"Block the Draker Family?"
Kali nodded as she looked at Zekeʼs confused eyes.
"Itʼs no wonder youʼre taken aback by me bringing this up so suddenly." "No, itʼs just that Iʼm puzzled about what you mean by blocking the family." Kali nodded at Zekeʼs words.
"On the surface, I was the most Drakeresque knight. And in reality, I was. At least until I became a Guardian Knight."
"So, after becoming a Guardian Knight, your thoughts changed?"
Kali took another sip of her tea and fell silent for a moment before she spoke again.
"The Draker Family... had far more problems than I ever imagined."
As the rulers of Midland and the ones who held the Central Continent in the palm of their hand, the Draker Familyʼs power was beyond imagination.
Though Ishtar and Nirvana were classified as one of the Three Great Transcendent Families, they couldnʼt compare in actual influence.
There was no single nation or empire on the Central Continent that could rival Draker, aside from the fact that it hadnʼt formally taken the shape of an empire.
Zeke looked at Kali and asked.
"You already knew that Draker didnʼt rise to this position through clean means, right?"
Kali shook her head at his words.
"What Iʼm talking about isnʼt Drakerʼs cold and ruthless methods."
"Then what is it?"
Kali hesitated before she slowly opened her mouth.
"The Draker Family is arbitrarily trying to control the Central Continent."
"Thereʼs already no place on the Central Continent that can oppose the Draker Family." Kali looked at Zeke and said.
"Why do you think that is? Just because Draker has many strong knights?" It was only then that Zeke realized what Kali was getting at. "You donʼt mean... Draker is intervening in other kingdoms as well?" Kali nodded.
"To maintain their power, Draker uses every method at their disposal. Assassinations of key figures, threats, bribes—even brainwashing without hesitation."
Zeke was startled by Kaliʼs words, which were far more radical than he expected.
'They were no different from those Siemens bastards.ʼ
Something flashed through Zekeʼs mind at that moment.
'Wait, if they were intervening in various ways to secure power... All those illegal experiments by Siemens. Could Draker really have been unaware of them?ʼ Zeke finally realized a fact he had overlooked until now.
He ground his teeth.
'Everything Siemens did was ultimately carried out under Drakerʼs tacit approval.ʼ
Zeke became convinced that Draker knew about Siemensʼ illegal experiments and the dark magic rituals linked to Narak, yet allowed them to continue.
They took the experimental results under Siemensʼ name and cut them off before the seeds of unrest could grow further.
It was quintessentially Draker-like.
Having realized this, Zeke clenched his fist, struggling to suppress the rising anger.
'Ever since my regression, I had somehow forgotten about this damned family.ʼ
Recalling the miserable past from his previous life, Zeke ruminated on the true nature of Draker.
At that moment, Kali looked at Zeke and said.
"As a Guardian Knight, my role is to prevent Drakerʼs dark side from being exposed to the outside world. In a way, itʼs a duty to protect the familyʼs honor."
Zeke then understood why Duke had evaluated Kali as lacking capability.
It wasnʼt a lack of ability, but rather that her upright nature couldnʼt tolerate enduring Drakerʼs dirty deeds.
For similar reasons, Duke himself had likely never become a Guardian Knight.
In contrast, Zeke was far removed from such upright tendencies.
That was undoubtedly why Arthur had chosen Zeke over Kali as his successor.
Zeke looked at Kali and said.
"Are you trying to reform the family?"
Kaliʼs expression grew complicated at his words.
She opened her mouth with difficulty.
"...Honestly, Iʼm not sure. I donʼt even know what I want to do. Zeke, Iʼm a knight. A knight trains with the sword, pledges loyalty to someone, and faithfully carries out their duties. But as a knight and as a Draker, Iʼve had to make choices that are worlds apart.
Thatʼs why Iʼm still confused."
While she had taken pride in being a knight of Draker, she couldnʼt condone the familyʼs evil deeds, which left Kali in constant turmoil.
With a complicated expression and silence hanging over her, Kali looked at Zeke and said.
"Iʼm sorry, Zeke. Iʼve burdened you with something difficult." Zeke shook his head at her words. "No, I understand your feelings well." Zeke took Kaliʼs hand and said.
"As someone whoʼs only just become a Guardian Knight, itʼs probably too early for me to judge everything. But if a major crossroads comes as a Guardian Knight, Iʼll definitely consult with you then."
Kali smiled brightly at Zekeʼs words.
"Yes, thatʼs more than enough."
Kali stood up from her seat, her face much lighter.
"Zeke, having you as a Guardian Knight by my side gives me such a sense of security." "I feel the same, Sister."
Zeke saw Kali off and returned to his seat.
However, upon sitting back down, Zeke wore an uneasy expression.
'It didnʼt seem like she made this decision simply because she couldnʼt endure Drakerʼs evil deeds.ʼ
With his draconic senses, Zeke could tell that Kali hadnʼt revealed the full truth.
'Perhaps she uncovered something about Arthur Draker.ʼ
As the head of the Draker Family, Arthur held the most secrets.
In carrying out her duties as a Guardian Knight, Kali might have confronted Arthurʼs true nature and developed a deep aversion to the family head position.
Seated, Zeke gazed at the view of the Four Seasons Star, lost in thought.
'I was different from her. I would survive this hell and devour the entire Draker Family.ʼ The enmity with Draker that had carried over from his previous life.
Zeke vowed to sever that enmity in this life.
*
"We have arrived at the Dorta Peninsula. Please disembark safely from the shuttle. Enjoy your trip to Dorta."
Zeke opened his eyes at the announcement.
'We had arrived in Dorta.ʼ
As he prepared to disembark from the portal travel shuttle, Hades, sitting beside him, started grumbling.
"Ugh, I could just fly there myself and itʼd be faster, but no, I have to go through this primitive portal and deal with all this hassle." Zeke looked at Hades and said.
"If you transform into your true form these days, people will freak out. They believe dragons once enslaved humans. What if everyone turns into dragon slayers and chases after you to catch Lord Hades?"
Hades pouted and grumbled at Zekeʼs words.
Yellin, sitting nearby, looked embarrassed and tried to soothe Hades. "Lord Hades, if your mouth feels idle, how about having some of this?" Yellin pulled out some sweet pastries she had prepared in advance.
Hades frowned at the sight of the pastries.
"Do you think Iʼm a child or something? Ugh, these guys are totally making fun of me." Despite his words, Hades snatched the pastries from Yellin and stuffed his mouth full.
The sweet taste melted away his complaints noticeably.
Zeke smiled in satisfaction at Yellinʼs quick thinking.
As they exited the terminal, Muhammad waited for Zeke, just as before.
"Sir Zeke!"
Seeing Muhammad after a long time, his face lit up with emotion as he greeted Zeke.
"Itʼs an honor to serve the most renowned Knight of Salvation on the continent!" Zekeʼs ascension to Guardian Knight was already known across the continent.
Given Zekeʼs immense fame, news bulletins competed to spread word of him without any need for promotion.
Zeke extended a handshake to Muhammad, whom he hadnʼt seen in a while, and smiled.
"Itʼs been a while. But..."
Turning his head, he saw that Muhammad had prepared a lavish golden carriage, complete with floral decorations, a band, and even a dance troupe to welcome Zeke.
Zeke didnʼt particularly like such extravagance, but he couldnʼt bring himself to refuse Muhammadʼs sincerity.
"Thatʼs quite the splendid carriage."
Muhammad beamed at Zekeʼs words.
In the end, Zeke and his group had to travel to the hotel in the ornate golden carriage.
True to his Zayed Family roots, Muhammad handled everything impeccably.
For Zeke, he reserved the upper floors of the hotel with the strictest security, barring anyone else from entry except Zekeʼs party.
The top floor was allocated for Zeke, Hades, and Yellin, while separate rooms were prepared elsewhere for Luther, the guide, and Omar, the envoy from the Murk Empire.
After the meeting with Julius here, they planned to head straight to meet the Sultan.
Seated on the bed in his room, Hades tore open the third bag of pastries and said.
"The Eastern Continent, huh. I went there once long ago with Lord Hyperion."
Hades added that Hyperion, the lord of the Silver Clan, was the finest craftsman among dragonkind, renowned for creating the most intricate and superior magical armaments.
Zeke nodded in understanding; just looking at the Holy Kingʼs golem knights demonstrated Hyperionʼs exceptional skill.
Hades reminisced with a distant gaze about his time on the Eastern Continent.
"I remember meeting the Eastern dragons with Lord Hyperion and having in-depth discussions about their armament crafting methods. It was so enjoyable. But now, itʼs all in the past."
Hyperion had passed into eternal rest during the War of Liberation while Hades was imprisoned in Blanca, so they could no longer meet.
Out of curiosity, Zeke asked Hades where Hyperionʼs lair was, and he replied it was on the Northern Continent.
Since one of the Seals of Chronos was located on the Northern Continent, Zeke suspected a fragment of the seal might be in Hyperionʼs lair.
Organizing his thoughts, Zeke asked the sprawled-out Hades.
"So, any progress on your research while I was away?"
Zeke had sent the orichalcum he obtained from raiding the cardinals and bishops in the Principality of Vadoka directly to Hades.
To keep his promise.
Hades snapped at Zeke.
"Hey! You think that little bit is enough to plug anyoneʼs nose? You said if I found a sacred relic, youʼd make a ton of orichalcum!" Zeke clicked his tongue at Hades.
"You said itʼd take at least a week of pouring power into a sacred relic for that. Do I look like I have time to slack off? Once I have some leeway, Iʼll make more, so for now, make do with what you have."
Grumbling that Zekeʼs attitude was different going in and coming out—like someone using the outhouse—Hades waved his hand in the air. Two suits of armor then appeared from thin air.
Zeke tilted his head at the sight.
"Is this Hercion too? Wait, it looks similar to the ones I got from the Dragon Slayerʼs Resting Place and the Resting Place of the Sky." Hades nodded.
"Yeah, I took the ones Feynen and Gelion had and studied them further." He spun the armor around and pointed to a groove on the back.
"Do you know what this is?" Zeke nodded.
"Yes, back then, the high-compression mana stone fit perfectly into that groove." Zeke recalled his first visit to the Dragon Slayerʼs Resting Place.
He had gone there seeking a high-compression mana stone to craft Gelionʼs furnace and had stumbled upon the resting place, where these armors lay.
At the time, he had inserted the high-compression mana stone into the groove, but the equipment had been too deteriorated to activate.
Hades grinned and waved his hand again, producing a high-compression mana stone.
"Where did you get that? Theyʼre hard to find these days."
"I had some fairy stones lying around, so I made one." Zeke was surprised by Hadesʼ words.
"You can make high-compression mana stones?"
"Why are you surprised by that? Just make a compressor, put in a mana stone, and compress it. But if you only use mana stones, the quality drops, so mixing in fairy stones improves the output."
Hades replied nonchalantly and inserted the mana stone into the armorʼs groove.
Light began to emanate from the eye area of the helmet.
At the same time, a message appeared before Zekeʼs eyes.
[Recognizing Dragon Slayer exclusive equipment.]
[High-Compression Mana Battery installed in Dragon Slayer exclusive equipment.]
[Activating equipment.]