Dragonslayer’s Class Regression Chapter 69

Chapter 69

Knock! Knock! Knock! Knock!

Zeke was traveling in a carriage with Felix, leaving Atlas for another city.

Felix, sitting across from him, spoke with a slightly excited voice.

“Master, this is my first time going to Mycenae!”

However, Zeke couldn’t share Felix’s tourist-like excitement.

‘House Agamemnon in Mycenae.’

Mycenae was one of the Midland cities sponsored by Draker.

Though it wasn’t one of the five major cities of Midland, it was said that fifty years ago, it was even larger than Atlas.

Like Thebea, the oldest kingdom, it was a traditional city with traces of the Golden Age and the Holy Empire throughout.

House Agamemnon, was an ancient noble family that had ruled Mycenae and its surrounding territory since ancient times.

Some say they were descendants of an ancient kingdom that existed during the time of the Cronos Kingdom.

As the owners of the territory, with their deep traditions and accumulated wealth, House Agamemnon wielded powerful influence within Draker, centered around Mycenae.

However, starting 50 years ago, a curse befell the family, resulting in consecutive deaths of children.

As rumors spread about them being a cursed family, no one wanted to associate with House Agamemnon.

With the fall of House Agamemnon, Mycenae’s reputation also faded, and their name became hard to find within House Draker.

Carrying these various thoughts, Zeke arrived at Mycenae.

* * *

“Wow, Master! Look over there. It feels like we’ve come straight to the Holy Empire era.”

Unlike Atlas, the sophisticated new city, Mycenae retained the atmosphere of the Holy Empire from 500 years ago.

The entire city was made up of buildings constructed in the Gothic style commonly used by the Holy Empire.

Zeke felt strange and fascinated by Mycenae’s unfamiliar and distinctive appearance.

‘Come to think of it, I never visited Mycenae in my previous life either.’

Back then, he only visited strategically important cities, so there was no particular reason to come to a city like Mycenae.

Zeke said to Felix,

“Felix, let’s find lodging first.”

“Yes, Master.”

Although Zeke, as an official knight of Draker, could use the family’s facilities scattered throughout Midland, he deliberately decided to get a room at an inn within the city.

He wanted to experience the atmosphere of Mycenae firsthand.

Felix quickly found what looked like a decent inn in the city center.

Zeke entered the inn that Felix guided him to.

It was like a scene straight out of a storybook.

As it was nearly evening, people were gathering in the dining room drinking beer, and the innkeeper was serving whole roasted meat to the guests.

Zeke and Felix decided to have a simple meal after getting their room.

The large-built innkeeper approached Zeke.

“What would you like to eat?”

Hiding their identities, Zeke and Felix appeared to be just first-time tourist visitors to Mycenae.

Felix asked the innkeeper with his characteristic friendly smile.

“What’s the most popular dish here?”

The innkeeper replied with a confident voice.

“If you’re not just looking for bar snacks, the special soup is the best. It’ll fill you up nicely.”

Zeke and Felix ordered the recommended soup with bread and beer.

The food came out faster than expected and tasted quite good.

While eating, Zeke listened to the conversations of people around him.

Most were ordinary people having ordinary conversations.

‘The city itself seems quite nice.’

The fact that people could leisurely drink at bars and chat before sunset meant the city’s economic situation and public safety were good.

Zeke, who had imagined something gloomy and depressing since it was ruled by the cursed House Agamemnon, was surprised by this unexpected scene.

Just then, one of the men drinking nearby placed a plate of roasted meat next to Zeke and Felix.

“You look like tourists, and it would be a shame to leave without trying Mycenae’s famous grilled beef ribs.”

The man’s group agreed, saying he had a point.

Zeke spoke to the man in a friendly voice, as if this was a fortunate turn of events.

“Thank you for such kindness. The citizens of Mycenae are truly friendly.”

The man nodded with a satisfied expression.

“Of course, I’m a Mycenae native. There’s no place quite like it.”

Another man chimed in.

“That’s right! I went to Atlas or wherever, and it was just crowded with people and too chaotic to stay. The buildings were all pale and packed together, with no charm at all.”

The other men nodded in agreement.

Zeke sent Felix to get more beer.

“Oh my, you shouldn’t have.”

After enjoying the free beer Zeke bought them, the men became even more cheerful and listed all the great things about Mycenae.

Listening to them, Zeke became more confused.

‘Good public safety, good welfare policies. The city is being run perfectly well.’

“There were many cities on the continent, but places that were truly well-managed enough to satisfy their citizens were rare.

Looking at the Southern Continent alone, cartels, which were drug organizations, had taken over entire cities and were running them as they pleased, to the point where the existence of kingdoms was meaningless.

Compared to that, Mycenae was practically heaven.

When the men were a bit more drunk, Zeke slowly began to speak.

“Just from what you’ve said, I can tell how wonderful Mycenae is. But who is currently serving as the mayor of Mycenae? I didn’t see any city hall buildings when I looked around during the day.”

At that moment, the men who had been laughing and talking excitedly suddenly fell silent.

The sudden silence made Zeke, who had raised the question, feel awkward.

The man who had first come to Zeke’s table drained his beer mug and stood up.

“I suppose I’ve taken up too much of your time. Have a pleasant evening.”

The man returned to his original table, and the other men also began talking among themselves without looking at Zeke’s group.

From the men’s sudden reaction, Zeke realized they were reluctant to discuss House Agamemnon.

‘Perhaps they think even mentioning the cursed family brings bad luck.’

Zeke thought he needed to learn more about this.

After finishing the meal, Zeke said to Felix.

“I’m going to look around the area more, Felix, you go rest first.”

The perceptive Felix understood the meaning behind Zeke’s words.

“Understood, Master. Please be careful.”

After leaving the inn alone, Zeke walked around the downtown area and made his way toward the Syndicate’s branch.

Every city had its dark side, and that’s where the Syndicate had established itself.

Like in Atlas, Zeke found a location operated by the Syndicate and entered.

The atmosphere was distinctly different from the inn’s tavern.

A rough-looking man stepped firmly in front of Zeke and said.

“This isn’t a place for kids.”

Zeke quietly took out a card he had received from kei.

This magically processed card was only provided to VIP clients within the Syndicate.

The man who recognized the card was startled and bowed at the waist.

“I apologize for not recognizing such an esteemed guest.’”

“I’d like to meet the branch manager.’’

The man immediately guided Zeke inside, beginning to walk along a passage that led underground.

‘Looking at just this, it’s not much different from the Thieves’ Guild.’

The Thieves’ Guild naturally prepared such secure passages to store stolen goods.

The Syndicate, being an organization where security was equally important, was essentially no different from the Thieves’ Guild.

Zeke passed several intersections before being guided to where the branch manager was located.

Entering a private room in an upscale bar, someone was waiting for Zeke there.

It was a young man wearing a neat suit.

He seemed quite young to be a branch manager, but considering the major organizational restructuring the Syndicate had undergone last year, it was somewhat understandable.

The branch manager immediately fell to his knees as he entered the room.

“I apologize for my rudeness, not knowing such an esteemed guest would be visiting.”

This wasn’t a typical reaction shown to regular clients.

Zeke asked the branch manager.

“Do you know who I am?”

“Not in detail. I was only informed that you are someone to whom we must never show disrespect.”

It seemed Kei’s card had some kind of marking on it.

Zeke nodded and gestured for the branch manager to sit.

As the branch manager sat, he served tea he had prepared for Zeke.

“I heard you enjoy tea.”

‘…’

Zeke took a sip of the tea the branch manager had prepared and began speaking.

“How long have you been in Mycenae?”

“I’ve stayed here for about 20 years now.”

‘That’s quite a long time.’

“I’m a local, and I started working for the organization when I was young.”

“Good. Then you must know the circumstances of Mycenae well.”

“Yes. Unlike its appearance, Mycenae has an active black market. Most unofficially routed stolen goods are processed here in Mycenae, so…“

“Unfortunately, I’m not interested in stolen goods.“

The branch manager became slightly dejected at Zeke’s words.

“What’s the atmosphere like in the city of Mycenae?“

“It’s a good place to live. The public security is decent, and resources are abundant. If there’s one flaw, it would be the inconvenience of traveling to other cities since the railway isn’t operational.“

It seemed odd for a criminal organization member to say that good public security was a positive thing.

Zeke nodded and asked something else.

“Do you know anything about the ruler of Mycenae?“

At that moment, the branch manager’s face turned pale.

Zeke saw this reaction and recalled the response of the men at the inn.

To drive the point home, he mentioned that name to the branch manager.”

“It’s House Agamemnon.”

When Zeke mentioned the family name, the branch manager visibly trembled.

‘I wonder how the rumor of the curse spread for him to be this frightened.’

The branch manager tried to suppress his fear and spoke to Zeke.

“Where… where did you hear that name?”

“That’s none of your concern. It seems that in Mycenae, even mentioning that family’s name is taboo. Is there a reason?”

Suddenly, the branch manager made the sign of the cross and began reciting a prayer.

It was fitting for a city where remnants of the Holy Empire remained strong.

He slowly opened his mouth.

“My lord. That family is cursed.”

“I know that already. I heard it’s a curse that kills children.”

The branch manager shook his head vigorously.

“No, no, that’s not it.”

“No? Then there’s a different curse?”

The branch manager slowly opened his mouth.

“Anyone… anyone who goes to the castle dies.”

“What?”

This was something Decker hadn’t told him about.

Zeke asked the branch manager again.

“So you’re saying that whoever goes to House Agamemnon’s castle dies?”

“Yes, that’s right. And… and if you speak that name too much, you might die as well.”

Judging by the branch manager’s trembling lips, it didn’t seem like he was lying.

‘There must be something to this.’

Since superstitions could have magical power imbued in them, if many people believed in them, actual curses or strange phenomena could manifest.

“Have there actually been people who went to the castle and died?”

At those words, the branch manager made the sign of the cross again, said a prayer, and slowly opened his mouth.

“Yes, yes. I heard that during my grandfather’s time, people who went to the castle were cursed and all died. Even among my grandfather’s siblings, there were those who died that way.”

“Has anything like that happened recently?”

The branch manager shook his head.

“The citizens of Mycenae don’t go near the castle in the first place. They’ve blocked all roads leading there in case any tourists might try to go.”

“Hmm.”

After hearing everything the branch manager said, Zeke came to his own conclusion.

‘It seems House Agamemnon isn’t actually cursed.’

His eyes flashed.

‘The Agamemnons must have deliberately spread rumors of a curse.’