of them seemed more than enough. No matter how infamous Keter was for being from Absinthe, he shouldn’t have been able to overcome such an overwhelming physical difference. However…
“Huh?!”
Keter didn’t budge, like a pillar deeply embedded in the ground. However, the real problem was that he was a human being and hadn’t stopped walking.
“...!”
“What?!”
The soldiers now tried to stop Keter with all their strength but they were pushed back effortlessly. It was so ridiculous that it looked like a part of a well-rehearsed play. They were being pushed so forcefully that smoke began to rise from the friction between their shoes and the floor.
“How can he be this monstrously strong? He doesn't have the body for it!?!”
“Hey, Alex! Are you really pushing with all your strength?”
The soldiers’ faces had already turned bright red, and their muscles were bulging as if they were about to burst. Meanwhile, Keter remained completely relaxed, his hands still in his pockets.
Whoosh! Thud!
With a single shake of his body, Keter sent the two soldiers flying, but they had persistence. They immediately grabbed onto his legs and ankles, putting their weight onto it. However, they were now just being dragged along as he continued walking to the training room.
They’re persistent. Though, all their muscles are useless.
To Keter, training was child’s play. The strength gained from training, which could be started and stopped at will, was insignificant.
On the other hand, life in Liqueur was hellish and it was never just training; every day was a life-or-death battle. If Keter hadn’t put his life on the line and faced it head-on, he would have been isolated or have died—that was the way of life in Liqueur. He had to run even if his feet were blistered and bleeding, and he had to carry a log five times his weight just for a piece of bread.
Keter had been tested to his physical limit every day, literally unable to start or stop at will, to survive. Day by day, pushing past his limits and experiencing physical hardships, his body evolved its muscles in a different direction. Rather than becoming big, they compressed. Thanks to this, Keter’s strength was similar to that of monsters although he appeared ordinary.
Even soldiers raised in prestigious families underwent intense training, but they did not push themselves to the point of risking their lives. Instead, the families focused even more on safety to avoid losing valuable resources. That was why it was even more incomparable. Muscles strengthened without the fear of death could not defeat muscles developed with life itself as the risk.
“Ha, ha…”
“Ugh…”
Keter arrived at the door with the soldiers, who were trying to catch their breath, still on his leg.
In a lecturing tone, he said, “If you’ve come this far, just let it go. Can’t you read the room? Be sensible and do it on your own, you know?”
“Be sensi… dit… What?”
The two soldiers hesitated. They knew they stood no chance against Keter with strength alone. However, their loyalty to the family was deep enough that they never considered running away.
Keter sighed, finding them bothersome.
“You guys, it’s not like I’m going to eat Anis up. I just want to see my brother’s face, but why are you making me the bad guy? Do you really want to see me become the bad guy?”
That was when the soldiers jumped to their feet.
“No, my lord!
“Sorry, my lord. We just…”
Keter shook his hand and cut them off.
“I get it, guarding the door is your job. But you need to have some tact when dealing with people. I’ll let it slide today since it’s my first day, but if you act clueless again next time…”
Keter drew a line across his neck with his finger. The sound of the soldiers gulping rang in the hall.
“W-We’ll remember that, my lord.”
These soldiers used most of their brain power for training, but a strong will to survive made them show respect. They had only fought Keter once, but they instinctively realized that to go against Keter meant they didn’t want to live anymore.
The senior soldier opened the door to the training room where Anis was, even though Keter didn’t ask him to. The overwhelming difference in power was able to create a sense of courtesy that wasn’t present before.
* * *
Anis El Sefira spent an entire week eating and sleeping in the training room.
“Ha… Ha…”
He was drenched in sweat as he held his bow. His hands were trembling. He had shot so many arrows that his right hand, which held the string, was covered in blood.
“It’s not enough. At this rate… At this rate…!”
Creak!
Anis twisted the already fully drawn bowstring. He was attempting to use Leo Archery, the fifth technique of Sefira’s renowned Zodiac Archery.
Creak!!
The bowstring was drawn so tight it seemed like it might snap, and the bow itself was bent to its limit.
“Argh!!!”
Thwack!
As Anis released the string, the bow unleashed a shockwave. He was also knocked down by the force, but…
Crack!
…the power of the Leo Archery was terrifying. It not only pierced through a thick steel shield two hundred meters away but also turned it into a spiral shape. The shield, which was thick and rounded to block arrows, was penetrated with a single shot. This kind of formidable power was certainly only something possible within the Sefira family. It was a power deserving of praise, but Anis did not look satisfied at all. In fact, he seemed disappointed.
“There shouldn’t even be a trace of the shield left.”
The reason for Anis’ obsession with strength was simple: he knew that he would soon need power. He sensed the impending crisis for the family and anticipated that a violent conflict would soon occur. In times like this, he had to protect the family, so he was committing everything to this, even sacrificing his sleep.
“Ack…”
Anis had trained so hard that his bone was visible through the cuts on his finger. Yet, he picked up another arrow to nock it on the bowstring like he didn’t feel the pain. However, he was interrupted by someone opening the door.
“I told you not to let anyone inside,” Anis said sternly, not even looking back.
He had clearly told the soldiers guarding the door that he would not be meeting anyone, even if his father or the elders called upon him. He wasn’t going to leave until he achieved satisfactory results. So, when the door opened, it was understandable for him to be angry.
There was no response, so Anis turned his head to reprimand the intruder. When he did, his eyes widened. He could have understood had it been his father or one of the family’s elders, but the person he saw was a young man with a bright smile.
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