Episode 131
Click!
The members of the Rose Society surrounded Zeke and his companions, drawing their crossbows and aiming them.
Zeke, maintaining his composure, addressed the tattooed woman.
“Are you declaring war against the Syndicate?”
The woman stood up, scoffing at his words.
“No matter how powerful the Syndicate is, you think they’d have knights like you? Nonsense. It’s obvious you’ve had proper knight training. Cut the crap.”
At her signal, the crossbows were loaded.
Felix and Liam tensed, keeping a wary eye on the members.
Zeke instructed Felix and Liam, “Close your eyes.”
As soon as they complied, Zeke unleashed a flashbang skill.
The tattooed woman quickly turned her head, avoiding the blinding light.
“Fire! Kill them!” she shouted to her subordinates.
Thwip! Thwip! Thwip!
The members, blinded, shot arrows in Zeke’s direction.
Zeke drew his transformed Bahamut, deflecting the arrows.
Ping!
He then charged directly at the woman, who had already drawn a mace and was swinging it at his sword.
Clang!
Sparks flew as Zeke’s sword clashed with her mace, the impact surprisingly heavy for her build.
‘Magic, perhaps,’ Zeke thought.
The woman steadied herself and swung her mace with precision, not recklessly but with trained movements.
Zeke recognized the style—it was similar to paladin swordsmanship.
‘So, it really is the Rose Society.’
He dodged her attacks, looking for an opening. He needed to subdue, not kill.
Zeke distanced himself, pulling a dagger from his belt and hurling it at her.
Ping!
The dagger, imbued with power, bounced off the mace, which seemed to be magically reinforced.
‘What a waste of talent in the underworld.’
Her skills surpassed even those of the Holy Kingdom’s paladins.
As Zeke deftly evaded and parried, the woman gripped her mace tighter, reassessing her stance.
“Who the hell are you people?” she demanded.
Zeke lowered his sword. “I told you, we’re not your enemies.”
“Yeah, right. That guy back there is using paladin swordsmanship, and you say you’re not enemies? Give me a break!”
Zeke clicked his tongue, glancing at Felix, who was indeed employing paladin techniques. He hadn’t anticipated such chaos before even starting a conversation.
The woman raised her mace again, her expression shifting to one of warning.
“You won’t leave here alive.”
The mace began to vibrate, emitting a powerful light.
‘What is that?’
Zeke recognized the light—it was similar to skills he’d acquired through Rubern’s artifacts.
As the light from the mace enveloped her, her aura transformed completely.
Whoosh!
Her strength and speed seemed to multiply.
“Haaah!”
She swung the mace at Zeke’s head.
Boom!
Zeke dodged with an illusionary step, and the mace crashed into the warehouse floor.
Crack!
The solid stone floor shattered, the impact sending cracks through the surrounding walls.
‘Impressive.’
Though her style was akin to paladin swordsmanship, the power was on a different level.
Zeke unleashed a field of force, meeting her mace head-on.
Boom!
The clash of sword and mace echoed like an explosion.
As Zeke countered her attack, the woman staggered back, astonished.
“How can you withstand my attack?”
Zeke pressed forward, his sword growing heavier with each swing, imbued with force.
Creak!
The woman, struggling to block his relentless assault, felt her body nearing its limit.
‘Damn it.’
Zeke and his companions were far stronger than she had anticipated.
She sought an opportunity to retreat.
Moments later, she swung her mace at a stack of leather-filled crates.
Crash!
The bottom crate shattered, spilling its contents and the leather within.
“Scatter!” she ordered her subordinates.
The members, accustomed to such situations, abandoned their fallen comrades and dispersed.
The woman, too, attempted to flee.
But from the pile of leather, a hand shot out.
Thud!
Zeke’s arm wrapped around her neck.
“Ugh!”
“Calm down,” Zeke said. “We have no intention of harming your organization. Things got complicated, but look at this.”
Zeke drew the Orichalcum sword from his back and quickly cast a veil of light.
Whoosh!
A radiant aura spread from Zeke, enveloping not only Liam and Felix but also the Rose Society members.
The unconscious members awoke, their fatigue vanishing.
As the woman’s resistance waned, Zeke released her.
“Incredible, this can’t be real.”
She stared in disbelief at the veil of light Zeke had conjured.
“How can you use light magic?”
“I’m here to find the descendants of Rubern.”
At the mention of Rubern, the woman’s expression hardened.
Zeke continued calmly, “The one using paladin swordsmanship is Felix Valencia. He’s the grandson of the fallen Arch Paladin, Pab Valencia, who rescued Rubern’s descendants fifty years ago.”
The woman was visibly shocked.
“How can I trust you?”
Zeke showed her the Orichalcum sword. “This was forged by Golyn Yobern from Pab Valencia’s Orichalcum hammer. The Holy Kingdom strictly controls Orichalcum. No such quantity has left the kingdom since Pab Valencia.”
The woman considered his words, finding them plausible. The matter of Pab Valencia was a closely guarded secret within the Rose Society.
Finally, she signaled her subordinates to lower their weapons, and Zeke instructed Liam and Felix to do the same.
The woman addressed Zeke, “If he’s Pab’s grandson, then who are you? Spare me the Syndicate nonsense.”
Zeke sheathed his sword and introduced himself. “My name is Zeke Draker.”
At the mention of Draker, the woman momentarily held her breath. The other members also broke into a cold sweat.
“Is Turn moving?” she asked cautiously.
Zeke shook his head. “I have no ties to Turn. I’m here for personal reasons.”
Though she relaxed slightly, the tension remained. No one could be at ease with a Draker in their midst.
“Alright, we need to talk privately,” she conceded.
She ordered her subordinates to tidy up the warehouse and led Zeke and his companions to another location.
They navigated through alleys and underground passages, finally arriving at a discreet hideout.
Zeke noted the similarities between the Syndicate and other underground organizations.
In the hideout’s office, the woman offered seats to Zeke and his companions.
Zeke sat across from her, while Liam and Felix positioned themselves strategically.
The woman chuckled at their vigilance. “Your subordinates are loyal.”
“Not as loyal as the Rose Society to Rubern. Or should I say, the Rose Knights?” Zeke replied.
The tattooed woman shook her head, amused. “I didn’t realize Draker knew so much about us. Or maybe it’s just because you’re a Draker.”
“I’m not sure how much the Black Stage knows about the Rose Society. As I said, I’m here for personal reasons.”
“And what might those be?”
“I can’t say just yet. I have something to deliver to Rubern’s descendants.”
The woman pondered, glancing at Felix. “Pab’s grandson, huh.”
“Still don’t believe it?”
“No, seeing the Orichalcum sword was proof enough. Hmm.”
She nodded. “Alright. I’ll take you to the headquarters. I’ll send word ahead, and we’ll move once we get a response. My name is Klone. You can call me Sister Klone.”
Felix was taken aback. “S-Sister? You’re a nun?”
Klone glared at him. “You want a holy smack from a nun? Is he really Pab’s grandson? He seems clueless.”
Zeke couldn’t argue with her assessment and nodded.
Klone shook her head, opening a jar on the table and popping something into her mouth.
Zeke noticed it was dried scorpions.
Sensing his gaze, Klone offered him one. “Want some? They’re crunchy and nutty.”
Zeke declined with a wave of his hand.
Chewing on the scorpion, Klone asked, “How did you do that light thing earlier?”
“The barrier of light, you say? It seems Sir Favre’s sword is imbued with magic.”
At this, Clone shook her head.
“No, that’s not the point. I’m asking how you managed to use the magic in that sword.”
”…Huh? I just used it.”
Clone looked even more incredulous at his response.
She then pulled out her mace.
“Can you use the magic in this too?”
Zeke took the mace Clone handed him and checked its details with his dragon’s eye.
―Mace Information―
Description: A holy mace imbued with the power of light, crafted during the Lubern Dynasty.
Unique Ability: Breath of Light
Special Note: Absorbs light to increase physical strength by more than threefold.
‘As expected, it’s enchanted with a strength-enhancing spell.’
Zeke gripped the mace and activated the Breath of Light skill.
A low hum resonated as Zeke’s body was enveloped in a halo of light.
He swung the mace experimentally.
The sound of it slicing through the air was distinctly different.
Watching Zeke use the Breath of Light skill so effortlessly, Clone’s jaw dropped.
“How… how can you use light magic without divine power?”
Zeke tilted his head at her question.
“Do you need divine power to use this?”
Clone frowned and exclaimed, “Of course! We’re called holy knights because we use divine power to wield light magic.”
It seemed obvious, but to Zeke, it was a novel concept.
‘Come to think of it, I’ve been able to use other skills without formally learning magic.’
Thanks to the system’s assistance, Zeke could freely use dragon skills and active skills, which were akin to magic.
It appeared that even light magic, which required divine power, was no exception for him.
Clone scrutinized Zeke intently before shaking her head.
“No way… it can’t be.”
“What can’t be?”
She spoke with disbelief.
“There’s only one way to use holy magic without divine power.”
Clone spat out a scorpion shell and said, “If you’re a healer class, it’s possible.”
The unexpected mention of a healer class from Clone caught Zeke off guard.
Clone noticed the subtle change in Zeke’s expression.
“Do you know what a healer class is? Are you a healer class?”
Zeke quickly regained his composure and replied, “I’m a pure-blooded Draker. There’s no way I’m a healer class.”
Still, she eyed him with suspicion.
“Hmm, but how do you know about the healer class? Most people don’t even know the term ‘class.’”
‘She’s annoyingly suspicious.’
Yet, seeing an opportunity to learn more about the healer class, Zeke decided to play along.
“My mother was a healer class.”
This time, it was Clone’s turn to be surprised.
“Your mother was a healer class? Could she be of the Lubern bloodline?”
Zeke shook his head, and Clone reacted even more intensely.
“Are you saying there were healer classes outside of Lubern?”
“Healer classes outside of Lubern? What do you mean by that…?”
Just then, the door burst open.
“Sister! We’ve been discovered by the paladins!”