Episode 180
The courtroom buzzed with tension at Carly’s question.
William forced himself to maintain a calm demeanor as he looked at Dario. If they were outside, he might have tried something, but this was the Draker Court, known for its strict security, even within the Draker family. Any rash move could lead to suspicion falling on the Siemens family, causing a backlash.
Everyone in the courtroom awaited Dario’s response. He finally spoke, slowly.
“I cannot say.”
Carly pressed on, “Does that mean there is indeed a Draker bloodline family colluding with the Nostra family?”
“That, too, I cannot say. All I can testify to are the various crimes committed as the boss of the Nostra family.”
Carly nodded and returned to her seat. Though Dario hadn’t confirmed anything, the message she intended to convey was clear.
William understood Carly’s implication through Dario’s words. ‘Is she threatening to expose the connection between the Nostra family and Siemens if we provoke them?’
Carly was not only an exceptional knight but also a shrewd politician capable of turning unfavorable situations to her advantage. By bringing Dario to trial, she had gained another card to play against the Siemens family.
William struggled to keep his emotions in check. He found some solace in the fact that Abel wasn’t present due to a baptism ceremony. If Abel had lost his temper and used his powers here, the Siemens’ long-prepared plans could have unraveled.
Dario began to testify in detail about the crimes he had committed as a witness. Human trafficking, investment fraud, illegal employment and mediation, threats, illegal curse instruction, contract killings, murder—the list of heinous crimes was extensive.
The court accepted Dario’s testimony and found him guilty. Although his crimes warranted the death penalty, his direct testimony led to a life sentence instead. Due to the severity and volume of his crimes, he was sentenced to the Draker special facility, “Manmaok,” from which no one ever returned, rather than being extradited to the Empire. The Empire would be notified of this decision immediately.
After the trial concluded, Carly approached Zeke and patted his shoulder.
“Zeke, you’ve done well. Extracting testimony from a Nostra family executive is truly remarkable.”
It was indeed an impressive feat to have brought one of the mafia bosses to trial single-handedly, without the support of a knight order.
“It’s nothing, sister. I’m sorry for being late.”
“You’re safe, and that’s what matters. But Zeke, what concerns me is what comes next.”
Carly spoke slowly, “With Dario Nostra’s testimony and the fact that it was Zeke Draker who brought him to trial, this news will spread across the continent. You might become a target for the Nostra family. Are you sure you’ll be alright on your own?”
Even as a Draker knight, Zeke couldn’t always rely on the family’s protection. Unlike Carly, who had her own forces and knight order, Zeke moved alone, making it difficult to defend himself if targeted by the mafia.
Zeke shook his head, signaling Carly not to worry. “I’ll be fine, sister. I’ll stay in Mycenae for a while and seek protection from the Agamemnon family. If I need help, I’ll let you know immediately.”
Carly nodded at Zeke’s words. “Alright. If you’re sure, you’re welcome to stay in my domain. Prince Karus often inquires about your well-being.”
Prince Karus, the fourth prince of the Empire, was currently under Carly’s protection. Zeke smiled at the thought of Karus, who fancied himself an artist and a man of culture.
“Please send my regards to Karus. I’ll visit the estate soon.”
“We’ll be waiting for you, so come anytime.”
After exchanging farewells with Zeke, Carly left the courtroom to wrap up the Dario case.
Zeke slowly exited the courthouse. Waiting for him at the entrance was William Siemens.
“Zeke Draker.”
William glared at Zeke with sharp eyes.
“Sir William.”
Zeke met William’s gaze without flinching.
William spoke to him, “I don’t know what tricks you pulled, but you’d better be careful. Siemens is not to be trifled with.”
Zeke responded with a sly smile, “I’ll look forward to it.”
It was a display of confidence, inviting them to come at him if they dared. Watching Zeke leave Autumnfell, William clenched his teeth.
‘We need to eliminate him before it’s too late.’
William, known for his cold demeanor, instinctively felt a sense of fear towards Zeke. His instincts warned him that Zeke would become increasingly difficult to handle as time went on.
At William’s signal, an agent from the strategy headquarters appeared beside him.
“You called, sir?”
“Prepare the carriage. I’m going to the main house.”
“The main house, sir?”
“Yes, the permission has been granted, so I must see the head of the family as soon as possible.”
William Siemens’ eyes gleamed as he watched the direction Zeke had disappeared.
“Phew.”
Inside the carriage, Zeke recalled William Siemens’ gaze.
‘It’s the first time I’ve seen that cold-hearted man tremble like that. He must have been quite upset.’
Provoking opponents to disrupt their balance was one of Zeke’s specialties. The more Abel and William lost their composure and attacked him, the more openings they would create.
Zeke planned to exploit those openings to uncover the connection between them and the Abyss. The Abyss was a place that made contracts with demons and wielded demonic powers. If he could prove a direct link between the Abyss, Siemens, and the Empire, he could not only bring down Abel but also expel the Siemens faction within Draker.
‘Once Abel falls, the succession rights will naturally go to Sister Carly. Until then, I’ll focus on breaking through the Black Knight’s barrier and becoming the continent’s strongest. Taking over Draker can wait until after that.’
Just then, a strange noise came from beneath the opposite seat in the carriage.
“Mmmph!”
When Zeke tapped the seat with his foot, a hidden compartment opened, revealing Zion, bound in chains. Zion, having just regained consciousness, struggled to free himself.
Zeke looked at Zion and said, “I’ve sealed your powers, so no matter how much you try, you won’t be able to use your bloodline abilities.”
It was a soul-binding technique that even trapped the soul of the demon Arataso in the physical realm. No matter how powerful Zion’s bloodline abilities were, he couldn’t do anything while bound by the chains that sealed his soul.
Zeke clicked his tongue as he watched Zion continue to squirm. ‘If I hadn’t prepared in advance, things could have gone very wrong.’
He recalled the time when he transported Dario. In truth, the person he was transporting in the specially made carriage wasn’t Dario but Richmond, disguised with a perception-altering cloak. The ability users from the Six, like Zion, believed they had dealt with Dario after beheading Richmond and quickly left the scene. However, Richmond, being a lich, didn’t die from losing his head.
Zeke had volunteered to transport Dario, but in reality, he had entrusted the real Dario to Arina’s side. Boris supported Arina, and they safely transported Dario via a different route, arriving in Atlas before Zeke. After the ambush, Zeke quickly moved alone to Atlas, joined Arina’s group, and brought the hidden Dario to court.
To prevent any leaks, he hadn’t informed Carly’s side, resulting in a dramatic situation.
Zeke rested his chin on the window sill, wearing a bitter expression. “It was troublesome, but in the end, we found the traitor.”
The reason Zeke had used the fake Dario as bait was to identify the traitor. As he suspected, the attackers knew the location of the inn Zeke had designated and had already stationed night killers, mercenaries, and bloodline ability users from the Six there.
Zeke’s expression hardened as he recalled the attackers. ‘If I hadn’t prepared in advance, I would have been in serious trouble.’
Zeke had divided the information about the detour into several parts and distributed it to those he suspected of being traitors. Among them, only one person knew about the inn.
With a determined look, Zeke gazed out the window. The carriage he was in was speeding towards an unknown destination.
“Welcome back. Judging by your expression, the trial went well.”
Kay set aside the documents she had been working on and stood up to face Zeke. As she gestured, the servants brought in tea. Zeke savored the aroma before taking a slow sip.
Kay watched him and asked, “So, what’s the sudden visit about? You didn’t even send word.”
Zeke looked at her and asked, “Where’s Lord Feynan?”
“Those alchemist twins needed something again, so he went out to check the budget himself.”
“I see.”
Zeke set down his teacup and looked at Kay. “Kay, is the security here reliable?”
“Why the sudden concern about security? There’s no problem with eavesdropping or anything like that. Lord Feynan personally set up layers of defensive and security magic.”
“Lord Feynan set it up, huh…”
Zeke’s serious tone made Kay’s expression change. “What’s going on? Did something happen?”
Zeke met her gaze and spoke, “I’ve found the traitor.”
Kay’s expression turned to stone at his words.
“What do you mean, a traitor?”
“Information’s been leaking. It’s been happening for a while now. Abel’s side has been pinpointing my location and intel way too quickly. It was suspicious.”
Kay, trying to steady her racing heart, asked Zeke in a calm voice.
“A traitor? Are you serious?”
Zeke nodded.
“We finally uncovered it with this last transport.”
“The transport? You mean the Dario transport?”
“Yes. The Dario transport was especially sensitive, so we took extra precautions. You know that, Kay.”
“Yeah, I remember. But how… it doesn’t make sense. There’s no way the information could have leaked.”
Zeke slowly rose from his seat.
“Kay, do you remember what Don Juan used to say about dealing with traitors?”
“What? Why bring that up now?”
Zeke began to walk slowly behind Kay.
“Shark Dragon. Don Juan always bragged about it. He’d paralyze anyone he suspected of betrayal with a neurotoxin and toss them into the pit. The Shark Dragon doesn’t devour its prey all at once. It takes its time, bit by bit.”
“I… didn’t know that.”
“Don Juan had a twisted hobby. Eventually, he stopped caring if they were actual traitors. Anyone who displeased him ended up in that pit for his amusement. He was a madman.”
Zeke, now behind Kay, placed a firm hand on her shoulder.
Kay, puzzled by how Zeke knew all this, was startled by his touch.
He leaned in close to her ear and whispered, “Finding a traitor is such a tedious task. It’s the thing I hate most, yet ironically, it’s what I’m best at.”
As Zeke’s voice echoed in her ear, Kay sensed the gravity of the situation.
“Why are you…?”
“Kay, when we transported Dario, I gave you several security details. Do you remember?”
Kay nodded slowly.
Zeke continued, “Then you must also remember the inn I designated on the outskirts of Atlas.”
“Yes, I remember.”
“Did you share that information with anyone else?”
“No, I didn’t. You were so insistent that I went there myself to prepare everything.”
Zeke’s grip on her shoulder tightened slightly.
“Kay, the Nostra family was lying in wait at that inn. Dario nearly died because of it.”
Kay’s face turned pale. She whipped her head around, her voice trembling.
“Zeke, I…!”
In an instant, chains shot out from Zeke’s hand.
Clang!
The soul-binding spell wrapped tightly around Kay’s body.
Simultaneously, her magic was sealed.
“Mmph!”
Completely restrained, Kay struggled against her bonds.
Zeke whispered coldly in her ear, “Why did you betray me, Kay?”