"Kwaaaagh!"
The orks struck by the heavenly thunder falling from the sky screamed and collapsed.
The ork legion, which had been attempting to retreat, lost its formation in a single bolt of heavenly thunder and began to scatter in panic.
Airen, standing beside Arina, shot and killed the ork legion's command officers who were trying to reorganize their ranks with his magic gun.
Pew!
While sniping the orks with the magic bullets Zeke had made for him and surveying the battlefield, Airen looked up at Arina and said,
"Lady Arina. The orks are starting to scatter."
"Good. Letʼs pull back now."
Having completed their mission, Arina left the area with Sion and Airen.
The orks, who had suffered heavy damage from Arinaʼs surprise magic, couldnʼt regain their composure.
As the paladins, the White Silver Knight Order, and the Black Sword Knight Order charged in, the orks had no choice but to meet their ends pierced by spears and swords.
A few hours later, the plains before the Principality of Vadoka were stained with the blood of the dead orks.
Zeke scanned the battlefield, gazing at the mountain-like piles of corpses from the ork special forces around him.
It was a resounding victory.
Aul, who was wiping the blood from his sword beside him, looked at Zeke and said,
"The Knight of Salvation has saved the Principality of Vadoka as well."
Zeke smiled at Aul and replied,
"Itʼs thanks to Sir Aul and Sir Andreiʼs help."
Aul and Andrei had arrived in the Principality of Vadoka a few days earlier to assist, along with Zekeʼs mentor, Duke.
Duke had met with Baord, with whom he had a prior connection, and persuaded him to purge the councilors who were undermining the Holy Kingdom and protect the principality.
Baord, who had a naturally upright personality but found it difficult to act alone and had been enduring the injustices, agreed to support the pope after hearing Dukeʼs words and joined the plan.
Thanks to his participation, it became possible to eliminate the councilors all at once when they gathered in one place, just as Zeke had planned.
Since Baord and Zeke had moved so swiftly, by the time the other three arch paladins learned of the situation, it was already too late to intervene.
They too, reading the flow of events, sent word that they would not get involved this time.
It meant they would recognize the popeʼs authority and power as long as they themselves were not touched.
Baord quickly absorbed the paladins under the councilors and urged them to lead the fight against the orks in the holy war.
To wash away their sins, the paladins fought the orks with all their might, and as a result, they achieved todayʼs great victory.
Zeke had resolved the seemingly intractable problem of the Holy Kingdom in one fell swoop and turned the situation around.
*
After cleaning up the battlefield and returning, Zeke finally took some long-overdue rest in the guest suite prepared by the pope.
Sitting across from him was Duke.
"What a mess, a real mess."
Duke clicked his tongue at how swiftly the situation in the Principality of Vadoka had unfolded, to the point where it made his head spin.
Zeke pulled out some liquor for Duke and tea for himself from his inventory.
He poured the amber liquor into a glass and handed it to Duke, saying, "Weʼve just cut out the rotten parts, so things will be noisy for a while." Duke nodded as he sipped the liquor Zeke had given him.
"Theyʼre holding their breath now because of the current situation, but since weʼve captured all the cardinals and bishops who held power, thereʼs bound to be backlash."
The Holy Kingdom was a confederation formed by dozens of cities centered around the Principality of Vadoka.
Although they had forcibly confined the councilors of the central Principality of Vadoka, the priests who held power in the other cities were still in place.
Once the situation in the principality settled, some of them might ally with the other arch paladins to push out the current pope and install someone else.
Duke, who knew the inner workings of the Holy Kingdom well, looked grim, as if anxious about how long the popeʼs authority could hold.
Zeke smiled reassuringly at Duke and said,
"The cardinals and bishops in the other cities probably wonʼt move rashly either."
"Those bastards would invite that greedy emperor into their cities right away if it meant protecting their power. How can you be so sure?"
"To strike at His Holiness the Pope, they would need to cooperate with the arch paladins without fail. Without the arch paladins, itʼs impossible for them to take on the paladin forces under Sir Baord with just their private soldiers."
"Thatʼs true. But that also means just two arch paladins joining forces could overturn the current situation at any time." Zeke shook his head.
"That wonʼt happen."
Duke tilted his head at Zekeʼs words.
"Have you set up some scheme to prevent the arch paladins from cooperating?"
"Yes. The Golden Dawn Society under the pope has been preparing for this for a long time."
"What kind of preparations?"
"Theyʼve gathered all the information on the corrupt priests who committed misdeeds and their connections to the arch paladins."
"Huh? Youʼre going to blackmail the arch paladins with that? Theyʼre transcendent beings within the Holy Kingdom. Even if they broke the law, no one can touch them." "Youʼre right. But we can use it as leverage to pressure them from another angle."
"What do you mean?"
"If an arch paladin betrays the pope, we can publicize the related corruption and then proclaim that the right of succession will be granted to the paladin who captures him.
Weʼve already conveyed that this will happen."
Arch paladins could pass on their power to successors, which allowed them to maintain their authority for a long time.
So, if this right of succession were invalidated, their power would inevitably be shaken.
Dukeʼs mouth fell open at Zekeʼs explanation.
"Is that even possible?"
"It wouldnʼt be for ordinary paladins. But if one arch paladin captures another and forcibly transfers the power to someone else, there would be some loss, but the transmission of power is possible."
Zeke had created a situation where any arch paladin betraying the pope would become a target for the others.
In this setup, even if cardinals or bishops approached them to join forces, the arch paladins would have to hesitate.
Duke, having heard Zekeʼs words, clicked his tongue in admiration.
"Sometimes, hearing things like this makes me realize anew that youʼre Arthurʼs son."
"Most of it was already prepared by the Golden Dawn Society. I just created an opening for them to squeeze out the pus."
"Be that as it may."
Duke paused for a moment before saying to Zeke,
"Itʼs time to decide."
"What do you mean?"
"You. You remember Arthur nominated you as a candidate for successor."
"Yes, that happened."
"With Abel, one of the leading candidates, missing—and the Four Seasons Star currently in chaos—the family has tentatively concluded heʼs deceased, even if itʼs called a disappearance."
Abel had already died by Zekeʼs hand, but since his body hadnʼt been found, he remained listed as missing.
And William Siemens had been rescued by the Black Sword Knight Order, but his condition was critical, so they were holding him under protection and delaying his handover to the Siemens family—effectively taking him hostage.
Duke looked at Zeke and said,
"Right now, youʼre allied with Kali. But your reputation on the continent is already surpassing hers."
Kali Draker had built her fame by subduing the South Sea pirates.
And Zeke, from the Knight of Curse-Lifting to resolving the ghetto incident, was spreading his name across the continent as the Knight of Salvation.
Moreover, by resolving the Principality of Vadokaʼs crisis this time, he had indeed surpassed Kaliʼs fame, as Duke said.
Even within the Four Seasons Star, movements were emerging to put Zeke forward as successor instead of Kali and support him.
Among those who had aligned with Abel, some who found it difficult to side with Kali were conducting behind-the-scenes work and approaching Duke.
Since Duke still didnʼt know Zekeʼs intentions, he couldnʼt take any action.
He had helped Zeke resolve the Principality of Vadoka situation to gauge his intentions.
"Youʼve stabilized the Principality of Vadoka according to your plan and placed the pope in your debt. This is a major achievement no one in the Draker family could have pulled off."
Zeke immediately understood what Duke was getting at.
"You mean I should break the alliance with Sister Kali and step forward as a successor candidate."
"Iʼm curious about your intentions."
Zekeʼs actions were too grand in scale and impact to be dismissed as mere knightly exploits.
The Black Sword Knight Order he founded had a short history and few knights under him, but Zeke was the de facto heir to the Agamemnon family, the overlords of the central region.
If he wished, he could rally knights from the central nobles and gather thousands.
Considering his status as a founding duke equivalent in the Kingdom of Cusco in the southern continent, plus the profits from developing the southern intermediary islands, his potential was limitless.
Moreover, though his current forces were smaller than Kaliʼs, factoring in his status as the continentʼs greatest genius, there was anticipation that he might reach the black knight realm within a decade, surpassing Abel. Thus, many would follow if Zeke stepped forward.
Zeke, having heard of the shifting tides in the Four Seasons Star, asked Duke,
"What would you have me do, Mentor?"
"Step forward as successor."
Zeke was surprised that Duke answered so directly.
"I thought youʼd leave it to my choice."
"You asked for my thoughts first. Itʼd be more convenient for me if my disciple became family head rather than just a friend. For my retirement, step up as successor and become family head."
Zeke pondered Dukeʼs words before speaking.
"Seeing you say this, Mentor, it seems something is brewing within the family."
Duke clicked his tongue, looking at his perceptive disciple.
"You couldʼve lived well just on your wits, even without becoming a knight."
Whether it was truly a sensitive matter, Duke raised his aura to create a barrier around them.
He couldnʼt use the full power of a black knight due to the trauma of the battlefield, but his ability to handle power hadnʼt diminished.
Confirming the space was completely sealed from the outside, Duke slowly began to explain to Zeke.
"As you said, things in the Four Seasons Star lately are far from normal."
"Because of the Siemens?" Duke shook his head.
"Siemens has always been like that, so we let it slide. What I mean is the family headʼs side."
Zeke was surprised to hear Arthur Draker mentioned from Dukeʼs mouth.
"I thought you were on the family headʼs side, Mentor. Were you not?" Duke gave a wry smile at that.
"Iʼm almost Arthurʼs only friend, but itʼs ambiguous to say Iʼm on his side. Just because weʼre friends doesnʼt mean I support everything he does."
Duke was a man of upright integrity, appearing loose but standing firm in righteousness.
Such honest personalities were rare within the Draker family.
That was why Arthur kept Duke as a friend but not as a confidant.
Dukeʼs eyes sharpened.
"The movements on Baronʼs side are suspicious."
"Baron—you mean the Black Stage captain."
"Yes, after Bacchus Drakerʼs escape, something seems to have happened within the Black Stage."
Zekeʼs expression hardened at the mention of the Black Stage and Bacchus. 'The Black Stage captain is moving personally? Has he realized Bacchus isnʼt dead?ʼ At that moment, Duke spoke.
"Arthur is a greedy man. His greed knows no bounds." He shook his head and continued.
"Arthur has been searching for elder dragon relics for a very long time." Zeke held his breath momentarily at the mention of elder dragon relics.
He knew Arthur was searching for elder dragon relics, but hearing it from Duke felt different.
Zeke had already claimed the power of the elder dragon.
He imagined what Arthur would do if he learned Zeke had taken that power. 'He might try to kill me and seize it.ʼ Duke continued.
"Arthur wants to reclaim the lost power of the Draker family using the elder dragonʼs power."
'The lost power of the Draker family?ʼ
Though Duke said Arthur was seeking elder dragon relics, Zeke recalled the Absolute Sword House Draker signet ring stored in his inventory.
It was said that Shattan Drakerʼs insights remained in the secret cave, along with the power of the Absolute Sword House slumbering there.
Duke looked at Zeke and said,
"Zeke, I want you to become family head and stop Arthurʼs endless greed."