He had no idea why Captain Kidd's sea chart was tucked into Laura Agamemnonʼs Notebook.
But rather than dwell on the curiosity, Zeke first examined the route and issued a command to the System.
"System, analyze and save this route."
[Detecting sea chart.]
[Scanning and analyzing.]
[Marking the route indicated on the sea chart onto the map.]
With this, Zeke held both the indestructible ship known as the Triangle, which Captain Kidd had used to cross the Dark Sea, and its accompanying route.
"If I have this, I should be able to cross the Dark Sea and reach the Last Tower."
The Holy King had said that the Book of the Lion, sealing the Soul of the Demon King, was located in the Last Tower.
Even in its sealed state, the Soul of the Demon King continuously emanated malevolent energy, spawning magical beasts without end.
He couldn't imagine what it looked like exactly, but his mentor Duke had ventured to the Abandoned Continent on a mission and returned with such severe trauma that he lost his attainment as a black knight.
If a resilient black knight like Duke had suffered such a blow, it meant the place harbored dangers beyond imagination.
Zeke had no desire to take unnecessary risks, but with the Book of the Lion containing the sealed Soul of the Demon King there, he needed to prepare in advance.
Zeke folded Captain Kidd's sea chart and felt the need to dig up more information about him.
Just then, a vibration emanated from inside Zeke's pocket.
"What is this?"
He realized the source was none other than the hand mirror given to him by the Hermit of Stories.
Zeke pulled out the mirror and peered into it. To his surprise, the Hermit of Stories appeared within.
—"Oh! You received it—thank goodness!"
Unaware that it could connect like this, Zeke gazed at the mirror in wonder.
"Do I just speak normally?"
—"Yes, just talk casually. I was worried you might ignore the contact again, but I'm glad you didn't."
"As you instructed, I've been keeping it in my pocket. But what's the matter?"
—"Ah, our Leader has reached out. Just like I mentioned before, he wants to meet you." The Leader of the Highlander was personally requesting a meeting.
"If the magical beasts were going to rampage even more than before, meeting the Leader of the Highlander and securing their aid would have put us in a much stronger position." The Highlanders weren't numerous, but each one was an expert in hunting magical beasts.
Their direct assistance would be invaluable.
Zeke nodded to the Hermit.
"Very well. Where should we meet?"
—"Our Leader is in a rather unique situation, you see. It might be a hassle, but you'll have to come in person to see for yourself." Zeke nodded at the Hermit's words.
"Understood. Tell me the location."
—"Have you heard of Storm Castle?"
Zeke thought he'd misheard and asked again.
"Did you just say Storm Castle?"
—"Yes, Storm Castle. Looks like you know it. Good." He closed his eyes briefly, then opened them.
"Are you referring to the Storm Castle in the heart of the Storm Sea Region, one of the Forbidden Areas?"
—"You know it well. That's the one."
Zeke's head throbbed at the Hermit's confirmation.
"From what I know, no one can approach that place—it's forbidden among the forbidden."
—"Exactly. That's why I said our Leader's in a unique situation."
No matter how he looked at it, "a unique situation" didn't begin to cover it.
gritted his teeth and replied.
"...Fine, let's say that's the case. How do I get there? There are no ships to the Storm Sea Region."
—"You're right. No regular ships, so we borrow small boats and row in ourselves."
"Pardon? Small boats?"
—"The waves are rough, but we manage to get through. For someone like you, it shouldn't be too hard."
The Hermit spoke of crossing one of the continent's ultimate Forbidden Areas like it was a casual outing.
Zeke realized arguing further would only give him a headache.
"...Understood. I'll find a way."
—"Oh, and you must go within a week. Otherwise, you won't get to see him." The man came with all sorts of demanding conditions.
"A week."
Even departing immediately, the timeline was tight.
Zeke ended the call with the Hermit and rose from his seat at once.
"No time for rest, it seems."
Grumbling to himself, he set off for Himonas before dawn broke.
*
Upon returning to Himonas, most of the aftermath had already been handled.
subjugated the captured enemy knights using the Authority of the Third Eye and
sent them to the vampires along with the restrained nightmare demons.
He couldn't leave enemy knights radiating demonic energy in Mycenae, so he planned to have Carmilla hide them discreetly and call them forth when needed to strike from behind enemy lines.
For now, the matter of Bishop Castick would have to wait.
With the situation sorted swiftly, Zeke had to bid a reluctant farewell to Alicia.
He wanted to stay in Himonas, reminiscing about old times and spending even a little more with her, but the pressing circumstances wouldn't allow it.
"Zeke Draker, as a friend of Himonas, come here anytime. The North will remember its bond with you."
Alicia extended her hand to the departing Zeke.
Zeke gazed at her hand for a moment before reaching out to clasp it.
With their gauntlets and gloves, he couldn't feel her warmth, but just seeing the living Alicia brought him some comfort.
He looked at her and slowly spoke.
"Thank you. Grand Duke... please take care of yourself, always." Alicia gave him an incredulous look at his words.
"That's the most useless thing anyone's ever said to me."
Born of the Great Strength Wielder bloodline, Alicia had never once felt the need to worry about her safety.
Zeke had anticipated her response and met her eyes with a wry smile.
"...I'll make sure to come back."
tended to get unusually emotional around Alicia.
He steeled himself and left Himonas.
Not long after setting out, Reina approached from the side and spoke to him.
"You've saved the Northern Continent, so the fame of the Knight of Salvation will only grow."
"The news bulletins will probably be more curious about our marriage than that," Zeke said.
At his sudden remark, Reina's face flushed bright red.
"M-Marriage? W-What do you...?"
"Didn't the Head of Thurn tell you? The family hopes you and I will wed. There aren't many Pureblood Drakers our age, after all."
Reina could scarcely breathe at Zeke's casual mention of marriage.
Her face burning, she finally managed to speak.
"I-I know about it. B-But... I'm not thinking of marriage yet!"
"I see. That's a relief. Neither am I."
At Zeke's words, Reina felt an unexpected pang of disappointment.
'Does he not want to marry me? Or just not now?'
She wanted to ask outright but couldn't bring herself to.
Unaware of her inner turmoil, Zeke was lost in thoughts of Storm Castle.
Having organized his mind, Zeke turned back and called out to where Felix was.
"Felix!"
Felix hurried over at Zeke's summons.
"You called, my lord?"
Zeke issued his command.
"I'm heading straight to Aten from here. You lead the unit back to Mycenae."
"To Aten? For what purpose, my lord?"
"I can't say. Once back in Mycenae, focus on castle defenses. Prepare thoroughly in case the enemy targets our main base."
"Understood, my lord."
After giving Felix his orders, Zeke mounted Bucephalus and raced toward Aten.
Watching from behind, Reina looked bewildered.
She approached Felix and asked.
"Where is Sir Zeke going so suddenly?"
"He said to Aten."
"Aten? Why all of a sudden?"
"He didn't say. We'll head to Mycenae as ordered. Will you return to Thurn, Lady Reina?" Reina felt disoriented by Zeke's abrupt departure.
Without thinking, she gave a different answer from her plans.
"No, I'm going to Mycenae too."
"Pardon? Why to Mycenae...?"
"W-Well, joint training! I was planning to train with the Black Sword Knight Order members and hone my skills this time!"
Felix eyed her suspiciously but nodded.
"Understood, then. Let's go to Mycenae together."
He had no intention of discouraging her from joining the Black Sword Knight Order's hellish training if she wanted to.
'She'll surely regret it, but it's her choice.'
With Reina deciding on Mycenae, the Thurn knights following her insisted on joining for the joint training with the Black Sword Knight Order.
'That wasn't my intention...'
In the end, Reina and the Thurn Knight Order headed to Agamemnon Castle with the Black Spirit Unit. *
Once sufficiently distanced from the group, Zeke took to the skies on Bucephalus.
The Northern Continent's biting chill assailed him, but Jeromeʼs Cloak blocked the dreadful cold, allowing Zeke to fly without issue.
Thus, Zeke soared on Bucephalus via the sky path straight to Aten.
He headed not to Aten's center but to the coastal area.
There, he planned to secure a ship and cross the Storm Sea Region directly to Storm Castle, where the Leader of the Highlander awaited.
"Storm Castle. I thought it was just a tale from storybooks, but it actually exists."
In the Hero King Kaisir adventure series, the Storm Castle monster episode was one of the most popular, alongside the White Witch tale.
Originally, the Storm Sea Region was a calm, clear sea where many people lived by fishing nearby.
But one day, a mischievous monster appeared, capsizing fishing boats with its breath, devouring all the fish with its huge maw, and tormenting fleeing villagers.
The once-serene sea turned murky from the turmoil, forcing the fishermen to abandon their homes.
Then, one day, the Knights of the Clock Tower and the passing Hero King heard of the monster harassing the people and charged into the sea in an instant.
He chased down the monster, gave it a sound thrashing, and extracted a promise never to bother humans again.
Yet the monster broke its vow to the Hero King, hunkering down on an island and summoning fierce storms to bar anyone from approaching the sea—that was the Storm Castle story.
Zeke searched the Chronicles of Kaisir projections for details on Storm Castle but found no mentions of the Storm Sea Region or the monster.
'Maybe it's just a story after all.'
The very idea of the Leader of the Highlander waiting in Storm Castle, said to house a monster, felt odd.
Pondering this as he arrived at Aten Peninsula's coast, Zeke entered a nearby village to find a boat to cross the Storm Sea Region.
But the fishermen, hearing his request, waved him off.
"Cross the Storm Sea Region? Oh dear! Sir Knight, that's asking for trouble. We've lived here our whole lives and barely venture beyond the nearby coast—the sea's too wild for more."
"Is there no way to go farther out?"
"Not a chance. This place is rougher than the Sea of Death. Why do you think it's called a continental Forbidden Area?"
No one willingly approached the Storm Sea Region, one of the continent's Forbidden Areas alongside the Forest of the Forgotten.
Even a glance from the shore revealed the sea's ferocity.
'How did the Hermit of Stories cross on a small boat?'
Perhaps only the superhuman High Table members could manage it.
Surveying the shore, Zeke considered summoning the Tyrant and flying over, but he abandoned the idea, figuring the storm domain would make flight even harder.
With no choice, Zeke wrestled with the dilemma and eventually acquired a rickety small boat to make the attempt.
He went to an isolated coastal spot, summoned Bane and Richmond, pointed to the small boat, and said.
"Fix this up."
At Zeke's command, the two Nirvanan genius necromancers—one an 8th-Circle mage of Freezing Magic—diligently repaired the dilapidated vessel.
Richmond summoned bones to patch the broken sections, while Bane filled the gaps with solid ice.
Hours later, Richmond and Bane approached with proud expressions.
"All done, master."
Zeke, who had been relaxing with tea, rose and went to inspect the repaired boat.
"...What is this?"
His jaw dropped at the sight.
The rickety small boat was gone, replaced by a massive, intimidating large frigate adorned with grotesque monster bones and sharp ice blades, awaiting him.