Chapter 252
Bubble, bubble, bubble!
A violently boiling red soup was placed in front of Hades at the banquet table.
He glanced over at Zeke, who was seated next to him.
“What is this?”
Zeke, already bracing himself for the intense smell he hadn’t encountered in two years, activated his healing factor.
“It’s a delicacy served by House Ishtar to their most honored guests.”
Hades looked suspiciously at the crimson soup in front of him. Tilting his head, he scanned the table and then pointed to a nearby bottle of ‘Reaper Pepper’.
“And this?”
“A seasoning. If you sprinkle it in, it’ll unlock a whole new dimension of flavor.”
In truth, dragons don’t need to eat to survive.
They absorb mana from the atmosphere and convert it into magical energy for sustenance.
Having been sealed in the ruins for three thousand years, Hades had long since lost his sense of taste and smell.
Since it was his first meal in ages, he trusted Zeke’s advice and poured a generous amount of Reaper Pepper into the soup.
He shot Zeke a sidelong glance.
Then, seeing Zeke scoop up a large spoonful and eat it without issue, Hades followed suit and took a big bite himself.
“Gkhh!”
Hades’ face turned bright red the moment the soup hit his tongue.
It felt as if he’d swallowed a ball of fire.
He leapt up from his seat and started flailing wildly.
“GAAAH! WATER! I NEED WATER! AAAARGH!”
Zeke, calmly watching Hades freak out, continued to eat his soup with a composed expression.
It was his second time trying it, so it felt slightly more tolerable than before.
‘No joke… I can actually taste the flavor now.’
Beneath the searing heat, a rich umami flavor began to emerge.
He sprinkled more Reaper Pepper into Hades’ bowl.
“Come now, why are you making a fuss over such delicious food?”
Hades, still trembling, shouted back.
“Are you insane?! I don’t care if it’s been three thousand years since I last ate—this isn’t food, it’s poison!”
Hearing that, Jamila and the other elf elders visibly drooped.
They had been proud of preparing a rare delicacy, only to have it rejected by the Great One.
Seeing their dejected faces, Hades was taken aback.
“W-Why are they making those faces?!”
Zeke explained,
“This dish is so rare, even the Ishtar clan only eats it once a year—if that.”
That revelation left the soft-hearted Hades feeling awkward.
‘Why would anyone eat something like this…?’
He looked at the drooping ears of the elves and reluctantly returned to his seat.
Black dragons, by nature, are highly emotional and surprisingly sensitive.
They weren’t heartless enough to completely reject food painstakingly prepared in their honor.
Still trembling, Hades hesitantly took another spoonful.
“Gkh—!”
Even the second time, it still felt like drinking down a bowl of liquid fire.
He discreetly cast the healing spell Cure to soothe his scorched mouth.
When the elves saw Hades eating the soup again, their ears perked back up with delight.
Zeke watched the elders of House Ishtar with interest.
‘So even the terrifying Ishtar clan has a side like this.’
Eventually, Hades finished the entire bowl—then collapsed.
“Damn it… I just got released from a seal, and now I’m going to die from this.”
“What kind of dragon dies from eating something spicy?”
Zeke said with a chuckle, casting a healing spell on him.
As the burning sensation faded, Hades slowly sat up again.
“Ugh… I really thought I was going to die. But hey, aren’t you a knight? How do you know magic?”
“I’ll explain that in due time.”
Once the rest of the elves had finished their meal, Zeke entrusted Hades to Yellin and requested a private audience with House Master Jamila.
She led him to the clan head’s chamber.
“Have a seat, Zeke Draker,
” she said, in high spirits after successfully entertaining the Great One with their prized dish.
Zeke settled into a cushion adorned with ornate Eastern Empire patterns.
As Jamila took her seat of honor, a black panther that had been lying beside her rose and approached.
She petted its head, and the panther purred contentedly—then turned to eye Zeke.
Grrr...
The panther bared its teeth, wary of the unfamiliar guest.
Zeke activated his Dragon control skill and observed the change in the panther’s demeanor as it slowly approached him.
Purr...
It extended a paw playfully, then began rubbing its cheek against Zeke’s thigh.
Jamila raised an eyebrow, astonished.
“Nero’s never acted like that toward a stranger before… Zeke Draker, you’ve got quite the gift.”
Zeke, now gently stroking the panther’s head as it slept on his lap, turned to ask Jamila a question.
"I have something to ask you, House Master."
Jamila replied with a relaxed expression,
"Go ahead. Right now, I’m in such a good mood that even if Arthur Draker himself were standing here, I’d still be willing to talk to him."
The sheer disdain in her voice made it clear—Jamila didn’t just dislike Arthur Draker. She loathed him.
Zeke didn’t react to that comment and simply asked the question he had in mind.
"Are you familiar with Fairy Lake?"
At the mention of the name, Jamila’s eyebrows twitched.
The question was so unexpected that she took her time before answering.
"Fairy Lake... And why are you asking about that?"
Zeke realized that his compass had pointed him in the right direction.
If Jamila knew absolutely nothing, she wouldn't have responded like that.
He spoke again.
"I need to find the Fairy Lake."
"So I’m asking—what’s the reason you need to find it?"
Zeke hesitated, then decided to play the one card that would force Jamila to respond.
"Lord Hades must find the Fairy Lake in order to recover his strength."
At the mention of Hades, Jamila’s expression changed.
"You’re saying that the Great One is seeking the Fairy Lake?"
"Yes. He's been sealed in this land for three thousand years and can no longer exert his full power. In order to restore his former divinity, he needs to reach the sacred Fairy Lake."
Zeke’s explanation sounded plausible, and Jamila didn’t question it further. She furrowed her brow and began to speak slowly.
"My ancestors were entrusted with guarding the Fairy Forest, where the Fairy Lake was located."
"The Fairy Forest? That’s the first I’ve heard of it."
"After the Fairy King sealed the path to the Fairy Lake, following the departure of the Hero King Kaisir from the mortal world, the Fairy Forest also lost its power."
The Hermit of the Tales had mentioned something similar before.
‘So when the Fairy Lake was sealed and the power of the Fairy King who protected it vanished, that’s when vampires in the north began attacking?’
The exact cause-and-effect relationship wasn’t clear, but when he put Hades’ story together with what Jamila had said, the pieces started to fit.
Zeke asked her,
"Then is the path to the Fairy Lake completely closed off now?"
Jamila rested her chin on her hand as she continued.
"Not exactly. But... the only ones who know the way are them."
"Who do you mean?"
"The Druids."
Zeke’s eyes widened in surprise.
"There are still Druids left?"
Until now, Druids were thought to exist only in ancient records from the Hero King's era. Zeke had assumed they were extinct.
Jamila explained,
"Originally, the Druids and High Elves were joint guardians of the Fairy Forest. We left that place, but I’ve heard the Druids still remain."
"Why would they stay behind?"
Jamila paused in thought before answering.
"The Fairy King entrusted his last hope to the Druids. If someone worthy of entering the Fairy Lake were to appear, they were to guide that person."
Zeke recalled Tyr referring to "the place guarded by Druids" and nodded.
"Then if I find the Druids, I can reach Fairy Lake?"
"That’s how the tale has been passed down, but whether that holds true now is uncertain. No one has entered the Fairy Forest since the Hero King’s time."
Zeke asked,
"Do you know where the Druids are, House Master?"
Jamila twitched her eyebrow at the question, then shook her head.
"I don’t."
Her answer was unexpected.
If only the Druids knew the path to the Fairy Lake, and no one knew where the Druids were—that meant they were back at square one.
But then Jamila continued.
"I don’t know where the Druids are now. But I do know where one of them is."
"Where?"
"Aten."
At that moment—
[Recalculating optimal route to ‘Fairy Lake’.]
[Beginning navigation based on newly calculated path.]
A message popped up.
Apparently, Jamila’s answer had updated the compass with a new direction.
‘So I’ll meet a Druid in Aten. But then why did the compass point me to Ishtar first instead of Aten? Was it calculated based on a broader causal network?’
Zeke began to understand what the compass was pointing toward, though the way it functioned only intrigued him more.
Jamila looked at Zeke and spoke.
"Three years ago, someone appeared near the border and claimed to be a Druid. He requested our help to pass through the harsh borderlands."
"Did you help him?"
Jamila narrowed her eyes and stared sharply at Zeke as she spoke.
"We didn’t offer any help. We merely said one thing—that he could pass through Ishtar territory."
Zeke immediately understood what she meant.
No outlaw would dare set foot in Ishtar territory.
For someone from the House of Ishtar to say that passing through their lands was allowed—that alone was a declaration. They had accepted him as a guest of their house.
And among the lawless, no one would dare lay a finger on an honored guest of the Ishtars.
To incur their wrath would mean certain and inescapable retribution at the hands of Ishtar’s raven-winged enforcers.
Zeke once again felt the weight of who was standing before him—the head of House Ishtar, one of the three great Transcendent Houses on the continent.
"Then that Druid from Aten was indebted to House Ishtar."
"That’s for him to decide, not me."
Jamila gave a noncommittal reply, then shifted the topic with a sharp gaze at Zeke.
"So, Zeke Draker. Have you decided not to go through with the marriage to Yellin?"
Zeke was slightly taken aback. He hadn’t expected her to bring up the marriage again.
"Wouldn’t Lady Yellin’s opinion matter more than mine?"
Jamila gave a faintly complex expression at that.
"Hmm... Yellin’s opinion, is it..."
Her unreadable look only made Zeke more uneasy.
After a pause, she nodded in understanding and gestured toward him.
"Very well. Go and rest. In any case, you've done a great service in breaking the shackles of the Pact. As such, I’ll grant you the honor of attending tomorrow’s House banquet."
Zeke looked a little troubled by her generosity and replied cautiously.
"I’m sorry, but I may have to leave right away."
Jamila answered with feigned indifference.
"If that’s the case, so be it."
But Zeke noticed it—her ears drooped slightly.
‘Wait... is she disappointed I’m leaving early?’
She’d been so sharp-toned, he had assumed she wanted him gone quickly. But now it seemed that wasn’t the case.
Even Zeke wasn’t bold enough to knowingly disappoint the head of House Ishtar, so he quickly changed his tune.
"But since you’ve personally extended the invitation, it would be improper for me to decline. A banquet hosted by House Ishtar... I’m truly looking forward to it."
At that, Jamila’s ears perked back up.
"Hmm! Well, if you insist on attending that much, I suppose I shall allow it."
‘Lady Yellin too... it’s nice how easy the Ishtars are to read.’
Zeke gave Jamila a respectful bow, then followed an attendant out of the master’s chamber to his assigned room.
Unlike the room he had stayed in before, this one was lavish—clearly meant for honored guests.
One by one, breathtakingly beautiful handmaids approached him.
"Lord Zeke, your hot bath has been prepared. Please allow us to serve you."
Zeke felt a little overwhelmed by the excessive hospitality.
"Ah, that’s alright, I—"
Just then, an attendant approached.
"Lord Zeke, Lady Yellin has come to see you."
"Lady Yellin?"
Zeke quickly stepped away from the handmaids and went to open the door himself.
There, standing before him, was Yellin—dressed in a way he had never seen before.
She wore a traditional Eastward-style gown that gracefully outlined her elegant figure. She stepped forward, her eyes shining clear and luminous like a lake.
"Lord Zeke," she said softly.
"I’ve come to ask you for a favor."