Episode 37
“Callie Draker.”
To Zeke, she was his eldest sister.
Yet, in his previous life, he had only seen Callie Draker a handful of times. Before he was confined to the cradle, he had glimpsed her from afar during family events.
She was the eldest daughter of the Draker family and one of the Guardian Knights of the Four Seasons Fortress.
While the fortress boasted thousands of knights, fewer than ten held the esteemed title of Guardian Knight.
Even Abel Draker, who commanded his own knightly order, had yet to earn that rank.
So, for Callie Draker to be a Guardian Knight in her thirties was nothing short of extraordinary.
Her achievements were nothing less than remarkable.
The port city of Aison, the largest in Midland, had been plagued by southern sea pirates for over a century.
These pirates, scattered in a network of cells across the deadly waters south of the Dortha Republic, were nearly impossible to eradicate.
But once Callie Draker became an official knight of the Draker family, she resolved the issue. Her first mission was to deal with these southern sea pirates.
She boarded their ships alone, slaughtering them all, and pursued the fleeing ones to their island hideouts, wiping them out completely.
Fighting was futile, and fleeing was pointless.
Callie Draker quietly, thoroughly, and decisively eradicated the pirate threat that everyone deemed unsolvable.
Five years later, pirates were a thing of the past in Aison.
Thanks to Callie Draker, the central sea route, which connected the Dortha Republic to the Eastern Empire, was cleared.
In recognition of her achievements, Callie Draker became the youngest to be awarded the title of Guardian Knight.
When Callie Draker appeared for a special lecture, the students buzzed with excitement.
Duke, who had suddenly lost the spotlight to Callie, was flustered.
Taking advantage of the moment, Principal Flaubert signaled Duke to step down from the podium.
Reluctantly, Duke descended, having been overshadowed by the rising star.
Principal Flaubert cleared his throat and returned to the podium.
“Today, we have a special guest, the renowned Silver Knight, Callie Draker. As the previous lecture ran long, let’s quickly welcome the Silver Knight.”
Callie Draker bowed politely to Flaubert before stepping onto the podium.
Clad in silver armor, the platinum-haired knight stood confidently before the students, resembling a Valkyrie from legend.
Without using a voice amplifier, she addressed the students.
“Attention!”
Her commanding voice startled the students, who instinctively snapped to attention.
Even Principal Flaubert flinched, so one could imagine the effect on the students.
She respectfully saluted Duke.
“Honored Black Knight, Sir Duke Draker, I extend my greetings. Everyone, salute Sir Duke Draker!”
The academy students, trained to respond, immediately stood and saluted Duke.
Those who hadn’t graduated from the academy hesitated, either following suit or watching Callie Draker for cues.
After the formalities, she returned to the podium to speak.
“Cadets, as I arrived for today’s lecture, I toured Valhalla. And I must say, I am disappointed.”
Callie Draker was a Valhalla alumna from before Principal Flaubert’s tenure.
Back then, with a Draker as principal, the academy was even stricter.
In a stern voice, she continued.
“The peace we enjoy on the continent today was not simply given. It was earned with the blood of our predecessor knights.”
Compared to Callie Draker, Duke Draker was a milder version of a Draker.
For three hours, she passionately emphasized the spirit of chivalry, the importance of strict discipline, and the necessity of grueling training.
Listening to Callie Draker’s lecture, Flaubert buried his face in his hands.
“Damn those Drakers.”
He resolved never to invite another Draker to lecture again.
The students, initially thrilled to see the Silver Knight in person, gradually turned pale.
After enduring three hours of verbal assault, the lecture finally ended, and they shuffled out like zombies, utterly drained.
Surprisingly, Zeke found Callie Draker’s lecture quite engaging.
“Strict, but she makes valid points.”
Having spent his life on the battlefield, Zeke understood her intentions.
He sensed the warmth and care in her words, knowing she wouldn’t offer such advice without genuine concern.
“Hey, bro. Wanna hear the new track I spent five hours on? It’s fire, yo!”
Zeke shook his head at Diego’s peculiar music.
After enduring Diego’s strange tunes, Zeke was about to leave the lecture hall when someone approached him.
“Zeke.”
He turned to see none other than Callie Draker.
Zeke bowed to her.
“An honor to meet the Guardian Knight of the Four Seasons Fortress, Lady Callie Draker.”
Callie Draker returned the bow with equal respect.
“Could you spare a moment?”
Her tone was as formal as one would expect from a Draker.
Leaving a disappointed Diego behind, Zeke followed Callie.
He thought she might invite him for tea, but to his surprise, she led him to the training grounds.
Standing in the center, Callie Draker spoke to Zeke.
“Prepare yourself.”
Without further explanation, she instructed him to get ready for a spar.
Though unsure of her intentions, Zeke decided to play along.
He drew Bahamut from his back.
Simultaneously, Callie Draker unsheathed her pure white sword.
It was a solid mithril blade, a gift from the Holy Kingdom, which had suffered the most from the pirates. In gratitude for her efforts, they had crafted and presented her with a full mithril armor and sword.
The Holy Kingdom, known for its wealth, had spared no expense.
Thus, clad in her white armor and wielding her gleaming sword, Callie Draker earned the moniker of the Silver Knight.
Pointing her sword at Zeke, she commanded.
“Show me your full strength, Zeke Draker.”
At her words, Zeke raised his sword.
“Then I won’t hold back.”
Zeke charged at Callie, his movements a blur.
Clang!
Their swords clashed, Zeke’s swift maneuvers leaving afterimages, yet Callie matched him move for move.
As she swung her white sword, it left a dazzling trail, like flowers blooming in its wake.
Her skill was as beautiful as it was formidable.
Whoosh!
Realizing Callie Draker’s prowess was no ordinary feat, Zeke retreated.
Her skills weren’t just from advanced swordsmanship; they were honed through real combat.
Lowering his abilities to the level of a Blue Knight, Zeke was careful not to reveal his true strength.
If word reached the family that he was already at the level of a Red Knight, they would never let him go, binding him to their will.
That would thwart Zeke’s plan to leave and build his own power base.
“I’ll return to the Drakers when I can bend them to my will.”
Whoosh!
As Zeke steeled his resolve, Callie, seeing him maintain distance, took the initiative.
Boom!
Callie Draker’s strength lay in her raw power.
Her strikes carried far more force than those of typical knights.
Swish!
Zeke deflected her sword, finding an opening to thrust his own.
Having sparred to the brink of death with the Hero King Kaishir, his body instinctively countered.
Callie flinched at Zeke’s sharp attack, stepping back.
She was astonished by her youngest brother’s exceptional talent.
“Impressive.”
For someone usually stingy with praise, the words slipped out.
Callie gripped her sword, focusing her aura.
Vroom!
A pure white aura blade enveloped her sword.
To truly gauge Zeke’s abilities, she unleashed her aura.
As Callie engaged her aura, Zeke steadied his breath, summoning his own aura blade.
The atmosphere between them shifted.
Ping!
In a blur, they exchanged blows at lightning speed.
Shing!
Callie unleashed a dazzling flurry of sword techniques, pressing Zeke.
He evaded her attacks with phantom steps, seeking openings.
Though not on par with Kaishir, she was undoubtedly a master of balanced offense and defense.
Slash!
Zeke parried Callie’s sword, executing a dragon-slaying technique.
Even a simple crescent slash, when wielded by Zeke, packed immense power.
Callie was pushed back, struggling to withstand the force.
With her attack thwarted, Zeke used shadow steps to target her blind spots, thrusting his sword.
In response, Callie drew her sword to her chest, concentrating her energy.
Vroom!
Suddenly, a massive force surged from Callie’s body.
Before she became known as the Silver Knight, Callie had another nickname whispered among people.
The Mighty Sword.
Those who had faced her sword often said it felt like confronting a blade wielded by a giant.
The terrifying aura enveloped her entire body.
At the same time, the aura blade surrounding her sword grew to the size of a bastard sword.
She swung her mighty sword toward Zeke.
Boom!
Zeke quickly evaded her powerful strike using his shadow step technique.
The shockwave was so intense that it cracked and split the floor of the training ground.
Feigning exhaustion, Zeke pointed his sword at Kali and let out a battle cry.
“Haaah!”
He acted as if he was gathering every ounce of aura in his body.
Deliberately, he left the aura blade unrefined, allowing it to flare wildly.
The aura blade ignited like flames on Zeke’s sword—a technique he had once used when he couldn’t properly control his aura, known as “Sword Flame.”
Yet, its power was anything but trivial.
Kali’s expression shifted upon seeing Zeke’s Sword Flame.
Kali’s mighty sword clashed with Zeke’s Sword Flame.
Boom!
Both Zeke and Kali were thrown backward.
“Ugh!”
Zeke collapsed, clutching his chest as if his aura had backfired.
Simultaneously, he manipulated his blood flow to make his face appear pale.
Seeing this, Kali quickly approached and handed him a potion.
“Zeke, drink this.”
Though perfectly healthy, Zeke accepted the potion from Kali and drank it with apparent difficulty.
He then restored his complexion as if he had just managed to calm his internal injuries.
“Thank you, Lady Kali Draker.”
“Just call me sister.”
Zeke was taken aback by her words.
In the Draker family, even blood siblings were merely rivals, never showing warmth to one another.
For Kali Draker, the top candidate to lead the family, to extend a hand to Zeke, who had no backing, was unheard of.
“Understood, sister.”
Kali Draker looked at Zeke with a curious gaze.
“I heard you became the youngest Blue Knight in the family. Your skills are truly remarkable. Even Abel wasn’t at this level at your age.”
Before Zeke, the record for the youngest Blue Knight belonged to none other than Abel Draker.
When Abel became a Blue Knight at nineteen, it caused a stir across the continent. But Zeke had achieved it at fifteen, which was even more astonishing.
Kali continued in a serious tone.
“Zeke, I didn’t come here to discuss this, but meeting you has changed my mind.”
“What do you mean, sister?”
“I have a proposal for you.”
She looked at Zeke and said,
“Help us stop Abel Draker, the merciless knight of slaughter.”