I’m the Madman of This Family

Chapter 318. The Whole World is My Dad (7)

Keter knew the identity of the ship floating in the sky.

‘An airship. It’s already completed at this time?’

From the perspective of his past life, this new weapon from the Baen Kingdom shouldn’t have appeared until ten years later.

‘It was already completed and kept hidden, huh?’

Now, the Baen Kingdom had unveiled it.

The appearance of this mysterious new weapon caused a great stir among Sephira. While some were amazed, others immediately prepared to fire arrows.

Then, a loud amplified voice came from the airship.

[“Get lost, you savages! Your stench and ignorance are reaching us up here!”]

The term “savages” naturally referred to the ragged people of the Adeus Kingdom.

Kundelain, who had been momentarily surprised by the airship, clenched and unclenched his fist as he spoke.

“So, you’ve brought a toy that’ll be fun to smash! Come down here, and I’ll tear you apart!”

[“Haha! Come down? Why should we?”]

Clank! Whirrrrr!

The ship’s cannons turned toward the ground. These weren’t gunpowder-based cannons. Instead, mana, resembling flames, began to gather.

Each ship had 50 cannons. With five ships all preparing to fire at the ground, the flashes of light made it impossible to even keep one’s eyes open.

A truly overwhelming display of force.

Even Kundelain frowned at the power emanating from the mana cannons. He knew he could withstand it, but his subordinates would never survive.

[“Even savages can count, right? I’ll count to five. If you’re not gone by then, I’ll turn you all to ash!”]

The Baen commander, whose name was unknown, increased the output of the mana cannons, making it clear this wasn’t an empty threat.

But Kundelain, of course, had no intention of backing down. Neither did his subordinates.

For them, dying in battle was a virtue. A strategic retreat wasn’t even an option—running away was the ultimate disgrace.

Those who fled from battle would be executed, their bodies thrown into the sea.

The situation was tense. This could very well be the spark that ignites a war between Baen and Adeus on Sephira’s territory—until Keter rose into the air to mediate.

“Mind not causing a scene in someone else’s house?”

Hundreds of Milky Way arrows were aimed at the airship. Despite being over 500 meters in the air, the ship was nothing in the face of Keter’s arrows.

Keter also looked down and spoke to Kundelain.

“They seem to want to land. Mind stepping aside?”

“Are you telling me to yield to these oily perverts?”

True to the pride of the Adeus Kingdom, Kundelain had no intention of backing down.

But Keter wasn’t one to back down either.

“Save your stubbornness for your own home. This is Sephira. Don’t tell us what to do, you invaders.”

“……”

Kundelain glared at Keter, and Keter didn’t avert his gaze.

After a brief staring contest, Kundelain crossed his arms and spoke.

“You’re fearless, just like my son. Fine, I’ll grant your wish.”

Kundelain stepped back, as if doing a favor. Keter, with a look that said, “Sure you will,” shouted at the airship above.

“You, point your cannons skyward. If they’re aimed at the ground again, I’ll take it as a declaration of war.”

[“We never intended to aim at Sephira in the first place. Please forgive our rudeness.”]

The ship’s commander immediately raised the cannons toward the sky.

[“We request permission to land, Prince Keter.”]

“Are you stupid? That’s not for me to decide. Ask the Lord.”

[…Lord Hisop. We request permission to land.]

Hisop nodded slightly to Keter in thanks, then gestured for the surrounding soldiers to step back.

“Is this enough space?”

[“Yes, it’s sufficient.”]

Whoooosh!

The ships descended slowly from the sky with a deafening roar.

Pshhhh! Kwaaaa!

The sheer force of their descent alone was enough to make everyone’s hearts tremble.

Thud!

The ships, now fully landed, were far larger than they had appeared from the sky. They were easily large enough to accommodate thousands of people.

Clank.

With the sound of gears meshing, the lower part of the ship opened.

“Huh?!”

“W-what is that?”

The bottom of the ship opened like a door, and what emerged wasn’t human. A massive suit of armor, easily 3 meters tall, stepped out heavily.

Keter licked his lips as he looked at the giant armor.

‘Well, well, Titans? They’re not as impressive as the ones I saw in my past life, but they’re still combat-ready.’

Known as “piloted armor,” Titans, when manned by a 3-Star Knight, could surpass the destructive power of a 5-Star Master and even challenge a Grandmaster in terms of defense.

Each ship carried 10 Titans, totaling 50. Following them were soldiers armed with crossbows.

The crossbows they carried didn’t look like traditional ones. They resembled Sephira’s rapid-fire crossbows.

Additionally, they wore mechanical wings on their backs, clearly designed for flight.

Each ship also disembarked 200 crossbowmen, totaling 1,000.

And that wasn’t even the full crew. Including the sailors and those guarding the ship, there were easily over 5,000 people aboard.

“Lord Hisop.”

At that moment, a middle-aged man approached Hisop and spoke. With gentle eyes, he wore a stylish outfit and gave a slight nod.

“Marquis Scala of the Baen Kingdom.”

A concise introduction. Hisop nodded slightly in acknowledgment.

“I’ve heard of your reputation, Marquis. Even in the land of invention, your creations surpass common sense. A flying ship? Impressive.”

“Hehehe. Unlike those savages, you understand the value of this airship. It costs 30 million gold to build just one. It takes 1,000 craftsmen three years to complete. Truly, the ruler of the skies. And—”

Hisop raised a hand to cut him off.

“Some time ago, Galoua Scala claimed that Keter is of the Scala bloodline. Have you come to prove that, Marquis?”

“You could say that. Besides, those savages made the first move, so I had to come quickly.”

From a distance, Kundelain shouted, having overheard.

“Sneaky bastards, watching from the sky! What a bunch of unlucky fools!”

“Ugh, shut your mouth. Your breath stinks all the way over here.”

“What did you say?!”

As Kundelain flared up, the Baen Titans began to glow.

Every word exchanged seemed to bring them closer to a fight, making any meaningful conversation impossible.

“Everyone, shut up. I’m trying to think here.”

Keter, who had just annoyed some of the strongest and most powerful figures, pressed his forehead and spoke.

“So, you’re all claiming to be my dad, right?”

At that, Marquis Scala and Kundelain pointed at each other and spoke.

“Ignore that savage’s nonsense. I’m your real father, Keter!”

“Don’t equate Keter with some frail, gloomy Baen Kingdom man. Keter is a man among men. Therefore, he’s clearly my son!”

“Alright, got it. Just to be sure, is there anyone else who wants to claim to be my dad?”

So far, three people had claimed to be his father: Basil, Kundelain, and Scala.

Thankfully, Basil wasn’t here due to his secluded training, but even with just two, the situation was chaotic enough.

Naturally, everyone fell silent. Keter waited exactly ten seconds before speaking again.

“Prince Keter! Urgent news!”

From afar, Nabakin came running.

Hisop grabbed the back of his neck, sensing something bad.

Nabakin, upon seeing Keter, was momentarily speechless. The massive airship, the thousands of savages—it was enough to shock anyone.

“What? What’s going on?”

“Well, it’s not something I should say here.”

“No, just say it. No need to whisper. They’ll hear it anyway.”

“Ah……”

Even though Keter told him to speak, Nabakin hesitated. Only when Keter’s fist rose did he finally open his mouth.

“The Empire’s Chancellor is waiting in the reception room. He says he’s here to see you, Keter.”

And so, the three men claiming to be Keter’s father had gathered in Sephira.

Sephira’s dining hall.

The four men sat facing each other, with soup, bread, and whiskey prepared on the table. The food was freshly made, steam rising and the aroma stimulating appetites.

“Mmm, nothing beats soup-soaked bread when you’ve got a headache.”

Keter dipped a piece of bread into the thick mushroom soup and took a big bite.

“And a sip of whiskey aged with unicorn horn, ah!”

Keter downed the whiskey straight, without ice, and roughly set the glass down.

“Dads. Not drinking?”

Keter poured whiskey into the empty glasses of the three men, almost overflowing them.

The Empire’s Chancellor, Natas, smiled faintly and gently pushed his glass away.

“I consider alcohol a mild poison, so I don’t drink.”

Marquis Scala of the Baen Kingdom picked up his glass, sniffed it, and set it back down.

“Too strong for a casual drink.”

Duke Kundelain of the Adeus Kingdom glared at Natas and Scala and spoke.

“In front of the Empire’s snake and Baen’s coward, the taste of alcohol is ruined. I have no desire to drink.”

Keter had successfully seated the three at the same table, but naturally, there were no friendly words exchanged.

“Hmm, well, keep glaring at each other while I finish my meal.”

Keter continued eating, ignoring the intense stares between the leaders of the three nations.

After finishing his soup and bread, Keter rubbed his stomach and spoke.

“Now that I’m full, my brain’s working again. So, you all think I’m your son, right?”

The three men, who hadn’t spoken a word to each other, all answered at the same time when Keter asked.

“It’s not a guess. You are my son.”

“Show me your chest. There should be a scar symbolizing our family.”

“A single drop of blood is all it takes. No need to waste time like this.”

“Right. You’re not just some vagabonds. You’re powerful figures in your respective nations. You must be confident to come here like this. I get it.”

Keter calmly reassured them with a smile.

“As Duke Kundelain said, a blood test would quickly settle this. But before that, I want to ask: who told you about my existence? Let’s all answer at the same time.”

Keter held up three fingers. He quickly folded one, then another, and the last one almost simultaneously.

“Akra.”

“……?!”

Keter’s rapid-fire question left the three men stunned as they answered in unison.

Keter pressed his forehead, as if he had expected this.

“Interesting. Our Sephira’s Basil also said he learned of my existence through Akra.”

As the three men tried to speak, Keter held up three fingers again.

“How did my mother, Akra, contact you?”

This time, Keter folded all three fingers at once.

Quick and abrupt, but the three leaders had already calculated in their minds. It didn’t matter if they spoke.

“I received a letter.”

“A letter.”

“Same here.”

As Keter expected, all three had received letters, just like Basil.

Keter nodded, then reached out to Natas.

“You brought it, right? As evidence. I need to check the handwriting.”

“You don’t trust me?”

“I want to trust you, that’s why.”

“…Good mindset.”

Natas obediently pulled out the letter from his pocket and handed it over. Scala and Kundelain did the same. Keter immediately unfolded and read them.

The contents of the letters were similar.

‘You and I have a son. His name is Keter. He is currently in Liquor. The child will be of use to you.’

But Keter wasn’t interested in the content.

Twitch.

Keter’s lips trembled.

“Heh, hehehe. I had a feeling……”

Keter’s laughter was strange. It wasn’t amusement—it was more like anger.

“Is there something wrong with the content?”

Marquis Scala asked, uncomfortable with the laughter.

“No. The content is fine. It’s definitely my mother Akra’s handwriting. All three of them.”

“Then why are you laughing?”

“What else can I do?”

Thud!

Keter roughly threw the three letters onto the table and swept his hair back.

“These letters all say the same thing. That Keter is in Liquor. And judging by the ink and paper, these letters were received at least a year ago.”

Creak.*

Keter leaned forward, glaring at the three men with furious eyes.

“You all. You knew I was trapped in Liquor, and you ignored me?”

---