Pillar of Yita

As the old man stepped out, Barbaltan turned his head and nonchalantly introduced Fang Hong: ”This is the current Clan Leader of the Oathkeeper Clan, Count Vaisu. Young man, I guess you might have some connection with them—”

The Oathkeeper Clan?

Fang Hong was taken aback.

The old man looked over with a slight smile and said: ”You can call me Saisheer, Mr. Ade. You might not know me, but I have known of you for a long time. Just until now, there was no chance for us to meet.”

”We are merely travelers passing through Dragon’s Land. Perhaps, Ade, you’ve already heard of us from Mazak.”

”Wait a moment, you are...”

Fang Hong was shocked upon hearing this. Wasn’t it said that the Dragon Slayer’s bloodline was near extinction?

But the old man seemed to have read Fang Hong’s confusion and explained with a smile: ”Don’t be surprised, we are not the descendants of Dragon Slayers.”

”What?”

”Mr. Ade, I guess you’ve heard our story from Mazak. You must understand that the origin of Dragon Slayers, the five Oathkeeper clans, are composed of the descendants of those who once vowed and drank the Dragon Blood.”

”But the heroes who drank the Dragon Blood were only that first batch—during the war, many mortal women chose to marry these heroes and bore their offspring, to ensure our clan’s legacy.”

”The descendants of these people are the reason for our clan’s existence. But not every Oathkeeper descendant possesses the ’bloodline’ of Dragon Slayers. The mixed blood results in only about one-third of them inheriting the Blood of the Demon Dragon.”

”In fact, they are the true descendants of Dragon Slayers, while more Oathkeepers are merely mortals guarding that covenant of old. Of course, even we are haunted by the curse; among us, more or less, have lost friends and family because of it—”

”Especially a hundred years ago, with the emergence of the Dragon Witch.”

”That catastrophe led to the extinction of three of the surviving Dragon Slayer descendants’ branches, only Mazak and Misu’s ancestors’ branch survived, known to you as the Dragon Slaying Hero, Yoshude—”

”Afterward, Yoshude intended to completely eliminate the Dragon catastrophe, putting an eternal end to the millennial entanglement between the Dark Giant Dragon and Dragon Slayers. For this reason, Mazak and Misu inherited their ancestors’ will and relocated our entire clan to Istania.”

”So far, it’s been nearly thirty years, and you should already know what happened after.”

The old man glanced at the King of Sand beside him and continued: ”We have almost integrated into the society here, apart from our name, we are barely Oathkeepers, just remembering some past events.”

”But outstanding people shine everywhere,” Barbaltan replied: ”Since the Oathkeeper bloodline integrated into Istania, it has greatly aided me and the former king in various aspects. Your branch has spawned many heroes, and under the leadership of Clan Leader Saisheer, the Oathkeeper lineage has flourished.”

Count Vaisu respectfully replied, clutching his chest: ”The emperor has also bestowed lavish benevolence upon the Oathkeeper bloodline, we ask for nothing more, just hope to integrate and become citizens of this Sand Sea.”

The King of Sand was clearly satisfied with this response: ”You already are.”

Fang Hong listened intently to the explanation before he finally understood the identity of the other party.

Of course, he knew early on about Misu and Mazak’s relocation of the Oathkeeper lineage to Istania but hadn’t delved deeply into it then.

Mazak had also mentioned that they were the last descendants of Dragon Slayers. Originally, Fang Hong was puzzled as to why—but now he understood.

Despite only meeting the owner of Traveler’s Rest once, through the subsequent series of experiences and encounters with Misu and Eve, Fang Hong had established a profound connection with the Oathkeeper bloodline.

Therefore, despite not meeting before, hearing the description from the other party, Fang Hong felt a familiar sense of warmth towards the old man and the objects he mentioned. And it was only then he realized—what the intent was in the way they looked at them earlier.

The old Count continued to smile at them and said: ”Actually, when you were in Fanric, we were already aware of your existence through Mazak and Wabote’s letters. Sir quite admires you, and Mazak specifically mentioned hoping we could assist you as much as we can—”

Fang Hong realized.

Wabote is Sir Duke’s name, and the full name of the knight is Wabote-Jean-Duke—Fang Hong naturally remembered the earliest mission of delivering the letter, which was the beginning of everything. Back then, Mazak handed Ring of Golden Flame to them, for delivery to the elder knight in Golande, not realizing that the task was just the beginning.

Later, through Sir Duke’s narrative, they understood this.

Fang Hong was surprised to find that the knight not only had a good relationship with the owner of Traveler’s Rest but also had direct ties with the Oathkeeper bloodline. The link between the two was evidently closer than he had imagined; the fact Sir mentioned about him in the correspondence at least qualified the relationship as allies.