I Died and Became a Noble's Heir

Chapter 775: Dreknar’s Favor Part 5 – Part II

“The third part will reveal itself the moment the first two are complete,” Dreknar’s tone then shifted, becoming almost contemplative.

“Finish the conquest. Create the race. Accomplish both tasks, and the final trigger will unlock the key to my blessing. You will understand then what the third part demands of you. For now, it remains hidden. Not as mystery, but as necessity. Some knowledge must be earned rather than given.”

The system notification materialized in Jack’s vision.

[DING!]

[New Quest: Dreknar’s Favor Part 5 (Multi-Part Gauntlet)]

[Objective 1: Successfully conquer and permanently seal the first 30 floors of the Tower (Progress: 12/30)]

[Objective 2: Recreate the extinct [Dark Elf] race by forcefully corrupting and mutating the souls/bodies of the betraying Elven Council]

[Objective 3: ???]

[Time Limit: None]

[Accept Quest?]

Jack stared at the notifications, processing each line with the methodical clarity of a mind that had learned to compartmentalize and organize information by priority.

Three objectives.

Two known.

One is deliberately hidden.

An indefinite time limit, which meant Dreknar wasn’t concerned about when these tasks were completed, only that they would be completed eventually.

“Do you accept?” Dreknar asked, though his tone suggested he already knew the answer.

Jack’s mouth opened to respond, to give his assent, to commit himself to the path that had been laid before him.

But something in the back of his mind, some instinct, some deeply buried sense that had kept him alive through trials that should have killed him, made him hesitate.

“Before I answer,” Jack said, his yellow eyes narrowing, “I need to know something.”

Dreknar’s expression shifted. Surprise flickered across his features, a momentary break in the confident menace he wore like armor.

When he spoke again, his voice carried an edge of curiosity that hadn’t been there before.

“The little lamb has questions before accepting divine tasks. Interesting…. Speak.”

Jack’s hand moved to his chest, his fingers pressing against the armor covering his heart. The motion was unconscious, driven by something deeper than conscious thought.

“You’ve been invested in me since the beginning,” Jack said, his voice steady. “Not like a god playing with a mortal for entertainment. There’s something else driving this. You see something in me, something specific. You know something about my future that I don’t.”

Jack’s gaze locked onto Dreknar’s green eyes. “Why? What do you see when you look at me?”

The throne room fell into silence. Even the green flames in the lanterns seemed to hold their breath, burning with steady intensity rather than their usual violent flicker.

Dreknar studied Jack in silence for a long moment. When he finally spoke, his voice had lost its menacing edge and taken on something that felt almost contemplative.

“You are perceptive, little lamb,” Dreknar said, settling deeper into his throne. “That combination of intelligence and willingness to ask uncomfortable questions is precisely why I’ve invested in your survival.”

The formidable deity inclined forward, his substantial form adjusting with the elegance of an entity capable of refiguring mountains if he so wished it.

“I have walked the earth for longer than your kingdom has existed,” Dreknar continued, his tone carrying the weight of ages.

“I have observed mortals rise and fall, watched civilizations crumble to dust and be forgotten by history. In all of that time, in all of my observation, I have never encountered a human who has succumbed to demonic urges and made them intertwine with the very being of their own free will.

Never have I found one who could consume the hearts of demons without losing themselves to madness. Never have I discovered one who carried within them the bloodline of three cosmic categories and could harmonize with them rather than being torn apart by the contradiction.”

Jack’s breathing remained steady, but his shoulders tensed slightly. The mention of his bloodline carried more weight than ever before.

“But more than that,” Dreknar said, his green eyes burning brighter, “I can see what mortals cannot. I can perceive the fractures in your soul, the places where something vast and ancient is beginning to awaken.

The Seal of the Demon on your soul is fracturing, little lamb. Not quickly, but inevitably. And I have studied the prophecies long enough to know what will happen when that seal breaks completely.”

“Then tell me,” Jack said, his voice carrying a command despite the disparity in power between them. “What will happen?”

Dreknar’s expression conveyed a keen sense of satisfaction.

“First, you swear something to me,” the demon god said, his tone leaving no room for negotiation.

“Swear on your soul that you will never draw your own blade against me. Never raise a weapon in my direction. Never, under any circumstance, fight me. Agree to this, and I will reveal what prophecy speaks of your destiny. Refuse, and this audience ends. I withdraw my blessing, my tasks, my guidance. You face the Madness alone, without support or direction.”

Jack stood motionless.

His heart hammered against his ribs, each beat sending adrenaline through his system.

Swearing on his soul was binding in ways that transcended contract or law.

If he swore this oath, he would be caging a piece of what he might become.

But Dreknar was offering him knowledge of his own destiny in exchange. Knowledge about what the awakening of his true nature would mean.

Jack’s fingers unfurled. His hand pressed against his armor over his heart, feeling the pulse of his demonic essence beneath the protection of metal.

“I swear it,” Jack said, his voice steady and clear. “On my soul, I swear that I will never draw my own blade against you. Never raise a weapon in your direction. Never, under any circumstance, fight you in direct combat.”

The moment the words left his mouth, Jack felt something shift in the deepest core of his being. It was subtle, like a chain wrapped around something fundamental to his nature, but undeniably real.

The oath had taken hold. Magic older than kingdoms had bound the words to his soul, making them real in ways that mere promise could never achieve.

Dreknar’s demeanor was a blend of satisfaction and a more profound sentiment, possibly respect.

“There is an ancient prophecy,” the demon god said, his voice dropping into a tone that carried the weight of revelation.

“One that has been known only to gods and to beings of sufficient age to remember the age in which it was spoken…”

Dreknar rose from his throne.

The motion was slow, allowing Jack to perceive the full magnitude of the demon god’s size.

Dreknar was easily seven meters tall. When he rose to his full height, the throne room seemed to shrink around him, becoming smaller by comparison.

“The prophecy speaks of a King of Ash,” Dreknar said, his green eyes burning with an intensity that made Jack’s demonic essence pulse in resonance. “Listen, little lamb, and understand what fate has selected you for:”

The demonic entity’s voice transformed, transcending the boundaries of language.

Its communication manifested across multiple frequencies concurrently, impacting Jack’s perception from unprecedented angles.

Nevertheless, the message conveyed was unequivocal.

“When the blood of mortals curdles into the essence of the abyss, a shadow shall stretch across the tower. He shall enter the realm of malice not as prey, but as a butcher, devouring the hearts of his hunters and shattering crowns until the throne of the underworld bows to his will alone.”

Jack’s hand pressed harder against his chest, feeling his heart rate accelerate.

“Yet the mantle of the Demon King is but the first awakening; his true purpose lies not in the depths, but in the stars. For when the foundations of the world fracture and the Primordial Kings awake to reclaim the sky, the King of Ash must lead the Spire itself into the heavens.

He shall turn the great tomb into a spear and plant his banner at the peak of the mountain, rallying the monsters of the deep to fight a war older than time… marching an undying vanguard to break the bones of the Titans and their Father’s.”