I'm the Crazy One in the Family

Besil was the patriarch of Sefira, the Masters of Archery. He had a duty to protect his family from downfall, and he chose defense as his strategy. He ignored the provocations of his enemies and focused on securing the family’s territory.

Thanks to this approach, the nobles weren’t able to bring Sefira down easily. Peace had also lasted a long time; however, Besil didn’t know how long this peace could continue for. He simply hoped that the situation would improve if they held out long enough. Perhaps the nobles would tire and stop their attacks, or maybe a new war would erupt, restoring the value of archers.

Of course, Besil knew there was another option—offense. This was exactly what Panir advocated for: attacking instead of merely defending. However, Besil couldn’t run the family in an offensive way. It was an uncertain path, bound to result in casualties. While defense was also uncertain, at least it avoided sacrifice.

Besil feared sacrifice, so avoiding it was crucial. At his command, thousands of soldiers and hundreds of knights would mobilize. This was no child’s play with toy soldiers.

If there are any casualties, Sefira will inevitably be trapped in a cycle of hatred under the guise of honor and revenge.

Throughout its five-hundred-year history, Sefira had not fought with anyone. The family even declined the title of marquis to avoid power struggles, and it had long maintained its status as an earl’s family out of tradition.

Though no one explicitly stated it as Sefira’s policy, all the previous patriarchs valued peace and negotiation over conflict. So how could Besil ignore and shatter that history? By what right could he drive the peaceful Sefira into a pit of hatred? He couldn’t bring himself to do that.

Maintaining the status quo was the safe path. Even if soldiers and knights had to endure humiliation, at least it wouldn’t kill them. Besil thought that was enough, that he was doing his part. He believed the future of Sefira would be resolved not by his own inadequate self but by the next generation. His best role was to preserve Sefira as it was.

However, recently, Besil had completely changed his mind. It was because of Keter, he and Akrah’s son who was raised in Liqueur. It had only been three days since Keter arrived in Sefira, but three days were enough for him to shatter the silence Besil had built around Sefira over decades.

And it wasn’t just the silence that broke. Keter ignited and stirred Besil’s hardened, withered heart. Thanks to Keter, Besil realized that mere maintenance and defense weren’t the right paths. But nor was the attack that Panir had advocated for—the answer was counterattack, something between attack and defense. Thanks to Keter, Besil realized that this was the best path to save Sefira.

“No.”