Episode 36
Zeke’s confident proposal left Kay staring at him in disbelief.
She found it hard to gauge just how much she could trust him.
“Do you even know what kind of person Don Juan is?”
Zeke grinned widely.
“There’s probably no one who knows Don Juan better than I do.”
In his past life, Zeke had been a hitman for the McCain cartel, directly under Don Juan’s command.
He handled all the cartel’s dirty work, assassinating and intimidating rival cartel bosses.
Thanks to Zeke, the McCain cartel secured its position as the top cartel in the south.
Zeke had risen to an unusual rank for a hitman, gaining access to many of the cartel’s secrets.
“I know everything from Don Juan’s secret vault to the nobles and politicians he’s bribed.”
It was impossible for him to single-handedly bring down the massive cartel network.
But if he could leverage the syndicate’s intelligence to manipulate the cartels against each other, he could orchestrate their downfall from the shadows.
Once the cartels weakened from infighting, Zeke could swoop in and take control.
However, as a Draker, it was too risky for him to act directly.
He planned to use the syndicate and Kay as his proxies.
He intended to pull the strings from behind the scenes, leaving no trace of his involvement while controlling the south.
For Zeke, this plan was entirely feasible.
But to set it in motion, he first needed to confront Don Juan, the boss of the McCain cartel.
When Kay hesitated to respond, Zeke stood up.
“Think it over and let me know when you’ve made up your mind.”
With that, Zeke left the room without a second thought.
Kay remained seated long after he had gone, unable to comprehend why such a situation had suddenly befallen her.
She stared at the mark Zeke had left on her wrist, deep in thought.
A week later, Zeke finally enrolled at Valhalla.
It was a place where talents from across the continent gathered.
In his previous life, Zeke had never set foot in such a place.
“Hmm.”
Valhalla was almost the size of a small town.
Unlike the rigid atmosphere of the academy, Valhalla was incredibly free-spirited.
Students gathered in groups, laughing and chatting, some lounging on the grass to sunbathe.
Others sat on benches reading books, and quite a few were out jogging in the morning.
“This is nothing like I imagined.”
Having grown accustomed to the strict environment of the academy, Zeke found this freedom unfamiliar.
Just then, someone approached him.
“Hey, are you Zeke?”
Zeke glanced at the person who had called out to him.
A man with flamboyant hair swaggered over to him.
His reddish-brown skin suggested he was from the desert region or the southern continent.
The man struck a strange pose, thumping his chest before extending a fist toward Zeke.
When Zeke just stared blankly, the man shrugged and said, “Looks like our Zeke bro’s got a long way to go before he shakes off that academy vibe.”
Zeke looked at him and said, “Are you that guy, Buddy or whatever?”
The man mimicked Zeke’s voice, “Buddy or whatever. Hey, bro. What’s up? Peace! Relax a little.”
Zeke wondered if this clown was really a student at Valhalla.
His antics reminded Zeke of the rowdy kids from the Empire.
The man grinned and led the still-bemused Zeke along.
“I’m Diego, Diego Villa. Nice to meet you, bro.”
Zeke was taken aback by the name.
“You’re really Diego Villa?”
Diego struck another odd pose and shouted, “Peace!”
Zeke eyed him with growing suspicion.
“This guy is supposed to be the future Knight of Rhythm?”
Diego Villa was one of the five knights who made a name for themselves during the Third Continental War.
The Knight of Rhythm, Diego Villa.
The Knight of Lightning, Reina Draker.
The Knight of Smoke, Jeffrick Solma.
The Knight of Silence, Bishop Castick.
The Knight of Illusion, Aster Aladoff.
People hailed these heroes of the Third Continental War as the “Five Star Knights,” celebrating their valor.
As Diego continued to show Zeke around Valhalla, Zeke thought of the other Five Star Knights.
“Except for Reina, the other four weren’t Drakers. If I could recruit those I meet at Valhalla into my ranks…”
With the Mercenary King Liam and the Five Star Knights under his command, he could build his power base even faster.
“Valhalla is a treasure trove of talent. There might be exceptional individuals who never gained fame in the future.”
Zeke nodded to himself, considering the potential of recruiting future talents, including the Five Star Knights, into his fold.
After wandering around for a while, they headed to the dining hall for lunch.
“Zeke bro, you have to try the food here at Valhalla.”
Diego led him to a restaurant serving southern continental home-style dishes.
Zeke, who had unpleasant memories of his time in the south, wasn’t thrilled about southern food but took a seat anyway.
Soon, a feast of southern dishes was laid out before them.
Zeke picked up a tortilla and took a bite.
“Hmm? This is good.”
Diego grinned and gave Zeke a friendly pat on the shoulder at his positive reaction.
As they ate, Zeke learned more about Diego.
He was from a small kingdom in the southern continent and had come to study in the central continent.
Diego had been forced to learn his family’s traditional dual swordsmanship from a young age, but his talent was so exceptional that he surpassed his father, his teacher, by the age of fifteen.
“But I prefer making music. Speaking of which, why not join our club, bro?”
They were a club researching fusion new-age music, mixing southern traditional rhythms with central continental melodies, but Zeke declined, not understanding a word of it.
He wasn’t interested in music, nor did he have the time.
After finishing their meal, Diego suggested they attend a class together in the afternoon.
“Can we just walk into an upperclassmen’s class like that?”
“Academy folks! Valhalla is free! Peace! Anything related to learning is allowed, bro. Let’s go!”
Zeke let Diego drag him along to try out a class together.
Diego led him to a lecture titled “Special Lectures by Notable Figures Leading the Central Continent.”
Zeke sat in the large lecture hall with a sullen expression.
“Bro! Smile!”
Diego laughed and tried to cheer him up, but Zeke felt a bit weary from Diego’s constant chatter.
“Maybe I can do without this one from the Five Star Knights.”
As he pondered this, the students around them began to murmur.
They were glancing at Zeke, whispering among themselves. It seemed Diego’s loud voice had drawn their attention.
Zeke wondered what was going on as he noticed the students’ curious glances.
Diego, overhearing the whispers, suddenly exclaimed in surprise.
“What? Zeke bro, you’re a Draker?”
Zeke looked at Diego incredulously.
“You didn’t know until now?”
“I just thought you were an academy guy. I figured you were just putting on airs. So that’s what it was!”
”…”
At that moment, a group of students approached Zeke.
“Are you Zeke Draker? Nice to meet you. I’m Doug from the Roswell family, a graduate of the Academy’s 1025th class.”
The family name sounded familiar.
Zeke asked Doug, “Do you have a younger brother?”
Doug nodded with satisfaction.
“You know Durban? Well, they say there’s no one at the academy who doesn’t know the ‘Slash of Durban.’ My brother is also set to enter Valhalla next year.”
”…”
Zeke realized where he had heard the name. It made sense now.
He wondered if Valhalla’s standards were lower than he thought, considering Durban was coming, but in truth, Durban was among the top at the academy, despite having been beaten by Zeke.
Moreover, the Roswell family was a prestigious house with long-standing ties to the influential Siemens family of the Drakers.
Doug and Durban’s entry into Valhalla was no coincidence.
But Zeke was only half-listening to Doug, preoccupied with assessing Valhalla’s standards.
Unaware of Zeke’s thoughts, more scions from prominent central continent families gathered around him.
“Zeke Draker! I’m from the esteemed family of Thebea…”
“I’m from Alencia…”
“I’m the second son of the Central Continent Produce Guild…”
The news of a fifteen-year-old with the skills of a Blue Knight had piqued everyone’s curiosity about Zeke.
As more people crowded around, Zeke grew increasingly annoyed.
He shot a glare at Diego, who was still smiling cluelessly beside him.
Just then, a loud clapping sound echoed through the hall.
The crowd around Zeke dispersed and took their seats.
It was none other than Chancellor Flaubert himself who had stepped onto the podium.
Zeke finally understood why so many nobles from the central kingdom were attending what seemed like a simple lecture.
Chancellor Flaubert had personally invited a notable figure to share their life story in this class.
However, Diego, who had brought Zeke to the lecture, wasn’t paying attention. Instead, he pulled out a notebook and started scribbling lyrics for a new song, which he then showed to Zeke.
“Hey, bro. What do you think of these lyrics? The rhymes are killer, right?”
Zeke ignored Diego’s whispered excitement.
Meanwhile, Professor Flaubert began introducing the guest speaker.
“We’ve gone to great lengths to bring today’s speaker here,” he announced.
At his cue, the door opened, and someone walked in. Zeke’s jaw dropped.
“Master Duke?”
Duke, impeccably dressed in a Drake family suit, stepped up to the podium. Behind him, assistants unfurled a banner that read:
“How I, Duke Draker, Became a Black Knight from the Academy’s Underachievers.”
The students’ eyes sparkled with anticipation at the appearance of Duke Draker, the legendary Storm Knight. Even the headmaster left the stage to sit in the front row, eager to hear Duke’s lecture.
Duke, looking slightly nervous, adjusted the microphone.
“Ahem. It’s an honor to be invited as a guest lecturer at the esteemed Valhalla Academy. Though, I must admit, I never had the chance to be a student here.”
The students erupted in laughter.
Zeke watched as the students reacted enthusiastically to Duke’s every word, feeling the true power of influence. Unlike when he was with Zeke, Duke seemed genuinely happy with the immediate and positive response from the audience.
With great anticipation, Duke began his life story. For nearly two hours, he recounted his journey. Surprisingly, Duke was a decent storyteller, but he had a lot to say. Initially, the students listened intently, but gradually, their attention waned. As knights, they were more accustomed to sparring than listening to long speeches.
Even Headmaster Flaubert looked a bit uneasy as Duke’s story dragged on. He signaled Duke to wrap it up, but Duke, lost in his own narrative, ignored the hint and continued.
“So I told the head of the family, ‘Think it over. This isn’t right.’ And then Arthur said…”
Just then, the lecture hall door swung open, and someone walked in.
Clank. Clank.
A knight clad in shimmering silver armor, with flowing platinum hair and a face like a sculpture, entered. The students gasped and stood up.
“The Silver Knight!”
“Kali Draker!”
It was none other than the firstborn of the Draker family, making a dramatic entrance.