Episode 380
Ramon’s eyes widened at the Apostle’s words.
“Arthur Draker’s weakness, you say.”
He looked at the Apostle with disbelief etched on his face and spoke.
“Is that true?”
The Apostle nodded with a sinister grin.
“Indeed. If we exploit this, even Arthur Draker won’t stand a chance. No one will ever discover the true cause of his demise. The priest is already preparing the ritual for the curse.”
The terrifying aspect of ancient curses was that no matter how powerful a black knight was, without knowing how to defend against it, they were doomed.
Of course, the stronger the target, the more sacrifices were needed, but the Abyss had been perfecting this craft for centuries.
Ramon Siemens was prepared to make any sacrifice if it meant bringing down Arthur Draker.
‘If I can just defeat Arthur Draker, all past failures will mean nothing.’
The Draker family was the most formidable obstacle in the continental war.
It had taken him less than a week to manipulate Abel and seize control of Rom, but the Draker family was on an entirely different level.
He turned to the Apostle.
“If we can eliminate Arthur before the second baptism, all our past failures will be erased, and our plan will be as good as successful.”
The Apostle’s grin widened.
“Of course. The priest is fully committed to this task. You should focus on preparing for the second baptism without worry.”
Ramon didn’t particularly like the Apostle’s snake-like whisper, but he had no choice but to rely on the Abyss for now.
‘Once the second baptism is over, I’ll have to deal with these creatures too.’
He had no intention of keeping them around longer than necessary.
Ramon glanced at the unconscious Abel and instructed the Apostle.
“Take good care of him. He’s a valuable vessel, after all.”
With that, Ramon turned and left the chamber.
As soon as Ramon was gone, the Apostle’s face twisted into a sneer.
“Arrogant human…”
Sssss—
The Apostle’s face began to dissolve, revealing its true form—a grotesque demon with writhing tentacles.
This was not the Apostle of the Abyss but a mid-level demon named ‘Lopocale’ that had taken over the body.
Lopocale quickly donned the human guise again, hiding the tentacles.
He reached out with magical power to lift the unconscious Abel and grumbled as he moved him to another room.
“Damn it, I didn’t expect Nebilos and Viper to end up like that. I was planning to step in at the crucial moment, but now it’s a hassle.”
His master, the ‘Oozing Pit of Darkness,’ preferred to orchestrate schemes from the shadows rather than take the forefront.
As a servant, Lopocale followed his master’s inclinations, having laid out similar plans.
He had intended to collect the souls of humans from the sidelines while the stronger Viper and Nebilos took action, but now he was stuck with the mess.
As he grumbled internally, something made him pause and shiver.
His master, the ‘Oozing Pit of Darkness,’ had communicated something to him.
After pondering his master’s words, Lopocale burst into laughter.
“Ha! What a brilliant plan! I shall capture Zeke Draker as my master commands.”
The ‘Oozing Pit of Darkness’ wasn’t the strongest of the constellations, but its insight into the battlefield was invaluable, making its advice worth heeding.
Lopocale stroked his chin with a sinister smile.
‘Zeke Draker. So he’s the key to this war. Perhaps the plan will unfold more easily than expected.’
With a malevolent grin, he carried Abel into the room.
The fallen constellations were beginning to take notice of Zeke.
‘Neutral City. It’s been a while.’
The last time Zeke remembered Neutral City, it was a desolate place ravaged by the continental war.
But now, sitting at an outdoor café, he watched a bustling city full of life and felt a sense of freedom.
Everyone seemed to be enjoying themselves, except for the two mischievous twins sitting uncomfortably across from him.
“Sir Zeke.”
Al, oblivious to the tension, called out his name, earning a glare from Zeke.
Al quickly shut his mouth and turned his attention to the honey tea Zeke had ordered for him.
Zeke had come to this café, a favorite from his past life, to savor the free-spirited atmosphere of Neutral City.
But his peace was short-lived.
Clank! Clank!
A group of knights in full plate armor approached Zeke.
One of the knights lifted his visor, revealing a tense expression as he bowed respectfully to Zeke.
“Sir Zeke Draker. I am the captain of the third defense unit of Neutral City…”
Zeke raised a hand, cutting him off.
It was a potentially rude gesture, but the captain showed no displeasure, standing at attention instead.
Zeke, known as the guardian knight of the Draker family, a black knight, and a knight of salvation, was revered by knights across the continent.
Zeke addressed the captain.
“I’m just having a cup of tea. What is it?”
The captain glanced nervously at Al and Jeff, seated across from Zeke.
Sweating, he explained.
“Well, those two are on the list of individuals banned from entering Neutral City. By protocol, we must detain them for questioning.”
Zeke looked incredulously at Al and Jeff.
He wondered why they hadn’t been stopped earlier, only to realize they were banned from entering the city in the first place.
“What on earth have you two been up to?”
Al and Jeff waved their hands frantically, sweating bullets.
“It’s nothing, really! Just a few harmless pranks!”
“Yeah! We were just joking around, but they took it way too seriously!”
The captain frowned and interjected.
“Those two once put a laxative on the mayor’s seat during an annual event. When the mayor sat down, it was chaos—liquid everywhere.”
Al and Jeff looked away, embarrassed.
Zeke clicked his tongue and spoke to the captain.
“Captain, I understand your dedication to duty. But these rascals have business with me here.”
The captain looked conflicted at Zeke’s refusal to hand over Al and Jeff.
Zeke handed the captain a dragon-slaying badge from his coat.
“If you’re reprimanded for this, show them my name and this badge. It should keep you out of trouble.”
The captain’s jaw dropped as he accepted the badge with trembling hands.
“Sir Zeke, this is…”
“Keep it safe. I’ll come back for it once this is over.”
The captain, pale-faced, carefully wrapped the badge in a handkerchief and tucked it away.
He bowed to Zeke once more.
“My apologies for the disturbance. Enjoy your time.”
The captain led his knights and guards away.
Al and Jeff sighed in relief, then quickly regained their mischievous demeanor.
“Wow, the Draker name really carries weight.”
“Yeah, I can’t believe that stickler of a captain backed off without a peep.”
Zeke shot them a cold look.
Their playful attitude vanished as they fell silent under his gaze.
Zeke sipped his tea and warned them.
“If you cause any more trouble here, you’ll be having a meeting with Lady Arina at the Southern Isles Academy.”
Al and Jeff turned pale at the mention.
They’d heard the rumors about Arina’s meetings—how even the most hardened criminals left either terrified or completely reformed.
But no one knew what exactly happened during those meetings, which only added to the fear.
Watching the twins tremble, Zeke smiled in satisfaction.
Just then, someone approached Zeke.
“Sir Knight, would you like to buy a flower?”
A young girl with a basket of flowers stood before him.
Zeke nodded and handed her a gold coin.
The girl hesitated, sweating nervously.
“Sir, I… I don’t have change for a gold coin…”
“Keep the change. The flowers are beautiful; I’ll take the whole basket.”
The girl beamed and handed over the basket.
Al and Jeff exchanged puzzled glances.
‘Does Sir Zeke like flowers?’
‘Doesn’t really suit him, does it?’
Ignoring the clear expressions on the two men’s faces, Zeke peered into the basket of flowers.
“Just as I thought.”
Inside the basket was a scroll sent by Bacchus.
He had hypnotized the flower-selling girl to include the scroll and deliver it to Zeke.
After tucking the scroll into his inventory, Zeke handed the basket to Al and Jeff.
“Why are you giving this to us?”
“I don’t even like flowers,” Jeff grumbled.
Zeke looked at them sternly. “Take these and apologize to everyone in the city you’ve upset with your antics. Give them a flower each. If you don’t do it properly, we’ll have a little chat.”
Al and Jeff slumped, their spirits visibly deflated.
Leaving them behind, Zeke stood up and moved to a quieter spot. He took out the scroll from Bacchus and tore it open.
A low hum resonated as the scroll activated, and something appeared before Zeke’s eyes.
A small, bat-like creature began to circle around him.
It flew low, as if beckoning him to follow.
“A locator spell, perhaps,” Zeke mused. It was his first encounter with such magic, likely a specialty of vampires.
Donning a shape-shifting cloak, Zeke altered his appearance and followed the bat into the alleyways.
The neutral city was vast and free, but beneath its surface lay an unseen world.
While the Black Market City was the largest known lawless zone, the neutral city’s black market was more advantageous for acquiring illegal potions, medicines, and smuggled rare materials.
Zeke had frequented this black market in his past life. During wartime, resources were always scarce, and the Alchemist Guild sold their goods at exorbitant prices. Despite the lack of reliability, the cheaper black market knock-offs were often the only option.
Following the bat deeper into the alley, Zeke spotted a tattoo parlor. Young men and women, their bodies covered in tattoos, stood around the shop, eyeing Zeke intently.
He noted the patches on their leather vests.
“Red Eye gang,” he thought.
The eastern region, especially the neutral city’s black market, was a hotbed of territorial disputes between the Red Eye and the Nostra family.
Each alley had its own territory, and any trespass was met with swift retaliation. This area seemed to belong to the Red Eye.
A young vampire approached Zeke.
“Hey, this isn’t a place for humans. Get lost while I’m being nice.”
Zeke glanced around, finally spotting the bat circling above the tattoo parlor entrance. It seemed he needed to go inside.
When Zeke didn’t respond, the young vampire stepped closer.
“You deaf or something? I said—”
Thud!
Zeke’s fist shot out, lightly tapping the vampire’s jaw.
Though it seemed like a gentle hit, the vampire crumpled to the ground.
The other vampires, leaning against the wall and watching, were taken aback.
Zeke addressed them calmly. “Go fetch your captain.”