Chapter 286
"Please! Just help me with this once! For the mages of Nirvana, this should be a simple problem to solve!"
The druid shouted, pushing away the golems that were blocking him.
But his voice only echoed emptily through the lobby.
The mages of Nirvana paid no attention to anything that didn't concern their own interests.
The druid collapsed to his knees as if crumbling on the spot and slammed his fist on the lobby floor.
THUD!
The entire lobby shook.
He cried out as he spoke.
"How can you be so heartless! All I need is your help just this once!"
As if unconcerned by his outburst, the golems moved to grab and drag the man away, but he was stuck fast to the floor and wouldn't move an inch.
Zeke, who was watching this from behind, was about to approach the man.
But just then, someone suddenly placed a hand on Zeke's shoulder.
He turned around to see it was Zeroth.
"Sir Zeroth?"
Zeroth put a finger to his lips and gestured for Zeke to come outside.
After leading Zeke out, Zeroth spoke with a troubled expression.
"Phew. That was a close call."
"What do you mean? And what's with that man in there?"
Zeroth gestured for Zeke to lower his voice and said,
"Actually, that man... is on Nirvana's blacklist as a problem client."
"What? A problem client?"
"Yes. At first, he made a simple request to find the entrance to a dungeon he was exploring. But after we found it, he kept making additional demands, asking us to do 'just one more thing,' then another. We told him to file a formal request if he wanted more, but he just keeps pestering us."
Zeke was momentarily taken aback by Zeroth's explanation, which was completely different from the image of a druid he had in his mind.
'Weren't they supposed to be a mysterious race of the forest?'
Zeroth shook his head and continued.
"He was so persistent that we helped him a few more times out of goodwill, but his additional requests were endless. Now, no one will deal with him."
"Sounds like a troublesome person. But what kind of dungeon is he trying to find that's causing all this?"
"That's also a bit absurd. He claims the dungeon he's looking for isn't in the mountains, but somewhere on the outskirts of Aten city."
Zeke was slightly surprised by this.
'A dungeon on the outskirts of Aten... Could he be talking about that Archmage's dungeon?'
Zeke knew of a hidden dungeon from his past life that had been discovered on the outskirts of Aten.
It shouldn't have been discovered for some time yet, so he was puzzled that this druid was looking for a similar dungeon.
'In my past life, it wasn't a druid but a group of ordinary adventurers who found it by chance. Did the druid fail to find it in the end?'
At that time, the discovery of a 9th-Circle Archmage's hidden dungeon not far from Aten had caused a huge uproar, and one of Zeke's reasons for coming to Aten was to claim that dungeon for himself beforehand.
After listening to Zeroth, Zeke pretended to think for a moment before speaking.
"A dungeon in Aten city, you say? That sounds interesting."
Zeroth was appalled by Zeke's reaction.
"Sir Zeke, that nuisance... no, if you get involved with that man, you'll just end up wasting your time and getting into trouble."
"I'll just hear him out. If he becomes too much of a bother, I can just teach him a lesson."
Zeroth was reminded that the man standing before him was the youngest person on the continent to become a Red Knight.
'Right, he wouldn't be able to harm a Draker like Sir Zeke.'
After hearing Zeke's words, Zeroth thought for a moment before speaking.
"Then I will go with you. I'd feel bad about leaving all the responsibility to you, Sir Zeke, as you are a guest of my family."
Zeke thought for a moment about Zeroth's unexpected offer to join him, then nodded.
"Your help would be greatly appreciated, Sir Zeroth."
For Zeke, getting closer to Zeroth, the genius mage of Nirvana, had many potential benefits.
The Black Sword Knights that he was forming were definitely lacking in magical manpower.
'If I can recruit Zeroth into my knight order, it would be like gaining a pair of wings.'
Zeke thought to himself as he and Zeroth approached the druid, who was still causing a scene in the lobby.
Zeke spoke to the druid.
"I hear you're looking for a way to conquer a dungeon."
Thinking someone had finally appeared to help him, the druid's head shot up. But upon seeing Zeke dressed as a knight, his expression turned to one of disappointment.
He furrowed his brow and waved a hand dismissively.
"I have no need for a knight. I need a mage."
It was a druid who, despite coming to ask for a favor, was being picky.
Zeke clicked his tongue inwardly and sent a telepathic message to the druid.
‘Are you the druid who was helped by the Ishtar family at the border?’
The druid's massive body flinched at the telepathic voice that suddenly echoed in his head.
He slowly turned his head and looked at Zeke.
Only then did the druid get to his feet. He was a giant of a man, nearly as large as a barbarian.
He looked down at Zeke and said,
"Who are you?"
"My name is Zeke Draker. I am known as the Knight of the Sea Lord."
Hearing Zeke's name, the druid recoiled in surprise.
"D-Draker. No, more importantly, you're really the Knight of the Sea Lord?"
At the druid's words, Zeroth, who was standing behind them, spoke in a sharp voice.
"He is indeed the Knight of the Sea Lord, Sir Zeke Draker, so you'd do well to show some respect."
Receiving Zeroth's sharp glare, the druid flinched again and took another step back.
He suddenly dropped to his knees and said to Zeke,
"Oh, Sir Knight! Please, just help me with this once."
This was a druid who changed his attitude in an instant depending on the situation.
Zeke began to doubt if this barbarian-like man was even a real druid.
'Judging by his actions, he seems more like a back-alley thug.'
He said to the druid, "We shouldn't continue this conversation here. Let's go somewhere else to talk."
Zeke took the druid and Zeroth to a tavern in downtown Aten.
As soon as the druid sat down, he ordered a beer, and the moment the largest mug arrived, he chugged it down.
"Khaaah. That's refreshing."
Watching the druid wipe the foam from his lips, Zeke asked, "What kind of dungeon are you trying to conquer that you'd dare to cause a scene in front of the house of Nirvana?"
The druid, who had ordered another beer, said with a laugh, "Well, about that. It's the dungeon of none other than a 9th-Circle mage."
At the druid's words, Zeroth, who was sitting next to him, spat out the wine he was drinking.
Zeroth coughed and said to Zeke, "Sir Zeke, there's no need to listen any further. I thought he was just a nuisance, but he's a complete fraud."
Zeke calmed Zeroth down and gestured for the druid to continue.
The druid then chugged the new beer that had arrived in one go before speaking.
"It's not a lie, it's true. That 9th-Circle mage once visited our village and told my great-great-great-grandfather that he had discovered an ancient ruin and was conducting research there."
Zeroth looked dumbfounded upon hearing the druid's story.
"You've been causing all this trouble because you believe a story like that? Good grief, how absurd."
However, Zeke, sitting beside him, was listening to the druid's story quite seriously.
'A 9th-Circle mage might very well have visited the druids of the north.'
Zeke asked the druid, "Why did that 9th-Circle mage go to your village?"
The druid scratched his head and said, "I don't know about that. He probably came to ask our elder something he was curious about. That happens from time to time."
Druids were a race known as the wise sages of the forest. They were said to command the spirits, mystical beasts, and sacred creatures of the woods, holding sway over a realm of mystery that magic could not reach. However, they were now thought to have vanished, so it was surprising that people still occasionally searched for them.
Of course, Zeke couldn't feel any of that mysterious power from the giant druid in front of him, but that was what the legends said.
Zeke asked the druid, "What are you trying to find in that dungeon?"
The druid pressed his lips together firmly and shook his head. "I can't tell you that."
Zeroth tapped his chest in frustration. "Sir Zeke, there's nothing more to hear. Let's just go."
Then Zeke said to the druid, "If I help you explore that dungeon, what will you give me?"
The druid flinched under Zeke's gaze, which met his own. He tried to look away, but he could still feel that sharp stare, as if it were piercing right through him.
After a moment, the druid said with a slight tremble in his voice, "I-I only need one item from inside. You can have everything else."
Zeke nodded at his words. "Alright, then I'll help you explore the dungeon."
The druid then looked at Zeke and said, "But can a knight like you really handle a dungeon? I'd understand if it were the mage next to you, but..."
At the druid's words, it was Zeroth who flared up.
"What do you take the Knight of the Sea Lord, Sir Zeke Draker, for! Don't you know that Sir Draker was the one who cleared the famous Mansion of Specters!"
The druid flinched as Zeroth yelled at him. Zeke stopped Zeroth and said to the druid,
"I'll handle the dungeon crawl, so don't worry about it. Just tell me the location, and we'll go there tomorrow."
The druid's eyes darted around nervously before he took a map from his coat and handed it to Zeke.
"Th-the location is here."
"Good. What's your name?"
"Y-you can call me Michel."
Thinking that the name Michel really didn't suit his bear-like build, Zeke nodded.
"Alright, Michel. Let's meet at this location tomorrow at 7 in the morning."
The druid gave a shake of his large frame and hurried out of the tavern.
Zeroth said to Zeke, "Sir Zeke, that man is definitely a con artist."
"I don't know if he's a con artist, but he's certainly shameless."
"What? What do you mean by that?"
"He left without paying for his beer."
At Zeke's words, Zeroth frowned and shook his head.
The next day, Zeke and Zeroth arrived early at the location Michel had mentioned and waited for him.
However, even after 7 o'clock, Michel was nowhere to be seen.
Zeroth gritted his teeth. "That fraud must have run away, afraid he'd be found out by you, Sir Zeke."
Zeke climbed onto a rock and surveyed the area. The place Michel had shown them on the map was a small mountain not far from Aten city, but it was just a path used by a few travelers passing through to other regions; there was no sign of a place that could possibly house a dungeon.
Just as Zeke was climbing down from the rock...
"Hah... Hah..."
Michel appeared from the base of the mountain, carrying a huge pack on his back.
Wiping away his sweat, he waved at the two of them. "S-sorry I'm late."
Zeroth was shocked to see Michel's enormous backpack. "My word, what is all this?"
Michel put down the backpack and said, "Phew. It's food for down below."
"F-food? All of this?"
It was enough food to last a normal person more than ten days, so Zeroth couldn't help but be flustered.
Without a word, Zeke opened Michel's backpack and turned it upside down.
There was no exploration gear at all—literally just food. In fact, it was filled with nothing but snacks.
"Chocolates, pies, and even mead?"
Michel scratched his cheek and said, "I crave sweets when I have to exert myself."
Zeke summoned a flame and burned everything Michel had brought.
FWOOSH!
"Gasp! No!"
Michel cried out, horrified, and tried to pull his burning snacks out of the fire.
Zeke grabbed Michel by the scruff of his neck and said, "I brought the rations. Stop this nonsense and guide us to the dungeon entrance."
Dejected, Michel trudged forward. He went toward an old well on the other side of the mountain.
Then, he grabbed the wooden plank covering the well's entrance and slid it aside.
"Phew!"
He wiped the sweat from his brow, took a piece of candy out of his pocket, and ate it.
"Whew, all that effort is making me crave something sweet again."
Ignoring Michel, who was muttering loud enough to be heard, Zeke went straight into the well.
WHOOSH!
The bottom of the well led to a fairly deep underground area.
Landing on the floor, Zeke scanned his surroundings with his Dragon's Eye.
It was an old structure built of solid bricks.
'A sewer system? No, it's more like an underground bunker.'
Zeke ventured deeper inside. Soon, a huge door appeared before him.
Zeke was stunned when he saw the symbol engraved on the door.