Episode 189
“The King in Yellow?”
The name rang a bell.
Zeke recalled Richmond mentioning it in passing while explaining the Book of the Lion.
“He said it was a kind of legend among dark sorcerers.”
Seeing Zeke’s puzzled expression, Hoshgar nodded and began to explain.
“Given that even the Liberation War isn’t well-documented, it’s no surprise you haven’t heard of the King in Yellow.”
She continued, “The King in Yellow refers to the demon lord who is prophesied to rise again.”
“What do you mean by ‘rise again’?”
“It’s from the prophecy of Chronos. The original text goes like this: ‘The one who fell to the lowest depths will rise again as the King in Yellow, through the sacrifice of the most noble.’”
“Sounds like a riddle.”
“Prophecies usually are. Even dragons can’t escape that.”
“Does the sacrifice of the most noble refer to Bahamut?”
“No, it refers to the Great Sage, not Bahamut.”
“The Sage?”
“You know the legend of the Hero King, right?”
“Yes, the fairy king and sage who founded Kaishir. You mean that sage?”
“Exactly. There are many versions of the Hero King legend. Some lesser-known versions focus on the ‘Sage’ rather than the Hero King.”
“I’ve heard similar stories. About how the Hero King Kaishir sealed the demon lord.”
“Then this will be quick. The demon lord’s invasion happened even before the Liberation War. Kaishir, the sage, and other legendary heroes fought against the demon lord’s army.”
“By demon lord’s army, do you mean beasts and monster hordes?”
“No, the largest force on the continent back then was the ‘Orcs.’”
“Orcs… You mean the ancient Orc tribes?”
“That’s one version, but it’s not quite accurate. Orcs are orcs. They are a fierce warrior race, born with the strength to wield weapons from birth. They worshipped fallen constellations, offering blood and battle frenzy in exchange for greater power.”
Zeke remembered how Arataso despised the constellations and their followers that the orcs worshipped.
“In the era of the Hero King, the power of constellations like the heralds of blood and frenzy must have been stronger.”
Hoshgar continued her explanation.
“The demon lord’s army, composed of demons and orcs, attempted to invade the entire continent, including the Kingdom of Chronos. Kaishir, as the Hero King and champion, fought against them. He faced the demon lord in a final duel but was ultimately defeated.”
Zeke had experienced Kaishir’s strength firsthand. The thought that even Kaishir had lost made him realize just how powerful the demon lord must have been.
“But the demon lord was also nearly depleted of power. So the sage sacrificed his soul to seal the demon lord.”
Though there were differences, the basic story was similar to what Richmond had told him.
Yet, Zeke had one lingering question.
‘Why didn’t Master Kaishir ever mention this?’
Unlike Hoshgar, who was in a spiritual form, Kaishir had appeared temporarily as a spirit. He had shared many stories, and Zeke had watched the chronicles he left behind, but there was no mention of the demon lord’s invasion or the sage.
‘Could the Hero King legend have been distorted over time, like the Dragon Slayer legend?’
Zeke held onto his doubts and asked Hoshgar.
“So the noble one in the prophecy is the sage?”
“That’s how we interpret it. The sage’s sacrifice led to the demon lord’s fall. But the part that troubles us is the latter: ‘will rise again as the King in Yellow.’”
“You think the demon lord who led the Liberation War is the King in Yellow?”
“Yes. Bahamut conducted various experiments to avert Chronos’s prophecy. But ultimately, he couldn’t prevent the King in Yellow’s resurrection. So Bahamut chose to end the prophecy of destruction by absorbing the demon lord’s soul into his own body and choosing death.”
“Is there more to Chronos’s prophecy?”
“There is, but I can’t share the original text. Revealing it might change things.”
“I understand. So the prophecy of destruction, which we thought was over, isn’t finished?”
“After Terracan disappeared, I secluded myself to focus on researching new realms of magic. Once I reached a new level, things that were previously invisible became clear.”
“Are you referring to the prophecy of destruction?”
“Yes. So before my original self ascended, I fixed my spiritual form to pass on what I realized about the prophecy to future generations.”
After hearing Hoshgar’s words, Zeke pondered for a moment before asking her a question.
“I stumbled upon this mansion by chance. Is it really okay for me to hear about the prophecy of destruction?”
Hoshgar shook her head.
“The fact that you came here and awakened me means you’re worthy of receiving the arrangements my original self prepared. I don’t know exactly what my original self saw, but I’m here to deliver the message.”
She looked at Zeke and continued.
“My original self said to find all three relics to prepare for the prophecy of destruction.”
“Relics?”
“Yes. Do you know about them?”
Zeke had already found one of the relics, the Holy Grail, and kept it safely in his inventory. He nodded.
“I only know that one of them is the Holy Grail.”
“That’s the most well-known one.”
“Do you know about the other two relics?”
“Unfortunately, I don’t know much either. I only know that one of them is a shield.”
“A shield…”
At that moment, a message window appeared before him.
―Main Quest Mission (Linked)―
[Take the relics imbued with the primordial power to the forgotten Temple of the Beginning. (No time limit / The temple’s coordinates will activate automatically once all three relics are obtained)]
[Find the three relics to prepare for the prophecy of destruction as conveyed by the spirit of Archmage Hoshgar. (No time limit)]
[Main Quest Mission Reward: ???]
[Linked Quest Mission Reward: Title - Archmage’s Blessing]
‘What is this?’
Zeke was taken aback by the sudden appearance of the linked quest.
A linked quest had been added to the main quest he had already received.
‘Archmage’s Blessing? I don’t know exactly what it is, but it must be something good related to the archmage.’
At that moment, Hoshgar spoke to Zeke.
“Zeke, to find the relics, it would be efficient to follow Terracan’s traces. He was particularly obsessed with relics.”
“Terracan Draker, you mean?”
“Yes. He believed the relics were the key to reviving Bahamut.”
This was news to Zeke, who was Terracan Draker’s heir.
‘Hmm, I’ll have to meticulously search through the documents in the secure archive.’
Just then, a low hum filled the air.
Hoshgar’s form began to blur.
She looked at Zeke and said, “It seems my time is up.”
“Is your spirit dissipating?”
“Yes. My original self created me in a hurry, so I can’t exist for long. The laws of karma wouldn’t allow it either.”
Zeke watched as Hoshgar’s form grew fainter.
Suddenly, she spoke to him again.
“It’s strange. Looking at you, Zeke, reminds me of Bahamut, or rather, Claudia.”
“Claudia Lubern, you mean?”
Hoshgar was surprised by Zeke’s response.
“Yes, that’s right. How do you know that?”
After a moment’s hesitation, Zeke replied, “I am a distant descendant of the Lubern line.”
Hoshgar burst into laughter.
“Haha! So Claudia’s lineage continued like this. Haha!”
She laughed heartily, then, almost transparent, she spoke to Zeke.
“I have nothing much to offer to the distant descendant of my dear friend. But you can use the power of the Dragon’s Eye, right?”
“Yes, I have the title of Dragon’s Eye.”
“Title? I’m not sure what that means. Anyway, I hope this helps you a little.”
Hoshgar’s dragon eyes flashed.
Simultaneously, Zeke’s eyes were forcibly transformed into dragon eyes.
‘What is this?’
A message window appeared before him.
[Some of Archmage Hoshgar’s abilities are being transferred.]
[A new function has been added to the Dragon’s Eye skill.]
[You can now summon five additional spirit-formed Dragon’s Eye soldiers.]
‘Spirit-formed Dragon’s Eye soldiers? Could it be?’
Hoshgar, having transferred her abilities to Zeke, was now almost completely transparent.
She waved with a smile.
With a low hum, Hoshgar’s form vanished completely, and the space of the drawing room began to crack like a glass wall shattering.
Crack!
The space shattered completely, and Zeke found himself back in the original room.
Looking around, he saw that the gem in the spirit regeneration device had lost its light.
The spirit-formed Dragon’s Eye soldiers that had guarded the chamber were also gone.
“Hmm, did she transfer the abilities of those soldiers to me?”
Zeke decided to test it by summoning a spirit-formed Dragon’s Eye soldier.
Sssshhh—
Unlike Hoshgar’s soldiers, the ones Zeke summoned looked similar to the ones he usually called upon.
However, their ghostly, translucent appearance was akin to Hoshgar’s soldiers.
“Fascinating.”
The spectral warriors, known as Yongabyeong, were perfect for stealth missions and assassinations because they could completely conceal their presence and leave no trace.
“Let’s call these guys ghost soldiers, to distinguish them from the Yongabyeong,” Zeke suggested as he dismissed the ghost soldiers and surveyed Hoshgar’s laboratory.
“This was the lab of the Nirvana family’s founder. It seems a shame to just leave it.”
He summoned Richmond again. With Hoshgar’s power gone, the security system no longer blocked the summoning.
“Oh, Master! You have to do something about that guy!” Richmond complained the moment he appeared.
“Has the Night Killer woken up?”
“As soon as he woke up, he caused such a ruckus that I had to summon a dragoon to keep him in check.”
Clearly, this one was no ordinary foe, given his specialized training.
Zeke summoned a Yongabyeong to keep Aaron restrained and then showed Richmond the lab.
“What do you think?”
“About what, sir?”
“This laboratory.”
Only then did Richmond take a proper look around. His eyes sparkled with excitement.
“Goodness! Which wizard used this place? It’s perfectly optimized for research. Wow, some of this equipment is hard to come by these days!”
Zeke informed Richmond, “This was the lab of Nirvana’s founder.”
Richmond froze, still holding a piece of equipment.
“Wh-who?”
“Hoshgar. The founder of the Nirvana family.”
Richmond trembled as he carefully set the tool back down.
“I-I think I’ll head upstairs first, Master.”
Zeke grabbed him by the scruff of the neck.
“I’m giving you this place. Find out what Hoshgar was researching.”
“How am I supposed to understand the research of such a grand sorcerer? It’s not even my field!”
“You’re talking too much.”
Zeke dismissed Richmond’s protests and summoned the ghost soldiers again for him to see.
Richmond squirmed in surprise.
“Aren’t those wraiths?”
“They were the guardians Hoshgar set to protect this place. Aren’t you intrigued?”
Richmond, who had a keen interest in rare monsters, looked fascinated by the ethereal ghost soldiers.
“Oh, this is… They’re like wraiths, but how do they have a physical form? Hmm, should I classify them as undead monsters…?”
Zeke had successfully ignited Richmond’s research fervor.
In the end, Richmond fell for Zeke’s ploy and decided to move his temporary lab from the Duchy of Troy to this location.
Though it was revealed that the wraiths were Hoshgar’s guardians, Zeke, not taking any chances, performed a grand purification throughout the mansion.
Wooooong!
A golden aura spread through every corner of the mansion, cleansing the tainted energy.
As he wrapped up the purification process, Zeke discovered a hidden space within the mansion.
‘What is this place…?’