Chapter 246
A dragon who killed another dragon...?
In the material realm, dragons are the most powerful beings in existence.
That’s why, as Kaisir once explained, their use of power is heavily restricted.
One of those restrictions was said to be this: a dragon cannot kill another dragon.
If dragons were to fight among themselves like humans do over territory, no other lifeform in the realm would survive—it would be total devastation.
Zeke had never imagined that any dragon might have broken that absolute pact.
“Or maybe... that’s exactly how it survived all this time.”
To confirm, Zeke turned to Jamila.
“Are you saying the Hermit of the Black River killed another dragon?”
Surprisingly, Jamila flinched more than Zeke did. His calm reaction caught her off guard. She steadied her voice and replied:
“Yes. Even before the Age of the Hero-Kings, the Hermit of the Black River has been imprisoned here.”
That meant the dragon had been trapped in this place for over two thousand years.
Zeke looked directly at her and said:
“Whether it killed a dragon or not doesn’t change anything. Regardless of which dragon it is, they're still overwhelmingly dangerous compared to humans.”
Jamila clicked her tongue and snapped:
“You clearly don’t understand. The Hermit of the Black River is a being who broke the absolute law: that dragons cannot kill each other. When someone outside the original pact chooses to break it, no one can predict what kind of catastrophe will follow.”
Zeke replied, unfazed:
“Which is exactly why I should go. If a sacrifice must be made, then it should be me—the one who intended to kill it in the first place.”
His clear, logical answer left Jamila momentarily speechless.
At that moment, Yellin, who had been standing quietly nearby, stepped forward.
“Sir Zeke, I’ll go into the labyrinth with you.”
Jamila recoiled.
“You—what!? Where do you think you’re going?!”
Yellin stood firm.
“That chamber holds the long-standing hope of our clan. How could we send an outsider like Sir Zeke in there alone? I’ll go with him.”
With Yellin standing her ground, Jamila pressed her palm to her forehead and shook her head.
“Ugh, seriously... Do whatever you want!”
She waved her hand, and the presence of the hidden warriors around the royal residence vanished in perfect unison.
She turned to Zeke.
“Zeke Draker, if you truly break the chains of the pact and fulfill House Ishtar’s long-cherished wish, you will become our benefactor.”
“Then you’ll stop sending assassins after me?”
“Yes. I swear it—upon the law.”
“Good enough.”
Jamila, still visibly annoyed, led Zeke and Yellin inside the royal palace.
She took them to the banquet hall and ordered food to be served.
Zeke tensed for a moment, recalling the last meal—but thankfully, this time, it wasn’t that fiery soup. A mild and hearty spread was placed before them instead.
“I almost lost all my strength before even entering the labyrinth.”
Jamila said to him:
“Eat. Like it or not, you’re the first person ever to be invited to the royal palace twice, Zeke Draker.”
She stabbed a lotus root with her fork and glared at him.
“No, wait. There was one more. That loathsome Terakan Draker. That damned man came here twice as well.”
The rage flaring in her eyes made it hard for Zeke to swallow his food.
Still, since it had been served, he made himself eat every last bite. When the meal ended, the tea of House Ishtar was finally brought out.
As Zeke savored the aroma, Yellin leaned toward him and asked:
“Sir Zeke, are you really alright with this?”
“With what?”
“The labyrinth... it's filled with monsters no one has ever seen. And grotesque golems forged by the dragon’s own hand.”
“Sounds like a dragon with a terrible hobby.”
“This place is too dangerous to dismiss as just a bad hobby. If you need time to prepare—”
“No need. If it has to be done, better to deal with it quickly.”
Hearing this, Jamila scoffed.
“You’ve got a smooth tongue for a Draker.”
Zeke ignored the insult and asked her calmly:
“Have you met Arthur Draker before?”
Jamila’s expression twitched. Slowly, she nodded.
“Yes. I’ve met him.”
“What was the reason for your meeting?”
Her brow furrowed at the question.
“There’s no reason I need to tell you that.”
With that, she stood and addressed them both.
“You leave for the labyrinth tomorrow. If you return without results, the law will deal with you harshly.”
Jamila exited without another word. After a moment, Yellin turned to Zeke and bowed her head.
“I’m sorry, Sir Zeke. I feel like I’ve just made things worse.”
“It’s alright. Don’t worry about it, Lady Yellin.”
“If there’s anything you need, just say the word—I’ll have it prepared.”
Zeke thought for a moment, then leaned in slightly toward her.
“There is... one favor I’d like to ask.”
"Yes, go ahead,"
Zeke said as he lifted his teacup.
"Could you tell me where I can buy this tea?"
“……”
***
The next day, Zeke and Yellin stood fully equipped before the cavern beneath the Ishtar main palace.
A heavy black door stood at the entrance, tightly bound with thick chains.
Behind them, Jamila crossed her arms and shouted in a sharp voice:
"Open the gate to the labyrinth!"
The waiting warriors of House Ishtar stepped forward and began unfastening the chains around the door.
Clatter-clatter-clatter!
As the chains came loose, they pulled them away with force.
Rumble…
The door slowly began to open.
Beyond it was complete and utter darkness—so dense that not even a step ahead could be seen.
Ezgi, trembling beside Yellin, stammered,
“M-Milady… must you really go?”
Yellin gently stroked Ezgi’s head.
“Don’t worry. I’ll be back soon.”
Without hesitation, Zeke and Yellin stepped through the door.
Rumble…
The moment they passed through, the door sealed shut behind them.
Darkness enveloped everything.
Then, around Yellin’s body, gentle lights began to rise, illuminating the space around them.
Zeke recognized the phenomenon—it reminded him of what he had seen on the Deep-Sea Clan’s island.
After Poseidon had reclaimed his divinity and the island was restored to its original form, these lights had appeared throughout the forest.
He turned to Yellin and asked,
“What are these?”
Yellin lifted her hand and softly brushed the glowing lights.
“These are earth spirits.”
“Earth spirits... Fascinating.”
“Where they dwell, forests grow lush and life flourishes. As a High Elf, I can summon them.”
Just as Nerisa of the Deep-Sea Clan could command water spirits, Yellin, a High Elf, seemed to be able to call upon the spirits of the earth.
The spirits lit the path ahead, and Yellin gestured forward.
“This way.”
Zeke followed her lead, venturing deeper into the labyrinth.
***
Boom!
The door burst open and Abel strode in.
William Siemens followed behind him, pale as a ghost.
Abel’s expression was cold and unyielding, while William looked like he could collapse at any moment.
They walked down the corridor until they reached the office of the head of the house. One of the strategy division officers moved to block their path.
“The Lord has given orders not to let anyone in.”
Abel raised his hand and flicked it lightly to the side.
The officer flew through the air like a paper doll, crashing into the wall.
Boom!
Other officers in the division guarding the office began to draw their weapons cautiously.
Abel’s eyes glowed a deep red as he scanned them.
“The moment you draw those, you all die.”
Crushed by the sheer weight of his presence, the officers froze in place.
While they hesitated, Abel reached out his hand. The office door—firmly shut—began to tremble.
Rumble—
With a loud cracking sound, the door burst open.
Without a moment’s pause, Abel walked in.
Inside, Ramon Siemens sat at his desk, signing documents.
Even with Abel standing right in front of him, Ramon continued to write in silence.
Abel stared at him and said,
“You didn’t say a word to me, and yet you went ahead and used the trap I prepared.”
Ramon’s pen paused at Abel’s words.
But only for a second—it resumed writing immediately afterward.
Abel slammed his hand down on the desk, glaring at him.
“I set up the Pirate King case myself. I was waiting for the perfect opportunity to use it to catch Cali Draker. And yet you went ahead and used it without even telling me.”
Ramon still said nothing.
At that, Abel slammed his palm down on Ramon’s desk and shouted,
“Say something—anything!”
Crash!
The desk split apart, completely destroyed. The documents Ramon had been signing scattered across the floor.
Watching from behind, William’s face turned deathly pale.
In the House of Siemens, the head of the clan was considered akin to a god.
Defying his word was unthinkable—even for the heir, William.
Ramon looked down at the broken desk and the spilled papers, then finally raised his head to meet Abel’s gaze.
Abel, now locking eyes with Ramon’s emotionless stare, instead felt a sudden chill run through him.
Ramon stood up and gestured to Abel.
He walked to a seating area to the side, took the highest seat, and motioned for Abel to sit opposite him.
Abel sat down across from him. William remained standing behind Abel.
Ramon finally spoke.
“Even after your Baptism, you’re still this obsessed with Cali?”
Abel glared and responded,
“That’s not the point. That trap was something I spent years preparing to capture Cali. And yet—”
“Yes. Something prepared over a long time. By none other than me.”
Abel’s eyes widened at Ramon’s interruption. Ramon clasped his hands together and continued,
“The Baptized agents I placed inside the White Silver Knights, the bribes sent to Morgan Buffon, commander of the Imperial Legion, the bait used to lure those filthy pirates—they were all part of my plan.”
Abel’s fists clenched, his entire body trembling with rage. Just as he opened his mouth to speak, Ramon cut in.
“And you too, Abel. You were one of the pieces I prepared with great care.”
Abel’s pupils widened in shock.
In that instant, his eyes turned crimson, transforming into the Evil Eye—the Ma’an.
An invisible pressure swirled around Ramon, bearing down on him, ready to crush his body should Abel exert even a little more force.
Yet Ramon seemed utterly unfazed, calmly addressing Abel.
“There are always ones like you. Groomed too carefully… they forget their role and mistake their place.”
Ramon stood up.
Despite the crushing force of the Ma’an, Ramon walked slowly toward Abel, unaffected, and placed a hand on his shoulder.
His voice was dry, devoid of any emotion.
“Abel, I invested a lot in you. That makes you precious. But that doesn’t give you the right to forget your place.”
Though Ramon’s hand held no magical power, Abel felt as though a massive weight was bearing down on him—an overwhelming pressure.
Ramon said,
“If you ever feel like you’re losing sight of your place, remember your mother, Abel.”
At the mention of his mother, red energy surged from Abel’s body.
Rumble…
The entire office began to shake. Abel lifted his head and glared at Ramon.
Rumble…
The tremor grew stronger.
Abel’s red-stained eyes had now shifted—they looked almost reptilian.
With those serpentine eyes, he shouted at Ramon,
“Never! Speak of that woman again!”
Crack!
The floor around Ramon split, radiating out in a web of fractures.
Yet Ramon remained unaffected, as if none of it concerned him.
He said to Abel,
“If you don’t want to return to how things were back then… remember your position and your purpose.”
Crack…
Abel ground his teeth and stood up. With fury barely held in check, he stormed out of the office.
William, who had been watching in silence, hesitated with a stiff expression before moving to follow.
“William.”
Ramon called his name. William turned back, his face ashen.
“Y-Yes, Lord Ramon?”
“Abel is still unstable. Keep an eye on him. Make sure he doesn’t lose control.”
“Y-Yes, understood.”
William bowed stiffly, then rushed out of the office in a near panic.
Ramon turned his gaze to the seat Abel had occupied.
“So the Dragon’s Gaze manifested in Abel…”
He murmured.
“It seems the time is drawing near.”
Turning away, he flicked his hand.
The broken desk and scattered documents reversed themselves—restoring to their original form.
Ramon sat back down and resumed his paperwork without a word.