Episode 361
The group gathered in front of the mansion was none other than the Barbarians from the Rock Tribe.
As King Fist set Zeke down, he bowed slightly toward him.
“Zeke, I’ve missed you, man.”
“Same here. But what brings you all the way to Atlas?”
King Fist scratched his head before replying to Zeke.
“You sent a letter to my father, remember? Mentioned you had some of our tribe’s kids and Mohakin tribe’s kids with you. My father figured we might as well bring more of our people and take care of those who messed with us.”
Zeke had informed Big Foot, the chief of the Rock Tribe, that the wizards of Siemens were kidnapping and brainwashing Barbarians to use them as weapons.
Upon hearing this, Big Foot had apparently ordered an attack on Siemens.
Typically, Barbarians rarely left their territories. The fact that King Fist and others were sent indicated just how furious Big Foot and the other tribal leaders were.
Zeke nodded, then turned to the captain of the guards and the knights, who looked bewildered, and asked King Fist, “So, why were you fighting with them?”
King Fist shrugged. “No idea. I told them I was here to see you, but they kept yelling, so I just ignored them and came in.”
The Barbarians, having lived with their own unique culture separate from the central continent, had no concept of identification. Plus, the language barrier likely contributed to the misunderstanding.
Zeke approached the captain of the guards and spoke. “Thank you for your hard work. I’m Zeke Draker.”
The captain, visibly tense, saluted him. “S-Sir Zeke! I’m Mark Soren, captain of the 5th Guard. It’s an honor to meet you!”
Zeke returned the salute with a nod. “They’re my guests. It seems there was a misunderstanding due to the language barrier.”
The captain was taken aback. “Barbarians are your guests, sir?”
“Yes, we formed a bond during a previous mission. They came to see me.”
The idea that Barbarians, known for not interacting with humans, were Zeke’s guests left the guards and knights in disbelief.
‘The Knight of Salvation truly is different.’
‘It’s hard to believe those savages are following him so calmly.’
Zeke’s mystique only grew as even the untouchable Barbarians seemed to follow him. The guards quickly dispersed after agreeing to send Zeke the bill for any damages and medical expenses.
Zeke led the Barbarians into the mansion.
Luther and Omar, who had been waiting for Zeke inside, had come out due to the commotion. Omar was startled to see the Barbarians walking with Zeke.
“Gasp! The Forest Keepers!”
Seeing Omar retreat in alarm, Zeke reassured him. “Sir Omar, there’s no need to worry. They’re my allies.”
Omar looked incredulous. “How can the Forest Keepers be allies? They never accept outsiders unless they’re from the same tribe…”
Then, something clicked in Omar’s mind.
“Of course, the Knight chosen by the Phoenix! Oh, dear heavens.”
Omar suddenly dropped to his knees, reciting a prayer. King Fist glanced at Zeke and asked, “What’s up with him?”
Zeke pondered how to explain in the Barbarian language before simply saying, “He’s scared of you guys.”
The Barbarians grinned, flexing their muscles in amusement.
“Scared!”
“Scared!”
The Barbarians laughed heartily, their joy simple and genuine. Zeke watched them with a fond smile, while Omar and Luther looked at Zeke with awe.
Thus, the Barbarian legion joined Zeke’s ranks.
Zeke had decided to proceed with a meeting with Julius, but he couldn’t head to the Dorta Republic immediately.
The appointment as Guardian Knight was the reason.
Since Arthur had expressed his intention to bestow the title upon Zeke, it was bound to happen. Zeke needed to see Arthur’s final decision and gauge Kali’s reaction before making any moves.
The worst-case scenario would be a rift between Zeke and Kali, leading to them becoming adversaries.
‘I can’t predict how Lady Kali will respond.’
He considered reaching out first, but the situation was delicate. The family hadn’t officially decided to appoint Zeke as Guardian Knight, so he couldn’t discuss it with Kali yet. A miscommunication could further destabilize the Four Seasons Castle.
Zeke sat in his study, contemplating his next steps, when the butler entered.
“Master, Lady Arina Lubern has arrived.”
Hearing Arina’s arrival, Zeke stood up. “Please, show her to the drawing room.”
Arina had stayed in the Holy Nation to discuss matters concerning the Pope and the Lubern lineage after Zeke left. Now, she had come to Atlas to see him.
When Zeke entered the drawing room, Arina greeted him with a bright smile.
“Lady Arina, welcome. You’ve worked hard.”
He offered her tea, which she savored with a nod of approval.
“The aroma is wonderful. Laura always gave me such fragrant tea.”
Arina often shared memories of Zeke’s mother, Laura, with him. Despite knowing her age, it was always surprising to realize she was of the same generation as Laura Agamemnon.
“Did your discussions with Saint Beatrice go well?”
Arina smiled and nodded. “Yes, she took the matter seriously. The other cardinals and bishops have such close ties with the Empire and the Nostra family that severing those connections was challenging.”
The Empire’s attack had provided an opportunity to address the longstanding corruption in the Holy Nation.
Arina explained that they had agreed to form a vigilante group with the Golden Dawn to eradicate the hunting of the Lubern lineage and the slave traders’ activities.
Zeke nodded in approval. “That’s excellent. I’ll support such efforts in any way I can.”
Arina beamed at his words. “Thank you, Sir Zeke. I also have a gift for you.”
She handed him an old book.
“What is this?”
“It’s one of Laura’s keepsakes.”
Zeke was taken aback. “My mother’s keepsake?”
“The Eastern Dawn’s hideout, where Laura worked, was managed by the Golden Dawn. I found this while going through the items stored there.”
Laura Agamemnon’s traces had remained within the Holy Nation.
Zeke carefully opened the old book, quickly scanning its contents.
“This is… a scripture?”
Arina nodded. “Yes, but it’s not a typical scripture. It’s an apocrypha.”
“An apocrypha?”
“Texts not included in the official scriptures due to uncertain origins or authenticity. Sir Favre and Laura searched for these while looking for the Lubern lineage.”
“My mother did? Do you know why she sought the apocrypha?”
“I couldn’t directly involve myself in their work back then due to my blindness. But I recall Laura being more proactive than Sir Favre. She wanted to uncover lost history through the apocrypha.”
“Lost history?”
“Yes, history from before the Hero King era. The history of the legendary city of Carcosa, built by the ancient constellations.”
The era before the Liberation War, the time of Hero King Kaishir, was already considered legendary. The era of the ancient constellations was even more shrouded in mystery, with only fragmented records remaining.
While others might dismiss tales of gods as fanciful, Zeke took them seriously. The legend of the Godslayer he heard from Tyr’s spirit originated from that era.
‘Perhaps the apocrypha contains information about the Godslayer.’
Zeke recalled the term “Carcosa,” mentioned by Arina.
‘I’ve heard that name before. Where was it?’
As he pondered, a realization struck him.
‘Solomon’s Ring!’
The legendary item that allowed the sealing and use of a constellation’s power was Solomon’s Ring.
‘It was said to be given to Solomon, the King of Carcosa, by an Elder Dragon.’
Zeke asked Princess Arina, “Lady Arina, do you know anything about the city of Carcosa and King Solomon?”
Arina was visibly surprised by his question, her eyes widening.
“You know of King Solomon? I didn’t realize you had such knowledge of theology, Sir Zeke.”
“Is King Solomon mentioned in the scriptures?”
Arina shook her head.
“The Bibles available these days are the newly compiled versions by the Holy Kingdom, so the content has changed significantly and been condensed. Even in the scriptures from the Holy Empire era, King Solomon is only briefly mentioned.”
“Does that mean we can’t know the full story?”
Arina shook her head.
“The apocrypha that Laura discovered contains details about King Solomon and Carcosa.”
“Where did Mother find this?”
Arina hesitated for a moment before speaking slowly.
“In the secret library of the Draker family.”
While Zeke was momentarily at a loss for words, Arina continued.
“I never learned how Laura managed to enter the secret library. But I do know she went in, memorized the entire apocrypha, and came out. Over two hundred thousand characters’ worth.”
“Are you saying the Drakers kept such a vast collection of apocrypha? For what purpose…?”
“Laura wanted to find out why, too. I don’t know how she ended up marrying the head of the Draker family and having you, Sir Zeke, but the Laura I knew didn’t have a high opinion of the Drakers.”
“Isn’t it because the Draker family took advantage of the Agamemnon curse to seize all of Midland?”
“Beyond that, she seemed to… well, despise the Draker family itself.”
Zeke looked puzzled at Arina’s words.
“Yet she married Arthur Draker. And even had me…”
Laura nodded at Zeke’s remark.
“Laura could see what others couldn’t, so there were limits to how much I could understand her. She was a woman of many secrets.”
To Zeke, Laura Agamemnon was like a mirage—always just out of reach.
‘With the power of Chronos, she could foresee the future. Did she see something?’
It was still difficult to piece together what had transpired between Laura and Arthur.
‘Once this is all over, I should visit Lex Turn. It’s long overdue, but he promised to tell me about Mother.’
Just then, Arina spoke to the contemplative Zeke.
“We’ve strayed from the topic. You were curious about Carcosa, weren’t you, Sir Zeke?”
Arina looked at Zeke.
“It’s all in the book, but to put it briefly, Carcosa fell because of the blind love of the gods.”