Chapter 358
Chapter 358
Chapter 358
'The leader of the High Table wants to meet me?'
Zeke was startled by the Hermit's sudden proposal.
Noticing this, the Hermit of Stories waved his hand.
"Ah, it's nothing major, they just want to hear about how things are going in the material world right now. It seems the appearance of monsters and mutant beasts is somehow related to the Jiemens family."
Zeke nodded at the Hermit's words.
"To be precise, it's the work of Jiemens and the Abyss."
The Hermit frowned at the mention of the Abyss.
"Well, the Abyss has been a nuisance for hundreds of years... but this time they've really caused huge trouble by joining forces with Jiemens."
Zeke explained everything he had discovered to the Hermit.
From the Abyss using artificial blood stones to summon high-ranking demons to the material world, to reviving dormant demons in the material world, and using constellation powers to twist karma to summon monsters.
After hearing Zeke's story, the Hermit's jaw dropped.
"This... they're completely insane, aren't they?"
The Hermit of Stories frowned in shock, seemingly unaware it had gotten this bad.
Zeke nodded and said:
"Emperor Rom became an avatar of a fallen constellation and his entire body transformed monstrously. It was the constellation Serpent of the Black Maw, and its authority twisted karma to significantly influence the material world."
The Hermit's eyes widened at Zeke's words.
"W-wait. Who did you say?"
"Huh? Emperor Rom..."
"No, the constellation!"
"You mean the Serpent of the Black Maw?"
The Hermit asked Zeke in confusion.
"Did you directly encounter it? No, I mean, you encountered the emperor who became its avatar? Then how are you still alive?"
"Well, because I killed it?"
The Hermit jumped at Zeke's answer.
"K-killed it? How?"
"With this."
Zeke took out the Holy Spear from his inventory.
The Hermit's mouth wouldn't close.
He hurriedly summoned a book in mid-air, frantically flipping through the pages while wetting them with saliva to find something.
"Could this be the Holy Spear?"
"Yes, you recognize it even though its appearance has changed."
"You little... I've been a hermit for how long now. But how did you find this?"
"The place I went to was the ruins of the first Holy King, Geo Lubern. I found it there."
Zeke was giving only the essential details while omitting detailed explanations.
The Hermit asked Zeke while breaking out in a cold sweat.
"So you found the first Holy King's Holy Spear and used it to kill the avatar of the Serpent of the Black Maw?"
"Yes, and I also sealed it."
"What?"
The Hermit asked again with a seemingly deflated response, as if he had no energy left to be surprised.
Zeke took out Solomon's Ring and showed it to the Hermit.
The Hermit collapsed with shock after confirming the crest of Belial, the Serpent of the Black Maw sealed in the ring.
"You really sealed a fallen constellation...?"
Zeke clicked his tongue looking at the Hermit.
"Did you think I was lying?"
"I thought you might have dealt with the avatar somehow, but I didn't expect you to seal the constellation's very source. And it being the Serpent of the Black Maw... it's one of the lords of the demon realm."
"I thought it used more abilities than other constellations. It fell for my trick because of its obsession with the Holy Spear. It tried everything to get this."
The Hermit nodded as if understanding at Zeke's words.
"It was probably because of karma."
"What about karma? Could it avoid karma's sanctions with this?"
The Hermit nodded at those words.
This time Zeke was surprised, as he hadn't expected that to be true.
When the Hermit waved his hand, translucent forms floated in the air.
They looked like extraordinary ancient artifacts - swords, vessels, cups, and divine statues.
"This is..."
"These are sacred objects. Though lower in rank than the Holy Spear you possess or the Fairy King's sacred relic, they too contain the power of constellations."
"Are you saying the Abyss is using these sacred objects to avoid karma's sanctions?"
"The constellation power dwelling in sacred objects contains karma. They must have discovered a way to use that karma power to avoid sanctions. The stronger the power in a sacred object, the stronger karma it contains, so the Holy Spear you have and the Fairy King's sacred relic are high-ranked items they would covet most."
The Hermit spoke while looking at the other constellations' sacred objects floating in the air.
"All of these sacred objects are currently missing."
Zeke's expression hardened when he heard those words.
"Are you saying the Abyss and Jiemens stole these sacred artifacts?"
The Hermit of Stories nodded.
"Yes, and the High Table being summoned is related to this as well."
When the Hermit of Stories waved his hand in the air again, a new scene appeared.
Various places appeared including forests, mountains, rivers, and seas - among them was a place Zeke recognized.
"Isn't that the Forest of the Forgotten?"
"Yes, the Forest of the Forgotten and all those other places are restricted areas where access is forbidden. However..."
As the Hermit of Stories's projected scene changed, gates appeared in those locations, and sealed demon realm monsters emerged from each restricted area.
Zeke furrowed his brow at the sight.
"It's the same method they used when they extracted the Orc Legion from the Forest of the Forgotten."
"These incidents are happening all across the continent."
Zeke asked the Hermit of Stories:
"How is this possible? They should be receiving Karma's punishment..."
Suddenly, Zeke's eyes widened as if realizing something.
"They're using the power of the sacred artifacts to block Karma's punishment."
The Hermit of Stories nodded.
"Yes, I found these phenomena strange too, so I investigated various aspects and discovered that sacred artifacts stored in each kingdom had disappeared. Currently, the Highlanders believe they've found a way to block Karma's punishment using the artifacts."
Zeke's expression grew serious.
Though they had stopped the Orc Legion that attacked the Holy Nation, even more monster legions had now appeared in the material world.
"Where are those monsters now?"
The Hermit of Stories waved his hand again.
The scene changed to show a landscape with fierce blizzards.
Zeke knew exactly where this was.
'The Ice Mountains, and... Himonas.'
Himonas was located at the northernmost point of the Northern Continent, surrounded by the Ice Mountains.
The monster legion's only path forward past the Ice Mountains was toward Himonas.
Zeke clenched his jaw.
'Himonas, where Alicia is, won't fall easily. But if the monster legions keep pouring in endlessly, even Himonas's high walls will have their limits.'
He wanted to head to the Northern Continent immediately to stop the monster legion.
However, it was difficult for Zeke to move rashly in the current situation.
If Zeke was granted the position of Guardian Knight according to Arthur Draker's intentions, it would certainly cause an uproar throughout the Draker family.
Zeke had no choice but to resolve the internal affairs of the Draker family first before heading to the Northern Continent.
The Hermit of Stories spoke while looking at Zeke's troubled expression.
"You're acting quite restless, like someone with ties to the Northern Continent."
The Hermit of Stories had seen right through his thoughts.
Zeke shook his head and said.
"That's not it. How are the Highlanders planning to respond?"
"Our side is actually at a disadvantage when it comes to facing such legions. We're structured as small-scale units, and we send dispatches to areas where problems arise. That's why the leader wanted to meet you. If we can cooperate, they want to discuss methods."
Zeke, who had been a Highlander in his previous life, immediately understood what the Hermit of Stories was saying.
Typically, when Highlanders receive orders, they are dispatched to the designated area to complete their mission, then return to their residence to await their next assignment.
Zeke himself used to stay in the Forest of the Forgotten, only going out to eliminate designated magical beasts when related missions came up.
The magical beasts or monsters they faced were either small-scale or formed small groups, never moving in legions like now.
Zeke spoke while looking at the Hermit of Stories.
"I'll meet the leader. Please tell me the location and place."
The Hermit of Stories nodded at those words.
"Actually, the leader is in a rather special situation, so meeting won't be easy. I'll contact you again when preparations are complete."
"Understood."
"Do you still have the hand mirror I gave you?"
In truth, Zeke had forgotten about the hand mirror after putting it in his inventory.
Seeing Zeke's embarrassed expression, the Hermit of Stories clicked their tongue.
"Keep that with you at all times. That way you'll know when I send a signal."
"Understood."
The Hermit of Stories stood up and approached Zeke.
"The continent is gradually falling into chaos. Perhaps you, Zeke, might be the one to suppress that chaos."
"You mean me?"
"Yes, the owner of the Sacred Relic and Sacred Spear. It seems fate is guiding you to become a savior."
Zeke didn't want such a burdensome mission.
All he wanted was to be free.
'I don't know why things turned out this way... but I guess I'll have to deal with them to gain my freedom.'
The Hermit of Stories placed a hand on Zeke's shoulder.
"Always be careful. If they learn that you carry the fate of a savior, they'll attack you more aggressively."
At the same time, the Hermit of Stories placed a hand on Zeke's forehead.
"May the fortune of stories be with you."
* * *
When Zeke opened his eyes, he was back in the carriage.
'Seems I dozed off for a moment.'
Zeke recalled the things he heard from the Hermit of Stories.
Jiemens and the abyss had stolen the sacred artifacts and used them to release sealed demon realm monster legions into the material world. And now those legions were heading toward Himonas across the Ice Mountains.
'But why are the monsters heading to Himonas?'
The Holy Kingdom and the Bird tribe Ghetto were invaded to be used as advance bases for the continental war.
But Himonas had no such strategic value.
While its territory was vast, it was always cold, and most of the land was desolate.
Zeke didn't think Jiemens sent the monster legion just to pressure Himonas.
'Then there must be something they need in Himonas.'
After pondering deeply, Zeke thought of something.
'What if there's something in Himonas needed to resurrect the Demon King?'
He recalled what the Holy King had said.
To resurrect the Demon King, they needed a vessel for the soul and the Book of the Dead where the soul was sealed.
The Book of the Dead was sealed beyond the Dark Continent, and Abel, who was to be the vessel, died by Zeke's hand.
Perhaps something that could fulfill one of these two conditions was hidden in Himonas.
'The one behind all this is Ramon Jiemens, the head of House Jiemens. I wonder if Arthur Draker knows about Ramon's conspiracy.'
Since Arthur Draker was also a person with many secrets, it was impossible to know exactly what he was thinking.
Zeke decided to solve the problems one by one.
'First, let's resolve the Draker situation. Lady Kali's response will be crucial.'
Kali was a direct descendant who had been designated as the heir apparent for the longest time.
Until now, they maintained a good relationship as allies, but it was hard to predict how things would change once they became direct competitors.
Zeke considered the possibility of Kali becoming hostile toward him.
'If that happens, Lady Kali will never yield. Will it ultimately come down to bloodshed?'
While he was lost in these thoughts, the carriage had already arrived at the mansion.
After returning to Atlas Mansion for the first time in a while, Zeke got out of the carriage and stretched.
However, someone was already waiting for him at the mansion.
It was none other than Luther Gemben.
"Lord Luther. It's been a while."
Luther bowed his head in greeting at Zeke's words.
"Sir Zeke, I heard you came to Atlas and came to visit. I hope I'm not intruding by coming unannounced."
"Not at all. I was actually wondering how you were doing. Let's go inside."
At that moment, Luther spoke with a serious expression while looking at Zeke.
"Sir Zeke, I have something to tell you."
Zeke nodded for him to continue, puzzled by his sudden change in attitude.
"The Sultan's messenger wishes to see you."