I Am The Madman Of This Family

Chapter 37: I’m Sefira’s Solver (1)

“How can you be sleeping right now?” Luke said to Keter, who was peacefully sleeping on the sofa.

The dark circles under Luke’s eyes showed that he didn’t get any sleep the night before. He was relieved that Keter was found, but he was also puzzled.

How did he come back without making any sound?

Last night, Luke was focusing all his senses in the room next door, waiting for Keter to return. Knights could catch the sound of ants crawling around if they concentrated on their hearing, but Luke didn’t hear Keter going into his room.

Did I doze off? Or maybe… Maybe he went into the room without making any sound.

Luke wondered if this was even possible.

Keter could have silenced his footsteps somehow, but it’s impossible to open the door without any noise. Who is this guy, really? Is Absinthe an astonishing place? Or is it just that Keter is special?

Luke knew that Keter must not be extraordinary, as he was chosen by Demon Bow Amaranth, but for some reason, Luke felt like that wasn’t the full story.

“Aghhh!”

“Yikes! What’s going on?”

Luke was startled, thinking he might be having a seizure.

“Ah, that was a good sleep.”

“... You’re so loud when you stretch.”

“Why, welcome, Luke.”

“How can you say that? Where did you disappear to yesterday? Why did you vanish without a word?!”

“Charming men tend to have many secrets,” Keter replied.

“Cut the nonsense. The guards have been on high alert with the rumors about ghosts appearing at night. It might be some kind of curse, so acting alone is dangerous."

Of course, the ghost was actually Keter. The number of guards had doubled, and they still couldn’t even figure out who it was, let alone catch him.

Keter rolled his shoulders to stretch and said, “Are you all set?”

“Thanks to you, I did everything myself, even your share.”

Luke was surprised at what he was saying. It hadn’t even been a day since they met, yet he was speaking so comfortably as if they were old friends.

“Very nice. Let’s get going.”

“It seems you’re still willing to take on the mission. Wait here while I get your gear.”

People would normally get angry when criticized, but Keter brushed it off. How Keter was acting was annoying, but it also deepened Luke’s sense of friendship toward Keter.

Still, I won’t let you escape next time.

After a moment, Luke handed over the gear he had brought from the next room. A bow, a quiver filled with arrows, leather armor engraved with the symbol of Sefira, a thick cloth jacket, and gloves that reached below the wrist—they were the basic equipment given to apprentice knights.

“Wash up and change. I’ll finish getting ready and join you. Carry the bow over your shoulder, and hang the quiver on your belt here, at your side. Put the gloves on the hand you’ll be using to draw the string.”

“Got it.”

Luke returned to the next room without any suspicion of Keter.

A little later, Luke stepped out into the corridor fully armed. To his surprise, Keter was already waiting, with only his belt and bracelet on at his waist.

“Why were you so late? Let’s go,” Keter said.

“Go? What about all the gear I gave you? Why do you only have your belt and bracelet on?” Luke asked.

“It bothered me.”

“...You should at least have brought the bow and quiver. Are you not going to learn archery?”

“I have this. Didn’t you hear about it?” Keter said, showing the tattoo of Amaranth on his left arm.

Luke shook his head.

“I heard. But that’s the Demon Bow. You need to know how to shoot a bow with your own power and skill.”

“There’s probably no one in this world who can shoot better than I can.”

“Stop joking and go get it quickly. We don’t have much time to spare.”

“Do I sound like I’m joking?”

“Ugh...”

Luke was at a loss. He didn’t know that Keter was such a jokester.

How are you managing to endure this, Father?

The partnership Luke had imagined was one where they shared laughter, not one where they bickered like this.

Let’s just get going for now. Everyone is listening to what we’re doing here.

It was only dawn, but the halls were guarded by soldiers all hours of the day. Not only that, the maids and servants were already up, preparing breakfast.

“Wait a moment.”

That said, Luke wasn’t going to humor all of Keter’s antics. He entered Keter’s room and grabbed the bow and quiver he had left behind.

“Let’s go. The horses are ready at the fourth stable.”

“Hold on. I’ll help you.”

“Hmm?”

Has he finally come to his senses? Of course; I’m carrying all the bows and quivers, so anyone would feel guilty.

“Okay, done.”

“...”

Instead of taking one of the quivers for himself, Keter just transferred one onto Luke’s back.

Luke rubbed his forehead and said, “Keter, wearing the quiver on your back is uncomfortable. My hands would have to go back and forth, and if I bend down, the arrows might spill over my head. The side is the most stable and quickest place to load.”

“I know.”

“Then why are you putting it on my back?”

“So that it’s easier for me to use.”

“What?”

Keter began to walk without Luke. It looked like he was walking slowly, but he had walked so far in the blink of an eye.

Luke hurried after him, shouting, “Do you even know where the fourth stable is?!”

“Somewhat,” Keter replied.

“Wait for me!”

When Luke heard bad rumors about Keter, he just thought it was the Sefira family acting high-handedly, but it was the opposite.

There should have been more rumors.

Luke felt that the Sefira family couldn’t keep up with Keter’s actions.

* * *

In the dark underground training area, Anis found himself surrounded by scarecrows. However, these were no ordinary scarecrows; they were clad in steel armor, and their long arms were sharp blades.

In the midst of these menacing scarecrows, Anis stood with no armor, a bow and just a single arrow.

Swish! Crack!

In the blink of an eye, Anis released his arrow and pierced the face of the scarecrow directly in front of him. Despite the helmet, the arrow went through the small gap of the eyehole.

“Ha!”

Swinging his bow like a staff, Anis struck two scarecrows behind him simultaneously. In the next instant, he unleashed a kick powered by centrifugal force, smashing into the scarecrow with the arrow lodged into its head.

Crack!

The scarecrow, which was anchored deep into the ground, couldn't withstand the impact and broke apart. Just before it fell, Anis swiftly pulled the arrow from the scarecrow's face and nocked it again, ready to shoot once more.

Thwack!

Though it was an instantaneous shot from an unstable stance, the arrow struck the scarecrow directly in the middle of its chest, piercing through its thick armor.

“Hup!”

Not stopping there, Anis slapped the tail of the arrow with his palm. The arrow drove through the scarecrow's body and out its back.

Now, only two scarecrows remained.

Moving low, Anis crept up behind one of the scarecrows and wrapped the bowstring around its neck and twisted it fiercely. Although the neck was thick and tough due to the intertwined braids, the scarecrow couldn't withstand Anis's strength and soon had its neck torn apart violently.

Only one scarecrow was left, and Anis hadn’t retrieved his arrow yet. In an unexpected move, he drew his bowstring back without an arrow.

Whoosh!

At that moment, an arrow materialized from his seemingly empty bow—it was an Aura Arrow, crafted from aura. This arrow, highly unstable and difficult to form, looked precarious even at first glance.

However, Anis managed to stabilize it. The Aura Arrow maintained its shape as he released the bowstring.

Craack!

The scarecrow hit by the aura arrow was literally shredded into pieces.

“Haah, haah…” Anis panted, beads of sweat rolling down his face.

Despite being drenched in sweat, his eyes shone with vitality and brightness. It was natural, as Anis had pushed himself beyond his limits; the Aura Arrow was proof of his achievement.

“It’s all thanks to you, Keter.”

Anis quickly learned how to summon Aura Arrow as he refined his aura control, and his overall physical abilities had also improved. Though he didn’t want to admit it, Keter had played a significant role in his growth, as the defeat had ignited something within him. Anis now had a goal: to crush Keter’s arrogant, overconfident spirit and make him apologize.

Just imagining Keter’s defeated expression brought a smile to Anis’ face—though he didn’t realize it, it was the first genuine smile he had shown in a year.

“I’ll make sure to break him for good in return.”

Feeling more confident than ever, Anis checked the time.

“It’s morning. Keter should be awake by now.”

Keter had specifically told him to come when he was in top condition. It had been two days since then. Anis had rested well, recovered his strength and gained some insights.

After taking a quick shower and dressing neatly, Anis headed to Keter's quarters.

Knock, knock.

When Anis knocked on the door, Jacques opened it and greeted him.

“Good morning, Lord Anis, what brings you here?”

“Is Keter inside?”

“He just left for a mission a little while ago.”

“He’s already taken on a mission, just two days after arriving at the family estate?”

Anis hadn’t heard any news about Keter while he was in the underground training area.

“Yes, that’s how it turned out. Is it urgent?”

“It’s important. We have something that must be resolved between us.”

“If that’s the case, you might catch Lord Keter at the south gate.”

“Thank you, Butler Jacques.”

Just as Anis was about to turn and leave, Jacques added, “I know that Lord Keter has been rude, but please be lenient with him as his older brother, my lord. It is just a small request of mine.”

Anis couldn't bring himself to refuse, especially since it was Jacques who had given him information about Keter.

“I will try my best.”

When Anis arrived at the south gate, he spotted Keter and Luke in the distance on horseback.

Because they seemed ready to depart at any moment, Anis threw aside his dignity and shouted at the top of his lungs, “Keter! Wait! I’m here!”

At his call, both Keter and Luke turned to look. With Anis charging toward them, there was no way they could leave… except for Keter. Despite clearly locking eyes with Anis, Keter tightened the reins of his horse.

“Keter, Lord Anis is calling you,” Luke said, following after him.

However, Keter just shrugged it off.

“Am I a dog? Just because he calls doesn’t mean I have to respond.”

“But Lord Anis is your older brother. It looks like he came to wish you well on your trip. Shouldn’t you at least acknowledge him?”

“Acknowledge him? He looks like he just found the enemy who killed his parents.”

“...Now that you mention it, it does seem that way. Is it true that you fought Lord Anis?”

“Fought? Not even close. Anis wasn’t able to get a single hit. Hey, Anis, are you fully healed now?”

At Keter's shout, Anis ran and called out, “Yes! I’m better than ever! So get off your horse and settle this with me!”

The distance between them closed quickly as they shouted at each other. Then, Keter flashed a cruel smile.

“I think your injuries still need healing.”

In an instant, Keter reached into Luke’s quiver and pulled out two arrows, one in each hand. He then threw them toward Anis, who was running toward him, with all his might. Luke could have intervened, but he chose not to.

Throwing arrows with just arm strength? It’s theoretically possible… only if the target is less than five meters away.

The distance between Anis and Keter was easily around thirty meters. It would be a close distance if the arrow was shot by a bow, but there was no way arrows thrown by hand would reach Anis. Even if they did, they wouldn’t cause any harm… or so it should have been.

Swoosh!

Keter’s arrows flew through the air with a whistling sound. Both Luke and Anis’ eyes widened in surprise as they watched the arrows travel at a speed similar to being shot from a bow. Anis, however, simply scoffed.

I can see it clearly.

One arrow flew completely off target, while the other hurtled straight toward Anis's chest.

Looks like he just got lucky.

Keter had clearly thrown the arrows, hoping that at least one of them would hit him.

Swish!

Without stopping, Anis snatched the incoming arrow out of the air. He could have dodged, but he wanted to show Keter the results of his training.

How about that, Keter? I’m not the same as before.

But something was off. Keter was still smiling. Then, he silently mouthed something.

… Below…?

As Anis read Keter’s lips and instinctively looked down…

Thwack!

The other arrow, which Keter had seemingly thrown off course, struck a rock. The ricochet sent the stone flying up, hitting Anis hard on the shin.

“Ack…!”

Anis let out a short shout as he stumbled and fell, rolling across the ground at the speed he was running. It looked extremely dangerous and fatal, but he didn’t sustain any serious injuries as he protected himself with aura just before hitting the ground. However, no amount of aura could protect him from the embarrassment. He couldn’t bear to lift his face with so many soldiers watching.

Then, Keter landed the final blow.

“Your lower body is still weak. How will you do anything with that?”

“Ahhh!”

Forgetting his embarrassment, Anis pounded the ground with his fists in anger.

Seeing this, Keter said to Luke, “Anis is angry. Let’s run away.”

Whinny!

Luke thought they should go check on Anis, but Keter just laughed and quickened his pace, leaving them far behind.