[Translator - Peptobismal]
[Proofreader - Max]
Chapter 100
*hoooo!
The sandstorm subsided.
The figures of the two were revealed, and surprisingly, Zeke had Bahamut pointed at the Ishtar warrior's neck.
Zeke said to the warrior,
"It seems the Earth God has given their judgment."
The Ishtar warrior silently nodded at Zeke's words.
When Zeke withdrew his sword, the warrior slowly got up.
As the two emerged from the pit, another Ishtar warrior rushed over with a surprised voice.
"My Lady!"
The tall Ishtar warrior who had fought Zeke conveyed something with hand gestures.
The approaching warrior's expression then turned to one of shock.
"M-My Lady lost?"
They seemed quite surprised.
Zeke sheathed his sword and said,
"The Earth God has given their judgment. You can no longer accuse us of violating the expulsion order, so open the way. We must go to the Central Continent as soon as possible."
The tall warrior then gestured again, conveying something to the other warrior.
The shorter warrior was once again surprised.
"Y-You're inviting them to the clan?"
Even Zeke, who was standing next to them, was surprised by those words.
'Was it 150 years ago that the Ishtar clan last invited guests?'
That's how closed off the Ishtar clan was.
Then the shorter warrior said to Zeke,
"...My Lady says she will open a portal for you to move quickly to the Central Continent, so follow me."
Zeke was once again surprised by those words.
"A portal? Does the Ishtar clan possess its own portal?"
The short warrior didn't answer Zeke's question.
Just then, the tall warrior gestured for Zeke to follow them.
After some thought, Zeke said to Simon and Boris,
"They don't seem hostile, so let's follow them for now."
From his experience in his past life, Zeke knew that the Ishtar clan valued their laws and the Earth God's judgment above all else.
Zeke helped the severely injured Boris onto a horse and followed the Ishtar warriors on foot with Simon and Karus.
Karus was excited with a strange thrill.
"Zeke, to think we can actually visit the Ishtar clan. We're really lucky."
"...I'm glad you think so."
Karus seemed oddly carefree despite almost dying.
As they passed through the harsh sandstorm and delved deeper, they entered a desert area instead of a wasteland.
The sight of the vast desert with its white star sand created a mystical atmosphere.
The Ishtar warriors headed into the desert.
Zeke turned on his map and recorded the Ishtar warriors' route.
Strangely, even though they seemed to be walking straight ahead, the route marked on the map was erratic.
'Is this a mystery of the desert?'
It seemed like there was a path that only the Ishtar clan knew.
It was then.
Although there had been nothing but empty desert just moments ago, something appeared in the distance.
"Ohhh."
Karus exclaimed from beside him.
He was excited at the prospect of seeing the main house of the Ishtar clan, which he had only heard of in stories.
Just then, the shorter warrior snapped,
"Outsiders cannot enter this place no matter what they do, so don't wander the desert trying to find this place again."
As Zeke had expected, there seemed to be a special way to enter the main house.
Zeke and his party slowly entered the Ishtar city built in the middle of the desert.
***
"Oh my god, there's such a big city in the middle of the desert!"
Karus continued to express his admiration as soon as he entered the city.
The Ishtar city, with its completely different atmosphere from the Central Continent, looked more similar to the Eastern Empire style.
Most people were wearing plain clothes and had their faces covered with chadors. Only those who weren't followers of the faith had their faces uncovered, and they looked like Central Continent people.
'The Ishtar clan are all fervent believers in the Earth God. It seems only those who aren't followers are showing their faces.'
He had expected a very solemn and quiet atmosphere in this closed-off city, but he was surprised that it wasn't much different from any other city.
The market was abundant with goods and bustling with activity.
Zeke was curious how such goods entered this isolated and independent city.
'They probably won't tell me even if I ask.'
Zeke's party followed the Ishtar warriors, sightseeing the market and heading towards the main palace in the city center.
When they reached the main palace, the gatekeepers guarding the entrance became wary upon seeing Zeke's party, who were outsiders.
The shorter warrior then said to the gatekeepers,
"They are My Lady's guests. I will report to her directly."
The gatekeepers bowed respectfully and returned to their original positions.
Unlike the city, the inside of the palace was, as expected, very quiet and solemn.
The people walking around made no sound, and there were hardly any signs of human presence within the palace.
It was like looking at the scenery of a monastery.
The shorter warrior said to Zeke's party,
"I will guide you to your rooms, so please rest there for a while. We will decide what to do after reporting to the elders of the clan."
It seemed they couldn't use the portal immediately.
Zeke's party entered the rooms guided by another attendant.
As soon as they entered the room, Zeke laid Boris down and checked his condition.
Thanks to the potion, he was no longer in critical condition.
Zeke took out an ancient potion from his inventory.
It was an item far more effective than a regular potion.
He sprinkled the potion on Boris's wounds and had him drink the rest.
He could have healed him quickly with Healing, but he was reluctant to show his Healing talent in front of others, so he used the potion instead.
"Ugh..."
"Boris, how are you feeling?"
"Boss... I'm dying."
"You're not dead yet, so stop exaggerating."
Boris slowly sat up.
"Ugh. But where are we?"
"The main palace of Ishtar."
"Huh?"
Boris was surprised and looked around cautiously.
Zeke reassured him.
"It's alright. We've been invited as guests of the Ishtar clan, so you can relax."
Despite Zeke's words, Boris couldn't let his guard down, knowing they were in the heart of the Ishtar clan, who were experts in assassination mystic arts.
Just then, servants entered and prepared a meal.
The food was simple, like monastery food, but it was light and brought out the natural flavors of the ingredients.
After finishing the meal, Zeke drank the tea that the servant had brought.
"...Hmm? This is a flavor I've never tasted before. Does the Ishtar clan cultivate their own tea?"
The servant nodded at Zeke's words.
"You have a deep knowledge of tea. This is made by improving a variety that grows in the desert region. It's a tea that can only be tasted here."
Zeke nodded and savored the tea's aroma.
It was as if the precious Eastern tea's fragrance had been concentrated many times over, yet it wasn't overpowering, giving him great satisfaction.
'I wonder if they sell it as a local specialty in the market. I want to buy some and take it with me.'
Zeke slowly savored the tea he was tasting for the first time.
Zeke regained his composure and looked around at his companions. Karus was taking out a small sketchbook and drawing the scenery of the Ishtar city he had seen.
Zeke, looking at Karus, said,
"If you leak that carelessly, Ishtar's Mystics might come looking for you, Karus."
Karus was so startled by those words that he hiccuped, then quietly closed his sketchbook.
He then closed his eyes and tried to engrave the city's scenery in his mind.
It was then.
Someone entered the room.
It was the two warriors who had brought Zeke's party to the palace.
The shorter warrior, abandoning her previous overbearing attitude, bowed politely and said,
"The elders of the clan have officially invited you as guests. There will be a banquet for the guests this evening, so please be sure to attend."
Zeke rose from his seat and bowed to the warriors, saying,
"We are pleased to accept the Ishtar clan's invitation. May the Earth God's blessings be with the protectors of the desert."
The shorter warrior replied,
"May the Earth God's blessings be with the travelers of the desert. Please forgive my previous rudeness. My name is Ezgi Ishtar. And this is Yellin Ishtar."
Zeke looked at Yellin and said,
"It seems Yellin Ishtar is undergoing a vow of silence."
Yellin nodded slightly at his words.
Zeke said to the two,
"My name is Zeke Draker."
Yellin and Ezgi were surprised.
"D-Draker...? Oh my goodness."
Yellin and Ezgi looked at Zeke with curiosity.
"...Why are you so surprised?"
Ezgi said in a dubious voice,
"Well, I heard that Drakers all have horns on their heads, sharp teeth, and when they laugh, they always laugh like demons, 'Khehehe.'"
Zeke, with a dumbfounded expression, retorted,
"In the Central Continent, they say that the Ishtar clan drinks poison like water with every meal."
Ezgi exclaimed in indignation,
"How can we drink poison with every meal! Do you know how expensive that is? We barely drink it once a day. Oh, but My Lady might drink it with every meal."
Anyway, the point was that they did drink it. Zeke let out a small laugh at the unexpected remark.
Having finished the necessary conversation, Ezgi, checking Zeke's head for horns until the very end, was dragged out by Yellin.
Simon, watching this, chuckled.
"I thought the Ishtar clan was a place with no blood or tears, but it seems like a place where people live after all."
Zeke nodded.
"Indeed. But why are there rumors that Drakers have horns on their heads...? And that they laugh like 'Khehehe.' Is there anyone who laughs like that?"
Karus, who was next to them, chimed in,
"Zeke, that's a metaphor. It's a figurative expression that the Draker clan is like demons. The Draker clan has made a lot of enemies and has a ruthless side, you know."
"...Right. Thanks for the kind explanation, Karus."
Karus looked pleased with Zeke's words.
As evening came, the attendants handed Zeke's party clothes made of plain cloth.
Boris, who hadn't yet recovered from his injuries, decided to stay in the room, and Simon stayed behind to watch over him.
Only Karus and Zeke, excited to be invited to the Ishtar clan banquet, changed into the plain clothes and followed the attendant to the banquet hall.
In the banquet hall, a large round table was prepared, and people dressed in plain clothes were sitting around it.
Yellin and Ezgi, who had invited Zeke, greeted them and guided them to the round table.
Zeke and Karus awkwardly sat down at the round table.
Just then, one of the people sitting at the table slowly rose from their seat.
Although their face was covered, a clear and elegant voice resonated.
"We have guests visiting our clan after 153 years. As the head of the clan, I want to convey this joy to the Earth God."
Then, everyone clasped their hands and offered their gratitude to the Earth God.
The head of the clan said to Zeke,
"Sir Zeke Draker, who has found our clan under the guidance of the Earth God. We welcome you as a guest of Ishtar. Please rise from your seat and offer words of blessing for this wondrous encounter."
Zeke slowly rose from his seat.
Then, he spoke in ancient Eastern tongue,
"The Earth God, who governs mystery and wonder, has arranged this meeting. We offer our gratitude for their wisdom and divine power, and we wish to engrave the order of the law, which is above all else."
The Ishtar clan members were impressed by Zeke's fluent ancient Eastern language and formal congratulatory speech.
They nodded with satisfaction and looked at Zeke.
When Zeke finished speaking and sat down, the head of the clan said,
"Since it is a joyous occasion, let us all remove our chadors and welcome our guests."
Then, all the Ishtar clan members excitedly removed their chadors.
Zeke and Karus were shocked to see the faces of the Ishtar people.
'They're all so beautiful...!'
Even the Graham clan, known for their beauty in the Central Continent, couldn't compare to the Ishtar clan.
The people had various hair colors, and some had white skin while others had dark skin.
However, they all had delicate features and were handsome or beautiful.
Judging from their appearance alone, it was hard to imagine that this was the Ishtar clan, famous for their assassination mystic arts.
Zeke turned his head and looked at Yellin, who had fought him in the duel.
Her mystical emerald hair flowed like waves, and her face was like a perfect sculpture made of marble.
Karus also gaped at Yellin.
However, Zeke was shocked for a different reason.
He had spotted Yellin's pointy, long ears.
'An elf?'
[Translator - Peptobismal]
[Proofreader - Max]