MTLNOVEL Chapter 306
Chapter 307. Can’t You Feel My Kindness? (1)
The family war between Sephira and Baydant ended with the surrender declaration of Baydant’s family head, Jordic.
A week. For some, it was merely a fleeting moment, but for the soldiers who risked their lives on the battlefield, it was the longest time in their lives.
The Sephira family went through an unprecedentedly busy and chaotic period. Not only was there the issue of merging with Baydant, but there were also various external forces flocking from all directions.
“Don’t rush through things just because you’re short on time or tired. The more critical the situation, the more focused and cautious you must be.”
Hisop appeared at the scene every single day without fail, sparing no effort in supervision and encouragement.
He was so dedicated that he didn’t even notice when his nose started bleeding, to the point where his subordinates begged him to take even a single day off.
“This is the moment when the fate of the Sephira family hangs in the balance. For the ancestors who built this family to where it is today, and for the future generations, we absolutely cannot rest.”
Hisop’s passion and conviction even persuaded his subordinates.
Naturally, the subordinates also burned with passion. Although the work pace slowed, the merger and the integration of external forces proceeded without issue.
If things continued this way, it was clear that Sephira would surpass the Browning family and stand tall as the strongest family in the kingdom.
And, of course, the princes weren’t going to sit back and watch.
“Lord Hisop! Urgent news! The royal palace has sent troops. They’re declaring that they will crush Sephira for treason!”
Upon hearing the news from Nabakin, Hisop bit his lip so hard it bled.
“I clearly sent a letter stating that I would personally visit in a month… They won’t even wait that long, huh?”
As soon as Sephira won the family war against Baydant, Crown Prince Rukan sent a threatening letter.
– The Sephira family, which has mocked the sacred laws of the Lilian Kingdom and collaborated with external forces to commit the grave crime of treason, must immediately disband all soldiers. Family head Basil must appear before the royal palace to face judgment.
Since this was something they had already anticipated, Sephira calmly replied that they would visit in a month, and the royal palace responded that they understood.
But now, they’ve changed their tune and sent out troops.
“Tell me about the strength of the kingdom’s army.”
“It’s a regular army of 30,000, centered around dragon knights and the Tassadan. Additionally, the kingdom’s magic corps and the children of prestigious swordsmanship families have also joined with their private soldiers. This is just the information we have now, and the numbers are still growing.”
“How close have they gotten?”
“They’re within a day or two’s distance. For such a large force to move without us noticing earlier… Please kill me, my lord.”
Hisop stopped Nabakin, who was about to press his forehead to the ground.
“The royal palace has deliberately launched a surprise attack. It’s a miracle we noticed even now. So, lift your head.”
Hisop sent Nabakin away and immediately called for a meeting. The vassals who heard the news could only sigh, unable to speak.
“Against the kingdom’s army… it might be worth a try, don’t you think?”
The Holy Knight Commander cautiously broached the subject. His voice was filled with strong conviction.
And for good reason. The potential Sephira showed during the family war with Baydant was beyond imagination.
Even they themselves were surprised at how overwhelmingly strong they were, crushing Baydant with a power gap they hadn’t realized they possessed.
Of course, part of it was due to Sephira’s inherent strength, but fundamentally, there were various factors subtly aiding Sephira.
Thanks to Keter’s leadership, new weapons, especially crossbows, had made significant advancements, greatly increasing their range and rate of fire. Moreover, they were easy to handle, making them unbeatable when enemies got too close.
Similarly, the knights of the Lilian Kingdom were utterly ignorant and unprepared regarding bows and crossbows.
And that’s not all. The mercenaries protected the Sephira family, allowing Sephira’s knights to focus entirely on the battlefield.
The Holy Knight Commander’s suggestion to “fight” wasn’t entirely unfounded.
Some vassals’ faces also showed determination. Still intoxicated by their recent victory, they were ready to fight at any moment.
The heat of war could melt even ice. Just as the meeting room was about to heat up…
“No.”
Hisop firmly cut off the suggestion to start a war.
“Why not, my lord? Didn’t you see how strong our Sephira was during this family war?”
The Holy Knight Commander, visibly excited, directly challenged Hisop.
In response, Hisop rolled up his sleeve, revealing a large, long scar.
“It seems you’ve forgotten how we almost all died to just one Prime, Kreight. The kingdom’s army has at least five such Primes. Even if just one of them steps forward, our Sephira won’t stand a chance.”
Elixir is a universal remedy that can even erase scars, but Hisop deliberately left his scar untreated. It was to remind himself of how crucial and absolute the existence of a Transcendent Being is.
“But we have Sir Luke, the gifted one, don’t we? With Sir Luke, we could handle at least one Prime—”
“Sir Luke has left.”
“What?!”
This was news to the other vassals as well, their eyes widening in shock.
“Knight Luke has left for the empire to find his homeland. That’s all you need to know.”
“H-how can a knight abandon his lord and go to another country? This disregards the virtues of knighthood—”
“I allowed it in my capacity as family head. And why are you all so eager to rely on others instead of thinking about winning with your own strength? First, it was Keter, and now Sir Luke? If even Sir Luke is gone, does that mean our Sephira is just a ragtag group?”
“……”
The Holy Knight Commander couldn’t bring himself to respond and fell silent. No matter how he thought about it, Sephira didn’t have the strength to face a Prime.
Shiver.
Some of the vassals trembled. They were the ones present during Kreight’s attack.
The “authority” Kreight displayed was beyond common sense, a moment where death seemed to brush past them. If Luke hadn’t appeared, everyone there would have died.
At that moment, Panir, who had been quietly listening with his arms crossed, spoke up.
“If the Primes are the problem, then there’s no need to worry.”
“……?!”
“We can use Sephira’s Three Divine Bows.”
“……!”
Sephira possesses three bows known as the Three Divine Bows.
Tempest, the bow of wind, created by the collaboration of a human archmage and an elf spirit mage.
Agareth, the super-heavy bow made by the dwarf king from the heaviest metal in the world.
Doppelganger, the shapeshifting bow that can transform into any form.
Tempest wasn’t used due to the magic prohibition decree, and Agareth was too heavy for anyone to wield.
Lastly, Doppelganger was currently owned by Basil. Therefore, all that remained in Sephira were Tempest and Agareth.
“Lord Hisop. Please take this.”
However, for some reason, a black belt emerged from Panir’s sleeve. Hisop knew exactly what it was.
“Why does Elder Panir have something that should belong to my father?”
“Lord Basil entrusted it to me just before he entered seclusion for training. He said to pass it on to you when you were ready as the family head.”
“……!”
“Of course, he also added that it wasn’t necessary for you to use it personally.”
“…….”
Hisop tightly gripped Doppelganger. More than the unprecedented power he felt from it, he felt Basil’s warmth, making his eyes redden.
But this couldn’t become his.
“I will transfer Doppelganger to Anis.”
Doppelganger was essentially a symbol of the family head. Yet, he was passing it to his second son, Anis.
The vassals looked incredulous, but Hisop spoke with unwavering determination.
“I’m confident in archery too, but I fall short compared to Anis. The wind bow, Tempest, will also be bestowed upon Sir Catherine, who has the most outstanding knowledge of magic.”
“W-wait a moment, my lord. Sir Catherine isn’t even at the vice-captain level.”
“This isn’t the time to consider rank or lineage. As for the super-heavy bow, Agareth, anyone who can draw its string will be its master. Immediately summon all knights and have them try to lift Agareth.”
This unprecedented declaration of giving the family’s divine artifacts to “anyone who can wield them” worried the vassals.
“My lord. Given the current situation, giving the family’s divine artifacts to just anyone…”
“How can you call Sephira’s knights ‘just anyone’? They are brothers who eat under the same roof, train together, and risk their lives in family wars. Never call them ‘just anyone’ again. This isn’t a request; it’s an order.”
Despite not having rested properly for dozens of days, Hisop’s charisma and momentum overwhelmed the vassals.
“But, my lord. By finding masters for the Three Divine Bows, are you still planning for war…?”
“We’re preparing, but I have no desire for war. And I believe the prince feels the same.”
“Then, is the siege of Sephira just a bluff?”
“It’s not a bluff. They clearly have the will to fight. But they won’t attack first.”
Not attacking first. That was even more troublesome and annoying than attacking.
“They plan to starve us to death.”
Elder Leganon read the prince’s intentions. As he said, Rukan had no intention of hastily attacking Sephira.
That Keter had disappeared was now an open secret, but those who had faced Keter didn’t believe he was truly gone.
‘He’s surely hiding somewhere, waiting for the right opportunity.’
Among the forces surrounding Sephira, there were four Grandmasters but not a single Prime.
In the first place, hastily assembling an army, even the crown prince didn’t have the resources to mobilize a Prime.
This was largely due to the fragile alliance between Rukan and Rakan. While they agreed that Sephira needed to be dealt with first, neither wanted to withdraw their own Prime, fearing an ambush in their absence.
The discord between Rukan and Rakan, created by Keter, had led to this situation.
But the absence of Primes didn’t mean Sephira couldn’t be crushed. Sephira also didn’t know if the kingdom’s army had any Primes.
From the princes’ perspective, fearing that Keter might be lying in wait, they were reluctant to attack hastily, opting instead for a protracted siege.
Sephira couldn’t sustain itself independently. While there were farmlands, they couldn’t possibly feed all 5,000 members.
Moreover, it was winter. Although they had stockpiled firewood and food, without external supplies, they wouldn’t make it through next summer.
“Even so, Sephira has a river and plenty of natural fruits. If we hold out, we could last a year.”
Generally, a siege requires at least three times the number of troops as the besieged.
With the absorption of Baydant, Sephira had just under 10,000 members, including family members. To completely immobilize Sephira, the royal palace would need at least 30,000 troops, but how could they maintain a siege with such a large force for a year?
No matter how wealthy the royal palace was, this was reckless. Especially for the mere pretext of starving Sephira to death.
“But Crown Prince Rukan, you’re the kind of person who would do just that.”
Rukan would never use the royal palace’s funds to maintain the army. He would impose higher taxes on the people instead.
And if Sephira couldn’t endure the blockade and launched a preemptive attack, the royal palace would use that as an excuse to urge other families to send troops. Sephira, attacking the royal palace, would be clear heretics.
If they only defended, other families might just watch, but if Sephira attacked the royal army, it would be tantamount to declaring war on the entire kingdom.
“Perhaps it would have been better if they had attacked us.”
Hisop rubbed his temples with both hands. This was a deadly strategy. Even though the opponent’s intentions were clear, there was no way to avoid it.
If they attacked, they would become outright traitors—
If they defended, they would eventually starve to death.
“We need at least two years, no, one year of leeway to become self-sufficient.”
It’s too late to start farming now. The besieging kingdom’s army won’t just sit idly by. They’ll provoke us at every opportunity.
Hisop racked his brain but couldn’t come up with a solution. The other vassals were in the same boat, all bowing their heads in anguish.
Then, Hisop felt something was off. Someone who should have been here was missing.
“…Strategist Daat.”
Keter’s subordinate and companion, who always provided answers. Hisop was convinced that Daat would know what to do.
But Knight Nabakin cautiously raised his hand and spoke.
“The strategist left yesterday morning. He said he had some business to attend to and would return within three days.”
“Tch, of all times…”
Yesterday, the royal palace’s siege wasn’t in place. Even if it had been, it would have been loose enough for Sephira to slip through. But now, it’s impossible. The siege is complete, making entry and exit difficult.
‘No. I clearly told the vassals not to rely on Keter, so I shouldn’t rely on Daat either.’
Hisop steadied his dizzying thoughts.
As his mind cleared, a single solution came to him.