Chapter 244
“Lady Arina?”
Princess Arina of the Troy Principality was waiting for Zeke at the estate.
Surprised, he hurried over to her.
“What brings you here, Lady Arina?”
Arina smiled warmly and replied,
“I wanted to see your face, Sir Zeke, and... there’s something I need to ask of you.”
“A favor?”
Arina gently nudged someone standing beside her forward.
As the figure pulled back their hood, the face of a young boy was revealed.
Zeke’s eyes widened in shock.
“Him?”
It was Sion—one of the Six, the elite bloodline ability users from the Nostra clan—whom Zeke had previously captured and entrusted to Arina.
With a face full of complaint, Sion turned to Arina and pointed at Zeke.
“Lady Arina! Do you know how badly he hurt me last time? He paralyzed me, then shocked me with lightning over and over!”
Arina gave him a stern look.
“Ahem! Sion! I told you, always mind your manners.”
Sion quickly wilted, nodding meekly.
“S-Sorry, Lady Arina.”
Zeke watched the scene unfold in disbelief.
‘Don’t tell me... Lady Arina actually tamed that mafia brat?’
He remembered Sion as an uncontrollable force of destruction on the battlefield, wielding his bloodline powers recklessly.
Outwardly just a boy, but in truth a cold-blooded enforcer of the mafia.
Now, seeing him obediently clinging to Arina like a tame puppy, Zeke couldn’t help but feel stunned.
Then, another figure behind Arina lowered their hood.
Zeke’s eyes went wide again.
“That Knight Killer from before?”
It was Aaron—the same Knight Killer Zeke had captured at the Haunted Manor.
Aaron looked warily at Zeke and said to Arina,
“Lady Arina, the one person in the world you must never trust is a Draker. Behind that knightly mask, he’s always ready to pull something underhanded…”
Vmmm—
Suddenly, a soft white aura shimmered around Arina.
It looked beautiful from the outside, but the moment it appeared, Sion and Aaron both turned pale.
As Arina calmly watched them through the glowing aura, both fell silent, clearly unsure what to do.
Zeke watched the scene with growing amusement.
‘I sensed this with Dario too... Lady Arina really has a talent for handling people.’
Once Sion and Aaron quieted down, Arina dispersed the aura.
With a gentle smile, she turned back to Zeke.
“It’s about these two. They both need your healing, Sir Zeke.”
“My healing… you mean Recovery?”
Arina had previously inscribed Recovery, a light-based healing spell, onto the gem-blade Roland that Zeke entrusted to her.
Thanks to Cloné delivering the Recovery-infused Roland back to him, Zeke had been able to restore the brainwashed merfolk to their original selves.
Arina nodded.
“That’s right. As I mentioned before, Sion’s health continues to deteriorate, and Aaron has a geis embedded in him.”
“A geis?”
“I sealed it temporarily with magic, but if left alone, Aaron’s head would’ve exploded.”
She spoke of such a horrific fate with disturbing ease.
Zeke, having seen countless victims of geis curses in the Abyssal Wars, immediately understood the severity of what she meant.
He looked over at Sion and Aaron.
Sion was still casting wary glares like a snarling puppy, and Aaron’s eyes were filled with suspicion.
Zeke frowned but eventually nodded.
“Alright. I’ll need to examine them first.”
He took them to his private training grounds with Arina.
Like taming wild dogs, Arina made them sit obediently on the floor.
Zeke activated his Blood Sight and examined their bodies.
Through it, he could see what had been hidden before.
Sion’s body is completely saturated with drugs… Even with Recovery, he’ll need continuous detoxification treatments.
Then, Zeke turned to Aaron and stiffened in shock.
Something was writhing inside Aaron’s brain—a parasite.
This must’ve been the geis Arina mentioned.
‘Those lunatics from Siemens not only brainwashed him, they implanted a parasite?’
He finally understood why Knight Killers couldn’t be captured in his past life—or if they were, they took their own lives.
After a moment of thought, Zeke deactivated his Blood Sight and turned to Arina.
“They’re both in pretty bad shape.”
“There’s no one else on the continent who can heal them but you, Sir Zeke.”
He hesitated briefly, then nodded.
“Very well. I’ll begin treatment immediately. Lady Arina, please wait outside.”
He ushered Arina out and shut the training hall doors behind her.
Outside, Arina brought her hands together and bowed her head in reverent prayer—to the Creator God who once brought forth the Light of the Beginning.
---
A short while later, a flash of light burst from deep inside the training hall.
“Aaaaargh!”
Blinding light flared repeatedly, accompanied by agonizing screams, as if someone were being tortured by a warden from hell.
The sounds were harrowing, but upon hearing them, Arina smiled in relief.
‘Thank goodness. The treatment is going well.’
Several hours passed before the screams gradually subsided, and finally, the door to the training hall creaked open.
Zeke poked his head out.
“It’s done.”
Arina stepped inside to check the results. She found Sion and Aaron collapsed on the floor, their faces pale as death, as if they had barely survived.
When she placed her hands on them and felt their energy, her eyes widened in shock as she looked at Zeke.
“Good heavens, Sir Zeke. How on earth did you heal them in such a short time? This is nothing short of a miracle!”
“It’s all thanks to the Recovery spell you inscribed for me, Lady Arina.”
Despite enduring several hours of pain they never wanted to experience again, Sion and Aaron ultimately had their lives saved.
Once Arina confirmed their condition, Zeke had the two taken to rest and recover in a guest room, then joined Arina in the drawing room for tea.
Zeke asked her directly:
“Lady Arina, how exactly did you manage to tame those two?”
But Arina shook her head gently.
“Sir Zeke. ‘Taming’ isn’t the right word for people. I merely offered Sion and Aaron comfort and warmth.”
Judging by how the two had trembled earlier, it was clear she had done more than just “comfort” them, but Zeke let it slide.
“The truth is, I brought them here to interrogate them.”
“In that case, your goal has been achieved. Sion and Aaron are now members of the Rose Knights. They’ll gladly aid you, Sir Zeke.”
Seeing Arina’s radiant smile, Zeke pressed his temples.
“Lady Arina, those two are dangerous individuals. They could betray us at any time.”
“The Primordial Light illuminates all things in the material world and brings them peace. That is why we disciples of the Light are taught to love everyone,” she replied serenely.
Hearing this, Zeke thought of Cloné, swinging her gleaming mace with merciless resolve.
‘…Is that what they call love?’
Just then, Arina’s eyes sharpened with intensity.
“But don’t think the Primordial Light is only merciful. According to the Holy Scripture, it was the Primordial Light that destroyed the City of Corruption in just seven days.”
She smiled at Zeke as she added:
“If those two ever betray us, they will pay the appropriate price. So there’s no need to worry.”
Zeke could feel the pressure radiating from Princess Arina.
‘…Honestly, she might be scarier than the Nostra clan or even the Siemens.’
Regardless, since Arina had accepted them into her own knight order, Zeke had no grounds to object further.
He gave her a nod.
“If that is your decision, Lady Arina, I won’t press the matter. Aaron should be able to regain his full capabilities once he’s recovered. But Sion’s situation is a bit more complicated.”
He continued calmly:
“He’ll need to take medication regularly, and it’s unlikely he’ll be able to use his bloodline powers as he once did. If he pushes himself too hard, the delicate balance we’ve restored in his body could collapse. Please caution him.”
“I understand. Thank you, Sir Zeke. And if you need anything, don’t hesitate to ask.”
Zeke had been about to wrap up the conversation, but Arina’s offer reminded him of something.
“Actually, Lady Arina, there is something I’d like to request.”
“Oh? What is it?”
“Would you be willing to lead the Rose Knights to an island in the Southern Sea?”
Zeke began by explaining the situation with Peter Pan and the merfolk, and the plan to develop the island he had received from Cali.
“We’re planning to develop the island into a central hub that connects the central and southern continents.”
Upon hearing the full explanation, Arina looked stunned.
“I don’t know much about the Southern Sea, but... isn’t the island in the Death Waters? I’ve heard that area is so perilous that merchant ships can’t even pass through.”
Zeke nodded.
“You’re right. That was the case. But not anymore. The Death Waters have stabilized, and a new sea route to the Southern Continent has opened.”
“Is that true? How could such a thing be possible...?”
“I can’t explain everything, but there are major changes coming to the South Sea and the Southern Continent.”
Hearing this, Arina nodded.
“If you say so, I believe you. I’ll send the Rose Knights to assist the merfolk.”
“Thank you so much, Lady Arina. I truly appreciate it.”
“No need to thank me. Helping a persecuted race and pioneering an uncharted land — it’s a noble cause.”
Zeke nodded in agreement.
“Excellent. That area is still undeveloped, so there are likely to be monsters inhabiting it. Feel free to take Rick and his adventuring party with you — put them to good use.”
“Now that’s welcome news. Consider it done.”
They agreed to go over the finer details later and concluded their discussion.
Arina left to check on Sion and Aaron once more, while Zeke returned to his room to prepare for the next step in his mission.
What remained for Zeke now was to stand before the mirror with his storybook in hand and summon the Hermit of the Tales.
---
“So… is this how I’m supposed to do it?”
Zeke stood awkwardly in front of the mirror and spoke.
“Um… I’m Zeke Draker. Hermit of the Tales, sir.”
He waited for a moment, just in case—but, as expected, there was no response.
Feeling embarrassed, Zeke tossed the storybook aside and sank into the plush chair.
Grumbling to himself, he glanced at the book that had landed nearby and realized, by chance, that it was none other than a tale about Kaisir the Hero King.
The story of Hero King Kaisir and the loyal knights of the Clocktower was one of the most popular subjects in storybooks.
‘Kaisir the Hero King… and the Homunculus.’
Zeke recalled something the dark elf captain had said back in the Inverted tower:
“Kaisir? That cursed war machine? You call that a Hero King?”
At the time, he hadn’t understood what those words meant.
But after hearing Poseidon’s explanation, the pieces finally clicked into place.
The real Hero King Kaisir had left for the realm of the fae, and to fill the void he left behind, the Great Sage had joined forces with the divine dragons to create a homunculus—a magical replica in Kaisir’s image.
It was made for one purpose: to stop the Demon King, who had descended into the body of Siemens Apollyon.
A golem imbued with the Hero King’s power… it’s hard to even imagine.
The hero Tyr had once said that even dragons trembled before the power of the Hero King.
While the homunculus didn’t possess the original’s full strength, the fact that even such a construct was defeated by the Demon King only underscored just how terrifying the Demon King truly was.
If the real Demon King were to be resurrected in this era… what would happen?
The idea of a Demon King—something you’d expect to exist only in storybooks—suddenly appearing in the real world felt utterly surreal.
Just then—
“You called for me?”
Zeke looked up at the familiar voice.
The Hermit of the Tales was standing before him, looking utterly exhausted.