Episode 242

“The Shackles of the Covenant?”

Upon hearing Yellin’s words, Zeke realized that there was a connection between the Crow Tribe and the Black River Tribe.
After pondering for a moment, he inserted Anexi’s dagger and said,
“This might take a while, so it’s better to move to another location.”

Zeke instructed Phaenan to clear out the secure conference room they had set up separately in the research lab.
Meanwhile, Himmel and Yellin carried the unconscious crows and moved to the security conference room with Zeke.
Phaenan, who had prepared the conference room, approached Zeke and asked about the situation.

“Master, are those people… the Isshtar sorcerers?”

Only Isshtar could boldly launch an attack like that in Atlas.
Zeke nodded and said to Phaenan,
“The situation has become a bit complicated.”

Quick-witted Phaenan closed the door of the conference room on her own and went back up to the research lab.
While Zeke was talking to Phaenan, the other crows who had been unconscious woke up, removed their masks, and bowed.
They had brown skin resembling dark elves, similar to Himmel.
Zeke spoke up,
“Please sit over here instead of standing there.”

Himmel shook his head,
“We cannot sit together with someone bearing the mark of the Black River.”

Just a moment ago, they were hostile, brandishing their daggers, but now, Zeke was not used to this sudden change.
Zeke had no choice but to ask Yellin to take a seat.
Yellin sat down and removed her hood and chador.
Her emerald hair and statue-like face illuminated the conference room.
Even Zeke, who was as solid as a rock, felt his heart flutter at Yellin’s appearance.
Although Angelina, the most beautiful woman on the continent, was stunning, Yellin exuded a grace beyond that.
Yellin opened her mouth while looking at Zeke.

“Zeke Draker, I am truly sorry for breaking the protocol.”

Despite her appearance, Yellin’s tone was quite archaic, and her voice was neutral.
Zeke nodded and replied,
“It’s okay. But are you okay after breaking the covenant?”

Yellin nodded and spoke again,
“The appearance of the Black River’s emblem is more important than the covenant, so I have come to you to discuss it.”

Seeing Yellin go to such lengths, it seemed breaking the shackles of the covenant was a matter of great importance to the Isshtar family.
Zeke asked Yellin,
“What is this ‘shackles of the covenant’ that the cattle owner mentioned?”

After hesitating, Yellin said to Zeke,
“Zeke, if it’s not too impolite, could you show me the Black River’s emblem again?”

In response to Yellin’s request, Zeke took out Anexi’s dagger and handed it to her.
After receiving Anexi’s dagger, Yellin meditated reverently and carefully examined the dagger.
After a moment, she swallowed her saliva.

“The disappeared emblem of the Black River has indeed reappeared.”

Himmel, who had been bowing, looked at Anexi’s dagger with a nostalgic expression, tears welling up in his eyes.

“To think that the emblem reappeared after over two thousand years…”

Observing Yellin and Himmel’s reactions, Zeke realized the symbolic significance of Anexi’s dagger.
Zeke asked Yellin,
“Is the ‘shackles of the covenant’ you mentioned related to this dagger?”

Yellin nodded in response.

“Yes. If it’s not impolite, may I ask where you found this dagger?”

After some consideration, Zeke decided to reveal only half of the truth.

“I found it in an ancient ruin. It’s difficult to talk about the details as it’s a family secret.”

Even Isshtar couldn’t delve into the secrets of the Draker family.
Yellin nodded and returned the dagger to Zeke, saying,
“In fact, this dagger is a relic of the Black River Tribe, a major tribe of the ancient dark elves.”

Although surprised, Zeke already knew this fact well as he had encountered Anexi, who possessed this dagger.
However, pretending not to know, Zeke asked Yellin,
“Dark elves… aren’t they a race that only existed in legends?”

Yellin shook her head.

“You may have noticed, but the Isshtar family has elven lineage. Among purebloods like me, there are cases where the physical characteristics of elves appear due to ancestral regression. Just as humans have diverse races, elves also had various tribes. There were high elves like me, gray elves, and dark elves.”

Zeke was taken aback by Yellin’s words.

“Are you saying you have high elven lineage?”

Through the chronicles left by the Hero King, Zeke had learned quite a bit about elves.
High elves were the noblest among elves, with the longest lifespan, the ability to communicate with nature, and wisdom to the extent of seeking help from dragons.
Yellin, who possessed the noble lineage of high elves, was considered a noble being even during the Hero King era.
Yellin looked at Zeke and said,
“I’m surprised that you know about high elves. But now, I’m just a descendant, not much different from a high elf. Anyway, if we talk about the covenant, we have to go back to the Hero King era. It can be said that it was an unbreakable pact between our ancestors and the Black River Tribe, who were the guardians of the Black River.”

“Are you saying that high elves and dark elves made a covenant?”

“Yes.”

“What kind of covenant did they make?”

After hesitating, Yellin continued,
“The essence of the covenant was to protect the Black River.”

“The Black River?”

Zeke was puzzled by Yellin’s words.
Dark elves had been sacrificed by Zemens to summon creatures from the Abyss, leading them to hate humans and become part of the Demon Lord’s army, engaging in fierce battles with the Chronos Allied Forces.
In such a situation, it was hard to understand how the elves, who were part of the Allied Forces, made a covenant with the dark elves.

“Was there something else that happened that I didn’t know about after the Demon Lord’s invasion?”

At that moment, Yellin slowly spoke.

“Our ancestors made a pact with the Black River Tribe to protect the area known as the Black River, which was their sacred land before going to battle. The high elves, with their noble lineage, could not refuse their request, so they accepted the covenant. However…”

Yellin hesitated before speaking again.

“The Black River Tribe that went to battle never returned. They all perished on the battlefield, and we didn’t expect that the entire tribe would disappear without a single survivor, leaving only the covenant behind.”

Zeke recalled Anexi, who possessed this dagger.
She had mentioned that her unit had been pushed back by the Allied Forces and had taken refuge in an ancient ruin.
Although he didn’t know the actual fate they faced due to being in a state of etherealization, according to Yellin’s words, if the entire tribe met their end on the battlefield, it was likely that her unit also did not survive.

“Did Chronos retrieve this dagger and turn it into a hidden stage in the overturned tower?”

Zeke asked Yellin,
“If we have this dagger, can we unlock the shackles of the covenant?”

Yellin nodded,
“Yes, that’s possible.”

Zeke was surprised to learn that the reason the Isshtar family had remained secluded in the borderlands was due to the shackles of the covenant from two thousand years ago.
Zeke remembered his past life.

“According to the news at the time, Arthur Draker was said to have died after falling into the trap of Isshtar and Nirvana. I always wondered how they managed to lure in the unyielding Isshtar… If the Empire had a way to release this covenant?”

In his past life, Isshtar and Nirvana had not participated in the Third Great War after killing Arthur Draker.
Perhaps Isshtar did not know that the shackles of the covenant had been released, allowing them to leave the borderlands for where they wanted to go.
Yellin spoke up,
“As I mentioned earlier, the Isshtar family has been able to engage in external activities since a thousand years ago.”

“Why did you start activities from that time?”

“This is also one of the family’s secrets, but I think I should tell you, Zeke.”

She slowly continued,
“A thousand years ago, a member of the family named Terakan Draker came to us.”

“Terakan Draker?”

An unexpected figure emerged from Yellin’s words.
Yellin nodded,
“Terakan Draker wanted to borrow the power of the Isshtar family. He promised to break the shackles of the covenant that bound the family, allowing us to go outside.”

Zeke thought that it might have been possible not because of Terakan’s power but due to Clodia Luberan and Bahamut by his side.

“If it was the power of a dragon, it could have weakened the shackles of the covenant that bound the Isshtar family, if not completely breaking them.”

Yellin continued,
“Terakan promised to release the shackles of the covenant if we helped him. However…”

Zeke could guess the rest without hearing it.

“Terakan did not keep his promise.”

Yellin nodded.

“As a result, the shackles were somewhat weakened, but Isshtar family is still bound to the Black River’s territory.”

Zeke understood why the Isshtar family harbored such hatred towards the Draker family.

“It seems that Terakan has been wandering around causing trouble everywhere.”

It was likely that Bahamut’s death before the covenant was released made it impossible for Terakan to keep his promise.
Zeke asked Yellin,
“Yellin, how can this dagger unlock the shackles of the covenant?”

Yellin looked slightly embarrassed and glanced at Himmel. After some contemplation, Himmel nodded in agreement.
She slowly explained,
“Zeke, beneath the Isshtar main palace, there is a very ancient labyrinth.”

“Is the main palace built on top of an ancient ruin?”

“The Black River area has been a place where ancient cities with deep history existed even before the Hero King era. As a result, there are still unexcavated labyrinths. It doesn’t have to be beneath the main palace.”

Zeke wondered why Yellin suddenly brought up the labyrinth.
Yellin then brought up the main point.

“The target bound by the shackles of the covenant is located beneath the main palace.”

Zeke furrowed his brow at Yellin’s words.

“Wasn’t the covenant about protecting the Black River area?”

“The Black River not only refers to the river flowing through the area but also signifies another being. To be precise, it’s a covenant related to the ‘recluse of the Black River.'”

Zeke felt something click in his mind upon hearing Yellin’s words.
With a hint of doubt, he asked,
“The recluse of the Black River. Could it be…?”

Yellin nodded in confirmation.

“Yes. Beneath the Isshtar main palace…”

She sighed before delivering her final words.

“There is still a living dragon.”