Chapter 216
[Setting the compass's direction to the 'Lake of the Fairies'.]
[Calculating holistic causality to set the direction to find the Lake of the Fairies.]
[The compass has locked onto a direction.]
[The compass's absolute direction will be fixed until the Lake of the Fairies is found.]
The compass needle moved and pointed in one direction.
Zeke examined the direction the compass was pointing.
"This direction... northwest? So it's in the Northern Continent."
At the same time, a message appeared before Zeke's eyes.
---Main Quest Mission (Linked)---
[Take the holy artifacts containing primordial power to the forgotten Primordial Temple. (No time limit / The temple's coordinates will be automatically activated once all three holy artifacts are acquired.)]
[Find the three holy artifacts to prepare for the prophecy of destruction conveyed by the spirit of the Archmage Hoshgar. (No time limit)]
[Use the compass to find the Lake of the Fairies and the mask's seal.]
[Main Quest Mission Reward: ???]
[Linked Quest Mission Reward: Title Archmage's Blessing]
[Linked Quest Mission Reward: Title Fairy's Blessing]
"Another new linked quest has appeared."
Two linked quests had already been attached to the main quest of finding the holy artifacts.
It felt like the system was urging him to find the holy artifacts quickly.
'Anyway, this means I can find the Lake of the Fairies by going in this direction, so I've saved myself some trouble.'
If Agamemnon's Mask was indeed the final holy artifact as Tyr had said, then finding the Lake of the Fairies would mean finding all three holy artifacts.
The quest to find the forgotten Primordial Temple was linked to Ruben's Light Magic quest.
The reward for the main quest was not specified, but it was speculated that taking the holy artifacts to the Primordial Temple would provide a way to stop the fallen constellations.
'Perhaps Lord Hoshgar telling me to find all three holy artifacts to prepare for the prophecy of destruction is also because of this Primordial Temple.'
Since the temple's coordinates would be activated once all the holy artifacts were gathered, the first priority was to find the Lake of the Fairies and the seal on Agamemnon's Golden Mask.
While Zeke was pondering the quests that had appeared in the message window, someone knocked on his door. Awakened from his thoughts, he told them to enter, and the servant who had brought his meal earlier entered Zeke's room.
"Lord Zeke. Forgive me for disturbing your rest, but I have urgent news to deliver."
"Urgent news? Who sent it?"
The servant handed Zeke a letter.
"It is from Lady cali."
"My sister?"
Zeke immediately got up and tore open the urgent message from cali.
Zeke's expression hardened as he read the urgent message.
'The movements of the Southern Sea pirates are unusual, and she has personally led troops into battle. Could it be...?'
Zeke felt an ominous premonition.
In his previous life, the Silver Knight cali Draker had met a heroic death in the Southern Sea while fighting the pirate king, Peter Pan.
Thanks to that, Abel Draker became the heir to the family headship, and Arthur Draker's sudden death led to Abel becoming the family head, triggering the Third Continental War.
'But it's not yet the time for the pirate king to appear?'
There was still a year before Peter Pan would become the pirate king.
Zeke realized that his regression had changed history.
'If cali dies in the Southern Sea, the Draker family will fall into Abel's hands as it is now.'
Zeke jumped up from his seat and said to the servant,
"Tell the Lord Patriarch that I regretfully won't be able to attend the banquet."
"A-alright. What reason should I give the Lord Patriarch?"
Zeke replied with a stern expression.
"Tell him that Lady cali Draker's life is in danger."
"Yes?"
Leaving the surprised servant behind, Zeke immediately left the guest room.
He left the Turunn Clan's residence and rode Bucephalus away in haste.
* * *
"Master, we will soon arrive at the island you mentioned!"
Liam shouted from the mast towards Zeke, who was looking at the horizon.
As soon as Zeke heard that Cali Draker had gone to the Southern Sea, he immediately headed to Iason.
In Iason, a port city, Zeke immediately contacted Cliff Reinhardt.
And using one of his two remaining requests, he had Cliff prepare a ship to go directly to the Sea of Death in the Southern Sea.
Cliff mobilized the full power of the Reinhardt Trading Company to secretly prepare the ship.
While the ship was being prepared, Zeke summoned his subordinates in Troy and Agamemnon's Castle.
Clone of the Rose Knights, Farel and Liam of the Black Sword Knights, Felix, Diego, Aster urgently joined him in Iason.
As soon as the ship was ready, Zeke led his group and set sail for the Southern Sea.
Their destination was the Sea of Death, where Cali Draker had gone to subjugate the pirates.
However, after more than a week of sailing after entering the Sea of Death, the group could not find Cali Draker's fleet.
It would have been good if they could use the Absolute Compass, but its location was already fixed on the Lake of the Fairies, so they couldn't find anything else until they found the lake.
After pondering, Zeke set course for 'Poseidon's Island', where he had received a quest through the sea chart Hook had shown him before.
Hook thought the place indicated by the sea chart was Captain Kidd's treasure island, and he believed he would become the pirate king if he obtained that treasure.
If Peter Pan in his previous life had obtained Captain Kidd's treasure on this island and then fought Cali Draker, there was a high possibility that a battle would take place on that island.
Zeke organized his thoughts, turned the ship around, and began sailing towards Poseidon's Island.
* * *
Thump!
With a swift movement, Zeke descended from the sail to the deck.
He looked at Liam and said,
"What are the others doing?"
"Everyone except Felix is preparing."
"What's Felix doing that he isn't preparing?"
"...He suddenly took up fishing as a hobby, sir."
At Liam's words, Zeke clicked his tongue and went to the stern of the ship where Felix was fishing.
However, someone was already punishing Felix before him.
"Felix, you've been quite relaxed lately, even fishing leisurely? Shall we have a good thrashing for old times' sake?"
"Ugh-ugh! No, ma'am!"
Felix was seen with Clone on his back, his head planted on the deck.
Zeke clicked his tongue as he looked at Felix, who was being disciplined.
"I can see you channeling aura to your crown and neck. Do it properly, Felix."
"Kuh-uk. Th-the aura just flows there on its own, sir."
Clone, still on Felix's back, gripped her mace and used the Breath of Light.
Kugugu!
As her strength increased, the force pressing down on him also increased.
"Kyahhh! Instructor! I-I'm going to die!"
Zeke shook his head at Felix, who was making a fuss and screaming about dying, and asked Clone,
"Clone, are you getting used to the Punishment of Light you added to your mace?"
Zeke had previously taken runes from a dismantled mace and added them to Clone's mace, adding a skill.
At Zeke's question, Clone swung her mace around.
"I'm not sure yet. I think I'll only get a feel for it after using it directly in combat."
"Good. I'll look forward to it."
Just then, Farel, Diego, and Aster ran over together.
Farel said to Zeke,
"Lord Zeke! The island you mentioned is visible. But..."
Farel trailed off.
"What is it, Lord Farel?"
"We can't approach the island."
"Can't approach? What do you mean?"
Diego, who was behind him, said,
"There's a huge whirlpool in the sea, yo!"
At those words, Zeke frowned.
"A whirlpool?"
Zeke went to the front of the ship to check the whirlpool.
"That is...?"
Just as Diego had said, a massive whirlpool was blocking the entrance to the island.
The captain, who had come out of the wheelhouse, approached Zeke and said in a voice filled with despair,
"Sir Knight! That's a curse!"
"A curse? What kind of curse are you talking about?"
"It's obviously the curse of the Sea God!"
"The curse of the Sea God?"
Then, Diego, who was from the Southern Continent, gave an additional explanation.
"It's one of the legends of the South, yo."
At Diego's way of speaking, Clone next to him tapped her mace on her palm.
Then, the stiffened Diego corrected his speech.
"It is one of the legends of the South."
"What kind of legend?"
"The story is that if you anger the Sea God, a curse will descend and a giant whirlpool will capsize ships."
"Capsize ships?"
"That's right. That's why ships from the South never go near places with whirlpools. They don't want to receive the Sea God's curse."
"Hmm."
The captain, who was from the South, was trembling as he looked at the whirlpool, but Zeke was thinking something completely different.
'It seems I've come to the right place.'
He hadn't thought that he would be able to enter Poseidon's Island, where Captain Kidd's treasure was hidden, without any obstacles.
Zeke said to the captain,
"Steer the ship as close to the whirlpool as possible."
At those words, the captain's face turned even paler.
"Excuse me? What are you saying? The ship will be sucked into the whirlpool!"
"I'll make sure that doesn't happen, so just hold the helm steady so it doesn't capsize."
Zeke conveyed those words and immediately jumped into the sea.
Leaving behind the captain, who couldn't hide his astonishment, Zeke climbed onto the back of Nahuel, whom he had summoned beforehand.
"Nahuel, let's brace the side of that ship so it can pass through the whirlpool and reach the island. Can you do it?"
Urrrrrrrr!
Nahuel let out a mystical cry and braced the right side of the ship with its body.
Zeke shouted towards the ship,
"We're entering the island through the whirlpool!"
The captain, incessantly chanting prayers in the southern dialect and weeping, went back into the wheelhouse.
Kugugugu!
The massive ship moved towards the whirlpool.
Urrrrrrrr!
While Nahuel braced the ship's side, it rode the strong currents of the whirlpool, preventing the ship from being sucked into its depths.
Kwakkwakwakwa!
Despite Nahuel, his spirit beast, holding it back, the whirlpool's force was so strong that the ship kept getting pulled inward.
"Nahuel, just a little more strength!"
Zeke, holding onto Nahuel's neck, took out Bahamut.
He tried to hold out until the ship reached the center of the whirlpool, but the speed at which the ship was being pulled in was faster than he had anticipated.
'Damn it.'
To slow down the current, Zeke unleashed a Sonic Resonance towards the whirlpool.
Uuuuuuuuung!
The Sonic Resonance created a shockwave, trying to block the whirlpool's flow, but it wasn't very effective.
Zeke frowned and shouted loudly,
"Hold on tight so the ship doesn't capsize! Nahuel! Just a little more strength!"
Kwakkwakwakwa!
As they entered the center of the whirlpool, rough waves struck the hull.
Kwa-kwang!
Swept by a massive wave, the ship staggered. Amidst the raging waves, Zeke was biding his time.
It was then.
Felix shouted,
"Kyahhh! Master! There's a tsunami coming!"
A tsunami large enough to swallow the entire ship was approaching with its mouth wide open.
Zeke's pupils glowed as he saw the approaching tsunami.
'Here it comes.'
Zeke entrusted the ship to Nahuel, and he used the Dragon Wings skill to leap across the water's surface.
His companions on the ship were startled as they saw Zeke leaping across the rough waves.
"M-my goodness!"
"M-master! Come back!"
Zeke gripped Bahamut and aimed the sword at the massive tsunami.
Uuuuuuung!
With the power of his ultimate technique, he entered the Divine Embodiment state and simultaneously drew upon the power of the Elemental Sword.
Uuuuuuuuuung!
Elemental power gathered on Zeke's body, now in Divine Embodiment.
Zeke composed himself and aimed his sword at the approaching tsunami.
The raging waves and rough sea suddenly stopped.
Only Zeke and the tsunami remained in this world.
He slowly swung his sword towards the tsunami.
Elemental Sword
Water Force Manifestation
Reverse Wave Slash
After accepting the power of the massive tsunami, he used his sword to change its flow.
Kwakkwakwakwakwa!
The tsunami that had tried to swallow the ship moved along with Zeke's sword.
Kugugugugugu!
The sea surged greatly, and the sea level where the ship had been rose sharply.
Riding the reverse wave, the ship quickly moved away from the whirlpool towards the island.
Urrrrrrrr!
Nahuel braced the bottom of the ship, helping it safely escape the whirlpool's domain.
Zeke swung his sword, sending the reverse wave back towards the whirlpool.
Kwakkwakwakwa!
The massive tsunami passed the ship and returned to the whirlpool.
Thanks to this, the ship was able to pass through the whirlpool without capsizing or being destroyed.
"Uwooooooo!"
Everyone on deck, including Felix, let out sighs of relief as if they had narrowly escaped death.
Thump!
A moment later, Zeke climbed back onto the deck.
Seeing Zeke, unharmed and casually shaking off the seawater from his head, everyone stared at him with their mouths wide open.
But Zeke ignored the gazes of the others, raised his head, and turned his gaze towards the front of the ship.
An island revealed itself from within the mist.
