When Zeke sent word that he wished to meet, Baron Draker came to Tera in person.
Baron Draker was astonished by the scale and facilities of Tera upon arrival.
The latest magic circles had been installed everywhere, and the touch of dwarven craftsmanship was evident in every building.
'The fame that shook the continent, innate talent, and immense wealth as well.ʼ The baron's eyes deepened.
'Zeke Draker was no longer someone who could be evaluated simply as a knight.ʼ Baron toured Teraʼs headquarters and ascended to Zekeʼs office as he was guided.
As the door opened, Zeke greeted Baron.
"Please come in, Sir Baron."
It was the first time they had faced each other since Arthur Drakerʼs death.
"Iʼm relieved to see you safe, Sir Zeke."
Since it was publicly known that Zeke had been attacked by the Siemens Family, Baron offered a formal greeting.
Zeke nodded and led Baron to the table in the center of the office.
Once seated, Zeke personally prepared tea and handed him a cup.
"Have some."
, who knew little about tea, took a sip with an indifferent expression.
"I heard you captured Howard Draker."
Baron cut straight to the point, and Zeke set down his teacup and nodded.
"Yes, thatʼs correct."
Howard had been one of those who moved under Arthur Drakerʼs orders alongside Baron.
Zeke observed Baronʼs reaction to see how he would respond.
Baron, looking at Zeke, bowed his head.
"As the captain of the Black Stage, I offer my thanks to you, Sir Zeke." Zeke narrowed his eyes at Baronʼs unexpected response.
He had thought Baron might propose a deal regarding Howardʼs fate or pretend not to know, but he hadnʼt anticipated such gratitude.
Baron continued, gazing at Zeke.
"Iʼve been tracking Howard Draker for quite some time. Because I sensed the twisted ambitions he harbored in his heart."
"Twisted ambitions. Do you mean he coveted the Draker Familyʼs power?" At Zekeʼs words, Baron shook his head.
"More than that. He knew he couldnʼt fully control the Draker Family, so he deliberately sought to weaken its power to make it easier for him to maneuver." In fact, Howard had brought in external forces to seize power.
He had even reached out to the mafia organization known as the Nostra Family, and though it was part of Zekeʼs plan, he had extended his hand toward Ishtar as well.
If the opportunity had arisen, he would surely have allied with the Siemens Family too. continued.
"The late Family Head was also aware of Howardʼs such greed. Thatʼs why he kept him close and watched him carefully. Otherwise, he would have become a persistent thorn in the Draker Familyʼs side."
It meant Arthur Draker had followed the adage of keeping enemies closer.
Zeke gauged how much of Baronʼs words he could trust.
'Arthur Draker might have actually done that. He could have kept Howard nearby and manipulated him to handle the dirty work.ʼ
Since Arthur Draker was someone whose true intentions were hard to fathom, Zeke couldnʼt fully believe Baronʼs account.
Zeke asked Baron.
"Did the Family Head entrust you with monitoring Howard?"
"Yes. The more dangerous a person is, the more cautiously one must approach them. I placed the Right Wing Commander at his side and kept him under constant surveillance by dangling necessary information as bait."
Souma, the Right Wing Commander, was someone Zeke also knew.
'So Souma was acting as a double agent.ʼ
As the intelligence division captain of the Black Stage, playing the role of a double agent had been entirely feasible for him.
The question was how much of Baronʼs words were true.
For now, Zeke decided to hear him out.
"The Family Head anticipated that, upon his passing, the cunning Howard would reach for the succession struggle to claim the family."
"Did he foresee all this? Then why didnʼt he designate a successor? If the Family Head had clearly named one, this chaos wouldnʼt have arisen in the first place."
shook his head at those words.
"The Family Head thought differently. The reason... is you, Sir Zeke." Zeke showed a surprised expression at Baronʼs words.
"What do you mean?"
Baron took a sip from his teacup to wet his throat before continuing.
"In truth, the Family Head wanted to name you as the Draker Familyʼs successor. But... he agonized over it until the very end."
"You mean the Family Head pondered until the last whether I had the qualities to be his successor."
Baron shook his head.
"No. The opposite."
Baron set down his teacup and said.
"The Family Head believed your qualities were too exceptional to bind you to the Draker Family."
Zeke was stunned by Baronʼs words.
'Arthur Draker?ʼ
The Arthur Draker he knew was not the type to highly evaluate someoneʼs talents and consider their feelings.
Baron spoke to Zeke, who was pondering in surprise.
"Sir Zeke, do you know one of the oldest principles of the Draker Family?" Zeke slowly nodded.
"The Draker exists only as a family. Is that what you mean?"
It was one of the principles passed down in the Draker Family for ages.
The Draker Family, which had boasted a tradition longer than the ancient kingdoms of the Central Continent, had maintained its form as a family despite having the potential to become a kingdom, all to uphold that principle.
Hearing Zekeʼs answer, Baron spoke again.
"The Family Head believed you could break the Draker Familyʼs first principle and establish a new order on the Central Continent."
Not as the Draker Family, but as a new kingdom or empire—the material to forge the Draker into something greater.
Zeke couldnʼt help but be astonished by Baronʼs words.
Arthur Draker had outwardly been the head of the Draker Family and the continentʼs strongest, but behind the scenes, he had been someone who hadnʼt hesitated to commit vile acts.
Since he had been the sort who would do anything for his goals, Zeke couldnʼt help but harbor endless suspicions about Arthurʼs death itself.
It was hard to believe that such an Arthur had evaluated Zeke in that way. Even if this was some trap, the fact that such words had come out suggested there had been some truth to that thinking.
As Zekeʼs thoughts deepened, Baron spoke again.
"The Family Head commanded that everything necessary to open a new chapter for the Draker be provided to you, Sir Zeke."
"You mean handing over the Draker Familyʼs power to me?" Baron shook his head at those words.
"The seat of the Family Head will go to Lady Kali. However... the Family Head said he would bequeath to you the Black Stage, along with the legacy of Overlord
Arthur Draker."
Baron took a key from his bosom and handed it to Zeke.
"This is the key to the Family Headʼs legacy. I was only told to deliver it; I donʼt know where the legacy is located."
Zeke examined the key Baron handed him.
It was an ordinary old key, worn from age.
'Something must be hidden within it.ʼ
Zeke decided to investigate it thoroughly later and tucked the key into his bosom for now.
"Thank you, Sir Baron. In the end, Iʼll follow the Family Headʼs will. Iʼve also decided to yield the seat of the Family Head to my sister Kali." Baron nodded at those words.
"The Family Head said he expected you to make that choice, Sir Zeke." He continued, looking at Zeke.
"And there is one more thing."
Baronʼs voice grew more serious than before, and Zeke regarded him with sunken eyes.
Baron slowly opened his mouth.
"The Family Head said Ramon Siemens must be stopped. He warned that if his treasonous acts are not halted, the entire Central Continent will be reduced to ashes." Zeke recalled the Third Continental War from his previous life.
The scenes of cities destroyed, filled with blood and screams, swirled chaotically in his mind.
If Ramon Siemens underwent the Second Consecration Rite and gained the power of the Flesh-Devouring Emperor Ajitahaka, he would surely wage full-scale war with that terrifying authority.
'And if he obtains the Demon Kingʼs power as well... the Phenomenal World will become a hellscape.ʼ
It was unclear how much Arthur Draker had known, but Zeke agreed that Ramon Siemens was dangerous, so he nodded gravely.
"I think the same. But we still havenʼt located Ramon Siemens."
At that, Baron took a document file from his bosom and handed it to Zeke.
"This is the location information for where Ramon Siemens is preparing his treasonous acts."
Surprisingly, the Black Stage had already pinpointed Ramon Siemensʼs location.
As Zeke felt puzzlement and surprise at that fact, Baron bowed his head toward him.
"The Black Stage now follows Zeke Draker. Even if Lady Kali becomes the Family Head, our true lord will be you, Sir Zeke. So, if there is anything you need, please command it at any time."
Baron had chosen Zeke as a figure superior even to the Family Head, in accordance with Arthur Drakerʼs will.
'The Black Stage.ʼ
It felt similar to when he had received the black card in the Family Headʼs name from Arthur Draker before.
It was certainly useful, but he felt it shouldnʼt be used recklessly.
'A double-edged sword was dangerous, but it depended on how it was wielded.ʼ Looking at Baron, he said.
"Very well. From now on, the Black Stage is mine. Baron Draker. Will you pledge your loyalty to me?"
Baron raised his head, looked at Zeke, and said.
"I pledge it, my lord."
Zeke nodded at Baronʼs oath of loyalty.
He then issued a command immediately.
"Assign the Right Wing Commander Souma as the intermediary contact. Iʼll communicate through him if needed."
"Understood, my lord."
Keep your enemies closer.
Zeke had decided to follow that adage as well.
After leaving Zeke with much to contemplate, Baron bid him farewell and left the office.
Alone, Zeke opened the file Baron had left and skimmed its contents.
He then confirmed the location where Ramon Siemens was hiding.
'Baranaon.ʼ
It was the site of the former capital of the Chronos Empire.
*
Thud! Thud! Thud!
The sound of pounding against the walls echoed from the cage made of sturdy black iron mixed with fairy stones.
The knights guarding the cage swallowed hard at the noise.
Before them stood over a dozen dark mages, and opposite them were members of the special magic corps holding magic guns, along with black knights clad in black armor.
At the negotiation table sat Ramon Siemens and Harvey West, the High Priest of Narak.
Ramon Siemens, whose face looked more haggard than before, looked at the High Priest, who had possessed an apostleʼs body, and said.
"I thought youʼd come in your true form today, but youʼre still leeching off a host."
Despite Ramonʼs provocative words, the High Priest remained composed and replied calmly.
[Given the circumstances, I ask for your understanding.]
Ramon clicked his tongue and gestured to the knights behind him.
Soon, the knights brought a box to the table.
Thud!
Ramon Siemens stood from his seat and slowly opened the box on the table.
Inside was, astonishingly, a living heart that pulsed and throbbed.
The High Priest carefully examined the heart, veined with black lines, and nodded.
[The heart of Light Dragon Zeus. Itʼs genuine.]
Zeus, the Dragon Lord who had been contracted to Siemens Apollyon, the one who ignited the demon war in the Hero King era.
He was the ill-fated dragon who went mad after having his heart taken by his contractor, Siemens Apollyon.
With the light dragonʼs heart transplanted, Siemens Apollyon gained the power of immortality and prepared to receive the Demon King.
Though Siemens Apollyon vanished due to the war afterward, his heart had been preserved by Narak and passed down to this day.
Then, that heart was transplanted into Abel, and he was reborn as a demon-dragonkin.
Due to the complex alliance between Narak and the Siemens, Ramon Siemens had removed Zeusʼs heart from Abelʼs body as a precaution against unforeseen events.
The High Priest, having confirmed the heart, nodded.
The dark mages behind him then chanted spells toward the black cage.
Rumble—
The firmly sealed cage walls began to slowly open.
Growl—
From within emerged Abel, whose form had half transformed into that of a demon-dragonkin.
Though a red knightʼs heart had been implanted, it was insufficient to withstand the demon-dragonkin essence that eroded his flesh.
Ramon looked at Abelʼs body with cold eyes and soon nodded.
"Good. Confirmed. Weʼll reinsert the heart on the day of the Second Consecration Rite."
[We accept those terms.]
To perform the Second Consecration Rite, the Siemens and Narak had reestablished their alliance.
Narakʼs personnel returned Abel to the cage and vanished through a black portal.
As Ramon gazed at the empty spot left by Narakʼs departure, his eyes turned icy. 'The moment the Second Consecration Rite ends, you lot will kneel at my feet as well.ʼ He eagerly awaited the impending red moon.