Episode 302
The day after the ceremony, an urgent message from Carly reached Zeke.
As he read the letter, Zeke’s expression hardened.
“Helen and the leaders of the Western Alliance, including Big Joe from Crosstel, are trapped by a mysterious monster horde at the meeting site?”
Zeke recalled the brainwashed ogres he had encountered in the Ogre Mountains.
The Empire’s plan to unleash monsters in the ghetto to justify war had already been set in motion.
Moreover, if the meeting site, crucial for forming the Western Alliance, was under attack and isolated, the situation was dire.
“If the leaders like Helen and Big Joe are killed, the Western Alliance won’t form, and infighting could erupt among the beast tribes.”
Crosstel, a gang of beastmen in the west, was a coalition formed by Big Joe, who had united different factions. If he died, the organization could splinter and plunge into war.
And if the attack was by monsters, not the Imperial Army, it would be impossible to claim any moral high ground.
Even if the meeting concluded successfully, Carly’s army could provoke conflict under the guise of peacekeepers stationed in the ghetto.
“Still, I have permission from Alencia to enter under the pretext of a monster hunt.”
After some thought, Zeke decided to head to the ghetto himself to rescue them.
He turned to Decker, the commander of the Black Sword Knights.
“Can the Black Sword Knights be deployed?”
Decker nodded. “We can deploy immediately, but we’ll need time to prepare supplies.”
Zeke shook his head. “We can arrange supplies through Alencia’s route with Princess Melissa’s help, so that’s not an issue.”
“Understood. We’ll prepare for deployment right away.”
Thus, the Black Sword Knights’ first official mission was set: to clear the monsters in the ghetto.
Under the leadership of Commander Decker, Vice Commander Farrell, and Cloné, preparations were swiftly underway.
Over two hundred knights, including the Shield Unit from the Delphoa 8th Knights, former Rose Knights, and Claire’s archers and mages, gathered in the central training ground of Agamemnon Castle.
“Black Sword Knights, move out!”
With Zeke leading them as their lord, the knights set off for the ghetto in the western region.
In the rocky wasteland, two Imperial Intelligence agents peeked out, scanning the horizon.
Seeing the distant monster horde, one agent clicked his tongue. “I’ve never seen so many ogres in one place. What on earth did the 13th Division do?”
Ogres, typically high-risk monsters dwelling deep in forests, had suddenly appeared in the wasteland, along with minotaurs and cyclopes.
They had blocked all paths into the ghetto, causing chaos.
The agents were tasked with monitoring the monsters daily and reporting any anomalies.
Leaning against a rock, the other agent spoke. “Stop with the idle chatter. Don’t you know the atmosphere’s been tense since the new director took over?”
The first agent shrugged, but then—
“What the…?”
A cloud of dust rose in the distance.
“Senior, some unfamiliar group is coming in!”
“What?”
Knights on horseback charged through the dust, weapons drawn, heading straight for the monsters.
The lead knight raised a black sword, slicing through an ogre’s neck with an aura blade.
The Imperial agents recognized the banner.
A red flag with a black sword emblem.
Their expressions turned grim.
“The Draker emblem.”
Only Draker had the privilege to use both black and red on their banner. But this was the first time they’d seen a banner with just a black sword.
Amidst their confusion, the black-armored knights skillfully cut down the monsters.
Then—
“Imperial spies, hiding here, are you?”
Boris appeared behind the agents.
“When did he…?”
The agents tried to escape, but it was futile.
Visco emerged with his assassins.
Visco looked at Boris. “Captain, what should we do with them?”
Boris gestured. “Tie them up. We’ll take them to the lord.”
After clearing the surrounding monsters, the Black Sword Knights returned to the Alencia border defense.
They had set up a base within the headquarters, and Boris dragged the captured agents to Zeke in the central tent.
Thud!
The bound agents knelt, looking up at the young knight seated in the center, wearing the Draker armor and black gloves symbolizing a pureblood awakener.
Their faces turned pale.
“Z-Zeke Draker.”
Cloné, standing nearby, kicked the agent who had spoken out of turn.
With a thud, the agent rolled to the side.
“How dare you speak our lord’s name so casually?”
Zeke Draker, a high-ranking knight, lord of the northern region of Troy, heir to the Agamemnon family, and Duke of the Cusco Kingdom, was not just any knight but a lord in his own right.
The agent, kicked by Cloné, gasped for breath, possibly with a broken rib.
Zeke, sitting at an angle, looked down at the agents.
“What business does the Intelligence Bureau have in the ghetto?”
The agents felt an instinctive fear from Zeke’s natural aura of authority and charisma.
“This is nothing like the rumors…”
In the Empire, Zeke was often dismissed as a lucky young knight who became a pureblood awakener and grew with his family’s support.
It was believed that Carly’s influence was more significant than Zeke’s own power.
But seeing Zeke in person, those assessments seemed utterly baseless.
He was a ruler, looking down on everything.
And the knights around him were formidable, capable of cutting down high-risk monsters with ease.
One agent spoke up. “W-We are with the Imperial Army. Draker and the Empire have a non-aggression pact…”
Whoosh!
Cloné picked up a mace and swung it powerfully.
Whoosh! Whoosh!
The heavy mace sliced through the air, creating a tearing sound.
The agents’ faces turned white as they watched Cloné.
Zeke, resting his chin on his hand, spoke. “You dare speak of a non-aggression pact after trespassing into the demilitarized ghetto?”
The Imperial agent was flustered.
“N-No, that’s not…”
Cloné stepped forward, raising the mace.
“Speak clearly, you bastard!”
Whoosh!
The mace swung past the agent’s face.
The shockwave made the agent’s ears ring, and he trembled in fear.
Zeke gestured, and Cloné stepped back.
He turned to Boris. “Take them away and find out why they’re here. If they don’t talk, let Cloné have a go at them.”
Cloné grinned wickedly, caressing the mace.
“Let’s see how tough your heads are.”
The agents, trembling with fear, were dragged away by Boris.
Once they were gone, Decker approached Zeke.
“My lord, if those monsters were indeed released by the Imperial Army, they won’t stay idle.”
Zeke nodded. “They probably won’t. But they can’t act openly. If it’s revealed they unleashed monsters on the ghetto, they can’t escape international condemnation.”
Farrell, standing nearby, added, “But my lord, the Empire is persistent and unpredictable. If they’re controlling the monsters, they might launch a full-scale attack on us.”
Zeke smirked. “That would be ideal. It would make things easier.”
Zeke, with the Black Sword Knights, crossed the Alencia border into the ghetto.
The ghetto, a barren land of wastelands and endless canyons, was home to dozens of beastmen autonomous zones.
Though harsh, the beastmen had defended this land for centuries, honoring their ancestors.
Helen was located in an ancient fortress, a remnant of the ghetto’s past.
Before heading there, Zeke decided to assess the situation in one of the beastmen’s autonomous zones.
Cutting through the attacking monsters, the Black Sword Knights swiftly reached their target zone.
The autonomous zone was quieter than expected.
Surrounded by earthen walls and double-layered fences, it was fortified with outposts and watchtowers, making it difficult for monsters to approach.
As if to testify to the chaos, the moat in front of the iron fence was littered with the dust-covered corpses of slain monsters.
Zeke had sent a letter with the honorable knight, Farrell, requesting permission for entry into the autonomous district from the beastfolk.
Aware of the beastfolk’s disdain for humans, Zeke anticipated that, despite their mission to hunt monsters, the district would not easily open its gates to them.
In his past life, the Western Alliance, composed of beastfolk, had refused to ally with human armies.
Even the Northern Continent’s multi-racial coalition had declined to participate, simply because humans were at its core.
The only human they officially acknowledged was Helen Draker, who had resisted to the end in the Duchy of Troy.
Helen had fought valiantly against the Empire and Abel as part of the Draker Rebellion, ultimately meeting a heroic end on the battlefield.
The Song of the Crouching Flame, leader of the Western Alliance, had unusually expressed condolences for Helen Draker’s death.
However, Farrell returned from the autonomous district with unexpected news.
“My lord, the situation inside the district is quite dire.”
“What do you mean?” Zeke asked.
Farrell leaned in and whispered quietly into Zeke’s ear.
Zeke’s expression hardened at the news. “An epidemic inside?”
Farrell cautiously continued, “The chieftain wishes to meet with you first, my lord.”
Though the specifics of the epidemic were unknown, recklessly leading the knights inside was a foolhardy move.
After some deliberation, Zeke issued his orders. “Set up camp here and assess the situation.”
Despite the unforeseen circumstances, securing this autonomous district was crucial to stopping the monsters spreading through the ghetto and bringing Helen, the Song of the Crouching Flame, and Big Joe to safety.
This district was the closest to the isolated old fortress, and Zeke intended to use it as a base to secure a path to the fortress and safely extract those trapped there.
If they were ambushed and the Song of the Crouching Flame or Big Joe were killed, forming the Western Alliance would become impossible. Thus, Zeke needed to proceed with utmost caution.
“I need to go in and see for myself.”
Zeke was confident he could withstand any epidemic.
He entered the autonomous district alone to hear what the chieftain had to say.
As he approached the entrance, the thick double iron doors swung open. Zeke stepped inside slowly.
Once inside, the sight that greeted him left him utterly stunned.