[Trantor - Peptobismal]


    [Proofreader - Max]


    Chapter 56


    "Destroy Draker"


    Zeke met Abel''s gaze, trying to discern his true intentions.


    Those sharp, crimson eyes...


    Zeke could sense the power of destruction and madness within them.


    ''Did he approach me knowing I sided with Cali, hoping to sway me?''


    Zeke''s current power was insignificant. However, once he graduated from Valha and officially joined the n as a knight, his status as a pure-blood Awakened would grant him swift ess to the core of power.


    Moreover, as the formal disciple of Duke, the ck Knight, Zeke could potentially gain his support and bring him into the fold as well.


    Zeke''s potential value was greater than it seemed.


    When Zeke remained silent, Abel took another sip of wine and spoke.


    "Do you not believe me?"


    To further gauge Abel''s intentions, Zeke decided to y along.


    "I''m not sure how to interpret your statement about destroying the n."


    Abel chuckled.


    "I don''t know about my other siblings, but Zeke, I thought you would understand what I''m saying."


    He looked into Zeke''s eyes.


    "You have the same scent as me. The scent of blood and battle is deeply ingrained in you. Perhaps it''s because you inherited the strongest blood of the Dragon yer."


    ''That Dragon yer blood nonsense again''


    Zeke decided to prod further.


    "Destroy the n... Is that why you''re building close ties with the Empire?"


    Zeke''s pointed question gave Abel pause.


    He then nodded slowly.


    "I can''t deny that. Zeke, have you ever been to the Empire?"


    Zeke shook his head.


    In his past life, he had infiltrated various cities on missions, but he hadn''t been to the Empire in this life.


    Abel continued, "Many consider As to be the greatest city on the Central Continent, but I disagree."


    He spoke slowly,


    "As is ultimately just a city with autonomy. Without Draker''s backing, it''s a sandcastle that could copse at any moment. But the Empire is different."


    "How so?"


    "Everything in the Empire is connected to Rom, the capital. The Empire is constantly building roads. They aim to create roads that traverse the Central Continent, reaching north to the Northern Continent, south to the Southern Continent, and even further to the Eastern Continent."


    "Why the constant need for road building?"


    "Zeke, that is the Empire''s unseen strength. Unifying the continent. Differentnguages, cultures, and resources have always gued thisnd. The Empire can connect everything through roads and create unity. And that will surely lead to a better world."


    Listening to Abel''s grand vision of the Empire, Zeke remarked,


    "Those are words fit for the Emperor himself."


    Abel''s eyes flickered for a moment.


    It was a fleeting instant, but Zeke''s instincts caught it, sensing something more.


    ''Cain, who had the Constantine surname. His middle name was Siemens. Abel has the backing of the Siemens n, his maternal side. There''s definitely a connection between Abel, Siemens, and the Empire.''


    If that were true, it would exin why Abel offered to hand over Draker to the Empire.


    Abel looked at Zeke.


    "Zeke, I want to give worthy individuals the positions and rewards they deserve. You have the potential to be my closest confidante, wielding the finest sword and jewels."


    Second only to himself.


    He was promising Zeke a powerful position as his second-inmand if he joined his faction.


    Zeke saw the ambition burning in Abel''s eyes.


    Eyes filled with madness, befitting someone who would plunge the continent into the chaos of war.


    Zeke remembered the era of turmoil and war that Abel had created in his past life.


    He spoke slowly,


    "I apologize, but I don''t think that position is right for me."


    He sought to be the strongest on the continent, not a harbinger of death and destruction.


    Zeke rose from his seat.


    Abel spoke,


    "Are you sure you won''t regret this?"


    Zeke turned to Abel and replied,


    "I don''t think I will."


    He promptly left the room, leaving Abel alone.


    Abel, left at the table, turned to gaze at the night view outside and sipped his wine.


    A whileter, William entered.


    He was surprised to see Abel alone.


    "Why are you alone? Where''s Zeke?"


    Abel looked at William.


    "He chose a different path."


    Just then, the wine ss Abel was holding suddenly softened andpletely melted, its contents spilling onto the table.


    The hot, molten ss burned the table as it dripped onto the floor.


    Abel clenched his fist.


    "William, I think it''s best to nip this in the bud before it''s toote."


    Today was Abel''sst offer to Zeke.


    He turned his head and gazed at the elegant night view of As.


    The moonlight seemed particrly poignant tonight.


    ***


    Back in As, Zeke prepared for the new semester at Valha.


    Valha had only one semester per year, so he was already a sophomore.


    Unlike other students who usually graduated in five years, Zeke, at seventeen, was preparing for early graduation.


    He had already reached the Blue rank and held the title of Draker''s official knight. If he focused onpleting the required credits, there was no reason why he couldn''t graduate early.


    His unprecedented request for early graduation immediately led to a meeting with the headmaster.


    Zeke went to see Headmaster ubert after a long time.


    However, he wasn''t the only one waiting outside the headmaster''s office. There were two others.


    "Yo! Bro!"


    One was Diego, whom he knew well.


    But the other was a stranger.


    ‘Who is that?''


    He was a tall, thin young man with a tired look and a face full of freckles.


    Zeke, Diego, and the listless young man sat in front of ubert.


    ubert greeted them warmly.


    "It''s been a while. Zeke, Diego, and Aster."


    Zeke was surprised.


    ''Aster? Could it be  Aster Eldolf, the Phantom Knight?''


    There was a reason for Zeke''s surprise.


    Aster Eldolf, the Phantom Knight, was one of the Five Star Knights who demonstrated exceptional skills in the 3rd Continental War in Zeke''s past life.  Apart from being a Valha graduate, his personal information was never revealed.


    His whereabouts after graduating from Valha were unknown, and the only known fact was that he was part of the Imperial Army.


    He always wore a full-te armor with a helmet, so Zeke never imagined he would have such anguid appearance.


    It was naturally surprising to see Aster, whom Zeke only knew as a powerful knight, slumped over with his head in his hands in front of the headmaster.


    "Ugh, I apologize, Headmaster. I haven''t slept properly in a week."


    "Oh dear. That chronic illness of yours is still troubling you, I see."


    Indeed.


    Aster Eldolf suffered from severe insomnia.


    He was highly strung, and his perfectionism exacerbated his anxiety, leading to insomnia that interfered with his studies.


    Diego gestured dramatically towards Aster.


    "Yo, bro! When you can''t sleep, just listen to some music, and you''ll doze right off!"


    Aster pressed his temples.


    "Ugh, hey. Sorry, but my head is pounding, so could you please be quiet?"


    The boisterous Diego and the sensitive Aster seemed like a mismatch.


    Zeke looked at Aster with pity.


    ''Insomnia... I suffered from that in my past life too. Because of that damned Don Juan, I had endless nightmares.''


    Knowing the torment of insomnia, he empathized with Aster''s situation.


    Then, a good idea crossed Zeke''s mind.


    ''Maybe this could be a way to get Aster on my side.''


    ubert addressed the three of them.


    "The reason I called you all together is that you have all applied for special early graduation at the same time."


    Despite Diego''s usual carefree demeanor and Aster''s listless appearance, they were among the most talented students in Valha.


    Diego wanted to focus more on music, and Aster, unable to attend sses properly due to insomnia, decided to graduate early.


    ubert tapped his desk with his finger.


    "Diego and Aster havepleted all the required courses up to the third year, and Zeke, you said you would fill in the remaining credits with a written exam."


    Zeke nodded.


    "That''s correct, Headmaster. I want to graduate as soon as possible and take on my n duties."


    Zeke yed the role of the polite student, saying only what ubert wanted to hear.


    The headmaster nodded and addressed the three students.


    "Good. I''ve spoken with the other professors, and they have no objections to all three of you taking the special early graduation exam. The question is how to evaluate you..."


    He pulled out a letter from his desk.


    "This is a cooperation document from Delfoa."


    Zeke realized what the headmaster was implying.


    ''He''s going to evaluate us through a real mission.''


    Indeed, Valha graduates often participated in missions as apprentice knights in other kingdoms'' knightly orders.


    Furthermore, students who showed exceptional performance in those missions were often recruited directly into the knightly orders after graduation.


    Most of Valha''s partner organizations were prestigious knightly orders from the Central Kingdom.


    However, Delfoa, while being one of the five major kingdoms in the Central Continent, had a unique characteristic, due to its tradition as the origin of magic, mage orders held more power than knightly orders within the kingdom.


    This meant that life as a knight in Delfoa was rtivelyfortable, but in terms of prestige, it wasn''t a popr choice among Valha students.


    ubert spoke slowly,


    "Have you ever heard of the ck Yaksha ?"


    Zeke nodded.


    "I know him as a continental criminal who was once an ouw."


    "You''re well-informed about continental affairs, Zeke. That ck Yaksha has been absorbing mercenary groups in the Central Continent and has established a base in Delfoa."


    Ouws from the border region learned to use Aura differently from the knights of the Central Continent.


    Their methods weren''t proper Aura cultivation techniques, but they specialized in deadly skills effective in actualbat.


    There was a reason why cartels paid a lot of money to hire ouws.


    Zeke asked ubert, "Are we cooperating with the Delfoa Knights to subjugate the ck Yaksha''s group?"


    ubert nodded.


    "Most of the operation will be handled by the Delfoa Knights and Mages, but they''ve requested assistance from skilled knights of Purple rank or higher."@@novelbin@@


    Considering that a knightly order of Delfoa''s size requested Purple rank knights, Zeke could imagine the situation.


    ''The battle mages will handle most of the fighting, and the knights will clean up afterward.''


    It seemed like sending graduates was a bit excessive, but they couldn''tpletely ignore the request. So, they decided to incorporate it into the special graduation exam.


    ubert addressed the three students.


    "Simply returning safely after participating in the mission will be considered passing the first exam."


    "How many exams are there in total?"


    "Three in total. After the first, the second and third will involve carrying out missions with other graduation candidates."


    It seemed they were expected topensate for theirck of practical experience through these missions.


    Zeke nodded.


    "I''ll participate, Headmaster."


    Diego and Aster also expressed their willingness to participate.


    "Good. Departure is in a week, so prepare yourselves. Especially Zeke, as this will be your first official mission, be well-prepared."


    "Understood."


    In reality, Zeke was a seasoned veteran of countless battles, but ubert had no way of knowing that.


    After leaving the headmaster''s office, Zeke let Diego go ahead to the club room for a music session. Then, he approached Aster.


    " Aster Eldolf."


    Aster looked at him with his freckled face and vacant eyes.


    "Oh, my head. Huh? Are you talking to me?"


    With his dazed expression and exhausted appearance, it was impossible to imagine him as one of the Five Star Knights, the Phantom Knight.


    Zeke approached Aster and said, "Do you need any insomnia medication?"


    He grinned and whispered, "I have some good medicine."


    [Trantor - Peptobismal]


    [Proofreader - Max]