[Translator - Peptobismal]
[Proofreader - Max]
Chapter 38
Completely unexpected words came from Cali's mouth.
"What do you mean by stopping Abel Draker, sister?"
Cali looked around and then said to Zeke,
"Follow me."
Cali led Zeke to the private carriage she had arrived in.
It was a carriage provided to the guardian knights of the Four Seasons Castle, equipped with all sorts of amenities inside.
She took off her silver armor, changed into casual clothes, and personally brewed tea for Zeke.
"I hear you like tea. This is tea imported from the Eastern Continent. I hope it suits your taste."
Zeke was curious how far the information about his preference for tea had spread within the clan.
Cali looked at Zeke and slowly began to speak.
"Abel's Knights are currently under contract with the Empire and carrying out the Emperor's missions."
"Missions for the Rom Emperor?"
"Yes. In fact, the Rom Empire can be considered one of Draker's biggest clients. From that perspective, Abel's actions aren't wrong."
Cali put down her teacup and continued,
"The problem is that Abel is increasingly crossing the line. He's actively intervening in the conflict between the Rom Empire and Alencia, which shares a border with it."
"Direct intervention in a conflict? Isn't that a violation of the clan's first principle, the 'Neutrality Pledge'?"
"Indeed. Draker exists as a clan, not a nation, and it's our principle not to intervene in conflicts between other nations. Abel and Siemens have long crossed this line."
"It's hard to believe. Are you saying that the Four Seasons Castle and the head of the clan are just watching this happen?"
Cali said with a solemn expression,
"Zeke, what I'm about to tell you is a clan secret. You must never speak of it elsewhere."
"Of course, sister."
"The Four Seasons Castle is currently divided."
Zeke had never been to the Four Seasons Castle in his previous life, so he knew nothing about its internal affairs.
He only knew the overall flow of events he had seen in the future.
Cali continued slowly,
"A pro-Empire faction has emerged within the Council of Elders."
Zeke immediately understood what Cali meant.
"The Rom Empire has drawn the elders to their side?"
"I don't know the exact details, but that seems to be the case."
"I don't understand. Even the Empire wouldn't have anything to tempt the elders of the Draker clan."
"I'm also investigating what methods the Emperor used."
"So there are those within the Council of Elders and the guardian knights who have sided with the Empire. Only Abel and Siemens have surfaced, but we don't know how many more there are or who else is on the Empire's side, so we can't act rashly."
Cali was surprised that Zeke grasped the complicated situation of the Four Seasons Castle so quickly.
'He's not just skilled in martial arts.'
Cali nodded and said,
"That's correct. So we're gathering trustworthy people within the Four Seasons Castle who can stop Abel and Siemens."
"You mean you're gathering forces?"
"Yes. I'm trying to gather the power of the ordinary knights, who are the foundation of the Four Seasons Castle, rather than the Council of Elders or the main clans."
The Four Seasons Castle, the core of Draker, could be considered the central point for managing the thousands of knights carrying out missions across the continent.
While Abel was manipulating the Council of Elders at the center, Cali moved in a completely different direction.
No matter how strong the head of the clan or the Council of Elders were, it was impossible to maintain the clan without the ordinary knights.
She looked at Zeke and said,
"Once you graduate from Valhalla and become an official knight of the Four Seasons Castle, you will have great influence and legitimacy as a Pureblood Awakener. That's how much significance a Pureblood Awakener holds in the Draker clan."
The Prana clan, Cali Draker's maternal clan and sponsor, wasn't as influential as the Siemens or Turunn clans, so they were currently at a disadvantage in the power struggle.
However, even without a powerful sponsor clan, if Zeke, a Pureblood Awakener and a direct descendant, supported Cali, the scales in this power game with Abel would likely tip in her favor, even if only slightly.
The Four Seasons Castle was also made up of people.
If public opinion swayed towards Cali, even Abel, who had control of the Council of Elders, wouldn't be able to act recklessly.
After listening to Cali, Zeke considered how he could use the surprisingly chaotic situation of the Four Seasons Castle to his advantage.
'Seven years later, the balance between the three Transcendent clans will collapse, and the continent will be engulfed in war. And Abel Draker will be at the center of it all.'
Zeke looked at his older sister, Cali Draker.
In the previous life he experienced, this noble Silver Knight would die in five years.
She would meet a heroic end while fighting the new Pirate King who emerged in the South Sea, the place that brought her fame.
The death of Cali Draker, who had been the stabilizing force of the Four Seasons Castle, would be a great shock to the entire Draker clan.
She was implicitly considered the successor to the head of the clan, and when Cali Draker died, Abel Draker would take her place.
He would then join hands with the Council of Elders, abolish the Draker clan's Neutrality Pledge, and actively participate in the continental war with the backing of the Empire.
Arthur Draker, the head of the clan, would condone Abel Draker's actions and then die of illness not long after.
Eventually, Abel Draker, the successor, would inherit the position of the head of the clan, and Draker would lead the invasion of the Central Kingdoms and the Northern Continent.
They would abandon their role as the mediators of balance in the Central Continent and become the vanguards of continental invasion.
Zeke had settled in the Northern Continent for various reasons at that time and was suddenly caught up in the continental war.
Having personally experienced this chaotic future, Zeke knew that Cali's words weren't just simple concerns.
Having witnessed the chaotic future of the continent, Zeke decided that it was better to help Cali and stop Abel, the Knight of Slaughter, rather than exploit the situation for now.
"I'm still lacking, but I'll do everything I can to help you."
Cali's eyes wavered at his words.
She hadn't expected Zeke to make a decision so quickly.
She looked at Zeke and said,
"I made this offer because I believe that the future Zeke Draker will become an outstanding knight, surpassing all others. If you support me, this Silver Knight will always stand by your side."
Zeke thought that she was unexpectedly pure for a Draker.
While valuing discipline more than anyone else, as expected of a Draker, her inner heart was incredibly soft.
Zeke stood up.
"I fully agree with your idea of gathering the ordinary knights, sister. I will also become an official knight of the Four Seasons Castle and help you."
Cali also stood up and nodded.
"Thank you, Zeke. If you need anything, don't hesitate to ask. And remember this: The Drakers may seem inconspicuous, but they are everywhere. Always remember that Abel and the Empire's eyes are on you."
"Understood, sister."
Zeke bowed to Cali and left the carriage.
Walking alone on the Valhalla campus, Zeke pondered what benefits the alliance with Cali Draker would bring him.
'At least it's a million times better than having a madman like Abel take over the clan. Considering the situation on the continent, too.'
Zeke's ultimate goal was to become the strongest on the continent and take over the entire Draker clan.
But he didn't want to take over a Draker clan that had lost its power due to internal strife and become a puppet of the Empire.
He decided to help Cali Draker and stop Abel Draker and the Rom Empire's conspiracy, as he had thought through in the carriage.
"And to do that, I need power."
Zeke turned on the minimap and looked at the map of Valhalla.
The location of the founder Terakan Draker's security vault was marked on the minimap.
It was none other than the Valhalla library.
* * *
Zeke entered the library after presenting his student ID.
In fact, he didn't need to enroll here just to enter Valhalla.
But the location of the security vault left by Terakan Draker was in the Valhalla library, specifically the Valhalla-only library that not everyone could enter.
The dedicated library, accessible only to Valhalla students, was a secure area that outsiders were strictly prohibited from entering.
This was no exception even for Zeke, a Pureblood Awakener of Draker.
Zeke had to present his student ID again and undergo iris recognition at the entrance to the dedicated library before he could enter.
"Hmm."
The academy library was also quite large, but it was nothing compared to the scale of the Valhalla library.
Atlas, the greatest city in the Central Continent, and Valhalla, located within it, were where people from all over the world gathered.
As such, precious resources also flowed into this place.
From rare books from the Eastern Continent to rhyme collections from the Southern Continent and storybooks containing myths from the Northern Continent, all kinds of books were gathered in the Valhalla library.
Zeke followed the minimap towards the security vault left by Terakan Draker. He soon arrived at the location marked on the map.
"What is this place?"
The place he arrived at wasn't a library with books, but a storage room for unused items.
Zeke examined the dusty storage room.
There was no sign of the vault left by Terakan Draker.
'Is there a separate entrance like in the academy?'
He tried to find the entrance using his Dragon Eyes skill, but he couldn't sense anything around him.
Zeke expanded his search range and looked around the storage room, but he still couldn't find anything.
Then, as Zeke stood in the center of the storage room,
[Detected data update point.]
[Accessed Terakan Draker's security vault.]
[Do you want to update the data?]
Zeke chose to update the data.
[Updating data.]
Soon, a message appeared saying that the data update was complete.
Zeke immediately opened the security vault.
―Terakan Draker's Security Vault―
1. Organization Operation Manual
2. Dragon Slayer Technique Manual Ver. 5.21 (Final)
3. Reference Materials
4. Collection of Aphorisms for Growth
'What is this?'
It was more like a collection of Terakan Draker's personal records than a security vault.
Though it was different from what he had in mind, Zeke decided to check it out since he had come all this way. The first thing that caught his eye was the Dragon Slayer Techniques section.
Zeke clicked on the Dragon Slayer Techniques manual.
0920_Dragon_Slayer_Techniques_Manual_Final
1012_Dragon_Slayer_Techniques_Manual_Really_Final
1112_Dragon_Slayer_Techniques_Manual_Really_Really_Final
Dozens of manual documents with "Final" in their titles were listed in a row.
Zeke scrolled through the manuals and finally opened the last one recorded.
He thought it would contain information about hidden secret techniques, but surprisingly, it was a compilation of basic Dragon Slayer forms.
Zeke was surprised to learn that Terakan Draker, the founder of their order, had personally created the basic Dragon Slayer manual that has been passed down to this day.
It was designed as a detailed textbook on how to train in basic Dragon Slayer techniques and which parts to emphasize.
As Zeke looked through the various versions of the manual, he found a note left by Terakan Draker at the end of the manual.
[It should be noted that this Dragon Slayer Techniques manual is a revision of some of the forms from the True Dragon Sword Art.]
"True Dragon Sword Art? Is there such a swordsmanship?"
Zeke read more of Terakan Draker's words.
[While the True Dragon Sword Art is indeed an excellent swordsmanship and aura cultivation method, it has the disadvantage of being difficult to learn and understand, making it difficult for all knights to master.
The creator of the True Dragon Sword Art and the first to develop the aura cultivation method, Saturn Draker, is the only human to have reached the Grand Master realm.
I believe that it is absolutely necessary to inherit Saturn Draker's, who was given the title of Sword Star, True Dragon Sword Art and create a new swordsmanship that anyone can learn, so I am trying to finish this task that I have been putting off.]
Zeke was surprised to see what Terakan Draker had written.
"Saturn Draker? A secret technique left by the Noble Knight?"
The successor of the Hero King and the first knight to create aura.
Zeke turned off the manual and scanned the security archive list. And he was able to find the True Dragon Sword Art stored in a corner of the reference list.
Zeke turned on the True Dragon Sword Art secret manual and read the first sentence.
[The True Dragon Sword Art is the only way for humans to slay dragons.]
[Translator - Peptobismal]
[Proofreader - Max]