I Am The Madman Of This Family

There were people who watched the Family War between Sefira and Bydent unfold.

“Hmm.”

“Wow…”

“As expected!”

They exclaimed in admiration, nodded, and even wrote notes into their notebooks. They all wore different attire, and even their races were different.

“It’s over. A crushing victory for Sefira.”

Just as an old man said, Sefira overwhelmed Bydent. There was no room for argument. Bydent’s troops couldn’t even get close to Sefira’s archers. Arrows poured down in bundles, and the hit rate exceeded seventy percent. Moreover, the power of those arrows was strong enough to pierce not only armor, but even shields. The archers were even capable of firing while moving, and Sefira operated a separate unit dedicated to arrow supply.

On the other hand, Bydent’s entire tactic consisted of charging forward with shields and spears. In frustration, they attempted to throw javelins, but the range was at best only twenty to thirty meters. Meanwhile, the arrows of Sefira’s soldiers flew from a minimum of fifty meters up to two-hundred meters. As a result, using javelins to fight the archers wasn’t merely enough.

A priest of the Order of the Sun wearing a robe with a large sun emblem muttered, “Even so, I never expected the Bydent family to be beaten so helplessly.”

He wasn’t talking to himself. It was rather more of a request to strike up a conversation with someone who was also present, and that someone replied back. “Rather than Bydent being weak, I think they simply underestimated Sefira.”

The priest of the Order of the Sun smiled at the person who had answered him. “Haha, I never expected to meet you here, Count Bolognese.”

“I am also honored to have the pleasure of meeting you for the second time, Bishop Reilly.”

The eyes of those who heard both names, Count Bolognese and Bishop Reilly, widened. Both were famous figures recognized across the world.

Count Bolognese was one of the top ten chefs in the gourmand nation of the Belferio Kingdom, and the very person who popularized the dish known as Bolognese pasta, named after himself.Reilly not only held the rank of bishop, of which there were said to be only ten within the Order of the Sun, but was even more famous for his name Father of the Saints.

Though there were many eyes and ears nearby, the two carried on their conversation without concern.

“It seems not only the two of us, but everyone here has gathered with the same intent… May I ask what was promised to you, Count Bolognese?”

“Ahaha, there is nothing to hide. The southern lands here are optimal for farming. Olives, in particular. As you know, there is even a saying that says all cooking begins with olive oil! Sefira offered to lend the southern lands, specifically the most fertile ones, free of charge. That is why I came.”

“Free leasing of farmland?! Huh, that is incredibly shocking.”

“And to a foreign noble, at that…!”

Not only Reilly, but the others were taken aback as well. They hadn’t expected Sefira to have invited Bolognese under such extreme terms. However, Bolognese was not the only one who had received such exceptional treatment.

“Since you have spoken so truthfully, I will do the same. They said they would build temples and churches of the Order of the Sun, and have Sefira’s knights protect them. That is why I came here,” Reilly explained.

“Isn’t the Lillian Kingdom a place where the Order of the Sun’s propagation is forbidden?”

“The head of the Sefira family said he did not mind. Hehe.”

“Huh?!”

As the two boasted of what they had been promised by Sefira, those watching nearby subtly joined the conversation.

“Pardon me. I am Bakadi, dispatched from the Mercenary Association headquarters. From the looks of it, we seem to be in the same situation, so I wished to share information. Sefira said they would build a branch office for our Mercenary Association and grant us protection equivalent to that of their own citizens.”

“As a man, I could not act sly. I have come from the brave and mighty Kingdom of Adeus. Sefira opened their eyes to the greatness of our Adeus Kingdom and requested knight training. In return, they agreed to pay ten thousand gold annually.”

“They told our Blood Cross Academy that they would build a training facility and dormitories in Sefira, and asked us to send our trainees. They said they would provide not only room and board, but even all travel expenses.”

“As for us…”

Well over ten people exchanged information with one another. All of them were either members of organizations renowned throughout the world, or powerful figures. Moreover, all of them had come here, tempted by Sefira’s shocking conditions. Whether Sefira was a place worth such treatment, or whether they were even capable of all of that, had effectively been proven through this war with Bydent. Sefira was more than strong enough, and they had an abundant amount of land to spare.

“Listening to all this, a question comes to mind. Was Sefira always such a wealthy family?”

Someone raised a reasonable doubt. Sefira had offered to provide nearly everything free of charge, and it wasn't just one or two people. Accepting everyone would require spending tens, even hundreds of thousands of gold. Of course, there would be profit for Sefira afterward, but where had they obtained the money in the first place?

“It seems you haven’t heard the rumor yet. The Ultima Trading Company belongs to Sefira.”

When a noble of the Baen Kingdom let that slip, only then did the others wear expressions that they understood.

“If it’s the Ultima Trading Company, then they could certainly afford such a fortune.”

The Ultima Trading Company possessed a broad range of customers, from the impoverished to royalty. Recently, it had even expanded into the empire, steadily solidifying its position. The foremost trading company in the Lillian Kingdom was, in name and reality, the Ultima Trading Company.

Everyone there was presented with extreme conditions, but they all still hesitated over whether to accept Sefira’s invitations because it was certain that all of this was Sefira’s unilateral decision, made without receiving royal approval. If Sefira sought to grow its power beyond royal control, would the Lillian royal family really stand idly by? However, they had all realized something through this Family War.

Queen Lillian is absent.

The claim that Sefira was the weakest of the noble families was nothing more than a rumor.

If not only us, but renowned figures from every nation all settle in Sefira, no one would be able to touch us so easily, even if it were the royal family.

I don’t know whose head this plan came from, but it’s remarkable. To invite those who are practically enemies and turn them into allies… amazing.

There will be massive expenses and trouble over security in the short term, but in the long run…

Those gathered here speculated what Sefira’s true intentions might be, and soon enough, everyone arrived at a single hypothesis.

Is Sefira dreaming of independence from the Lillian Kingdom?!

It wasn’t entirely impossible. Queen Lillian was absent, and the princes were currently in conflict with one another. If Sefira, having devoured Bydent, expanded its forces, and absorbed the remaining two renowned Masters of Swordsmanship families of the south with that influence, Sefira would become the ruler of the south. Of course, there was the towering obstacle known as the Lord of the South.

The fact that the Lord of the South supports Keter is an open secret.

Even the Lord of the South was on Sefira’s side.

Everyone felt chills run down their spines.

Sefira, so you’ve been scheming such a big plan, huh?

The independence of Sefira, no, of the south, wasn’t an absurd dream. Those gathered here thought that riding this wave wouldn’t result in any loss for them. After all, Sefira had said they would take responsibility for all the risks. If something went wrong while staying in Sefira, they could quietly slip away since it wasn’t a relationship bound by contract. Sefira had taken that point into consideration, so that they would feel no burden.

Bishop Reilly broke the ice. “It seems everyone is thinking the same thing, hehe.”

Though no one expressed it outwardly, all of them seemed to be in agreement.

“Since we are all gathered here anyway, how about we go together to meet the head of the Sefira family? After all, the only ones we have seen are Keter and his strategist, the boy called Daat.”

They had received invitations from Keter or Daat, but hadn’t actually met the head of the Sefira family in person.

“That is a fair point. We should see the ambitions of Sefira’s head for ourselves before deciding for certain.”

“It would also be discourteous to keep troubling a head of the family who must already be busy by visiting one by one, so it would be better for us to go together.”

“Then let’s get going!”

With that, renowned figures recognized across the world and high-ranking nobles from various nations came together and headed toward Sefira’s main estate.

***

The first night of the Family War, which was so full of tension, had passed. The busiest place in Sefira the next morning was the infirmary.

“Hey! I told you to send anyone who isn’t going to die right away to the outdoor treatment area!”

“He says he’s going to die though!”

“Do you really think he’ll die from breaking a toe? Even a guy with his arm cut off went to the outdoor treatment area!”

Sefira had achieved a great victory, so why were there so many patients? It was because not all of the patients were Sefira’s soldiers. Of course, there were some wounded from Sefira as well, but most of them had only minor injuries. Those who were seriously wounded were all soldiers from Bydent’s side. Sefira was treating Bydent’s soldiers.