Episode 116. Anticipation is the foundation of a gift (5)
Main dining room.
Five people are sitting at a table.
Basil is the head of the family, Paneir is on the left, and Leganon is on the right. Next to Leganon, Miles sat politely.
“… … .”
Everyone was staring blankly with no expression, but Paneer’s face began to distort little by little.
Swoop.
Paneer, who took out his pocket watch and checked the time, shrugged. I try to shed some basil.
Everyone turned their heads at the sound of a knock on the door. Anise’s voice came from outside the door.
“This is Anise. Tarragon and Keter are also there. May I come in?”
“Come in.”
With Basil’s permission, the door opened. I couldn’t change into formal clothes because I was in a hurry, but it was obvious that I had trimmed my clothes as much as possible.
“Follow me, Keter.”
Anise took three steps ahead, straightened her left hand, and clenched her right hand into a fist, then bowed her head deeply.
“Sorry for being late, my lord. Elder. older brother. Thank you for waiting, my lord. Elder. older brother.”
He bows his head to the family head first, then raises his head when he finishes talking. Bow to the elder again, get up, bow to Miles.
Anise, who apologized and thanked her, bowed her head a total of six times, and sat down next to Paneer.
I was extremely careful not to make any noise when I sat down. Even after sitting down, he maintained an immobile posture.
“Whoa.”
Anise sat down. Seeing this, Tarragon licked his dry lips and followed suit, and soon sat down next to Leganon.
Keter’s turn has come.
Paneer was laughing particularly meaningfully.
Swoop.
Keter started walking.
Two steps, three steps… … .
I continued walking without stopping.
All eyes follow Keter’s movements. Eventually, it turned to the front.
Keter, who sat down loudly next to Anis, who had an empty seat, tugged at the chair.
profit.
“… … .”
Leganon covered his mouth with his hand and suppressed laughter, and Panir’s face turned red.
Anise urgently scolded Keter.
“Keter, what are you doing? Apologize and give thanks to the adults who waited for us.”
“huh? Am I senile? Did anyone know that there would be a family meeting at this time today?”
“I didn’t even hear it beforehand. However, the elders and elders, the head of the household and the elders, waited for us. It is right to apologize and give thanks. That is the etiquette of the nobility, and the rule of the Sephira.”
If you are a member of the Sephirah, follow the rules of the Sephirah. Anise’s request was reasonable. Particularly liked Paneer.
But Keter snorted.
“I came right after I was told to come, so what are you sorry about? The free person came first and waited. Don’t talk like dog sh*t.”
It is an unremarkable answer. However, it was a Keter-like answer.
At that time, the hot Paneer kicked off the table and stood up.
“this guy! If you don’t have the heart to keep etiquette and discipline, you will never be able to use Sephira’s last name!”
“Is that the old man’s idea, or is it the will of the family head?”
“I would have told you not to call me inspiration.”
“Please answer my question. Sephira’s Kether is very tired right now, and her mind is going back and forth, so the Liqueur’s Kether is about to come out.”
“what? liqueur? what is that?”
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Paneer looked at Basil.
Basil did not hide his puzzled expression. The secret that Kether’s birth was a liqueur was intended to be kept hidden if possible. Because there was no reason to reveal it.
But Keter spoke out.
It was an expected category to say something harsh to Panir. It’s because I’ve already shown enough of not succumbing to authority and not being bound by discipline.
Basil cleared his throat and opened his mouth.
“It is true. Keter is taken from liqueur. I’m sorry for hiding it, but I think you’ll know that it was the best choice.”
Since this was a private family meeting, not a public one, Basil tried to make it as comfortable as possible.
If it was the usual Panir, he would have been furious, but after experiencing a series of incidents, he lost his temper and said.
“That is understandable. However, Keter’s arrogance is incomprehensible. Didn’t he promise to discipline you during the tournament? Aren’t you ignoring me again?”
“no. As promised, I disciplined. Since then, we have met and told Keter not to lose respect for each other.”
“But why are you ignoring Sephirah? Didn’t I fool you?”
The answer was given by Keter.
“Okay, I feel pretty bad after hearing that. I just said the right thing, but didn’t the old man just say let’s catch a pod because he didn’t like me? There must be a head of household, and there must also be Elder Leganon. Or, did you want to show off a cool side of yourself because you have grandchildren?”
“… … .”
Paneer glared at Keter as if to say something more. It wasn’t Keter who would refuse that.
“The head of the household is silent, and the elder Leganon is also silent. Why can’t old Paneer read the atmosphere by himself? It seems that the old man alone does not know what kind of influence I am having on Sephira… I can’t explain it with my mouth, this is true. I just do it like this.”
Keter rose from her seat.
“Let’s clean up the rank insignia and stick to it.”
The three faces hardened. It was miles, anise and tarragon. Leganon, on the other hand, laughed silently.
Basil looked at Leganon and said.
“Keter, what kind of mean things did you say to your great-uncle? So does the uncle. Why do you severely rebuke a child who grew up in a lawless city? I want to tell you both to apologize and end it, but… … .”
Keter and Panir have similarities.
It’s just that words can’t convince you.
Basil also knew how to solve it because it was not something that could be solved by admonishing him. However, I was both excited and worried at the same time about how Keter, who is not bound by rules, would accept it.
“It is embarrassing for family members to fight over personal feelings. However, since the two of them won’t back down, let’s cover the truth with a duel ceremony, as per the tradition of the Sephira family.”
“Family tradition? A dueling ritual?”
Keter was interested, and Panir laughed.
“Are you saying I’m going to do that with this guy?”
“What is the dueling ritual? I know some.”
Basil said with a serious face.
“It’s arm wrestling.”
“… … .”
“It’s the best way to solve a problem that competes with each other’s will and strength, and with less risk of injury.”
“Why is it arm wrestling? out of the blue.”
“Isn’t everything done with the arms when holding the bow and pulling it? To the archer, the left arm is the heart, and the right arm is the soul. Arm wrestling is a sacred ceremony and a duel where everything is put on by an archer. In Sephira, all personal disputes are settled by arm wrestling.”
Not only the two elders, but also Tarragon, Anise, and Miles were in an atmosphere of deep agreement.
The picky Keter also nodded.
“Looking at what I heard, does it make sense?”
“Keter. If you lose in a match, you should work hard to learn etiquette and discipline from now on. Same goes for Uncle. Uncle, please respect and understand the environment in which Keter was born and raised. Do you two have any objections?”
It’s a family tradition, and arm wrestling is also an area of competition. It’s not a Keter to refuse. He rolled up his arms and showed enthusiasm.
“I’m telling you in advance, won’t you watch it?”
“You cheeky boy. At your age I was in the middle of a battlefield.”
In the heat between the two, Basil spoke to Tarragon.
“Take away the vase over there and bring me a bedside table.”
“yes.”
Tarragon brought a nightstand. Keter and Panir faced each other.
“The referee lets me see. Gaju will be the assistant referee, and Miles, Anise, and Tarragon will be the third judges.”
Leganon, who claims to be the chief judge according to family tradition. But in fact, I really wanted to see it closer.
Leganon immediately proceeded with the duel ritual.
“Before performing the dueling ritual, Keter, Elder Panir. swear both I will humbly accept it when there is a match, and I will definitely keep my promise.”
“I swear by my heart.”
Tuuk!
Keter put her arm on the bedside table first.
Don’t be fooled by Panir, he put his arm on the nightstand and said.
“I swear on my soul.”
“You both swore, join hands.”
Leganon took the two of them by the hand and brought them together.
Paneer’s eyebrows went up.
‘I can’t believe that such rough palms exist. Besides, this rigidity. What on earth do I do to have a palm like this at my age?’
Paneer knows too. The strength of Keter, the dexterity befitting his age.
But I thought it was the arrogance of a genius. That’s also true, because I’ve never seen Keter properly train in Sephira.
‘Muscles that can be seen with the eyes are not everything. Even though I didn’t give it enough strength, I felt this much pressure. Arrogance was not bluff. But, how dare you think you can beat me in arm wrestling?’
Paneer rolled up his arms. A forearm the size of Keter’s head was exposed.
Although he is over 70 years old, his physical age, having already become a 5-star master at the age of 40, is still in its prime. In addition, Paneer still trains steadily despite his busy life.
Moreover, Paneir is a ‘born trader’. At the age of 20, he had already won a tug-of-war with four horses using pure strength alone.
‘I’ll smash that smiling face, Keter.’
Leganon looked at the confident Panir and the relaxed Keter, respectively.
Leganon was well aware of Paneer’s strength. However, I felt that Keter’s composure was by no means a bluff.
Who would win, even Leganon could not guess.
“Ready, start.”
aaang!
At the same time as the start, the bedside table exploded leaving only the base. The power of the two, the collaborator couldn’t handle it.
Keter and Panir’s hands trembled in the air.
“Oh-ho-ho!”
Leganon admired.
The two of them bent down to arm wrestle, but neither of them lost their posture. In that state, the power struggle continued.
There was hardly any win or loss. The two of them did not move as if time had stopped.
However, if you look closely, you can see that the arm is leaning from side to side. It was that the strength of the two was equal.
At that time, a strange sound came from Paneer’s arm.
Dudududuuk!
Paneer’s size is growing. It was the sound of my clothes tearing from my expanding muscles.
‘Natural merchants’ can temporarily amplify muscle strength dozens of times. It was not at the level of this ability, but it was clear that it was a special ability.
Goo goo goo!
Keter’s hand begins to slip away. Then he should have frowned, but instead he smiled even more brightly.
Keter’s hand slowed down. Before long, rather, he starts to push Paneer’s hand away.
It opened the ‘power of heaven’.
Deed Dede Deuk! Hard!
The floor starts shaking. It began to influence the ground the two of them stepped on. with pure strength.
Keter’s momentum, which pushed Panir, did not go all the way. It stopped right in the middle. The arms of the two clasped together trembled.
Hard!
The floor shows signs of collapse.
Then, Basil stepped in and separated the two of them.
Kether, who had retreated, spoke first.
“Ah, just a little bit longer and we’ll win. You are in luck, old man.”
“That is what I will do. Even if you were one second late, you would be knocked to the floor.”
Keter and Panir, both look at Basil at the same time.
“The fact that my father, the assistant referee, stopped me, must mean that the win or loss has been decided. Who won?”
“under! Either way, I won. Basil cares about you, so he saved you from looking unsightly!”
Both are confident of victory.
Basil shook his head.
“It’s a draw.”
He is not a Paneer who will succumb to ambiguous results. I immediately objected.
“What a draw! Elder Leganon. You must have seen it because you were close. That I was a little ahead. miles, anise, tarragon. In your opinion, who could afford more?”
Reganon, who had a relaxed heart, spoke first.
“The way I see it, they both look alike. According to the assistant referee, I want to give a vote for a draw.”
Paneer looks at his grandchildren this time. With unspoken expectations.
Miles, the eldest of the three, spoke first.
“I am sorry to tell you. It looked like a whistle to my eyes too. sorry.”
Anise and tarragon said the same thing.
It was not false testimony. I didn’t really feel that either side had the upper hand. If Basil hadn’t dried it, it would have been a win or loss, but it was natural because he cut it off right in the middle.
Basil continued to intercede.
“There are no rematches. This is not the place where we are called to fight for strength. Since it’s a draw, let’s make concessions to each other. Keter, being polite is not because the opponent is stronger or older. Because you have to respect it. Just as I respect your beliefs, you respect our customs too. Uncle. Keter is still young. From the time I was born until now, I have lived as if I were surviving in a lawless city where the rule of thumb is everything. Please do not forcefully oppress a child who grew up in a world where everything is free. The more you suppress it, the stronger you push it away.”
It was the father’s appeal and the family head’s request.
The heat in the air cooled. The tension is also gone. Keter scratched the back of his head and said.
“It was my fault for not even saying hello. I’m sorry. Father, elders.”
No matter how much Kether lives freely, it does not live in disregard of the laws of the world. Because this world knows the concept of living together, not alone.
‘Tsk, I need to finish my sleepless training. My nerves are sensitive.’
If it was the usual Keter, I wouldn’t have sat down without saying anything. A welcome greeting, sorry, I would have trembled, asking why I was waiting for you to come first.
However, over 40 days of sleepless sleep, his mind was worn out rather than his physical strength. Needless anger was not Keter’s way.
Anis and Tarragon were surprised by Keter’s willingness to admit his faults. In my mind, ‘Don’t you like it? What are you going to do?’ Because I thought it would come out that way.
‘Keter was also a person who knew how to apologize and make concessions.’
Most of the time, they only said the right things, but they thought that there were times when they forced themselves. Seeing this, Keter looked different.
Panir also approached Keter first and held out his hand. not hostile It was a hand of acknowledgment.
“You have the guts and strength to shout. I apologize for thinking you were mean and lucky.”
Keter took Panir’s hand.
Paneer waved his hand slightly and said.
“Let’s stick together properly next time.”
“Aren’t you going to see me then?”
“Hot hot hot!”
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“ha ha ha!”
Pudeudeuk.
A strange sound was heard from the hands that were joined.
Basil waved his hand.
“Keter, Uncle. Please stop and have a seat. This is an order from the head of the household.”
Paneer showed regret and went back to his seat. Keter calmly sat next to Anis.
“Hmm. I’ll tell you why I suddenly called a family meeting. Anise and tarragon. I have something to tell you guys.”
Finally, we get to the point. The initially heavy atmosphere was gone, and a stable and warm atmosphere prevailed.
Anise and Tarragon thought it was nothing serious. That’s also true, if it was a serious story, it wouldn’t be a family meeting, and it would have been called in the office rather than the dinner room.
They both thought Basil would give a compliment. Training with Kether was not secret, but openly practiced. There was no way they didn’t know that they had grown noticeably.
The corners of his mouth twitched in anticipation, and Anise was also happy, but he did not show it with his face.
Before long, Basil opened his mouth.
“Get out of the Southern Sword Tournament.”