Chapter 239
By the time Zeke arrived at the Fortress of Four Seasons , the appointment ceremony was already over.
He went straight to Cali’s office in Summerock.
"Sister.”
As Zeke stepped into the office, Cali welcomed him warmly.
"Zeke, you’re here.”
Cali offered him a seat and personally brewed and served tea.
The fragrance was soothing, but this wasn’t the time to enjoy such comforts.
"What happened, Sister?”
Zeke’s tone was serious. Cali remained silent for a moment before finally speaking.
"Abel has been granted the rank above Guardian Knight.”
Though he had already received the news via telegram, hearing it directly from Cali made the reality sink in deeper.
"To suddenly receive a promotion like that... What trick did Abel pull?”
Zeke asked, his voice edged with suspicion. Cali replied with restrained emotion:
"Abel has been promoted to “Black Knight”.”
"What?”
Zeke’s expression faltered in disbelief.
"Promoted to Black Knight... Is that true?”
Cali nodded.
"Yes. At the ceremony, he challenged and defeated “Dritan”, commander of the “Dragon-Hunting Unit”, in a single strike. Lord Arthur himself acknowledged his promotion to Black Knight.”
"Dritan?”
Zeke recognized the name. Commander Dritan of the Dragon-Hunting Unit was no ordinary knight.
In his past life, after Arthur Draker died and Abel Draker succeeded as family head, the Turunn Clan withdrew from the blood pact and set up their own stronghold in Tempel.
That decision came after the Atlas Massacre.
The Turunn Clan, known for its strong unity, was expected to withstand even imperial aggression. But contrary to expectations, they collapsed swiftly.
One of the main reasons was that the Dragon-Hunting Unit, composed of Turunn bloodline members, had chosen to side with the Drakers rather than the Turunns.
This internal betrayal shattered the Turunn Clan, and Reina Turunn eventually surrendered to the Empire with the remaining Turunn kin.
Reina would later rise to fame as one of the Five-Star Knights, earning the title Knight of the Flash.
With this knowledge from his past life, Zeke found it suspicious that Abel had chosen Dritan as his opponent to prove his worth as a Black Knight.
"Is Dritan already a traitor at this point… or does he betray them later? Either way, it seems Abel pulled some sort of trick.”
Zeke then asked:
"Did the family head truly recognize Abel’s promotion to Black Knight?”
Cali nodded again.
"Yes. He wouldn’t have granted Abel the title above Guardian Knight otherwise.”
Zeke’s thoughts started racing.
"Could Abel have undergone the Baptism as well?”
Knights who received the Baptism were capable of exerting power beyond that of a Red Knight—even if they were only Blue Knights in rank.
By that logic, a Red Knight like Abel could feasibly attain Black Knight-level power through the Baptism.
"He underwent the demonic Baptism to become a Black Knight? That’s far too dangerous…”
But no other explanation made sense. Zeke knew firsthand how difficult it was to break through that wall—it wasn’t something achievable by sheer talent alone.
Abel’s sudden receipt of the title above Guardian Knight had thrown Zeke’s plans off course.
He gathered his thoughts and asked:
"Now that Abel has been given the title above Guardian Knight, is there a chance he could push you aside and become a candidate for family head?”
Cali’s face darkened.
"The title-holder does attend the Great Council, but compared to other members, the actual power it carries is limited. Still… if he’s both a Black Knight and holds that rank, his influence would be substantial. Within the Draker clan—known for its knightly traditions—being a Black Knight is more symbolic than anything else.”
Indeed, Black Knights, often called One-Man Legions, possessed such superhuman strength that their presence alone carried immense weight across the continent.
Even factions that had supported Cali could begin to shift toward Abel.
Once that balance tipped, the succession to the family headship could very well be overturned.
"The symbolism of a Black Knight… If I prove that I’m one too, would that restore the balance?”
But revealing his own status as a Black Knight and openly supporting Cali could also create new complications.
It might split Cali’s support base between her and Zeke, causing internal division.
Both fell silent, lost in thought, quietly sipping their tea.
Time passed.
Eventually, Cali’s secretary entered the office cautiously.
"The family head is requesting an audience with Sir Zeke Draker.”
It seemed the family head had learned of Zeke’s arrival.
Zeke rose from his seat and said to Cali:
"I’ll go see him for now. Let’s reconsider our countermeasures regarding Abel afterward.”
"Yes, I understand. Helen is expected back soon, so the three of us can put our heads together.”
Zeke nodded and left Cali’s office, heading for the top floor of Summerock, where the family head’s office was located.
When he entered, the family head was already there, brewing tea.
"Zeke, welcome. Just in time—the tea is at the perfect temperature.”
Every time Zeke heard the head’s warm, friendly tone, he felt a slight chill.
He could never tell what schemes lay behind that smile.
As Zeke sat down, the family head poured him tea.
Zeke took a sniff of the aroma and tilted his head.
"This scent… I’ve smelled it somewhere before.”
At that moment, Arthur grinned and spoke.
"This tea came along with something from Ishtar. Try it—see if it suits your taste.”
As he spoke, Arthur pulled a dagger from his coat and placed it on the table.
Zeke’s eyes sharpened the moment he recognized the dagger from Ishtar.
"Come to think of it… It’s been almost two years, hasn’t it?”
Nearly two years had passed since Arthur granted him a grace period to seek approval regarding his engagement with Yellin, the heir of the House of Ishtar. That deadline was now approaching.
Arthur, maintaining a composed expression, took a sip of the tea and spoke to Zeke.
"You’ve heard the news about Abel, I’m sure.”
"Yes. I heard he was appointed to the rank above Guardian Knight.”
Zeke’s voice was calm and composed, but Arthur smirked and asked:
"So—what will you choose?”
Zeke was momentarily unsure what Arthur meant.
"Choose... what, exactly?”
Arthur answered as if it were obvious.
"Between Cali and Abel—who will you side with?”
Only then did Zeke fully grasp Arthur’s intention.
"Of course. Arthur has no idea what Abel will become in the future. If I didn’t know either, I’d probably be wrestling with the same question.”
Although Abel’s appointment had happened just hours ago, the inner workings of the House of Draker were already churning beneath the surface.
Zeke gave the question some thought before answering.
"I plan to stand with Sister Cali.”
Arthur raised his brows, clearly surprised.
"Honestly, I didn’t expect that. I thought you might lean toward Abel.”
"Is there a reason you assumed that?”
At Zeke’s question, Arthur looked him in the eye and replied.
"Because out of all my children, you’re the one most like me. If it were me, that’s what I would’ve done.”
Zeke’s expression subtly stiffened at those words.
"I’m the one who’s most like him?”
In his past life, Zeke had been discarded—treated as nothing more than trash.
Knowing Arthur’s true nature, Zeke couldn’t help but find every word out of his mouth repulsive.
"What’s he scheming now?”
Still, Zeke decided to play along for the time being.
He bowed his head respectfully and said:
"…I’m honored, my lord. I was momentarily at a loss for words. My apologies.”
"Hahaha! Zeke, you always know how to please me. Very good. Of course, it’s only natural for feelings to change with circumstances. Now then, the real reason I summoned you was to give you the reward I promised for your previous mission.”
Arthur handed Zeke a document that had been resting beside him.
Zeke received it carefully and began to read.
"This is…?”
It was none other than official authorization to take the Senior Knight Exam.
Arthur said to him:
"You handled the Phantom Mansion incident well. Just as I expected, the news outlets made a huge fuss about it. You’ve firmly established your reputation as the Knight of Haiju .”
"You flatter me, my lord.”
"On top of that, I heard you passed the Trial of Struggle from the Turunn Clan, yes?”
It seemed word had reached Arthur from the Turunn side.
"I was lucky, that’s all.”
"Perhaps. But even so, the fact that you reached the 100th floor, which not even Rex could achieve, is something worth praising. You should be proud.”
Arthur was unusually generous with his praise.
"Achieving that level of fame at your age is no small feat. If you were older than Cali or Abel, I’m sure the next family head would have been you.”
Zeke sensed that Arthur was being unusually forthcoming today.
"Even this might be part of his ploy.”
As Zeke quietly wrestled with his thoughts, Arthur continued.
"Winning over the Turunn Clan’s support counts as passing one test already. But to become a Senior Knight, you must pass one more test.”
"May I ask what kind of test it is?”
Arthur shook his head.
"Not yet. I can’t tell you what the test is. But I can say this: it’s unlike any typical Senior Knight exam.”
In the Draker house, the standard Senior Knight Qualification Test was traditionally divided into three assessments…
The first part of the exam assessed how much recognition the candidate had earned as a knight.
The second evaluated whether they possessed the combat prowess expected of a Senior Knight.
And the third judged how faithfully they had carried out their duties as a knight of the House of Draker.
Since Zeke had only recently been formally knighted, he couldn’t be measured by the usual standards. It seemed Arthur intended to apply alternate criteria of comparable weight.
Arthur looked at Zeke and said:
"You’ll be notified of the exam soon. I hope you pass it well and become a Senior Knight.”
"I’ll do my best not to disappoint you, my lord.”
At that, Arthur stared at Zeke in silence for a moment before speaking again.
"By the way…”
Zeke instantly tensed.
It was because, with those few words, he felt the entire space of the study fall completely under Arthur’s control.
Zeke realized that even the slightest movement could cost him his life.
"This… isn’t Astral Sword. It’s something far more advanced.”
Within the domain Arthur had cast, he had the power to impose his will entirely upon anyone within it.
Zeke now understood that Arthur Draker was no ordinary Black Knight.
"Could it be… the lord has reached the realm of a Grandmaster?”
Arthur calmly sipped his tea as he observed Zeke—frozen stiff and unable to move an inch—and finally spoke.
"Abel has Ramon by his side, so I can leave him be. But you, Zeke… you continue to pique my curiosity in so many ways.”
The head of the mighty House of Draker—who knew all things—had, for the first time, encountered something he did not understand.
And that was Zeke Draker.
Arthur slowly rose from his seat and approached him.
Resting a hand on Zeke’s shoulder, he said:
"Zeke, I respect your decision. If you’ve chosen Cali, then that too is interesting. This father will look forward to your growth with pleasure.”
The moment he finished speaking, the crushing pressure of the domain around Zeke lifted.
Freed from the overwhelming weight, Zeke exhaled deeply, beads of cold sweat forming on his brow as he calmed his breath.
Then, bowing his head, he said:
"...I will do everything I can to live up to your expectations, my lord.”
Arthur smiled, clearly satisfied.
"Good. You may go now.”
Zeke slowly rose to his feet and exited the lord’s study.
As soon as he left, the pleasant expression Arthur had worn vanished, replaced by a sharp, serious gaze.
"He took the full force of my Absolute Domain and walked out without so much as a falter? If I hadn’t seen it with my own eyes, I wouldn’t have believed it.”
He picked up the dagger sent by Ishtar and spun it idly in his hand, then let out a faint smile.
"The future is going to be even more interesting.”