Dragonslayer’s Class Regression 278

Chapter 278

When Abel said he would become the emperor of the empire, William was stunned.

“Abel. What are you…?”

Despite the thoroughly secured carriage, William nervously looked around.

Abel watched William’s reaction and smiled slyly, then turned his gaze back to the window.

“Look at this. You’re so surprised every time I say something that you’re about to faint. What could I possibly say to you?”

With a tense expression, William asked,

“Surely you haven’t told the Lord about this?”

When the lord, Ramon Jiemens, was mentioned, Abel’s expression darkened.

He clenched his molars and said

, “Ramon Jiemens only thinks of making me his puppet.”

“What do you mean? The lord is running around trying to make you the successor of Draker…”

“Isn’t he trying to set me up because he couldn’t become the lord of Draker himself? Am I wrong?”

William fell silent at Abel’s words.

The relationship between Ramon Jiemens and Arthur Draker was too complicated for them to know everything.

But one thing was certain.

Ramon Jiemens was inferior to Arthur Draker in every aspect.

Abel’s red eyes flashed as he spoke,

“William, I have no intention of becoming Ramon Jiemens’ puppet. The lord of Draker? That means nothing to me now. I will grasp and control the entire continent in my hands.”

William clenched his fist looking at Abel’s mad eyes.

‘Could this be a side effect of the Baptism?’

Baptism provided strong power in a short time, but it also had side effects.

However, since the side effects were diverse and no one had received a Baptism as strong as Abel’s before, it was impossible to know how the side effects would manifest.

‘If the side effect is not physical but mental contamination, the problem will gradually become serious.’

Suddenly, Abel leaned towards William and grabbed his chin.

“URGH.”

He whispered in William’s ear,

“I’m not crazy, William.”

Abel had read his thoughts.

He said to William,

“Did you think I wouldn’t know that the blood of Jiemens flowing in you and me qualifies us as electors for the emperor of the Rome Empire?”

William’s eyes shook dramatically.

‘How did he know…?’

Abel gripped William’s chin and said,

“Cain Jiemens Constantinus. My twin brother that Ramon Jiemens secretly removed. Originally, he was supposed to receive the Baptism instead of me. If Zeke hadn’t killed him in the southern continent’s experimental site, that is.”

William’s hands were now trembling.

Following Ramon’s orders, William had manipulated information to prevent both Abel and the imperial intelligence from finding Cain’s traces.

Because Cain was one of Jiemens’ most important secrets.

‘Abel… knew everything.’

Abel shouted with a mad expression,

“That woman always told me. Abel, everyone around you is an enemy! Stay alert!”

Abel imitated his mother’s voice.

William felt his jaw might shatter under Abel’s strong grip. Eventually, he grabbed Abel’s wrist with a trembling hand.

Abel stared at William with red eyes,

“William, you’ll also have to choose between Ramon and me.”

Abel finally released William’s chin.

William held his nearly broken jaw and looked at Abel with fearful eyes.

An transcendent being who had everything in his hands and held the power of life and death.

William felt both fear and reverence towards Abel.

Silence fell, and the carriage carrying the two arrived at the imperial garrison base located at the border of the Joint tribe ghetto.

A flag with the sacred wolf symbolizing the Rome Empire was fluttering there.

Abel’s face was once again tinged with a subtle madness as he looked at the flag from inside the carriage.

* * *

SCREEEECH.

Zeke stepped off the train and onto the Aten station.

‘Is this Aten?’

He looked around the main station of Aten.

Zeke, who had never been to Aten even in his previous life, found the area completely unfamiliar.

Aten seemed quite different in structure, perhaps because it was the headquarters of the Nirvana family, unlike the Draker family’s territory of Atlas.

Of course, both Aten and Atlas were cities governed by markets.

However, while Draker actively intervened in city operations, Nirvana didn’t seem to care much about Aten’s management.

Although the Nirvana family was one of the three transcendent families and had over thousands of outstanding mages, it was more accurately described as a M collective.

Draker, even though not a direct descendant, acknowledges those with exceptional skills as members of the family by granting them the name Draker, recognizing them as part of the family.

However, despite this, the distinction between direct and collateral lines is strictly observed, and the corresponding rights and authority are clearly defined.

On the other hand, Nirvana, while being called a family, didn’t exactly have the concept of a ‘direct line’.

As long as one has achieved a level of skill above the 4th circle and passes the exam set by the Nirvana family, they are qualified to enter the Nirvana family’s main estate, the “Storm Castle,” located in the Storm Sea.

Nirvana mages, after conducting their magical research there, must meet certain qualifications before leaving the estate and engaging in external activities under the name of Nirvana.

The problem was that the difficulty of Nirvana’s qualification exams and the Storm Castle entrance exams were notoriously difficult.

As a result, it was surprisingly hard to meet mages using the Nirvana name unless one specifically commissioned them.

This rarity meant that Nirvana mages were treated as valuable, and most of them were eccentric individuals, often doing whatever research they desired.

With its unique structure, the Nirvana family was, in some ways, even more difficult to deal with than the closed-off Ishtar family.

Zeke, after touring the area near the Aten station, took a carriage in front of the station and headed to Nirvana’s central branch.

Although the main estate was located in the northern sea of the Storm Sea, Nirvana had research institutes and branches all over the continent.

The location in Aten was the Nirvana central branch, where the head of the family usually resided.

Upon arriving at the central branch by carriage, Zeke was surprised by the building’s appearance.

‘Why is the building so small?’

Draker’s Four Seasons Castle was an enormous structure, roughly the size of five ordinary castles combined.

However, Nirvana’s central branch resembled a large mansion with a few buildings scattered about.

Doubting whether he had truly arrived at Nirvana’s central branch, Zeke approached a knight in full plate armor standing by the main gate and identified himself.

At that moment, the knight’s eyes sparkled, and after quickly reviewing Zeke’s ID, he nodded.

“Zeke Draker. Identity confirmed. Please enter.”

Surprisingly, the gatekeeper wasn’t a person but a golem.

While not as sophisticated as the Guardian, Black Dung, created by Hades, Zeke was intrigued by the finely crafted, moving golem.

“Why would they use such an expensive golem for guarding? It would be cheaper to have a hundred soldiers standing guard for ten years.”

As someone who valued efficiency, Zeke found this hard to understand.

Pushing aside his curiosity, Zeke entered the building, only to be startled by an unexpected situation, chuckling to himself. He had wondered if he’d get lost without any directions, but there was no need to worry.

There was only one path, and the building was easy to navigate.

Zeke entered the dilapidated building, the exact age of which was unclear.

But as soon as he stepped inside, he was once again taken aback.

‘What is this?’

Unlike its exterior, the inside of the building was astonishingly vast.

The lobby was chaotic, filled with bustling mages.

A bald, hooked-nosed mage flew through the air with experimental potions, while an extraordinarily tall person muttered to themselves and, with a flash of light from their body, instantly moved to the second floor.

A corpulent mage sat on the lobby stairs, cradling a cat and sipping tea.

The sight of dozens of mages moving in various directions left Zeke dizzy from the confusion.

‘What kind of place is this?’

Shaking his head, Zeke finally regained his bearings and looked around, finding a communication device mounted on the wall.

He picked up the receiver-shaped device and pressed the button.

A sharp, mechanical voice, likely from the same golem that had greeted him, came through the receiver.

“Please state your identity and the name of the person you wish to contact.”

“Zeke Draker. I’ve come to deliver a letter from Kali Draker and meet with the head of the family, Master Jorge Nirvana.”

There was a brief buzzing sound, followed by a click, and the line was abruptly cut off.

Zeke stared blankly at the silent receiver.

“Has the call been connected?”

As he pondered whether he should press the button again, someone approached from behind.

“What are you still holding that for?”

A wizened, harsh-looking old man who clearly seemed like a mage glared at Zeke and snapped at him.

Zeke began to bow.

“Are you Master Jorge?”

The mage shouted.

“Do I look like that foolish old Jorge?”

He looked Zeke up and down with a displeased expression, saying,

“I’m Antonio. The deputy of that foolish Jorge.”

‘Antonio Nirvana? One of the few 8th circle masters on the continent.’

Antonio gestured to Zeke,

“I don’t know why you came from Draker, but since you’re here, follow me.”

He touched the wall, and suddenly a door appeared out of nowhere. Antonio casually opened and entered it.

Zeke hesitated, staring at the wall-door – typical of a knight, magic itself was unfamiliar to him.

When Zeke lingered, Antonio yelled,

“What are you doing?! Get in!”.

Zeke entered the door into what was clearly Antonio’s research laboratory – filled with countless experimental instruments, books, and chalkboards covered in incomprehensible formulas.

Zeke thought.

Mages research rooms are always chaotic,’

Antonio cleared his desk and sat down, saying,

“Don’t take off your gloves. There are instruments here you couldn’t buy with money.”

With a snap of his fingers, two cups of coffee appeared. He drank the black coffee and offered the same to Zeke, who took a bitter sip.

After smoking his pipe, Antonio finally got to the point.

“So why did Zeke Draker bring Kali Draker’s letter?”

“For continued cooperation and exchange between Nirvana…”

“No. Go back,”

Antonio cut him off before he could finish.

Zeke nodded, expecting this reaction.

‘Nirvana wizards hate troublesome things.’

Zeke said.

“Then the official business is done. Now, a personal proposal,”

Antonio was about to dismiss him again when Zeke pulled something out.

“What’s this? No, could it be… a fairy stone?”

Antonio immediately sat up straight, his interest piqued.

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