Chapter 190
Thump! Thump!
Zeke knocked on the wall, and it sounded hollow.
"Hmm, what's this? A secret space or something?"
Then a message window popped up.
[This is a security space designated by the previous administrator.]
"A security space, huh."
Zeke ordered the system to deactivate the security space.
The hidden wall disappeared, revealing a door. He opened the door and went inside.
A space made of solid walls, like the underground maze, unfolded before him.
Zeke looked around the space in admiration.
"Whoa! What is this place? It's even bigger than the mansion. Is this also the Archmage's magic?"
With modern spatial magic, it was only possible to compress empty space to create subspace artifacts.
High-level spatial magic like this, which compresses and stores a certain area itself, was impossible even for a magic tower master.
'Would it be possible for the mages of the Nirvana clan who solely focus on spatial magic?'
Even so, spatial magic on this scale would be impossible.
Zeke continued to express his amazement as he went deeper into the security space.
Strangely, however, the further he went in, the more he felt contaminated energy.
'What's this?'
Just then, something appeared in front of Zeke.
Clank!
Surprisingly, a skeleton appeared, equipped with rusty armor, a sword, and a shield.
Zeke looked at the skeleton pointing its sword at him and pondered for a moment.
'Should I kill it for points? Or should I hand it over to Richmond?'
Clank!
While Zeke was contemplating, the skeleton charged.
Without even drawing his sword, he used Demon's barrier technique and launched a palm strike.
Crack!
The skeleton crumbled from Zeke's attack.
Whoosh!
He could feel an unholy energy escaping from the pile of bones scattered from within the armor.
It seemed that the 'death energy' accumulated in this space had naturally attached itself to the corpse, turning it into an undead.
"A space with this much death energy accumulated. What is this place used for?"
Zeke wondered and ventured deeper into the space.
Surprisingly, there were skeletons lying dead here and there.
Zeke examined the armor and weapons the skeletons were wearing.
The style of armor and equipment was all different.
Moreover, he found corpses that hadn't been dead for long nearby, and among them were some wearing the same attire as Aaron.
Zeke realized their identity.
"These are the knights who recklessly entered to dispel the curse of this place."
It seemed that Hoshgar's guardians had captured the intruders and put them all in this security space.
For over a thousand years, countless intruders wandered through this endless maze, met their deaths, and the resulting death energy accumulated, turning it into a natural dungeon.
"Interesting. A naturally formed undead dungeon."
Zeke summoned Richmond, who was in the lab.
Richmond, entering the maze, took a deep breath and had a relaxed expression.
"Mmm, this damp, gloomy air. It's so nice. Where are we, Master?"
"A natural undead maze."
"Huh? How did you find such a treasure trove?"
"It was hidden inside the mansion. It seems the intruders were all trapped here, killed by the undead, and then turned into undead themselves due to the death energy."
Richmond shuddered at Zeke's words.
He couldn't hide his excitement as it was the perfect space for his research.
"Ha... ha... It's like a wonderful specimen room attached to a great lab!"
Zeke looked at Richmond and stepped aside.
'That guy sometimes gets so perverted. Like the Nirvana weirdos.'
Zeke muttered to himself and, with Richmond leading the way, explored the maze again.
Natural undead were valuable research materials for a dark mage.
Every time skeletons popped out, Richmond excitedly captured them with magic.
Zeke looked at Richmond and asked,
"What are you going to do with those you catch?"
"There's a lot I can do with them. I can study how they move, and after the research is over, I can pick out the bones and reconstruct them into new skeletons."
In other words, there was nothing to throw away.
Zeke nodded and looked around, then summoned a Dragon Tooth Soldier to collect the weapons scattered throughout the maze.
He was thinking of repairing any decent artifacts among them and giving them to his subordinates.
That's when it happened.
A large room appeared deep inside the maze.
"What's that?"
Richmond also seemed unsure.
Just then, something flickered from all directions.
Screech!
Like the Discord skill Zeke used, the sound itself confused the mind.
Zeke, who had curse resistance, was unaffected by the sound, and so was Richmond, an Arch Lich.
To assess the situation, Zeke looked around and saw a bluish specter floating near the ceiling, emitting a ghostly wail. He asked Richmond, "Do you know what that is?"
"It looks like a Banshee. Wow, a Banshee. This place must be really old."
Banshees were undead monsters said to be created from the vengeful spirits of unjustly killed female mages.
Richmond observed the Banshee closely and then seemed to recall something.
"Wait, if the Banshee is wailing like that, could it be...?"
As Richmond spoke, something emerged from the back of the room.
Thump! Thump! Thump!
Richmond suddenly exclaimed,
"A Dullahan! A headless knight!"
It wore rusty armor stained with blood, holding its helmeted head in its hand.
This was a monster Zeke had never seen before.
"That's a Dullahan?"
"Yes, that's right! Wow, I can't believe I'm actually seeing a real Dullahan in my lifetime! I'm so moved, Master!"
Dullahans were truly one of the rarest undead monsters because the conditions for their creation were extremely demanding.
It was said that they were formed only when a noble knight, whose soul had become corrupted, was beheaded with lingering resentment.
They were especially rare because they couldn't be created artificially and only occurred naturally.
They were different from Death Knights, which were created from the corrupted souls of dead knights.
The Dullahan glared at Zeke and Richmond with glowing eyes from its severed head.
Zeke asked Richmond,
"Can't you control that thing?"
"Dullahans are knights with deep resentment, so they see nothing. To control it, I need to subdue it and imprint my mark on its corrupted soul."
"Then we need to subdue it first."
If they could capture the Dullahan, they could further strengthen Richmond's undead army.
Zeke drew Bahamut and pointed it at the Dullahan.
"Come on. Let's see what you've got."
As if understanding Zeke's provocation, the Dullahan stepped forward, holding a sword that exuded an ominous aura stained with blood.
Zeke charged towards the Dullahan first.
Clang!
Zeke's sword strike deflected the Dullahan's sword.
The Dullahan staggered back from the unexpectedly powerful blow.
Then, regaining its balance, it suddenly threw its head at Zeke.
Whoosh!
The Dullahan's head, encased in a sturdy helmet, flew towards Zeke.
'What the...?'
Zeke swung his sword and knocked the Dullahan's head away.
Bang!
The head, struck by the sword, crashed into the wall.
At that moment, the headless Dullahan's body lunged at Zeke.
Simultaneously, a sword enveloped in blood-red energy shot towards Zeke.
Crash!
Zeke raised an Aura Blade to block Dullahan's sword.
The Dullahan seemed surprised that Zeke blocked its sword without any difficulty and put more force into it.
"Try harder."
Seeing that Zeke didn't budge, the Dullahan called out to the Banshees attached to the ceiling.
Screech!
Four Banshees circled around Zeke, emitting ear-piercing wails.
However, it didn't affect Zeke, who possessed curse reflection and the Steadfast Mental Defense skill.
But annoyed by the constant noise, Zeke drew a chain from his left hand and used theSoul Sealing Technique on the Banshees.
Muffled cries!
Bound by the chains, the Banshees could no longer make a sound.
Just then, blood-red smoke began to rise from the Dullahan's armor.
"What's that?"
Richmond, who was behind Zeke, conveyed his thoughts.
'Master! That's the Dullahan's unique ability, 'Blood Mist of the Dead'!'
'What does it do?'
'It's a poison that causes skin inflammation, hallucinations, vomiting, headaches, and so on.'
'...Sounds kind of scary, but also not really.'
Soon, the blood mist engulfed Zeke, but it didn't affect him since he was immune to all poisons.
Zeke cut through the rising blood mist, stepped forward, and swung his sword at the Dullahan.
Crack!
The Dullahan blocked Zeke's sword, but was pushed back and crashed into the wall from the force.
He used the Light Strike on the Dullahan embedded in the wall.
Crash!
The Dullahan, directly hit by the Light Strike, couldn't regain its senses.
Immediately, Zeke pulled out his chain and captured the Dullahan.
"Richmond. Imprint your mark on this guy."
Richmond, who was watching from behind, scurried over and retrieved the Dullahan's head that Zeke had knocked off and embedded in the wall.
Holding the Dullahan's head, Richmond began to chant a spell.
Woooong!
Richmond's energy seeped into the Dullahan's eyes.
Groan!
The restrained Dullahan's body shook violently. Soon, a purple light emanated from the Dullahan's head that Richmond was holding.
"Whew, it's done, Master."
When Zeke released the Dullahan, Richmond handed its head back to it.
The Dullahan immediately knelt before Richmond.
Richmond looked at Dullahan with a proud face.
Seeing this, Zeke chuckled and said,
"Are you that happy?"
"Hehe. Of course I am. To think that a precious Dullahan has fallen into my hands. Hehe."
Since they had captured the Dullahan, Zeke also released the captured Banshees.
Screech!
The dejected Banshees hid behind the Dullahan, fearing Zeke.
Ignoring them, Zeke, along with Richmond, continued to explore the maze with the Dullahan.
However, the maze was so vast that it was difficult to cover it all.
While exploring the maze in wonder, Zeke sensed something strange.
"Huh?"
Surprisingly, there were traces of a living person.
Zeke left Richmond and the undead behind and went to where the traces were.
There was movement in the back of the room.
Whoosh!
An emaciated knight in old armor lunged at Zeke and Richmond. He looked so skeletal that he could be mistaken for a skeleton.
Under the helmet, there was a profusion of unkempt hair and a beard.
Richmond raised his staff and shouted,
"You skeleton!"
As Richmond was about to cast a spell, Zeke raised his hand.
"Wait, Richmond! I don't think that's a monster."
This was definitely where the traces of a living person led. Moreover, undead didn't have beards or hair.
Zeke sheathed his sword and said,
"Are you human, by any chance?"
At Zeke's words, the skeletal knight was startled and stepped back.
Then, he slowly took off his helmet.
An extremely haggard face was revealed.
"H-human? Oh my god! Did you also survive in this haunted mansion?"
Zeke looked at the knight and said,
"I lifted the curse on the mansion. Are you a survivor?"
The knight was greatly surprised by Zeke's words and hesitated for a moment, then burst into tears of emotion.
"Oh my god! Is it true that the curse on this mansion has been lifted? Please tell me it's not a dream! Please! Slap me on the cheek to let me know this is real!"
"..."
Zeke slapped the knight's cheek as he offered his face.
Slap!
"Ugh!"
The knight's body, not just his face, turned from Zeke's single blow.
"Oh, I'm sorry. I'm not good at controlling my strength."
"Cough. I'm alright! I am Arslan Solmara, former Knight of the Royal Guard of the Kingdom of Thebes! I salute my benefactor!"
Zeke was surprised to learn the knight's identity.
"Arslan Solmara... aren't you the famous knight known for the Cross Sword? I heard you went missing thirty years ago..."
It was the very same Solma clan as Zephyros's.
Seeing that Zeke knew him, Arslan said with delight,
"Oh! It's a pleasure to meet someone who knows me. What is your name, benefactor?"
"I am Zeke Draker."
At the word "Draker," Arslan seemed momentarily surprised.
But he soon nodded and knelt before Zeke, speaking with respect.
"I, Arslan Solmara, swear to repay your kindness, Sir Zeke Draker, for the rest of my life!"
It was the oath of Arslan, the former Knight of the Royal Guard of Thebes and the famous Cross Sword, from thirty years ago.
Zeke's eyes gleamed as he saw Arslan showing him respect.
'I think I can use this someday.'
He left the rest of the maze exploration to Richmond and went up with Arslan.
"Oh my god! The outside air after thirty years! It's so exhilarating!"
Zeke decided to take Arslan to the Duchy of Troy first. He was worried about his health.
He told Richmond to guard the mansion well and immediately set off.
'After reporting that I've dispelled the curse of the haunted mansion, I should get ownership of this place from the Baranawon side.
He had no intention of handing over Hoshgar's precious lab to the Baranawons.
Zeke also took Aaron, whom he had captured, and returned to the Duchy of Troy with Arslan.
Seeing Zeke's castle, Arslan exclaimed loudly,
"You were already a lord with your own territory! There was a reason you dispelled the curse of the haunted mansion!"
Zeke ignored Arslan's fuss and went inside.
When he arrived at the castle, familiar faces were waiting for him.
The Rose Knights had also finished their rescue mission and returned to Troy.