I’m the Madman of This Family

Chapter 312. The Whole World is Dad (1)

The moment Keter held a shovel instead of a bow, the Dragon Knights were divided into two groups.

Those who wanted to flee, and those who wanted to fight.

Keter had shown the divine authority of Prime with a bow, but the Dragon Knights, mistakenly thinking they could win without it, attempted to strike first.

The swordsmanship of the Dragon Knights, the Deadly Sword, contained the essence of extreme strength, capable of crushing even Orichalcon, the hardest mineral in this world.

Such a fierce strike poured down on Keter. It was intended to make Keter step back deliberately for the sake of fleeing comrades.

Ting-ting-ting!

The swords of the Dragon Knights, known as “unstoppable strikes,” were all deflected. By Keter’s shovel.

General Colton, though retired from active duty, was a master-level knight. Thus, he could see.

“Just before the collision, the Dragon Knights reflexively tightened their grip. Keter precisely targeted that moment, loosened his wrist to deflect, and simultaneously struck diagonally upward.”

Deflecting an opponent’s attack is a very reckless act. Even a slight mistake could lead to failure and being hit, and even if perfectly executed, counterattacking is extremely difficult.

That’s why most swordsmen learn to block or dodge rather than deflect. The next thing they learn is to parry.

But Keter did both deflecting and parrying simultaneously.

“There’s only one swordsmanship in this world that can deflect and parry at the same time…”

Colton was so shocked his lips parted. But he wasn’t the only one who recognized the technique Keter displayed.

“This, this technique?”

“Lord Dayal’s Mugu (Infinite)?!”

The Lord of the East, Dayal, who cuts the sky. Keter had displayed his swordsmanship, Mugu.

Of course, it was just an imitation. But that alone was enough to astonish everyone present.

Whoosh-bang!

The shovel exploded above the heads of the Dragon Knights, whose posture was greatly disrupted by the parry.

It took only three seconds for the seven Dragon Knights who had stepped forward to buy time for their fleeing comrades to be defeated.

Keter didn’t even look at the fleeing Dragon Knights. Whether it was because they escaped too quickly on drakes, or because he didn’t want to leave this place.

The answer was, “There was no need.”

Celestial Infinity Technique No. 7, Drone.

An arrow that pierced through the head just before the drake reached top speed.

Not satisfied with that, the arrow also pierced through the neck of the Dragon Knight riding the drake.

“Ah!”

The Kingdom Army, watching as if it were someone else’s business, was startled. One Dragon Knight had deflected Keter’s arrow with his sword.

Though fragments of the destroyed arrow pierced his eyes, the drake was saved.

Thus, one Dragon Knight succeeded in escaping alive from Keter. Keter clicked his tongue and said to the Dragon Knight.

“Unlucky fellow.”

*

The Dragon Knights’ escape ended as a mere incident. The Kingdom Army, who had thought “What if?”, now resigned themselves and lined up orderly at the gate.

“Come on, before the person behind freezes to death, quickly put down everything and go.”

Keter, acting as a gatekeeper, inspecting the prisoners at the gate.

The Kingdom Army couldn’t escape even if they wanted to. They had charged forward, abandoning all winter equipment for the sake of speed. If they fled, they would freeze to death.

Moreover, the Sephira troops, thought to be gone, slowly appeared from somewhere, forming a perfect encirclement.

“You know we can’t just let you go, right?”

“Huh?”

Thud!

“Ugh!”

Keter took special measures against the Grandmaster and the mages.

He stabbed the back of their necks with needles, sealing their Aura and Mana.

“You guys could cross the sea with just your bodies if you wanted. We need to set up some safety measures.”

Those whose thoughts were read by Keter rolled their eyes. They really had been thinking that.

“Is this seal permanent?”

When one of the mages asked with pitiful eyes, Keter shook his head.

“It’ll disappear in a year. How about it, bearable?”

“A year…”

For ordinary people, it’s a long time, but for master-level individuals, it’s not that long. If they engage in serious training, 2-3 years pass quickly.

Meanwhile, General Colton was the first to enter the gate, and as he did, he approached Keter and whispered some crucial information.

“The head of the Browning Family has promised Prince Rukan independence in the north and is cooperating. Use this well, Prince Keter.”

Colton thought that if Rukan found and killed them, so be it, but he didn’t think Rukan would save them, nor did he believe Prince Rukan would win. So he leaked top-secret information that could help Keter.

Of course, this was also for his and his army’s safety. If Sephira lost to Prince Rukan too quickly, they, who had surrendered and were paying tribute, would also not be safe.

By the way, Syndicate Ivan was indeed a mage worthy of being called a Great Sorcerer. In just one hour, he relocated 30,000 Kingdom Army troops to an island thousands of kilometers away.

As the situation settled, Maknun wiped the sweat from his forehead and spoke.

“Brother. What about the Kingdom Army troops who fell behind?”

“If they want to live, they’ll come here. If they want to die, they’ll freeze to death while fleeing. More importantly, what were you thinking? Leaving the gates open and emptying the troops?”

If Colton heard, he would be dumbfounded. The plan of “Maknun luring them in, and Keter ambushing them” never existed.

Maknun had anticipated Colton’s surprise attack during the snowstorm and left the gates open. And luring Sephira’s troops was Maknun’s plan.

But Keter’s appearance afterward wasn’t part of Maknun’s plan. Keter had suddenly intervened.

So Keter was very curious about Maknun’s next plan. What would have happened if he hadn’t come?

Daat, seeing Sephira’s Triad—Hisop, Mail, and Anis—running behind Keter, spoke briefly.

“You fought Nether before, right? He had prepared bombs and wyvern lures for Sephira. I took them.”

“You planted bombs in Sephira?”

Daat pointed to the ground with his finger.

“Of course, Hisop wouldn’t allow it. So I secretly buried them all using spatial magic. If you hadn’t come, I would have blown up the Kingdom Army and Sephira’s castle.”

“And the survivors would be handled by wyverns?”

“Exactly.”

“Damn it…!”

Keter’s hand rose. It was natural to be angry, considering they were about to blow up Sephira, his homeland, and release wyverns.

Pat-pat.

But Keter roughly patted Maknun’s head and said.

“As expected, you do well even without me!”

“Of course. How many years have I spent under you? Handling 30,000 is like eating warm soup.”

Even if Sephira’s land crumbled and historic mansions and storages disappeared entirely, Keter wouldn’t care.

Money can be earned again, and buildings can be rebuilt. History is remembered by people, so it can be rewritten.

But the dead do not return.

A strong general sheds sweat to save blood, and a seasoned general sheds blood to save lives.

But an outstanding strategist saves both.

“Ah, this clever thing.”

Just as Keter was messing up Maknun’s hair with his rough hands.

“Hey. You haven’t forgotten me, have you?”

Ivan suddenly interrupted.

Ivan, who had been summoned and used by Keter at will, had endured it all to receive “body modification” from Keter.

“Who are you?”

But when Keter pretended not to know and joked, Ivan turned serious.

“I think I’ve repaid my debt enough. Moving 30,000 people is nothing compared to showing the world that I, a Syndicate member, helped you. This is a much greater benefit, don’t you think?”

“Tsk. Unnecessarily smart.”

The Syndicate helped Sephira. Who would spread this rumor?

Of course, the fleeing Dragon Knight would. That’s why Keter deliberately “pretended to miss.”

“The Crown Prince and the Second Prince won’t think of sending troops now. Numbers are meaningless against a Transcendent Being. Especially against a Great Sorcerer like me. They won’t rashly send another Transcendent Being either, since they’re in a standoff. I’ve given you a great advantage. So, body modification, do it now.”

Ivan logically and seriously requested Keter.

Keter glanced at his almost-arrived brothers and said.

“In return, the surgery will be performed in Sephira.”

“Sigh…”

Ivan held his forehead.

Keter’s intention to exploit him to the very end was shameless, but it was so bold that it didn’t feel bad.

“Where I stay must be top-notch.”

“Ultima will have a hard time.”

Then, Sephira’s Triad arrived right in front of Keter. They glanced at Ivan, who flicked his finger.

Simultaneously, Ivan disappeared before their eyes, and only then did Hisop speak.

“Keter.”

Though it was just calling his name, the meaning behind it couldn’t be summarized in a few words.

Mail and Anis, who had come together, felt the same. No words could express their current emotions, so they just stared intensely at Keter as if looking at an enemy.

“Well, this is a bit embarrassing.”

He had been the object of fear and admiration many times. But the gaze of his brothers, the Servants of Sephira, was something else entirely.

It was a gaze of respect.

Clap-clap.

As Keter laughed awkwardly, Maknun clapped his hands to gather attention.

“Are you going to keep doing this in the cold? You need to clean up. Even though you’ve led the situation to a cold war, how the princes will react is unknown. Don’t let your guard down just because the war seems over.”

At Maknun’s words, Keter and his brothers snapped back to reality. As he said, the war wasn’t over yet.

Even if it flows into a cold war as intended, it’s still a war, not the end. War could break out again at any time.

“Where to start, what to do… it’s overwhelming.”

Hisop honestly expressed his feelings in front of his younger brothers. The tension had eased the moment he saw Keter.

Keter offered a simple solution to Hisop.

“Just deal with what’s visible first.”

“I must hear where you’ve been and what you’ve been doing, Keter.”

“I was going to brag even if you told me not to.”

At Keter’s self-praise, Mail and Anis chuckled and chimed in.

“We’ll need to prepare plenty of alcohol.”

“You brought elixirs to sell us, right?”

At Anis’s joke, inappropriate laughter for war erupted here and there.

The silly jokes melted away the excessive tension and cold, and the Servants of Sephira thought.

The war with the hopeless Kingdom Army.

Now, it’s really doable.

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