507
Chapter 507
Zeke continued speaking while looking at Herman, who had turned serious after watching the footage in the crystal ball.
"...Are you saying such a place exists beneath the Thebean royal palace?"
Zeke shook his head at Herman's question.
"I can't be certain yet. However, since the Nostra Family's boss, who created such a secret laboratory under Atlas, left traces of infiltrating the Thebean palace, I believe there must be some connection."
Herman pressed his temples in deep thought before looking up at Zeke.
"Sir Zeke, would you please wait a moment? I must inform His Majesty of this first."
Zeke nodded and added,
"You must only tell His Majesty. If word leaks out, he might notice and go into hiding."
After Herman left to meet the king, Zeke was guided to a guest room. Sitting in an armchair, he pondered the situation.
'I wonder how the Thebean king will react.'
Just then, the mirror in Zeke's possession vibrated. Nabu's face appeared in it.
"Elder?"
—Zeke, we have trouble.
Nabu said urgently.
"What's wrong?"
—Our leader contacted me. A large rift occurred in the material plane recently.
"It's probably due to the Abyss summoning the evil god Ajitahaka."
—What? The evil god Ajitahaka? That terrible Flesh-Eating Emperor?
"Yes, though we stopped his descent... a more troublesome issue arose. Ramon Jiemens died and Abel Draker was resurrected."
—Abel Draker? Didn't you say he died? What happened?! Anyway, that's serious, but the rift the leader mentioned is different.
"What? There's another incident besides the evil god's descent?"
—Around that time, someone apparently entered the Beast territory beyond the Giant Mountains.
"Beyond the Giant Mountains is the ultimate forbidden zone that no one can enter."
—That's right, it's blocked by an absolute barrier that the leader set up. If a rift appears in such a place, it's no ordinary matter.
Zeke grew suspicious about someone crossing the Giant Mountains' barrier during the second baptism.
'Did they deliberately time it with the blood moon?'
"Elder, why did the leader seal off the Beast Realm?"
—Nngh… Well, since it’s you, Zeke, I suppose I can tell you. There’s another seal in that place.”
“A seal? What exactly is sealed there?”
—Another Black Star.
He was referring to the heart of the Elder Dragon.
Zeke’s eyes widened in shock as he brought the mirror closer.
“You mean what you gave me wasn’t the whole thing?”
—The power it held was too immense, so it was split and sealed separately. One piece was sealed in the Forest of the Forgotten, another in the Stormy Sea, and the last one beyond the Giant’s Mountain Range, in the Beast Territory.
In other words, each fragment of the Black Star had been sealed away in forbidden regions unreachable by ordinary humans.
Zeke, who had directly absorbed part of the Black Star and understood its power firsthand, wore a grave expression.
“You think the intruder went there to steal a piece of the Black Star?”
Nabu clicked his tongue and shook his head.
—It’s impossible to say right now. The seal on the Black Star isn’t something just anyone can break. Plus, the Beast Territory itself is so dangerous that reaching the sealed location is next to impossible.
“But the fact that they broke through the Leader’s Absolute Barrier already goes beyond impossible.”
At Zeke’s words, Nabu sighed and nodded.
—Nnngh… That’s true too.”
“What is the Highlander Council planning to do about it?”
—We’ll have to assess the situation, so I’ve been discreetly looking for someone among the High Table who can move and investigate. That’s why I contacted you. Any chance you can head there now?”
At that, Zeke shook his head.
“Right now, I’m tied up with something more urgent.”
—Tsk… Understood. I figured it was worth asking. Anyway, we’ll look into it on our end, but I wanted you to be aware.”
"Understood. I'll contact you again once I'm done with my current task."
Nabu quickly ended the communication. Zeke pondered who could have entered the Beast Realm beyond the Giant Mountains.
'Unless they're at least Grand Master level, it would be impossible to enter.'
A servant knocked on the door.
"Sir Zeke, a message has arrived."
The servant handed over an elegant card. Reading its contents, Zeke's expression changed.
'This is...?'
The sender was none other than the King of Thebea.
In the depths of night, without even moonlight, Zeke moved silently, cloaked in shadows. He stopped at a corridor lined with statues inside the palace.
'Below the second statue.'
He found a hidden mechanism and activated it. The statue slid left, revealing stairs leading underground.
The stairs were long. Zeke sensed someone below - Herman Solma, the Royal Guard.
TSSS!TSSS! TSSS! TSSS!
Herman startled at Zeke's sudden appearance but quickly composed himself.
After traversing maze-like passages, they stopped at a wall. Herman created a portal with magic.
WOOOONG—
Through the portal was a different space, with walls adorned with mounted monster heads.
THUD!
A man struck a great sword into the floor.
An elderly man with a face covered in scars sat there - the King of Thebea. His eyes were blind, and his voice was hoarse despite his strong build.
"Salvation Knight."
"I am Zeke Draker, Your Majesty."
The king reached out and touched Zeke's shoulder.
"You say something terrible has coiled itself in this palace."
"Yes, Your Majesty. Specifically, traces left by the Nostra Family's boss are connected to this place."
The king nodded, staring into empty space with his sightless eyes.
"Nostra Family. A mafia that has lasted a thousand years..."
Herman helped the king sit, who used the great sword as a cane.
"Salvation Knight. Do you know of the curse passed down through Thebea's royal family?"
"This is the first I've heard of such a curse."
After taking a sip of water, the king continued.
"The royal family of Thebea is cursed by the evil dragon Bahamut."
"Bahamut led evil dragons to destroy the Seven Kingdoms. All champions gathered in Thebea to fight against them."
The king coughed before continuing.
"But that wasn't the end. Bahamut placed a curse on Thebea's royal family as he died."
"What kind of curse?"
"...The second son born to Thebea's king will devour his mother and kill his father."
Zeke frowned.
'A curse of patricide.'
"If the curse targets second sons, couldn't you avoid it by having only one child?"
Herman shook his head.
"Traditionally, Thebea's royal family must prosper, requiring many children."
Zeke's expression changed.
"Having multiple children means eventually having a second son. What happened to these children? Were there any special curse cases?"
The king remained silent.
Zeke stared directly at the king.
"Don't tell me...You killed all the second sons that were born?"