Episode 342
Riding Bucephalus, Zeke arrived at the ancient castle ruins, the site of the Holy King’s relics, just ahead of the imperial army.
Though he wasn’t exactly sure where the relics were located, his Absolute Compass made finding the place relatively easy.
Unlike the time at the Fairy’s Lake, the compass pointed directly to the relics, allowing him to reach his destination without trouble.
Back then, he had needed the help of the mountain spirits to guide him, ensuring that their meeting didn’t end in misunderstanding and distrust. But now, the compass seemed to lead him straight to the relics.
Seeing how quickly he found the site, Zeke began to understand how to best utilize the Absolute Compass.
The ancient castle ruins, where the Holy King’s relics were located, were known to be the first settlement of the Geo Luvern Kingdom, even before the Holy Empire era.
Zeke surveyed the ruins, where only traces of the once-grand structures remained.
Judging by the size of the remaining foundations, he could tell that a city as large as Mycenae once stood here, now reduced to mere remnants.
After taking in the scene, Zeke led Bucephalus deeper into the ruins, following the compass’s guidance.
“It should be around here somewhere.”
Using his mini-map and compass, Zeke searched for a path leading to the relics.
Just then, the phoenix perched on his shoulder, dozing off, suddenly opened its eyes wide and soared into the sky.
Coo-roo-roo-roo—
Zeke called out to the phoenix as it flew off.
“Raven!”
He had struggled to name the creature due to its finicky nature, but with Arina’s help, he finally settled on “Raven,” meaning “soul of the gods,” a name the phoenix seemed to like.
Ignoring Zeke’s call, Raven circled above a spot, letting out a loud cry.
Coo-roo-roo-roo—
When Zeke reached the place Raven indicated, he found a pile of collapsed building debris.
To his surprise, the Absolute Compass confirmed that this was indeed the entrance.
He quickly cleared the debris, revealing a hidden staircase leading underground.
“So this is the entrance.”
Raven, having successfully found the entrance, perched proudly on Zeke’s head.
“Good job, Raven.”
Zeke tossed a piece of jerky into the air, which Raven deftly caught and devoured.
Perched on Zeke’s head, Raven munched on the jerky, its majestic aura as a divine beast somewhat diminished.
Zeke chuckled at the sight, then descended the staircase into the darkness below.
Though there was no light, his dragon eyes allowed him to see clearly in the dim underground space.
“This looks similar to the path leading to the catacombs hidden beneath the Papal Palace.”
The Papal Palace in the Barodka Holy Kingdom was said to have been remodeled from a grand cathedral dating back to the Luvern Dynasty.
Given that this was an old Luvern site, it made sense for the structures to be similar.
As he descended further, an ancient, dungeon-like underground space unfolded before him.
Before venturing deeper into the catacombs, Zeke summoned Richmond.
“You called, Master?”
Richmond appeared, looking weary.
“Have you been up all night researching again?”
Richmond shook his head.
“Don’t get me started. Remember that censer I mentioned to you?”
“The ancient artifact you found in the natural undead dungeon?”
“Yes, I tried to examine it more closely, but it’s been a real headache.”
“What happened?”
“It seems to be cursed. When I touched it, wraiths started pouring out, wreaking havoc in the dungeon and my lab. Thankfully, Duradura managed to subdue them, but it was chaos.”
Zeke clicked his tongue in disapproval.
“The great necromancer Victor Nirvana would be disappointed.”
“Ugh, please don’t bring up my name from five hundred years ago. Besides, necromancy isn’t even my specialty.”
Necromancy was a broad field, and it seemed Richmond struggled with areas outside his expertise.
While liches could naturally control the undead, Richmond, being only half-lich due to the bloodstone, found necromancy challenging.
“Enough whining. Get ready. We’re about to explore the relics.”
Richmond nodded at Zeke’s command.
“Understood. But what relics are these?”
“They belong to the first Holy King, Geo Luvern.”
Richmond’s eyes widened in shock.
“Geo Luvern, the Holy King?”
Zeke, puzzled by Richmond’s reaction, asked, “Why are you so surprised?”
“Well, Geo Luvern was famous as a lich slayer. It’s only natural for a lich like me to be scared.”
Indeed, the epics of Geo Luvern were filled with tales of him vanquishing liches and evil sorcerers.
“Perhaps his light magic was particularly effective against dark wizards and monsters.”
Zeke thought of one of his sacred relics, Agamemnon’s Mask.
“If Geo Luvern was the owner of this mask, he could have wielded its purifying power.”
If he were a healer class like Zeke, he could have fully harnessed the mask’s power.
Moreover, though not widely known, Geo Luvern was a descendant of the legendary dragon slayer, Terracan Draker.
Even if he couldn’t use aura, he likely had a talent for swordsmanship.
“If I find the Holy King’s remains, I might uncover related records.”
Zeke sent Richmond ahead to scout the dungeon, despite his trembling.
Richmond reluctantly summoned undead to explore the dungeon-like catacombs.
Meanwhile, Zeke summoned ghost soldiers to monitor the surroundings for any signs of the imperial army.
There might be another entrance, so he remained vigilant.
While the undead scouted, Zeke set up camp in a corner of the underground space and prepared food.
Given the size of the imperial army, their movement would likely be slow, and exploring the relics was no easy task, even with a system in place. Zeke believed in resting well whenever possible.
As Zeke rested, Richmond, sitting nearby, curiously observed Raven, who was dozing on Zeke’s head.
“It’s my first time seeing a divine beast. It’s fascinating.”
Zeke, noticing Richmond’s curious gaze, warned, “Don’t be fooled. It has a nasty temper.”
Richmond, intrigued, moved closer to get a better look at the sleeping Raven.
But just then, Raven’s eyes snapped open.
Coo-roo-roo!!
Raven took to the air, pecking at Richmond mercilessly.
“Ahh! Master, please help!”
Zeke clicked his tongue as he watched Richmond get pecked.
“I warned you about its temper.”
After a while, Richmond managed to escape Raven’s relentless pecking.
His robe was full of holes, and his face and body were covered in scratches.
He muttered, teary-eyed, “This is discrimination against liches.”
“You disturbed its sleep. Stop whining and eat this.”
Zeke offered Richmond a warm bowl of soup, bread, fresh vegetables, and preserved foods.
Richmond cautiously eyed Raven while nibbling on the bread.
Fortunately, Raven was too busy with its jerky to pay him any mind.
Richmond remarked, “In the Eastern Empire, phoenixes are considered more sacred than dragons. You might be treated as a VIP by the Sultan if you bring Raven there.”
“Are there phoenixes in the Eastern Empire?”
“I heard there used to be, but I’m not sure now. The Eastern Continent had more mythical creatures than the Central Continent, so perhaps divine beasts were more common than dragons back then.”
Richmond, with his keen interest in monsters and various creatures, seemed knowledgeable about the Eastern Continent’s mythical beings.
Zeke found himself intrigued by the Eastern Continent.
“If I get the chance, I’d like to visit the Eastern Continent someday.”
Richmond, excited, exclaimed, “Oh! Master, please take me with you. I’ve always wanted to see the mysterious creatures of the Eastern Continent!”
While travel within the Central Continent was possible via portals, there were no portals connecting the Central and Eastern Continents. To travel between them, one had to sail across the Central Sea.
Directly crossing the Central Sea was challenging, but it was possible to follow the sea route through the Dorota Republic to the Murk Empire.
However, traveling to the Eastern Continent required careful planning.
“Perhaps I could ask Lord Hades to create a portal for intercontinental travel.”
Most portals were modified from those found in ancient ruins.
No long-distance portals connecting continents had been discovered yet, but with Hades’ mastery of magic and ancient knowledge, creating an intercontinental portal might be possible.
As they were taking a break and eating, one of the ghost soldiers signaled to Zeke.
Zeke scanned the surroundings through the ghost soldier’s eyes.
“What is that?”
He spotted a familiar flag.
A scorpion emblem.
It was the banner of the Scorpion Knights, one of the Empire’s 13 legions.
Through the ghost soldier’s eyes, Zeke estimated that about two thousand troops were following the knights.
“They arrived faster than I expected. This must be the vanguard. It would take more time to bring the entire main force.”
But as Zeke watched the imperial procession, he sensed something was off.
“Why does the legion feel so lifeless? They’re not undead.”
There was a distinct lack of vitality among the Scorpion Knights and the soldiers following them. In fact, Richmond’s skeleton troops seemed more lively by comparison.
Zeke suspected the Emperor had done something to his army.
He stood up and announced, “The Emperor’s imperial army is approaching.”
Richmond was taken aback. “The Emperor’s army? Isn’t that dangerous?”
Zeke shook his head. “The Emperor coming out with just this many troops is a golden opportunity. The main force hasn’t joined yet, so they’re moving with minimal numbers.”
Though he had told Decker he was just going to scout, Zeke saw this as a chance to deal with the Emperor.
The Black Knight was often called a one-man legion, valued for their strategic prowess. It didn’t mean a single Black Knight could take on an entire legion alone, but Zeke was no ordinary Black Knight.
“If I use the terrain to my advantage and the power of my system before the main force arrives, I can defeat the Emperor’s army. Time is tight for exploring the ruins, but it’s not impossible.”
He began formulating a plan to defeat the imperial army and ultimately kill the Emperor.
“If the Emperor acts as I anticipate, we have a good chance.”
Even if the plan failed, Zeke was confident he could escape unscathed.
He looked up and asked Richmond, “Richmond, how many undead can you summon right now?”
Caught off guard, Richmond fumbled with his fingers, stammering before calmly counting. “Uh, I can summon up to five hundred.”
Zeke nodded at Richmond’s response. “That should be enough.”
He stood up. “Get ready, Richmond. It’s time for war.”