Episode 421

“Why is this here?”

Zeke couldn’t believe his eyes. The sword of Siemens Apollyon, which he had last seen embedded in the floor of the secret chamber alongside the weapons of past family heads, was now right in front of him.

“Could it be the same sword? Maybe it’s a replica… or is this one the fake?”

Pushing aside his tangled thoughts, Zeke approached the sword cautiously, reaching out his hand.

Vrrrrr!

The sword vibrated as if responding to his touch.

He grasped it.

[You have acquired the legendary item ’????’.]

[The item is currently inactive.]

“If it’s inactive, I can’t check its details.”

Zeke frowned slightly, frustrated that he couldn’t use the legendary item he had just obtained.

Just then, a message appeared before him.

[An achievement quest has been updated due to the inactive item.]

―Achievement Quest (Linked)―

[Find the Temple of the Moon Goddess Theia and obtain the authentication code. (No time limit)]

[Activate the inactive item using the obtained authentication code. (No time limit)]

[Quest Mission Reward: Title - Theia’s Blessing]

[Linked Quest Mission Reward: ???]

Zeke stared at the message, then back at the still inactive sword.

“A quest to find the Temple of Theia, and a linked quest… Could this sword be related to the goddess Theia?”

Siemens Apollyon had once received and worn the armor of the Moon Goddess Theia from the Hero King. It seemed plausible that he might have carried a sword related to her as well.

“Was the armor and sword a set item?”

Though many theories crossed his mind, the sword’s inactive state left him with no answers. Zeke decided to store the sword in his inventory for now.

Yet, the questions lingered in his mind.

“What exactly is this sword that I couldn’t draw?”

It looked identical to the one he had seen in the secret chamber of the Drake family with Arthur Drake. The family had mistaken it for the sword of their ancestor, Shaton Drake, but Zeke felt he knew the truth.

Swordmaster Shaton had adopted Siemens Apollyon’s descendant to create a god-slayer. In the process, the Drake family was formed, and it seemed Shaton had also collected Siemens Apollyon’s sword. Over time, the story had been distorted, and the sword was passed down as Shaton Drake’s.

However, when Zeke had tried to draw it, the sword had remained unresponsive, as if under some special spell or enchantment.

Now, with the same sword appearing from a random box, Zeke’s mind was abuzz with thoughts.

He still didn’t fully understand how he was able to acquire items and artifacts used by past heroes through these random boxes. During the Age of Constellations, it was said that the constellations provided these boxes as a form of sponsorship for their avatars and followers.

But Zeke received these random boxes as rewards through the system, obtaining items and artifacts of mythical or legendary caliber.

“The random boxes, the shop, the crafting system… How is any of this possible?”

Once the questions started, they spiraled into more and more.

Feeling overwhelmed, Zeke shook his head to clear his thoughts.

“There’s no point in pondering this now. I’ll have to ask the Sage of Stories or Lord Hades when I meet them.”

From past experience, Zeke knew it was faster to ask someone knowledgeable rather than agonize over difficult questions alone.

Despite the lingering mysteries, Zeke had successfully broken the seal of the Earth God and received his reward. He returned to the surface.

The hideout had already been cleared by Shadia.

Using his purification powers, Zeke removed the solitude from the bodies of those Shadia had selected.

Afterward, he and Shadia located the hideout’s vault, securing the hidden treasures and various documents.

While reviewing the confidential documents, Zeke discovered something astonishing.

“A deal with the Drakes?”

The hideout had maintained a long-standing relationship with the Drake family.

As Zeke examined the details of their dealings, he was taken aback.

The Drakes had been using the hideout’s assassins to influence the power dynamics of the Central Kingdom.

Zeke recalled what Kali had once told him.

“My sister asked me to stop the Drakes from going on a rampage.”

Zeke realized that at the heart of the Drake family’s monstrous power was none other than Arthur Drake, the head of the family.

“The dealings with the hideout increased significantly once Arthur Drake took on the role of head.”

While there had been previous transactions, they were merely assassination requests. But after Arthur Drake became the head, the dealings became more substantial, actively utilizing the assassins.

Through these documents, Zeke glimpsed the darker side of Arthur Drake.

He turned to Shadia.

“It would be best if you take the lead and conceal my involvement in the fall of the hideout.”

“Are you asking me to assume the role of the hideout’s leader?”

Zeke nodded.

“The Drakes and the hideout have been dealing for quite some time. If Arthur Drake learns that I was involved in the leader’s death, he might try to restrict my actions.”

Arthur Drake had shown Zeke considerable favor so far. But knowing Arthur from his past life, Zeke couldn’t trust him. Arthur was the type to show favor if it benefited him, but he wouldn’t hesitate to discard even family if it didn’t.

Shadia bowed her head in acknowledgment of Zeke’s command.

“Understood, my lord. I will handle this as an internal conflict within the hideout and erase any trace of your involvement.”

Zeke trusted Shadia to handle the matter discreetly.

“Now that this is settled, it’s time to return to Mycenae.”

Zeke left the desert region and headed to the southern archipelago where Arina was located. Initially, he had instructed Shadia, but with her handling the hideout, he personally took Masa, a former member of the Six, to the academy. Afterward, he used the expensive portal he had set up to return directly to Mycenae.

However, just as Zeke was about to take a break and train the Black Spirit Brigade, a summons arrived from the Four Seasons Castle.

It was a deployment order to Rom.

---

Thud, thud, thud!

Through the pouring rain, a group of knights charged forward.

The banner they carried bore the emblem of a black sword.

They were the Black Spirit Brigade and the Barbarian Unit, stationed at Agamemnon Castle.

Zeke led them swiftly onward.

As he surveyed the surroundings, someone approached him.

“Are you going to tell me why we’re in such a hurry?”

Zeke remained silent, urging his horse forward.

Watching him, Reina gritted her teeth internally.

“Would it kill you to answer?”

Reina had been at Agamemnon Castle with the Black Spirit Brigade, enduring rigorous training. She had hoped to have a conversation with Zeke upon his return, but he had immediately left Mycenae with the brigade due to the urgent mission from the Four Seasons Castle.

Reina had followed him, ostensibly to continue her training with the brigade, but in truth, she wanted to wield her sword by Zeke’s side.

Knowing her talent and potential as one of the Five Star Knights and the Knight of the Flash in her past life, Zeke had no reason to refuse her.

Thus, Reina gradually became a natural part of the Black Sword Knights.

Zeke led the brigade diligently, arriving at the city of Helly, located in the south of Midland, bordering the Rom Empire.

Upon entering Helly, Zeke led the brigade straight to the city hall.

As he made his way through the city, Zeke noticed how different Helly felt compared to his last visit.

“It feels like a ghost town.”

Helly had once been a bustling city under Siemens’ influence, known for its prominent businesses and trade associations, rivaling Panstass as a financial hub.

However, after Siemens used Abel to seize Rom and brutally murdered the empire’s nobles and royalty, the associated businesses’ credibility plummeted.

Consequently, trade associations linked to Siemens failed to receive their payments, leading to a cascade of bankruptcies, and even banks operating on Siemens’ capital went under, spreading the impact far and wide.

Helly’s economy collapsed, prices soared, and people lost their jobs.

Naturally, law and order deteriorated as well.

It was only after Zeke deployed the Black Sword Knights to restore order that the city regained some stability.

Yet, Helly continued to decline, losing its former splendor and becoming more ghostly by the day.

Inside the city hall, Duke greeted him.

“Welcome.”

Zeke dismounted and bowed to his mentor, Duke.

“Have you been well?”

“Seeing you act so polite gives me goosebumps.”

“It’s just because there are so many eyes watching.”

Duke chuckled at Zeke’s response.

“Enough with the chatter. Let’s head inside. The city’s already in a bad mood, and the rain just makes it gloomier.”

With that, Duke led Zeke towards the city hall.

After the previous mayor and council members fled with their wealth just before Helly’s collapse, the city’s administration was left in disarray.

As a result, Decker, the captain of the Black Sword Knights, had to step in as acting mayor of Helly.

Despite being a knight, Decker had experience managing various administrative tasks as a steward for the Draker family, so he handled the acting mayor role surprisingly well.

Decker spent his days buried in paperwork, trying to stabilize the crumbling city of Helly.

Duke leaned back on the sofa, sipping his drink. “Decker might as well be the mayor. At his age, continuing as captain is quite the burden.”

Having laid down his sword for a long time, Decker sometimes seemed overwhelmed by his duties as captain.

Zeke nodded in agreement. “We should hear Decker’s thoughts. If he’s willing, it might be a good move.”

They trusted Decker enough to entrust him with the city.

“How’s Karus doing?” Zeke asked.

Duke nodded. “He’s been busy, working with Prince Leo and Julius to reclaim Rom. The Inma Palace and Celestial Palace have joined forces, and Julius, along with that fellow Carlito, is actively persuading the empire’s nobles. The struggle beneath the surface is intensifying.”

Zeke nodded thoughtfully. ‘It seems the plan to destabilize the empire from within is progressing well.’

Duke set his glass down and looked at Zeke. “So, what brings you to Helly in such a hurry? Did Arthur send you on some errand?”

Duke was as perceptive as ever.

Zeke nodded and handed Duke a sealed order from the Four Seasons Fortress.

Though it was a top-secret document, Duke, a former Black Knight of Draker, had the clearance to read it.

As Duke scanned the document, his brow furrowed. “Go into Rom, negotiate with Azmun Barrios, and retrieve the forbidden book containing Terracan Draker’s secrets?”

Duke glared at the order with a fierce expression. “What kind of nonsense is this? Has Arthur lost his mind?”

Only Duke, Arthur Draker’s long-time friend, could speak so candidly about the head of the Draker family.

He turned to Zeke. “So, are you really planning to head to Rom as per these orders?”

“It’s the family’s command. As a knight, I must obey.”

Duke shook his head at Zeke’s words. “Marching straight into an obvious trap… does that sound reasonable to you?”

At that moment, Zeke sent a telepathic message to Duke.

―Master, it is indeed a trap. But…

He continued the telepathic conversation.

―It’s also a perfect opportunity to capture Abel.