Episode 422
“A perfect chance to capture Abel?”
Duke pondered the thought, and Zeke, understanding his mentor’s musings, nodded in agreement.
“When they open the Rom to set their trap, we can slip in and eliminate Abel. Without him, Siemens loses any legitimate claim to occupy Rom.”
Though Siemens had the blood of a prince-elector, which could potentially make him emperor of the Rom Empire, his actual claim to the throne was distant. However, with Julius, the regent, backing Siemens, Abel’s claim was recognized, turning the occupation into an internal matter, effectively blocking outside intervention.
But if Abel were to die, Siemens would have no grounds to hold Rom, as there would be no one left with a legitimate claim to the throne.
“In that case, Draker could directly intervene in the Rom Empire, and other nobles would likely turn their backs on Siemens.”
Duke slowly nodded, absorbing Zeke’s words.
“I understand what you’re saying. But how do you plan to avoid their trap and draw Abel out from the depths of the palace?”
Zeke grinned confidently, sending a telepathic message back.
“Don’t worry about that. I have a good plan to lure Abel out.”
Duke frowned, not entirely convinced by Zeke’s self-assuredness.
“This kid, is he planning something reckless again?”
Despite being the most talented student across the continent, Zeke’s audacity often worried Duke.
Realizing further discussion would be futile, Duke poured himself another drink and said, “Well, do what you must. I’ll just sit back and watch.”
At that moment, Zeke turned to Duke and said, “By the way, there’s something I’ve been meaning to ask you, Master.”
“If you don’t know it, I probably don’t either. What is it?”
Zeke rummaged through his belongings and handed something to Duke. As Duke unfolded the worn parchment, he nearly spat out his drink.
“What the—! What is this?”
It was none other than Captain Kidd’s map.
“You recognized it right away.”
Duke’s hands trembled slightly.
“Where did you get this, you crazy kid?”
Zeke leaned back on the sofa, replying, “It was in my mother’s notebook.”
Duke was taken aback. “You mean this was in Laura’s notebook?”
Zeke nodded, sipping his tea before asking, “The story you once mentioned… could you tell it to me now?”
Zeke was now a black knight and the guardian of his family. Even if Duke’s tale was a high-level secret, Zeke had the right to hear it.
Duke hesitated, then ran a hand through his hair in frustration. “Damn it.”
He downed his drink in one go and exhaled deeply. “Alright, I’ll spill the beans today.”
With a determined look, Duke began his story.
“I was ordered by Arthur to venture beyond the Dark Sea with Draker’s knights.”
“What orders did the lord give you?”
”…To find a tower in the new continent beyond the Dark Sea.”
Zeke’s eyes widened at Duke’s words.
“The abandoned continent beyond the Dark Sea… where the final tower sealing the Demon King’s soul in the Book of the Dead is said to be. Is that what he means?”
The last dragons had sacrificed themselves to create the tower that sealed the Book of the Dead. Zeke realized Duke’s mission was to find this final tower.
Duke took a deep breath and continued, “It was a long journey. We sailed endlessly westward, towards an unknown continent that might not even exist.”
“How did you find the route? What about the sea monsters?”
Duke shook his head. “I don’t know. Arthur arranged most of it. Our mission was simply to find the tower once we reached the unknown continent.”
Through Duke’s words, Zeke realized Arthur already knew how to reach the abandoned continent.
“Even Captain Kidd needed the indestructible ship, the Triangle, to cross the Dark Sea. Yet Arthur Draker knew how to get there with a regular ship. How?”
The fact that Arthur Draker knew about the final tower was shocking in itself.
Duke leaned back on the sofa, recalling the horrific memories. “After a long voyage, we finally reached the unknown continent. That’s when the nightmare began.”
Duke’s body began to tremble as he spoke, his eyes losing focus.
“Monsters attacked relentlessly. The knights and I swung our swords without rest, but the monsters never seemed to decrease. It was as if the entire continent was filled with them.”
Duke poured himself another drink and gulped it down, wiping his mouth with the back of his hand before continuing.
“Everyone died. All twelve knights on the mission, each as strong as a red knight, were brave and formidable. But they were all torn apart by those monstrous beasts. Their blood and entrails rained down on me. We ran out of food and water. Zeke, can you guess what I did then?”
Zeke, having fought long and grueling battles himself, could imagine what Duke had done, but he remained silent.
Duke spoke with dead eyes. “I drank the blood of my fallen comrades and chewed their entrails. A person needs to eat to survive. That’s how I escaped.”
Zeke understood why Duke could no longer wield a sword in battle. The horrific deaths of his comrades and the loss of his humanity had left deep scars.
There seemed to be more to the story, but Zeke couldn’t press Duke, who was already suffering.
After sipping his now-cold tea, Zeke looked at Duke and asked, “Master, would it be alright if I looked into those memories directly?”
Duke, clutching his head, looked up and asked, “Look into my memories? Where did you learn such magic?”
“It’s not magic… think of it as a blessing from the Fairy King.”
When explanations were difficult, invoking the Fairy King’s blessing was the easiest route.
Duke rubbed his face with his hands, then nodded. “Alright, what do I have to hide from you? If you can see it, go ahead.”
“Understood.”
Zeke stood and approached Duke, gently laying him back on the sofa.
“Just relax and breathe easy.”
Zeke covered Duke’s eyes with his hand, connecting to Duke’s karma data with the wisdom of the dragon, and selectively viewing the related memories with the sage’s eye.
“Information about the abandoned continent… most of it matches what I’ve heard.”
A message appeared before Zeke.
[Sealed memory data related to this information has been found. You can unlock the data with the skill ‘Revelation.’ Would you like to unlock it?]
“Sealed memory?”
Zeke pondered, suspecting the sealed memory was tied to Duke’s trauma. He decided to unlock it.
[Unlocking sealed memory with Revelation.]
Suddenly, Zeke’s vision shifted.
Blinking in the sudden change of scenery, Zeke found himself in a dense forest.
The trees were twisted into grotesque shapes, unlike anything seen on the central continent.
“Is this the abandoned continent?”
The Revelation skill seemed to work differently from the usual dragon’s wisdom.
“It feels similar to the hidden stage I experienced in the Inverted Tower.”
Surveying his surroundings, Zeke drew his sword, Roland, from his inventory.
Thankfully, he could wield his weapon here, just like in reality.
“If this is a virtual space based on Master’s memories, then he should be here too…”
At that moment, something leaped at Zeke from the trees.
Swoosh!
Instinctively, Zeke swung his sword, slicing through the creature that lunged at him.
The creature fell to the ground, writhing with its body severed. It was a monster unlike any Zeke had seen before, resembling a monkey with bat-like wings and sharp claws and teeth.
Zeke crouched to examine the bizarre creature.
“It’s incredibly lifelike. I can’t believe karma data can create something like this.”
Standing up, Zeke opened the system window and called up the map.
[The map will record within the limits of the viewed karma data.]
As the message appeared, the map expanded beyond the central continent and the Republic of Dortha, revealing the new continent to the west of the Dark Sea.
However, only a portion of the coastline appeared on the map, with the rest shrouded in darkness, making it impossible to discern the terrain.
“It seems this is all the data my master’s memory can provide,” Zeke mused, trying to estimate the size of the abandoned continent from the expanded map. Just then, a monstrous roar echoed from within the forest.
Rooooar!
Hearing the beast’s cry, Zeke quickly closed the system window and dashed toward the source of the sound.
Using his wind technique, he moved with the speed of a gale, and soon his eyes caught sight of a group of beasts clashing with knights. Among them, one knight wielded his sword with fierce intensity—someone Zeke recognized immediately.
“Master!”
It was Duke, in his days as the Black Knight, unleashing his wind technique against the beasts.
Swoosh!
With a swift strike, Duke severed a beast’s neck, his armor drenched in its blood. Behind him, about five knights remained, but they were in dire straits, barely able to stand.
The knights shouted as they fought the beasts. “Commander! Go while we hold them off!”
“You are the Black Knight of Draker and the hope of the common knights!”
“Please, become a guardian knight and change Draker!”
Duke shouted back at them, “What nonsense are you spouting? Get over here now!”
Suddenly, another beast burst from the ground. With hundreds of sharp teeth, it devoured a knight in an instant.
Crunch!
An arm fell to the ground, severed between the beast’s jaws. Duke cried out in anguish, “No, this can’t be!”
The remaining knights yelled, “Commander! Go! Don’t let our sacrifice be in vain!”
Duke watched his subordinates, ready to sacrifice themselves for him, tears of blood in his eyes. But then, more beasts emerged.
With long tails and razor-sharp claws, these grotesque creatures, unlike anything from the natural world, drooled as they charged at Duke.
Screeech!
Duke raised his sword and charged at the beasts like a whirlwind.
Clang!
The beast’s body was as hard as armor, and Duke’s sword bounced off with a jarring recoil.
“Grrr!”
He adjusted his strategy, aiming for the joints instead of the tough shell.
Thrust!
With lightning speed, Duke’s sword pierced the beast’s key joints, causing it to collapse. Without hesitation, he severed its head.
Slash—
Green fluid sprayed from the beast’s neck like a fountain. Duke stepped back, avoiding the acidic-looking liquid. After dispatching the dangerous beast, he turned to check on his men, only to find them all torn apart by the creatures.
One beast, with a massive horn, still held a surviving knight aloft with its four hands. Duke’s face turned pale as he imagined what was about to happen.
“No!!”
Just as the beast was about to tear the knight apart—
Swoosh!
The beast’s arms, holding the knight, were sliced clean off. Zeke appeared, wielding his sword, Roland.