Episode 191
Zeke found Clone slumped in front of the castle’s garden.
Clone looked utterly exhausted, her face weary and drawn.
“Clone.”
At the sound of Zeke’s voice, Clone managed to lift herself up and waved weakly at him.
Zeke approached her.
“Seems like the mission was tougher than expected.”
Clone grimaced at his words.
“The damn paladins were swarming the monastery. If it weren’t for Boris and the new recruit, we might not have made it.”
“Were you able to rescue the descendants of Luvern?”
Clone nodded, clenching her jaw tightly.
“The Holy Kingdom… If you knew how they treated those kids, you’d want to wring the pope’s neck yourself.”
Zeke could tell from Clone’s agitation that the children had suffered greatly while imprisoned in the monastery.
“Where is Princess Arina?”
“She’s gone underground to treat that family member you captured, the one named Sion.”
It seemed Decker had relayed Zeke’s message to Arina.
After entrusting the excitable Aslan to a servant, Zeke led Aaron down to the castle’s underground prison.
“Ughhh!”
Bound by soul-sealing magic, Aaron writhed and struggled, unable to speak properly.
Crackle!
When Aaron’s movements became too much, Zeke sent a jolt of electricity through the chains.
“Arghhh!”
The shock made Aaron convulse and collapse.
“Behave yourself.”
Aaron, brainwashed by Siemens and practically a fanatic, tried every trick to escape, but he couldn’t slip from Zeke’s grasp.
Zeke locked Aaron in one of the underground cells and headed to where Sion was.
A bright flash of light magic emanated from the room where Sion was.
Zeke quietly entered. Arina was casting light magic on Sion.
“Phew.”
After a long session, Arina stood up, finally noticing Zeke standing behind her.
“Sir Zeke!”
“Lady Arina.”
Arina greeted Zeke with her usual warm smile.
Zeke spoke to her.
“You’ve worked hard. Sister Clone mentioned it was quite a challenging mission.”
Arina nodded.
“We managed to infiltrate the monastery in disguise, but we were discovered while extracting the children. There were so many paladins. Thankfully, Sir Felix’s efforts allowed us to escape.”
“Felix, you say?”
“Yes. He threw himself into saving the children, just like the holy knights from the old tales.”
Though Arina’s words were sincere, Zeke couldn’t quite picture Felix as a holy knight.
“Anyway, I’m relieved you returned safely. Where are the children now?”
“We’ve hidden them in a safe house for now. Once the Holy Kingdom’s movements calm down, we’ll take them to Agamemnon Castle.”
“Good. The Holy Kingdom won’t dare to intrude on Mycenae.”
The resurrected Agamemnon family was once again recognized as part of the Draker bloodline, and they had the strong support of the central noble families.
Even the Holy Kingdom couldn’t easily invade Mycenae. And even if they did, the Black Sword Knights guarding the castle wouldn’t let them get far.
Zeke looked at the sleeping Sion and asked Arina.
“What is his condition?”
Arina’s expression turned somber.
“Whoever conducted those horrific experiments on him, his body is slowly deteriorating.”
“Despite continuous healing, his seizures persist without improvement.”
“That’s expected. Sir Zeke’s healing is powerful, but it maximizes self-recovery. For a body already breaking down like his, healing can only restore him to the best possible state at the moment, not fix the underlying collapse.”
Zeke realized for the first time that there were limits to what his healing could achieve.
It also meant Sion’s condition was far from normal.
Zeke turned to Arina.
“He’s a key figure directly connected to the upper echelons of the Nostra family. Is there no way to save him?”
Arina pondered for a moment before speaking.
“There is a light magic spell called ‘Recovery.’”
“What kind of spell is it?”
“It’s a spell that restores damaged bodies or souls. With its power, it might be possible to repair his body.”
“Excellent. Let’s use it immediately.”
But Arina shook her head.
“Unfortunately… I can’t use that spell. It’s different from the magic I usually practice. However, there is one way.”
“What do you suggest?”
Arina pointed at Zeke.
“Sir Zeke can use the spell.”
“Me? But I’m not a mage…”
Arina nodded knowingly at Zeke’s words.
“I’ll create an artifact that can cast the Recovery spell. Then you can use it with your healing abilities. Though it’s magic, it will work with the healing you already perform.”
Zeke was taken aback by her suggestion.
“Is that possible?”
“We have to try. If it doesn’t work, we’ll have to wait until Alice learns the Recovery spell.”
“We should create it as soon as possible. What do you need to make the artifact?”
Arina smiled.
“The Orichalcum sword you had before. It should be enough to inscribe the Recovery spell.”
Zeke nodded and produced the jeweled sword, Roland.
Arina was surprised by the sword’s ornate design.
“This is… in the old Luvern style.”
“Luvern style?”
“Yes. The Luvern style is incredibly ornate and detailed. Some scholars claim that such extravagance led to their downfall, but that’s not true.”
“Did they use the power of jewels even back then?”
“It’s not widely known, but yes. Luvern developed and used ‘jewel magic,’ which harnessed the power of gems. It’s a lost art now.”
Jewel magic, which drew power from gems, was a lost technique from centuries ago, now encapsulated in the jeweled sword Zeke had enhanced.
Without further comment, Zeke entrusted the sword to Arina to inscribe the Recovery spell. He also asked her to interrogate the newly captured Aaron.
“Oh, I’m not skilled in interrogation.”
“Really? I saw how you turned Dario into a compliant lamb.”
Arina clapped her hands in realization.
“Ah, is that how it’s done? That’s easy.”
Though curious about Arina’s interrogation methods, Zeke had other priorities. He left her to it and exited the underground prison.
Upstairs, a freshly washed and changed Aslan awaited him.
“Sir Zeke!”
Though still weary, Aslan now looked more like a dignified old knight.
Zeke asked him.
“Sir Aslan, how did you survive for thirty years in that place?”
“I survived on the moss growing on the walls and rainwater that trickled in! On lucky days, I feasted on the occasional rat!”
For a knight, he had remarkable survival skills. Zeke nodded, acknowledging him with a smile.
Satisfied that Aslan was fit to move, Zeke prepared to report the completion of the cursed wraith’s mansion mission. Together, they headed to the Four Seasons Castle of Atlas.
Bang!
Howard Draker slammed his desk in frustration.
The crystal ball on his desk fell to the floor.
“How is this even possible?”
Static crackled from the fallen crystal ball before the voice on the other end came through again.
―“We, we have no idea what happened. There’s been no signal from the deployed team…”
“You idiots! Are you saying they were all captured by the mansion’s wraiths?”
―“We haven’t confirmed that yet…”
Crash!
Howard stomped on the crystal ball, shattering it. He gritted his teeth, seething with anger.
“What kind of people did Abel send to end up with this mess? Damn it!”
Just then, there was a knock.
Howard’s secretary entered the office.
Howard shouted at him.
“I told you not to come in until I called!”
Usually, Howard pretended to be amiable, but with his plans disrupted, he was in a foul mood.
The secretary, visibly nervous, spoke cautiously.
“Sir, Sir Zeke Draker has returned to the Four Seasons Castle.”
“What?”
Howard approached the secretary, his face twisted with disbelief.
“Zeke Draker at the Four Seasons Castle? Why? Did he abandon the mission?”
The secretary shook his head, terrified.
“I-I heard he completed the mission…”
“Impossible!”
Howard shoved the secretary aside and hurriedly left his office, heading downstairs.
The central hall of the Four Seasons Castle was already bustling with people when I arrived. A notice board displayed completed missions, except for those requiring special security clearance. The crowd was abuzz with chatter as they examined the board.
“Did they really clear out that haunted mansion?”
“And they rescued Sir Aslan Solma, the Crossblade, who was trapped there!”
“Unbelievable. Sir Zeke went alone, without the support of the knights?”
Howard pushed through the throng of admirers to stand before the board. He clenched his jaw as he confirmed the post announcing Zeke Draker’s successful completion of the family-designated mission.
“What on earth happened here?”
The murmurs seemed to grow louder, and just then, a voice called out to him.
“Councilor.”
Howard turned to see Zeke standing there, looking at him with a slight smile.
“Councilor, you’ve shaved your beard. I almost didn’t recognize you.”
“Sir Zeke,” Howard stammered, staring at Zeke as if he were a ghost.
Zeke chuckled. “Thanks to you, I had quite the adventure. While clearing the mansion, I found it infested with some rather nasty rats.”
Howard swallowed hard. “Oh, really? That must have been quite the ordeal.”
“Not particularly,” Zeke replied. “The real challenge will be finding out where those rats came from. Once I find their holes, I’ll make sure they never crawl out again.”
Howard forced a smile, his face tense as he listened to Zeke’s sharp words. Zeke nodded politely and left the hall.
Aslan decided to stay at the Four Seasons Castle for a while to testify about the events in the labyrinth before returning to Thebea. He insisted on repaying Zeke’s kindness and invited him to visit his family in Thebea.
Zeke climbed into a carriage, heading towards the Atlas estate. “Howard, that sly fox,” he thought. Remembering the trouble Howard had caused him in a past life, Zeke felt it wouldn’t be enough to tear him apart.
“Just wait. I’ll find your weakness and take you down myself.”
Lost in thought, Zeke glanced at the person sitting across from him in the carriage. “It’s been a while, Shadia.”
Shadia, a disciple of Salmak and an assassin sent to assist Zeke, sat before him with a new face.
“Good to see you again, boss.”
“How are things in the north?” Zeke asked.
Shadia had just returned from the northern continent, where she had been gathering intelligence on the Grand Duke and his surroundings. Without a word, she handed Zeke a prepared dossier.
“These are the documents I compiled during my time in the north.”
Zeke skimmed through the papers, which detailed the power dynamics among the lords and old noble families surrounding the Grand Duke of Himonas. He clicked his tongue in disapproval.
“The Grand Duke’s situation is precarious. It wouldn’t be surprising if the northern lords rose up at any moment.”
The northern continent had always been home to more non-human races than humans. During the era of the Holy Empire, the Pope had employed harsh measures to control these races. The lord of Himonas had resisted the Empire’s oppression, protecting both humans and other races. Eventually, the Pope granted the lord the title of Grand Duke, acknowledging their autonomy. Since then, the Grand Duke of Himonas had been a symbol akin to a king in the north.
Naturally, the northern lords coveted the Grand Duke’s position. Zeke turned to Shadia.
“So, what is the Grand Duke doing now? Has he made any moves to ally with any of them?”
At that moment, Shadia’s face turned pale, and she swallowed nervously before speaking.
“They’re all dead.”