The relationship between the Central Continent and the Northern Continent was ambiguous, at best; it could hardly be called an alliance.
A glance at the Delphoa Mages' reactions—who had been thrown into disarray by the
Northern Knights' arrival—revealed the true state of affairs between the two continents.
In those circumstances, Zeke—the Guardian Knight of Draker, at the heart of the Central Continent—helped Himonas so selflessly, without any apparent motive, which was truly remarkable.
If Zeke hadn't rescued Himonas from the demonkind's attack, Alicia might have suspected ulterior motives on his part.
But he genuinely wanted to help Himonas.
Zeke had to forcibly suppress the surging emotions once again as he looked at Alicia, who gazed at him with shining blue eyes.
In a calm voice, he said, "The Grand Duke must grow stronger to stand against the demons. The invasion from the Demon Realm will eventually become a problem for the entire Phenomenal World, so we should prepare in advance." At Zeke's words, Alicia peered into his eyes without saying a word.
Only after a long moment did she slowly open her mouth.
"You're lying to me for the first time, Zeke Draker."
She had caught the subtle flicker in his eyes that his feelings for her had failed to fully conceal.
Alicia leaned closer to Zeke.
Her face was inches from his.
"Are you hiding something from me?"
At her words, Zeke couldn't respond immediately.
Whenever he was close to her, memories from his past life flooded back as if they had happened yesterday.
Memories of huddling together in a cave to endure the bitter cold through the night, of wrapping his arms around her frail shoulders as she wept in grief over the deaths of their comrades.
Looking into her clear blue eyes brought forth a constant stream of past memories.
They were the eyes he had longed for the longest in both his past life and this reborn one.
He had reunited with many from his past life with whom he had shared bonds, and he had formed new connections after his regression, but none stirred the same emotions as Alicia did.
It was only after regressing that Zeke realized it.
He had loved Alicia for so long.
Yet the reason he hadn't sought her out right away after his return was that he lacked the confidence to face the Alicia of the past—the one who didn't share his memories and experiences.
In a strict sense, if the past Alicia had vanished and only this amnesiac version remained, then the woman he had loved was gone forever, and that fear lingered.
But Zeke could clearly feel that the Alicia before him was the same person from before.
Even if she didn't share his memories, her essence hadn't changed at all.
She was still fierce, bold, lovable, and fragile.
Every time Zeke realized that the Alicia he had loved and missed was the same as this one, he felt an overwhelming surge of emotion.
But that didn't mean he could tell her everything about his experiences and the truth.
The past was the past, and now a new life had unfolded before him, so Zeke wanted to build a different relationship with her.
Composing himself, he looked at her and said, "Do you want to know the real truth, Grand Duke?"
At Zeke's words, Alicia peered deeply into his eyes.
Then, she turned her head away first.
"...For some reason, your eyes tell me I shouldn't ask what that truth is."
"I won't do anything to harm the Grand Duke or the North. In fact, I'm the one asking for your help."
Alicia shrugged at Zeke's words and picked up the bottle of strong liquor in front of her again.
She took a swig and handed the bottle to Zeke.
Like the Northern Knights, Zeke drank straight from the bottle.
As he set it down, Alicia looked at him again and asked, "Zeke Draker, why do you want to save this world? Because you're the Knight of Salvation?"
In the Central Continent, there was a saying that a knight's epithet determined their fate.
Some claimed that Zeke, bearing the title of Knight of Salvation, had inherited the destiny to save the world, like the legendary Hero King or the Dragon Slayer Terakan Draker.
Zeke slowly opened his mouth at Alicia's question.
"Saving the world..."
He couldn't answer her question readily.
He had merely willed himself back through time using the power of the Elder Dragon to reject the miserable death he suffered in his past life.
What he truly desired wasn't to save the world.
Looking at Alicia, he said, "I've never thought about saving the world. For a long time, what I've wanted has always been personal. To be free."
At some point, Zeke recalled something Cross-Sword Aslan had said.
He had dreamed of becoming a wandering knight who roamed aimlessly, protecting the weak and slaying monsters, having cast aside everything.
Zeke had thought it was just a romantic tale, but the freedom he ultimately dreamed of was in a similar vein.
He wanted to wander a peaceful world as he pleased.
After hearing Zeke's words, Alicia nodded.
"Freedom... That's far better than all that talk of salvation and heroism." She slowly rose to her feet.
She picked up the Fang-Wolf Sword she had leaned against the wall and looked at Zeke as she said, "I can't judge how much of what you say is true. But at least, I don't think you harbor ill intentions."
She slung the Fang-Wolf Sword over her back and continued, "And setting all that aside, I'm all for exterminating those damned Demon Realm bastards who threaten my freedom and that of the North. With that in mind, as you suggested, I'll meet the Sword King and hone my strength."
The proud Northern ruler had accepted Zeke's proposal.
Zeke nodded at her.
"I express my deepest gratitude for the Grand Duke's cooperation and consideration." She raised her hand to her heart and bowed in the Northern style of greeting.
At the same time, her blue eyes sparkled as she grinned.
"I feel the same. Until we meet again. Knight of Salvation—no, Knight of Freedom." Alicia opened the office door and stepped out.
Zeke stared blankly at the spot where her warmth still lingered, then shook his head.
He shook off all the memories of the past Alicia in his mind and the traces of those emotions.
'The past is the past. Now it's time to move forward.'
Zeke lifted his head again, his eyes gleaming sharply.
*
Rumble!
Following the formation of the Continental Allied Forces and the agreement, the march toward Jupiter in the Empire's south began across the Central Continent.
They had decided to assemble at Heli, the border region where Midland met the Empire, then head south through Thermo Fortress to Jupiter.
After the decision, forces from the Central Continent began gathering in Heli one after another.
At the center was Helen Draker, the Guardian Knight of Draker, renowned by the epithet Knight of Steel.
She had become the supreme commander, tasked with leading not only the Draker Knight Order but the entire allied forces.
While Helen led the allies to strike Jupiter, Zeke prepared to assault the Siemens Underground Labyrinth where Narak was hiding.
Zeke set up camp with the intelligence unit at the ruins of an old castle not far from the underground labyrinth and prepared for infiltration.
First, Boris directed the members of The Six and the Salmak Assassins to devise an infiltration plan.
Since it was a hidden underground labyrinth, the methods for entry were limited, and above all, as Narak's headquarters, no one knew what test subjects and abominations might be inside.
Boris and Shadia exhausted every possible method to formulate the plan before approaching Zeke to report it.
"It seems we have no choice but to blow this place up." Infiltration for an intelligence unit was supposed to be stealthy.
Yet Boris was directly overturning that principle of espionage.
Zeke looked at Boris and Shadia and asked, "Approaching with a bang might let them escape. Is there a reason you've planned it this way?" Boris pondered Zeke's question before speaking.
"No matter how much we've scouted, we couldn't find a route to approach without leaving traces."
The underground labyrinth long concealed by Siemens was a fortress in its own right.
Moreover, with not only Narak's Dark Mages but also Siemens' main forces and Emperor Nero's secret units remaining there, the risk of detection upon entry was too high.
Boris clenched his fist and said, "If stealthy infiltration is impossible, it might be better to make a loud commotion to agitate them and cover our tracks."
No matter the method, they'd be discovered soon after entering.
In that case, it would be better to detonate the exterior to lure and disperse their forces, then exploit the resulting gap.
Zeke turned to Shadia after hearing Boris. "Shadia, do you agree with Boris's opinion?" Shadia bit her lip and nodded.
"It's shameful as an assassin, but I agree with Captain Boris. Normally, even armies need basic supplies where people are. Salmak usually exploits those gaps. But... we couldn't find any such openings with them." Zeke nodded at Shadia's words.
The underground labyrinth guarded by monsters rather than humans made normal infiltration impossible.
Zeke skimmed the infiltration plan report they brought and stood up.
"We'll proceed as you suggest. Except for one thing." He set the report down on the desk and continued.
"Instead of bombs, I'll shake them up myself."
*
Boom!
In the middle of a barren wasteland that appeared empty, a massive explosion rang out.
Rumble!
The ground split in an instant, and with the blast, mounds of earth surged up from below.
At that moment, something enormous rose from between the dirt piles.
Screeech!
A gigantic insect with horrific tentacles and sharp hooks writhed and burst up from the cracked earth.
Screeeeech!
Green acidic fluid poured from the giant insect's maw, spraying everywhere.
Sizzle—
A toxic mist rose from the ground where the green acid touched.
Scorpions and lizards wandering the wasteland boiled on their surfaces upon contact with the mist and melted away into puddles of venom.
In moments, the wasteland became a deathly land filled with toxic fog.
Then, the empty wasteland surface heaved, and a black hole opened in the ground.
From that hole, knights in black armor emerged in perfect formation.
Step! Step! Step! Step!
Without a single misalignment, the Black Knights ascended onto the wasteland, unaffected by the toxic mist, maintaining their ranks as they began patrolling the surroundings.
As they appeared, magical beasts resembling eagles descended from the sky to scan for suspicious activity.
They seemed to be searching for the cause of the sudden explosion.
The Black Knights, probing the haze for traces, spotted something in their vision.
Ssssh—
It was Zeke, standing on a wasteland hill with Laevatein drawn, cloaked in black shadows like a mantle.
Not only the Black Knights but the aerial beasts confirmed his form and transmitted it to the Dark Mages via pre-prepared magic.
The Black Knights drew their swords and surged toward the hill where Zeke stood.
Swoosh!
Aura-laced strikes poured toward Zeke from all directions.
Demonic aura had the power to nullify aura, making it impossible for ordinary knights to block head-on.
But Zeke was no ordinary aura user.
Boom!
The shadows swirling around Zeke's body surged up, blocking all the Black Knights' strikes.
Having offset their attacks with Shadow Armor, Zeke raised Laevatein.
"Dragon Slaying Technique. Black Sword Qi. Black Gale."
A massive black wind erupted from his sword, instantly engulfing the Black Knights.