Episode 244
“Princess Arina?”
In the duchy of Troy, Princess Arina was waiting for Zeke at the mansion. He approached her, surprised.
“What brings you here, Princess Arina?”
With a gentle smile, Arina replied, “I wanted to see your face, Sir Zeke, and I have a favor to ask.”
“A favor?”
Arina gestured to someone standing beside her, who stepped forward. The person pulled back their hood, revealing the face of a young boy. Zeke was taken aback.
“Isn’t that…?”
It was Zion, a member of the Nostrad family and a powerful bloodline ability user whom Zeke had previously captured and entrusted to Arina.
Zion, with a disgruntled expression, looked at Zeke and complained to Arina, “Princess Arina! Do you know how much that guy hurt me last time? He paralyzed me and then electrocuted me!”
Arina gave Zion a stern look. “Zion! I’ve told you to always be polite.”
Zion’s defiance quickly faded, and he nodded sheepishly. “I’m sorry, Princess Arina.”
Zeke was bewildered by Zion’s change in demeanor. ‘Could it be that Princess Arina has tamed this mafia brat?’
The Zion he remembered was a ruthless combatant who wreaked havoc on battlefields with his bloodline powers. Yet here he was, sticking close to Arina like a docile puppy.
Just then, another figure behind Arina removed their hood, revealing their face. Zeke was startled once more.
“The Knight Killer from back then?”
It was Aaron, the Knight Killer whom Zeke had captured at the mansion of the wraiths. Aaron, too, eyed Zeke warily and spoke to Arina.
“Princess Arina, the most untrustworthy thing in the world is a Draker. You never know when they’ll pull something underhanded…”
Wooong!
Suddenly, a halo of white light floated around Arina. It was beautiful to behold, but Zion and Aaron turned pale at the sight.
As Arina gazed at them with the light surrounding her, both of them fidgeted, unsure of what to do. Zeke watched the scene with interest.
‘Just like with Dario, Princess Arina seems to have a knack for handling people.’
Once Zion and Aaron quieted down, Arina dispelled the light and smiled at Zeke.
“I need your help to heal these two.”
“My help… you mean Recovery?”
Arina had inscribed the light magic spell ‘Recovery’ onto the jewel sword Roland, which Zeke had entrusted to her. Thanks to this, they had been able to restore the brainwashed merfolk to their original state.
Arina nodded. “Yes. Zion’s condition has been deteriorating, and Aaron has a restriction placed on him.”
“A restriction?”
“I’ve sealed it with magic, but if left unchecked, Aaron’s head would have exploded.”
Arina spoke of such a gruesome possibility with unsettling calm. Zeke, having seen many perish from such restrictions, understood immediately.
Turning his attention to Zion and Aaron, Zeke noticed Zion glaring at him like a fierce puppy, while Aaron watched him with wary eyes. Zeke nodded, albeit reluctantly.
“Alright. Let’s assess their conditions first.”
Zeke led Arina, Zion, and Aaron to a private training ground. Like taming wild dogs, Arina had them sit on the floor. Zeke activated his blood vision to examine their conditions.
Through his blood vision, he saw things previously hidden.
“Zion’s body is completely saturated with drugs. Even with Recovery, he’ll need ongoing treatment.”
Turning his gaze to Aaron, Zeke was shocked. A parasite was wriggling in Aaron’s brain. This must be the restriction Arina mentioned.
‘Those Siemens lunatics not only brainwashed them but also implanted parasites?’
Zeke finally understood why they could never capture Knight Killers alive in his past life, and why they would self-destruct if captured.
After some thought, Zeke closed his blood vision and spoke to Arina.
“Neither of them is in an easy situation.”
“Without you, Sir Zeke, there’s no one on the continent who can heal them.”
Zeke pondered for a moment before nodding. “Alright. I’ll begin the treatment. Princess Arina, please wait outside.”
He escorted Arina out and closed the training ground door. Outside, Arina clasped her hands in prayer to the Creator God who brought forth the primordial light.
Moments later, a bright light flashed inside the training ground.
“Aaaaargh!”
The light continued to flash, accompanied by screams as if they were being tortured by a hellish warden. Despite the horrific sounds, Arina smiled, reassured.
‘Thank goodness. The treatment is going well.’
Hours later, the screams subsided, and the training ground door finally opened. Zeke peeked out and announced, “It’s done.”
Arina entered to find Zion and Aaron collapsed on the floor, their faces pale as if they had narrowly escaped death. She touched their bodies, sensing their energy, and looked at Zeke in astonishment.
“My goodness, Sir Zeke. How did you manage this in such a short time? It’s a miracle!”
“It’s thanks to the Recovery spell you inscribed, Princess Arina.”
Though Zion and Aaron had endured hours of excruciating pain, they had ultimately survived. Once Arina confirmed their condition, Zeke helped them to a room to recover and joined Arina for tea in the parlor.
Zeke asked her, “Princess Arina, how did you manage to tame those two?”
Arina shook her head. “Sir Zeke, ‘taming’ isn’t the right word for people. I simply nurtured Zion and Aaron’s hearts.”
Though it seemed more than just nurturing, given their trembling, Zeke let it slide.
“In truth, I brought them here for interrogation.”
“Then you’ve achieved your goal. Zion and Aaron have joined the Order of the Rose and will gladly assist you, Sir Zeke.”
Watching Arina’s bright smile, Zeke pressed his temples.
“Princess Arina, those two are quite dangerous. They could betray us at any moment.”
“The primordial light illuminates and pacifies everything in the world. That’s why the followers of the light are taught to love everyone.”
Zeke recalled Cloné wielding a shining mace.
’…Is that what love is?’
Arina’s eyes sharpened. “But don’t think the primordial light is always benevolent. According to scripture, it was the primordial light that destroyed the city of corruption in just seven days.”
She smiled at Zeke. “If they betray us, they’ll face the consequences, so don’t worry.”
Zeke felt the weight of Arina’s presence.
’…She might be scarier than the Nostrad family or Siemens.’
Regardless, with Arina having accepted them into her order, Zeke couldn’t argue further. He nodded.
“If that’s your decision, Princess Arina, I won’t say more. Aaron should recover quickly, but Zion’s situation is different.”
He continued, “He’ll need regular medication, and he won’t be able to use his bloodline abilities as before. If he tries to overexert himself, it could disrupt the balance we’ve restored. Please advise him accordingly.”
“I understand. Thank you, Sir Zeke. If you need anything, just let me know.”
As they wrapped up their conversation, Zeke remembered something.
“Actually, Princess Arina, I do have a request.”
“What is it?”
“Could you lead the Order of the Rose to an island in the Southern Sea?”
Zeke began explaining his plan to develop the island, starting with the story of Peter Pan and the merfolk, and how he intended to create a hub connecting the central and southern continents.
“By developing the island, we can establish a trade route between the central and southern continents.”
Hearing Zeke’s plan, Arina was surprised.
“I’m not well-versed in the Southern Sea, but isn’t the island located in the treacherous waters known as the Sea of Death? I thought it was too rough for trade ships to pass through.”
Zeke nodded. “You’re right, Princess Arina. It was like that, but not anymore. The Sea of Death has stabilized, and a closer route to the southern continent has opened up.”
“Is it true? How could that be…?”
“I’m afraid I can’t go into details, but there will be significant changes in the Southern Continent and the South Sea,” Zeke replied.
Arina nodded at his words. “If it’s coming from you, Sir Zeke, I believe it. I’ll send the Rose Knights to assist the merfolk.”
“Thank you so much for your willingness to help, Lady Arina.”
“Think nothing of it. It’s about rescuing a persecuted race and exploring uncharted territories.”
Zeke nodded in agreement. “That’s right. The area is still unexplored, so it’s likely overrun with all sorts of monsters. Feel free to take Rick and his adventurer crew with you.”
“That’s good to hear. Understood.”
Zeke decided to provide further details later and wrapped up the conversation.
Arina headed off to check on Zion and Aaron, while Zeke went to his room to prepare for his next task.
What Zeke needed to do was stand in front of the mirror with a storybook and summon the Storyteller.
“Is this how it’s done?” he muttered awkwardly at the mirror. “Um… I’m Zeke Draker. Storyteller?”
He waited, hoping for a response, but as expected, there was none. Feeling embarrassed, Zeke tossed the storybook aside and sank into a plush chair.
As he grumbled and glanced at the book he’d thrown, he realized it was about the legendary Hero King Kaisir.
The tales of Hero King Kaisir and the loyal knights of the Clock Tower were among the most popular storybook themes.
“Hero King Kaisir. A homunculus,” Zeke mused, recalling the words of the dark elf captain from the overturned tower.
[Kaisir, a cursed war machine as a Hero King? What nonsense is that?]
At the time, he couldn’t make sense of it. But after hearing Poseidon’s words, he finally understood.
The real Hero King Kaisir had departed to the fairy realm, and the great sage, to fill the void, had collaborated with the divine dragons to create a ‘homunculus’ in the Hero King’s likeness.
This was to stop the demon king who had possessed the body of Siemens Apollyon.
“A golem imbued with the Hero King’s power… I can’t even imagine it.”
Hero Tyr had said that the Hero King’s power was enough to make even dragons tremble. Although it wasn’t the original power, the homunculus must have held a significant portion of it, yet it was defeated by the demon king, indicating the demon king’s immense strength.
“What if the real demon king were to resurrect in this era?”
The thought of a demon king, something that seemed to belong only in storybooks, suddenly appearing in reality felt surreal.
Just then, a familiar voice broke his thoughts.
“You called?”
Zeke looked up to see the Storyteller standing before him, looking weary.