Episode 301
The sorcerer from the Abyss trembled as he responded to Zeke’s question.
“H-how did you know…?”
The fact that orcs had emerged from the Forest of the Forgotten was a top-secret even within the Abyss.
As the sorcerer hesitated, his eyes darting nervously, Zeke decided to delve into the sorcerer’s memories himself, accepting the potential loss of information.
A faint glow appeared on Zeke’s forehead.
Immediately, he began to sift through the sorcerer’s memories using his powers of shadow control and dragon senses.
He calmly examined the fragmented memories that flowed into him.
A sorcerer in a black robe stood at the forest’s edge, chanting a spell with a staff in hand, and a dark portal materialized before him.
‘Is this… the Forest of the Forgotten?’
Soon, orcs began to march out of the portal in a line.
‘How could they do something so blatant at the forest’s edge, and Master just let it happen?’
Knowing Nigel’s temperament well, Zeke was certain that such an event in the Forest of the Forgotten was impossible.
If anything suspicious was detected, Nigel would have immediately rushed out to obliterate everything.
Sure enough, something began to fly in from the other side of the forest.
The sorcerer who had created the black portal moved frantically, extending his palm toward the humans trapped in cages.
The humans, drained of life by the sorcerer, collapsed as mummies, and the sorcerer quickly conjured a red portal.
The memories ended with the sorcerers and orcs entering the portal.
Zeke realized what had happened.
‘They fled before Master arrived. A sorcerer who can create portals… Could it be dark magic? Or perhaps a power gained through a pact with a high-ranking demon?’
Zeke questioned the sorcerer from the Abyss.
“Who created the portal in the forest?”
“Th-that was…”
Just as the sorcerer was about to speak, his body convulsed.
“Argh!”
His skin erupted in hives, and he began to ooze blood and pus before collapsing, dead.
There were many ways to die from a forbidden spell.
Zeke clicked his tongue in frustration, frowning as he set the place ablaze, erasing all traces after extracting the necessary information.
Then he summoned Bucephalus and swiftly departed the Ogre Mountains.
A few days later, Zeke arrived at Agamemnon Castle.
To his surprise, Xerath had already completed his formalities in Nirvana and was at the castle.
Beside Xerath stood a very weary-looking Jason.
“Do you two know each other?”
Xerath responded with a bright smile.
“Yes, Jason was a junior at the Magic Tower. We even took some sorcery classes together.”
Xerath held titles in both sorcery and warlockery.
In contrast, Jason had only mastered earth magic and had yet to earn the title of sorcerer.
Jason, in a near-dead voice, addressed Zeke.
“Ugh… My lord, where did you find this monster?”
Xerath feigned a hurt expression.
“Jason, a monster? I’m just an ordinary magician.”
Jason gritted his teeth at that.
“If you’re an ordinary magician, then I’m just a dirt-playing earthworm.”
Though Jason was considered a prodigy at the Magic Tower, Xerath was a genius of a different caliber.
Zeke, observing Jason, remarked,
“I brought him to bolster the magical ranks of the knight order. We’ll soon be reinforcing the magic corps, so there will be plenty of work to do.”
Jason nodded weakly in response.
Arina had officially disbanded the Rose Knights and transferred them to the Black Sword Knights.
She had also taken on the role of teaching magic at Agamemnon Castle as an advisor to the Black Sword Knights’ magic corps.
With the addition of the Rose Knights, the Black Sword Knights now boasted a force of over two hundred, comparable to a mid-sized knight order.
Zeke had hurried to Agamemnon Castle for the official inauguration of the Black Sword Knights, scheduled for today.
Knights of the blue rank, including Cloné, and purple-ranked knights like Felix, Liam, Diego, Aster, and Rick, were to be knighted under the name of Agamemnon.
Decker, holding the title of knight from Draker, was to be the commander, with Farrell from Thebea as the vice-commander. Cloné, upon receiving his knighthood, would lead the former Rose Knights.
As Zeke entered the grand hall of Agamemnon Castle, he found that preparations for the ceremony were complete.
‘Good, I’m not late.’
Before entering the hall, Zeke activated Hersion.
With a flourish, a full plate armor enveloped him.
The armor, crafted from orichalcum and blessed by the goddess Theia, emitted a mystical glow unlike any ordinary armor.
Clad in Hersion and draped in Jerome’s cloak, Zeke looked every bit the legendary hero.
The hall was filled with elders of the Agamemnon family and dignitaries from influential central families.
As Zeke entered, everyone bowed their heads in respect.
He ascended the platform slowly.
Reaching the highest seat, Zeke embraced and greeted Rufus, the head of the Agamemnon family and his grandfather.
Once seated beside Rufus, the ceremony commenced.
The knights to be honored entered the hall slowly.
Thud!
Cloné, Felix, Liam, Diego, Aster, and Rick strode in confidently, clad in custom armor crafted by Gelion.
Remarkably, all their armor was Hersion.
Hades had refined the design, and Feynan and Gelion had adapted it into modern armor, creating Hersion specifically for the Black Sword Knights.
The sturdy yet elegant black Hersion showcased the dignity of the Black Sword Knights.
As they knelt before the platform, Rufus Agamemnon rose to speak.
“I extend my gratitude to the esteemed guests attending the Agamemnon family’s knighthood ceremony!”
Rufus’s voice resonated throughout the vast hall.
He addressed the audience.
“For the first time in 65 years, we bestow knighthood under the name of the Agamemnon family! I have no doubt that these knights will uphold the nobility and steadfast resolve required to ensure peace and safety across Mycenae and the central continent!”
As Rufus continued his speech, he turned to Zeke.
“And today, I, Rufus Agamemnon, transfer the authority to bestow knighthood to my successor, Zeke Draker.”
The announcement took Zeke and the gathered audience by surprise.
Transferring the authority to bestow knighthood was tantamount to declaring Zeke the de facto head of the Agamemnon family.
Zeke looked at Rufus in astonishment. Rufus placed a reassuring hand on Zeke’s shoulder.
“Zeke, everything under the name of Agamemnon is yours.”
Rufus intended to step back, retaining only the title of head, and entrust everything to Zeke.
Accepting his grandfather’s intentions, Zeke nodded.
With a smooth motion, he drew Roland from his waist.
The sight of Zeke holding the radiant jewel-encrusted sword filled the audience with awe.
Combined with his dragon form and charismatic presence, everyone in the hall found themselves captivated by Zeke.
The six kneeling before him were no exception.
Zeke gently touched Cloné’s shoulder with the sword.
“Cloné Ironheart. Do you pledge to serve as a knight of the Black Sword Knights with unwavering loyalty?”
Cloné bowed his head solemnly.
“I pledge my loyalty to you, my lord.”
Zeke repeated the question to the remaining five, receiving the same vow.
“By the name of Agamemnon, I bestow upon you the title of knight.”
As he finished speaking, Zeke raised Roland high, and the sword emitted a brilliant light.
He had used the Holy Light technique to create a veil of light.
The radiant glow spread throughout the hall.
The noble guests from the central families trembled with emotion at the sight.
“A holy light!”
“The Holy King…! The return of the Holy King!”
They felt as if they had glimpsed Geo Lubern, the first Holy King and herald of light, in Zeke.
Watching the astonished nobles, Zeke smiled inwardly with satisfaction.
‘The effect of the Holy Light technique is impressive.’
He had orchestrated this display to prevent any dissent among the vassal families after unexpectedly receiving the authority to bestow knighthood from the Agamemnon family.
Knowing that many central nobles were devout believers, he had anticipated their positive reaction to light magic, and his plan had worked perfectly.
The Agamemnon knighthood ceremony, held for the first time in 65 years, was a resounding success.
“Phew, I can’t believe I’m a knight now.”
After the ceremony, the newly knighted individuals gathered in the round table room of Agamemnon Castle.
Cloné propped his feet on the table, pulling a dried scorpion from his pocket and crunching it between his teeth.
Felix, sitting nearby, shook his head.
“If the vice-commander causes trouble, it’ll tarnish the Agamemnon name…! Oof!”
Felix’s unnecessary comment earned him a punch from Cloné, sending him crashing into the wall.
At that moment, Zeke and Decker entered the meeting room.
Cloné, uncharacteristically formal, stood and called out,
“Everyone, salute the lord!”
Clonne had always been a knight of unwavering loyalty.
When his allegiance shifted from Arina to Zeke, he displayed the same steadfast devotion to his new lord.
Following Clonne’s lead, the other knights quickly straightened their postures.
Watching them, Zeke waved his hand dismissively.
“Why the sudden formality? Relax, everyone.”
“Relax.”
It was typical of Clonne, who had once been in charge of discipline for the Rose Knights.
Zeke addressed the knights.
“First, congratulations on becoming knights. I trust you’ll do well, but there’s one thing I must emphasize.”
He looked at them intently.
“Never die. No matter the situation, your lives come first.”
Traditionally, a knight’s greatest virtue was to lay down their life for their lord.
But Zeke’s words were different. He urged them to prioritize their own survival.
With that, Zeke stood up.
Felix, taken aback, spoke up.
“Wait, my lord. Is that all?”
Zeke nodded.
“Yes, that’s all. Is there something else you need?”
“No, it’s just…”
Seeing Felix hesitate, Zeke continued.
“Ah, I almost forgot to mention something.”
He turned to the knights.
“A war is coming.”
At the mention of war, Pharrell asked seriously, “My lord, who are we going to war with?”
Zeke paused, then spoke slowly.
“The Rom Empire.”
Clonne, tapping his mace against his palm, muttered, “The Rom Empire, huh? Doesn’t matter. I’ll just smash their heads in.”
The other knights shivered at his words.
Clonne was the type to break heads first and ask questions later.
Zeke addressed the knights again.
“Abel and the Empire have been making suspicious moves lately. Be prepared.”
In his past life, the continental war had erupted three years from now.
Originally, Kali would die at the hands of the Pirate King in a year, and Arthur Draker would succumb to illness, leaving Abel to lead the Draker family and launch an invasion with the Empire.
In that war, cities like Atlas were reduced to ruins, and countless innocent civilians were brutally massacred.
Having lost loved ones in the midst of that horrific war, Zeke had lived with the hope of preventing such a tragedy from happening again.
“Things are progressing faster than in my past life. It’s probably because my actions have altered events.”
He looked at the knights.
“As Clonne said, it doesn’t matter who the enemy is. The Black Sword Knights will cut down and crush any foe that comes our way. Just remember one thing: don’t die.”
The knights nodded, their eyes filled with determination.
All six of them now bore the gaze of true knights.
The Immortal Black Sword Knights.
Zeke intended to forge the strongest order of knights, capable of swallowing the Empire’s army and even the formidable Draker family whole.
“This time, I will live by my own will, not swayed by anyone else.”