Episode 64
“Welcome, Zeke.”
Chancellor Flaubert greeted Zeke warmly, offering him a seat and pouring him a cup of tea.
“I heard you enjoy tea. I hope this suits your taste.”
Zeke wondered just how far the rumor of his fondness for tea had spread.
As he pondered this, Flaubert spoke again, smiling.
“I called you here to discuss your recent mission.”
Zeke tensed slightly at the mention of the mission. With his battlefield experience, he doubted his actions would be viewed favorably. In the chaos of war, following orders was paramount, and any deviation could endanger the entire unit.
He waited for Flaubert’s next words.
“You did an excellent job.”
“Excuse me?”
Zeke couldn’t help but ask again, surprised by the unexpected praise.
Flaubert sipped his tea with a satisfied expression.
“Professor Andrei documented everything thoroughly. The Delphoa inspection unit even sent their thanks and additional reports.”
Zeke let out a sigh of relief.
‘It seems the Draker knights have a broader scope of authority, allowing for some flexibility.’
In his previous life, the harsh conditions of the northern regions meant even a small mistake could be fatal. Thus, military discipline was strict, and the chain of command was narrow.
Flaubert continued, “It’s unfortunate about the Black Nightshade during the transfer.”
Zeke felt a pang of guilt. The truth was, the Black Nightshade wasn’t dead. He had orchestrated a plan to fake its death during the transfer and smuggle it to the south, where it would assume a new identity before returning to the central continent.
Only Fainan knew the Black Nightshade was an agent of the Empire, and since Fainan was now loyal to Zeke, the secret was safe. Zeke had intended to bring the Black Nightshade over, instructing Fainan to withhold any Empire-related documents from Delphoa and only hand over those linked to corruption.
With the evidence of human experimentation from the south and the recent findings on stimulant experiments, along with the Black Nightshade as a witness, they had a strong card to pressure the Empire.
As Zeke mulled over these thoughts, Flaubert spoke again.
“Considering your various skills demonstrated during the mission, the faculty has proposed a different kind of test for you.”
“What kind of test, Chancellor?”
“A beast hunt.”
Zeke was slightly skeptical. For a special graduation test at Valhalla, it seemed too easy. While hunting beasts wasn’t simple, Valhalla’s graduation missions were notoriously difficult, so a special test for early graduation being a beast hunt felt relatively easy.
Then Flaubert added, “It’s not just any hunt. It’s an unsolved case. And you’ll have to do it alone.”
Zeke nodded in understanding. Beasts, unlike monsters, had no fixed species or types, making it difficult to predict their movements based on characteristics or habits. While most beasts were aggressive and attacked indiscriminately, some were not.
Unsolved cases like the one Flaubert mentioned were often caused by highly intelligent beasts. Sometimes, humans would commit crimes and blame them on beasts, but there was a clear difference between the two.
“Where did this incident occur?”
“In the Duchy of Troy.”
The Duchy of Troy was a direct territory of the Draker family, where their main house was located. If an unresolved case persisted even there, it was no ordinary beast.
Flaubert continued, “If you pass this test, you’ll be exempt from all other graduation requirements. Essentially, this test alone will fulfill your graduation criteria.”
In his past life, one of Zeke’s tasks was investigating and tracking unsolved cases caused by beasts. It was practically his specialty, and with the added incentive of early graduation, he had no reason to refuse.
“I pledge on my honor as a knight to resolve the case swiftly, so the people of the duchy can live without fear.”
Flaubert beamed with pride at Zeke’s response. After earning high marks from the chancellor, Zeke returned to his residence.
“I’ll set out tomorrow.”
Recalling the schedule given by the chancellor, Zeke packed his belongings and prepared to leave for the Duchy of Troy.
As he finalized his plans and entered his residence, someone was waiting for him.
A slender young man in light armor, with eyes that seemed perpetually half-closed, greeted him.
“Sir Zeke Draker. It’s an honor to meet you. I’m Felix, assigned as your guide for this mission.”
Zeke looked at Felix and asked, “No last name?”
“Valencia.”
Zeke tried to recall the name Felix Valencia, but it was unfamiliar both in his past and present life. He was puzzled by the aura he sensed from Felix.
Unlike other knights, Zeke’s heightened senses allowed him to detect mana, and Felix’s presence felt unusual.
‘There’s something off about his aura, yet it’s hard to pinpoint. It’s intriguing.’
For someone not of the Draker bloodline to possess such a presence at a young age suggested there was more to him.
‘I should look into this further.’
Zeke asked Felix, “As a guide, are you from the Duchy of Troy?”
“Yes, I’m a native. I learned family swordsmanship from a young age, completed the guild’s swordsmanship course, and now work with the Atlas Guard.”
“I see.”
Being with the Atlas Guard and from the Duchy of Troy, Felix would undoubtedly be a great help in solving the unsolved case. His presence as an assistant made perfect sense.
Zeke told him, “We’ll depart for the Duchy of Troy early tomorrow. See you at the central station.”
“Understood, Sir Zeke.”
The next day, Zeke and Felix boarded a train bound for the Duchy of Troy. Once again, Zeke’s status as a Valhalla student granted them access to a private compartment.
Felix, looking excited, remarked, “Wow. I never knew trains had such compartments.”
Despite Felix’s seemingly innocent demeanor, Zeke wasn’t swayed by appearances.
‘Even the Syndicate’s information didn’t reveal anything special.’
If the Syndicate couldn’t uncover anything, it meant one of two things: either Felix was an Atlas Guard yet to realize his potential, or he was a creation of an intelligence organization more advanced than the Syndicate.
‘The latter seems more likely.’
With Felix’s unknown background, Zeke anticipated this mission would be more challenging than the last.
Upon arriving in the Duchy of Troy, Zeke and Felix took a carriage to the northern region where the incidents had occurred. It was near the starting point of the Giant Mountain Range.
Though smaller than Atlas, the Duchy of Troy, home to the Draker family, was one of the safest places. An unresolved case there was a blow to the Draker’s pride.
Zeke and Felix headed straight to the sheriff’s office upon reaching the northern region. The chief sheriff greeted Zeke with enthusiasm.
“Sir Zeke! We were informed of your arrival. It’s an honor to have a pureblood Awakened visit our humble town!”
In the Duchy of Troy, the bloodline of dragon slayers was akin to divine lineage. The presence of a rare pureblood Awakened among them seemed to lift the village’s gloomy atmosphere.
Zeke realized this was part of Flaubert’s plan.
‘He’s a crafty old man.’
The sheriff briefed Zeke on the situation.
“It started a few weeks ago. At first, livestock began disappearing, and now people who enter the mountains don’t return.”
Livestock, children, women, adult men—the targets grew larger over time.
“I’d like to see the crime scene.”
The sheriff nodded and led them to the first farm that had been attacked.
The farm was currently relocating surviving livestock and restricting access. Zeke expertly surveyed the area.
He found bloodstains on the fence leading to the mountains.
Using his keen vision, Zeke scanned the surroundings.
He noticed something—a footprint?
A large footprint, bigger than a human’s, was imprinted in the ground.
Zeke crouched to examine the mark closely, trying to identify the beast from his past life experiences.
‘The footprint is deep, indicating significant weight. It didn’t break through the fence but leaped over it. The blood trail is from the livestock it carried over.’
Zeke imagined the scene: the beast stealthily entering the farm, snapping a sheep’s neck, slinging it over its shoulder, and leaping back over the fence into the mountains.
He frowned.
‘This isn’t typical beast behavior.’
Even intelligent beasts Zeke knew didn’t move so stealthily, nor did they bother jumping fences.
The sheriff approached Zeke.
“Did you find anything?”
Zeke stood up and asked, “Does this path lead directly to the mountains?”
The sheriff nodded.
“Yes, that’s right. If you climb the mountain over there, the terrain gets pretty rough. Sometimes wild monsters appear, so even the villagers don’t venture that far up.”
Zeke nodded and turned to Felix, who was standing beside him.
“Felix, lead the way. We need to check out the area up there.”
Felix hesitated for a moment before speaking.
“Sir Zeke, are you sure you want to head straight up the mountain? From what I know, the northern terrain is quite challenging. It might be better to prepare first.”
“Everything we need for camping is in the bag with the spatial magic, so we’re fine.”
In truth, he had stored everything in his inventory, but he couldn’t explain that, so he offered a vague excuse. Felix was taken aback by Zeke’s words.
“Goodness. You’re more prepared than I am, and I’m the guide.”
They sent the sheriff ahead and began their ascent, following the trail up the mountain.
Zeke used his keen eyes to examine the traces left on the path, guiding Felix as they went. Felix, a native of the Troy Principality, navigated the mountain trails with surprising skill.
Then, it happened.
“Felix.”
Zeke called out to him.
“What is it?”
Zeke raised a hand to stop Felix and slowly moved into the forest.
With a dagger in hand, Zeke cautiously approached a large tree that obscured his view.
There was something behind it.
‘Damn…’
It was a corpse, shriveled like a mummy, its fluids drained.
Zeke scanned the area for any signs of a beast but sensed nothing unusual.
He gestured for Felix to come over.
Felix grimaced at the sight of the body.
Zeke approached the corpse slowly, first checking the neck.
If a vampire had attacked, all the blood would be drained, leaving the victim mummified like this. But there were no marks on the neck.
Zeke examined the skin for any signs of puncture wounds but found none.
His expression darkened.
‘I didn’t think vampires would come down from the north, but could it be this beast…?’
Felix, standing behind Zeke, shook his head.
“My word, I’ve never seen a body like this.”
Zeke stood up and said, “Looks like we’ll have to camp here tonight. We’ll resume the search at first light.”