Episode 408
Nigel frowned and glared at Zeke, taken aback by his sudden question.
“You fool… Why are you asking such nonsense in the middle of a meal?”
“Well, Master, you don’t seem quite human, but I don’t sense any dragon aura either. I’m just curious.”
Zeke had always been intrigued by Nigel’s true nature, even in his past life.
After his return, he wondered if she might be a dragon or a dragonkin, but upon meeting her again, he felt no such presence.
Nigel took a big bite of her bread, chewing thoughtfully before clicking her tongue and looking at Zeke.
“Of all the things… to have a disciple like this.”
“It’s just pure curiosity. If you don’t want to talk about it, that’s fine.”
Zeke shrugged it off, picking up a piece of bread himself.
Nigel watched him for a moment before standing up.
“Ah, the things you do when you’ve lived as long as I have.”
She untied her hair and approached Zeke, showing him the top of her head.
“Hey, take a look. What do you see?”
“What? What’s this about, Master?”
“You said you were curious!”
Zeke examined the top of Nigel’s head closely.
‘Huh?’
There was a mark where something seemed to have been cut off.
Instinctively, Zeke reached out to touch it, causing Nigel to shiver in surprise.
Thud!
In an instant, Nigel’s fist struck Zeke’s chest.
“Ugh!”
Clutching his chest in pain, Zeke looked up, struggling to breathe.
Nigel, covering her head with her hand, glared at him with a hint of embarrassment.
“I said look, not touch, you idiot. Do you want to die?”
She twisted her hair back up, covering the spot, and returned to her seat.
As Zeke caught his breath, he asked, “Is that a remnant of a horn?”
Nigel tore into her bread with a bit more force than necessary.
“Yeah, ever seen a horn cut off before?”
“Well, I’ve never seen anyone with horns. Aren’t they only found in demonkind?”
Zeke glanced at her cautiously, and Nigel clicked her tongue again.
“Damn it, this is why I didn’t want to show you. I’m not a demon.”
She hesitated before speaking slowly.
“I’m a unicorn.”
“A unicorn?”
Zeke looked puzzled, having never heard of such a race.
Nigel tapped her full stomach and spoke bluntly.
“They’re from the Eastern Continent, so you wouldn’t know about them here. I was exiled from my homeland after my horn was cut off.”
“So you’re a unicorn, but not really?”
“Ugh, at my level, such racial concepts don’t mean much.”
Zeke repeated the word “unicorn” to himself, then asked, “So, are there still unicorns on the Eastern Continent?”
“Who knows? It’s been so long since I left. We were never a populous race, and I was one of the youngest. They might be extinct by now.”
Zeke pondered her words and asked another question.
“Is the Soul Technique something passed down from the unicorns?”
Nigel shook her head.
“No, that’s a unique skill I developed over centuries. Our kind originally had the ability to transform or hide, but I lost that power when I was exiled. So I researched a way to manipulate mana by opening the middle dantian.”
“So you didn’t always have your middle dantian open, Master?”
“Unicorns can naturally control mana through their horns. But without mine, I had to find another way.”
It seemed Nigel had her own story, having been exiled and lost her horn.
‘A unicorn, huh. Like the vanished ancient races. I knew she wasn’t human, but I didn’t expect a race I’d never heard of.’
Zeke learned something new about Nigel that he hadn’t known in his past life.
After finishing their meal, Nigel sipped the tea Zeke offered and continued.
“Well, you’ve pretty much learned the Soul Technique. What will you do next?”
Once Zeke mastered the Solo Spell, he only needed to strengthen his will and expand it one letter at a time, so there wasn’t much more for her to teach.
Zeke looked at Nigel and said, “I still have things to do in the Forest of the Forgotten.”
“Huh? What could you possibly do in this cursed forest?”
Zeke pulled out a ring engraved with the emblem of the Absolute Sword Family from his inventory.
“Have you seen this emblem before?”
Nigel took the ring, examined it, and was visibly startled.
“Why do you have this?”
Zeke was surprised by her reaction to the emblem.
“Have you seen the emblem of the Absolute Sword Family before?”
Nigel’s expression grew complicated.
After a moment of thought, she asked Zeke, “Do you know about the Sword Saint?”
The Sword Saint, Shaton Draker.
He founded the Absolute Sword Family and left his insights in a hidden cave.
Zeke had come to the Forest of the Forgotten to find that very cave.
He looked at Nigel and said, “Actually, I’m the successor of the Sword Saint.”
Nigel’s eyes widened in surprise.
“You’re the successor of the Sword Saint? Hmm… so that’s how it is.”
Muttering to herself, Nigel set down her teacup and stood up.
“Follow me. There’s something I need to show you.”
Nigel darted into the forest, and Zeke quickly followed, using his wind technique to keep up.
Rumble!
Deep beneath the royal city of Rom, a massive tremor shook the ground.
Once, it had been a place where Emperor Nero conducted suspicious rituals through cultists. Now, it was occupied by Lopocale, disguised as an apostle.
On the altar lay a magic circle drawn in blood, surrounded by strange organic materials.
Lopocale, holding a dagger imbued with the power of the constellations, chanted an eerie incantation.
The altar trembled again.
Rumble!
Black mist began to rise from the magic circle.
Lopocale took a petrified egg from his robe and placed it on the circle.
The black mist was drawn into the egg.
Sssss―
The petrified egg, now darkened, had transformed from a hard stone to a rubbery texture after absorbing the mist.
Screeeech―
From within the egg came a strange sound, as if something inside was trying to break free.
Lopocale carefully placed the egg into a nearby box.
“It’s not time for you to awaken yet. Stay a little longer.”
He murmured softly, closing the box.
With a gesture, the waiting dark mages moved the sealed box to an adjacent room.
Surprisingly, the room was filled with dozens of similar boxes.
Lopocale was meticulously preparing to lure Zeke Draker to Rom, following the orders of his master, the ‘Slithering Abyss.’
‘The priest seems to have noticed my true nature… but since he hasn’t said anything, I’ll wait and see.’
The fact that the priest overlooked his demonic nature suggested he had his own agenda.
For now, Lopocale focused on fulfilling his master’s command, leaving other concerns for later.
After completing the summoning, Lopocale descended from the altar, only to be approached by one of the abyssal mages.
“Apostle, Commander Azmun Barrios is here to see you.”
Lopocale instinctively rubbed his temples.
‘What does that troublesome man want now?’
While Lopocale managed the affairs of the palace in the mentally unstable Abel’s stead, Azmun Barrios, the commander of the Magal Army, handled military matters.
As a demon, Lopocale found it challenging to meddle in human military affairs, so he left that to Azmun.
The problem was that Azmun was no ordinary man.
As a servant of the ‘Slithering Abyss,’ Lopocale was well-versed in dealing with such individuals.
‘He’ll do anything for his own gain. Easy to tempt, but a pain to negotiate with.’
With a reluctant expression, Lopocale headed to the palace’s reception room where Azmun awaited.
Since Abel and Siemens took over Rom, the palace had become a somber place.
With deaths occurring almost daily, silence and gloom pervaded the halls.
The grand palace of Rom, once the largest on the continent, now resembled a lavishly adorned tomb.
Ignoring the oppressive atmosphere, Lopocale entered the reception room, where Azmun rose to greet him.
“Acting Regent, Commander Azmun Barrios at your service.”
Currently, Lopocale held the position of acting consul, stepping in for the exiled Julius. The fact that an enigmatic dark sorcerer had been appointed as the acting consul of the empire was a testament to the chaotic state of Rom.
Azmun, however, saw this instability as an opportunity to exploit.
Lopocale observed Azmun, who bowed respectfully before him. With his wild hair, thick eyebrows, a beard covering his face, and a robust physique, Azmun appeared more like a formidable warrior than a cunning strategist. Yet, this was merely a facade, a part of Azmun’s elaborate scheme. Beneath the surface, he was a serpent with countless coils.
Those unfamiliar with Azmun often mistook his appearance for simplicity, attempting to leverage his strength, only to find themselves outmaneuvered and discarded.
Aware of Azmun’s true nature, Lopocale maintained a cautious demeanor, returning the greeting and taking his seat.
“What brings the commander here? Surely, you’re busy managing the affairs of the Gohai Palace Legion.”
It was Azmun who had proposed sending the Gohai Palace knights to establish a foothold on the northern continent, to strike at Himonas from above and pressure the central continent from below. However, the mission had ended disastrously. The commander, Fretz, was killed, and most of the legion was decimated by Zeke Draker and the Barcal citizen army, with only a few surviving to return.
Rumors had spread that the Gohai Palace knights had conspired with dark sorcerers to summon monsters and attack Barcal, further souring public opinion. Rom had to distance itself from the incident, blaming it on Fretz’s rogue actions, while the Siemens family worked behind the scenes to redirect the public’s attention.
Lopocale wasted no time in probing Azmun’s sore spot before even hearing his reason for visiting.
Azmun scratched his head sheepishly. “Ah, yes, it’s been quite a headache. Ultimately, it’s my lack of leadership that led to this mess.”
He took a step back, bowing his head in acknowledgment of Lopocale’s words. Lopocale frowned at Azmun’s response.
‘He’s the most difficult type to deal with,’ Lopocale thought. Despite being a demon, he found Azmun’s cunning even more insidious, warranting his caution.
Azmun then spoke, looking directly at Lopocale. “I actually came to ask a favor of you, Acting Consul.”
Lopocale regarded him with a skeptical expression. “Though I hold the acting consul’s title, I’m just an ordinary dark sorcerer. I’m not sure what I could possibly do for someone who commands the empire’s forces.”
Azmun’s eyes gleamed with a knowing look. “Zeke Draker. You want to capture him, don’t you?”
Lopocale fell silent at this.
‘What is this man planning…’
Azmun continued with a serious expression. “I want to avenge Commander Fretz. Help me capture Zeke Draker.”