The mention of Arthur Draker changed Zeke's eyes.
"Arthur Draker's commission. Tell me exactly what it was."
Bane flinched under Zeke's intense gaze and explained the situation.
"He secretly commissioned me to thaw an ice block containing a coffin inside."
Magic-frozen ice generally couldn't be melted, so they must have brought it to him because of his expertise in ice magic.
"An ice block with a coffin inside. To preserve a corpse, perhaps."
"That's what I thought at first. Normally, I wouldn't take such a suspicious job, but at the time, I was in the middle of making an elixir and needed money for materials, so I accepted the commission. But when I analyzed the ice encasing the coffin, it wasn't ordinary magic."
"What do you mean it wasn't ordinary magic?"
"It's hard to explain in words... The ice had a quality of frostiness that couldn't be produced by a standard mana drive formula. It was impossible to thaw."
"So you're thinking Arthur Draker poisoned you because you failed that commission." Bane shook his head.
"No. The problem came after that." Bane continued slowly.
"Suddenly, Ramon Siemens, the family head of the Siemens, came to see me."
Zeke furrowed his brow at the mention of Ramon Siemens.
"Why would the head of the Siemens family suddenly come to see you?"
"Ramon Siemens revealed to me that the person who made the commission was Arthur
Draker and asked me about the coffin."
"Ramon Siemens himself?"
"Yes. He came alone, without any attendants, asked his questions, and when I said I couldn't thaw the ice, he just nodded and left."
"That's all?"
"Yes, that's everything."
"Which part of that story gives you evidence that Arthur Draker poisoned you?" Bane's skeletal body trembled as he spoke.
"I found out that the person who made the commission was Arthur Draker! There must have been a reason for the secrecy, and since I learned the truth, he must have poisoned me to silence me."
Zeke clicked his tongue as he listened to Bane.
He disliked Arthur Draker too, but he didn't think he was petty enough to poison someone over something like that.
'If he intended to kill him in the first place, he wouldn't have used poison; he'd have chosen another method.'
Leaving a body after poisoning wasn't Arthur Draker's style anyway.
Zeke grew curious about the identity of the coffin trapped in the ice that Bane had described.
'What could it be that both Arthur Draker and Ramon Siemens were interested in?'
While Zeke pondered, Bane shuddered and said,
"Arthur Draker. I will definitely get revenge on you and your bloodline..."
At that moment, Zeke shook his head and said to Bane,
"It's probably not Arthur Draker who poisoned you, but Ramon Siemens." Bane asked in confusion at Zeke's words.
"Why would Ramon Siemens poison me?"
"Poisoning isn't Arthur Draker's way. Ramon Siemens likely confirmed you couldn't thaw it and decided just killing you would suffice."
"He killed me because I couldn't thaw it?"
"No, the opposite. To cut off any possibility that you might thaw it someday in the future. Ramon's goal must have been to prevent that coffin from being thawed." Bane's mouth fell open at Zeke's explanation.
For decades as a wraith, he had clung to his grudge against Arthur Draker and maintained his sanity, only to learn that someone else had poisoned him.
"Th-that can't be. It doesn't make sense..."
"You can believe it. No one knows the Draker way better than I do."
"What do you...?"
Zeke looked at Bane and said,
"Yes, my name is Zeke Draker. I'm a direct descendant of the Draker family and a Pureblood Awakener."
"M-Master is a Draker...?"
Bane's skeletal face paled at Zeke's words.
*
Bane, who had conducted long-term research in this dungeon, had no idea that the
Snow Queen—a Nephilim and the reincarnation of a constellation—was sealed here.
He had simply set up his lab because training in the constant chill boosted mana growth.
Now that the Snow Queen was gone, the place had lost its meaning as a dungeon and retained only value as ancient ruins.
Zeke first gathered everything useful from the lab, then released the summons of Bane and Richmond before heading outside.
As he climbed back up through the well they had entered, surprisingly, Michelle and Xeros waited for Zeke in front of it.
"Sir Zeke!"
Xeros ran toward Zeke as he emerged from the well.
"Have you finished exploring?"
"Yes, I looked around the inside, but it was just endless monsters with nothing special." Xeros glanced back at Michelle, as if to say he knew it.
Then, as if resolving something, Xeros said to Zeke,
"Sir Zeke, I have one request."
"Speak freely."
"I want to follow you."
Zeke was momentarily taken aback by Xeros's sudden declaration.
The value of Xeros—a 6th-Circle double master with titles of warlock and sorcerer— was beyond imagination.
Xeros looked at Zeke and said,
"I've felt so much from this dungeon exploration. This helplessness is something I've never experienced in my life. I realized that sitting at a desk doing only research was a mistake. Please allow me to follow you and learn about the world." Zeke pretended to ponder Xeros's words before replying slowly.
"For you to follow me means joining my knight order. Nirvana won't be pleased about one of their mages joining a Draker-affiliated knight order."
Xeros smiled and said,
"Nirvana doesn't care much about that. They actually encourage those who reach a certain level to go out and gain experience. Nirvana mages tend to focus too narrowly on their own research."
Zeke nodded as if in agreement with Xeros's words.
"Then there shouldn't be any issues with changing affiliation."
"Yes, as long as I attend the family head election every five years, there are no real restrictions."
"Good. If you join the Black Sword Knight Order, I promise you the best treatment." Zeke immediately pulled out a pre-prepared contract from his inventory.
"Please review the contents and sign here."
Xeros, who had spoken first, was surprised by Zeke's swift and proactive approach.
"As expected, you're thorough in this regard too, Sir Zeke."
"It's to not miss out on valuable talent."
Xeros nodded and signed the contract, and Zeke smiled in satisfaction.
'A 7th-Circle master lich and a promising genius mage. I've gained a lot from this trip to Aten.'
Zeke extended his hand to Xeros.
"Looking forward to working with you, Xeros."
"Likewise, Master!"
With Xeros's recruitment complete, Zeke turned toward Michelle, who slept against a tree stump, snoring with his nose.
Zeke nudged him with his foot, and Michelle finally wiped the drool from his mouth and woke up.
"Uh? Huh? You're out already...?"
Zeke looked at Michelle and said,
"Michelle, it's time to head back to the village."
Zeke instructed Xeros to settle his affairs and come to Agamemnon Castle, where the Black Sword Knight Order was staying, while he decided to head north to the continent where the druids' village was, with Michelle.
After Xeros headed to the central branch, Zeke summoned Bucephalus in front of Michelle.
Hiiing!
Bucephalus rubbed his face against Zeke's chest and let out a pleased whinny.
Michelle was startled at the sight of Bucephalus.
"M-My goodness. Is this the King of Draconic Horses...?"
Michelle had immediately recognized Bucephalus's true nature.
"You seem to know a lot about spirit beasts."
Michelle, who usually had a dazed look, now gazed at Bucephalus with sparkling eyes, full of caution.
"Those magnificent horns, hooves, and the sheen of those scales! What a splendid spirit beast!"