[Translator - Peptobismal]
[Proofreader - Max]
Chapter 101
Surprisingly, Yellin's ears were long and pointed.
'Is the Ishtar clan an elf tribe?'
Even in his past life, Zeke had never heard that the Ishtar clan were descendants of elves.
Looking closely, only a few, including the head of the clan and Yellin, had pointed ears.
Zeke had a colleague from the Ishtar clan in his past life.
Through him, Zeke knew that the Ishtar clan, like the Drakers, valued pure blood, and those with the mark of pure blood had stronger power and could rise to key positions within the clan.
He now seemed to understand what the mark of pure blood that his colleague had mentioned was.
Just then, Jamila Ishtar, the head of the clan, clapped her hands, and the doors opened. A huge cauldron was brought in on a cart.
The servants placed the cauldron in the center of the round table.
Inside, a red broth of unknown ingredients was boiling like lava.
The rising steam had an overwhelmingly spicy scent.
'What is this?'
The food they had eaten earlier was incredibly bland, but this banquet dish was exuding a spicy aura that was hard to handle.
Karus, who was next to him, had already turned pale from just the spicy air.
While Zeke was examining the food, the servants carefully placed bowls in front of everyone and ladled the red soup and ingredients from the cauldron into them.
Jamila spoke again,
"Today is a joyous day permitted by law. Let us all enjoy the heavenly taste bestowed by the Earth God."
At Jamila's words, the Ishtar clan members, with expressions full of anticipation, picked up their utensils and began to eat the red soup and ingredients.
"Hoo! Hoo!"
"Hsss!"
Everyone's faces were flushed as they ate the soup with sweat dripping down, as if possessed.
Zeke and Karus looked at them with strange expressions.
Then, Yellin, who was next to Zeke, gestured for him to eat quickly.
When Zeke picked up his spoon and nodded, she also ate the red soup with a satisfied expression.
Zeke looked at the suspicious soup with oil floating on top, then, to observe proper etiquette as a guest, took a spoonful and put it in his mouth.
'Gasp!'
His mouth and throat felt like they were on fire.
Seeing Zeke speechless from the shock of the spicy taste he had never experienced before, the Ishtar people mistakenly thought he was savoring the flavor.
Zeke closed his eyes and quickly concentrated on Healing Factor.
'Heal quickly. Heal quickly.'
Fortunately, Healing Factor was also effective against spiciness.
When Zeke opened his eyes, Ezgi, who was next to him, looked at him with surprise.
"A-Are you alright?"
This soup contained a lot of 'Reaper Pepper.'
Reaper Pepper was called the blessing of the Earth God in Ishtar, but in other regions, it was called the Devil's Spice.
Looking at Ezgi and Yellin with their curious faces, Zeke nodded with an indifferent expression.
"It's a dish with excellent flavor and richness. It seems like a dish that showcases the long tradition and history of the Ishtar clan."
At his words, all the Ishtar clan members nodded in admiration.
"He's blessed by the Earth God."
"He's a young man who knows how to appreciate spiciness properly."
"Excellent."
Ezgi, impressed by Zeke's words, said,
"That's amazing. According to past records, outsiders rudely ate this blessed food and..."
"Cough! Z-Zeke. T-This! It's p-poison!"
Ezgi, with a look of pity, watched Karus clutching his throat after eating the soup and said,
"It's recorded that they showed that kind of reaction."
Zeke, without saying a word, took out a potion and poured it into Karus's mouth.
Karus was finally able to regain his senses after rinsing his mouth with the potion for a while.
"Gasp, gasp, Z-Zeke... I-I almost d-died."
Leaving Karus trembling at the sight of the red soup, Zeke took a deep breath and put another spoonful of soup in his mouth.
A tingling sensation numbed his tongue, mouth, and throat.
'Why on earth do they eat this?'
Still, to gain their favor, Zeke continued to eat the soup.
If it weren't for Healing Factor, his throat would have already been ruined and swollen.
Having become somewhat accustomed to the spiciness, Zeke decided to take it a step further.
"What is it that makes this spicy taste? Do you have any more?"
Jamila, the head of the clan, said in surprise,
"This is the first time I've seen an outsider enjoy the taste of Reaper Pepper. Someone, bring Sir Zeke more Reaper Pepper."
A servant brought a bottle filled with red powder to Zeke.
That single small bottle, the size of a palm, was worth a whole lump of gold.
Zeke generously added the Reaper Pepper to his soup.
The terrifyingly red soup turned even redder.
Seeing this, the Ishtar clan members looked at Zeke with proud expressions.
Zeke, having completely finished the hellish soup, even spicier than what the Ishtar people were having, put down his spoon with a satisfied expression and wiped his mouth with a napkin.
"That was a truly wonderful banquet, Head of the clan."
At Zeke's words, Jamila also nodded with a proud face and smiled.
"You have many admirable qualities, Sir Zeke. You would be perfect if not for being a Draker."
Zeke thought that the Ishtar clan was probably the only place where someone could openly criticize the Drakers like that.
After the servants took away the empty cauldron on a cart, tea with a clear and refreshing scent was served.
This time, Zeke savored the tea's aroma wholeheartedly and drank it slowly, cherishing each sip.
Then, the head of the clan said to Zeke,
"So, Sir Zeke. When do you plan to hold the wedding with Yellin?"
At those words, Zeke almost spat out the tea he had in his mouth.
'Wedding? What wedding?'
Zeke concentrated all his mental energy to retrace his actions, trying to understand Jamila Ishtar's words.
'I've never heard anything about marriage in Ishtar's laws.'
Just then, Yellin suddenly jumped up from her seat.
Then, without speaking, she vehemently protested to Jamila with gestures, expressing her disapproval.
The head of the clan, seeing Yellin's defiance, said,
"Yellin! Are you going to break the law? You clearly said that if there was a man who could defeat you, you would marry him! As the rightful heir of Ishtar, act in a way that is not shameful!"
Listening to their conversation, Zeke roughly understood what was going on.
'Damn it, so this wasn't just an invitation as a guest, but a test to see if I'm worthy of becoming their son-in-law.'
Moreover, Yellin was the rightful heir of the Ishtar clan.
Zeke felt things were getting complicated.
To prevent the leakage of their mystic arts, the closed-off Ishtar clan always made outsiders part of the clan if a clan member married one.
This was the reason why the Ishtar clan had remained a clan of mystery for so long.
As Yellin's silent resistance intensified, Jamila's voice grew louder.
Thinking that this might prevent them from using the portal altogether, Zeke slowly rose from his seat.
"May I speak to the Head of the clan, even if it's considered rude?"
Zeke currently had a very high approval rating among the Ishtar clan.
Jamila, finally calming down, looked at Zeke and nodded.
"I apologize for showing such an unsightly scene in front of our guest."
Zeke said to the head of the clan,
"Head of the clan, would you please postpone my wedding with Yellin for a while?"
Jamila's eyebrows twitched at his words.
No matter how much favor he had gained, she was the head of the Ishtar clan, who instilled fear throughout the continent.
She could make Zeke disappear without a trace with a single word.
Zeke, with a calm voice, said to Jamila,
"It's not that I'm refusing to marry her. If I want to become a member of the Ishtar clan, there's a wall I must overcome."
At those words, not only Jamila but also the other Ishtar elders realized what he meant by postponing the wedding.
Zeke was a Draker, and a pure-blooded one at that.
If Zeke, a pure-blooded Draker, became the son-in-law of the Ishtar clan, Arthur Draker, the head of the Draker clan, would surely not stand idly by.
A strange tension arose among the Ishtar clan members as they thought of Arthur Draker.
Then, Jamila asked Zeke,
"Are you saying you will get permission for the marriage directly from Arthur Draker?"
Zeke nodded.
"It won't be easy, but I will definitely do it."
Jamila pondered his words, then sighed deeply and said,
"Marrying off my daughter is harder than destroying a kingdom."
Zeke said to Jamila,
"Head of the clan, if you open the portal to the Central Continent, I will immediately go to Four Seasons Castle, inform your clan of the situation, and obtain permission for the marriage."
In any case, it was important to get to the Central Continent quickly.
Jamila, listening to Zeke's words, nodded and said,
"Excellent, Sir Zeke. I am very satisfied with your willingness to risk your life for love! It's an exemplary attitude for the young warriors of Ishtar."
'What is she talking about?'
Jamila continued,
"The grace period I can allow is two years. Within that time, you must somehow persuade Arthur Draker. Otherwise, Ishtar's ravens will come looking for you."
'Damn it.'
The head of the clan seemed determined to see this marriage through.
Zeke calculated from various angles.
In two years, he would be several times stronger than he was now.
At that level, he could sufficiently fend off even Ishtar's assassins.
Zeke said to Jamila in a confident voice,
"Leave it to me, Head of the clan."
At Zeke's confident reply, not only Jamila but also the other elders nodded with satisfaction.
Only Yellin, standing behind them, looked at Zeke with an unreadable expression.
The Ishtar clan was quick to act.
As soon as the banquet ended, they decided to open the portal for Zeke's party.
Only Zeke and Karus would use the portal, while Simon and Boris would stay there and return to the South later.
Ishtar's portal terminal was small in scale, but its facilities were comparable to those of the Central Continent.
However, unlike the usual portals with shuttles, Ishtar's dedicated portal required them to stand directly on the magic circle and wait for it to activate.
Karus looked around the Ishtar clan portal with curiosity.
Just then, Yellin and Ezgi approached the magic circle.
Ezgi stepped forward and said to Zeke,
"Sir Zeke Draker. Please keep the Head of the clan's words in mind. Ishtar never makes empty promises."
It was a warning to obtain permission for the marriage within two years.
Zeke nodded.
Then, he bowed to Yellin.
"Thank you for your help, Yellin Ishtar."
Yellin thought for a moment, then approached Zeke.
She took Zeke's wrist and wrote something on his palm.
<Sir Zeke, I apologize that things turned out this way. The marriage wasn't my idea.>
Zeke, understanding the message, nodded and whispered in reply,
"I understand. It seemed like you had no intention of marrying."
<I will dedicate my life to martial arts.>
Zeke nodded.
"I respect your decision, Yellin."
Yellin looked slightly surprised at his words.
This was the first time anyone had taken her words so seriously.
Woooong!
Just then, the portal started to activate.
Yellin tried to write something on Zeke's hand, but then she closed her hand and turned away.
Ezgi added to Zeke and Karus,
"I believe I don't need to explicitly mention what happens if you disclose information about Ishtar to the outside world!"
Karus hiccuped at Ezgi's words, and Zeke nodded reassuringly.
As the two stepped off the magic circle, the portal slowly began to activate.
The portal's destination was the Phantasia terminal.
Zeke put on his armor helmet and took a deep breath.
Woooong!
As the portal opened, Zeke and Karus were enveloped in light.
Drrrrrr!
Zeke and Karus felt as if they were being sucked into a bottomless vortex.
Their heads spun.
Whoosh!
Their vision brightened again.
Zeke opened his eyes first.
Looking around, he saw the familiar structure of a Central Continent terminal instead of Ishtar.
He looked to the side and saw Karus vomiting on the magic circle as if he were motion sick.
"Ugh!"
While watching Karus throwing up, Zeke suddenly felt an unusual presence near the shuttle platform.
'What's this?'
Just then, the knights who had been hiding in the shuttle platform revealed themselves.
And among them was a knight wearing a Draker uniform.
The mad knight with flowing red hair.
It was Abel Draker.
[Translator - Peptobismal]
[Proofreader - Max]