I’m the Madman of This Family

Chapter 327. It Was Winter (3)

“Huh?!”

Nabakin, who had been lying on the bed, sat up. He was drenched in cold sweat, his body completely soaked.

“Wh-where am I?”

“Ah, don’t worry. You’re in the treatment room.”

“What happened to me?”

“You collapsed in the training grounds. If you’d been found any later, we might’ve had to amputate your limbs.”

At the doctor’s words, Nabakin checked his body. It was numb and sore, but otherwise intact.

“Wh-who brought me here?”

“A knight on patrol found you. He even asked us to question you. What on earth caused you to faint?”

Nabakin thought Keter had brought him here. But a knight on patrol?

“I… guess I was just tired. I saw something strange and then…”

“Something strange? What did you see?”

“There was a snowman in the training grounds, and Prince Keter was inside it. I think I fainted from the shock.”

“Hmm. You must’ve been really tired. Prince Keter coming out of a snowman, huh?”

The doctor scribbled something down and stood up.

“I’ll prepare some vitality and calming potions. Stay here and rest until I return.”

“Yes…”

After the doctor left, Nabakin held his forehead.

“What a terrible nightmare.”

He had cursed Keter to no end, but Keter coming out of a snowman?

“Heh, hehehe.”

Nabakin suddenly started laughing. Even he knew it was absurd.

“A snowman turning out to be Prince Keter? Does that even make sense? Only a lunatic would hide inside a snowman. I must’ve been too tired lately.”

Creak.

“Did you forget something? Why so hurr—?”

It wasn’t the doctor who entered the room, but Keter. And he was holding a dagger in his left hand.

“Ke, ke, ke…”

“Are you laughing at me?”

“N-no! It’s not that… Why are you here? Are you feeling unwell too?! Should I give you my bed?!”

Flustered, Nabakin blurted out whatever came to mind. Keter pulled up a chair and sat beside him.

Swish.

Keter held out the dagger to Nabakin.

“Nabakin. There are three things a man must be careful of in life. They’re often called the ‘three tips.’”

Gulp.

Nabakin could sense it from Keter’s aura. He had come for him. What he saw wasn’t an illusion. The person inside the snowman was really Keter.

And he had cursed Keter. He had even punched him.

The dagger’s edge was sharp. Nabakin felt he understood at least one of the three tips Keter mentioned.

‘I should’ve been careful of the blade’s tip.’

Thump thump thump!

Nabakin clutched his chest. He hadn’t been stabbed yet, but it felt imminent.

“The tip of your fingers. The tip of your… well, you know. And most importantly, the tip of your tongue. Even if you think no one’s around, don’t let your tongue wag carelessly.”

Thud!

“Ugh!”

Keter’s dagger disappeared from view, and Nabakin collapsed, clutching his chest.

Keter looked down at Nabakin with a pitiful expression.

“What are you doing? Is your heart an apple now?”

“Huh?”

Keter hadn’t stabbed Nabakin—it was an apple.

“You’re lucky. That situation was pretty funny. Thanks to you, I laughed for the first time in a while.”

“Ah…”

Keter took a big bite out of the apple skewered on the dagger. Nabakin had a feeling that if Keter had been in a bad mood, it would’ve been him skewered instead of the apple.

“So, why did you come looking for me?”

“Ah, yes. Well… I received a strange message from Kai. ‘Two days later, Cherry.’ He said you’d understand…”

“Hmm, finally.”

It was a code Kai had sent to Keter.

‘Cherry’ referred to a southern region shaped like a cherry. ‘Two days’ meant exactly that—two days later.

In other words, the decisive battle was set for two days later. Henya would lure Eslow, and Keter would kill him.

Nabakin, who didn’t understand the meaning, just blinked.

“You’ve worked hard. Your fist is pretty heavy.”

Tap tap.

Keter patted the dazed Nabakin on the shoulder and left for Sephira to prepare for the final battle against Eslow.

*

Location: Cherry.

This place was a bit special. Between two mountains lay a circular plain, which, when viewed from above, resembled a cherry—hence the name.

The area was free of monsters and had a river running through it, making it a great spot for outings. But now, a tense atmosphere hung in the air.

It wasn’t just the cold. It was because of a group of people who had gathered here.

About 40 individuals, each dressed in unique attire.

Twenty high mages from the Green Tower, specializing in large-scale magic. Seven knights from Baen, clad in mounted armor. The rest wore personal attire and carried their own weapons.

The one thing they had in common was that they were all at least Master-level, with over half being Grandmaster-level.

It was an overwhelming force, but Henya, who was leading them, paced restlessly, clearly uneasy.

Unable to stand it any longer, a representative from the Green Tower’s mages stepped forward.

“Princess. There’s no need to worry. This place is rich in mana, perfect for altar magic. An 8th-circle freezing spell is already prepared. It has the power to freeze an entire city.”

A freezing spell powerful enough to freeze a city, aimed at a single person. Just hearing the description was enough to understand its immense power, but Henya’s expression remained grim.

Then, the knights from Baen stepped forward. They were even larger than the Titan seen in Sephira, with various additional parts attached to their bodies.

“Magic may betray you, but technology never will. Princess. Our Baen Kingdom’s latest Titan can even block divine power. Our 6th-level Titan has already defended against 70% of offensive divine abilities.”

“You think a hunk of metal can block divine power? I can’t believe it. Why don’t you test it against our magic?”

“It’ll just get blocked anyway, so I’d rather not waste time.”

The knights from Baen and the mages from the Green Tower engaged in a subtle battle of nerves.

They knew their opponent was Lord Eslow, yet they remained confident. They took pride in their magic and technology.

Henya knew too. Their words weren’t lies or boasts.

But—

‘It’s not enough. Father is far more of a monster.’

When the Southern Sword Tournament was nearing its end, Ayrus appeared and unleashed a horde of undead. Even then, the dark mage Ayrus’s divine authority was overwhelming.

But Father fought against Ayrus’s top-tier undead, the four Fallen Angels, as if it were a game.

‘Back then, Father didn’t even use 10% of his true power.’

Of course, Henya had never seen Eslow fight seriously.

But she could tell. Just by seeing him stand still, she could feel it. This was something only Henya, as Eslow’s flesh and blood, could understand.

‘Keter… you know it too, don’t you? You called me because you think we have a chance, right?’

Keter made the impossible possible. Though it seemed reckless at first glance, his actions were always grounded.

Henya trusted Keter. But not completely. That’s why she had prepared such a force. It was a trap, but she was serious about killing Eslow—her own father.

‘To Eslow, we’re just tools to achieve his ambitions.’

Henya had originally planned to have Wid recognized by Eslow, as she had told Keter. She wanted to establish a formal relationship.

But one day, she heard a voice calling her. A voice that sobbed and pleaded.

Henya didn’t ignore it. For some reason, it sounded familiar.

Following the voice’s source, she arrived at the palace’s west gate. A hammer that had suddenly appeared was trembling. Henya, as if entranced, grabbed it, and in that moment, she realized.

– Henya. Kill me… please…

“B-brother?”

The voice belonged to Eslow’s eldest son, Fabian.

Henya was horrified. She knew Eslow’s authority was ‘Weaponization,’ but turning his own flesh and blood into a weapon?

“Even if Brother caused trouble, this… this is insane.”

Locking him up in prison would’ve been one thing, but turning him into a weapon and using him as a decoration was madness in Henya’s eyes.

“There’s no going back…”

Henya, who had grown stronger through the Southern Sword Tournament, could now hear the voices of weapons, but that was all. She wasn’t strong enough to counter Eslow’s authority.

“Just wait a little longer.”

Henya immediately went to Eslow. Eslow was, as usual, polishing his weapons and was pleased to see Henya.

“This is unusual. You coming to me first. You look troubled, though.”

Just as Henya was about to demand that Fabian be restored to his original form—a voice came from the glass shield Eslow was polishing.

-Ah, ahhh…

A sorrowful cry. It sounded like a song, but it was unmistakably the voice of her mother, who had disappeared long ago.

“What’s wrong?”

Eslow either didn’t hear the voice or chose to ignore it, urging Henya to state her business.

Shocked, Henya calmly explained why she had come.

“I want to witness your swordsmanship. Spar with me.”

“Hmm. Alright.”

Eslow found it a bit strange. It wasn’t something to hesitate over.

But he dismissed it, thinking she was just unused to asking him for favors.

It was because Eslow had completely blocked the voices of the weapons, so he couldn’t imagine Henya being startled by them.

Meanwhile, Henya, while sparring with Eslow, realized something. Eslow was planning to turn her—and even Lyze—into weapons.

From that moment, Henya began planning her escape, but it wasn’t easy. Eslow’s influence extended throughout the entire territory and even nearby cities. Leaving the area would only increase surveillance, making escape nearly impossible.

Most importantly, Henya couldn’t run away alone. She had to take Wid and Lyze with her.

After much deliberation, Henya contacted the Special Operations Unit and, under the guise of seeking asylum, received help from the Empire.

In the process, she handed over all the core information of the Lilian Kingdom, but she felt no guilt. With her life on the line and her loved ones at risk, what did a kingdom matter?

‘But I can’t hide forever.’

Even if Keter hadn’t reached out first, Henya had already decided to end things.

‘I’ve prepared everything I can.’

Henya took Keter’s advice to spare no means or methods.

She gathered everyone who held a grudge against Eslow or wanted to test their strength against a lord.

The mages from the Green Tower, the knights from Baen—they weren’t helping her out of goodwill. They just wanted to test their magic and technology against a lord. After all, the Lilian Kingdom was a dying nation. Using it as a test subject posed no problem.

Of course, they were also promised substantial rewards.

‘I won’t just stand by and watch either.’

She had a trump card of her own.

Moreover, Lyze would join the battle. Lyze, who suffered from Extreme Mana Stagnation, had undergone Keter’s treatment, eliminating his weaknesses and enhancing his strengths. In theory, he could use mana infinitely without burdening his body.

Though his circle level was only 4th-circle, the ability to spam 4th-circle spells without delay would be a great help.

“Haaa.”

No matter how hard she tried, she couldn’t shake off the tension. Henya took deep breaths, gripping and releasing her weapon. Wid, standing beside her, took her hand.

Wid said nothing. No words of reassurance, no empty promises—he simply held Henya’s hand.

“Good eyes.”

The voice came suddenly from the sky. Henya’s skin prickled.

Everyone looked up. Floating high above was a middle-aged man.

Weapon Master Eslow.

Knowing it was a trap, he had come alone. He looked over the group Henya had gathered and smirked.

“Today’s a good day. Let’s have some fun.”

Click click.

As if daring them to show what they had prepared, Eslow wiggled his fingers, unarmed.

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