[Translator - Peptobismal]
[Proofreader - Max]
Chapter 104
"Unlock both."
He could always gather more points later.
But if he didn't unlock the available skills, it would only delay his progress in becoming stronger.
Zeke unlocked both skills.
And then he brought up the Draconian skill window.
Draconian Skills (Level 3 unlocked): Dragon Eye (Expert) / Dragon's Majesty (Expert) / Gluttony (Expert) / Language of the Dragons (Beginner) / Dragon Scale Armor (Skilled) / Dragon Claws (Skilled) / Dragon Senses (Beginner) / Dragon Breath (Beginner)
First, Zeke tested Dragon Senses.
Tsssss!
Light emanated from Zeke's Dragon Eye.
"Huh?"
But nothing special happened.
"What? I don't feel any different than usual."
Having recovered from the side effects of Soul-Transference, Zeke slowly got up.
It was then.
Kukukukuku!
Suddenly, his surroundings began to change.
"W-What?"
The room in the tower where Zeke was, began to show its past appearance in all directions, as if replaying a magic recording.
Zeke stopped the image at one point.
"Aaagh!"
It was the scene of Zeke treating Angelina in this very room.
Zeke could watch himself treating Angelina with Greater Purification as if he were a third party.
Zeke approached Angelina, who was being treated.
Then the scene around him changed again.
Zeke felt as if he was sinking into a deep swamp.
The surroundings changed, and someone appeared before Zeke's eyes.
"This curse should be enough. The more beautiful the target, the more they suffer."
A robed shaman was talking to someone.
Zeke recognized the shaman.
It was the shaman who used ancient forbidden magic that he had captured in his past life.
Zeke saw the face of the person talking to the shaman.
The surrounding objects and faces appeared distorted as if he were in a dream.
Zeke concentrated and carefully examined the person's face.
A man with a stern impression, with sideburns and a beard down to his chin.
The man said to the shaman,
"If it's a jewel I can't have, it's better that it disappears. I should send my thanks to Narak for introducing me to you."
Zeke tilted his head at the man's words.
'Narak? What's that?'
Just as Zeke was about to approach the man,
Kukukukuku!
Suddenly, Zeke felt as if someone was pulling him away.
Kwakwakwakwakwa!
It felt like he was rapidly passing through a dark, narrow, and long passage.
When he opened his eyes, he was sitting exactly where he had been before.
"Gasp!"
Zeke's whole body was drenched in cold sweat.
"Oh my god. Is this Dragon Senses?"
An overwhelming sense of fatigue washed over him.
It was mental fatigue that couldn't be replenished by his infinite stamina.
Unable to endure it any longer, Zeke collapsed onto the bed and fell asleep.
***
Zeke, who usually didn't sleep for more than four hours, woke up twelve hours later.
"I shouldn't use 3rd stage skills carelessly."
It was absurd that a human could use dragon skills in the first place.
If Dragon Senses, unlocked for 500 points, was this powerful, he couldn't imagine how powerful Dragon Breath, which cost 800 points, would be.
Zeke, deciding to check that later, slowly got up and sought out Duke Graham and Catherine.
He showed them a drawing of the man he had seen through Dragon Senses last night.
"Do you happen to know a man who looks like this?"
Duke Graham looked closely at the picture Zeke had drawn and nodded.
"Yes, of course I know him. He's an incredibly wealthy man named Dario Totlino, known as the Steel King in the Rom Empire."
Catherine frowned at the drawing of Dario.
Unable to hide her anger, she said in a sharp voice,
"Just looking at the picture of this man makes my blood boil."
"Lady Catherine, what happened with this Dario?"
Catherine hesitated, then slowly began to speak.
"Since Sir Zeke is our clan's benefactor, I will tell you without hiding anything. Dario Totlino is a pervert who likes young girls."
Zeke was surprised by the unexpected words.
Catherine continued,
"Would you believe it if I said he sent countless love letters after seeing our Angelina once at a party when she was ten years old? Even though he was already older than me at the time."
Zeke nodded as he listened to Catherine.
'So that's what he meant by "If it's a jewel I can't have, it's better that it disappears." I wondered why he would go out of his way to inflict such a curse...'
Zeke slowly said to Duke Graham and Catherine,
"Duke, Lady Catherine. I think Dario Totlino is the one who cursed Lady Angelina."
Duke Graham and Catherine were surprised at his words.
"I-Is that true?"
"I'll need to investigate further, but for now, it's highly likely."
Catherine was so surprised that she was speechless.
Zeke told the Duke the location of the dungeon where he had captured the ancient shaman in his past life.
"Please contact me after you capture the shaman who cast the curse. Then I will make sure to reveal that Dario Totlino made the request."
"I understand, Sir Zeke. How can I ever repay this kindness..."
"You saved me this time. That's enough."
Zeke got up and prepared to leave for Atlas.
Since the Red Lion Knights were still around Phantasia, he planned to secretly leave the country in a carriage from the Graham Dukedom.
Zeke was surprised to find someone else in the carriage after he packed his things and got in.
"Lady Angelina?"
Angelina was in the carriage.
It was certain that no one would touch a carriage carrying the Duke's daughter.
Angelina smiled and said to Zeke,
"I'm so glad to be able to help Sir Zeke."
Feeling the consideration of the Graham Dukedom, Zeke settled into the carriage and headed for Atlas.
While talking with Angelina in the carriage, the word 'Narak' that Dario Totlino had said to the ancient shaman kept echoing in his mind.
'I don't know what it is, but it feels ominous.'
The reason Zeke had told Duke Graham the location of the ancient shaman was also to capture Dario Totlino and find out what 'Narak' was.
Ever since he acquired Dragon Senses, Zeke felt his senses had become sharper.
'Those Narak guys. There's definitely something there.'
***
Arriving in Atlas, Zeke secretly returned to the mansion.
Lady Angelina decided to stay in Atlas for a few days before returning to Phantasia.
"Sir Zeke, you must visit me while I'm here."
"I understand, Lady Angelina."
Zeke remained unfazed even with the most beautiful woman on the continent eagerly clinging to him.
As Zeke entered the mansion, Felix and Liam, who were in the middle of training, were the first to run over.
"Master!"
"My Lord!"
Since Zeke had been away for over a month without any contact, not only the two of them but also all of his household members were worried.
Zeke, looking at the crates piled up in the mansion's garden, asked,
"What's all this?"
Felix exclaimed,
"The Silver Knight! Sir Cali Draker sent them!"
Zeke opened a crate.
'Oh my god.'
The crate was filled with gold bars.
She had said she would reward him sufficiently, and she had sent several boxes full of gold bars.
When he opened the other boxes, they were filled with precious weapons and armor.
Liam and Felix, who were next to him, gaped at the unimaginable scale of the gifts.
Zeke closed the crate and said,
"You two, put these in the warehouse."
At Zeke's words, Felix and Liam, born with dirt spoons in their mouths, carefully moved the treasure-filled crates with trembling hands.
When Zeke entered the mansion, Duke, Farel, and Decker all welcomed him with cheers.
After finally reassuring his household members that he was alive, Zeke went up to his room with Duke.
"You crazy disciple. I heard roughly what happened from Cali. I haven't decided yet whether to praise you for doing well or scold you for being reckless."
"If you could, please praise me."
"No! Do you think your life is worth ten times more than others? The mission is important, but in the end, your life is more important, you foolish disciple!"
Zeke grinned, feeling the affection hidden within Duke's harsh words.
"I'll be careful from now on, Master."
At the sudden use of the word "Master," Duke scratched under his nose with an awkward expression.
"Ugh, damn it. Well, you did well anyway. Thanks to you, Four Seasons Castle is in an uproar right now."
"It seems there's been a change in the vote for Abel's Guardian Knight position."
"Yes, Abel canceled the proposal altogether, probably thinking it would be difficult to win the vote in this situation."
Zeke was surprised by Duke's words.
He hadn't expected Abel to cancel the vote itself.
'Does that mean the mission to eliminate Karus failed, and his relationship with the Empire is also strained?'
Close ties with the Empire were the biggest force supporting Abel's political power.
But if the Empire had withdrawn their support because of this incident, it was highly likely that many of the elders who had supported Abel would have withdrawn their support.
"After canceling the proposal, Abel left Four Seasons Castle. I'm not sure, but it seems he moved to Alencia. The movements of the beastmen ghetto are also unusual, and the conflict between Alencia and the Empire is on the verge of breaking out. But he doesn't seem to be intervening in the conflict, so I wonder what he's planning..."
It seemed the situation in Alencia was more urgent than he thought.
'I should contact Melissa.'
After finishing his conversation with Duke, Zeke immediately contacted Melissa.
A reply came not long after, within a few days.
It said that Princess Melissa herself had entered Atlas, and Zeke headed to the hotel mentioned in the message to meet her.
Upon entering the hotel, Princess Melissa was waiting for him in the VIP room.
"Welcome, Sir Zeke."
Princess Melissa, whom he hadn't seen in a while, was still elegant and beautiful, but there was a shadow over her face.
"It seems the situation at the border isn't good."
Melissa nodded.
"There's been a problem, Sir Zeke."
She handed Zeke a report.
Zeke tilted his head as he read the contents of the report.
"Are you saying there are more Red Flower Disease cases than before? Even after using the medicine?"
Melissa said in a worried voice,
"We haven't yet finished building the facilities to mass-produce the medicine. And an even bigger problem is... unidentified monsters keep intercepting the medicine."
"What do you mean by intercepting the medicine?"
"They are literally destroying or taking the carriages transporting the medicine. If they were ordinary bandits, they would demand tolls or something after realizing it's medicine, but there's no negotiation whatsoever."
Zeke frowned at Melissa's words.
"You think it's the Empire's doing."
"That's the most likely possibility."
"Is it no use sending knights?"
"I didn't call them monsters for nothing. The knights are helpless as they appear out of nowhere and take the carriages without a trace."
"Hmm... monsters that even knights can't handle."
Zeke wondered if Abel going to the Alencia conflict zone was somehow related.
He got up from his seat.
"Let's go."
Melissa asked in surprise,
"Where?"
"Alencia."
Melissa was startled by Zeke's words.
"Are you saying you'll go yourself, Sir Zeke?"
"Yes. Abel Draker's movements are also suspicious, so it's better to check it out myself."
The fact that Abel had given up the Guardian Knight position, which he had been so eager to obtain, and immediately went to Alencia meant there was something there.
Zeke wanted to find out what Abel was planning to do there.
He summoned Felix and Liam, packed some simple luggage, and immediately headed to Alencia with Melissa.
As a result, Angelina, who had been waiting for Zeke's contact, had to return to Phantasia without meeting him after staying in Atlas.
However, during the week she stayed there, rumors of Angelina's beauty spread throughout Atlas, solidifying her position as the most beautiful woman in the Central Continent.
As a bonus, the recognition of Graham Bank increased thanks to her.
***
"Wow, Master, this is really..."
Felix trailed off, seemingly at a loss for words at the sight outside the carriage.
The situation at the border was much worse than expected.
The surroundings were in a state of ruin, with people suffering from Red Flower Disease, villages nearly destroyed by outlaw attacks, and even victims of mercenaries turned bandits.
Princess Melissa, who was next to Zeke, said,
"The situation is even worse in the beastmen ghetto. The conflict between the beastmen and the imperial army has intensified, and there are many casualties."
The beastmen ghetto was a demilitarized zone sandwiched between Alencia and the Rom Empire.
The beastmen, who originally lived throughout the undeveloped western part of the Central Continent, were forced to settle in the current ghetto due to pressure from the Rom Empire and the Central Kingdoms.
However, due to the Empire's endless ambition for territorial expansion, they were encroaching on the bordering beastmen ghetto and even Alencia.
Zeke's party arrived at the border headquarters of Alencia and got off the carriage.
Just then, the deputy commander of the Alencia garrison, guarding the border, ran towards Melissa.
"Y-Your Highness. It's terrible!"
"What is it?"
"T-The transport unit has been annihilated!"
[Translator - Peptobismal]
[Proofreader - Max]