Episode 409
“Revenge, huh.”
It was one of the most common yet easily understandable base emotions humans possessed.
However, Rofocale didn’t believe the man standing before him had come all this way just for the sake of simple revenge.
He had never sensed a bond deep enough between Azmun and Pretz to warrant such a vendetta.
“It seems like he’s using revenge as a pretext for something else.”
Despite knowing this, Rofocale decided to hear Azmun out. After all, he was tasked with capturing Zeke Draker by his master, and having a cunning strategist like Azmun on his side could prove advantageous.
Looking at Azmun, he spoke, “The Knight of Salvation, Zeke Draker. It’s true he’s been a thorn in the Empire’s side.”
Azmun grinned widely, his thick lips parting as he replied, “If we let him be, he’ll only grow more influential within the Draker family. Arthur Draker may not be in the spotlight now, but if he uses the Knight of Salvation and Julius’s rebels to create a cause, a full-scale war could be declared, and that would be quite troublesome.”
Rofocale nodded in agreement. “We should have dealt with Julius from the Dortha side. Who would’ve thought both Nebilos and Viper would fail?”
Especially Nebilos, a demon known for his formidable power even in the demon realm. The fact that he failed in his invasion had complicated matters significantly.
Azmun spoke in a subtle tone, “Currently, the Siemens family isn’t taking any overt action. It’s unclear what Ramon Siemens is thinking, so if a full-scale war breaks out, it’s uncertain whether Siemens will oppose Draker.”
Ramon Siemens, the head of the Siemens family, had placed the mentally unstable Abel on the throne and then retreated from the public eye. He neither appeared at official events nor involved himself in imperial affairs, making it impossible to discern his intentions.
Rofocale, possessing the memories of the Apostle of the Abyss, knew that Ramon Siemens was secluded, preparing for a second baptism. However, he saw no need to share this with Azmun.
“Azmun is unaware of the situation with the Abyss and Siemens. I should use this to my advantage.”
Rofocale nodded in response to Azmun’s words. “Indeed, as you said, the current stance of Siemens is hard to trust.”
Azmun pondered for a moment before pulling something from his coat. “Would you take a look at this, Acting Consul?”
Rofocale accepted the item Azmun handed him and examined it. “What is this?”
Azmun revealed a worn book, its cover embossed with an emblem of a sword and shield. “It’s a forbidden book containing the secrets of the Dragon Slayer, Terracan Draker.”
Rofocale couldn’t help but be surprised. Despite being a demon, he had a keen interest in human affairs and was already aware of Terracan Draker, the Dragon Slayer. The existence of a forbidden book containing his secrets was indeed astonishing.
Azmun, noticing Rofocale’s reaction, smirked and continued, “The Draker family has spent a long time manipulating history to hide the fact that Terracan Draker was an illegitimate child of the family, creating the myth of the Dragon Slayer. If we reveal the existence of this book to Rome and propose a negotiation to Zeke Draker, he will undoubtedly come here.”
“Even knowing it’s a trap, he’ll come?”
“Arthur Draker will likely order Zeke Draker to do so. His orders are absolute. Even the Knight of Salvation cannot refuse.”
Rofocale found Azmun’s plan plausible. “Humans obsessed with honor and justification would indeed make such irrational decisions.”
After some contemplation, Rofocale nodded. “It seems like a good plan, Commander. Let’s use this bait to capture Zeke Draker and avenge Captain Pretz together.”
Azmun grinned widely at his agreement. “I look forward to working with you.”
Whoosh!
Zeke ventured deep into the Forest of the Forgotten with Nigel. The vast sea of trees was a place where one could easily lose their way and become lost forever, so it was crucial to stick to the designated paths.
Nigel, the forest’s caretaker, was the only one who could navigate its depths.
After a while, Nigel stopped in front of a cave hidden within the forest. Zeke stood beside him, gazing at the entrance.
He instinctively knew this was the secret training ground of the Absolute Sword Family.
Nigel gestured for Zeke to follow and entered the cave without hesitation. The cave was unremarkable, devoid of monsters or beasts.
As they ventured deeper, something appeared at the end of the cave.
“What is this…?”
A door adorned with the emblem of the Absolute Sword Family. It was identical to the one he had seen in the Draker family’s secret chamber with Arthur Draker.
“So, Master knew about the existence of this place.”
As Nigel approached, the door opened on its own. “Let’s go in.”
Zeke followed Nigel into the chamber. Inside, to his surprise, was a training ground equipped with various weapons, including numerous swords.
“There seems to be every type of weapon that exists on the continent.”
Zeke turned his gaze to the far wall, where a statue of a sword deity stood, similar to the one he had seen in the Draker family’s secret chamber.
He remarked to Nigel, “There’s a statue of the Sword Deity, Shaton Draker, here as well.”
Nigel tilted his head, puzzled. “What are you talking about? This isn’t a statue of the Sword Deity.”
“Excuse me? Our family has a similar statue, and I thought it was modeled after the Sword Deity.”
“Ridiculous. To claim to be the successor of the Sword Deity without even knowing his appearance.”
Zeke knew the statue didn’t resemble the true Sword Deity, having met his spirit in the Inverted Tower.
“I assumed it was symbolic, but… it turns out it’s someone entirely different.”
Curious, Zeke asked Nigel, “Then whose likeness is this statue?”
Nigel replied in a serious tone, “It’s the statue of Solomon, the unparalleled master of the sword in all of history, known as the Sword God.”
Zeke was taken aback by Nigel’s words. “Solomon… as in the King of Carcosa?”
Nigel seemed surprised that Zeke knew of Solomon. “It’s a history unknown to humans, yet you know of it.”
“By chance, yes. I didn’t realize this statue depicted King Solomon.”
Nigel nodded. “I wouldn’t have known either if not for the records left here.”
“Records? You mean those of Shaton Draker?”
Nigel shook his head. “No, I couldn’t access the places where the Sword Deity’s traces remain. What I read were the records left by Bahamut, the Ruler of Dusk.”
“Bahamut knew of this place and left records here?”
Nigel nodded in response to Zeke’s question. “Yes, though I never met him directly, the previous caretaker of this place was Bahamut himself, so there’s a deep connection.”
Zeke was surprised to learn that Bahamut had once managed the Forbidden Forest of the Forgotten before Nigel.
Nigel continued, “Under the guidance of the leader, I became the caretaker of the forest Bahamut left behind. That was over a thousand years ago.”
“What? You’ve been here for over a thousand years, Master?”
“You fool. What did you even know about me before your regression?”
Zeke had spent countless days getting beaten up but had never heard such details.
“Being stuck here for a thousand years, no wonder his personality’s a bit… unique.”
Unaware of Zeke’s thoughts, Nigel clicked his tongue and pointed at the statue. “Before leaving, Bahamut left many records for the new caretaker who would succeed him. One of them was about the secret chamber of the Sword Deity. He spent a long time here wielding his sword while creating the Soul Sword.”
“Then you don’t know what’s inside the chamber?”
“Even I can’t enter places I’m not permitted. So I just guarded it until the rightful owner appeared.”
Zeke nodded at Nigel’s explanation. “If it’s locked by the system, even Master couldn’t break in without destroying it.”
Nigel, detached from worldly affairs, had no reason to go to such lengths to break into the chamber.
Zeke looked at the statue and took out the ring of the Absolute Sword Family from his inventory.
“System, find the door that leads inside the chamber.”
[Searching the management system of the designated area as per the user’s command.]
[Accessing the management system.]
[Access code required.]
[Searching for related code.]
[Title of the Sword Deity’s Successor confirmed.]
[Seal of the Absolute Sword Family confirmed. Extracting access code.]
[Entering access code.]
[Access authorization to the management system completed.]
[Opening the door to the secure area.]
Rumble!
As soon as the final message faded, the statue of the sword god shifted to the side, revealing a hidden entrance behind it.
“Is this the entrance to the Absolute Sword Clan’s secret chamber?”
Zeke hesitated at the threshold, glancing back over his shoulder. Nigel stood still, making no move to follow.
“Aren’t you coming with me?” Zeke asked.
Nigel let out a derisive snort. “Why would I? My job was just to guide you here. That’s it.”
With those words, Nigel vanished, leaving Zeke to explore on his own.
Zeke thought it was just like Nigel to remain indifferent, even in the face of the legendary secret chamber rumored to hold the Sword Saint’s ancient techniques.
Turning his attention back to the entrance, Zeke stepped inside. As he walked, lights began to flicker on overhead, illuminating his path.
At the very end, he found a door emblazoned with the emblem of the Absolute Sword Clan.
[Please authenticate with your code.]
Following the prompt, Zeke held the clan’s signet ring close to the door. It split open, sliding apart to grant him entry.
The chamber, sealed for millennia, had finally opened, revealing its secrets to Zeke.
He was taken aback by what he saw inside.
“This is exactly like the Hero King’s Sanctuary!”
The altar in the center, the floating gem above it—everything was arranged in the same way.
Zeke climbed the steps to the altar, examining the gem closely.
“The color’s different, though. The Hero King’s was sky blue, but this one’s purple.”
He reached out slowly toward the gem.
As he did, a magic circle flared to life on the altar, and the gem emitted a blinding light.
“Ugh!”
Startled by the sudden brilliance, Zeke stumbled back.
The light coalesced, forming a shape.
A soft hum filled the air as the light took on the form of a person.
It was a small swordsman with ash-gray hair, resembling a boy—exactly like the image of Shaton Draker he had seen in the inverted tower.
The figure’s eyes sparkled as it looked at Zeke.
“Zeke Draker, we meet again.”
Zeke was taken aback by Shaton Draker’s words.
“You know me? How?”
Shaton raised his sword.
“Let’s see how much you’ve improved since last time.”
With that, Shaton lunged at Zeke, his form a blur of motion.