[Translator - Peptobismal]
[Proofreader - Max]
Chapter 140
Zeke descended Mt. Ouroboros and headed straight for the desert region.
Boris, who was on a mission between the Rom Empire and the desert region, joined him.
The problem was that while Zeke was heading to the desert region, the Holy Kingdom, the Rom Empire, the Scorpion Clan, and the Assassin's Guild were all chasing after him.
Through Boris's intelligence, Zeke knew in advance that the atmosphere in the desert region was unusual.
After some thought, Zeke told Boris to go to the Assassin's Guild headquarters.
Boris, knowing what kind of place the Assassin's Guild was, jumped up and tried to stop Zeke, but he couldn't change Zeke's mind.
After three days of wandering through the sandy desert, the two were able to approach the Assassin's Guild headquarters.
Of course, they were being dragged there, bound hand and foot, by the Assassin's Guild assassins.
"...What are you planning to do, Boss?"
Boris, tied and dragged by a rope connected to the assassin's horse, looked at Zeke, who was being dragged alongside him, and asked.
Despite being captured and taken to the Assassin's Guild headquarters, Zeke's expression was unconcerned.
Zeke looked at the endless expanse of the sandy desert.
It looked peaceful on the surface, but in reality, this place was a treacherous zone made up of sand swamps.
Once you fell in, it was difficult to get out on your own, so even the natives who lived in the desert region never approached this area.
However, the Assassin's Guild assassins were walking the correct path, winding through the sand swamp without falling in.
There were places like this throughout the continent, protected by ancient magic to prevent outsiders from entering.
The forbidden Forest of the Forgotten was similar.
If you stepped into the endless expanse of water, you would never be able to escape.
The Assassin's Guild must have deliberately placed their headquarters in such an ancient magical place and prevented outsiders from entering for hundreds of years.
After passing through the treacherous zone with the assassins, a castle, previously invisible, suddenly appeared on a sand dune.
Boris, who was being dragged along, turned pale upon seeing the Assassin's Guild headquarters, which he had only heard of in rumors.
Even for Boris, who was from the Rom Empire's intelligence agency and had committed continental crimes, the Assassin's Guild was a fearsome existence.
The assassins dragged Zeke and Boris into the castle.
Rumble!
It was a castle so old that it was impossible to tell when it was built.
Zeke scanned the castle with Dragon Eye.
Unlike its old exterior, magical power resided throughout the castle walls.
Upon entering the castle, Zeke said to the assassin who dragged him,
"I want to meet the Old Man of the Mountain."
Hearing that, the turban-clad assassin glanced down at Zeke, drew his sword, and jumped off his horse.
He held the sword to Zeke's neck.
In an instant, Zeke activated Golden strength, broke the rope that was binding him, and grabbed the assassin's sword with his bare hand, bending it.
The assassin, surprised, stepped back and threw hidden weapons at him.
Zeke waved his hand and deflected all the hidden weapons.
Suddenly, assassins who had been hiding throughout the castle appeared.
Whoosh!
Hundreds of trained assassins instantly surrounded Zeke and Boris, each drawing their weapons and aiming them.
They were all wearing masks, and on the masks was a symbol of an eye inside a triangle.
Boris also twisted his wrist, untied the rope, and drew his sword with a tense expression.
Zeke shouted at the assassins,
"My name is Zeke Draker! I have something to tell the Old Man of the Mountain!"
Despite Zeke's words, the assassins didn't move and remained motionless, aiming their weapons.
Zeke's group and the assassins faced each other without moving from their spots.
Even after quite some time had passed, neither Zeke nor the assassins showed any signs of wavering.
Only Boris, caught in the middle, was suffering.
'Damn my fate.'
After some time, a figure dressed in black and wearing a mask came out from inside.
The mask had the same symbol as the other assassins.
He gestured for Zeke to follow him inside.
Then, the assassins who were aiming their weapons disappeared as if they were never there.
The castle, with the assassins gone, was quiet without a single presence, as if it were completely empty.
Boris felt goosebumps and couldn't move for a moment.
Zeke gestured to Boris.
"Boris, let's go in."
Zeke and Boris followed the black-clad assassin into the castle.
The inside of the castle was narrow, winding like a maze, and dark.
It felt similar to Agamemnon Castle before the curse was lifted.
Even if enemies passed through the treacherous zone and attacked this place, they would probably get lost inside.
'It seems like they deliberately made it this way.'
Zeke sensed assassins hiding with suppressed presences throughout the narrow passages.
Zeke, with his Dragon Sense, could clearly feel their presence, but it seemed like most knights wouldn't notice the assassins.
Zeke and Boris passed through the maze-like path and several rooms before finally reaching their destination.
The man in black opened the door and gestured.
Inside, an old man adorned with gold and jewels was sitting on a large throne.
The old man, small in stature with dark skin, was wearing rings on all ten fingers.
The old man looked at Zeke and said,
"So, you said you wanted to see me."
It was the Old Man of the Mountain, the king of assassins who raised and ruled the Assassin's Guild assassins.
Zeke and Boris were facing the Old Man of the Mountain, whose true identity was known to less than five people on the continent.
Zeke took a step towards the Old Man of the Mountain.
Then, assassins in black, hiding in the darkness, jumped out and held swords to Zeke's neck.
"That's enough. Step back."
At the Old Man of the Mountain's words, the assassins disappeared again.
The Old Man of the Mountain looked at Zeke and opened his mouth.
"Zeke Draker. Your name has been heard frequently throughout the continent."
Zeke looked at the Old Man of the Mountain and said,
"I want to get straight to the point without unnecessary pleasantries."
The Old Man of the Mountain frowned at those words.
"Don't they teach manners in Draker?"
"There's no need to be polite to someone who isn't polite."
"How arrogant. Don't think I can't kill you just because you're a pure-blood Draker. Even your father, Arthur Draker, wouldn't be able to avoid the Assassin's Guild's blade."
Zeke grinned at those words.
"Can you say that directly to Arthur Draker's face?"
The Old Man of the Mountain's expression hardened.
He raised his hand.
At the same time, assassins emerged from the darkness and swung their swords at Zeke from all directions.
"Boss!"
As Boris hurriedly tried to approach, the assassin who had guided them drew his sword and blocked him.
Whoosh!
The swords swung at Zeke cut through the air, missing their target.
It was then.
"Hmm."
Zeke had somehow approached the throne and was holding a dagger to the Old Man of the Mountain's neck.
Boris, seeing this, turned pale and broke out in a cold sweat.
'Did Boss come all the way here for this?'
He thought the option of taking the head of the Assassin's Guild hostage was absurd. But his boss was doing just that.
Then, Zeke, who had a knife to the Old Man of the Mountain's neck, turned his head.
He spoke to the assassin who was facing Boris with swords drawn.
"How about we stop the probing here?"
The assassin in black stepped back and gestured to the other assassins.
He slowly took off his mask.
A middle-aged man with the characteristic features of the desert region, tanned skin, was revealed.
He said to Zeke,
"Zeke Draker. Impressive."
The old man sitting on the throne got up and stepped aside as Zeke removed the dagger.
Zeke returned to his original spot, and the middle-aged man who took off his mask climbed onto the throne and sat down.
Zeke opened his mouth to the man sitting on the throne.
"Old Man of the Mountain."
Only then did Boris realize that the assassin who guided them was the real Old Man of the Mountain.
The Old Man of the Mountain, sitting on the throne, looked at Zeke with an amused expression.
"How did you know I was the real one?"
"It's a secret, so I can't tell you."
The Old Man of the Mountain clapped and laughed at those words.
"Amazing, Zeke Draker. Alright, I won't ask further since it's a secret. But do you know that you're on our kill list?"
"I expected as much, seeing how persistently you've been following me since I entered the desert."
"To come here yourself despite that, I have to acknowledge your guts."
Zeke looked at the Old Man of the Mountain and said,
"It's not just guts. You know that too."
The Old Man of the Mountain nodded.
"Yes, it's not every day that the Rom Empire, the Holy Kingdom, and even those Scorpion bastards chase after one person."
"It seems Abel only placed a kill order on you without telling you why."
At those words, the Old Man of the Mountain leaned back on the throne.
The atmosphere instantly became heavy.
Boris's heart pounded at the tense atmosphere, feeling like he was walking on thin ice.
After a while, Zeke was the first to open his mouth.
"I want to make a deal with the Assassin's Guild."
The Old Man of the Mountain leaned forward again at those words.
"A deal. Why should I make a deal with you?"
"I assume you brought me all the way here because you're willing to listen to what I have to say, am I right?"
The Old Man of the Mountain, called the king of assassins, was being led by an 18-year-old newly appointed knight.
Zeke continued to the Old Man of the Mountain,
"You must have heard the rumors that I broke the curse of Agamemnon Castle and the curse on the young lady of the Graham clan."
The Old Man of the Mountain was silently listening to Zeke's words.
Zeke continued,
"How about I lift the curse on your youngest disciple in exchange for the deal?"
The Old Man of the Mountain jumped up from his seat at those words.
It was an uncharacteristic behavior for the king of assassins.
He glared at Zeke while standing up, and only after a while did he calm down and ask Zeke,
"...How do you know that?"
"As I said before, it's a secret, so I can't tell you."
The Old Man of the Mountain's relaxed expression hardened noticeably.
He also knew about Zeke's abilities, so he had prepared a trap to capture him alive before the assassination and force him to lift the curse on his youngest disciple.
But he didn't expect Zeke to take such a direct approach.
Moreover, since Zeke accurately knew about the situation of his youngest disciple, which was a top secret, the Old Man of the Mountain couldn't help but be flustered.
Zeke said to him,
"I'll lift the curse on your youngest disciple. Let's discuss the details of the deal after that."
It was natural for someone in a desperate situation to be more impatient.
Zeke accurately grasped the Old Man of the Mountain's situation.
'It's lucky that the timing was right.'
Zeke learned about the death of the Old Man of the Mountain's youngest disciple from a curse while carrying out a mission in his previous life.
In his previous life, the Old Man of the Mountain was betrayed by his disciples and even faced threats to his life.
His disciples, who joined hands with the Empire, drove out the Old Man of the Mountain and took over the Assassin's Guild.
Zeke, who was in the Northern Faction, was tasked with rescuing the Old Man of the Mountain and extracting key information about the Assassin's Guild.
Although he managed to rescue the Old Man of the Mountain after much hardship, he was on the verge of death.
Before dying, the Old Man of the Mountain confided in Zeke about his biggest regret in life.
He said his biggest regret was not being able to do anything for his youngest disciple, whom he loved and cherished the most, when he was dying from a curse.
He poured the most affection into his youngest disciple, who was more talented than anyone else, but in the end, his youngest disciple couldn't overcome the curse.
After that, he was deeply saddened, practically withdrew from the Assassin's Guild, and left it to his disciples, only to be betrayed in the end.
Zeke recalled the words the Old Man of the Mountain said in his final moments.
'I would have done anything to treat my youngest disciple back then, but in the end, I thought there was no way. I could have tried harder... Zeke Murray, please hold my hand. I don't want to be lonely in my final moments... If that child were alive, he would definitely hold my hand...'
The Old Man of the Mountain passed away after saying those words.
It was a miserable end for the king of assassins.
His old and frail appearance overlapped with the current Old Man of the Mountain.
Then, the Old Man of the Mountain broke the silence and opened his mouth.
"Alright. I accept your offer, Zeke Draker."
He stepped down from the throne and gestured.
"Follow me. I'll guide you to where my disciple is."
[Translator - Peptobismal]
[Proofreader - Max]