Chapter 140
Zeke headed straight to the desert region after descending from Mount Ouroboros.
Boris, who was carrying out missions between the Rom Empire and the desert region, joined him.
The problem was that while Zeke was heading to the desert region, the Holy Kingdom, Rom Empire, Scorpion Clan, and Salmak were all pursuing him.
Through Boris’s intelligence, Zeke knew beforehand that the atmosphere in the desert region was unusual.
After contemplating, Zeke told Boris they should visit Salmak’s headquarters.
Boris, knowing what kind of place Salmak was, tried to stop Zeke by jumping up and down, but he couldn’t change what was already decided.
After wandering the desert for three days, they were able to approach Salmak’s headquarters.
Of course, they were dragged there by Salmak’s assassins with their hands and feet bound.
“…What exactly are you trying to do, Boss?.”
Boris spoke while being dragged along by a rope tied to the assassins’ horses, looking at Zeke who was similarly being dragged beside him.
Despite being captured and taken to Salmak’s headquarters, Zeke’s expression couldn’t have been more peaceful.
Zeke looked at the endless desert spread before them.
Though it appeared peaceful on the surface, this was actually a quicksand zone made of sand swamps.
It was an area that even desert natives never approached because once you fell in, it was difficult to get out on your own.
However, Salmak’s assassins were walking the correct path, weaving around without falling into the sand swamps.
Throughout the continent, there were places like this with ancient magic that prevented outsiders from approaching.
The Forgotten Forest, which was forbidden territory, was similar.
If one made a mistake in the endless flood, one would never be able to escape.
Salmak had undoubtedly placed their headquarters in such an ancient magical place and prevented outsiders from coming for hundreds of years.
After passing through the quicksand zone following the assassins, a castle that hadn’t been visible before suddenly appeared on top of a sand dune.
Boris, being dragged along, turned pale at the sight of Salmak’s headquarters that he had only heard about.
Even for him, a former Rom Empire Intelligence Department member on the continent’s wanted list, Salmak was a fearsome existence.
Salmak’s assassins took Zeke and Boris inside the castle.
THUD!
It was a castle so old that no one could tell when it was built.
Zeke surveyed the castle with his dragon eyes.
Unlike its worn exterior, magical power dwelled throughout the castle walls.
Upon entering the castle, Zeke spoke to the assassin who had brought him.
“I want to meet the Mountain Elder.”
At those words, the turbaned assassin glanced down at Zeke, drew his sword, and jumped down from his horse.
He held his sword to Zeke’s neck.
In that moment, Zeke used his Aura to snap the ropes binding him and bent the assassin’s sword with his bare hands.
The assassin stepped back in surprise and threw throwing weapons at him.
Zeke swung his hand and deflected all the throwing weapons.
Suddenly, assassins who had been hiding throughout the castle revealed themselves.
SWOOSH!
Hundreds of trained assassins instantly surrounded Zeke and Boris, drawing and aiming their weapons.
They all wore masks with a design of an eyeball inside a triangle.
Boris also twisted his wrists to untie the ropes and drew his sword with a tense expression.
Zeke shouted at the assassins.
“My name is Zeke Draker! I have something to tell the Mountain Elder!”
The assassins didn’t move at all at Zeke’s words, remaining motionless while aiming their weapons.
Zeke’s group and the assassins faced off without moving from their spots.
Even after quite some time passed, neither Zeke nor the assassins’ movements wavered.
Only Boris, caught in the middle, was suffering.
‘Damn my fate.’
After some time passed, a black-robed figure wearing a mask came out from inside.
The mask had the same design as the other assassins.
He gestured at Zeke to follow him inside.
Then the assassins who had been aiming their weapons vanished as if they had never been there.
With the assassins gone, the castle was quiet without a trace of human presence, as if completely empty.
Boris was so creeped out by this sight that he couldn’t move for a moment.
Zeke gestured to Boris.
“Boris, let’s go in.”
So Zeke and Boris followed the black-robed Salmak assassin into the castle.
The inside of the castle was maze-like, narrow, winding, and dark.
It felt similar to Agamemnon Castle before its curse was lifted.
Even if enemies managed to cross the quicksand zone and attack this place, they would likely get lost inside.
‘Seems like they deliberately made it this way.’
Zeke could sense assassins hiding throughout the narrow paths, suppressing their presence.
With his beast senses, Zeke could clearly feel their presence, but most knights probably wouldn’t notice the assassins’ existence.
Only after passing through the maze-like paths and several rooms were Zeke and Boris finally able to reach their destination.
The black-robed figure opened the door and gestured.
Going inside, they saw an old man decorated with gold and jewels sitting on a large throne.
The small-framed, dark-skinned old man wore rings on all ten fingers.
The old man spoke while looking at Zeke.
“So, you said you wanted to see me.”
He was the Mountain Elder, who raised and ruled over the assassins of Salmak.
Zeke and Boris were facing the Mountain Elder, whose identity was known to only a handful of people across the continent.
Zeke took a step forward toward the Mountain Elder.
Black-clad assassins hidden in the darkness sprang out and held knives to Zeke’s throat.
“Enough. Fall back.”
At the Mountain Elder’s words, the assassins concealed themselves and vanished.
The Mountain Elder opened his mouth to address Zeke.
“Zeke Drake. Your name has been coming up frequently across the continent.”
Zeke spoke while looking at the Mountain Elder.
“I’d like to skip the pointless pleasantries and get straight to the point.”
The Mountain Elder frowned at those words.
“Do the Drakers not teach manners?”
“There’s no need to show manners to those who show none themselves.”
“Such arrogance. If you think I won’t kill you just because you’re a Draker pureblood, you’re gravely mistaken. Even your father Arthur Draker couldn’t escape Salmak’s blade.”
Zeke grinned at those words.
“Could you say that directly to Arthur Draker’s face?”
The Mountain Elder’s expression hardened.
He raised his hand.
Instantly, assassins emerged from the darkness and swung their swords at Zeke from all directions.
“Boss!”
As Boris rushed forward urgently, the guide assassin who had been standing behind drew his sword to block him.
Swoosh!
The swords swung at Zeke missed their target and cut through empty air.
At that moment,
“Hmm.”
Zeke had somehow approached the throne and was holding a dagger to the Mountain Elder’s throat.
Boris broke out in a cold sweat, his face pale at the sight.
‘Boss, was this your purpose for coming here?’
The very idea of taking the Salmak leader hostage seemed absurd. Yet his boss was doing exactly that.
Then, Zeke, with his dagger at the Mountain Elder’s throat, turned his head.
He spoke to the assassin crossing swords with Boris.
“How about we end this probing match here?”
The black-clad assassin stepped back and gestured to the other assassins.
He slowly removed his mask.
A middle-aged man with the dark complexion characteristic of desert dwellers revealed himself.
He spoke to Zeke.
“Zeke Draker. Impressive.”
When Zeke withdrew his dagger, the elder sitting on the throne stood and moved to the side.
Zeke returned to his original position while the unmasked middle-aged man ascended to sit on the throne.
Zeke addressed the man seated on the throne.
“Mountain Elder.”
Only then did Boris realize that the assassin who had guided them was the real Mountain Elder.
The Mountain Elder seated on the throne looked at Zeke with interest.
“How did you know I was the real one?”
“That’s a secret I can’t reveal.”
The Mountain Elder clapped and laughed at those words.
“Impressive, Zeke Drake. Very well, since it’s a secret, I won’t press further. But do you know you’re on our elimination list?”
“I had some idea, given how persistently we were followed since entering the desert.”
“Yet you came here directly, I have to admire your gut.”
Zeke spoke while looking at the Mountain Elder.
“It’s not just guts. You know that too.”
The Mountain Elder nodded.
“Indeed. It’s not every day that the Roman Empire, Holy Kingdom, and even those Scorpion fellows chase after one person.”
“I suppose Abel didn’t tell Salmak why, just requested the elimination.”
The Mountain Elder leaned back on his throne at those words.
The atmosphere instantly became tense.
Boris’s heart pounded at the precarious atmosphere, like walking on thin ice.
After a moment, Zeke spoke first.
“I want to make a deal with Salmak.”
The Mountain Elder leaned forward at those words.
“A deal? Why should I make a deal with you?”
“I think you called me here because you’re willing to hear me out, am I right?”
The Mountain Elder, king of assassins, was being drawn in by an eighteen-year-old rookie knight.
Zeke continued speaking to the Mountain Elder.
“You must have heard the rumors that I lifted the curse on Agamemnon Castle and the curse on the Graham Duke’s daughter.”
The Mountain Elder listened silently to Zeke’s words.
Zeke continued.
“How about I lift the curse on your youngest disciple as payment for the deal?”
The Mountain Elder jumped up from his seat at those words.
It was an uncharacteristic reaction for the king of assassins.
He stood glaring at Zeke, and only after a long while did he calm his excitement and ask:
“…How do you know about that?”
“As I said before, it’s a secret I can’t reveal.”
The Mountain Elder’s previously relaxed face noticeably hardened.
He too knew of Zeke’s abilities and had prepared a trap to capture him alive before elimination to have him lift his youngest disciple’s curse.
But he hadn’t expected Zeke to confront him so directly.
Moreover, the Mountain Elder couldn’t help but be flustered since Zeke knew exactly about his youngest disciple’s situation, which was among the most closely guarded secrets.
Zeke said to him.
“I’ll lift your youngest disciple’s curse. Let’s discuss the terms of the deal after that.”
People in desperate situations tend to be more desperate.
Zeke had accurately assessed the Mountain Elder’s situation.
‘The timing worked out well.’
The fact that the Mountain Elder’s youngest disciple had died from a curse was something Zeke learned while carrying out a mission in his previous life.
In his previous life, the Mountain Elder was betrayed by his disciples and his life was threatened.
His disciples, who had allied with the Empire, drove out the Mountain Elder and took over Salmak.
Zeke, who was in the Northern Front, was tasked with rescuing the Mountain Elder and extracting key information from Salmak.
Though he managed to rescue the Mountain Elder after much hardship, he was nearly at his last breath.
Before dying, the Mountain Elder spoke to Zeke about his biggest regret in life.
He said his greatest regret was being unable to do anything when his most beloved and cherished youngest disciple was dying from a curse.
Though he poured the most affection into this disciple who was more talented than anyone else, ultimately the youngest disciple couldn’t overcome the curse. Afterwards, deeply heartbroken, he largely withdrew from Salmak and left it to his disciples, eventually leading to their betrayal.
Zeke recalled the Mountain Elder’s final words.
‘Back then, I would have done anything to cure my youngest disciple, but I thought there was no way… I could have tried more… Zeke Murray. Hold my hand. I don’t want to be alone in my final moments… If that child were alive, they would surely have held my hand…’
With those words, the Mountain Elder had breathed his last.
It was an utterly miserable end for the king of assassins.
The image of his aged and weak form overlapped with the Mountain Elder’s current appearance.
Then the Mountain Elder broke the silence.
“Very well. I accept your proposal, Zeke Draker.”
He gestured as he descended from the throne.
“Follow me. I’ll take you to where my disciple is.”
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