Episode 103
“The Sword King, Bernas.”
Zeke was taken aback by the sudden appearance of Bernas. Even in his past life, he had heard of the legendary Sword King Bernas. It was no wonder he was shocked; one of the continent’s most formidable figures had shown up in person.
When Bernas attempted to take Karus away, Abel, sweating nervously, asked, “Sir Bernas, where are you taking the prince?”
Bernas glanced at Abel and replied curtly, “That’s none of your concern.”
With that single statement, Abel was silenced. Such was the authority of the Black Knight of Draker. Even if all the knights present were to attack, none could defeat Bernas alone.
Karus looked at Zeke, his eyes questioning what was happening. But Zeke was just as clueless about the unfolding events.
Then, Kali Draker sheathed her sword and stepped back. “The Silver Knights will follow Sir Bernas’s command.”
Seeing Kali retreat first, it seemed Bernas was not an enemy. Zeke nodded at Karus, who finally relaxed and addressed Bernas, “Sir Bernas, I am Karus Nerva Constantinus, the fourth prince of the Rom Empire. I entrust my safety to you.”
Bernas gave Karus a brief look and gestured for him to follow. Karus nodded to Zeke and trailed behind Bernas as they left the terminal. No one dared move until the Sword King had exited.
Abel gritted his teeth and turned to Zeke. “Red Lion Knights, seize him immediately!”
It seemed Abel intended to capture Zeke to uncover any hidden motives. Kali also shouted, “By the order of the family, arrest the suspect!”
The two factions clashed with Zeke caught in the middle.
Clang!
Abel and Kali’s swords collided in the chaos. “Sir Kali! Do not obstruct rightful vengeance!” “Are you defying the family’s orders?”
Amidst the turmoil, Zeke found an opening. He used a flashbang and a discord spell once more.
Bang!
A blinding light engulfed the terminal. The Red Lion Knights, having experienced it once before, quickly regained their senses and pursued Zeke. But he was nowhere to be found.
Having already slipped out using his stealth skills, Zeke summoned Bucephalus and soared into the sky. “Here’s a parting gift.”
Zeke unleashed Bucephalus’s lightning on the terminal.
Crack!
Dozens of lightning bolts rained down, incapacitating the knights and soldiers guarding the area. Satisfied, Zeke directed Bucephalus towards Duke Graham’s castle.
“Zeke!”
Kali returned to Duke Graham’s estate after handling the terminal incident, calling for Zeke. He was hiding in a chamber within the tower where Angelina had once been imprisoned.
“Sister Kali.”
As Zeke tried to rise, Kali stopped him. “No need. Just rest.”
Though his healing factor meant he wasn’t in pain, the long journey had left him exhausted, so he heeded her advice and lay back down.
Zeke asked Kali, “The sudden appearance of the Sword King… Is Karus safe?”
Kali grinned. “Why don’t you ask him yourself?”
Suddenly, someone burst into the room. “Zeke!”
To Zeke’s surprise, it was Karus. “Karus?”
Zeke looked at Kali in disbelief. “Sir Bernas is actually my mentor,” she explained.
“What?”
The fact that Sword King Bernas was Kali Draker’s mentor was unknown even in his past life. Kali chuckled, “He’s quite shy and prefers to stay out of the spotlight.”
The words “Sword King” and “shy” seemed an odd match, but that wasn’t the point. Seeing Karus safe, Zeke nodded. “At least that’s one less worry.”
“Indeed. It’s all thanks to you.”
“Did you manage to contact Lord Fainan? I didn’t expect you to arrive so quickly.”
“Zayed’s side brought Lord Fainan to Iason, and they informed me in advance. So I personally went with a warship to meet him.”
Zeke was impressed by Kali’s quick thinking. Fainan had crossed over to Kali’s territory after explaining everything on her warship. Kali had sent knights to the Republic of Dortha to find Zeke, but he had already moved south.
While anxiously waiting for contact from Zeke, she heard Abel was heading to Panstros and followed immediately. She had even asked her mentor Bernas for help, just in case.
Kali sighed, “Unfortunately, the recorded footage Fainan brought was damaged and couldn’t be used as evidence.”
“I see. The storage device was too fragile…”
Though they missed the perfect chance to oust Abel from Draker, saving Karus meant the mission was a success.
“But how did Abel’s side know I was in Panstros? We used Ishtar’s portal.”
Kali’s expression turned serious. “There are two possibilities. Either there’s a spy on Ishtar’s side, or someone on your side is leaking information.”
Zeke pondered her words. “Could it be Simon or Boris?”
But given the circumstances, it seemed nearly impossible for either to have informed Abel of their destination. Zeke’s brow furrowed in thought. “There might be another way. I’ll have to investigate.”
With Siemens’s cunning involved, they might have discovered Zeke’s whereabouts through some extraordinary means.
Karus, standing nearby, spoke to Zeke. “Zeke, I plan to stay in Lady Kali’s territory for a while. I won’t forget the debt I owe you for protecting me.”
Zeke patted Karus on the shoulder. “Karus, once you’re in my sister’s territory, the assassins won’t reach you. Stay alive, no matter what.”
The two had grown close through their shared hardships. With tears in his eyes, Karus left the room to prepare for his journey to Kali’s territory.
Zeke asked Kali, “Are you leaving right away?”
“Yes. If Abel or the Empire learns Karus is here, they’ll stop at nothing to assassinate him. It’s best to move him to safety as soon as possible.”
With the Silver Knights personally escorting him, there was little worry of an attack. Kali stepped closer to Zeke and said, “You did well, Zeke. I’ll make sure you’re properly rewarded for your efforts.”
“I’ll look forward to it, sister.”
Once everyone had left, Zeke finally had a moment to rest.
“What a long journey it’s been.”
While escorting Karus, time had flown by, and Zeke was now eighteen. Lying in bed, he decided to organize his inventory and check his Karma Points.
[Current Karma Points: 2710]
Looking at the points, Zeke contemplated, “Hmm, it might be time to unlock the third level of the Dragon Skills.”
His interest in the Dragon Skills was mainly due to the still-locked “Dragon Speech.” The soul technique he learned in his past life was incomplete for a human like Zeke. But if he could use Dragon Speech, as Caesar had hinted, he might fully master the soul technique.
Unlocking the third level of Dragon Skills required 1,000 Karma Points.
“A thousand points… It’s a hefty cost, but if it unlocks Dragon Speech…”
It would be another powerful weapon alongside his Elemental Sword. Zeke decided to spend the points to unlock the third level of Dragon Skills.
[Unlocking the third level of Dragon Skills.]
[You have attained the status of ‘Dragonkin.’]
[A mark of the Dragonkin appears in your eye.]
[The seal on Bahamut’s heart is partially lifted. Current compression seal level: 75%.]
[The skills Dragon’s Eye and Dragon’s Majesty have advanced.]
[The skills Dragon’s Eye and Dragon’s Majesty have reached expert level.]
[The previously locked Dragon Speech skill is now unlocked.]
Zeke cheered at the message. “Dragon Speech! It’s finally unlocked!”
He immediately checked the status of his Dragon Skills.
Dragon Skills (Level 3 Unlocked): Dragon’s Eye (Expert) / Dragon’s Majesty (Expert) / Devour (Expert) / Dragon Speech (Beginner) / Dragon Scale Armor (Adept) / Dragon Claw (Adept)
All first-level skills had advanced to expert, and Dragon Speech was now unlocked.
“But what are the Dragonkin status and mark?”
Suddenly, Zeke felt a strange sensation in his left eye.
“Ugh!”
Clutching his eye, Zeke staggered to his feet. It felt as if another eye was growing inside his own.
“Ahhh!”
Not even his healing factor could stop the pain. Fortunately, the agony soon subsided. Drenched in sweat, Zeke approached a mirror to inspect his eye.
“What… What is this?”
His left eye glowed with a golden hue, resembling a reptile’s eye. Zeke realized he had discovered the mark of the Dragonkin.
“Oh my goodness. Have my eyes turned into those of a dragon?”
With his left eye transformed into a dragon’s eye, Zeke could see things with a clarity he never had before. He could distinguish temperatures visually and even see through objects as if he had a permanent dragon’s eye skill activated.
“The sheer amount of information is overwhelming. I need to practice this.”
As soon as he thought that, his eye reverted to normal. It seemed he could switch to the dragon’s eye at will, without needing to consciously activate the skill.
“Not bad. Once I get used to it, it’ll be incredibly useful.”
Deciding to take his time adapting to this new dragon ability, Zeke moved on to try out his word magic.
“Sever.”
He combined his soul energy with the word magic, creating a sharp force in his hand. With a swift motion, he sliced through the table, leaving a cleaner cut than any sword could.
Zeke chuckled at the perfectly severed table. “To succeed so easily…”
In his past life, his master had demonstrated perfect soul energy techniques. Until now, Zeke hadn’t been able to replicate them fully, but the word magic filled in the missing pieces. He could use multiple words in succession without any side effects.
With a bemused expression, Zeke soon found himself smiling in satisfaction. “Single spells are no problem. If I can manage double spells…”
He steadied his breath and slowly unleashed his soul energy again.
“Cutting.”
A piercing sound echoed in his ears.
“Ugh!”
Unable to withstand the pain, Zeke collapsed. Overextending with soul energy could directly harm the soul, and his healing factor couldn’t repair soul damage. Gasping for breath, he crawled onto his bed.
“Damn it… Double spells are still beyond me.”
His master in his previous life could handle triple spells, making him truly invincible. No beast could last ten seconds against him.
“Is that monstrous master still in the forest, I wonder?”
Zeke hoped to avoid meeting him in this life if possible. Lying on the bed, he opened the status window for his dragon skills at level three.
―Dragon Skills Level 3―
Dragon’s Sense (Locked) / Dragon’s Breath (Locked)
Unlocking level four requires 3,000 karma points.
Level four was far off, requiring a significant leap in points. “Level four is a long way off.”
Zeke read through the descriptions of the unlocked dragon skills.
―Dragon Skills Level 3 Overview―
Dragon’s Sense: The heightened senses of a dragon allow you to perceive beyond the boundaries of existence. (Unlock cost: 500 points)
Dragon’s Breath: Condense the energy of nature to unleash a powerful breath that can sweep away enemies in one blow. (Unlock cost: 800 points)
Zeke pondered over the descriptions. He currently had 1,710 points. Unlocking both skills would leave him with only 410 points.
“Hmm. Both skills seem valuable. What should I do?”
There wasn’t a single useless skill among the dragon abilities. After some thought, Zeke sat up.
“Alright. I’ve made my decision.”