Chapter 359
Chapter 359
Chapter 359
'The Sultan's messenger?'
Zeke's mind raced at Luther's words.
And there was one thing he could guess.
'Could monster legions have appeared in the Eastern Continent too?'
There was no reason to assume demon realm monsters would only appear in the Central Continent.
Though different from those in the Central Continent, he knew the Eastern Continent also had monsters and magical beasts.
He remembered his previous life's master, Nigel, saying that the magical beasts of the Eastern Continent were stronger and more intelligent than those of the Central Continent, making them harder to eliminate.
Zeke asked Luther with a composed expression.
"For what reason does the Sultan's messenger wish to see me?"
Luther contemplated for a moment before slowly speaking.
"It seems the Sultan has also heard rumors that you received the Fairy King's blessing and obtained the power of salvation."
Though he had somewhat expected this, it was still sudden.
As Zeke pondered Luther's words, Luther continued with a slightly troubled expression.
"If... if you're willing, would you meet with the Sultan's messenger?"
Something occurred to Zeke and he asked.
"But as I recall, Lord Luther, you became a Draker knight after being hunted by the Sultan's warriors. How did the Sultan's messenger come to find you?"
Luther replied with a slightly embarrassed expression.
"Actually, the messenger said they could lift the death warrant on me if I arranged a meeting with you."
Zeke asked in surprise.
"Lift the death warrant? Then couldn't you return to your homeland?"
Luther waved his hand dismissively.
"Not quite. I'm now properly a Draker knight. Besides, I feel more at ease in the Central Continent since we never know when the Sultan's mind might change."
Seeing the logic in Luther's words, Zeke nodded.
"That's true. The Sultan's messenger... it might be worth hearing what they have to say."
Luther brightened at Zeke's words.
"Then, may I bring the messenger here?"
"Yes, let's do that."
Luther rushed off, saying he would quickly bring the messenger who was staying at his house.
Zeke entered the mansion to rest while waiting for Luther and the Sultan's messenger.
About an hour later, Luther and the Sultan's messenger entered Zeke's office.
And Zeke was shocked when he saw the messenger who entered.
'That person...'
Surprisingly, the Sultan's messenger wasn't human.
'An Elf.'
It was his first time seeing an Elf outside of House Ishtar.
Unlike Yelin, a High Elf, this Eastern Continent Elf had grayish skin and purple eyes.
He hadn't seen such skin and eye colors even in Ishtar.
However, like those from Ishtar, the Elf's distinctive beauty and androgynous atmosphere made it difficult to determine their gender.
The Elf messenger bowed formally toward Zeke.
"Greetings to the Knight of Salvation. My name is Omar, firstborn of House Hidayet. I have come here by the great Sultan's command to meet Sir Zeke."
Fluent common tongue flowed from the messenger's lips.
Zeke also greeted the messenger politely.
"You must be tired from your long journey. Please, have a seat."
He guided the messenger and Luther to their seats and brought tea.
Omar, savoring the tea's aroma, showed a surprised expression.
"This is truly excellent tea. It's very similar to the tea the Sultan bestowed upon us."
The tea was sent from Ishtar.
Knowing Zeke's fondness for tea, Ishtar always sent the finest quality as gifts.
He was surprised to hear that the Sultan had bestowed similar tea.
'Could the Sultan be an Elf too?'
Since no one in the Central Continent had seen the Sultan directly, there was no way to know if they were an Elf, human, or dwarf.
Moreover, the Central and Eastern Continents had long been hostile, cutting off exchanges long ago.
Only a few maintained connections, and even those were mostly kept secret.
In the stories passed down, the Sultan was portrayed as nothing less than an incarnation of evil.
As Zeke was thinking about the Eastern Continent and the Sultan, he suddenly realized something.
'Is this how others feel when they look at House Draker?'
The evaluations from Ishtar and the Druids weren't much different.
Inwardly smiling, Zeke spoke to Omar:
"The Sultan seems to have a keen interest in tea."
Omar nodded at those words.
"The palace has a tradition of growing and enjoying fine tea for generations. Though coffee is becoming popular among young nobles these days, it cannot match tea's depth."
Zeke nodded at Omar's words.
'Coffee just tastes bitter, I don't get what's so good about it.'
Typically, people would grind coffee beans, boil them in water, and add honey, but even that felt too heavy for Zeke's taste.
After savoring the tea for a moment, Omar set down their cup and spoke to Zeke.
"I've taken the liberty of coming here because there is something I wish to ask of Sir Zeke Draker."
Zeke also set down his cup and waited for Omar's words.
He was curious about what message the Sultan wanted to convey by secretly sending a messenger.
Omar slowly began speaking.
"I heard that Sir Zeke Draker received the Fairy King's blessing and awakened the divine beast, the phoenix."
Zeke nodded at those words.
"That's right. I received the blessing at the Fairy Lake."
Though he hadn't met directly and only spoke indirectly through the lake's fairy, he had indeed received the blessing, so he simply acknowledged it.
Omar's eyes trembled at Zeke's words.
"Might I be able to see the divine phoenix?"
At Omar's cautious voice, Zeke contemplated before turning toward his shoulder.
"Raven."
When Zeke called the name, the phoenix who had been dozing in the dimensional boundary revealed itself.
KURURURURU!
As if complaining about being woken up, Raven spread its wings and pecked at Zeke with its beak.
Seeing Raven's behavior, Omar was surprised and immediately knelt before the phoenix.
"Ph-Phoenix...! To think the divine beast has truly descended to the material world!"
Omar began praying as they watched Raven come down to the table and peck at the snacks with its beak.
Watching Omar, Zeke quietly whispered to Luther beside him:
"Why are they acting like this?"
"The Muruk Empire considers the phoenix a sacred being. While there are many fantastic creatures in the Eastern Continent, the phoenix is an especially rare divine beast... Since the phoenix itself is considered a very auspicious sign, the Sultan's authority increases just by a phoenix appearing during their reign."
Zeke looked at Raven eating snacks after hearing Luther's words.
'...First the Bird-folk, now this. Why does everyone consider phoenixes so sacred?'
Though Raven had grown much larger and now resembled a beautiful hawk, Zeke still found others' reactions unfamiliar.
After finishing their prayer, Omar looked at Zeke with even more reverent eyes than before and said:
"Sir Zeke, the Sultan wishes to invite you and the phoenix to the palace."
"You're saying the Sultan has invited me?."
Zeke couldn't help but be surprised at those words.
After the Eastern Empire's expedition invaded the Central Continent, exchanges between the two continents had long been cut off.
While goods did flow through the Dorta Republic, it wasn't through official trade.
In such circumstances, a direct invitation from the Sultan was surprising.
Perhaps this opportunity could lead to renewed exchanges between the Central and Eastern Continents.
Zeke spoke while looking at Omar:
"The Sultan seems very interested in the phoenix."
Omar nodded honestly.
"Wise and mysterious divine beasts possess miraculous powers. The Sultan wishes to hear the story of how Sir Zeke received the Fairy King's blessing, and to directly experience the divine beast's miraculous nature."
As Luther said, while the phoenix was simply considered a mysterious divine beast in the Central Continent, it seemed to hold special symbolic significance in the Muruk Empire.
After hearing Omar's words, Zeke asked.
"If I accept the Sultan's invitation, how would I travel to the Eastern Continent? Crossing the Central Sea by ship would take quite a long time."
Omar shook their head at those words.
"There's no need to go by ship. There's a portal installed in the Dorta Republic that leads to the palace, so you can get there quickly."
"You're saying there's a direct portal to the Eastern Continent?"
Zeke was shocked by Omar's words.
He had no idea there was a direct portal in the Dorta Republic.
When Omar confirmed this, he thought for a moment before nodding.
"Very well. I'll accept the Sultan's invitation."
Omar's face brightened at Zeke's words.
If he had refused, it would have put Omar in an awkward position as the messenger.
Zeke asked Omar.
"When should I go to the palace?"
Omar replied with a smile:
"The Sultan will welcome you with a grand banquet and delicacies whenever you come. I just need to notify the palace beforehand, so you can visit with me anytime within this year."
Zeke showed a surprised expression at Omar's words.
In the Central Continent, it was important to set a specific time for invitations and visit accordingly.
But the Eastern Empire seemed to have a different concept of time than the Central Continent's culture.
'So I have some time as long as I go within the year.'
Zeke had been interested in the Eastern Continent anyway.
He wanted to take this opportunity to see the Eastern Continent and Muruk Empire with his own eyes and experience a broader world.
'Lady Yelin and Lord Hades might enjoy going too. I should ask them about it.'
While Zeke was chatting with Omar about various aspects of the Muruk Empire, someone entered the room - surprisingly, it was Boris.
Since Boris, who had been left to finish matters in the Holy Nation, came to see Zeke personally, something must have happened.
Sure enough, he approached Zeke with a stern expression and whispered in a low voice.
"Boss, it's an urgent matter."
Zeke excused himself and headed to his office with Boris.
Boris immediately reported:
"Civil war has broken out in the Empire."
Zeke nodded at Boris's words.
With the Emperor dead in the Holy King's tomb, he had thought the fox-like Julius would make his move.
"This was within expectations. Did Julius put forward another royal family member?"
Boris shook his head and spoke with a grim expression:
"A new figure suddenly took control of Rom and executed all the other royal family members."
Zeke furrowed his brow at those words.
'Eliminated the other royal family members?'
It wasn't uncommon to eliminate threatening royal family members during a coup.
The reason Zeke frowned was because of the mention of a new figure appearing.
"Who is this new figure that appeared?"
Boris spoke:
"Abel Draker, who had been missing, has reappeared."
Zeke's face hardened at Boris's words.
'Abel is alive?'
Abel had definitely died by Zeke's hand.
He had personally cut his throat and used the power of decay on the corpse.
Naturally, he couldn't believe Abel was alive.
Zeke asked Boris:
"Have you confirmed Abel is alive? Not an impersonator or magic?"
Boris nodded.
"This is based on information from multiple sources. The Black Corps has also confirmed it."
If even the Black Corps confirmed it was Abel himself, they had to accept he was alive.
Zeke's expression grew even more serious than before.
'He couldn't have just come back to life. Ramon Jiemens. That person must have done something.'
Then Boris spoke to Zeke:
"Boss, this isn't the urgent matter I wanted to tell you about."
"You're saying there's something even more urgent than this?"
Boris looked at Zeke with a stern face and spoke:
"Julius, the Empire's regent, has contacted us saying he wants to meet with you."