Chapter 165
At Zeke's words, Jefrick retorted,
"You may not know this, Sir Zeke, but the Solma clan's trials are no joke. They push the human mind and body to the extreme..."
It was like showing off wrinkles in front of a pupa to talk about the intensity of his clan's training in front of Zeke, a Draker, but Zeke pretended not to know.
"I see. But anyway, you couldn't endure it and ran away from there, didn't you, Rick?"
"Th-that's..."
Jefrick was speechless at Zeke's words.
He hadn't expected Zeke to openly criticize him like this.
Zeke said to Jefrick,
"Rick, if you want to break through that wall, you have to surpass your limits. But with your current complacent mindset, it won't be easy."
Rick sighed deeply.
"You're right, Sir Zeke. But... I feel completely lost now."
Zeke inwardly clicked his tongue as he looked at Jefrick.
'He hasn't suffered enough yet.'
Zeke said to Jefrick,
"Rick, if you... truly want to surpass your limits, I can help you. But every choice comes with responsibility."
Jefrick gulped at Zeke's words.
"W-what responsibility?"
"You have to be prepared for your entire life to change."
Jefrick hesitated, then nodded.
"If you help me... I will follow you, Sir Zeke."
"If that happens, you might have to disband this party. Are you confident you won't regret it?"
Jefrick's eyes wavered again at those words.
His gaze turned towards Arin, who was asleep.
The life of an adventurer, traveling and enjoying adventures with loved ones.
He had to give up this life and choose a completely new path.
After some thought, Jefrick looked back at Zeke and nodded.
"I won't regret it."
Zeke grinned at Jefrick's choice.
"Good. Jefrick Solma. Don't forget that determination."
Zeke immediately dropped the formalities with Jefrick.
Excluding Reina Draker, the Flashing Knight, and Bishop Caustic, the Silent Knight, three of the Five Star Knights were now under Zeke's command.
The outline of the Black Sword Knights that Zeke envisioned was gradually taking shape.
***
Arriving in Phantas, Zeke and his party got off the train.
But the atmosphere at Phantas Main Station was strange.
"What's this?"
As he stepped out of the station with curiosity, he saw knights in golden armor lined up.
Rick and his party's jaws dropped at the sight.
"Th-the Graham Golden Knights?"
Then, the Golden Knight Commander approached Rick and his party with a dignified look.
He bowed politely and said in a disciplined voice,
"We received word. We will escort you safely to the Graham clan."
Rick and his party had bewildered expressions.
They got into the golden carriage prepared by the Graham clan and marveled at the interior of the state-of-the-art carriage, made with the finest leather and craftsmanship.
"Wow, how much would a carriage like this cost?"
"I don't know, but even if you sold your body for a hundred years, Jason, you'd never be able to afford it."
"Thanks for the compliment about my worth, Claire."
They arrived at the Graham clan's mansion, riding the carriage that didn't shake at all.
When they arrived, someone was waiting for them.
It was none other than Duke Graham, his wife, Catherine Graham, and Angelina Graham, who was rumored to be the most beautiful woman in the central continent.
Seeing the Graham clan welcoming them, Rick and his party's jaws dropped.
"Oh my, w-what do we do? What etiquette should we use to greet nobles?"
"I-I don't know. Ask Rick, he's from a noble clan."
Arin was frozen and speechless, and only Rick managed to pull himself together.
Just then, the Graham clan approached them and bowed their heads in greeting.
"Whoa?"
When they greeted them first, Rick and his party were completely flustered and hurriedly bowed back.
Jason was so mesmerized by Angelina Graham's beauty that he couldn't even greet her properly.
Then, Angelina Graham slowly approached them.
Jason couldn't come to his senses from the dizzying fragrance emanating from Angelina.
She said in a bright voice,
"Sir Zeke! You caught the evil warlock for me! I'm so... touched."
'Sir Zeke?'
Rick and his party looked up with bewildered expressions and looked behind them.
Not only Angelina's gaze, but the entire Graham clan was looking at Zeke with sparkling eyes.
Zeke, feeling burdened by their gazes, turned his head.
'I had a bad feeling when the Golden Knights came.'
Zeke reluctantly bowed his head towards Angelina and said,
"It was something I naturally had to do for Lady Angelina's honor."
Rick and his party's jaws dropped as Zeke, who had been using Common Tongue mixed with a northern dialect, suddenly spoke perfect aristocratic Common Tongue.
Duke Graham also approached Zeke, held his hand, and said,
"Sir Zeke, you're practically a benefactor of our clan!"
Jason, quick-witted, was the first to realize Zeke's identity.
"W-wait, Sir Zeke... C-could it be... The youngest to be promoted to Blue Knight and the youngest graduate of Valhalla! The Knight of Salvation who lifted the curse on the Agamemnon clan and Lady Angelina!"
Jason exclaimed,
"Zeke Draker!"
Rick, Arin, and Claire looked at Jason with expressions of disbelief. But Zeke had an awkward expression.
The most surprised one was Jefrick.
He looked at Zeke with a pale face.
'W-what have I done?'
***
Rick and his party were invited to a dinner as guests of the Graham clan.
Each of them was given a room as large as an entire floor of an inn, and after changing clothes, they gathered in Rick's room.
Rick was slumped over, almost looking like a zombie.
Jason, who was next to him, clutched his stomach and rolled on the floor laughing.
"Hahahaha! You bragged about the Solma clan's harsh training in front of a pure-blood Draker Awakened? Hahahaha!"
No matter how harsh the Solma clan's training and competition were, they were nothing compared to the Draker clan.
And to have said that in front of Zeke Draker, who was called the greatest genius on the continent, Rick wanted to crawl into a hole.
Rick, his soul seemingly departed from his body, said to the party in a dying voice,
"This is it for me. I'm going to commit suicide. It was fun with you all, goodbye."
Just then, someone knocked.
A servant entered and relayed that Zeke had summoned them.
Rick, with a tense expression, abruptly sat up from his slumped position and took the party to the room where Zeke was.
Zeke was in a much larger and more luxurious room than the ones they were given.
He was wearing a Draker uniform and the gloves symbolizing a pure-blood Awakened.
Rick and his party gulped at the aura of authority emanating from Zeke.
Zeke smiled at them.
"I called you because I wanted to have some tea before dinner. Please have a seat."
Rick and his party cautiously sat down where Zeke gestured.
Even Jason and Claire, who were mocking Rick, became nervous and gulped as they faced Zeke.
Zeke slowly opened his mouth.
"I invited you all here to make a proposal."
The party looked at him with surprised expressions.
"Rick has already decided to join me. So, after much deliberation, I'd like to extend an offer to all of you."
Jason asked Zeke with a surprised expression,
"T-to all of us?"
"Yes. Seeing your skills in this mission, I thought it would be a waste to leave you as mere adventurers. How about joining the Knight Order I'm creating?"
As soon as Zeke finished speaking, he handed them the contract he had prepared.
Rick and his party, checking the contract terms, were so surprised that they almost spat out their tea.
"S-Sir Zeke, is there a mistake in the amount?"
"No, there isn't. Well, I can lower it if you want."
"N-no! I-it's an honor, Sir Zeke! I will dedicate my loyalty to you! Loyalty, loyalty, loyalty!"
Jason immediately signed the contract without hesitation.
Following him, Claire also signed.
Only Arin hesitated and asked Zeke,
"S-Sir Zeke, what kind of work would I do if I join the Knight Order?"
"A Knight Order doesn't only consist of knights. Mages play a significant role in actual battles. You'll learn various things for efficient combat, coordinating with other knights. There's also support for increasing your circle level."
Arin, hearing Zeke's explanation, her eyes sparkling at the mention of support for leveling up, signed the contract.
Then, Rick raised his hand.
"Sir Zeke, don't I get a contract?"
Zeke nodded.
"Good question, Rick. You're my apprentice knight, so there's no need for a contract. Just do what I tell you diligently."
Rick closed his eyes tightly at Zeke's words.
Zeke, after receiving all the contracts, told Rick and his party his future plans.
"Okay. As soon as Dusk's interrogation is over, we'll go to Agamemnon Castle in Mycenae. There, you'll first receive training from the Rose Knights, and then you'll join the Black Sword Knights."
Rick and his party had nervous expressions at Zeke's words.
"There's no need to be too worried. But you're not adventurers anymore, so work hard to qualify as members of the Knight Order."
Rick and his party, who became members of the Black Sword Knights, smiled brightly at the enormous contract amount, unaware of the terrible future that awaited them.
***
"Kyaaaaaak!"
Dusk's screams echoed from somewhere in the basement of the Graham clan's mansion.
Although the Graham clan had their own interrogator, he couldn't match Zeke's interrogation skills.
Zeke, who had thoroughly tortured Dusk's body and soul with the Holy Flame, Lightning Strike skill, and light magic, focused on asking him about Abyss and Dario Tottrino.
And he was able to find out surprising information.
"Dario Tottrino is one of the bosses of the Nostra clan?"
The Nostra clan was a giant mafia organization spread throughout the central continent, centered on the Empire.
The Nostra clan had a long history since the Holy Empire era. As such, the organization's lineage was complex, and many members were involved.
Dario Tottrino pretended to be an ordinary entrepreneur, the Steel King, but in reality, he had been living under the guise of the Nostra clan.
Zeke, who was a hitman and executive of the McCain Cartel that controlled the Southern Continent, knew all too well how large the Nostra clan was.
The reason why Don Juan could only stay in the Southern Continent was because of the mafia organizations stationed in the central continent, including the Nostra clan.
They had traditions and organizational management skills that cartels didn't have, so they didn't stand out, and it was difficult to grasp their overall scale.
Zeke asked Dusk,
"Is the Nostra clan related to Abyss?"
Dusk, bleeding from his mouth, said,
"I-I told you, I'm just a freelancer. D-Dario was treated like a VVIP because he had so many requests. They even gave him discounts on the commission fees. Abyss takes clients like that and introduces them to freelancers like me."
"What kind of requests did Dario usually make? Were there many personal curses like Angelina's?"
Dusk shook his head.
"N-no. Usually, it was mostly about cursing executives of rival companies to prevent them from participating in bids."
"Who made the request to the Assassin's Guild?"
"I-I told you, those parasites were distributed by Abyss, so other warlocks besides me have them too. How could I have cursed the Assassin's Guild? Please believe me!"
Dusk trembled and claimed his innocence.
Zeke used Dragon Eye to examine Dusk's eyes and expression more closely to determine the truth.
'It doesn't seem like it was the Assassin's Guild.'
Zeke left the prison after restraining Dusk again.
If Dario, who was directly connected to Abyss, was part of the Nostra clan, the situation seemed to get complicated.
'No, wait, if it's the mafia, there might be a way to dig in.'
Draker's official knights had their own investigative authority.
If he proceeded as if he naturally caught Dario while investigating the mafia's crimes, he could openly take action.
"I'll have to look into the requests that came to Draker that might be related to that clan."
Although Zeke wasn't currently part of any Knight Order, he would receive a warning after the year-end evaluation if he didn't accumulate achievements.
If the warnings piled up, his official knighthood could be revoked, so he needed to take on cases and solve missions.
Zeke planned to investigate the mafia and dig up information about Abyss at the same time.
'Dario Tottrino. You'd better be prepared. I'll uncover everything about your connection to Abyss.'