Episode 507
Hermann’s expression grew grave as he watched the footage contained within the crystal ball handed to him by Zeke.
“Are you telling me such a place exists beneath the royal palace of Tebeia?”
Zeke shook his head in response to Hermann’s question.
“I can’t say for certain just yet. However, the fact that the head of the Nostra family, who once built a secret lab beneath Atlas, left traces of infiltration into the Tebeia palace suggests some connection.”
Hermann pressed his temples, deep in thought, before looking up at Zeke.
“Sir Zeke, could you wait a moment? I must inform His Majesty of this matter first.”
Zeke nodded, adding a word of caution. “Please ensure only the King hears of this. If word gets out, the enemy might catch wind and disappear.”
Hermann nodded and left the office to meet the King. Meanwhile, Zeke was escorted to a guest room prepared for him.
Settling into a comfortable chair, Zeke pondered, ‘I wonder how the King of Tebeia will react.’
In truth, Zeke didn’t suspect the King of being involved with the Nostra family. From his past life memories, he knew the King of Tebeia to be a rather timid man. So much so that he surrendered to Abel, the Knight of Massacre, without even attempting to fight the imperial army with his formidable kingdom’s forces.
Thus, while the King might not be directly involved with the Nostra family, he could very well turn a blind eye out of fear.
‘If that happens, I’ll have to search the palace secretly for any traces of the enemy. But how can I secure cooperation?’
As Zeke was contemplating his next steps, a mirror in his possession began to vibrate.
He took it out to see Nabu’s face reflected in it.
“Zeke?”
Nabu’s voice was urgent.
“Zeke, we’ve got a problem.”
“What is it?”
“Our leader contacted us. There’s been a major rift in the material realm recently.”
Zeke nodded, understanding. “It’s likely due to the malevolent god Azitahaka summoned by the Abyss.”
Nabu was taken aback by Zeke’s nonchalant response.
“What? The dreadful Flesh Emperor, Azitahaka?”
“Yes, we managed to prevent its descent, but… there’s more trouble. Ramon Siemens is dead, and Abel Draker has been resurrected.”
Nabu was shocked. “Abel Draker? Wasn’t he supposed to be dead? What on earth happened? Anyway, that’s a big deal, but the rift our leader mentioned isn’t that.”
“There’s something else besides the god’s descent?”
“Yes, around the same time, someone entered the forbidden beast territory beyond the Giant Mountains.”
“Isn’t that area completely off-limits?”
“Exactly, it’s sealed by our leader’s absolute barrier. The fact that a rift appeared there is no ordinary matter.”
Zeke sensed something amiss with the timing of the second awakening and the breach of the Giant Mountains’ barrier.
‘Did someone plan this to coincide with the blood moon?’
He pondered for a moment before asking Nabu, “Is there a reason the leader sealed off the beast territory?”
Nabu hesitated before speaking slowly.
“Well, since it’s you, Zeke, I suppose I can tell you. There’s a seal there as well.”
“A seal? What is sealed there?”
“Another Black Star.”
The term referred to the heart of an Elder Dragon. Zeke was startled and brought the mirror closer.
“Wasn’t the one you gave me the only one?”
“It’s such a powerful force that it was split and sealed in parts. One in the Forest of the Forgotten, another in the Stormy Seas, and the last beyond the Giant Mountains in the beast territory.”
This meant that fragments of the Black Star were sealed in places humans couldn’t reach. Zeke, who had absorbed the Black Star and knew its power firsthand, wore a serious expression.
“Do you think the intruder went there to steal the Black Star?”
Nabu clicked his tongue and shook his head.
“We can’t be sure yet. The Black Star’s seal isn’t something just anyone can break, and the beast territory is so dangerous that reaching the seal itself is nearly impossible.”
“Breaking the leader’s absolute barrier is already beyond impossible.”
Nabu sighed and nodded in agreement.
“True, that’s a point.”
“What does the Highlander side plan to do?”
“We need to assess the situation, so we’re looking for someone from the High Table who can investigate. That’s why I contacted you. Can you go there now?”
Zeke shook his head.
“I’m tied up with something important at the moment.”
“Alright, I just thought I’d ask. We’ll look into it on our end, so stay informed.”
“Understood. I’ll get in touch once my current task is complete.”
Nabu nodded and abruptly ended the communication, clearly in a hurry.
As the mirror once again reflected his own face, Zeke tucked it away, pondering who might have entered the beast territory beyond the Giant Mountains.
‘Only someone of Grand Master level could manage that.’
The Abyss and Siemens were too preoccupied with the second awakening to have the resources to spare for such an endeavor. The Nostra family was a possibility, but considering the head had fled with Abel, they seemed an unlikely candidate.
‘Could it be another mage? But since the ascension of Hoshgar, no archmage above the ninth circle has appeared in the material realm.’
Yet, there was always the possibility of an unknown transcendent.
‘A new, undiscovered power…’
As Zeke was deep in thought about the mysterious figure who caused the rift, a servant knocked on the door.
“Sir Zeke, a message has arrived for you.”
The servant handed Zeke an elegant card. As he read its contents, his expression changed.
‘This is…?’
The sender was none other than the King of Tebeia.
In the dead of night, with not even moonlight to guide him, Zeke moved silently, cloaked in shadows.
Navigating through the labyrinthine corridors of the palace, he stopped before a hallway lined with statues.
‘Beneath the second statue.’
Feeling around the base of the statue, he found a hidden mechanism. Activating it, the statue slid aside, revealing a staircase leading down.
The Tebeia palace was a place shrouded in secrets and mysteries, and Zeke felt the weight of it as he cautiously descended.
The staircase was long, and as Zeke moved stealthily downward, he sensed someone below.
Even in the darkness, Zeke’s vision was clear, and he recognized the figure as Hermann Solma, a royal guard.
Zeke revealed himself to Hermann.
With a sudden appearance, Hermann flinched but quickly composed himself, keeping a watchful eye on Zeke.
“I apologize for the trouble.”
“It’s no trouble. Where is His Majesty?”
“This way. I’ll guide you.”
Zeke followed Hermann through the maze-like passages until they stopped at a wall.
Hermann placed his hand on the wall, and a magic circle appeared, creating a portal.
‘Is this from ancient times?’
“Step through here.”
As Zeke examined the portal, Hermann entered first, and Zeke followed.
Upon passing through, they found themselves in a completely different space.
‘Where is this…?’
The high walls were adorned with the mounted heads of various monsters and beasts. As Zeke surveyed the room, he sensed someone seated in the center.
Thud!
A man slammed a massive sword into the ground. Hermann led Zeke toward the man.
The shadows receded, revealing the man’s face—a weathered old man with a visage marked by scars.
Hermann bowed to the old man.
“Your Majesty, I have brought the Knight of Salvation.”
This man was the King of Tebeia.
‘He’s not what I imagined.’
Zeke had assumed the King of Tebeia to be weak and timid. Yet, the man before him seemed stronger than most knights.
It was hard to reconcile this robust King with the one who had surrendered so easily in his past life.
“Hermann.”
The King called out, his gaze fixed in one direction.
As Hermann approached, the King grasped his arm and rose from his seat.
Only then did Zeke realize the King was blind.
“Knight of Salvation.”
The King’s voice was hoarse, and speaking seemed to take great effort.
His body was strong, but it was as if all his energy had been consumed.
Zeke approached the King and bowed.
“Zeke Draker, at your service, Your Majesty.”
The King reached out, his hand finding Zeke’s shoulder.
He spoke, his sightless eyes directed toward Zeke.
“You say something dreadful has coiled itself within this palace.”
“Yes, Your Majesty.”
Zeke continued slowly.
“Specifically, there are traces linking this place to the head of the Nostra family, a mafia organization.”
The king, upon hearing his words, stared into the void with unseeing eyes before nodding slowly.
“The Nostra family… a mafia that has endured for a thousand years…”
With great effort, the king nodded again.
Herman gently helped the king back to his seat.
Using a great sword as a makeshift cane, the king steadied himself and spoke, his gaze fixed straight ahead.
“Knight of Salvation, are you aware of the curse that has plagued the royal family of Thebea for generations?”
Zeke looked puzzled by the king’s sudden question but shook his head and answered honestly.
“I’ve never heard of such a curse.”
The king coughed dryly.
Herman quickly filled a cup with water and brought it to the king’s lips.
The king sipped slowly, moistening his throat before speaking again.
“The royal family of Thebea is cursed… the curse of the evil dragon Bahamut.”
Zeke’s eyebrows twitched involuntarily at Herman’s words.
The evil dragon Bahamut.
Though he now knew it was a fabricated tale by Draker, it was widely accepted as truth across the central continent.
Zeke decided to hear the king out.
“The evil dragon Bahamut led a horde of wicked dragons, destroying the Seven Kingdoms one by one. As six kingdoms fell, all the heroes of the continent gathered in Thebea to devise a way to fight back against the dragons.”
This was a tale well-known from the legend of the Dragon Slayer.
The story continued with how the united forces from across the continent, including Thebea, rallied around the Dragon Slayer Terracan Draker to ultimately reclaim their freedom from Bahamut after a fierce war.
As Zeke recalled the legend, the king coughed and continued.
“But that wasn’t the end. As Bahamut died, he cursed the royal family of Thebea.”
Zeke decided to play along with the king’s narrative for now.
“What kind of curse did he place?”
The king hesitated for a moment before speaking slowly.
”…The second son born to the king of Thebea will devour his mother and kill his father.”
Zeke frowned at the king’s words.
“A curse of patricide and matricide.”
Curses belonged to the realm of the arcane, their principles elusive and mysterious.
Such a curse, as the king described, was the most horrific kind, found only in legends and myths.
Zeke knew Bahamut would have had no reason to place such a curse on the Thebean royal family.
“Then who, and for what reason, would cast such a curse?”
After pondering for a moment, he addressed the king.
“If the curse targets the second son, couldn’t the problem be avoided by having only one child?”
Herman, standing behind, shook his head.
“Traditionally, the royal family of Thebea is obliged to ensure the prosperity of their lineage by having as many children as possible.”
Zeke’s expression shifted at those words.
“Then a second son is inevitable. What happened to the children? Did they show any particular signs of the curse?”
The king remained silent in response to his question.
Zeke understood the meaning of that silence, though he hoped it wasn’t true, and spoke again.
“Surely not…”
He looked the king straight in the eye and continued.
“Did you kill all the second sons born?”